Side: Mana
As we toured Memoria General Academy, we also proceeded to check the buildings and grounds anew.
Establishing facilities and equipment of this scale would be financially quite tight, even with the backing of each guild and the Celestial Emperor’s Family.
Therefore, as the husband of Marchioness Frederica Amatista, the lord of Memoria, we have also contributed some of our personal assets.
It’s not just for that reason, but this place also holds a lot of significance for us.
“The Hunters and Ritters are combined, but is it also assumed that they will be separated in the future?”
“Yes. The reason for the joint Hunter and Knight Departments is that there are a certain number of hunters with poor conduct. Of course, it’s impossible for them to disappear completely even with education, but at present, we judge it to be too risky to separate the Hunter Department.”
“It’s true that many hunters from the Valentia region behaved outrageously during the recent civil strife. Not to mention the Solemne region.”
Your Majesty, Riviere S. Steilarhang Beast Duke, who lost his family in the civil war, opened his mouth, distorting his expression.
Your Majesty Riviere’s father, the previous King’s rank Rodpeace, died due to the bombardment from the steam battleships of Solemne, and his eldest son, who was supposed to be the heir, was killed by hunters who were besieging Rodpeace.
Therefore, he is keenly interested in training rookie hunters, and as he has his own grievances, his feelings must be quite complex.
“In the Libertà region, too, many hunters have lost their lives. The training of new recruits is urgently needed, but that does not mean we can allow lawlessness, as it will only cause problems.”
“It’s the same in Valentia. We’ve recently punished several raids, and we hear that more rebellious hunters are increasing. We have no intention of letting such individuals go unchecked, but if we continue to punish them indiscriminately, it will eventually become a major problem.”
Is the issue of hunters also significant in the Duchy of Liberty, in the Libertà region?
Hunters are mostly free individuals, so few serve nobles, but it’s not an absolute absence.
It’s the same in Valentia, but the problem is that the nobles they served were the ones in eastern Valentia who were punished.
As a result, some hunters turned to thievery, and I heard they were apprehended by the Dragoner’s Guild and Rybart, Valentia’s only M-rank hunter.
In the case of Libertà, it’s even more serious. Many cities, including the capital Estrella, were attacked by Solemne’s steam battleships, and many hunters lost their lives as a result.
It is said that even the P-rank hunter, who was considered the strongest in Libertà, lost his life in that attack, so the reduction in the number of hunters who can provide guidance is a troubling issue.
Furthermore, the problem is that hunters who survived Solemne’s attack are now plundering abandoned bridge cities.
Although abandoned, not all residents have moved out; a considerable number still remain.
However, these hunters are apparently repeatedly robbing traders who visit these residents, and furthermore, they are treating the people remaining in these bridge cities as slaves and forcing them to work.
What’s worse, there is unconfirmed information that they are using slave magic tools, which are prohibited items.
I heard that the Soldier’s Guild is already taking action, but since the abandoned bridge cities are quite vast, it is difficult to identify which hunters are acting lawlessly, and the investigation is reportedly progressing with difficulty.
“It will put a burden on the Ritters for a while, but we have no choice but to ask them to work hard on maintaining public order, don’t you think?”
“That’s the only way, but monsters don’t wait. Many high-ranking hunters have lost their lives, but even more low-ranking hunters have died. The head Hunter’s Master of our country mentioned the other day that the hunters in each duchy are about half of what they were at their peak.”
I knew that the number of hunters in Libertà had decreased, but I didn’t realize it had decreased that much.
Amister and Torencia are also experiencing a decrease in hunters due to Solemne and Retisencia, so possibly the number of hunters on the Philia Continent has decreased by about two-thirds.
“Indeed, it seems to be around that number. Although the former residents of Solemne have started Hunter Registration, it will be difficult to increase their rank without the ability to use Inn magic.”
“Not only that, but I hear that some are losing their lives needlessly. Simply increasing the number of hunters will not solve the problem.”
As Your Majesty Riviere and Your Majesty Aishlicht say, newly registered hunters are mostly around level 15, and at worst, they can be defeated by I-rank monsters.
T-rank monsters can be defeated by those with single-digit levels, so rookie hunters often mistakenly believe that I-rank monsters are only slightly stronger.
In reality, while some lower-level monsters are like that, higher-level I-rank monsters can rival C-rank monsters, or even surpass them individually, so they become prey by failing to discern the difference.
“The General Academy is also intended to reduce the number of such hunters, but it doesn’t fit the current situation, does it?”
“We definitely need immediate strength, but increasing the number of hunters who overconfident in their abilities would also be problematic, so the existence of the General Academy is appreciated.”
“And the number of students is just over 200, and not all of them are hunters, are they?”
Come to think of it, that’s true.
For the first year’s intake, we’ll have about 10 students the same age as Carol, bringing the total to around 230 to 240.
However, at this point, we don’t know how many of them will choose the Hunter or Knight Departments.
Combat training is included in the basic curriculum, but people have their strengths and weaknesses, so it’s impossible for everyone to choose the Hunter or Knight Department.
My prediction is that it will be just over half at most.
“We won’t know how many there will be until they enroll. In reality, they won’t start attending Guild Department classes until their second year.”
“Ah, you ask for their preferred department at enrollment, but they might change their minds?”
“Yes. We can’t change it once Guild Department classes start, of course, but the first year is also a preparatory period for deciding on their elective department.”
Even if they wish to become hunters and choose the Hunter or Knight Department at enrollment, they may find they lack aptitude or that it’s not what they expected.
Therefore, the first year is planned to include classes on reading, writing, arithmetic, etiquette, and also classes related to each guild, with practical training.
Of course, it’s difficult to determine aptitude in just one year, so in the end, it will depend on their own motivation.
“Indeed, there’s no point in those who lack motivation attending classes.”
“If it were just themselves, it would be one thing, but such individuals usually cause trouble for those around them. The Scholar’s Guild is also racking its brains day and night to reduce the number of such people.”
I’m sure they are.
There are strengths and weaknesses even for those who teach, and with a large number of students, they have to devise lessons that are understandable to everyone.
While reading, writing, and arithmetic are straightforward, etiquette is an area where the subjectivity of the teacher can easily alter perceptions, and with students ranging from commoners to royalty, it’s difficult for teachers.
“That’s true. But we can’t just put the responsibility on the Scholar’s Guild. Especially concerning etiquette, we should also check it ourselves at least once.”
Just as my brother says, when it comes to etiquette, we should have the Celestial Emperor and the Kings confirm it as well.
Commoners don’t have many opportunities to meet with kings or the Celestial Emperor, but the higher their rank, the more often such occasions arise, and in some cases, they might even become family.
If they become family, some rudeness might be overlooked, but that’s not the case when attending as a Guild Register, and some nobles are quite particular about etiquette.
Therefore, if we can get the kings to confirm it and give their approval, those nobles will not be able to raise any objections.
“Regarding that matter, I am afraid we will have to ask for the assistance of His Majesty and the others.”
It is my brother’s decision, and in truth, it is the correct course of action, so none of the kings show any particular opposition.
The Grand Scholar’s Master may have a stomachache, but in this case, there’s nothing else to say but “do your best.”
“Well then, we have seen all the facilities, so let us conclude our inspection. Dinner will be at Amagi Castle, but in the evening, you can relax to your heart’s content in Alka.”
The sun is about to set, so it’s a perfect time to end the inspection.
While we can use Traveling, the kings could make it a day trip, but normally it would take days just to visit Float, and they have been busy with development and reconstruction lately, so it’s not like they would be wrong to take a little rest.
It’s not just for that reason, but the kings are scheduled to stay overnight in Alka tonight.
They are all people who were invited to our wedding reception, so they have already experienced the hot springs at Hinomoto Mansion, and they had even asked if they could use them again, so in a way, this is the perfect timing.
However, we haven’t hired any chefs yet, and we don’t have enough butlers, so dinner has been arranged at Amagi Castle.
There are several candidates, but some high-ranking chefs who heard about our plan to hire chefs have come forward, asking to be hired.
They are relentless even after being told our reasons, and some are even pressuring the candidate chefs, which is a real nuisance.
We are also asking the Crafter’s Guild to issue a warning, and if it gets too bad, penalties will be imposed.
“No, no, ever since we were allowed to use your hot springs before, we’ve been completely captivated.”
“Indeed. While the facilities are wonderful, the scenery is even more so.”
If it were just a facility similar to the hot springs, it would be possible to build it, but the scenery itself is beyond our control.
After all, Alka is at an absurd height of 20,000 meters above the ground and rotates in a circle around the Celestial Tree, allowing you to bathe while always looking at the Celestial Tree.
Being above the clouds, at night, you are always illuminated by the moon and stars, creating an incredibly beautiful scene.
Being able to bathe 24 hours a day is also wonderful.
“While it’s impossible to invite you every time there’s an international conference, we are planning to invite you to Alka once in a while.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Indeed.”
Although it will only be a few times a year, just as Yamato said, there is a plan to invite the kings to Alka after the international conference.
However, for that, we need to increase not only the number of chefs but also butlers, and there’s also the issue of what to do with their families.
International conferences are important for the Federation Heavenly Empire, but as more people, including ourselves, are able to use Traveling, they are often day trips.
Even for multi-day events, accommodation is at Amagi Castle, and if there’s a reason to return to their home country, they can be transported back and forth using Traveling, so the burden for both the organizers and participants is not high.
That is precisely why, in the future, some might want to bring their families, especially their heirs, to the international conferences and have them observe.
According to the laws of the Federation Heavenly Empire, positions, including the throne, are limited to a maximum term of 30 years, unless there are special exceptions.
Many kings, including the Celestial Emperor, ascended the throne at the founding of the Federation Heavenly Empire, but not all of them will remain on the throne for 30 years, and at the latest, the participants of the international conference will be completely renewed after 30 years, so it is understandable that they would want younger individuals to observe important meetings.
However, not all heirs are necessarily worthy individuals, and it’s not guaranteed that they will actually ascend the throne.
In fact, the Crown Prince designate of Count Enlo Istlias is like that.
We intend to limit invitations to Alka to my brother’s reign, and since Alka is also our base, we frankly don’t want to bring such individuals there.
So, we can’t decide what to do until we think about it a little more.
When Yamato explained it like that, the kings looked a little disappointed, but it was helpful that none of them made any unreasonable demands.
Well, any king who makes unreasonable demands in front of such an assembly would simply be a foolish king.
