A little time has passed since Riku and his party arrived at the dragon’s location.
In fact, Kousuke and his party were already surveying the surrounding area at the scene.
This was, of course, to prevent the damage from escalating due to them letting the dragon escape.
Even if Riku and his party were being set up as heroes, they would have felt uneasy if people had died.
They were properly providing follow-up to ensure that no one died from the dragon’s attacks.
However, if Kousuke and his party were to attack the dragon, it would defeat the purpose.
Kousuke, who arrived at the scene with Kouhi’s magic, immediately gave instructions to Silvia.
“Silvia, please.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Silvia bowed respectfully to Kousuke and immediately moved away from the scene.
Wanri was by her side as a guard.
Silvia had also agreed with this plan, but she did not want any unnecessary casualties.
Furthermore, Silvia demonstrated her abilities to the fullest and, despite the appearance of a Leader Species dragon, she meticulously performed the behind-the-scenes work that resulted in zero deaths.
Meanwhile, Kousuke was also treating those who were critically injured using magic tools.
Kousuke and his party were disguised and working using magic and magic tools, so no one realized that they were the masked figures.
Riku and his party, who were in battle with the dragon, had no time to pay attention, so they could not have noticed.
By the time Kousuke and his party finished their work, ensuring no deaths, Riku and his party’s battle had reached its climax.
By the time Riku and his party successfully defeated the dragon, no one else was in the combat zone, and they were watching the battle from a distance.
Initially, some people tried to join the battle to help Riku and his party, but they were stopped by those around them.
This was because those with a certain level of strength understood that interfering with Riku and his party’s coordination would be more of a hindrance than a help.
Of course, Kousuke and his party could have intervened, but that would have defeated the purpose, so they naturally did not join in.
Furthermore, while Kousuke and his party were busy with recovery efforts, Riku and his party’s combat situation had improved, and there was no longer a need for them to intervene.
Then, Kousuke, seeing Mitsuki approach the dragon and tap its snout while saying something to Riku and his party, said to Floria:
“It seems to have gone well.”
“Indeed. There were some dangerous moments, but it was passable, I suppose.”
Kousuke gave Floria a meaningful look at her harsh assessment.
“You’re a strict mother.”
“Wouldn’t you say so? Their hardships are just beginning.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Nodding in agreement with Floria’s words, Kousuke looked at the members who had gathered and said:
“Well then, shall we return to our posts soon?”
Kousuke and his party had originally participated in this Great Flood to defeat the Leader Species appearing in the mountain range.
They wanted to recover as many valuable materials as possible.
Nodding at Kousuke’s words, everyone gathered in one place and returned to their original location via Kouhi’s teleport.
***
The rumor of Riku and his party defeating a powerful Leader Species spread quickly, gaining momentum for the conclusion of the flood in Smit Country.
Behind the scenes, Kousuke and his party had defeated the remaining Leader Species, and the monsters’ momentum visibly declined, eventually leading to their containment in the forest or their complete subjugation.
It is estimated that over a thousand monsters appeared in Smit Country in total.
By the way, it was later discovered that this was the largest number in the Great Flood as a whole.
However, in terms of casualties among adventurers and soldiers, it was exceptionally low, resulting in a complete victory for Smit Country.
Conversely, the countries that could not receive the support of the Crown were the ones that suffered heavy casualties.
As a result, the populace began to press their respective countries to establish Crown branches, though this would happen after things had calmed down a bit.
The populace was currently basking in the relief and afterglow of victory after barely surviving the historical Great Flood on the South Continent.
While the populace rejoiced at the end of the Great Flood, the government, which managed the country, did not fare as well.
After all, there was a post-war settlement, similar to a war between humans.
Although it was considered a Great Flood overall, it was decided that each country would bear the burden of post-war compensation.
This would put Smit Country, which suffered the most damage, at a disadvantage, but they judged it to be better than spending time negotiating with countries they did not get along with.
Furthermore, there would be aid from countries that did not participate in the subjugation of the Great Flood.
They would not be unilaterally at a loss.
Under these circumstances, Smit Country’s most pressing concern was not the compensation for the residents of the affected towns, but the rewards for “Flame Wolf,” who had achieved the greatest feat.
That is not to say that the nobles within the country opposed the rewards.
Rather, the opposite was true, with many voices calling for Riku and his party, who had shown the greatest performance, to be granted peerages.
There was no doubt that they wanted to retain Riku and his party, who possessed great power, within the country.
However, as expected, “Flame Wolf” were adventurers and refused the offer.
King Kristof, who first heard of this, inwardly agreed with their decision, thinking it was only natural.
Of course, he could not voice such an opinion given his position.
Normally, adventurers rarely argue over rewards.
The reason is simple: adventurers are fundamentally motivated by money.
Therefore, they rarely argue over excessive rewards, but this was a different case with Riku and his party.
It was obvious that they were being wooed to join the country, so all members decided to decline.
As rewards were paid out one after another, including those from the Crown, “Flame Wolf” was the last to remain.
Many adventurers become adventurers seeking freedom, so there are surprisingly many who do not desire a peerage in a country.
However, those who are content with the privileges of nobility do not know this, nor do they wish to know it.
The fact that many people mistakenly believe that granting them titles of nobility would satisfy them is partly due to this.
Nevertheless, they could not leave the main contributors without rewards indefinitely.
After consulting with his subordinates, Kristof, with Riku’s permission, properly revealed Riku’s original status.
At that, the voices immediately quieted down, which was quite telling.
However, this is also a habit (or perhaps the nature) of those who hold the status of nobility.
In the end, the rewards for “Flame Wolf” were settled with a certain amount of money and privileges for their future activities within the country.
The nobles, who had been trying to recruit them until the very end, were disappointed, but it would be more damaging to incur the ill will of Smit Country.
Ultimately, it seemed that the members of “Flame Wolf” were also satisfied, which was a relief for Kristof.
This has turned into an explanatory session in the latter half.
I could have interspersed conversations, but it would have made it even longer, so I decided against it.
That is all regarding Riku and his party.
Next, there is the matter of the Crown’s handling and the future of Kousuke and his party.
