The day after the triumphant return ceremony and the Philia Continent Unification Memorial Celebration, we were gathered in the main conference room of Amagi Castle.
This was because an international conference was being held to discuss rewards and to decide the future of the Retisencia region. The kings were staying in Alka last night for this purpose.
Regarding the rewards, Ritors received alloy weapons and money, while Hunters received monster materials and money. As we participated as Hunters in the battle, we were also given some materials from a Demise Species.
However, the issue that arose at that time was the Order’s Rank of myself and Rex. Both Rex and I are at the O-Rank, the highest rank, which means we cannot be promoted further. It’s not easy to be promoted in Order’s Rank, nor is it advisable, but the achievement of defeating a Demise Species is significant, and it’s not something that can only be accomplished by those in O-Rank Orders. Therefore, His Majesty Reinhardt decided to establish new ranks. New ranks were relatively quickly decided above O-Rank: Lapis Laz, and above that, Hihishirokane. Unlike Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron, which remained as they were, they were given names based on the Helios Orb readings: Lapis Light Rank and Flare Light Rank, respectively, which would be R-Rank and F-Rank. Although the system will not be officially registered for some time, promotion to R-Rank will be for defeating a Demise Species, and promotion to the highest F-Rank will be for evolving into an Element Class. Even so, a sudden promotion is problematic, so it is said that I, Rex, Rosemary, and Muse will be promoted to R-Rank Order.
I wonder if it’s right to create a rank above O-Rank so easily, but I was told that if we don’t, we can’t reward merit. It seems they also considered the possibility that O-Rank Orders will increase in the future. In fact, Saya is an E-Rank Order from Outside but was granted the title of Sky Knight, promoted to D-Rank Order, and will be bestowed the Arc Order’s Coat.
“This rank is planned to be applied to the Ritter’s Guild as well. Do you have any opinions?”
“I have one. Your parents, Yamato Tenshaku, are of the Arc Class, which is considered above the Element Class. Are they not being considered?”
His Majesty Reinhardt mentioned its application to the Ritter’s Guild as well as the Order’s Guild. Neige then posed a question. Indeed, my father and mother were of the Arc Class, a class considered above the Element Class, and it’s not impossible that there might be something in between them. If so, wouldn’t we need to establish one or two more new ranks?
“We are not considering that. Even if we increase ranks endlessly, there’s a high possibility that no one will be able to reach them, and it could lower the morale of the Common Ritters.”
That might be true. For Common Ritters, becoming an executive requires evolution into High Class. However, even without becoming an executive, G-Rank serves as a goal or benchmark. But if new ranks, even if they are honorary, are created one after another, they might feel neglected, and it’s undeniable that this could lead to a decrease in morale. Ritters are also responsible for maintaining public order, so a decrease in morale could lead to a deterioration of public order. Furthermore, if they feel disrespected, they might collude with disgruntled nobles and plot a rebellion. Therefore, it has been decided that the Ritter’s ranks will be finalized at 15 levels, including R-Rank, F-Rank, and L-Rank, which signifies lead and indicates status as a student at the General Academy, and no further ranks will be added.
The reason for creating a new rank like L-Rank is largely to protect student Hunters. Hunters’ job is to hunt monsters, but students are not allowed to leave the academy grounds without permission. Since there are no promotions during their enrollment, their Hunter Rank remains at the lowest T-Rank. However, to ordinary Hunters, T-Rank signifies a rookie who has just registered, and there are criminals who target such individuals. While these Hunters are punished if discovered, they cannot simply be ignored. Furthermore, with existing ranks, it’s difficult to determine if someone is a student. Thus, the new rank also serves to protect students. Therefore, although there are no promotions from L-Rank during enrollment, upon graduation, they will become T-Rank and will be promoted to an appropriate rank by completing requests. This is for the Hunter Rank, and other Guilds basically follow the same principle. It should be noted, though, that Guild registration for academy students begins in their second year, so L-Rank registrants will actually appear starting next spring.
“I see, you are absolutely right. My apologies.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
Since no other questions were raised, we moved on to the next agenda.
“Then, let’s move on. The future of the Retisencia region.”
The Order’s Rank was for us as a reward, but its importance was not particularly high. It’s possible that the reason for announcing it here was more to warm up for the next agenda.
“You may already know this, but I will report it again. Rex.”
“Yes! We encountered approximately 10,000 monsters in Kobaldia. Due to the sheer number, we suspect that many of the labyrinths within Retisencia, including undiscovered and newly formed ones, are experiencing labyrinth floods.”
Retisencia has perished as an Imperial nation, and Kobaldia has been completely annihilated. However, a vast territory remains. Moreover, there are monsters that have likely evolved through Demon Crystals, and many monsters have overflowed from labyrinth floods. There is no way to confirm either of these now. If things continue as they are, the Retisencia region could become a dangerous area overrun by monsters, and the danger could extend to neighboring Amister and Vagenbach, as well as the three adjacent duchies.
“Therefore, the Retisencia region will be sealed for the time being. However, we do not know how long the investigation will take, and especially for Vagenbach, the border is long, making vigilance difficult.”
“That is correct. Before coming here, I requested reinforcements from the Soldier’s Guild, but with the appearance of Demise Species, we simply cannot cope.”
Katrina Bridges-Koufrowning her brow, I understood her sentiment well. Vagenbach is a vertically long country, and the entire eastern side is the Retisencia region. It’s impossible to keep watch over all of it. Moreover, the Soldier’s Guild is also responsible for maintaining public order in the Solemne region and other duchies, so they are critically short-handed. With the possibility of Demise Species appearing, it’s no exaggeration to call it a crisis of a dying nation. Amister also borders the region, but much of it is surrounded by the rugged terrain of the Mylight Mountains and the Linea Valley, and there are many Ancient Orders, so they can still manage.
“Yes. Therefore, for the time being, we plan to station several Ancient Orders there.”
“Oh, that would be a great help.”
This is about all the immediate measures we can take. The other option is to have Ancient Hunters go, but in that case, it would be a designated request, and more importantly, Hunters would be needed to investigate the labyrinths, which would be difficult.
“Will Hunters be requested for the labyrinth investigation?”
“That is the plan. There are currently three known labyrinths in the Retisencia region, all located in the eastern part. However, the Hunters of Retisencia seem to have been negligent, and the Hunter’s Guild has little information. Furthermore, the possibility of undiscovered labyrinths cannot be ruled out, so multiple Raids will be formed into Alliances for their conquest.”
So, Hunters will be attacking in Alliances. Although the number of Ancient Classes has increased, anything can happen inside a labyrinth, so forming an Alliance is the safest bet. Of course, it’s possible that the dungeon has few floors and the guardian is only P-Rank, but if we let our guard down, it would only lead to unnecessary casualties.
“I am also concerned about the undiscovered labyrinths, but will we first conquer the three confirmed labyrinths and reduce the danger?”
“Though they are called undiscovered, we don’t even know if they truly exist. And we also don’t know if those labyrinths are the cause of the labyrinth floods.”
“Even if they are fine for now, they will undoubtedly cause one in the near future. I agree with conquering them.”
As Duke Urus and Beast Duke Polaris said, we don’t know if all the labyrinths are causing labyrinth floods, and even if they aren’t, there’s a non-negligible chance they will cause one in the near future. Therefore, conquering the three confirmed labyrinths has a high degree of urgency.
“We will consider later which Raid will be sent to which labyrinth. However, many of the Hunters have just finished fighting, so we must take that into account.”
Right. Sending them to a labyrinth without rest is like telling them to die, and Hunters wouldn’t accept such a request.
“In other words, will Hunters who participated in this battle also be given designated requests?”
“Yes. While the number of monsters in the labyrinths may have decreased immediately after the labyrinth floods, anything can still happen. Furthermore, it is necessary to conquer them as quickly as possible. Therefore, multiple Ancient Hunters will be deployed, and we will attempt to conquer them simultaneously.”
There might be labyrinths that didn’t cause a flood, and we don’t know the status of the deeper levels. Therefore, deploying multiple Ancient Hunters is essential. However, simultaneous conquest means dividing our forces. The highest-ranked monster that appeared in past labyrinth floods was the A-I Rank Monster Disaster Dragoon. Based on that, it seems to be the reasoning behind this decision.
“Simultaneously, you say? It feels safer to conquer them one by one, but if all the Ancient Hunters are mobilized at once, there will be concerns about our defensive capabilities in case of emergency.”
“That is correct. We are not underestimating the Ritters, but since we cannot definitively say that another labyrinth flood will not occur, it is necessary to conquer the three labyrinths simultaneously.”
Given the sheer number of monsters that overflowed, one might think it’s safe for now, but the Laofen Labyrinth overflowed hundreds of monsters in several waves, so His Majesty Reinhardt’s concern is understandable. We don’t know how many days it will take to conquer even one labyrinth, and more importantly, if another labyrinth flood were to occur, they might head towards Vagenbach. Since the border is long vertically, the damage in that direction would be catastrophic. Therefore, it is understandable that Hunters would be judged to need to conquer the three labyrinths simultaneously, despite the high risk.
As for conquering those labyrinths, we, the Wing Crest, will not participate. The reason is that since I hold the title of Tenshaku and also the positions of Deputy Governor for the Esmeralda Baronetcy and the Marquisate of Amatista, a long absence is not favorable. I wanted to participate, but when told to do my work as a noble, I, with a wife and children, had no choice but to comply. There is also the issue that it is unknown where the evolved Demise Species are, and if all Ancient Hunters were to enter the labyrinths, we would be unable to deal with them if another labyrinth flood were to occur, so there is that reason as well. Ancient Orders are to prioritize the investigation of undiscovered and newly formed labyrinths. For conquest, they will form Alliances with Raids that include Ancient Hunters and proceed to conquer their assigned labyrinths at the fastest possible pace.
The Fersa Labyrinth, which previously overflowed the Disaster Dragoon, will be handled by Gracious Lynx, Wise Rainbow, and Sacred Bird. The Bulgarl Labyrinth, predicted to be the lowest in difficulty, will be handled by Black Army and Snow Blossom. The Roukula Labyrinth, where high-rank monsters appear from the first floor, will be handled by Holy Grave, Falcon’s, and Lily Wish. The decision to proceed is set for one week from now.
I can only watch from the outside, but I hope they all return safely.
