Side: Mako
We left Solemn in the temporary care of Deputy Vincent and returned triumphantly to the Phantom Capital Bestia.
The people of Bestia welcomed us with open arms, and the Allied Forces entered White Demon Castle with a grand parade. The enthusiasm and cheers were incredible.
Upon entering White Demon Castle, we were greeted by His Highness Brynhild and Grand Saber’s Master Blazer. A victory ceremony was held, and Sabers and Hunters received their rewards.
Sabers were awarded honor and money, while Hunters received materials from Icequake Tigers and Friezas Tigers. Due to the quantity available, only a few Hunters level 55 and above received Icequake Tiger materials. However, other Hunters were granted P-R rank Friezas Tiger materials, so it was a decent reward.
“Royal Saber Vize Nebelwald, you led the Saber’s Guild in this battle and demonstrated great strength in defeating Solemn. To reward your achievements, we bestow upon you the title of Mystical Knight.”
“It is an honor beyond measure.”
With Vize receiving the title of Mystical Knight, she became the third person to hold this esteemed position, following Blazer and Albert. However, she is also the highest in level and is set to be appointed Grand Saber’s Master concurrently with His Highness Brynhild’s enthronement. Emperor Hildegard cannot abdicate until Solemn’s internal affairs are stable, so Vize will also be dispatched to Solemn until then. Incidentally, Vize is actually 67 years old, and her grandchildren are adults, so there are no issues with her appointment as Grand Saber’s Master.
“A-rank Hunter Certina Selsthal. You also united the Hunters who participated in the Allied Forces and contributed to our victory. As a reward, we bestow upon you the hide and fangs of the recently vanquished Slume Lord.”
“Such gifts for an old body like mine… I am grateful, Your Majesty.”
Certina, who had evolved into an Ancient Lamia, was bestowed materials from the Slume Lord. For the Ancient Class of the Amister Alliance, we crafted equipment based on the games in Lord Yamato’s engraving tools, using materials from M-rank monsters owned by Wing Crest and Friezas Tiger materials that each of them possessed. Of course, we intended to offer some to Certina as well, but she refused. She asked us to prioritize the younger generation over her, an elderly person. Her daughter and son-in-law, Shran and Cole, received some, but Certina was the only one in the Torencia Alliance to achieve the Ancient Class evolution. Moreover, we had almost run out of our own materials, so we couldn’t offer her any. Emperor Hildegard was greatly troubled by this matter, but it seems she decided to bestow the Slume Lord materials upon her.
“General Order Rex Fallheight.”
“Yes!”
After the rewards for the Saber’s Guild and the Torencia Alliance concluded, it was time for the Amister side. The Amister Alliance and the Order’s Guild are set to receive their rewards upon returning to Amister. However, they were originally dispatched to defend Torencia at Torencia’s request, and they proceeded directly to attack Solemn. Therefore, Torencia could not offer them no reward. Awarding them the title of Mystical Knight was out of the question, leaving only monetary compensation or something equivalent to a national treasure as possibilities.
“Without the assistance of your Order’s Guild and the Amister Alliance in this battle, our country would have suffered immense losses. Once again, I offer my deepest gratitude.”
“We are honored. However, Torencia is our country’s most friendly nation and a good friend. Lending our strength to a friend is only natural.”
“Thank you. However, it pains me that we can only repay that friend with money. Therefore, please accept this as an offering to your homeland.”
With that, Emperor Hildegard presented a dark white magic stone. Wait a minute. Isn’t that the magic stone of the Slume Lord?
“Th-That is!?”
“It is the magic stone of the Demise Species, the Slume Lord, who was vanquished the other day. Without the cooperation of Amister, defeating the Slume Lord and Solemn would have been difficult, and our country might have been destroyed.”
Indeed, the Slume Lord had approached Krater with two A-C rank Avalanche Howls and twenty M-I rank Icequake Tigers. Even if the Saber’s Guild had mobilized its full strength, it’s likely they would have only been able to defeat a few Icequake Tigers.
“But, even so…”
“Furthermore, Lord Yamato, Prim, and Mako—the three individuals who defeated the Slume Lord—are all Hunters from Amister. Therefore, I believe this magic stone rightfully belongs to Amister.”
The Emperor Hildegard’s reasoning seemed to be that since they were allowing the materials from the Slume Lord to be used freely, they should at least allow Amister to possess the magic stone. This is unusual, but the contributions of the Amister Alliance and the Order’s Guild in the Slume Lord subjugation battle were significant. Moreover, Amister is considered the suzerain state of Torencia. Therefore, it is natural for them to present the magic stone, especially given the war with Solemn.
“My apologies, but I must interject during the ceremony.”
Even Emperor Reinhardt couldn’t stay silent any longer. Interrupting a ceremony, even for a king, is considered rude, but in this instance, it was unavoidable.
“The Slume Lord has been a persistent threat to Torencia for many years. Even though Lord Yamato and his companions vanquished it, Queen Hildegard also participated in the subjugation battle. Therefore, ownership of the magic stone should belong to Torencia. Are you suggesting that Amister should possess that magic stone?”
“Yes. Both the Slume Lord and Solemn were existential threats to our nation. The Hunters dispatched from Amister and the Orders saved us when we were simultaneously attacked by these threats. To repay such a great service, it is a matter of national pride to present the magic stone of a Demise Species.”
Despite Emperor Hildegard’s words, she later admitted that this was a good opportunity to cede the Slume Lord’s magic stone to Amister. Torencia respects Amister as its sovereign nation, considering it natural for Amister not only to possess magic stones of Demise Species but also Labyrinth Cores. They even wish for Amister to solely govern Solemn. This is also due to Torencia’s priority of reconstructing its own territory.
However, Amister also has numerous responsibilities: supporting the annexed Estait Baronage in Bashon, preparing for war with Retisencia, and maintaining vigilance against Abaricia. Perhaps the most troublesome is the letter from the Beast King of Valiente. It’s unclear what it contains, but Emperor Reinhardt had a very troubled expression, suggesting that Amister might be drawn into more complications even after their return.
“Understood. However, it would be problematic for us to accept this unilaterally. We shall provide an appropriate item in return.”
Given Torencia’s circumstances, Amister ended up accepting the Slume Lord’s magic stone. The rewards for the participating Orders were monetary, but the Hunters also received additional furnishings for their Multi-functional Beast Carriages. Since we, the Grand Deathwurm, and the Alliance use Grand Worms, we didn’t have any beds. Private rooms would be decorated according to personal preference, so the furnishings were mostly for the living room and stables. The carriages had only the minimum necessary furnishings due to the urgency of their completion, so these additions were greatly appreciated. While we already had more luxurious sofas and beds, the carriages were equipped with a seemingly expensive dining table, a splendid chandelier, a large crockery cabinet, a play table, and a luxurious carpet. The courtyard also gained benches and tables, making it feel like we could host a garden party.
This was also a triumphant return ceremony for Torencia, so Amister did not provide any rewards. Those will be bestowed at the triumphant return ceremony that will be held at Amagi Castle after our transfer to Amister. Amister participated as reinforcements in the war with Solemn, and had they neglected it, Amister itself would likely have suffered damage. Therefore, the Saber’s Guild and the Torencia Alliance are also invited to Amagi Castle to receive their rewards. We will transfer by Float tomorrow evening, with the ceremony scheduled for the day after. It will be quite a rush.
Following that, a victory celebration was held in the audience chamber. An impressive quantity of food and, of course, alcohol was served. Many nobles were also in attendance, and there were numerous opportunities for scouting. This was to be expected, so I, along with Mana and Prim, had consulted with them, and Aria and I had also posed as Lord Yamato’s fiancées. The Ancient Classes from other raids were either already married or considerably older, making it easier to avoid such discussions.
“I should have also been treated as Yamato’s fiancée, just like Mako…”
“No, Eisen and Wolf are more than enough?!”
The most challenging case was Saya of Lily Wish, a 23-year-old single woman. Lily Wish also had the Ancient Dwarf Eisen, but Eisen actually had a fiancée in Amister. The others were in similar situations. However, Saya was the only one without even the hint of a male companion. Even so, as the leader of Lily Wish, Saya probably had an easier time refusing.
As Lord Yamato suggested, it would have been simpler to pretend to be the fiancée of one of them from Lily Wish. But why didn’t you do that? Thanks to that, I’m enjoying the victory celebration?
“They are like brothers and sisters, having come from the same orphanage. Therefore, marriage among orphans is quite rare.”
Hearing Wolf of High Ulfy explain, I was somewhat convinced. However, why did the guise of a fake fiancée have to be with Lord Yamato?
“Well, it’s faster to do it that way. There are over 20 Ancient Classes, but only two or three are of suitable age, right?”
Ah, that’s right. The male Ancient Classes are Lord Yamato, Eisen, Cliff of Holy Grave, Caesar of Black Army, and Rex of Order’s Guild, making it five. Caesar is nearly 60 years old, so he’s excluded as a marriage candidate. Cliff is in his mid-thirties, and Eisen is like a brother, making him a bit awkward as a marriage prospect. That leaves the two Ancient Humans. Rex is part of the Order and is slated to become the next Grand Order’s Master, so Amister cannot remain uninvolved if marriage or engagement discussions arise. This means that if a false status is to be adopted, Lord Yamato is the most suitable. However, Saya, while saying this, is often looking in Rex’s direction.
“Well, and Saya, you’re of age too, aren’t you? Why don’t you look for someone on this occasion?”
“That’s easier said than done…”
“Well, it’s unlikely Rai would let go of you, having evolved into an Ancient Rabitry. And more importantly, you are the leader of Lily Wish; if you were to fall into disgrace, you might even make an enemy of Amister.”
Sayuri-sama addressed Saya, who wore a displeased expression. Now that I think about it, it’s true. Saya, as an Ancient Rabitry, is the leader of Lily Wish, known as “Amister One.” Lily Wish also has deep ties with Sayuri-sama, the former queen. It’s hard to imagine Lily Wish going to another country. Amister wouldn’t stand idly by either, so it’s true that it could potentially strain the relationship between Amister and Torencia.
“The nobles are aware of that as well, and they probably have ulterior motives. However, if both parties are fond of each other, the country cannot interfere.”
“Ah, I see.”
Helios Orb has a low birth rate, and the birth rate of male children is even lower. There are anecdotes of nine out of ten children born being girls. While there are rare lineages like the Dragon King Family of Valiente that tend to give birth to male children, such families seem to be uncommon. Therefore, polygamy is common even among civilians in Helios Orb. Men who only marry one wife are considered incapable, and women who do not permit a second wife are seen as excessively jealous, leading to near ostracism. As someone who grew up in Japan, this feels incredibly unnatural.
However, for the people of Helios Orb, this is a critical issue for the survival of their species. Therefore, I believe I understand the situation. Otherwise, I would not pretend to be Lord Yamato’s fiancée, even if it’s a pretense.
The problem, however, is that the age of majority in Helios Orb is 17. This means that Lord Yamato, who is three years younger than me, is also of age and can get married. In fact, he already has five wives, so I can get married at any time. In fact, not getting married would lead to suspicion about our relationship, making it more of a problem. I am a guest, and I have only been here for about three months since arriving in Helios Orb. I believe I can use this as an excuse to avoid it for a while. However, Lord Yamato got married about ten days after his transfer here, so it might be a bit tricky.
However, this is a major issue that concerns my entire life. Thus, even if it’s a pretense, I have no choice but to maintain the guise of fiancée for now.
