One month has passed since the wedding reception.
This means one year has passed since I transferred to Helios Orb.
I actually transferred to Helios Orb on July 14th, so it’s not quite exactly one year yet, but at this point, does it really matter?
After the reception, we continued to help with the port development in Prada Village, the establishment of the Scholar’s Guild, and the governance of Old Solemne, just as we had been.
Prada Village’s port is scheduled to open on July 14th, exactly one year after my transfer to Helios Orb, a mere four days from now.
Initially, a weekly direct route is planned to Glacian, the beast capital of Alegria, and the lord, Yuri, is scheduled to visit by ship.
Naturally, we’ll be accompanying him as guards.
The Scholar’s Guild officially opened three days ago.
The former noble residence in Float has been renovated and is being used as its headquarters, serving also as a museum.
The entrance fee is 100 El, and it is said to be bustling with visitors daily to see the taxidermied Catastrophe Species on display.
The main attractions are the stuffed Orc Emperor, Orc Empress, and Antlion Empress.
However, due to space limitations, larger species cannot be exhibited.
Meanwhile, the situation in the Old Solemne region is also improving.
It seems that the attitude towards the Outcasts has softened considerably, not to mention their registration with the Guild.
However, there are frequent incidents of former Outcasts registered with the Guild developing a sense of superiority over residents who cannot use Inn magic, causing problems.
Conversely, residents sometimes resort to violence against former Outcasts who possess Inn magic, so the discord between the two groups is unlikely to disappear easily.
Perhaps it would be better to build a new town somewhere and gather the former Outcasts there?
No, if that were to happen, I might be the first one mentioned as a potential lord, so I’ll just pretend I didn’t think of that.
Regardless, we are currently discussing what will happen after the Prada Village port opens.
“Once the port opens, Yuri will have some extended time off, won’t he?”
“Yes. He should be able to take about a week to ten days off.”
“He’s taken short breaks here and there, but with Feel around, it’s not like he’s been able to truly rest.”
Yuri, who was granted the Esmeralda Baronetcy for the areas surrounding the Mylight Mountains, including Feel and Prada Village, would still review documents at Feel’s Esmeralda Tenchaku Residence even on his days off.
While there are no major issues, it is predicted that a considerable number of Orc Anomaly Species and Catastrophe Species inhabit the Mylight Mountains, so requests for Hunters are constantly being made.
After the wedding reception, the invited Holy Grave, Gracious Lynx, Falcon’s, Black Army, Wise Rainbow, Snow Blossom, and Riot Flag conducted a mountain hunt in Mylight, dispatching numerous Orcs. However, it seems there are still some remaining.
The barrier protecting Feel and Prada Village has little effect against Catastrophe Species, so in the worst-case scenario, significant damage could occur. Yuri has been agonizing over this daily.
It’s one thing if we were around, but we’re often absent.
“Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Falcon’s has agreed to stay for a while, so we should be safe for now.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. El defeated the Icequake Tiger in the Slume Lord subjugation battle and clashed with the Antlion Empress at the Kragen Battle. As a result, he’s attracted the attention of many Hunters and has reportedly been unable to take on many requests.”
Ah, I see.
El, the leader of Falcon’s, participated in the Torencia dispatchment Alliance and, like other raids, participated in the subjugation of the M-rank Monster Icequake Tiger during the Slume Lord subjugation.
Furthermore, he evolved into an Ancient Harpy during the advance on Solemne and, in the Kragen Battle, I, along with Prim, subjugated the unexpectedly appearing Antlion Empress.
Although I delivered the finishing blow, it would have been much more troublesome without El, and I might have lost an arm.
At that point, Prim and I had already subjugated the Orc Emperor, Orc Empress, and Slume Lord. However, because we belong to Wing Crest and I was granted the Noble title, we were not surrounded.
El, on the other hand, is a Hunter despite holding a Knightly Title. When he visits the Hunter’s Guild, he is bombarded with requests for information and sometimes becomes unable to move due to pleas to join Falcon’s.
El has no intention of increasing the number of members in Falcon’s unnecessarily, so he has declined all such requests so far. Nevertheless, many Hunters persistently show up daily, and their numbers are even increasing. Therefore, he decided to leave Float for a while.
It seems that Feel was chosen for this role.
“Didn’t you say that all the members were able to evolve into High Class?”
“Yes. And Clark was reportedly close to evolving into an Ancient Human.”
“Huh? Wasn’t it Flora?”
Lydia and Ludia are confused, but both are on the verge of evolving into Ancient Humans.
Clark and Flora are childhood friends and are married. They are 38 years old.
Flora is El’s younger sister, but I heard they have different mothers.
They have no children but are considered powerful members of Falcon’s. It is plausible that both could evolve into Ancient Humans simultaneously. Ah, that reminds me.
“Yuri, what about the rewards for Falcon’s?”
“I apologize, but it’s according to regulations. They are already earning considerably, and their purpose in staying at Feel for a while was to hide, so they weren’t too concerned about it.”
As expected, it’s according to regulations. Since they have all evolved into High Class, their weapons are made of alloy, naturally. They all seem to use Jade Silver, so their weapons are not an issue. As for armor, if Clark and Flora are close to evolving, perhaps adding Guang Silk as a reward would be appropriate?
“In that case, why not offer some Guang Silk as a reward? Especially for El, it’s a must, isn’t it?”
“Ah, indeed. In that case, I’ll provide about three rolls, no, five rolls.”
Guang Silk is a silk fabric spun from the thread of Grand Silk Crawlers.
The Grand Silk Crawler is classified as a P-rank Monster, and it can withstand the magic of an Ancient Class. It can be used for everyday wear as well as underwear. The most troublesome aspect of evolving into an Ancient Class is that clothes and underwear made from Monster materials of G-rank or lower become unusable after a few wears, and are instantly ruined in combat. Therefore, I had bought a considerable amount, including spares. Naturally, I prioritize selling two rolls each to Ancient Hunters like El. However, even if it’s sufficient for underwear, one cannot tailor many everyday outfits. Therefore, five rolls of Guang Silk should be a sufficiently welcome reward.
“We’ll use it too, so shall we go replenish it again?”
“That’s a good idea. Besides, Alice mentioned wanting to contract with a Crawler, so let’s bring her along if we go.”
“If she’s okay with the appearance, then contracting is possible.”
Alice, the Butler, has summoning magic as her Inn magic and is also registered with the Crafter’s Guild. Therefore, although not a side job, she intended to contract with a Caterpillar to secure a stable supply of fabric. The reason is that Caterpillars are T-rank Monsters, easy to form a Summon Contract with, and also easy to evolve. However, after hearing our conversation, she expressed a desire to contract with a Crawler if possible. It is rumored that the evolution of Crawlers is slower than that of Caterpillars but faster than normal Monsters. If they can evolve into Grand Silk Crawlers, it would have the advantage of not having to go to the Krater Labyrinth repeatedly. Therefore, I am in favor of bringing Alice along, but the problem is whether she can form a contract. Summon Contracts can be formed with Monsters in the Labyrinth without issue if they seem compatible, and even if their level is low. However, forming a Summon Contract naturally entails taking care of the summoned beast, so there are Monsters with whom one might not form a contract even if they are compatible. In fact, Mana did not contract with the Crawler because of its rank, and Mako finds them physiologically repulsive. Marina and the others also avoided them. Therefore, whether Alice will form a contract depends on whether she actually meets them.
“If she can’t form a contract, that’s fine too.”
“We can just go to the Krater Labyrinth each time.”
That’s right.
“Speaking of which, although Traveling isn’t usable in the Labyrinth, what about Transfer Stones and Gate Crystals?”
“Ah, I don’t think we’ve ever used them before. I wonder what will happen?”
Mako’s question caught me off guard. Transfer Stones and Gate Crystals are magical tools for transferring to Alka. However, in the Labyrinth, long-distance teleportation magic Traveling cannot be used; only the Hunter magic Escaping is available. Escaping is magic to withdraw from the Labyrinth and is classified as Hunter magic, so it can be used if one is registered as a Hunter. However, since it only allows withdrawal from the Labyrinth, it is strictly speaking slightly different from teleportation magic.
“I believe it will be either completely unusable, usable only for withdrawal, or usable multiple times. However, it’s unlikely to be usable multiple times.”
“That’s right. It’s probably either unusable or only for withdrawal. Since either is possible, don’t we just have to try it and see?”
Yes. I’m too scared to conduct human experiments and have no intention of doing so. We’ll use a monster corpse or some other item to test it.
“Let’s go to the Instant Labyrinth tomorrow and try it out.”
“Let’s do that. If it works, it will be easier to take Alice along.”
Whether she makes a contract with a Crawler or not, it will be difficult for her to keep up with us. Moreover, although Alice has undergone combat training, she cannot defeat monsters around Feel alone yet, so the Krater Labyrinth would likely be nothing but mentally exhausting for her.
“That’s all well and good, but what about Lady Hilde and Rika?”
“While it’s not without issues, I haven’t taken a long vacation recently either, so I can accommodate Yuri’s schedule.”
“I’m the same as Lady Hilde. The felling of the Cherry Trees has mostly concluded, and the general school is under construction, so unless something major happens, I can leave it to Mother.”
It seems Hilde and Rika can also take time off. If that’s the case, then we really have no choice but to go to the Krater Labyrinth.
“Ah, Yamato. Shouldn’t you confirm with His Majesty as well?”
“His Majesty would probably want to come, but with Princess Maruka, he’ll likely have to give up, won’t he?”
“No, I’m referring to my older brothers and sisters.”
I wondered why Mina had suggested confirming with Emperor Reinhardt, but then I remembered that.
“Ah, yes, that would be the right thing to do.”
“The Order’s Guild also needs to secure materials urgently. Of course, leather materials, but Guang Silk will be necessary as well.”
As Mana and Lydia say, several members of the Order who are close to evolving into Ancient Class are in the Order’s Guild. Therefore, they want to use materials from P-rank Monsters for the Emerald Order’s Coat. Furthermore, due to the issue of everyday clothes and underwear, securing materials is urgent. Those who will accompany us will be from the Ancient Order. Currently, there are four members in the Ancient Order, three of whom are married couples. If they participate, it will be the married couples. This couple consists of Mina’s brother, Grand Order’s Master Rex, and his wives Rosemary and Muse. Furthermore, Rex is also married to Saya, an Ancient Hunter, so their combat strength is more than sufficient. Moreover, if Saya, a tailor, learns that they can hunt Grand Silk Crawlers, Royal Crawlers, and possibly Imperial Crawlers, she will absolutely want to come. This concludes Chapter 13. The stock has run out here, so updates will be stopped for a while. I am working hard to be able to post several times a week. Thank you for your continued support.
