After eating lunch, I was told to use Mana Ring, and I did, but I never expected to sprout wings, even if it was just a pseudo-form.
Moreover, those wings seemed to be made of surplus magic power, so unless I use Mana Ring with all my might, they don’t seem to be able to grow.
However, since it seems to provide quite a bit of reinforcement like Prim’s, it might be good to practice thoroughly and be able to use it with a certain amount of magic power.
It feels like a transformation, being able to grow wings besides magic reinforcement, and I’ve always aspired to that.
With that said, Prim and I, after eating lunch, headed for Feel by riding on the backs of Jade and Fluorite.
I heard that they were both lonely because they slept in the Holy Grave’s beast carriage since leaving the campsite.
“Here comes Feel.”
“Yes. We’ve returned safely.”
“Riala, Dart, I’m sorry, but could you run to Feel? We’re significantly behind our scheduled arrival time.”
““Understood.””
According to the written instructions I was given by Jade, we were supposed to arrive around 2 PM.
However, monsters can attack, and unexpected events can occur, so arriving on time is difficult.
This wouldn’t happen if we were traveling within the city.
“Will we be waiting here for now?”
“That’s right. If we don’t inform them in advance, preparations for the triumphant return ceremony won’t be made.”
“Wait, this triumphant return ceremony is the first I’ve heard of it!?”
“Are we seriously doing something like that?”
“We couldn’t tell you in advance because we didn’t know if you would wake up. Even if you were awake, it would be pointless if you were still groggy.”
“Hey! What do you mean by that!?”
I agreed with Prim.
If they say that, it means Prim and I will be walking through the city riding on Jade and Fluorite!
“Isn’t it obvious? We can’t publicly announce what the Emperor and Empress did, but even so, we defeated the King and Queen, who were the main targets, and defeated over half the Orcs, so it’s natural for you to be the center of attention, right?”
“When you put it that way, we can’t argue…”
“We’ll proceed once Riala and Dart return, as some preparations should be made. However, since we’re a little late, the presentation in the plaza will likely be canceled.”
“What’s this presentation you speak of?”
“According to the plan, we were supposed to present the King and Queen in the plaza and talk about our subjugation. However, while our subjugation of the Queen was significant, your battle against the King and Queen couldn’t really be called a fight, so we were racking our brains on what to do.”
“So, as a last resort, we decided to eliminate the presentation itself by delaying our arrival.”
Ms. Faris and Ms. Muse explained the content of the presentation, but I never thought they planned something like that.
Helios Orb has a decent amount of entertainment, but it’s less than Earth.
Also, with the threat of monsters, the success of the Alliance is of great interest to the people of the city.
Therefore, they said that conveying the details of the subjugation would provide both entertainment and peace of mind.
“I understand the logic, but…”
“No matter how you slice it, we’re still going to be paraded around, aren’t we…”
I understand what they mean and the purpose, but when it comes to my own situation, it’s a different story.
Who would willingly want to be put on display?
“That’s what usually happens when the Alliance is successful. Or rather, haven’t you seen it before, Prim-chan?”
“Unfortunately, the Hydransia Duke’s Territory wasn’t that large, and we didn’t have any powerful monsters. Rather, we had more thieves.”
Looking back, I had never heard where the Hydransia Duke’s Territory was located.
There was also the matter of it being a delicate issue, so I couldn’t ask, but it’s something I could have found out if I had looked, so perhaps I should have done at least that much.
“I see.”
“Indeed, in some regions, thieves are more of a problem than monsters. After all, thieves have intelligence, and occasionally there are High Class ones among them.”
I recall hearing a story about a large bandit group appearing near Feel around the time before Black Fenrir and Green Fang appeared.
I haven’t heard anything about them lately, so they might have been wiped out by one of them, but it’s also possible they just escaped, so we need to confirm that.
“Rex, I heard there was a large bandit group near Feel before, what happened to them?”
“I don’t know, they probably escaped or were killed by monsters. When we confirmed Green Fang, we saw some people who appeared to be thieves killed by Green Fang.”
That’s difficult to judge.
So, it’s possible that some of them were attacked by Green Fang but managed to escape.
Until we defeated them, there were other Anomalous Species in this area, and some had evolved into Catastrophe Species, so it’s hard to say if they were able to escape safely.
“I understand it’s difficult to judge, but among the thieves killed by Green Fang, there were two over level 40, and parts of arms and legs remained from those thought to have survived, so it’s possible they died a lonely death somewhere. If they encountered monsters in that condition, they would surely lose their lives.”
Ah, so some of the survivors had their arms or legs missing.
It’s unlikely that thieves would prioritize a companion’s life over their own, and even if they didn’t abandon their companions, they couldn’t enter the city, so treatment itself would be impossible.
Once they are identified as thieves, their Guild License is revoked, and if they use the Priest Magic “Punishing,” they can no longer use Inn.
Unique Magic is something individuals develop themselves, so it’s said to be impossible, but even so, they can’t use Bestowed Magic or Supplication Magic, which is more than enough.
“I’m back, Order’s Master.”
“Oh, Riala and Dart are back. That was faster than I expected. It’s a report of their return, and they probably have instructions for when we get back, so it’s natural.”
“Yes. We’ve been told to enter Feel immediately.”
“They seem to be ready for us whenever we return. However, due to the circumstances, the presentation in the plaza will be held at a later date.”
“Later? Seriously…?”
“So, what happens now?”
“We’ll proceed normally to the center of Feel, where Order’s Master will give a greeting as the leader, and then we’ll gather at the tenth appraisal room of the Hunter’s Guild to report.”
“We’re also supposed to hand over the Orc corpses there.”
“That was planned, so I understand, but regarding ‘later’?”
“They didn’t provide details beyond that. However, it will only be postponed, so it’s certain that all Alliance members will be present for the presentation.”
If it’s everyone, does that mean we’ll have to explain the details of our subjugation?
I think the Orc Queen subjugation by Holy Grave and Order will be interesting to hear, but we mostly defeated them in passing, so it’s going to be tough.
“Isn’t it because these two screwed up? They probably want us to coordinate our stories first. If we have the presentation suddenly, we might slip up.”
“So, when the instructions came, you were planning a normal presentation, but as preparations progressed, problems were foreseen, so you decided to change the date of the presentation?”
“Probably.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Ms. Faris’s guess.
I want to protest, but I know I messed up too, so I can’t say anything…
“Rather than ‘possible,’ isn’t that exactly it?”
“I suppose so. We can’t guarantee we won’t slip up either, so it’s better to have it later.”
Gram and Iris are saying whatever they want, but it’s me and Prim who are most likely to slip up.
Besides, I have prior offenses of carelessly revealing that I’m a guest, so I can’t absolutely deny it.
It’s troublesome, but it leads to the peace of mind of the townspeople, so I guess I have no choice but to accept it…
Side: Lydia
We were informed of the Alliance’s success by Wing Crest and Holy Grave yesterday, so we were all waiting for everyone to return.
Of course, the details were to be kept confidential, but there’s no way we could talk about such things to others, and even if we did, they’d think we were crazy instead of believing us, so it’s impossible.
And now, the Alliance has finally returned.
Orders Master, their leader, is at the front, followed by Yamato and Prim, then the Order’s beast carriages, with Holy Grave peeking out from the beast carriages at the rear.
Those in the Order not riding in the beast carriages are surrounding them as they advance.
Although it’s a small-scale triumphant return parade with a total of 15 people, it’s a great success as an Alliance, having annihilated a settlement of over a hundred, including several Catastrophe Species.
“There are amazing cheers.”
“The townspeople also know that there was a King and Queen. Besides, although Holy Grave defeated them before the Alliance, there was even a Princess. If that settlement had been left alone, Feel would have been attacked before long, so it can’t be helped.”
Lydia pats Flam’s shoulder as he exhales a sigh, and indeed, that’s exactly right.
Moreover, there was actually a Demise Species, so Feel might have been destroyed, and Prada Village and Emosion were also in danger.
No, they might have crossed the mountains and invaded Retisencia as well.
“They’re not holding the presentation today, but weren’t they going to do it at a later date?”
“That’s what I heard. Given the circumstances, I think they want to hear the story first. There might be other reasons too…”
Flam answers Rebecca’s question.
There are indeed countless things we want to ask directly.
Even for us, it’s like that, so for the Provincial Governor and the Guild Master, I have no idea how many more questions they might have.
“We’re reporting to the Hunter’s Guild after this, but is it okay for us to go too?”
“We’ve been told it’s okay.”
“It’s the same Raid, so it’s been decided that we should share the secrets within the Alliance.”
Raus seems concerned about whether he can go to the Hunter’s Guild, but Ludia and Meena explain and he seems to understand.
In fact, there are many confidentiality obligations for the Alliance, but there’s a possibility that some information might leak to Raid or Union members by chance, so it’s better to share the secrets in advance to avoid future problems.
Especially since this is a full package of confidentiality, if anything were to leak, no one knows what would happen.
“But it’s good that both Yamato and Prim returned safely.”
“Yeah. I was surprised when I heard, but that’s a separate issue.”
I am happy for the safety of Yamato and Prim with Ludia, but for some reason, I feel like everyone else’s gazes have become lukewarm…
“Wh-what is it?”
“No, I just think you should admit it already.”
“Wh-what are you talking about?”
“Only Yamato-san probably hasn’t noticed.”
Raus and Rebecca sigh in exasperation at me and Ludia.
These two are in a relationship, and have apparently already taken the next step. I was surprised when I heard that.
They can’t have children or get married at their age yet, but I heard they’ve been close childhood friends for a long time.
However, what’s even more surprising is how sensitive Rebecca is to other people’s romantic affairs.
I heard that Prim, Meena, and Flam were all egged on by Rebecca.
Moreover, she even presented specific solutions, and I heard that even Prim, who has now evolved into Ancient Foxy and become a P-rank Hunter, was genuinely terrified.
“Ah!”
“Yamato-san! Prim-san!”
As they passed by us, Yamato and Prim noticed us and waved.
Ah, I’m glad they’re safe…
“Hmph. What’s this “Ancient Human”? The armor is like brand new.”
“Don’t say that. It’s just to create the fact that an Ancient Human participated, right? They probably didn’t actually fight.”
“So, the story of him evolving into an Ancient Human is just a convenient excuse, isn’t it?”
We were annoyed, but when we looked at who was speaking, they were people we hadn’t seen in Feel before.
Judging by their equipment, they seem to be Hunters, but there’s no doubt that there weren’t Hunters like them before. And if you look closely, they all have bitter expressions, so are they Hunters who have suffered at the hands of Yamato and Prim?
“Shut up, you scum! Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused us?!”
“That’s right! Not accepting requests, taking goods from stores, and assaulting townspeople – that’s basically criminal behavior!”
“Because Saches Trennel was the Hunter’s Master, you all got carried away, but he’s already been stripped of his Hunter’s Master qualification and thrown in jail!”
The townspeople spoke up before us, apparently having been greatly inconvenienced by these Hunters. Moreover, judging by the content of their conversation, they are more like thieves than Hunters.
“Sh-shut up! Who do you think was protecting this area?!”
“Th-that’s right! You think the Hunter’s Guild would allow you to lay a hand on us?!”
Indeed, if anyone were to attack them without reason, the townspeople would be captured by the Order’s Guild.
However, I couldn’t ignore the statement about protecting Feel.
First of all, how do they intend to have protected it when they weren’t even in Feel?
“They are the S-rank Raid Gem Hawk. The leader and another woman are High Class, but they suddenly disappeared from Feel a little before Yamato and Prim arrived.”
Mina told us about their identities. So, does that mean they are also Hunters from Retisencia? How did they get into Feel?
“I’m also wondering about that, but Gem Hawk wasn’t on the list of targets for apprehension, so the Order’s Guild might have had no choice but to let them through.”
From what I heard, all the Hunters present when Yamato and Prim arrived in Feel were spies from Retisencia and have already been apprehended.
High Class and some Raids were all executed, but most are likely working as criminal slaves in the Fluorite mining area.
However, this Raid called Gem Hawk was not in Feel during that major roundup, so they were not subject to punishment. That’s why the Order’s Guild could only let them pass.
“J-just you wait!”
Gem Hawk fled with a parting shot, but causing a disturbance here would undoubtedly lead to their capture. I can’t let their parting words slide, but since there are two High Class individuals among them, we can’t do anything.
“Wh-what was that!?”
“I-ice!?”
I thought so, but suddenly Gem Hawk was frozen in ice.
The townspeople don’t seem to know what happened, but for us, it’s clear who did it.
Turning around, Yamato waved casually from atop Jade.
It was Yamato’s Engraving Magic after all.
“What should we do with them?”
“Let’s report to Order and have them apprehended. The reason there was no request to capture them was because they didn’t expect them to return. But now that they’re back, they can be held accountable.”
Of course, they were following Saches Trennel’s orders, and they had caused so much trouble in Feel. However, before we could even report, Order rushed over. I can see Lyra and Lucas as well. It’s natural for them to come and see what’s happening when someone suddenly gets frozen during a triumphant return ceremony.
We handed over Gem Hawk, and Lucas immediately ran to the Hunter’s Guild, so a capture request will be officially issued by the Hunter’s Master. Then, they can use enslavement magic, and they won’t be able to do anything.
I never expected a capture to happen during the triumphant return ceremony, but when I think that it was Yamato who did it, I find myself inexplicably convinced. Am I getting used to this?
