Two days have passed since we returned to Feel, and we’ve finally returned to our daily lives.
It was fine until we returned to Feel the day before yesterday in the afternoon, but since all five of us who were dispatched from Feel also returned safely, it caused a huge commotion.
It seems they had heard about us defeating the Slume Lord and the Antlion Empress, that many had evolved into Ancient Class, and that Rex had been chosen as the next Grand Order’s Master, so it was practically a festival.
Despite that, the Hunter’s Guild is demanding, and yesterday, I was immediately sent to investigate Mylight.
The foot of Mylight is already covered in snow, so Orcs and other monsters rarely descend. However, it is expected that they overwinter and increase in number in the mid to upper slopes where snow doesn’t accumulate. Therefore, it’s something that should be investigated even during winter, and if possible, culling them would be for the best.
Normally, one would ride a beast carriage or a mount to the foot of the mountain and then ascend on foot. However, we don’t lack means of transportation, so we can go to the mid-slopes or even the summit of Mylight without worrying about the snow.
Furthermore, with seven more Ancient Class beings—Mana, Meena, Flam, Lydia, Ludia, Athena, and Eos—we now have a fighting force superior to any ordinary army. This means we can easily dispatch any Orc variants or catastrophe species that may increase in Mylight without much concern.
That’s why the Hunter’s Guild, under the guise of an investigation request, asked us to cull the Orcs.
The magic stones of Orcs were oversupplied, and their market price had dropped by about 20%, but they still bought them, so it was fine.
Also, regarding the Union House that we commissioned from the Crafter’s Guild, it was actually completed last week, and a few Butlers dispatched from the Butler’s Guild are currently managing it.
It’s located in the noble district, by the shores of Lake Veil.
It’s about one or two sizes smaller than a noble’s mansion, but it’s still a three-story house with a garden.
The exterior is made of stone, in keeping with Feel’s townscape, but the stone was processed using Inn magic, so there are no gaps whatsoever.
I’m not very knowledgeable about it, but I heard they used a concrete-like material mixed with monster bones and lime.
The garden is smaller than that of a noble’s mansion, and it gets a bit cramped when three multi-functional beast carriages are parked there.
The decorations are modest, but there are plants, and several cherry trees have been planted.
Apparently, cherry trees are similar to the symbolic trees of the country where Yamato and Mako lived, so they wanted to have them at the Union House as well.
I was told that it’s a different matter altogether, even though they can see them anytime in Alka.
The gate is equipped with an Illusion Knocker, which, in conjunction with the Gate Stone installed inside the Union House, allows visitors to be identified not only within the Union House but also when inside Hinomoto Mansion.
We had to prepare a separate Gate Stone for this, not for transfer, but that couldn’t be helped.
Incidentally, the creature that appears when the Illusion Knocker rings is a Carbunculus smaller than Luna.
Passing through that gate and across the garden, one enters the entrance hall, which has a staircase leading to the second floor.
This area isn’t very wide either, but since it’s just a passageway, it’s not a problem.
In this hall, we’ve installed a Gate Stone disguised as a piece of furniture, which corresponds to the Illusion Knocker.
To the left are the kitchen and dining room, to the right are the toilet and bathroom, and at the back are the living room and, sandwiching it, two reception rooms.
We’ve also prepared sleeping quarters for the Butlers who will be staying overnight.
The structure is not very different from a noble’s mansion.
The second floor is mostly composed of guest rooms. We’ve prepared about eight of them, but I don’t think they’ll be used.
However, we had to prepare them, so that’s that.
And the third floor is our private space.
Even so, there are only two rooms on the third floor.
One room has nothing but enough space to park two multi-functional beast carriages side-by-side. The prototype multi-functional beast carriage, Unit 1, is already firmly fixed to the floor, and it’s decorated so that at first glance, it doesn’t look like a beast carriage.
The biggest reason for building the Union House was for transfer to Alka, so the facilities at the Union House are minimal, but even a prototype multi-functional beast carriage offers more comfort than a standard mansion. Since the usage of prototype Unit 1 has decreased, this will also be put to effective use.
Beyond that room is a small chamber, and we’ve finished installing the transfer Gate Stone in that small chamber, so now we can transfer to Alka anytime while still in Feel.
Even though we can now use Traveling, transfer to Alka isn’t possible with Traveling, so Gate Stones and Gate Crystals are essential.
That’s why the Union House was absolutely necessary.
“The Gate Stone compatible with the Illusion Knocker has also been installed next to the entrance. The facilities on the first and second floors are as ordered, and the third floor was built to be sturdy for future renovations, so there are no issues there either. As expected of the Crafter’s Guild.”
“We also asked the Butler’s Guild for security management, and that was a great help.”
“Indeed it was.”
The Union House was completed about a week ago. We commissioned it before the march on Solemne, and we knew it would be completed during the march, so we also requested maintenance and management from the Butler’s Guild.
Even before mastering Traveling, we used Transfer Stone Tablets and Gate Crystals to report our progress to Feel, Float, and Bestia about once a week. We made the request during those times.
We returned twice after taking the Emperor’s Castle, but we had to return to Deseo immediately, so even though we heard it was completed, this is the first time I’m actually seeing the Union House today.
You might think we could have gone on the day we returned to Feel, but on the day we returned, Feel held a victory celebration. And last night, after finishing the survey of Mylight, we immediately transferred to Alka, so we didn’t have the opportunity.
“I intend to ask the Butlers who managed it to continue their management, is that alright?”
“Yes. Marisa and the others often accompany us, and the Homunculi have management duties in Alka, so we have no choice but to do that.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Mana’s opinion.
The ones who managed the Union House were two C-rank Butlers and two B-rank Butlers, and we’ve decided to continue employing them.
“So, that means we’ll pay the rewards at the Crafter’s Guild, and then head to the Butler’s Guild?”
“That’s right. Ah, I can handle that much by myself, so you all can go to Alka first.”
“I think we’ll do that.”
“I need to make Ceras’s Twin Swords, you see.”
“I’m also planning to present Ciel-sama with a Celestial Globe.”
Ed, Marina, and Fiana will be in Alka crafting the Twin Swords and the Celestial Globe.
Well, Ceras has officially become Raus’s fiancée, and her older sister Ciel is set to marry at the same time as Brother Rai’s coronation ceremony, so it’s best to complete them soon.
At the recent victory celebration, Raus and Brother Rai have finally resolved to accept them as their partners, but they can’t get married right away.
I’m also concerned about the situation in Lichtenfels, so after returning to Lichtenfels once to register as Hunters, Ceras will join the Wing Crest, and Ciel will live in Amagi Castle.
Although Ciel has no combat experience, like Aria and Reina, she intends to go hunting with Brother Rai, so we decided to give her a Celestial Globe similar to Aria’s.
Lord Aiver seemed interested, but we additionally presented him with leather from the Gold Dragoon and Disaster Dragoon, so he should be enthusiastic about crafting armor.
I also pulled up designs from Yamato’s Engraving Tool, and it seemed to suit Ciel perfectly.
Reina, Fina’s younger sister, who is also Raus’s fiancée, uses a Celestial Globe as well. However, unlike Aria’s Starlight Orb, this one is specialized for magic rather than defense.
The core Tenma Stone is made from the magic stone of an M-rank monster, a Gryphon, fused with wind magic, telekinetic magic, barrier magic, the hunter’s magic Regenerating, the knight’s magic Shielding, and the attendant’s magic Speeding. The eight celestial Tenma Stones that form the stars are imbued with eight attribute magics.
Furthermore, as decoration, a Gryphon with spread wings crowns the top. In fact, these Gryphon wings are imbued with Mirroring and the craft magic Connecting, allowing them to envelop and protect about two people.
It expands a wind barrier using the wind attribute magic and barrier magic imbued in the Gryphon’s Tenma Stone, and by using Shielding on those wings, it compensates for its weakness in defense.
Of course, the Gryphon’s wings are made of Gust Dragoon leather thinly coated with Lapis Laz, so their defensive power is considerably higher than ordinary shields or armor.
In fact, Reina has used it several times during the advance on Solemne, and attacks from S-rank monsters pass through it without any effect.
The name Reina gave to that Celestial Globe is Griffis Light Star.
“Shall we also relax in Alka today?”
“Let’s do that. I didn’t expect to be told to go to Mylight so soon after returning.”
“That’s true.”
Rudia’s opinion was agreed to by Mako and Flam, and everyone else also agreed.
Although I agree with that opinion, there are still things I need to discuss while we have the chance.
“So, we’ll be crafting weapons for Ciel-sama and Ceras, Yamato will handle the commissions at the Crafter’s Guild and the Butler’s Guild, and everyone else will relax in Alka, is that right?”
“That’s right. Ah, will one of the Butlers accompany me? There are some rules of the Butler’s Guild that I still don’t quite understand.”
“Understood. Then I will accompany you.”
To Yamato’s request, Viola surprisingly stepped forward first.
Due to her serious and meticulous personality, her work is accurate and rarely contains mistakes, and she takes good care of Yuria. Because of this, we often ask her to do various tasks.
However, unlike Marisa, who is experienced, reliable, and considered the head Butler of the Wing Crest with the endorsement of Eos and Mana, she’s not the type to be at the forefront and tends to work behind the scenes.
Therefore, I honestly didn’t expect Viola to volunteer.
“That’s fine, but what about Yuri?”
“Yes. In Alka, there are Homunculi and others. Also, I actually want to take a qualification exam, and I intend to purchase some textbooks…”
Ah, a qualification exam.
The Butler’s Guild qualification exams are separate from promotion exams, but the number of qualifications held seems to be related to promotions, so it’s quite a difficult matter.
The Butler’s Guild qualification exams often relate to cooking, sewing, and other fields interconnected with different guilds.
It is said that upon passing the Butler’s Guild qualification exam, one can use the Guild Magic related to the qualification.
There are a vast number of Guild Magics, and even Butlers apparently don’t have a complete grasp of which exam corresponds to which Guild Magic.
“I see. Then, Viola, I leave it to you.”
“Yes.”
Viola replied to Yamato with evident joy.
Interestingly, Viola has never acted alone with Yamato.
While Marisa and Eos have accompanied Yamato when he went to the Crafter’s Guild, Viola never had the opportunity and never has.
We haven’t had many opportunities either, but we’ve had a few, so I understand why Viola is so happy.
Yamato and Viola then went to the Crafter’s Guild to pay the rewards and to the Butler’s Guild to request continued maintenance and management of the Union House.
Butlers are dispatched once every three days, and they are C-rank to B-rank.
Normally, Marisa, Viola, Yuria, and Eos manage the house, but with Hinomoto Mansion also needing attention, and the four of them often going on trips with us, it’s not always feasible.
We could consider hiring a few permanent residents, but perhaps we should think about it a bit longer before deciding.
