Hunting in the Krater Labyrinth, contracting with Butler, commissioning the production of several small multi-functional beast carriages, and assisting Yuri, Rika, and Hilde with Feel and Memoria in Deseo, it was November before I knew it.
It’s been nearly two weeks since we returned from the Krater Labyrinth, but time has really flown by in an instant.
I never thought I would experience the proverb “Time flies like an arrow” so vividly.
“You look tired, are you alright?”
“I’m using Regenerating, so my body is holding up somehow.”
Hunter magic, Regenerating, is a spell that slowly restores stamina. It’s originally meant for long-distance travel on foot or extended combat, but stamina isn’t only used in fights, so it works effectively on a body tired from duty. Knight magic also has a stamina recovery spell called Refreshing, but it recovers stamina all at once, and it’s said to be counterproductive if used too often.
“I think overusing Regenerating is also a problem. Besides, isn’t the mental fatigue greater than the physical exhaustion?”
“Precisely.”
As Mako said, the mental fatigue is much greater than the physical.
For the past two weeks, I’ve been constantly dealing with problems: discussing with Guild Masters about the construction of branches for the Hunter’s Guild, Trader’s Guild, and Priest’s Guild in Prada; nobles who heard rumors of Count Enlo Istlias’s independence swarming Hilde demanding their own independence; and scholars causing trouble over the use of the newly installed MARS.
Prada was relatively smooth since Yuri could handle things and all the guilds had already secured construction sites. Deseo, however, was truly troublesome. Since they were people with some accomplishments, I couldn’t just use force, and I was tied up for days as Hilde’s guard. In the end, Emperor Reinhardt informed them that they lacked the achievements required for independence, and further incurred punishment for their misconduct towards Hilde, the deputy governor, resulting in their dismissal from their current positions.
As for MARS, the ones who used it first were trying to monopolize it without adhering to rules or schedules, so I couldn’t stay silent. That individual received severe punishment, prohibiting any use of MARS until the Grand Scholars Master grants permission. Those who complained also resorted to violence, causing injuries, so they were also banned from using it for six months. Research is important, but I have no intention of letting anyone monopolize it, and those who resort to violence because they can’t use it are equally guilty.
“For a while from today, it’ll be Glacian, but we’ll be hunting Treants, so it might be a good way to relieve stress.”
“That’s what I’m counting on.”
Starting today, I’ll be working in Glacian, the Beast Capital of Alegria, for a while. It was officially decided a month ago to install MARS, which was set up at Memoria General Academy, in a dedicated facility to be built on the outskirts of Glacian, and Alegria’s preparations are complete. I didn’t expect it to be decided in just a month, but it seems to be a mutually beneficial opportunity for Alegria, and with the unanimous approval of Emperor Glisina, the Prime Minister, and all the ministers, the matter progressed smoothly, leading to today. The pressure is on with such high expectations, but MARS at Memoria General Academy has already been opened to scholars, yielding positive results, and the feedback from hunters who have used it is also good. As a result, the number of hunters and scholars visiting Memoria is increasing. There are plans for three MARS facilities in Glacian, and they will be larger in scale. Furthermore, Glacian is the beast capital of Alegria and has shipping routes to Amister, Valentia, and Libertà, making it more accessible than Memoria for some. This is also a good opportunity to expand Glacian, which should boost the economy.
The site for constructing that facility is a part of the Torrent Forest on the outskirts of Glacian. Treants are trees, but they can turn into monsters under certain circumstances. While Treant trees exist in many forests, it’s common to encounter Treant monsters in these forests. The forest on the outskirts of Glacian, as the name suggests, only has Treant trees, so there are many hunters capable of dealing with them, especially those who can use Tree Magic, who are in high demand.
We will be using a section of the Torrent Forest to build the facility, which requires clearing part of the forest. Monsterized Treants are B- to N-rank monsters, with no U-rank superior species existing. The rank above that is S- to R-rank, and although they appear on rare occasions, we decided to send in our team for safety and to expedite the process. We discussed this last month, and since it will also be a stress reliever for me, I’ve been looking forward to it. Mana and Rika, who are pregnant, looked envious, which is tough, knowing I’ll have to think of something for them after they give birth.
At any rate, I need to go to the Beast King Castle now, so I’ll get into the Tree-made Multi-functional Beast Carriage, pulled by Jade. Alice will be the driver.
“Speaking of which, when will the beast carriage for the Fleidranthia Heavenly Noble House be completed?”
“Next week at the earliest. I wanted to finish it at the same time, but Mana and Rika told me it would be better to finish the Fleidranthia Heavenly Noble House carriage first, so I’m making them rush.”
“That can’t be helped. It’s also a problem for the Heavenly Nobles to keep using the Wing Crest beast carriages indefinitely.”
I answer Ludia’s question, but unfortunately, the small multi-functional beast carriage isn’t finished yet. Everyone else placed their production requests before mine, so mine is being postponed. It’s only natural to follow the order of requests, and I understand that, but that’s precisely why I wanted to synchronize the completion of the beast carriages for Valt, the Highwind Marquis family, and Lord Gaia. I originally intended to pick up the Fleidranthia Heavenly Noble House carriage at the same time, but they are different from personal use and gifts. They told me it would be polite to pick up their carriage first, have them examine the actual product, and then present the gift. When they said it was a matter of etiquette, I had nothing to say. Therefore, once the Fleidranthia Heavenly Noble House carriage is completed, starting with Valt’s Neige, then Marquis Frayus of Valentia, and finally Lord Gaia on Mount Wilness, they will experience the Fleidranthia Heavenly Noble House carriage, and then the completed carriages will be presented a few days later. Originally, there would be a gap of several months, but the beast carriages have already been commissioned, and I’ll be using my Traveling for transportation, so it will only take a few days. This is a very useful magic, but the fact that it has also delayed the production of the Fleidranthia Heavenly Noble House carriage makes me realize that even convenience can be a problem. I need to study etiquette and common sense for nobles properly.
Side Flam
Upon arriving at the Beast King Castle, we were immediately escorted to the reception room. This time, it’s about logging the Torrent Forest or subjugating Treants, so Yamato, Prim, Meena, Lydia, Ludia, Athena, Aria, Raus, Rebecca, Carol, Reina, Seras, Camellia, and myself, all available hunters, are participating.
“Thank you for coming.”
In the reception room, we were greeted not only by Emperor Glisina, the Beast King, but also by Crown Prince David and former King Grace, the entire royal family of the Beast King.
“I would like to express my gratitude once again for this matter. I never imagined that we would be able to construct a MARS facility here in Glacian before Float or other cities. We always intended to do so eventually, but realizing it so soon was unexpected for us as well.”
Indeed, there was no plan to build a MARS facility in Glacian at the previous International Conference. During that session, the issue of it being difficult to manage scholars with only Memoria General Academy was raised, and the question of where to build the next one came up. Glacian was chosen due to its location and development difficulty, but it was apparently an unexpected boon for Emperor Glisina.
“We also didn’t expect it to be so soon. However, as you can see from Memoria, problems have already arisen, so I believe installing MARS in Glacian is a matter of urgency.”
“The matter of the scholar who attempted to monopolize it. That has reached Alegria as well. While their registration hasn’t been cancelled, it’s said that since then, that scholar has been ostracized by every guild and is unable to conduct research properly.”
We have heard the same. They were an ambitious scholar from the start, and it’s said they intended to monopolize access to MARS at the General Academy and charge exorbitant fees. Consequently, they are completely banned from entering Memoria. The news has spread to other towns, and there are rumors that they are struggling even with their daily lives, let alone their research.
“They brought it upon themselves. Besides, the ownership of MARS at Memoria General Academy belongs to the Marquis Amatista family, not the Scholar’s Guild. Even if they had succeeded in monopolizing MARS at the General Academy, it would have been over once Marquis Amatista was informed.”
“I see, so the reason for giving ownership to the Marquis Amatista family rather than the Scholar’s Guild was also to prevent the Scholar’s Guild from running wild?”
The Scholar’s Guild is also a research institution, and Yamato and Mako were greatly wary of this. In their home world, Earth, there are quite a few researchers who believe that anything is permissible for the sake of research, which has led to social problems on several occasions. Therefore, they avoided giving ownership of MARS, which is an important research facility, to the Scholar’s Guild. While there’s a possibility that the Marquis Amatista family might go rogue in the future, we are Ancient Class, so we can keep an eye on them for nearly 200 years. And Yamato, being an Element Human, seems to have a lifespan comparable to Dragonians, so they might be able to prevent any rampage for about 500 years.
“Were there similar problems in your homeland?”
“Yes. Therefore, the MARS to be installed in Glacian will be presented to the Royal Family as a donation.”
“From the flow of the conversation, it certainly seems appropriate. It is a welcome offer.”
“Yes. We will gratefully accept.”
Originally, donations are made in the Audience Chamber. MARS is of a considerable size, but with spatial storage magic like Storing and Inventoring, its size and weight are not a major issue. However, there are rare occasions, like this one, when donations are made in the royal family’s private quarters. Yamato is also close with members of various royal families, so recently, this method has become more common. Although it is formally recorded as a donation, the issue here is that it is less likely to be widely publicized. The donation of MARS is something that should be spread as much as possible.
“Um, excuse me!”
“David? Is something wrong?”
After the MARS donation was completed, Crown Prince David spoke up.
“Yes! Um, I heard that you, Raus, and others will also be enrolling in the General Academy from spring, just like me. So, I wanted to talk with you a bit…”
His words are gradually losing momentum, but for Crown Prince David, they will be classmates. And while Raus and the others know each other, they don’t have a very deep relationship, so it seems he wants to deepen their connection before enrollment. Raus and the others also have the important duty of escorting the Crown Prince, so I believe it’s a good idea to deepen their relationship beforehand.
“Ah, that’s right. And yet, we haven’t formally introduced them until now, so perhaps we should have suggested it ourselves.”
“I also didn’t push the matter. I thought it would be fine even after enrollment. Forgive me, David. Yamato Tenshaku, is it alright to spare some time for them?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Thank you, Mother! Yamato!”
Crown Prince David’s face lit up with joy. He is also an Ulfy, like Raus, so he may feel a sense of familiarity. I heard he was appointed Crown Prince just after turning ten the other day. When I was the same age as him and Raus, I remember being much less hesitant, so for David to have waited until the conversation lulled before speaking suggests that the education provided by the royal family of the Beast King is thorough.
After the new year, Mana will give birth, and in the spring, Rika and Fiana will too. In the near future, Prim and I will also become pregnant, so I can’t help but feel admiration for the royal family of the Beast King for raising Crown Prince David so well. However, rather than just respecting them, we must also strive to raise our children to be honorable. We have many role models nearby, so we will take them as great examples.
