It’s been thirteen days since we started our journey.

We’ve traveled smoothly on the designated route and didn’t face many problems along
the way. However, it was quite evident that as we approached the Great Demon Forest,
the numbers of monsters prowling the surrounding areas were increasing at a
noticeable rate.

When we first started our journey, there were times when we didn’t manage to
encounter any monsters for an entire day, but right now, we were encountering at
least two to three monster packs as we traveled along.

Yesterday, we encountered two-meter tall, humanoid monsters with pig heads called
Orcs. There were two of them. According to Elna, Orcs were considered as fairly high
ranking monsters.

In any case, Sharon and Selena proceeded to make them targets for magic spell practice
and eliminated them in a snap. Since they were monsters with humanoid shapes, I had
some misgivings when I was retrieving the magic stone from one of the corpses, but it
seems it wasn’t the case for Cleria and Elna. It looks like the way we view monsters is
fundamentally different.

According to the monster guide book we purchased, it seems that the magic stones of
Orcs were considerably more valuable than Gray Hound magic stones. But even so,
they were actually easier to defeat compared to Gray Hounds since they were slow-
moving and easy prey to magic spells. I actually want every monster we encounter
from now on to be Orcs if possible. If we used swords instead of magic, we may have a
bit of trouble due to their large builds, but even so…

Right now, all of us have become fairly proficient in driving the carriage. And it was
not just driving the carriage as well. We have also become proficient in horseback
riding. Elna assured us that we would be able to learn quickly with some practice,
especially since the horses we had were quite obedient, and it really turned out to be
the case.
Along the journey, we were able to pass several villages where we could have stopped
over for some rest, but in everyone’s collective opinion, it seems that camping outside
was actually more relaxing and agreeable.

We will be arriving at the fortress city Gants within two days. I have already managed
to check an overhead shot of the city taken by the drone, but I wonder what kind of
place it really is?

[D-1 to Captain.]

The drone hasn’t directly contacted me ever since that one time at the start of our
journey.

(What is it?)

[There is an overturned carriage three kilometers ahead, and I have confirmed more
than ten human corpses and five live ones around it.]

I wonder what’s up? They could have possibly been attacked by monsters along the
road. There was a chance they were attacked by bandits as well. During our journey,
there were several times when we managed to meet up with traveling merchants or
adventurers along the way, but this was the first time we’ve encountered something
like this.

(Please proceed with reconnaissance.)

[Acknowledged.]

The image feed from the drone’s cameras was then displayed in front of me on a virtual
window. It flew at high speed straight toward the incident point and arrived within
moments. The drone then hovered in place above it. I had a good vantage point of most
of the road, but there were parts covered by masses of trees.

The image zoomed in. I confirmed the fallen carriage as well as the corpses. There
were about thirteen or so bodies as far as I could confirm. The five who were alive
were taking out the luggage from the carriage. One of them tore open one of the bags.
No matter how you slice it, that isn’t something the actual owner of those bags would
do. They’re most probably bandits.

Man, the state of social order around these parts sure is a mess. To think we’d encounter
guys who would not hesitate to take the lives of others to fill their own pockets. I can’t
believe it. We may be too late to rescue the victims, but we’ll have to prepare
countermeasures in any case.

I’ll have to discuss countermeasures with the others. I pulled the reins and stopped
the carriage.

“What’s wrong, Alan?”

“We ended up encountering something troublesome.”

I had everyone get down from the carriage and explained the situation to them.

“It looks like there are some bandits up ahead. I think they are actually in the middle
of attacking victims as well.”

“You can even tell something like that though scanning magic!?” Elna exclaimed in
surprise.

“Yeah. There are five bandits in the middle of the road. I plan on going on ahead, but
what does everyone think?”

“Let us make haste! There may yet still be some survivors!” Cleria answered.

“The probability of there being no survivors is quite high, but… Just keep an eye out
for each other and be absolutely careful, alright?”

We went back to the carriage and started heading forward at a faster pace. When we
reached a point about two hundred meters away from the actual scene, the bandits
finally noticed us.

They hurriedly went to hiding on both sides of the road, but I could see all their
positions through the overhead image feed. I saw two who were equipped with bows.

“Elna, there are two people equipped with bows. Be careful of them.”

I warned Elna, who was sitting beside me on the coachman’s seat. I can aim with my
rifle even with one hand, so I can deal with the situation even if they did fire arrows at
us…
When we were only thirty meters away from the scene, the two bowmen knocked
arrows on their respective bows. I managed to confirm their actions through the live
feed and launched Flame Arrows on all five of them.

Even if they were hiding, they were just using the tall grass as cover, so I could detect
them just fine using my magic sensor.

The flaming arrows headed for the tall grass and several miserable screams rang out.

“Lay down your weapons!”

I jumped down the carriage, with Elna following right after me. The other three girls
jumped out of the carriage as well, and we proceeded to round up the bandits.

I did shout an order for them to disarm for formality’s sake, but since I hit their
shoulder with Flame Arrows, the bandits were all busy writhing on the ground in pain
and couldn’t give a damn about it.

We secured their knives and weapons and kicked them out to the open road. There
were five of us as well, so we finished apprehending them quickly.

The bandits who were thrown out to the road rolled around the ground for a bit before
coming to a stop in the middle, but it looks like the pain from their injuries have mostly
subsided.

“W-What the heck’re ye guys doin!? We were jus hidin inside the grass an all! Why’d
ye attack us all of a sudden!?”

“Oh c’mon. I saw you and that guy over there pulling your bows, plain as day. You guys
are bandits, right?”

“D-Don’t spout nonsense! We can’t possibly be bandits! We only pulled our bows for
self-defense.”

“Hmm. So what’s with this situation then?” I asked sternly as I scanned the area.

“T-This is–! W-We were the ones who were attacked by bandits! We somehow
managed to survive and were about ta go on our way.”

“So all of the dead people here are your comrades?”

“T-That’s right! Well, there are some bandit corpses mixed in too.”

“So, is this guy also your comrade.”

I pointed at a guy who looked like an adventurer.

“Y-Yeah. He up an died on us. Poor fellow.”

“What’s his name?”

“Eh? Oh, uh, his name’s Danny.”

I checked the corpse and searched for the man’s Guild I.D. If he was really an
adventurer, then he should have an I.D. on him. There we are.

“This guy’s name is Gill. This confirms you’re bandits then.”

“Tha–! That guy’s someone else! I dunno why, but it looks like Danny had the I.D. of
another person on him!”

“This is all getting tiresome, Alan. We still have to cover a lot of distance, and taking
them along with us would just be burdensome. Let’s just kill them all here,” Elna
mercilessly suggested.

“Oh, you’re right. Let’s do it then.”

I pulled my sword out.

“W-Wait! The rest of our guys’re gonna come here soon y’know! So ya all better run
for it while ya still can!”

“Now that’s just one stupid excuse.”

“Wait, I say! I’m tellin’ the truth! Take a look at the corpses! There are ten who look
like adventurers and three who resemble us, right?”

When I took a look at the corpses, I managed to confirm his claim.

“We couldn’t have killed ten people with just eight of us, right!? We really do have
comrades!”
“Hou, so where are those comrades of yours then?”

“We have a lair just near here, so y’all better start running!”

There was no reaction from the magic sensor. They may really have a base, but I guess
it’s relatively further out from here.

(D-1, please scout the area and confirm any structures that may possibly house a
group of people.)

[Acknowledged.]

“Why did your comrades go back to your lair?”

“We managed to snag three pretty women earlier, so they were plannin’ on enjoyin’
themselves… The rest of us here made some blunders and were left here to take care
of the loot as punishment…”

After hearing what the captured bandit said, there was a palpable rise in aggression
in the air. The captured bandits seem to have noticed it as well. When I turned around,
I saw the four girls displaying really scary expressions.

“Let’s hurry and rescue them, Alan!”

“Yeah, alright.” was the only answer I could possibly give.

[Objective detected.]

It looks like D-1 managed to find the bandit lair. The image feed revealed a cross-
section of a large cave, where ten people shaped digital avatars were displayed. So
their lair was inside a cave. Since it was underground, searching for it took a bit of time.

Since there were ten digital indicators, if we account for three of those to be the
captured women, then the other seven must be the remaining bandits.

The distance from the bandit lair was three kilometers from here. Now then, we can’t
just leave the carriage unguarded here. Would it be better if we split up? Nah, it would
be safer if we went there together.

(D-1, protect the carriage and don’t let any people or monsters approach it.)
[Acknowledged.]

“We’re all going to head to the bandit lair now. You girls all okay with that?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Okay then. Untie Tarth and Syrah from our carriage and secure them on that tree over
there.”

We can’t take the horses with us after all. I’ll take some light magic tools with me as
well. We finished preparing after a short while.

“Yosh! We’re gonna have you all guide us to your hideout! Run like your lives depended
on it! Your lair is in that direction, right? If you guys stray from the right direction even
just by a little bit, we’ll burn you down with magic spells. We’ll also burn you down if
you guys act like burdens. You got that, scum?”

“Y-Yeah. We got it!”

The captured bandits started running toward their lair. We followed closely behind
them.

While on the way, a cheeky fellow attempted to stray from the path, so I launched a
Fire Ball and made it so that it brushed past him as close as possible without actually
hitting him.

“Hiii!” he screamed miserably and hurriedly went back to the proper path.

The rest of the bandits saw what happened, and they properly behaved themselves
afterward. They even ran in a completely straight line. After about thirty minutes, we
finally arrived at the cave in question. It looks like the bandits didn’t post any guards.

“I’ll enter the cave with Elna.”

“Huh!? I’ll also enter!” Cleria declared.

“Since the cave is narrow, going in with many people isn’t advisable. We might even
get in each other’s way. The three of you keep watch outside.”
“”Understood.””

Cleria grumbled in protest for a bit, but agreed in the end.

“Let’s go, Elna.”

“Yes.”

Elna replied as she drew her sword. I managed to catch the location of the rest of the
bandits through my magic sensor.

“The bandits are located in the deepest area. There are seven of them. I plan to take
care of all of them using magic, but if something unexpected comes up, please move to
assist.”

“Understood.”

As expected of a professional knight. Elna’s response was quick and simple. It was
quite dark inside the cave. It was the right call to bring some light magic tools.

When we came to the deeper levels, the surroundings gradually began to brighten up.
I began hearing some vulgar-sounding laughter in the distance. The worrying thing is
that they had hostages with them. I’ll need to finish them off quick.

I muffled the sound of my footsteps and finally saw the situation ahead. There were
two women on the ground. Their appearance was immodest as two bandits leaned
themselves on top of them. Another woman had her arms and legs tied up with ropes
and placed in a corner of the cave.

Alright. I’ve managed to target all the bandits inside. I locked on to the right shoulders
of every bandit present and launched Flame Arrows.

“Elna! Secure the women!”

I disarmed the bandits who have fallen miserably on the ground. I then threw the
bandits to the deepest corner of the cave. It looks like Elna managed to secure the
women as well.

I gathered all of the bandit’s weapons and finally managed to check the state of the
three kidnapped women. Elna has already helped them to put on their clothes properly.
“A-Are you perhaps adventurers?”

The woman who had her limbs bound earlier, a young lady who looked to be eighteen,
asked about us.

“That’s right. We’re the C rank party, Shining Star. My name is Alan. We managed to
hear about you from the bandits we came across earlier, so we came to your rescue.”

“Thank you very much, good sir! I will definitely repay you for your help.”

“No, it’s nothing much. In any case, shall we get out of here first?”

“Yes.”

The women who were assaulted by the bandits earlier were probably close to my age.
They seemed to have not lost their composure and did not have any problems walking
by themselves.

“Can I leave the rest to you, Elna?”

“Please leave it to me.”

I left the young women to Elna’s care and had her lead them out of the cave. I, on the
other hand, checked the loot inside the cave.

“Hey! If you guys so much as twitch, I’m gonna burn you to death with magic. You got
that?”

After the bandits realized their situation, they nodded their heads incredibly fast.

Several boxes were littered around the cave in a disorganized manner, so I proceeded
to open all of them up.

This contains salt. This also contains salt. And here, we have tableware. Here are some
clothes. There doesn’t seem to be anything that’s decently valuable. Oh, there’s a
locked box here. This may have something valuable in it. I cut the lock open with my
bladeknife and found that it contained gold. I counted all the coins and determined
them to be worth about eighty thousand Guineas. I dumped all the coins inside my
money bag. I proceeded to open the rest of the boxes, but found nothing else worthy
of note. How unfortunate.
How about the bandit’s weapons then? I checked the assorted swords and spears piled
up on one side of the cave but only found two swords that looked decent. I guess that’s
about it for the loot.

“Hey, you guys. Stay put over there. Take one step out of this cave and I’ll roast you all
alive.”

I casted a Fire spell to intimidate them and singed them a bit.

“”We understand!””

I put all the weapons of the bandits inside a bag and went out of the cave. I found
everyone consoling the captured young women outside.

“Alan, please heal Natalie-san!” Cleria called out worriedly.

So they’ve already introduced themselves to each other huh.

When I checked the state of the woman, I confirmed that she got a bruise through being
punched. I might as well heal the two of them together while I’m at it. Oops. Since we
just met these people, it would be better if I didn’t cast magic like I usually did.

Elna warned me about it while we were traveling. She pointed out that my magic was
quite unique and told me not to openly show it to other people if possible. She nagged
at me several times during the journey.

I put my arm up toward the young woman and casted Heal after about ten seconds.
The bruise disappeared without a trace. I didn’t just aim to treat the bruise, but her
entire body instead, so all the other injuries she had taken should be healed up as well.

“Healing magic!? Amazing!”

The three young women seemed really surprised about my magic. Were ten seconds
still too short? I proceeded to cast Heal on the other young woman as well.

“How about you? Are you okay?”

I asked the young woman who was tied up earlier.

“I’m alright. Forgive our late introduction. My name is Arista. These two are Karina
and Natalie.”

“I’m Karina.”

“I’m Natalie.”

“We are really grateful for your rescue. We owe all of you our lives.”

“No, we just did what should be done, so you don’t really have to mind. I’ll need to
confirm though. Are the ten adventurers who served as your guards and the three of
you the only members of your retinue?”

“That is correct. Um, how are the adventurers we hired as guards?”

“Unfortunately, none of them survived.”

“I see… That truly is unfortunate.”

“Now then, what do you propose we do with the bandits?”

I turned toward the rest of the party and asked for their opinions.

“Um! Would it be alright if you handed over custody of the bandits to us?”

Uh, did I hear wrong? I seemed to have heard one of the victims asking for the custody
of the bandits.

“What do you mean?”

“If I left things as they are, I cannot regain the honor of these two women with me. I
heard that the reward money for capturing a bandit is five thousand Guineas for each
head. I am willing to pay double that and give you ten thousand Guineas for each of
them.”

“”Arista-sama!””

So this Arista-san is of a high enough social standing to be addressed with ‘sama’ huh.
But what do they want to do with them anyway? Let’s say I agreed. Will they proceed
to kill them here or something?
“Would that not be fine, Alan?” Cleria spoke out. We’re in front of other people, but her
tone sounded a little bit more dignified than usual.

“I also think it is fine,” Elna added.

They might have noticed the hesitation on my face, so both of them spoke out in
support.

“I leave the decision to Alan,” Sharon nodded.

“I’ll do so as well,” Selena agreed.

Well, since all of them don’t seem to particularly disagree with handing the bandits
over, I guess I’ll make the decision then. It should be fine to hand them over.

“I understand. But you don’t need to double the price though. I’ll give them to you for
the normal amount. This saves us the trouble as well anyway.”

“Thank you very much, everyone.” Arista sincerely thanked us while bowing her head.

“So what do you plan to do?”

“Will you be handing the five bandits over there to us as well?”

“Alright, I don’t mind.”

The bandits started trembling in fear.

“Well then, please bring those five bandits and take them inside the cave. Can we
borrow swords as well?” Natalie-san, who kept quiet all this time, suddenly requested.

I handed over the bag with the weapons I retrieved from the bandit lair earlier.

“Of course.”

Natalie and Karina began choosing swords for themselves.

“Hey, you lot. Get inside the cave!”

“N-Nooo, please let us go, boss! No, master! Please have some mercy!”
What the heck is the use of begging me? I’m the only guy in our group, you know. And
you still expect me to utter any complaints?

I launched a Fire spell at the bandits to shut them up.

“Okay, you lot. Do you want to burn to death here, or obediently head inside the cave.
Choose.”

The five bandits muttered in frustration as they walked inside the cave.

I guess the three young women planned to follow after them next.

“Please wait here with everyone else, Arista-sama,” Karina implored.

“But–!”

“We will not be able to vent as much as we want with you present, Arista-sama,” Karina
insisted.

“…I understand. Well then, Alan-san. Please take care of the two of them.”

Hmm. I don’t know what exactly I should help them with though.

“Understood.”

Judging from the flow of the conversation, what will take place later will most likely
be the two women’s revenge. If so, I guess my job here is to ensure they’ll be able to
take their revenge without any problems. It’s unfortunate for the bandits, but this is
just the consequence of their actions.

When we arrived back at the cave, we found the bandits staying put quietly in the
deepest corner, doing their best to obey my earlier command. There was a bundle of
rope in a corner, so I cut an appropriate length with a knife. So there were twenty of
them all in all.

I threw the rope I cut toward the huddled bandits.

“Hey, you lot! Bind your own feet with that rope. I’ll take it that the ones who bind their
feet the tightest are the ones who are truly regretful about their actions, and maybe,
just maybe, I’ll plead with the ladies on your behalf.”
The ones who were left inside the cave were still acting confused, but the five who
were outside earlier scrambled to get the rope and proceeded to hurriedly tie their
feet. They finished tying themselves up in a flash.

I checked the state of their bindings while going around with my sword drawn. Every
one of them scrambled to show the result of their work to me and lifted their tied-up
legs with their hands. It looks like all of them were properly tied up.

“Oh, right. Take out everything valuable you have on you. If I’m satisfied with the
amount…”

I didn’t even manage to finish my words. All of the bandits started rummaging their
pockets and took out all the spare change they had on them. I had them put all the
money inside my money pouch. Hey, there’s someone who actually has some gold
coins. It was worth doing something like this, even if it was a bit lowly.

I closed my money pouch with a snap after collecting the bandit’s money.

“Is this fine, you two?”

“Fufu, that was the best, Alan-sama. Thank you very much. Can you wait for us to
finish?” Karina requested.

“But… Are you two really going to be okay?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. We forgot to mention this. Even if we showed you such a sorry sight
earlier, we are actually assigned to serve as Arista-sama’s personal guards. Since
you’ve already done this much for us, we should have no trouble with the rest.”

“I see… Understood. Just call out to us if you need something, okay?”

“No way!? Boss! What about pleading for us!?”

“W-We handed you our money, right!?”

“Just give up.”

I heard the miserable screams of the bandits as I was leaving the cave.

And after about twenty minutes, the screams of the bandits finally stopped ringing out
of the cave. It definitely wasn’t something pleasant to hear. The faces of everyone else
were contorted uncomfortably.

Natalie and Karina finally came out of the cave. I guess everything’s over.

“Thank you for waiting everyone. With this, my and Natalie’s honor has been regained.
We are deeply thankful,” Karina spoke in gratitude.

I see. So this is how the women of this planet think about matters like these.

“Thank you very much for lending us some swords.”

Natalie and Karina then handed back the swords they borrowed earlier to me. However,
they looked reluctant to part with the swords. It turns out that the two swords they
took earlier were the ones I judged to be decent looking among the pile.

“By any chance, are these swords actually yours?”

“They have indeed served us well in the past, but they are yours now.”

“If that’s the case, then I’ll return these swords to you two.”

“However–!”

“It’s okay. I was having trouble deciding if we should take the weapons with us or not
earlier anyway. Well then, do you want to come along with us on our carriage?”

“We will be in your care then. I promise to definitely repay you for your grace,” Arista
said as she bowed in gratitude.

“No, you don’t have to mind, really.”

In the end, we decided to leave the rest of the weapons taken from the bandit lair
behind. They don’t seem all that valuable anyway, and it’ll just be troublesome to lug
them back.

We began heading back to the carriage.

It took us about an hour to walk back to the place where we left our carriage.

“Thank goodness. Tarth and Syrah are both fine,” Cleria exclaimed and sighed in relief.

“Yeah. What about your carriage, Arista-san?”

“Since our horses already ran off somewhere, we’ll just leave it here. My only worry is
that it’ll hinder other travelers. Please allow us some time to try and move it as well
as recover some of our belongings.

“Oh, right, I forgot to ask you something important. We’re actually in the middle of
traveling to Gantz. Since you will be coming along with us later, I should have confirmed
it with you earlier. So would you be fine with coming along with us to Gantz?”

“Of course. We were actually heading for Gantz before we got attacked as well.”

I assumed as much judging from the direction the fallen carriage was facing, but I had
to make sure.

Now let’s get to taking care of the bodies of the deceased adventurers and bandits. If I
remember correctly, there was a rule that said one needed to retrieve the guild
identification card from the corpse whenever one discovers a deceased adventurer
and present it to the Guild for verification. Most likely, it was a rule implemented to
prevent others from taking advantage of an adventurer’s identity. And we also needed
to retrieve things that would serve as mementos of sorts for the bereaved families.
Let’s get to work then.

“Everyone, excuse me for asking, but would you collect the guild identification cards
of the deceased adventurers as well as some of their possessions that can serve as
mementos. We’ll need to return them to their families later on.”

I actually anticipated something like this happening to a certain extent, and bought a
lot of hemp bags, so we didn’t have any problems storing the collected mementos.
We also found that the deceased adventurers still had their money with them, so it
looks like the bandits didn’t manage to loot their corpses yet when we arrived at the
scene.

We tossed the bandit corpses on the side of the road. I should handle the adventurer’s
corpses with more care though, and at least give them a simple burial.

I faced a spot on the side of the road and started forming an image in my head. The
ground started trembling and began vibrating strongly. The scope of the vibrations
gradually expanded out. Once it reached a certain size, the ground started to move
apart. Soil began to steadily pile up until a rectangular hole measuring about 2 meters
in length and 7 meters in width was formed. It had a depth of about 1 meter.

“Amazing! Is that Earth magic!?” Karina exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes, that’s right. Isn’t it quite convenient?”

I had everyone help and arranged the adventurer’s corpses neatly inside the newly
created grave. After making sure we took care of every last one, I used Earth magic
once more and filled the grave with soil again.

Earth magic really is quite handy, isn’t it? When I first did something like this from the
time I first met Cleria, it took me hours to bury the bodies. But with Earth magic, I
managed to finish all the work within just several minutes.

It looks like it’s worth continuing to practice this magic element during our journey.

Ah, damn! Talk about bad timing. The drone notified me that there were Gray Hounds
closing in on the area we were at. But it looks like they haven’t noticed us yet. I hope
we can head out of this place without alerting them.

I tied Tarth and Syrah to the carriage once more, and loaded all of the adventurer’s
belongings as well as Arista and company’s things inside. Ugh. Looks like they noticed
us after all.

“Prepare for battle! Gray Hounds incoming!”

All of my party members stood on alert and looked towards me.

I indicated the direction the monsters will be appearing from, their number, as well as
the current distance from the carriage with the hand signs I had them learn beforehand.
Everyone nodded in understanding and went into position.

“Gray Hounds are coming, Arista-san. You should go back into the carriage, just in case.”

“…Understood. I’ll have Natalie and Karina help you all in fending them off as well.”

“No, that will not be necessary. We can handle it.”

“Alright. Please be careful then.”

Since the road was narrow, it’ll be a little hard to fight in the middle of it. If the Gray
Hounds launched their ambush from both sides of the road, it’ll be quite a bit
troublesome.

But, luckily, the Gray Hounds weren’t all that smart. They appeared about 50 meters
away from where the carriage was and immediately went to attack us in a mob.

Since they were given ample time for casting, Cleria, Serena, and Sharon launched three
flame arrows each at the incoming Gray Hounds; quickly killing them. The last one got
its head lopped off by Elna with a well-timed Wind Cutter spell.
Man. They aren’t even giving me a chance to do anything lately. Oh well. Let’s just
collect the magic stones and depart from here.

We quickly collected the magic stones from the Gray Hound corpses. We each use
electromagnetic bladeknives to split the Gray Hound corpses cleanly in two and
remove the magic stones from the bodies with our swords. Since the corpses were
split in two, they became easier to dispose of because of the decrease in weight. Well,
the only demerit was all the messy blood splatter though. Oh well. Not everything can
be perfect anyway.

“Thanks for waiting. Let’s depart then.”

“That was amazing! To think you all would be able to finish off that many Gray Hounds
easily. And it was practically in an instant too!” Karina exclaimed.

“Well, we’re quite used to it, you see.”

Just like always, Elna sat beside me on the driver’s seat. The others made themselves
comfortable inside the carriage. The carriage had in-built seats on each side that could
seat three persons each. You can squeeze in four persons, but it’ll be more comfortable
with just three each.

Since I could now handle driving the carriage by myself, Elna could have rested inside
the carriage as well, but she insisted on staying out front to watch out for threats. And
so, the driver’s seat became her regular spot of sorts.

We’ve wasted enough time as it is. From the looks of it, we won’t be able to make it to
the next camping spot before it gets dark. I searched for other places suitable for
camping nearby through my virtual HUD.

Hmm, this one looks good. The carriage can be parked nearby, and we can wash
ourselves in the river as well. I’m sure Arista-san and the others would appreciate
being able to clean up after themselves after what they went through. And there weren’t
any other suitable camping spots nearby that we could reach before dusk.

It’s currently past three in the afternoon already. We should be able to reach the spot
I found at four o’clock. Since we’ll have some time before it gets dark, I’ll cook some
rice later. And we’ll catch some fish in the river and make some sushi. Yeah, that’s right,
I’ll make some salmon sushi! Even if we don’t catch any fish, I can still use the Big Boar
meat we got last time to make some pork bowls.
“Hey Elna, I’m thinking of setting up camp over there? How about it?”

“Yes, it looks like a good spot. There’s a river nearby too.”

It looks like Elna’s also concerned about Arista-san and the others. I moved the
carriage as close to the riverbed as possible. I guess it can only go this far. I’ll go ahead
and tie it down here then.

“Are we going to set up camp here, Alan?”

“Yeah. that’s right. There’s a pretty good spot over there.”

“You have a good eye. And it’s true that we can’t reach the roadside camping spot
before it gets dark,” Karina acknowledged.

“So it’s decided then. Let’s set up camp here.”

“Um…… Can we wash ourselves in the river first? We’ll help with setting up camp after
we finish.” Natalie requested.

“Of course. Go right ahead. Actually, there’s no need for you guys to help. We can
manage it just fine, so just relax and rest up.”

“Alright then. I’ll stand guard just in case,” Elna offered.

“We’ll make sure Alan doesn’t get the opportunity to peek,” Cleria added.

“Hey! How rude! I’m a proper gentleman y’know.”

“Fufu, thank you very much everyone. Well then, if you’ll excuse us,” Karina chuckled
in amusement as the three of them headed for a secluded spot on the river.

Guess I’ll go ahead with setting up camp then.

I’ll take this opportunity to practice some Earth magic as well. I first thought that Earth
magic consisted of only moving soil and rocks around, but I recently found that it can
also compress and harden them.

In other words, even if I shaped the earth into cubes, they’ll easily break up with a
little pressure if I don’t purposely compress them. However, if I apply a strong image
of the ground being packed and compressed, I’ll end up with earth cubes that are
sufficiently hard to be used as building material.

That means I can actually make hardened earth huts using Earth magic. However, just
moving the earth around wouldn’t cost that much magicles, but it’ll cost much more if
I apply compression.

Even two simple earth huts with a length of 3 meters, width of 2 meters, height of 3
meters, and walls with a thickness of 5 centimeters cost one fully charged Gray Hound
magic stone. If I made them with my magicle reserves alone, I probably wouldn’t be
able to finish even one of them.

I still need to work on the design of the huts though. They looked quite shabby. I made
it so the entrance of the huts would be big enough to allow a person to enter while
bending over a bit. In order to facilitate air circulation, I made five centimeter long
window slits on opposite sides of the huts.

I also made groves on the entrances to allow for sliding doors. It’ll be more convenient
this way since you can easily lock the door from the inside by sliding it shut. Afterward,
we’ll just need to place a stopper so it can’t be opened easily while we’re resting up
inside.

The walls are tough enough to withstand a good standing kick, but it’ll probably break
if one hits it with a jump kick with one’s full bodyweight behind it. Even if I hardened
it, soil is soil after all. In order to make it more stable, I made the structures with
relatively low heights.

But these huts are still more secure compared to simple tents, so I decided I’d go with
making these every time we needed to camp out from now on. It’s a good thing I
learned and practiced Earth magic.

Since we have other companions, I made a total of three huts. With this, I fully used up
two Gray Hound magic stones. The Guild buys Gray Hound magic stones for a rate of
400 Guineas each, so it’s like I used up 800 Guineas by making the huts.

Well, it’s a necessary expense anyway, and we did get an additional eight magic stones
earlier apart from the eighteen I originally had on me, so we still had more than
enough to last for a while.
Now then, I’ll need to make some toilets next. In a sense, that’s more important than
the huts. I made a toilet enclosed with three earthen walls with a length and width of
150 cms, and a height of 200 cms. The entrance would be covered with cloth. In the
center was a U-shaped toilet seat with a fairly deep hole beneath it.

If one needed to go to the toilet, they’d just need to drop the blanket that would be
hung at the entrance and go do their thing in privacy. The blanket would be thick
enough to completely block the view from outside. Once one finishes doing his or her
business, they’d just need to fill out the hole a little with the clumps of soil I’ll be
leaving just beside the toilet seat, and then raise the blanket back up. In other words,
when the blanket is down, it means someone is using the toilet, so another can avoid
entering it by mistake.

When I showed it to the girls, they were very happy about it. The toilet was very well
received. And since I’m the only guy in the group, I needed to build two toilets. One is
for my exclusive use, and the other is for the girls. I also had to make them a certain
distance apart.

“Hey, Selena! What are you doing!?”

After I finished making the toilets, I heard Cleria call out in a loud voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s a Bug (insect). It looked like a beetle that was 20 centimeters big,” Selena replied.

“Well, that’s not good. Did you kill it?”

“Of course.”

“Great. You did well.”

“Great?… Alan! Selena just crushed a big bug underneath her foot you know!”

“Yeah, it looks like she did. What’s wrong? Why did you raise your voice anyway?”

“Eh? But she just crushed a passing bug for no reason at all, you know?”

“Isn’t that normal? If you see one Bug, you’ll have to kill it, right? That’s just common
sense.”
“Eeh!? Common sense?”

Cleria looked to Sharon for help.

“They’re right. If one sees an insect (Bug), you’ll have to kill it right away. There’s no
other choice but to kill it. If not, it may prove dangerous,” Sharon explained.

“Eh? I-Is that really the case?”

“Yeah, of course. What’s wrong with you, Cleria?”

“……It’s nothing. I’m sorry. I was just a little surprised, that’s all. Yes…”

There are cases when letting even just on Bug escape resulted in incidents with
massive casualties in the empire after all.

In order to protect this planet, we have no choice but to exterminate all those we
encounter.

Before long, Arista and the others came back from bathing. They were quite surprised
by the campsite that was made.

“U-Um, what are these?” Arista asked.

“These are the huts we’ll sleep in for tonight. They look a bit shabby, but they’re at
least better than flimsy tents, right?”

“……Y-Yes, I guess…”

“……Is this also an application of Earth magic?” Karina inquired.

“That’s right. Like I said, Earth magic is quite convenient. Go ahead and check out the
interior. I’m sure you’re all tired from today’s events. I’ll prepare our food in the
meantime, so please relax until it’s time for dinner.”

I then showed them the magic hair dryers and taught them their usage. It would be
best if they dried their hair to avoid catching colds. Oops. Now’s not the time to be
preoccupied with anything else. If I don’t hurry, I won’t be able to make sushi. Oh, but
the other girls may not like eating raw fish. What should I do? Oh well. I’ll be making
pork bowls anyway, so I guess there’s no problem. But it’ll be pretty tight if I need to
make both dishes before dark.

I’ll do it anyway. If I let this pass, I don’t know if there’ll be another chance for me to
make sushi. Kuh. Guess I’ll just have to do my best then.

“If anyone’s free, can you please go and catch some fish for dinner?”

The girl’s eyes sparkled in excitement and rushed over to the bags with fishing
equipment inside. They then ran to the river. Dangit! I would have wanted to join them
too.

The girls are already familiar with handling the fishing rods and using lures. That’s
because, even if there weren’t really any instances where we could go fishing again
lately, they kept fiddling with equipment during the journey. It looks like they really
took a shine to fishing.

“Um, where are the others going?” Arista asked.

“They’re going to catch ingredients for tonight’s dinner. I’m going to put on some tea,
so please relax around that table if you want.”

“No, can you please allow us to help out with something as well?”

“It’s fine. You all are our guests after all. And I’m always the one who makes the meals
for this party anyway. That’s why you don’t need to mind me and just make yourselves
comfortable.”

I produced some drinking water using Water magic, poured it inside a kettle, and
started boiling it after lighting a fire with Fire magic. I then went to the riverside to
wash the rice grains. Since there’s a chance the girls may catch a good number of fish,
I took a spare bucket as well.

“They sure are a curious group of people. Don’t you both think so too?”

“That’s right. Judging from the way they cast spells earlier, they’re all at least at a level
of a veteran mage. And from the way I see it, they’re all pretty skilled with a sword as
well. They aren’t at the level of a C rank party. They’re on par with most veteran A rank
parties I’m familiar with,” Karina replied.
“I’m quite curious about Ria-san and Elna-san’s circumstances as well. Those two are
most likely of noble birth. Their attitude and gestures have a certain refinement and
grace to them. At the very least, they’ve received education on par with that of nobles.
It’s a lot more pronounced on Ria-san. I would definitely believe it if someone said she
was a highborn noble daughter without a doubt,” Arista added.

“But is that really possible? How can noble ladies like them work and risk their lives
as adventurers like this?” Natalie exclaimed as she posed her doubts.

“That’s why I’m puzzled. It really is perplexing.”

“I’m most curious about the party leader, Alan, though. From what we’ve seen, he can
freely use Fire, Light, Earth, and Water magic. And the spells are all cast in practically
an instant. He should be quite famous with such skills, but why have we not heard of
his name until now?” Karina observed.

“Things are getting even more perplexing, aren’t they?”

After I finished washing the rice, I called out to everyone fishing upstream.

“It’s fine even if you catch only one fish.”

“”Oka〜y!””

Dammit! They sound like they’re really having fun.

“I got one!” Elna excitedly exclaimed.

They just started fishing and she’s already got a bite!? That’s honestly very impressive.
Looks like I’ll have enough fish to prepare after all. Elna may have some talent for
fishing.

“Okay girls. Elna’s already caught one, so it’s okay to stop fishing after a bit.”

“”Ye〜s!””

Oh shoot! I nearly forgot the water I was boiling! I called out to Sharon, who wasn’t
busy fishing.
“Can you check out the water kettle I put on top of the campfire, Sharon? It should
have started boiling already, so can you make some tea for our three guests?”

“Understood. I’ll get to it right away.”

“Oh, right! Take this rice pot and put it over the flame next. Make the fire stronger as
well. And make sure not to spill the contents, okay.”

“Yes!”

The salmon Elna fished up was a big one. It was probably about 80 centimeters in
length. This was a standard size for this type of fish.

I chopped the salmon into three parts, put it inside the bucket, and went back to the
center of the camp together with the rest of the girls. The girls sat down around the
table and enjoyed some tea while exchanging stories.

Since the rice won’t be fully cooked for a while more, I should prepare the sushi first.
I first cut the salmon from earlier into large slices. It was very rich in fat, and can be
made into some splendid toro salmon sushi.

They caught just one salmon, but it looks like it was more than enough for all of us. I
ended up having plenty of salmon slices for sushi. Well, it’s alright. I’ll just make some
aburi (partially grilled) and shioyaki (salt grilled) salmon with the rest.

Okay. Looks like the rice is finally cooked now. I tried a spoonful and found it to be
perfectly cooked.

I can finally start making sushi now. I already prepared some sushi vinegar earlier.
Aside from a portion I would use for making pork bowls later, I’ll make the rest of the
rice into sushi rice. I put the cooked rice inside a large bowl, sprinkled it with sushi
vinegar little by little, conjured hot air using Wind magic and let it seep into the rice,
and finally, mixed it vigorously. Alright, that should do, I think. Let’s let it cool for a bit.

I’ll prepare the pork bowl ingredients now. The main ingredient is simply the Big Boar
ribs we had in store. There’s quite a few varieties of pork bowl, but I don’t have much
time today, so I’ll just go with the salty-sweet variant.

First, I’ll grill the Big Boar ribs over the fire. Once they were nicely grilled, I put them
on a plate and set them aside. I took out some soy sauce, sugar, and sake next. I poured
each ingredient inside the pot and stirred the mixture over the fire until it gained a
thick and rich consistency. I then put the meat portions back inside the pot and let the
sauce mixture seep into them thoroughly. This should be fine. I finally completed
cooking the pork bowl meat with salty-sweet sauce.

Looks like the sushi rice has also cooled down enough, so let’s get to making sushi. Oh,
it looks like everyone has noticed me busily cooking and gathered nearby. I guess
they’re curious about what I’m making.

Man, it’s been a long time since I’ve made sushi. And now I have a live audience as well.
Just to make sure I won’t disappoint them, I retrieved the ‘How to Make Sushi Like a
Pro’ e-book from my personal database and updated Nanom using it.

I briskly washed my hands, grabbed some sushi rice, and started shaping it. I then put
a salmon slice on top and finished making the first sushi piece. But it’s a shame that
there’s no wasabi. I’ll certainly find it one of these days. I swear. I’ll pick up the pace
now.

Oh boy. I got too into it and made quite a lot. I’ve finished making eighty pieces
altogether. I better not make more since having too much of the same stuff could make
one bored of the taste even if the food’s delicious.

Oh, right! I almost forgot. I did say I was going to make partially grilled salmon too,
didn’t I? Hmm. I’ll need a burner for that. I wonder if I can substitute the burner with
a fire spell?

I constructed an image of air and magicles mixing into a gaseous substance in my head.
I’ll use the Fire spell first, and then adjust the output gradually.

The Fire spell was successfully cast, and a column of flames appeared in mid-air on
top of my palm. The girls shouted in surprise. They were all watching behind me and
were surprised when I suddenly conjured a five to six meter column of flames with
my spell.

I’ll adjust the flame quality by gradually decreasing the magicle concentration and add
in some more air.

「Please support me, Nanom.」

The flames gradually changed in composition. The girls made a racket once more.
Good, the flame’s color has changed. It’s coming along well. It’s finally looking similar
to a gas burner’s flames.

There we go! A more than five meter blue column of flames rose into the air along with
a loud roaring noise. Man, that’s some intense heat. It’s also burning through my
magicle reserves at a really fast rate. I’ll adjust the output until it’s manageable. There
we go. I can now make aburi salmon with this. I’ll go make a portion of the sushi into
aburi sushi as well.

“Alright! It’s finally finished!”

I finally finished making the sushi. This is probably the first time sushi has appeared
in the history of this planet.

Oops. I also need to finish making the pork bowls. Since there’s a lot of sushi, I’ll just
put in the rice and pork into bowls of a smaller size so everybody can finish their
meals. I’ll just need to reheat this a bit, and the pork bowls would be done. We’ll use
spoons to eat these.

I carried the pork bowls and a large plate full of toro aburi salmon slices, toro aburi
salmon sushi, and regular toro salmon sushi onto the table. Oops. Nearly forgot about
the shioyaki. I then put some soy sauce onto a small plate. There. Tonight’s meal is
finished.

“Thank you for waiting, everyone. This meal is called sushi. It’s a recipe from my home
town. And this is called pork bowls. This is also a recipe from back home. If you’re not
partial to them, there’s also some salt grilled salmon slices and rice over here. Okay
then. Dig in everyone.”

“…Alan, just what was that blue-colored flame earlier?” Cleria suddenly asked.

“Oh, that. I needed that in order to make a portion of the sushi. I need a high temperature
flame to sear the salmon slices in order to complete the dish.”

“Um, I don’t think that’s what Ria is getting at, Alan,” Elna quipped.

“So this is sushi! This will be my first time trying it,” Sharon exclaimed.

“Sushi… But isn’t it simply raw fish slices put on top of balled up rice?” Cleria inquired.
“Well, it does look like that at first glance, but some rather detailed steps are actually
needed in order to make these. That’s why I could only make just this much for tonight’s
dinner. C’mon. Try some. Back in my hometown, this dish is extremely popular. If it’s
alright with you all, try eating them with your hands. It’ll be a more authentic
experience that way.”

I didn’t manage to make any chopsticks yet, so we’ll have to make do with eating by
hand.

It looks like everyone’s curious about the dish, so I prepared a bowl of clean water so
we can rinse our hands before eating.

“Okay then. I’ll try one first in order to show you the proper way to eat sushi. You pick
up one piece like so and then dip it lightly into this small plate of soy sauce. Try not to
dip the rice in and only dip the fish meat on top. And then you eat it. Just like this.”

I finished off one piece in one big bite. Ah! Delicious! This is it, man! It’s unfortunate
that there’s no wasabi, but it’s still delicious! The rich taste of the fatty salmon meat
just melts in your mouth. The pairing with the vinegar rice is the best! Sushi really is
one of my favorite Japanese dishes.

Cleria and the others were used to eating raw fish by now, so they didn’t hesitate to
eat up.

“Delicious! So sushi is something this tasty!” Selena gushed happily.

“It really is delicious! I wonder why? It’s just some fish meat put on top of rice, but
why is it so delicious? The flavor of the fish and the sauce has seeped into the rice,
creating a harmony of flavors!” Cleria seconded.

All the members of our party were apparently enjoying the meal, while our three
guests were still on the fence about it.

“Eating raw fish meat… I’ll try one piece first, Arista-sama,” Karina offered with a
resolute tone.

She picked up a regular toro salmon sushi slice and dipped it into the sauce. She then
brought it to her mouth. Karina turned wide-eyed afterward.

“How is it!?” Arista inquired nervously.

Karina slowly gulped and swallowed the sushi. She took a piece of aburi toro salmon
sushi next. She dipped it into the sauce, brought it to her mouth, and chewed the sushi
with a serious-looking expression. She gulped down the piece again and quietly
reached out for more.

“Hey! I’m asking you about how it is, Karina!”

“Ah!? I-It’s too delicious, Arista-sama! I didn’t imagine it would be this tasty!”

After hearing that, Arista and Natalie also hurriedly took some sushi pieces for
themselves.

“It’s true! How amazing! To think raw fish can actually be this tasty!” Arista squealed
in delight.

“It’s delicious…” mumbled an almost-teary eyed Natalie.

“This pork bowl is also really tasty, Alan!” Cleria exclaimed.

After hearing her, the rest of the girls also reached out for their own portions. The pork
bowls were also rather well received.

Well, I do agree that they’re delicious. I used the bladeknife to process the meat, so the
cuts were quite clean and raised the quality of the meat. The rich flavors of pork ribs,
sweet-salty sauce, and fluffy rice were a perfect combo.

Since the salmon was quite rich in fat, I thought it would be a heavy meal and that we
would be unable to finish it all. But it turned out to be the opposite. The entire meal
disappeared in a flash. It looks like sushi was a resounding hit. The pork bowls got
rave reviews as well.

“Thank you very much for the meal, Alan-san. It’s the first time I ever ate such delicious
food.” Arista said as she bowed in gratitude.

“I’m glad they suited your taste.”

“Uu, I overate again,” Sharon groaned dejectedly.

“Do you all eat this kind of meal every time?” Karina curiously asked.
“…That’s right. At the very least, all the dishes that Alan makes are really delicious,”
Elna replied.

“”That’s right.””

“Fufu. How enviable,” Arista elegantly laughed in amusement.

It’s getting dark already. Let’s have some after-meal tea first before resting up.

“We apologize for not disclosing our circumstances and identities until now,
everyone,” Karina began.

“No, it’s alright. A lot has happened and I’m sure it’s been tough for the three of you.”

“Actually, I am the daughter of the Gantz Commerce Guild’s chief, Silas.”

“Arista-sama! Are you sure it’s alright!?”

“It’s fine. We can trust these people. There’s no problem with telling them.”

“I see. So you’re the daughter of the local Commerce Guild branch’s chief huh. So
Natalie-san and Karina-san are your private guards, I presume.”

“That’s right.”

I see. The only other guild branch chief I knew was Cara-san from Gotania’s Magic
Guild branch. So I guess the Commerce Guild really is thriving compared to the Magic
Guild huh. Arista-san seemed to be just like a rich heiress after all.

An awkward silence then followed.

“Um, are you not familiar with Silas-sama, Alan-san?” Karina asked.

“Uh, is he a famous individual?”

“……He’s the Gantz Commerce Guild branch’s leader, Silas-sama, you know?” Karina
reiterated.

I turned to the rest of my party members, and I saw everyone had blank expressions
on their faces. Looks like everyone’s unfamiliar with the man as well.
“I’m sorry. The truth is, we just recently got to this country, so there are many things
we’re still unfamiliar with.”

“…I see. If so, then it can’t be helped. It seems the bandits were very familiar with our
chief though… Like I said earlier, Silas-sama is the chief of the Gantz Commerce Guild
branch. He’s also the president of Silas Company, which is said to be the largest
business firm in this kingdom,” Karina explained.

“I presume the reason I was targeted by bandits was primarily because of my identity
as his daughter,” Arista elaborated further.

“I see. So that’s the case.”

“That’s why I would be able to give you a suitable reward for your help once we reach
Gantz. Please look forward to it,” Arista offered.

Mm. It’s not like we helped while expecting a reward, but it is true that it took quite a
bit of effort. It’s fine with me even if we didn’t get paid for our efforts, but I need to
keep in mind the welfare of the rest of the party members as the leader, so I better
accept.

“Thank you very much for your kind offer. We will certainly be looking forward to it
then. Well then, now that we’ve finished tea, why don’t we all turn in for the day? I’ll
take care of the night watch, so please have a good rest, Arista-san. You too, Karina-
san and Natalie-san.”

“Thank you. We’ll take you up on that then. Please excuse us,” Arista agreed and bid
good night.

Of course there’s no need to keep watch at night because of the escort drone and
Nanom, so after cleaning up the table, I went to sleep as well.
I woke up to the sound of an alarm. I checked the situation out with the virtual HUD.
Dammit! Orcs huh. It’s still dark outside. These guys are really full of it even though
they’re just bipedal pigs!

I can’t just ignore them, so I took a light magic tool and my rifle and headed out. They
were still two-hundred meters out, but they were clearly heading toward the camp.
So, there are a total of fifteen men. Hm? Should I even count them as men? Oh well.

It’ll be awkward seeing corpses near the camp when dawn comes, so I guess I’ll
intercept them. I placed the light magic tool a hundred meters away from camp and
went out to meet the orcs. It looks like those orcs already noticed the camp, so they
were running straight toward it.

But the running speed of orcs can’t be said to be fast by any means. They were about
as fast as an average non-strengthened human, or maybe even slower.

It was a few more minutes before daybreak, so it was still pretty dark outside, but the
monsters still appeared clearly before my nanom-enhanced vision, and I swiftly
locked-on to them all. When they were just twenty meters ahead of my position, I
released several high-speed versions of the Flame Arrow spell and instantly downed
all fifteen of them.

It’s a hassle harvesting the magic stones on my own. Guess I’ll just have everyone help
out once the sun is out. There’s no hurry anyway.

Man, I sure woke up at an awkward time. The sky was already starting to brighten. Oh
well. I better just start preparing breakfast.

There’s still some rice left from yesterday’s meal. I stored them inside an airtight
container, so the rice should still be good. If I steam them a little bit, they should be
good to go. And there’s still some salt-grilled salmon left as well. I’ll just make some
onigiri with the salt-grilled salmon as filling. And I’ll prepare some mushroom soup
with the katsuobushi as soup stock to go with the onigiri. I don’t have anything else to
do anyway.

Once dawn finally came, the girls started waking up.

“Good morning, Alan.”

“Oh, good morning, Selena.”

“These are… rice rolled into ball shapes?”

“Um, right. I’m molding them into shape. It’s a nice dish called onigiri. Alright, that’s
all of them.”

I finished making twenty servings of large-sized onigiri. Since it looks like everyone’s
awake already, I should serve breakfast.

“Alan, you rolled the rice into shape?”

“Um, that’s right. I shaped them and filled them with the salt-grilled salmon from
yesterday’s dinner. This dish is called onigiri. It’s morning so I made something simple
to eat. This is a dish you can eat by hand. Okay then. Go ahead and dig in, everyone.”

I picked one up and ate it to show them how it’s done. Mm. Since I steamed the rice a
bit, they remained fluffy and were warm to the touch. The saltiness is just right as well.
Delicious.

“This onigiri is delicious! It has a simple and rustic feel to it.”

“This soup is so tasty as well!”

After hearing Sharon exclaim in delight, the rest of the girls picked up their soup and
took some sips.

“This is–? What a delicate and refined flavor!” Arista praised.

“Yes, it’s very delicious,” Natalie seconded.

“There’s plenty more soup to go around, so don’t hesitate to ask for seconds everyone.”

All the girls ended up asking for seconds.

“Fuu. I ate a lot this morning as well.”

“I see… With these dishes, it’s no wonder you all overeat often,” Karina concluded.

“Sorry to ask you this so early in the morning, but some orcs came before dawn. There
were quite a bit of them so can I count on you to help harvest their magic stones.”

“”Understood!””

“If it’s alright with you all, shall we help out as well? Let us at least help out with this,”
Karina offered.

“I see. Alright, thanks for the offer.”

“So where are they, Alan?”

“Oh, they’re just over there. Let’s go.”

“This–!? Just how–!?… Did you kill them all by yourself, Alan?”

“Well, yeah,” I answered while stabbing an orc corpse with my sword. Since orc bodies
were quite large, the bladeknife is not long enough to make deep cuts.

Mm, how gory. I wonder if there’s a magic tool that can extract magic stones? Even if
there is, I can’t even begin to imagine what magic circle would be used to activate it.

Since everyone helped out, we managed to finish collecting all the magic stones quite
fast. Now we’ll just need to take care of the corpses. Then we can resume traveling.

“Should we just leave the camp as it is?” Karina asked.

“Yeah. We can also just destroy the earthen huts, but they may prove useful to other
travelers on the road later on, so we better leave them as is.”

“I see. That certainly is the case.”

We finally left the temporary campsite and encountered fifteen Goblins and five Gray
Hounds along the way. It looks like the appearance rate of monsters really is increasing.

I made a simple fried rice dish for lunch.

At the rate we were going, we should be able to reach the citadel city of Gantz by four
o’clock in the afternoon. It seems Gantz was a city several times larger than Gotania,
and currently housed more than 60,000 people. I’m pretty excited.

We traveled through several intersecting highways and passed by a lot of other horse-
drawn carriages and adventurers walking on foot. There was a bit of tension whenever
we passed others by. That’s because there’s always a chance the other party is actually
bandits in disguise. We could even be mistaken as bandits instead.

But since Elna was driving the carriage and kept greeting each group we passed by
raising her hand, their guards relaxed and there were no further incidents. They
probably thought there was no way a beauty like her could be part of a bandit gang.

“Alan, I see a city in the distance. Is that Gantz?”

I zoomed in using my nanom-enhanced eyes.

“Oh, it looks like it! Yep, that’s definitely Gantz. I can see why they call it the citadel city.”

It was situated within a V-shaped valley flanked by tall mountains, and the main city
was in the middle of said valley. On the other side of the citadel city was the entrance
to the Great Demon Forest. I see. So it’s a city built for the express purpose of guarding
against intrusion by monsters.

But the city doesn’t completely seal off the valley, and there were wide open areas on
either side of the city which lead to steep mountain slopes and cliffs. Due to that, there
may be some monsters who manage to circumvent the city by going through those
areas instead.

There was evidence that there was once an attempt to fully seal off the valley due to
the unfinished ancient-looking walls. They may be relics of the far past. They may have
given up on construction entirely since the cliffs were pretty steep and they thought
there were no monsters that would be able to safely traverse them. They may have
ultimately thought of the walls as impractical.

As we approached Gantz, I got a more detailed look of the mountains that were
surrounding the Demon Forest. The mountain range that surrounded the Great
Demon Forest was of an average elevation of 5,000 meters above sea level. They
looked pretty big even from a distance, but their scale became even more obvious the
more you approached.
After a few more minutes on the road, we finally reached the gates of Gantz. There
were quite a few people and carriages lined up in front of the gate while waiting for
their turn to enter the city. Looks like we better line up as well.

We waited about twenty minutes for our turn. Soldiers who were probably part of the
city guards approached our carriage. I got off to meet them.

“Are you merchants? How many people are there in your group?”

“No, we’re actually adventurers. We’re the C rank Party, Shining Star. We have a total
of five members, including me, and currently have three passengers with us as well.”

I then showed the leading guard my guild ID.

“Hou, so you’re C rankers huh. I think there’s no problems, but we still need to check
the carriage as part of the procedures.”

“Go ahead.”

Cleria and the others also got off from the carriage. It looks like they also showed the
guards their guild IDs. The guards checked the items in the carriage one by one. When
the lead guard got a look at Arista’s guild ID, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Arista-sama!? There’s no mistake! Why are you riding this carriage!?”

This situation is a lot like what happened with Tarus-san.

“Our carriage was attacked by bandits. These people rescued us and let us travel back
with them.”

“By the Goddess! Arista-sama’s group was supposed to arrive yesterday evening, but
in the end, you never did, so Silas-sama was very worried. He’s been checking up on
us often since yesterday. It seems they concluded that something untoward happened
to you, so there’s a big commotion back at the Commerce Guild. Silas-sama should be
in the middle of organizing a search party right now.”

“Father is!? Oh dear! We have to hurry then. Can we enter the city now?”

“Of course. Please go ahead, Arista-sama.”

“Alan-san! Please head to the Commerce Guild with all haste!”

“Gotcha. Please lead the way.”

Karina went over to the front of the carriage and guided us all the way to the Commerce
Guild building. When we entered the city, it was packed with people, and my carriage
driving skills were put to the test. More than half of the people out on the streets were
dressed like adventurers. Luckily, the roads were pretty wide, and the people seemed
used to staying out of the way of carriages, so there were no incidents.

“The large building over there is the headquarters of the Commerce Guild. Do you see
that building with a lot of people crowding around out front? It’s that building,” Karina
pointed out.

There were a total of about forty-something adventurers crowding around in front of

the large building she pointed toward and they seemed to be listening attentively to a
rugged-looking man who was speaking with a loud voice on top of the front steps.

When we approached, I got to hear part of the speech of that rugged-looking man.

“……will set out with fast horses right away! We will give suitable rewards to any party
who manages to deliver critical information. It will depend on the information given,
but it’s possible to get ten times the initial reward offered. What matters the most is
speed…”

So I guess this is the search party the guard was talking about. It looks like he’s
instructing the gathered adventurers about their search plans. I guess he’s serving as
the coordinator of this adventurer search party.

Arista jumped off the carriage and ran toward the gathered search party.

“Father!”

Arista went in front of the rugged-looking man and loudly called out.

Eh!? So that’s her father? The richest man in this country? He sure doesn’t look the part.
No matter how I look at him, he’s more like a veteran adventurer than a businessman.
The man on top of the stairs turned toward Arista and froze up.

“Arista! Ah! You’re safe!”

The man jumped off the stairs and pulled Arista into a tight hug. So he really was her
father.

“I’m sorry for making you worry, father.”

“It’s alright darling. As long as you’re fine.”

Another guy went up the platform on top of the stairs and started addressing the
gathered adventurers once more.

“As you can see, milady has already returned safely. I’m sorry, but this search mission
will be called off. Of course, we will give you all proper compensation for your troubles.
Thank you very much for coming. All of you are dismissed.”

When they heard they’d be still receiving compensation, the gathered adventurers
didn’t seem to mind the trouble too much, and they obediently dispersed.

“What happened to you, Arista? And who are these people?”

“We were attacked by bandits along the way, father. These people rescued us from the
bandit lair. They are all adventurers.”

“What!? Bandits, you say? You got attacked by bandits even though I sent twenty
guards to protect you?”

“One of the parties who were supposed to guard us got sick due to food poisoning after
dining in Sanza town and all the members couldn’t get out of bed. They suggested
delaying the departure date, but the remaining party assured us they could handle it,
and so we agreed to proceed as planned,” Karina explained.

“What!? What were you thinking, Karina!? Do you understand what this means? You
subjected Arista to life-threatening danger with your decision!”

“I am truly sorry to have disappointed you. Please punish me as you see fit,” Karina
conceded as she bowed in apology.

“Please don’t blame Karina, father. I was the one who insisted on going through with
it because I wanted to come home as soon as possible,” Arista interjected.

“So what happened to the adventurers guarding you?”

“They all died in the attack.”

“Tsk. And so, you were rescued by these adventurers afterward?”

“No. We were taken to the bandit’s lair. It was then that these adventurers appeared
to rescue us.”

“What!? You were kidnapped by those bandits!? Are you okay?”

“I’m alright, father. I was only tied up because they wanted to hold me for ransom.”

I turned toward Karina and Natalie, and the both of them had their eyes closed and
kept quiet. They might have guessed Arista wanted to preserve their honor when she
refrained from mentioning them.

“………I see. It looks like I and my daughter owe you a lot. I am called Silas.”

“I am the C rank party Shining Star’s leader, Alan. Rescuing them was the right thing
to do. Please raise your head, sir.”

“No. Infiltrating a bandit lair in order to rescue my daughter and my people is something
worthy of the highest gratitude. My daughter owes you all her life. Thank you. Truly,
thank you very much.”

“Um, you’re welcome sir.”

“Father, I promised Alan an ample compensation for their efforts.”

“But of course. But a reward for their deed in rescuing you cannot be decided so lightly.
Let us discuss this another day. Would that be fine with you all, Alan?” Silas suggested.

“Of course. We will talk about it later on then. How should we get in touch with you?”

“You still haven’t booked an inn, right? I’ll send Karina with you and have her guide
you until you find a great inn. We will send word for you at the inn.”

“Alright.”

Silas-san, Arista-san, and Natalie-san got inside a carriage that was parked nearby and
went off.
“Well then, Alan-sama. I will be serving as your guide for now. What are your plans?”

“I want to pay a visit to the Adventurer’s Guild branch in this city first. We need to
hand over the deceased adventurer’s belongings after all.”

“Understood. Let us be off then.”

Karina then guided us all the way to the local Adventurer’s Guild branch. Thankfully,
it was pretty close by, and we parked the carriage at an open space in front of the guild
building. Karina handed a number of copper coins to a man who approached us. It
looks like the man had companions as well.

“Thank you very much, Lady Karina.”

It looks like Karina was pretty well-known in this city. The man and his companions
surrounded the carriage and acted as guards.

“They serve as temporary guards for the carriages who park here. It’s to deter crooks
from approaching.”

She probably noticed my questioning look and explained things for me. I see. That
certainly might be necessary.

I divided the belongings of the dead adventurers to the rest of the party and led them
to enter the guild building. The Commerce Guild building looked comparably bigger,
but this Adventurer’s Guild branch was at least four times the size of the one in
Gotania.

“It’s this window over here.”

Karina led us to a counter separate from the regular ones.

“What is you business with us today, sir?” the guild staff inquired.

“We have a report to make. It’s about the adventurer parties hired as guards by the
Gantz Commerce Guild branch for a round trip to Sanza. The trip to Sanza town went
without incident, but in the morning before the trip back to Gantz, one of the parties,
the Iron Pact, had all of its members become bedridden due to poisoning and couldn’t
continue with the contracted job. Moreover, due to a sudden bandit ambush, all the
members of the other party, Green Wind, ended up perishing. We came here to inform
the guild of what happened. We are the C ranked party, Shining Star.”

“Please present your guild identification plates for confirmation,” the guild staff
instructed.

I handed over my guild ID. The guild staff inspected my guild ID and wrote something
in a memo.

“Can you confirm everything they said, Karina-sama?”

“The deaths of the members of Green Wind is true, but I do not know what happened
to Iron Pact after we left the town.”

“I see. We are truly sorry about the troubles caused by Iron Pact, Karina-sama. We
shall promptly investigate in detail and hold them into account,” the guild staff assured.

“Understood. Shining Star retrieved the belongings of the deceased members of Green
Wind as well. We came here to hand them over to the guild.”

“Understood. Please fill out this form.”

We placed the belongings of the ten dead adventurers which were stuffed inside ten
separate bags on top of the counter. The swords were too big to be put inside the bags,
so we just lined them up neatly on the counter.

“Um… You took more than their guild identifications?”

“We also took some things that could serve as mementos on top of their guild plates.”

“I see… But you do know that the discoverer of adventurer corpses have the right to
claim the deceased adventurer’s belongings, right?”

“We do. But we thought it would be better to hand them over to their families and
loved ones.”

“…That is certainly so. Understood. We at the guild will take custody of these items. We
will hand them over to the deceased adventurer’s relatives and loved ones whenever
possible. You will also receive a small cash bonus for discovering the corpses and
reporting the case. We will confirm the items first, and then hand you your reward.
The notice will be posted on the bulletin board near this counter, so please claim your
reward once it’s up.”

“Understood. We’ll be going then.”

Fuu. We finally handed over those items. We exited the guild building and went back
to the carriage.

“Where do you plan on going next?” Karina asked.

“I’d like to book an inn now if possible. It would be nice if it had a bath and tasty food.”

“An inn with a bath… I know of some places, but they are probably going to be on the
pricey side…” Karina offered.

“How much is the booking price?”

“Let’s see. It should be about 750 Guineas or more per night if I remember correctly.”

Mm. It really was expensive. But Verse’s inn back in Gotania did already cost 500
Guineas per night. So it being more expensive here should be reasonable, considering
the fact that this place was comparatively more dangerous due to its proximity to the
Great Demon Forest.

“I believe we’ll be able to make do with that price. Do you know of inns that don’t mind
us going out for extended periods of time due to adventurer work?”

“Understood. I’ll introduce you to an inn with a good reputation.”

We left the Adventurer’s Guild and traveled on the streets for five minutes or so until
we reached the inn in question.

“It’s a bit far from the guild, but it has nice, clean rooms, a spacious bath, and serves
some of the finest cuisines here in Gantz.”

“That sounds really good. Okay then. We’ll book rooms here.”

I parked our carriage inside the inn’s courtyard and left the horses to the young stable
boy who received us. We then entered the inn. The name of the inn was Spring Breeze.
“Welcome. Oh, if it isn’t Karina-san!”

A middle-aged woman who seemed to be the proprietress of the inn cheerfully greeted
Karina-san. Karina-san sure is popular.

“It’s been a long time, Kira-san. I brought you some customers today. We’re introducing
them on behalf of the Commerce Guild.”

“Oh my! They’re recommended by the Commerce Guild? Thank you so much, Karina-
san!”

“I’ll introduce you, Alan-sama. This is the proprietress of this inn, Kira-san.”

“I am called Kira, sir. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Alan-sama.”

“Likewise. As you’ve heard, my name is Alan, ma’am. Pleased to meet you too. Oh, and
by the way, please stop addressing me so formally, Karina-san. You too, Kira-san. I’m
not someone so lofty to deserve being addressed with ‘sama’.”

“On the contrary, Alan-sama. The moment you rescued me, I decided to accord you
with the highest respect for the rest of my life. I will not concede on this no matter
what you say, Alan-sama,” Karina insisted.

It looks like her resolution is quite firm. It seems it’s impossible to change her mind.

“Alright. Then at least Kira-san will do. Please just address me normally.”

“I understand. If you say so, Alan-san. The customer is always right after all. Our inn
provides breakfast and dinner, and our single rooms cost 800 Guineas per night. Our
double rooms cost 1,100 Guineas. But since you’ve been introduced by the Commerce
Guild, I’ll give you a discount and cut the price to 700 Guineas for single rooms and
1000 Guineas for double rooms. Taking care of the carriage and horses will be free of
charge.”

“I see. Is there a discount if we book rooms long term?”

“If you pay in advance for a week’s stay, there will be a ten percent discount. Twenty
percent for two weeks. Thirty percent for three. And forty percent for four weeks.
However, we cannot offer any refunds once you pay the advance amount.”
“I see. Are you girls okay with having double rooms just like last time?”

I confirmed with my party members and everyone seemed to have no problem with
it. I guess I’ll pay for two weeks first.

“Alright. We’ll have one single room and two double rooms, please. In the meantime,
I’ll pay for a two-week stay.”

Since it’s for two weeks, it’ll be a total of 30,240 Guineas. It really was pretty pricey.
We’ll have to work really hard starting tomorrow.

“Well then… that will be 30,240 Guineas please.”

I took out the leather bag I used as a wallet and paid the fees.

“Thank you. Welcome to the Spring Breeze inn.”

“I will be excusing myself then. We will get in touch with you at a later date.”

“Thank you for guiding us, Karina-san.”

After saying goodbye to everyone, Karina set off.

“Yosh. Let’s unload our belongings from the carriage first and then go for a nice, long
bath.”

“”Yes!””

The bath here didn’t lose out at all to the one in Verse’s inn. It was pretty spacious and
neat. We only encountered one other customer since coming to this inn, so it looks like
there weren’t many guests who booked rooms yet. It looks like the rest haven’t come
out from the bath yet. I guess I’ll just drink some tea while waiting for them.

The guest rooms are all located on the second floor. The first floor was the dining area.
I went down and ordered some tea. It looks like the tea was free for guests. Kira-san
brought me some piping hot tea before long.

“By the way, Kira-san, does being introduced by the Commerce Guild have any benefits?”

“Oh, yes, of course. It means you’re a valued partner of the guild and you will be given
discounts by many of the establishments in this city. That will, in turn, allow us to earn
favor from the Commerce Guild. We can rely on the Commerce Guild if we run into any
trouble with our businesses, so it’s pretty beneficial for us too. It’s rumored that you’ll
eventually be able to get loans from the guild as well.”

“I see. So that’s the case.”

“Our inn isn’t located in an advantageous spot you see. My only employees here are
my two daughters and my son, so this inn is basically run entirely by the family. We
aren’t that distinguished as an inn, so a recommendation from Karina-san is more than
welcome.”

“I believe that’s not true. Karina-san herself said your inn was one of the best around.”

I chatted some more with Kira-san until the others went down to the dining area. It
was already near dinner time, so we proceeded to order our meals. Just like with
Verse’s inn, you’re free to ask for seconds, and alcohol is free of charge.

The meals we were served with were Big Boar steaks, chicken and vegetable soup,
some assorted vegetable salad, and some fluffy bread. I also ordered some wine, which
I haven’t tasted since we went on the road.

The steak had plenty of garlic and pepper for flavoring and was cooked to perfection.
The soup was also quite delicious. It fully brought out the umami and sweetness of the
chicken meat and veggies. The salad had a sweet and sour dressing put on top of it and
was pretty tasty as well. It looks like this was a great inn after all.

Everyone was very satisfied with the meal.

“Come to think of it, I still haven’t told you all how much money we got from the bandit
hideout right? We confiscated a total of 115,825 Guineas from them. The money we
got from selling off those twelve surviving bandits is 5,000 Guineas per head, so that’s
a total of 60,000 Guineas for all twelve. That makes our total earnings 175,825
Guineas.”

“”Oooh!””

Bandits really are very profitable prey.

“Now then, how do you guys propose we divide the money? We also have to send
money to Roberto and the others, right? But we can’t send all of it to them, or we’ll be
lacking in funds ourselves. Any suggestions?”

“Should we just keep the minimum amount we need for our activities?” Cleria suggested.

“If we want to send money through the Commerce Guild, we’ll need to pay a convenience
fee of 50,000 Guineas. So we can’t send money frequently because the costs will add
up. So if we take efficiency into account, we probably should send them money only
once we save up at least more than a million Guineas.”

“I see. That’s true,” Elna agreed.

“Why don’t we come up with a set salary system, Alan? You said you’ll be paying us
salaries Alan, but we don’t really need much money anyway. We’ll probably just donate
it all to the party,” Sharon added. Selena nodded in agreement.

“What do you mean by a salary system?” Elna asked.

“It’s a system where you’ll get paid a certain fixed amount every month.”

“Oh, so it’s a set monthly payment. It does sound good.”

“I think it’s fine as well.”

“Well, if everyone says so, then I suppose we can work things out.”

Everyone nodded.

“Okay then. Let’s do that. Let’s see… How about 10,000 Guineas per month?”

“Ten thousand per month!?” Elna exclaimed in surprise.

“We’ll have to make it at least that much so there will be more motivation, right? Let’s
go with that. Okay then. I’ll give everyone’s share for this month now.”

I made five portions of nine large and ten small silver coins. I then gave one portion to
each of the girls. I also took my share as well. With this, the leather bag with the money
we got from the bandits got considerably lighter.

“Alan also gets the same salary amount as us?” Selena asked.
“Of course. I’m also planning on donating most of my money to the party funds and
don’t need that much either. By the way, we have a total of 798,365 Guineas as party
funds, and I plan on adding the 60,000 Guineas we got from selling off those bandits
to the pool as well.”

“We only need to earn just a little bit more in order to send some money to the troops,”
Sharon observed.

“Yes, that’s right. But since we need to keep some as our personal funds as well. I’ll
reserve 120,000 Guineas for that.”

“That’s reasonable,” Elna agreed.

“If you all have no problem with it, I was planning on taking some quests tomorrow to
start earning funds. Would that be fine?”

“Of course. We’re not all that tired from traveling anyway. And we need to earn plenty
of money for our future plans,” Cleria agreed.

It looks like everyone has no problem with starting right away, so I guess we’ll start
doing adventurer work by tomorrow. After agreeing to go to the guild early tomorrow
morning, we turned in for the night.

(D-1, there’s no need to monitor us while we’re inside Gantz city. I want you to
investigate the monster distribution in the areas surrounding the city instead.)

[Acknowledged.]
[It’s morning. Please wake up.]

I got woken up by Nanom like usual and took a morning bath. In this inn, apart from
the scheduled cleaning late at night, it seems you can enter the bath whenever you
wish. I was the only one using the bath at this time. Man. Life with a bath available
really is the best.

After stepping out of the bath and drying myself up, I proceeded to check the info I
asked the drone to collect last night. As I thought, the areas closer to the Great Demon
Forest have the greatest concentrations of monsters. Oh, this info looks like it will
come in handy later.

It was about time for breakfast so I went down to the dining hall. I asked the
proprietress Kira-san yesterday to prepare our breakfast earlier since we planned on
departing early in the morning for adventurer work. I did say it would be fine to serve
it at the usual time if preparing it that early would be a bother, but Kira-san said she
and her family wake up quite early anyway, so she humored my request in the end.

After a little while, the girls also went down to the dining hall one by one. We then
proceeded to have our breakfast. The breakfast set was bread with some sort of jam,
some salad, and a generous helping of soup. It was your typical breakfast set.

After finishing our breakfast, we immediately went out and headed for the Adventurer’s
Guild. We walked for about fifteen minutes to reach the guild building and found there
were already a lot of adventurers present.

“It’s still so early in the morning, but it’s already so lively here.”

“The guild is indeed already so packed in the morning,” Elna agreed.

Everyone was enthusiastically checking out the request board.

“Let’s split up and check out all the B and C ranked quests on the board. We’re just
getting a feel for things today, so don’t pick the ones that require us to travel too far
out of the city.”

“”Understood.””

The requests of different ranks were separated on different sections of the board. We
are a C-ranked party, so the highest-ranked requests we can take on are B-ranked
ones.

The B rank and C rank sections were not too crowded, so we managed to comb through
all the requests before long. We gathered in a corner a bit further from the board so as
to not get in the way of the other adventurers.

“Did you manage to find good quests?”

“There wasn’t anything particularly of note, I think,” Elna informed.

Everyone else also shook their heads. There were escort requests and some rare magic
stone and material gathering ones, but there wasn’t anything that would fit a newbie
party like us.

“Hm. Certainly. Then shall we go for some regular monster extermination quests?”

The regular monster extermination quests are quests that are posted on the board
indefinitely and offer fixed rewards. For example, one may require you to exterminate
Gray Hounds in the surrounding areas. You can then sell the magic stones at the guild
for 300 Guineas apiece, and get a fixed 50 Guinea reward per Gray Hound killed.

It looks like everyone was on board with it, so we decided to proceed. But we can’t just
pick one recklessly. We’ll have to decide on a target monster first.

“What do you think we should hunt? I personally think orcs would be good.”

Orc magic stones go for 600 Guineas each, and the extermination reward is 150
Guineas per kill. They aren’t any harder than Gray Hounds, and they were a perfect fit
for us since every member of our party can use magic.

“That sounds nice, but the problem is where exactly the orcs are located,” Elma
answered.
“Oh, leave that to me. I kind of have an idea where we can find them.”

“Haa… Alright. Let us go hunt some orcs then,” Elna agreed.

“It’s a bit far from here though. It’s probably about fifteen kilometers away from the
city. It’s a bit too far to reach by foot, right?”

“That’s right. Well, since we do have horses now, why don’t we go there by horseback?
It would be good for Tarth and Syrah to get some exercise as well. Let’s just get some
more horses from a rental stable somewhere,” Elna suggested.

Oh! So there are actually rental stables huh? That sounds good. We’ll have to ask
around to find one then.

We exited the Adventurer’s Guild building in order to search for a rental stable. After
walking around town for a while, someone called out to us.

“Are you looking for something bro?”

It was a ten or eleven-year-old boy wearing messy clothing.

“Yeah. We’re looking for a rental stable.”

“If that’s the case, I can guide you to one bro.”

“…How much?”

“Te– No, five Guineas.”

“Alright. Go ahead.”

“Thanks for the patronage. I’m Teo by the way. There are two rental stables in this city.
There’s an expensive one, but it has great horses, and there’s a really cheap one. Which
do you want to visit?”

“The expensive one then.”

“That’s the way bro! J-Just a minute.”

Teo went to a corner of the street, took the hand of a four-year-old girl wearing a dress
akin to rags already, and pulled her along.

“It’s this way bro!”

He started leading the way, but he was walking too fast. He was half-dragging the little
girl already.

“Hey, you don’t really have to hurry that much. Is she your sister?”

“That’s right bro. Here Ella, say hello to big bro.”

“…I’m Ella, big bro.”

“I see. I’m Alan. Nice to meet you.”

Fortunately, the rental stable was actually in the same direction as the inn, so we didn’t
have to go too far.

“Here you go, Teo. Your payment.”

I handed him five large bronze coins. In other words, 50 Guineas.

“Eh!? But I thought I said five…”

“Go ahead and take them. Get yourself and Ella something nice to eat.”

“T-Thank you bro! Thank bro as well Ella.”

“Big bro.”

Big bro isn’t the same as thank you though. Oh well.

Elna chose three horses from the stable and Teo received a tip from the stable owner
as well. So he’ll be able to earn a little cash every time he brings in customers huh.

The price for the rental was 300 Guineas per day for each horse. There was also a
deposit of 10,000 Guineas per horse. Of course, we’ll get the deposit back later once
we return the horses. But people without that much money probably can’t afford to
rent horses at this stable.

Elna pulled the three horses we rented along back to the inn where we left Tarth and
Syrah. Teo also tagged along with us.

“Hm? What’s wrong, you two?”

“No, um, I just thought I’d guide you more since we received too much, bro.”

“We’ll be going out of the city with the horses once we reach the inn though. You won’t
be able to follow after us anyway.”

“I’ll at least send you all off then. We’re really quite free bro.”

“Do as you please.”

“Hey Alan, how about we hire Teo for trash disposal duty?” Selena suggested.

“Oh! Taking out the trash is my specialty. That’s actually my main occupation. I’ll clean
up any kind of filth, bro!”

“Hm. Alright then. Might as well.”

Did we have some trash in need of disposing though?

We had the inn’s stable boy prepare Tarth and Syrah for heading out. Selena and
Sharon went up to our rooms upstairs and brought down some of the preserved
foodstuffs we didn’t eat during the journey here, including dried meat, baked bread,
and dried beans. There were actually quite a lot of them left.

I see. It’s true that these would actually go bad if we didn’t eat them soon, and once
they did, they’ll be the same as garbage.

Selena and Sharon really are kind girls after all.

“These are trash…?”

“It’s our leftovers. We probably won’t be able to finish them all anymore. So we’ll give
them to you,” Sharon offered.

“T-Thanks a lot, big sis!”

We exited the city while being sent off by the cheerful smiles of Teo and Ella.

It looks like they don’t require people to get checked whenever they go out of the city.
We copied the adventurer party ahead of us and showed the guards our guild IDs. We
were allowed to pass the city gates without much fuss.

“Okay then. Our goal is in this direction.”

I went ahead and led the way. The target destination is of course an area near the
Demon Forest. It was also called the Sea of Trees, but the areas around Gantz have been
mostly cleared, and I confirmed via aerial footage that we can reach our destination
without any trouble through horseback.

After traveling for two hours, we encountered five Gray Hounds and three goblins. It
looks like there’s a higher concentration of monsters in the areas near the Demon
Forest after all.

We dismounted on a spot with a great view of the surroundings due to high elevation.

“Have we arrived?” Elna asked.

“Yeah. The orcs are just 700 meters from where we are currently. The area’s practically
crawling with them.”

“……Is that perhaps an orc settlement?” Elna inquired again.

“Hm? Do those guys actually form settlements? There was nothing about that written
in the monster guide though.”

“They do! Alan, this is too much for us! We can’t just attack an entire orc settlement
with these numbers!” Elna warned.

“Really? Um, the number of orcs is about 75 men or so. Hey Elna, is it okay to count
orcs as men?”

“…Orcs are monsters you know. Alan! This is reckless! You say there are at least 75
orcs in there… Wait?… C-Can we actually beat them?” Elna faltered.

“Um, Elna, I think we probably can,” Cleria followed up.

“That’s right. I also think so too,” Sharon seconded.

“…Fine. I understand. Let’s do it then,” Elna conceded with a resigned sigh.

We secured the horses, and I drew a simple map on the ground to help with the strategic
planning. In the end, we decided to break through together instead of dispersing our
combat strength. If anything untoward happens, we’ll all run back here and make our
escape together.

(D-1, make sure monsters don’t get near the horses.)

[Acknowledged.]
The five of us carefully trudged through the trees. When we advanced two hundred
meters, two patrolling orcs started heading in our direction. But they weren’t going
straight for us. They should pass us by from the side. Of course, they still didn’t manage
to notice our presence.

I signaled for Cleria to finish them off. I used the hand signal for requesting a headshot.
Once they came into range, Cleria manifested two arrows of flame and promptly killed
the two patrolling orcs.

The orcs fell down without much noise.

We advanced another hundred meters nearer the orc settlement. This time, we
encountered five orcs. We moved in even closer and found them sleeping around on a
small clearing. They were snoring comfortably.

I signaled for Cleria, Sharon, and Selena to finish them all off via headshot. I continued
to give hand signal instructions to specify which orc each of them needs to target.
Afterward, the three of them got into position and promptly fired off Flame Arrow
spells. All the magic projectiles hit the heads of the sleeping orcs dead on.

Sharon and Selena hit their heads with two arrows and Cleria hit them with one each.

We continued to advance another two hundred meters and found another bunch of
sleeping orcs. This time, there were seven of them. Again, I had Sharon, Selena, and
Cleria finish them off. Now we’ve cleaned up 14 of them. That makes 61 remaining
orcs.

We advanced yet another hundred meters and finally got a glimpse of the orc settlement,
which looked like a crudely constructed village. The crude buildings were placed
inside a circular clearing with a diameter of about 150 meters. The dwellings were
just crudely built sheds lined with long leaves of some sort of plant. Most of the orcs
were sleeping underneath those dwellings.

Now that we’ve come this close, it’ll be better to fire magic spells off from a decent
distance. Anyway, let’s finish off the ones walking around first.

I signaled for Cleria, Sharon, and Selena to start finishing them off via headshots once
more, starting from the ones closest to our position. They fell down one after another,
and once nine were killed, a cry rang out from the back of the village. Looks like we
were finally noticed.
“Everyone, open fire!”

I entered the village after giving out the order. I locked on to every orc in my line of
sight and killed them with high-speed flame arrows. I hit the orcs right in the middle
of the brows or right on their temples. Lots of orcs fell dead all at once.

I saw a Wind Cutter spell fly past. It must have been Elna. The heads of several orcs
got separated from their bodies. Impressive, Elna.

After I fired off several more flame arrows, a terrible scream resounded from the back
of the village.

“T-This is–!? This is bad Alan! That’s probably a General Orc!” Elna warned.

That sounds quite impressive! I finally saw the source of the scream before long. It was
an orc several times larger and more muscular than its brethren.

It was still 70 meters out, but it sure has quite a bit more presence than the other orcs.
It’s probably more than 3 meters tall.

“Elna! Tell me how dangerous a General Orc is!”

“Alan! It’s a General Orc you know!? U-Um…… Er…… I-If possible… can you try not to
aim at its face?”

“…Huh? Okay.”

I hit the General Orc’s large body with five high-speed flame arrows, and it fell down
in quite an anti-climactic fashion.

The rest of the orcs were already killed off by Cleria, Selena, and Sharon. Oops, there’s
some hiding over there. Almost missed them. I finished off the two orcs hiding in the
bushes nearby.

With this, all the orcs in this settlement have been killed.

“Alright, operation over! Great job everyone. Hey Cleria, I killed a big prey! Let’s go
check it out.”

I called out to Cleria and went over to check out the fallen General Orc. It really was
different from all the other orcs. Its height was about 3 meters and 20 centimeters. It
had a savage-looking face and had two tusks protruding from its lower jaw.

“It sure has an intimidating face. Hey Elna, why couldn’t I attack its face?”

“We can sell its severed head for a lot of money. It’s used as some sort of charm against
evil spirits or something,” Elna explained.

“Geh. What bad taste. Are you sure people would even want to display something like
this in their rooms? Uh, since it can sell for a lot, we might as well take it. Let’s cut it
off right away and drain the blood. Harvest the magic stones from the corpses before
other monsters come running, everyone. Oh, and the proof of subjugation is their right
ears, so don’t forget to cut them off as well.”

I handed two jute bags to everyone and had them recover the magic stones and the
proofs of subjugation. It took about one and a half hours for all five of us to finish
collecting the magic stones and ears.

The General Orc’s hut had old swords that were probably from dead adventurers,
metal shards, five large silver coins, and a few assorted small coins that were worth a
total of 575 Guineas. Man. They sure loved money even though they’re just pigs. Let’s
take them too.

“Yosh. Let’s withdraw.”

“Fuu. Recovering magic stones sure is tiring,” Sharon sighed.

“Yeah. I wonder if there’s a method to take the magic stones from monster’s corpses
in an easier manner?”

“But I must say, Alan, the hand signals you taught us were truly quite useful,” Elna
praised.

“Yeah. I came up with them specifically to be used in operations like this, so I’m glad
they proved useful.”

We went back to where we left the horses and rode back to Gantz. It’s already past
eleven in the morning. We should be back in Gantz by one in the afternoon.

Fortunately, we encountered no more monsters on our way back.

When we reached the city gates, we got off the horses and showed the guards our guild
IDs.

“What’s the contents of the bags?”

“They contain the severed ears of orcs as well as an orc head. Do you want to check
them out?”

“N-No, it’s fine! Go right ahead.”

I felt conflicted when we reached the guild building. We should have returned the
horses first before coming to the guild, but I was already pretty tired out and couldn’t
muster the motivation, so we ended up tying the horses to a spot inside the guild
building’s parking lot. We then saw the men that served as temporary guards approach
us. Now that I got a good look at their leader, he was blind in one eye. Maybe it’s an old
injury.

“How much?”

“Five horses will be 50 Guineas, mister.”

“Here you go.”

“Thank you for the patronage.”

The man and his companions stood guard near the horses.

“Now then, which counter should we report in?”

“It’s most likely that one,” Elna pointed out.

Unlike the usual reception counters, it was placed behind a fairly large booth. A
signboard with ‘Assessment Counter’ written on it was hung up on top of the booth in
question.

“What is your business with us today?”

The man in charge of the counter promptly asked what our purpose was.

“We’re handing over orc magic stones, right ears, and a General Orc’s head.”
“Ahaha, you sure make some interesting jokes sir.”

He gestured for me to hand over the bags for checking, so I gave him the one with the
General Orc’s head. He looked at the content of the bag and closed it with a start. He
peeked inside again and closed it once more.

“T-This is–!?”

“The severed head of a General Orc.”

“…So you were actually serious?”

He slowly opened the bag once more and closed it almost immediately after getting a
little peek. He tied the mouth of the bag securely.

“I’ll call some more people over, so please wait here!”

The man hurriedly took off after placing the jute bag with the General Orc’s head
under the counter.

“What was that?”

“”No idea,”” replied Sharon and Selena as they shook their heads.

“Well, I thought it would turn out like this. I knew it,” Elna sighed.

A total of six men ran out of the back of the guild office.

“Where is it!?”

“It’s in this bag, sir.”

The newly arrived man looked at the contents of the bag.

“…There’s no mistake. It’s a bit inconvenient to continue discussions out here. Can you
all come to the back so we can continue?”

“Alright. Let’s go, everyone.”

We entered the inner office of the guild and went somewhere which resembled a
private conference room. The man who seemed to be other men’s superior placed the
General Orc’s head on top of the table without caring about the mess it caused.

“Can you show me your guild identity plates?”

We obediently handed our guild IDs.

“C rank huh. What happened to this General Orc?”

“We hunted it down of course?”

“Where?”

“It was an area about two hours by horse from Gantz.”

“Didn’t a report come in about one month ago regarding some sightings?” one of the
other men chimed in.

“Probably. But you managed to hunt it down with just five members?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“…I can’t believe it. You really finished it off with just five people?”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“……No, not really. So does this mean you wish to hand this head over to the guild?”

“Um, are there other places that accept trophies like this one?”

“…To be honest, with a splendidly preserved head like this one, you can get a good
amount of profit by selling it to the Commerce Guild or putting it up for auction.”

“I see… But will our party evaluation increase if we do decide to hand it over to the
guild?”

“But of course. Any adventurer who contributes greatly to the prosperity of the guild
will get the appropriate favorable treatment.”
“What do you think, guys?”

I turned to my party members and asked their opinions.

“I think it’s fine,” Elna answered. The others all nodded as well.

“Okay then. We’ll hand it over to you. By the way, how much will we be getting for it?”

“Oh, we will need to determine it by basing on the previous purchase price. We will
need some time to determine an appropriate reward amount.”

“I don’t mind. We’re not in any particular hurry anyway. Well then, please calculate the
price of the magic stones and the subjugation rewards first.”

I nodded to Selena and Sharon, and they placed the other jute bags on the table.

“These are?”

“They contain the magic stones and subjugations proofs of the rest of the orcs.”

“Oh, so you managed to hunt more orcs?”

“…Yes.”

We actually hunted down the General Orc as a bonus though.

The man gestured to another guild staff. The staff opened the bags and checked the
contents.

“This–!”

“What’s wrong!?”

“No, um, there is an impressive amount of orc magic stones and subjugation proofs
inside these bags.”

“What!?”

The leader opened the bags in a fluster.

“This–!? Just how many did you hunt?”

“There were seventy-four orcs all in all.”

The magic stone of the General Orc was a lot larger and more brilliant than the magic
stones of the normal orcs, so I decided to keep it. It may come in handy later.

“These were also hunted in the same place as the General Orc?”

“That’s right. It was an orc settlement, I think?”

“……In other words, you all attacked an orc settlement and killed all the orcs living
there?”

“That’s right.”

“Just the five of you?”

“Uhuh.”

“I see……… I understand. We will calculate your rewards immediately.”

The other guild staff began to hastily inspect the magic stones and cut-off ears.

“These are undoubtedly from seventy-four orcs sir.”

One of the guild staff then hurriedly went out of the room. He went back in before long
and handed the leader something.

“Well then, an orc magic stone is 600 Guineas each, and each orc kill has a reward of
150 Guineas. Since you hunted a total of seventy-two orcs, your total reward is 55,500
Guineas. Please receive the reward.”

“Yes, we’ve certainly received them. Thank you very much. Well then, if there’s nothing
else, we’ll be going ahead.”

“Oh, um, please wait. I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am Kevin, the leader of the
Gantz Adventurer’s Guild branch.”

“So you are the guild leader sir. Please excuse my impoliteness. My name is Alan, and
I am the party leader of the C-ranked party Shining Star. We will be working here for
the time being, so we will be in your care, sir.”

“No, please, the pleasure’s all mine. Can you also introduce your members, Mr. Alan?”

I exchanged gazes with everyone.

“I’m Ria.”

“My name is Elna sir.”

“I’m called Sharon.”

“Selena.”

“What an assortment of beau– No, never mind. We’re looking forward to working with
you all.”

“We’ll be going then.”

We were led out of the room by one of the staff and finally exited the guild building.

“Fuu, it turned into quite the commotion.”

“I thought it would turn out like this. I knew it,” Elna sighed as she repeated her earlier
comment.

Oh, right. We asked those folks to watch the horses.

“Sorry guys. We took quite a bit of time. Please take this as well.”

I gave the leader of the temporary guards an extra five large copper coins as a tip.

“…Thank you very much, sir. Can I ask for your name if you don’t mind?”

“The name’s Alan. We’ll be counting on you guys again.”

“Yes, best regards, Alan-sama.”

“And what about you? What’s your name?”

“This one is called Jill.”

“Be seeing you then, Jill.”

“Yes.”

We returned the rented horses to the rental stable and retrieved the deposits. It’s
nearly two o’clock in the afternoon.

“It’s already so late.”

“Yes. Um, I kind of want to take a bath right about now…” Sharon muttered.

“Yeah. Me too.”

Everyone else was in agreement, so after returning to the inn, we all took a nice, long
soak and planned to have some late lunch afterward.

It was already almost three in the afternoon when everyone got out of the bath.

“We’ll ruin our appetites for dinner if we have some heavy lunch right now, so how
about strolling around in the city and having some snacks?”

“Let’s do that! I want to get used to this city as well,” Cleria exclaimed in delight.

Since everyone was in agreement, we went out to tour around the city.

We saw quite a number of food stalls, but there wasn’t anything particularly appetizing.
It was getting late, so we were about to go back when someone called out to us.

“Bro! And the big sisters too! What’s wrong?” Teo asked in a cheery tone. Ella was also
following behind him while snacking on some dried jerky.

“Yo! So It’s you, Teo. You came at the right time. Do you know of some stalls selling
delicious food? I’ll treat you as well.”

“R-Realy!? Over here then bro! We haven’t really eaten anything from there, but we
keep hearing everyone say it’s really delicious!”

Teo guided us along while pulling his sister, Ella, who was still busy snacking on her
jerky, at a fast pace. We came to a wide street, and at the entrance was a food stall with
lots of people crowding around. They seem to be eating some grilled skewers.

“It’s this place bro! They all say the food here is really good!”

Mm. What a tantalizing scent. A rough-looking uncle was busy skewering some large
meat and vegetable slices and grilling them on a rack.

“Give me seven of those skewers uncle.”

“Yessir! Please wait fer a bit.”

After waiting for about a minute, our skewers were finally cooked.

“Here ya go! That’ll be ten Guineas fer one stick. So it’s 70 Guineas, sir.”

Hm. That’s surprisingly pricey. I handed the guy the seventy Guineas and distributed
the skewers to the rest of the group. I also handed Teo and his sister their share.

“Can I really have two sticks, bro?”

“The other one is for Ella, you dummy.”

“Say thank you to bro, Ella!”

“Bro.”

Let’s dig in then.

Hmm! This is good! It looks like chicken meat, but it was extremely tender and had a
texture I’ve never experienced before. And the sauce is quite tasty as well. It looks like
your basic salt and garlic-flavored sauce, but it’s been enhanced with a number of
fragrant herbs. It kinda tastes like mirin. This wonderful fragrance is irresistible. I
guess it wasn’t ten Guineas for nothing.

“Hey uncle, what type of meat is this?”

I approached the stall and tried asking the rough-looking uncle.

“These are from a Big Bullfrog’s thigh and calf meat.”

Oh, so it’s meat from a monster huh. If I remember correctly, it’s a type of monster frog
almost one meter in size. It was blue so it didn’t really seem all that appetizing, but the
meat was actually this delicious huh.

Everyone was also praising how delicious it is. I better not tell them though. I’m not
sure how they’ll take eating monster frog meat after all.

Teo and Ella were also scarfing down on their skewers.

“Teo, what about your parents? Where are they now?”

“Mom’s dead. Dad is doing some adventurer work. Uh, but it’s been a year since he last
came home so… But it’s not like I can do anything anyway, so I’m just patiently waiting
for news.”

“…I see. Do your best then.”

“Of course bro.”

We separated from Teo and her sister and walked back to the inn. It was right about
dinner time when we got back.

We enjoyed tonight’s meal as well. As we were eating, Karina-san paid a visit.

“I’m sorry for disturbing your meal, everyone. Alan-sama.”

“No, it’s fine. Do you want to drink some wine with us, Karina-san?”

“Unfortunately, I need to go back right away. I came here at Silas-sama’s behest. We

will be having a modest dinner tomorrow night at Silas-sama’s mansion to celebrate
the safe return of Arista-sama. If it’s convenient, we would also like to invite you to
partake.”

“How about it, everyone? I think we should go.”

Everyone seemed to agree, so we decided to accept the invitation.

“Thank you very much. I will tell them your response then. We will be sending a
carriage for you tomorrow at five in the afternoon.”
“Thanks. That will be helpful. We’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Yes. I will be excusing myself then, Alan-sama.”

“Okay then. Let’s finish a regular subjugation quest right away tomorrow as well so
we can come back in time for the party.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. We then turned in early for the night.

–The Previous Day–

“I have returned, Silas-sama.”

“Have those adventurers already settled at an inn, Karina?”

“Yes. Alan and his party have booked rooms in the Spring Wind inn.”

“Hou. They are quite affluent for adventurers.”

“Yes. It seems a bath is an absolute requirement for them.”

“I see. Well, paying attention to cleanliness is a good trait to have. I only realized this
when I became older. Arista should be coming out of the bath soon. I’ll hear your
report then.”

“Understood.”

“I’m back, father.”

“So Natalie’s with you too. Good. Let me hear your report then.”

And so, Karina told Silas about all that’s happened to them, starting from their
departure from Sanza town to them being abducted by bandits.

“I see. I’m sure you already know, so I’ll just say this. We have incurred a great debt.”

“Yes. I and Natalie will never forget our gratitude to them for the rest of our lives. An
hour after we got abducted and taken to the bandit’s lair, all of the bandits inside the
cave let out anguished screams simultaneously. They were all hit by Alan-sama and
Elna-san’s magic spells.”

“What? How many bandits were there? What magic spell did they use to incapacitate
them?”

“We are not sure. It was probably fire magic. All of the bandit’s right shoulders sported
burn scars.”

“Fire magic? And they did that to multiple targets simultaneously?… I see. So they
targeted their shoulders to rob them of the ability to fight back. And then?”

“We were taken outside the cave by Elna-san and looked after by the other ladies. After
a short while, Alan-sama walked out of the cave as well, and treated Natalie and me
using healing magic.”

“What!? That man can also cast healing magic?”

“Yes. And the recovery speed was astonishing. Both our injuries were all healed up in
just ten or so seconds.”

“The more I hear about it, the more unbelievable it seems. How about it, Arista?”

“All they have related is true, father.”

“…I see. Let us move on then. Go ahead.”

“We then discussed what to do with the bandits, and Arista-sama bought the rights to
them from Alan-sama for our sakes.”

“I see… Have you managed to regain your dignity then?”

“Yes, thankfully. It’s all thanks to Alan-sama. Afterward, we went back to the highway.
Alan-sama gathered the corpses of the dead adventurers and used earth magic to
create a grave. It was my first time seeing a grave that large.”

“Earth magic? He can even do that?”

“Yes, there is no doubt. Alan-sama gathered the items of the dead adventurers to serve
as mementos and buried them in a simple ceremony.”

“Fumu. It’s rare nowadays to find people with such respect for the dead. He’s quite a
character.”
“We then set out for Gantz. Along the way, we encountered a Gray Hound pack. Alan-
sama and his party killed all of them.”

“Hou. How many were there?”

“There were ten of them.”

“What!? Were you unhurt!?”

“Yes. Alan-sama didn’t even need to lift a finger. His party members were the ones to
finish them off. They are all superb magicians.”

“…I can’t believe it… I could only see them as a gathering of lovely young ladies!? And
you’re saying all of them are skilled magicians?”

“Yes, there’s no mistake. Afterward, we decided to make camp, and Alan-sama created
earthen dwellings for us to rest in using earth magic.”

“……He created dwellings via earth magic?”

“Yes, they were definitely huts made using earth magic. And they were quite tough as
well.”

“Huts!? He can really do that?”

“Even I would not believe such a thing was possible if I didn’t see it with my own eyes,
Silas-sama. And… that dinner was just so……”

“Dinner? What about dinner?”

“Ah, Karina, stop! My heart tightens up just from remembering them.”

“Just what in the Goddess’s name happened!?”

“Alan-sama’s cooking was absolutely superb. Aah… To think something so delicious

can exist in this world…”

“…They were that delicious?”

“Yes! They were absolutely divine, father! It was my first time eating such delicious
cuisines.”

“Now I’m starting to wonder if you were just hallucinating from exhaustion.”

“Aaah… It would have been better if that were the case. Then we wouldn’t have to crave
for those dishes so much.”

“……Alright, fine. Continue.”

“We were told there was no need for a lookout and so we went to sleep. But we
witnessed something surprising when we woke up in the morning.”

“What did you see!?”

“Alan-sama told us a group of orcs assaulted the camp so he went to intercept them.
He then asked the others to help retrieve the magic stones from the corpses. We
volunteered to help, and when we arrived at the place where the orcs died, we were
surprised to see there were actually fifteen orc corpses lying around.”

“Fifteen orcs!?…… Did the entire party kill all of them?”

“No. The rest of the party members did not know of the location of the corpses either.”

“In other words, that adventurer called Alan managed to kill all fifteen orcs by himself?”

“Yes. And furthermore, all of the orcs had fatal injuries in the exact same spot. And the
party members did not act surprised when they saw such a thing. It was as if such a
thing was normal to them.”

“Umu. It’s quite an unbelievable story.”

“Afterward, we continued to travel down the highway, and we encountered groups of

monsters once again. This time, there were five Gray Hounds and fifteen Goblins. All
of them were swiftly disposed of.”

“And then you finally reached Gantz huh. Fumu. It looks like they are no ordinary
adventurers.”

“Father, I strongly suspect the party members Ria-san and Elna-san are members of
the nobility. I can tell from their gestures and the way they carry themselves. Especially
Ria-san. I am almost certain she is part of high nobility.”

“What!? Nobles, you say!? And high nobles at that! I can’t believe it…… However, you
did undergo noble education as well dear, so if you judge it to be so, then it must be
the case… But to think they were nobles. Just why are they serving as members of a C-
ranked adventurer party then? And they are even qualified magicians of presumably
high rank.”

“Father, I did tell Alan-san and the rest to expect a suitable reward from us.”

“Well, they did save your lives after all. It’s just natural that we reward them, so there’s
no problem with that. But what shall we do? Should we give them money or valuables?
Right, how about high-quality magic swords? I noticed all of them were sporting
swords on their waists, so magic swords would be perfect.”

“Silas-sama, all the party members of Shining Star already have magic swords.”

“What!? All of them have magic swords!? How unbelievable.”

“There is no mistake. All of their swords were shining in magical energy when we were
recovering the magic stones from the orc corpses. Especially Ria-san’s sword. It is
probably made with Mythril and is a magic sword of considerable value and
workmanship.”

“Umu. What rich adventurers.”

“That’s right. Their carriage was also custom made and the horses can be practically
used as war horses. They also were in possession of light magic tools and a curious
magic tool that emits warm wind.”

“Ah, that warm wind-emitting magic tool was so wonderful. Just how did they manage
to procure one, I wonder,” Arista sighed in admiration.

“Well, this is a problem. They don’t seem to be lacking in money, and I can’t even begin
to fathom what items they will find valuable. If so, then there is no choice but to invite
them for dinner and ask them directly.”

“…Father, I think inviting them for dinner is a good idea, but how do you intend to
serve them?”
“Eh? Wouldn’t preparing good meals and some nice drinks be enough?”

“That is out of the question! We do not know exactly who they are, but we will still be
inviting at least two people of noble birth. if we just served them normally, the dignity
of our house will be called into question. Let’s see. How about preparing a banquet as
a celebration for our safe return? What do you think, Karina?”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Arista-sama.”

“Indeed. Alright then. Let us go ahead and start the preparations. Will that be fine,
father?”

“……Umu, I shall leave it to you.”

The guild master, Kevin, saw the party members of Shining Star off as they left the
guild building.

“Hey, go and gather all information pertaining to the party Shining Star. Include the
date of registration and quest history. Why are such skilled adventurers not well
known at all? And why are they still C rank with such skills? Also, don’t forget to process
that General Orc head.”

After an hour or so, there was a knock on the door to the guild master’s office.

“I brought all the records pertaining to Shining Star.”

“Oh, that was fast. Let’s see…… It hasn’t even been two months since they first
registered!? And there’s only one official request record…… I see. So they were all
judged as C rankers when they took the evaluation tests huh. That means all of them
have the abilities of a C rank adventurer, or possibly even higher……… Alright then.
Promote all the members of Shining Star to B rank, effective immediately.”

“Will that really be fine, sir?”

“Yeah. They are a party skilled enough to completely eliminate an orc settlement all
by themselves after all. There’s no problem. There is no reason not to promote them,
and we will be earning a little favor from them as a result as well.”
“Understood. We will do the necessary procedures straight away.”

I woke up at dawn as usual and did my normal morning routines. I also checked out
the results of D-1’s monster scouting.

Fumu. There’s another orc settlement, but it’s quite far from the city. It’s twenty
kilometers out huh. Finishing it in one day would be hard.

When I went down to the dining hall, everyone else was already gathered around.

“Good morning. You’re up early, everyone.”

“We were invited for dinner today, right? We have to set out early in order to come
back in time,” Cleria replied.

“It looks like you’re pretty motivated.”

“What are you saying, Alan? It takes some time for women to get ready, you know. So
we have to get back at least by midday.”

“Really? We can’t go too far out then. The only areas we can reach nearby have either
Goblins or Gray Hounds.”

“Goblins are a bit…”

Goblin magic stones go for 30 Guineas, and the hunting reward is ten Guineas per kill.
They aren’t really profitable monsters to hunt.

“I’m also against hunting Goblins. Alright then. We’ll hunt Gray Hounds instead.
There’s a lot of them about ten kilometers from the city. Let’s rent some horses again
today and set off.”

After lunch, we immediately went to the rental stable to rent out the horses without
going to the guild since we were pressed for time.

We encountered ten Goblins along the way, and we killed them on horseback. We left
the corpses behind without collecting the magic stones. Ten Goblin magic stones will
sell for the same price as just one Gray Hound magic stone. So we need to prioritize
efficiency.

Looks like we’ve arrived. We stopped the horses at a small clearing near the monster
gathering site.

“Let’s finish off the ones here first. It looks like they’ve noticed our arrival already.
They’re already heading here. Tarth and Syrah may be fine, but the rented horses may
get spooked when they see the Gray Hounds, so let’s get off them and intercept the
monsters on foot instead.

“”Yes!””

I used the hand signals to relay info about the Gray Hounds. There’s no actual need to
use hand signals in this situation, but I figured I’d use them anyway to let the girls get
used to them more. There are 22 monsters heading our way.

We took some distance from the direction they were coming from and moved to an
open spot where we can aim at the incoming monsters with relative ease. We secured
the horses and confirmed our positions. Guess I’ll just dedicate myself to support this
time and have the girls get some practice.

Five monsters came running out from the trees. They were thirty meters away. The
moment they jumped out, I finished one off with my signature high-speed Flame
Arrow. Cleria killed two while Sharon and Selena killed one each.

There were ten more incoming. I finished off five of them. Sharon killed two, and
Cleria, Selena, and Elna each got one.

The last seven monsters appeared. Sharon, Cleria, and Selena got two each while Elna
killed one.

If all twenty-two of them came out at the same time, we would have had more trouble
with them. Gray Hounds really weren’t all that smart huh.

“Fuu. Gray Hounds really are faster and more mobile than orcs.”

“Certainly. And I had trouble killing them since my Wind Cutter can’t freely change
directions.”

It looks like Elna was miffed because she killed less than the rest of us.
“How about you learn fire magic as well, Elna?”

“Eh?… Can I really do so?”

“I think you can. Alan learned it easily after all.”

“Please don’t compare me to an unreasonable existence like Alan…”

How cruel, Elna.

“Yosh. Let’s go and collect the magic stones. The subjugation proof is their right leg,
uh, paw.”

I handed two jute bags to everyone and we started collecting the magic stones and
right paws of the corpses. We finished in about ten minutes.

“The next group is about 15 minutes east of here.”

The next group consisted of seventeen monsters. We quickly finished them off and
collected the magic stones and paws without issue.

“Oh, the next group seems to have moved to another location. Let’s follow them.”

After 30 minutes, we arrived at the monster’s location, but the reactions from the
magic sensor was strange. It seems like one of the monsters was being cornered by
the rest. Maybe the Gray Hounds were attacking another monster.

We approached a hundred meters in and caught a glimpse of the Gray Hounds

surrounding something. They seem to not have noticed us yet.

“The reaction from the scanning magic is strange. Let’s secure the horses here and
move closer.”

We approached the monsters carefully and saw 20 Gray Hounds surrounding a giant
blue snake. The length of the snake was probably about ten meters. The head of the
snake was raised two meters above the ground and the color of its scales was a
resplendent blue.

Five of the Gray Hounds were the only ones actively participating in the battle. They
were harassing the snake from behind and threatening to bite its tail. But the snake
reacted swiftly every time they tried to approach. It was quite the seesaw battle. The
remaining Hounds were just observing from a distance.

That snake was probably a Blue Serpent. It was also listed in the illustrated monster
guide. It was described as a pretty rare monster with valuable hide and meat.

Let’s finish off the Gray Hounds while they are busy with the snake.

I gave orders via hand signals and instructed the girls on which Hounds to aim for. I
used my fingers to signal a countdown, and we attacked the monsters all at once.

I killed ten with my high-speed Flame Arrows, and Sharon, Selena, and Cleria got three
each. Elna killed two of them.

The Blue Serpent was confused by the situation, and I used that opening to kill it as
well. I drove two Flame Arrows through its eyes to prevent its skin from being
damaged. It was a fatal hit, but it was still flopping in the ground.

“Man, that sure is a big snake. This is a Blue Serpent, right?”

“I have not witnessed the real thing for myself until now, but it was normally described
as quite a bit smaller than this one,” Elna replied.

“According to the monster guidebook, the hide and meat of this thing can sell for a lot,
but how do we bring this back? Well, it doesn’t look too heavy, so maybe the horses
can carry it.”

“That’s right. How about we tie it to the horses, with two each on the left and right
sides, to carry it back to the city?”

“Let’s go with that. Let’s collect the Gray Hound magic stones first though. The Blue
Serpent is still writhing away, so don’t approach it for now.”

The moment we finished collecting magic stones from the Gray Hound corpses, the
Blue Serpent finally lost all signs of life and fell still.

We did as Elna suggested and carried the corpse by tying it to the horses. The left and
right sides had two horses each that were alternately spaced two meters away from
each other. We tied the ropes to the saddles securely so the only problem was if the
horses could carry it successfully.
Since the four of them will be preoccupied with carrying the monster corpse, I was left
with guard duty.

“Let’s head back then.”

We met another ten Goblins on the way back and killed them, and we managed to
return safely to Gantz afterward. It was about twelve noon when we arrived. Looks
like we’re on schedule.

“Hey! What’s that you’re carrying?”

We raised our guild IDs to let the guards see them and explained the situation. We got
off the horses and handed our guild IDs for confirmation.

“This is a Blue Serpent. It’s already dead, of course.”

“This is–!? Umu… Alright. You guys may pass.”

When we entered the city, we instantly became the center of attention. We carried a
huge ten-meter snake monster with glistening scales with us after all. It would be a
wonder if we didn’t gather attention. I would also get curious if I were in their shoes.

We finally reached the guild parking lot with quite a crowd following us. I handed Jill
five large coppers just like yesterday.

“Thanks as always, Alan-sama.”

We cut off the ropes and tried to carry the Blue Serpent with just the five of us, but
Cleria’s feet were already wobbling from the weight. Looks like it’s no good.

“Jill, can you lend us two of your men?”

I took out a silver coin and threw it at him. Jill caught the silver coin in an experienced
manner.

“Right away, sir.”

Jill exchanged gazes with two of his men, and the two of them joined us to carry the
corpse. Cleria ended up just carrying the base of the tail.
We went straight to the assessment counter just like yesterday and found the same
male receptionist manning it.

“Hey… What the heck!? H-Hold on a bit, okay. I’ll call some more people so stay right
there!”

He ran to the back in a hurry just like yesterday.

“Let’s place this thing on top of the desk first.”

Fortunately, the desk was large enough to accommodate the entire rolled-up monster
corpse.

“Thanks a bunch. You can go back now.”

The two men nodded good-naturedly and exited the guild building.

After a short while, the same five men from yesterday ran out from the back of the
guild office. Of course, they had Guild Master Kevin with them as well.

“This–!? This isn’t just an ordinary Blue Serpent! This is a Superior-class rare monster,
the Big Blue Serpent. But to think you killed it without damaging the skin a single bit…”

“We thought it would be better not to damage the skin in any way, so we refrained
from taking out the magic stone.”

“Yeah, that’s the right call. With this, we can even stuff the entire body and sell it for a
very high price. In any case, we’ll leave it to the professional monster butchers to
handle.”

“By the way, what do you mean by ‘Superior-class monster’?”

“They are monsters that have evolved into a higher existence compared to their kin.
It’s been more than ten years since I saw one this big,” Kevin explained in an awed
tone.

“How much will it sell for?”

“Umu. A normal Blue Serpent is already classified as a rare monster after all. And this
one is a Superior-class. We can process the meat and magic stone right away and we
will be able to give you your reward by tomorrow, but the skin will take a bit more
time. With skin of this quality, it will probably fetch quite an amount if we put it up for
auction.”

“I see. That’s fine then. We’re not in much of a hurry anyway. Then, please check these
for us first.”

I placed the bags containing the Gray Hound magic stones and paws on top of the desk
as well.

“These are Gray Hound magic stones and subjugation proofs.”

Kevin had a strangely relieved expression on his face when I told him the contents.
Kevin gestured to one of the staff, and the staff member opened the bag to check.

The staff member was quite surprised by the contents and silently showed the bag to
Kevin as well.

“This…… How many are there in this bag?”

“There’s a total of sixty items each.”

“And you hunted these down by yourselves as well?”

“That’s right.”

“……Certainly. There are exactly sixty of each item, sir.”

Another staff member opened something that looked like a safe box with a key and
took out some coins.

“The price of Gray Hound magic stones is 300 Guineas and the subjugation reward is
50 Guineas for each kill. All in all, you will receive a total of 21,000 Guineas.”

“Sure. We’ll be going then.”

“Wait just a moment. I have something to tell you all. We at the Adventurer’s Guild
have evaluated Shining Star’s achievements and abilities and have decided to promote
all of you to B rank.”

“Eh!? Really?”

Everyone was smiling happily at the news. Cleria looked like she would jump for joy
at any moment. But we got promoted faster than expected huh.

“Yes, really. We need to update your guild identity plates, so could you hand them over
for a bit?”

“Understood.”

Everyone took out their guild IDs from their pockets in a fluster and handed them to
one of the staff. When I handed mine over, the staff member got a glimpse of the
backside of the ID and froze up in surprise.

“A rank…”

“What!?”

Kevin hurriedly snatched my guild ID from the staff member.

“…So you were actually an A rank member of the Magic Guild, Alan?”

“Yes, that’s right… Is there something wrong with that?”

“…No, there’s nothing wrong in particular. We were just surprised. One of my staff will
bring the plates back to you all once the updates are finished, so just relax at the
waiting area first.”

“Gotcha.”

Kevin and the rest of the guild staff went back inside the inner guild office.

“Alan! We’re all B-ranked starting from today!” Cleria exclaimed in delight.

“Yeah. What a surprise huh. But it really was faster than expected.”

“Well, I don’t mean to boast, but with our skills, this could actually be said as
something natural,” Elna added.
“At this rate, we can probably reach A rank in no time as well,” Sharon added further.

“So giving the General Orc’s head to the guild was truly a good call, wasn’t it?” Selena
followed up.

“I wonder. I don’t think it’s that simple though… In any case, we just moved a big step
forward to our goals. Good job, everyone.”

“That’s right! I actually feel like having a celebration, but we are scheduled to attend a
banquet tonight after all,” Cleria reminded.

“It’s perfect though. There will surely be lots of food and drinks. Let’s take advantage
of this opportunity and eat and drink a lot.”

“It’s a banquet, Alan. It’s more like a social party than a regular feast,” Cleria explained.

“Really? But isn’t that the same?”

“Haa…… It looks like we have to properly teach Alan about the customs of this
continent, after all, Elna,” Cleria sighed.

“That’s right. Let us do so, Ria-sama.”

After waiting thirty minutes or so, a guild staff member finally returned our guild IDs
to us. With this, we are all officially B-ranked.

“There’s not much time, Alan. Let’s just have a quick meal at that food stall from
yesterday for lunch. What do you think?” Cleria suggested.

“Really? Well, if everyone’s alright with that, then why not.”

Right now, it was about one o’clock in the afternoon. Having a full meal may affect our
appetites for dinner. We will be going to a fancy banquet anyway, so it would be a
shame to miss out on the food.

We left the guild building and approached Jill and his men.

“Sorry for making you wait long again, Jill.”

I threw him another silver coin. Jill caught the coin with a practiced air again. One of
his eyes is blind, but he sure has good reflexes.

“It’s no trouble at all. Thank you as well, Alan-sama.”

We then went to the food stall we visited with the kids yesterday.

“Give me five sticks uncle.”

“Thanks for the patronage brother! That’ll be 50 Guineas!”

These skewers sure are tasty. The flavoring is superb, but the natural umami of the
meat can’t be underestimated either. So frogs can actually be this delicious.

We brought the horses back to the rental stables and returned to the inn. Cleria and
Elna planned to join Sharon and Selena in their room later to prepare for tonight’s
banquet. It sure is difficult to be a girl. To think you’ll need that much time to dress up.
I’m really glad I’m not one.

“Are you going to wear those clothes, Alan?” Cleria asked.

“What clothes?”

“Those jet black clothes. You know. I’m talking about the ones that have silver and gold
trimmings. You called it a uniform, right?”

“Eh? Should I actually wear my uniform? Wouldn’t these clothes be fine?”

“Alan! What are you saying? It’s a formal banquet you know? Those clothes are
obviously not suitable.”

“That’s right, Alan. The other person may be labeled as just a commoner, but he is still
the richest person in this kingdom. If you wear those kinds of clothes to a banquet he
personally organized, you will be seen as rude,” Elna elaborated.

“Eh!? But that shouldn’t be the case, right? That uncle looked a great deal like a
seasoned adventurer you know? They may have said it’s a banquet, but maybe it’ll just
be your normal dinner?”

“I think not. Karina-san did say it was a dinner banquet.

I talked with Karina-san and Arista-san a lot while we were traveling and we got along
quite well.

If that Karina-san said it’s a dinner banquet, then it probably is.

However… It is my first time to be invited to a banquet directly without being handed

a formal invitation first…”

“Ria-sama, it is too much to expect that kind of detail from commoners. It is a sign of
a noble’s breadth of heart to overlook these kinds of minor things.”

“……But what are you going to do about yourselves, Cleria? You didn’t bring any formal
dresses with you, right?”

“We will borrow clothes from Selena and Sharon. Those clothes have a peculiar design
but they are quite lovely. It’s a good opportunity, so I want to try wearing them for
myself.”

So they are planning to wear imperial clothes huh… I’m not too sure what design of
clothes they’ll wear, but will it really be okay?

“Mm… Alright, I understand. Okay then. I’ll wear my uniform as well.”

I’ll go ahead and take a bath and then prepare myself for tonight’s banquet.
After taking a bath and freshening up, I promptly put on my imperial military uniform.
Man, wearing a long-sleeved military uniform after so long actually feels kinda weird.
And to think wearing this was the usual norm before getting caught up in our current
predicament.

Our ride should be coming soon. I went down to the dining hall, where we would all
meet up to catch the carriage once it arrived.

“Oh my! You look quite dashing in that outfit, Alan-san! What’s the occasion?”

The inn proprietress Kira-san looked very surprised when she saw me in my get-up.

“We were invited to attend a dinner banquet by the Commerce Guild’s Silas-san in his
mansion later tonight. That’s why I dressed up like this. Are you familiar with Silas-
san?”

“There’s practically no one in this city who doesn’t know of Silas-sama. But those sure
are some elegant-looking clothes, Alan-san. You really resemble a noble with those on.”

“It’s my only good suit. Can I get some tea?”

“Yes, of course. Please wait for a moment.”

I told Kira-san that we didn’t need dinner tonight and waited for the girls to come
down. Before long, Cleria and the others went down to the dining hall as well.

“What’s with those clothes, Ria!?”

I got surprised when I saw the dress Cleria was wearing.

Instead of a military dress, the clothes Cleria was wearing were something lots of
imperial citizens often bought when they go to Earth for a vacation. I think it was
called something like goth loli cosplay fashion. Since it was something fairly novel to
imperial citizens, it caught on and became an overnight fad, but I didn’t think someone
from the Iris Conrad actually bought a set.

“Are you surprised? It’s a really stylish dress, right? Sharon and Selena told me they
weren’t going to wear it, so I borrowed it for myself.”

Sharon and Selena were both giving me an apologetic look. Maybe it wasn’t their idea
to bring it but the dress was pushed onto them by Iris.

The black and white frilly dress looked quite extravagant and did suit Cleria well, but
it was still a cosplay item. But since Cleria, who looked fairly knowledgeable about this
world’s fashion trends, seemed to approve of the dress, I guess it should be fine.

Sharon and Selena both wore imperial design one-piece dresses, which were staples
at social events like parties or weddings. In other words, they weren’t worn for
business but to enhance a girl’s loveliness in social gatherings. Both of them wore
dresses of similar design but different colors. Sharon’s dress was wine red and
Selena’s was navy blue. They both enhanced their individuality and put emphasis on
their being twins. Both of them were still young ladies, but the dresses gave them a
sort of adult charm while not diminishing their cuteness. It was pretty nice.

Elna also wore a dress of imperial design, and although it wasn’t strictly a formal dress,
it still looked quite prim and proper when she wore it. The dress was dark green and
suited Elna well, but she wore a leather belt on her hip with the electromagnetic
bladeknife sheathed on it. Well, she did leave her sword, but having a combat knife
equipped while wearing a party dress was still a weird combo.

Since everyone’s all dressed up, I should probably give a compliment or two.

“The dresses look great on you, everyone. You’re all very pretty.”

“I-I see. Well, it does feel nice to wear these sorts of foreign dresses along with Elna,
Sharon, and Selena.”

“You have a visitor, Alan-san,” Kira-san informed. A dressed-up Karina-san was

standing behind her.
“I’ve come to fetch you, every…”

She froze up in the middle of her greeting. Were imperial dresses no good after all?

“Excuse me. I’ve come to fetch you all. If your preparations are done, please come up
to the carriage,” Karina-san continued.

“Thank you very much. Shall we, everyone?”

The carriage waiting outside was pretty fancy, which was to be expected for something
that was used by a wealthy household. It was several notches above our own carriage.
We promptly boarded it and went on our way. Karina-san kept scrutinizing our outfits
even after we boarded the carriage.

After five minutes or so, we arrived in front of a large mansion that was pretty much
akin to a small castle.

“Please come this way, everyone.”

We were guided inside by Karina-san and were brought to a spacious reception room.

“I will check up on the dinner preparations. I’ll have them bring you some tea, so
please relax and wait here for a short while.”

Karina-san went out of the room and a guy who looked like a butler brought us tea.

“Hou, this is quite a splendid room.”

The dress-wearing Cleria, who was now in full-on noble lady mode, toured the room
with Elna and inspected the furnishings. Us imperial folk sat quietly on the sofa and
enjoyed the tea.

“Arista-sama, I’ve guided Alan-sama and his party to the reception room.”

“Thank you. The preparations for the banquet are proceeding well… Hm? What’s
wrong, Karina?”

“…It’s about the clothing of Alan-sama and his party, milady.”

“Oh, it’s fine Karina. Even though tonight is a banquet, it’s still catered toward
adventurers. It’s fine to overlook the way they are dressed even if they don’t fit a
dinner banquet.”

“No, that’s not it milady. Rather, it’s quite the opposite.”

“I see. I understand what you’re trying to say. You are concerned that father and I will
make them uncomfortable with the way we are dressed when we go out to meet them
later, correct? But of course. Why didn’t I think of this earlier!? Whatever should we
do? Father would be fine, but should I change my dress into something more simple?”

“No! That’s not it, milady! Alan-san and his party are dressed in noble attire. I cannot
even imagine just how much those clothes are worth. Even a single article is fit for
royalty! That is especially the case for Alan-sama and Ria-sama.”

“Eh?”

“They do look quite exotic, but I am quite sure even Silas-sama will find it difficult to
procure such splendid articles.”

“………So even father will not be able to purchase them easily, you say… It can’t be
helped. In any case, we cannot keep them waiting indefinitely. Please lead them to the
banquet hall.”

“Yes.”

After a while, the man dressed as a butler finally led us to the room where the banquet
will be taking place. The room had a long rectangular table placed in the middle of it
that could probably seat about thirty or so people. There were several men and
women standing by on both sides of the room who were probably this mansion’s
service staff.

Before long, Arista-san, Natalie-san, and Karina-san all entered as well.

When she saw our get-up, Arista-san’s eyes widened and she froze up. Are these
clothes really not suitable?

“Thank you for tonight’s gracious invitation.”

I should give my greetings first as the party leader.

“No, it’s our pleasure. Thank you all for coming. We are grateful that you’ve accepted
our invitation for tonight’s banquet. Actually, my father received an unexpected visitor
earlier, so he is still busy entertaining them. We apologize for the delay, especially
since we were the ones who invited you all in the first place.”

“We don’t mind at all. It was something unexpected after all. It could happen to
anyone.”

“I do not know when they will finish, so how about we start without him?”

After the staff led us to our seats and we made ourselves comfortable, Silas-san
entered the room as well. He was also surprised when he saw our outfits.

“Oi, oi, you all sure put on some really fancy clothes.”

Man. His being frank and easygoing like this sure was a relief and served to lighten the
atmosphere. It looks like Silas-san was the straightforward type. That’s cool with me.

“We heard it was a dinner banquet, so we dressed up for the occasion.”

“……I see. I’m sorry for being late. I received a sudden guest, you see.”

“Was there any problem, father?”

“No, well, a General Orc was actually taken down after so long, you see. Kevin went
over and asked if the Commerce Guild was willing to buy its head. That fellow was
really enthusiastic about it too.”

Oh! That was probably the head we brought to the guild. Kevin-san was pretty good.
If he manages to sell it for a nice sum, our reward will probably go up as well.

“My! Well, isn’t that wonderful? Wasn’t someone from the royal family asking about it
a while back?” Arista exclaimed.

“That Kevin knew of it and went straight to me. How vexing. I managed to see the
article, and it was truly a splendid specimen… You look like you’re quite amused, Alan.
Do you find this story interesting, perhaps?”
This is bad! I was grinning from ear to ear while thinking of the reward. Instead of
clumsily making excuses, it would be best for me to come clean, I guess.

“No, it’s just that the General Orc head was probably the one we brought to the
Adventurer’s Guild. I was just glad about the prospect of our reward going up. I’m
sorry.”

“What!? You say you all managed to hunt down a General Orc?”

“Yes. Oh, but I’m not entirely sure if the head Silas-san saw is really the same one we
brought to the guild. But it’s true that we did bring an orc head to the Adventurer’s
Guild yesterday.”

“A General Orc is actually pretty rare. There’s no doubt it’s the one you all defeated.
However… you managed to hunt down a General Orc by yourselves?”

“That’s right. We hunted it down with the five of us. It was quite a huge fellow. It was
probably more than three meters and twenty centimeters.”

“Wha-!? It was that large!?”

“Yes. It had a really fierce face too. Oh, but I guess you’ve already seen it as well.”

“You did really well on hunting such a thing. A General Orc doesn’t normally set foot
outside of an orc settlement after all.”

“I guess. The one we hunted down also holed up in the middle of an orc settlement.”

“Hm? If it was holed up inside a settlement, then just how did you all hunt it? Were
there no other orcs present in the settlement so you took advantage?”

“Eh? Oh, there were a lot of orcs alright.”

“They attacked us fiercely, right?”

“Yes, they did.”

“……Wait. In other words, you managed to defeat a large number of orcs while
simultaneously hunting down a General Orc? Is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s right. Actually, we were there to hunt down regular orcs, and the General Orc
was just a bonus of sorts.”

“B-Bonus…… Uh, how many orcs did you defeat, by the way?”

“Seventy-four orcs all in all.”

“Oi, oi! That’s a number that only a full company of knights can handle!”

“Well, it looks like we find it easier to hunt down orcs compared to most folk. We’re all
mages, you see. Even if there were a great number of them, we were able to handily
dispose of them with spells from a distance. When we got discovered, we’ve already
reduced them to manageable numbers. It was certainly quite an experience.”

“Well, of course, it was! Hahaha, how bold! I didn’t think there really were people who
would dare to do something so reckless.”

“I’m sorry for interjecting father, but shouldn’t we start the banquet already…?”

“Oh, right, of course. Let us begin then. You’re my kind of guy, Alan! I’ll bring out my
special stash of alcohol just for you. Don’t hold back and drink your fill.”

“Thank you very much. I’ll take you up on that offer.”

“Haa… It turned out like this after all.”

The banquet finally started with hors d’oevres, followed by several fancy-looking
dishes. I was worried about proper table manners, but judging from how Cleria and
Elna ate, it didn’t differ much from what’s used in the empire. Well, since we ate with
a knife and fork, I guess that’s no surprise.

The special alcohol Silas-san offered me was a wine that had a higher alcohol content
than regular wine. It should be about 20% or so.

The alcohol content was probably raised via distillation and then added to regular
wine. Regular fermentation will not be able to reach this level of alcohol content after
all. It’s been a long time since I’ve drunk my fill. This evening’s turning out to be really
enjoyable after all.
“This sure is some fine alcohol. It’s my first time to drink something like this ever since
we came to this country.”

It wasn’t really all that great compared to the ones I’m used to drinking back home,
but since Silas-san boasted about it being his special stash, I just gave an appropriate
amount of lip service.

“Well, of course. This isn’t something you can find in just any regular tavern. It’s
something I’ve obtained from the far away Gates kingdom after all. Its price will make
your eyes pop out in shock, I tell you.”

“So that’s the case. I’m sorry. I ended up drinking quite a bit.”

“It’s fine. I did tell you not to hold back after all. And I also want to let go like this every
once in a while. But you’re quite the experienced drinker huh.”

“I don’t usually drink all that much, but I do love some good alcohol. By the way, does
this country have alcohol that, um, makes you drunk easier like this one as well?”

“Alcohol that makes you drunk easier?”

“Yeah. Just like this wine that probably had that substance that makes one drunk
added on to it even more than usual.”

“……Say, Alan, do you actually know how they managed to produce this kind of
alcohol?”

“I’m not entirely sure just how they made this particular kind of alcohol, but I do know
of a method to produce something similar.”

Silas-san suddenly stood up excitedly. Arista-san and the others also sported shocked
expressions.

“Eh? What’s wrong, everyone?”

“You know Alan, that Gates kingdom I mentioned earlier treats the production method
for this wine on par with a national treasure. According to rumors, the winemakers
are confined somewhere secure and are not allowed to go out to maintain secrecy.
There, they produce this alcohol all their lives. And now you’re telling me you know of
such an extremely precious production method?”
“Well, yes, I do. I’m not an expert, but it was pretty widely known back in my home
country.”

Well, the ones we made were even more high-quality distilled liquors though.

“What!? From my knowledge, the only country that is able to produce this type of
liquor is the Gates kingdom…… Hey, Alan, can you try making some alcohol for me?
That’s if it’s alright with you, of course.”

“…That sounds interesting. Sure, I can try. But I’m primarily an adventurer, so I’ll
probably make one only if I’m free.”

“I see! Yosh, I’ll cover all the expenses for you. Once we’ve confirmed the production
method, I’ll give you… Mm. How about 500,000 Guineas?”

500,000 Guineas was quite the sum. But since the production method wasn’t widely
known, I bet the resulting profits won’t amount to just that much. Actually, I bet it’ll be
several times that. Even if they gave me several hundreds of thousands of Guineas, I
bet they’ll be able to recoup that easily and then some.

It would be more profitable for me if I produced the liquor and obtained a certain
percentage of the profits from their sales, but I don’t have the time to get involved in
that kind of stuff.

“How about 2,000,000 Guineas?”

“What!? That’s too much! 750,000 Guineas.”

“Oh, but what if I tell you I know of a method that produces even more delicious liquor
compared to this one? 1,500,000 Guineas.”

I’m sure we’ll be able to easily figure out a way to produce even higher-quality alcohol
if I leave it to Iris.

“What did you say!? An even more delicious alcohol than this one?… Alright, I
understand! 1,500,000 Guineas it is.”

“I’ll also need you to introduce me to a skilled and trustworthy blacksmith as well as
helpers.”
“…Alright. But what do you need a blacksmith for if you’re making alcohol? Well, fine.
We have a skilled blacksmith affiliated with the Commerce Guild. I’ll introduce you
later.”

“Glad to be working with you then.”

I and Silas-san got carried away with our conversation, but the rest of the banquet
proceeded smoothly. The next dish that was brought out was a meat dish.

“This is–!?” Silas-san exclaimed in surprise.

“This is something our head chef procured from the market. It’s the meat of a very rare
monster. If I remember correctly, this is Blue Serpent meat,” Arista informed.

“It does seem to be Blue Serpent meat, but the slices are larger than what I’m familiar
with.”

“If so, then this is probably the meat of a Big Blue Serpent.”

“What!? A Superior monster?”

“This is probably from the monster we slew this morning. But man, what a coincidence
this is. I didn’t think we would be able to eat the meat of a monster we hunted here of
all places.”

“This morning, you say? But this isn’t just any monster you can hunt down just because
you want to…”

“Well, yes. We were quite lucky to find this one. It was being surrounded by Gray
Hounds, so we hunted it down along with them. This was also a fairly big monster, you
know. It was more than ten meters in length.”

“What!? No, wait! What about the skin?”

“No idea. We left it to the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Well, of course, you did. Can’t be helped. I guess I’ll check it out tomorrow morning.”

“So it really is valuable?”

“Yes, quite. It’s rare to find something that big as well. If we process them into bags,
it’ll make quite a tidy profit.”

“I see.”

I then went ahead and tried the Big Blue Serpent steak in front of me. The flavoring
simply consisted of salt, pepper, and various herbs. It didn’t have any gaminess even
though it was snake meat, and was very juicy. It melted in the mouth. So if the
ingredient was good, even simple flavoring would do it enough justice. Rather,
something simple like this may be the most suitable for this kind of meat. The head
chef of this house was quite skilled.

“This is delicious!”

The rest of the party looked quite satisfied with the food as well.

“Yeah, it’s delicious alright. It’s been five years since I had the chance to eat something
like this again. As expected, the meat of a Superior monster truly is in a league of its
own. What else did you manage to hunt today, Alan?”

“We only managed to hunt Gray Hounds.”

“I see. How many did you get?”

“Um, sixty of them.”

“Sixty!… And you did all this in just one morning?”

“That’s right.”

“What can I say? I can’t believe you’re all still C-ranked after all that.”

“Oh, well, we all got promoted to B rank just this morning.”

“…Well, of course, you would. It looks like that damn Kevin isn’t slacking off at least.”

After the meat dish, we were served dessert. The dessert consisted of cookies sprinkled
with powdered sugar. They were also baked along with dried fruits that were soaked
in alcohol. They were quite delicious as well. They also served us tea, but Silas-san and
I continued enjoying the alcohol.
It looks like the course meal was finished with this.

“That was a splendid array of dishes. I greatly enjoyed them.”

The rest of the party also gave positive comments one after another.

“I was worried if we would be able to satisfy a first-rate gourmand like you, Alan-san.
But hearing you say that makes me quite happy,” Arista beamed.

“Of course I was satisfied! Each dish was created with absolute care and artistry and
showcased the skills of the chef to the utmost.”

“Thank you very much. I will be sure to tell our head chef of your praise.”

“Now then, since we’ve managed to eat our fill, let us move on to business. It’s about
the reward for Arista’s rescue I mentioned yesterday.”

It looks like we’re moving on to the real topic for tonight. Of course, I already had an
idea this wasn’t going to be a simple dinner. Now then, how will things go, I wonder.
“Now then, since we’ve managed to eat our fill, let us move on to business. It’s about
the reward for Arista’s rescue I mentioned yesterday.”

It looks like we’re moving on to the real topic for tonight. Of course, I already had an
idea this wasn’t going to be a simple dinner. Now then, how will things go, I wonder.

“To tell you the truth, we were quite stumped thinking about what reward would be
appropriate for you all. And so, we thought of asking you directly instead of risking
handing you all something you wouldn’t find satisfactory.”

“I see. So that’s why you invited us to dinner tonight. Thank you very much for your
consideration. Just as we said yesterday, we only did what we thought was right at the
time, so any reward you are willing to give us would be just fine.”

“Fumu. However, Alan, I am truly grateful for what you and your party did. Even with
all my wealth, I treasure my daughter Arista the most. And given that you’ve rescued
and protected my darling, I want to give you all something you will find the most
pleasing in order to express my utmost gratitude.”

“Father…”

“……I see. I understand your feelings, sir. If so, then there’s actually something we need
some help on if possible.”

“Oh! What is it? Pray tell.”

“Actually, some of our comrades are set to arrive here in about a month or so. Since
there is quite a number of them, we would like to secure a place where all of them
would be able to stay.”

Captain Dalshim and the others from the Royal Guard arranged to arrive after a month,
barring no mishaps that happened along the way.
Cleria and Elna reacted when I broached the topic.

“Hou, about how many are you expecting?”

“More than fifty, I suppose.”

“It’s fifty-eight people, Alan.”

“Fifty-eight people!?… Are you planning on founding a Clan, Alan?”

A Clan is an organization composed of several parties and is formed in order to

accomplish things unsuitable for one party alone and is officially recognized by the
Adventurer’s Guild. That’s right. We were planning to make a Clan of our own.

“That’s right. Due to various circumstances, we and the comrades who have decided
to follow us have arranged to gather in Gantz city.”

In truth, they were Cleria’s trusted subordinates. More specifically, her Royal Guard.

“Well, with your abilities, I’m sure there would certainly be a lot who would decide to
follow you… I see, so you want to secure a Clan base huh.”

“Yes. But we’ve only just arrived here and we were having trouble coming up with how
to proceed.”

“……You guys may have not heard of it, but actually, one of the top five biggest and
strongest Clans in Gantz city, the「Great Storm」, just disbanded two months ago.
Several of the main members went up and died one after another, and the rifts caused
by such incidents eventually led to the Clan’s collapse. The Commerce Guild actually
secured their former base, you see.”

“Oh! That sounds perfect!”

Silas-san laughed heartily after seeing my reaction.

“It sure is.「Great Storm」had more than one hundred members in its heyday, and
the facilities in the base are all top-notch. It’s aged a bit, but that’s not something a
little renovation here and there wouldn’t fix.”

“Please, Silas-san! Can you make a referral for us?”

“Oi, oi, weren’t we talking about your reward here? If you say you need it, then there’s
no reason for me not to deliver. But of course, I can’t just hand over the entire thing.
However, I can lease it to you at the lowest price possible. I’ll also handle the
renovations for free.”

“That’s… We’d be really grateful if that’s the case, but is that really alright?”

“Of course. We were planning on renovating it and scouting for new tenants anyway.
We’re just going to speed up the plans a bit. Well, the expenses will be shouldered by
the Commerce Guild’s coffers, so I don’t really lose out here. It’s practically killing two
birds with one stone!”

Will that be really okay with the Commerce Guild? Well, it’s the Guild chief who’s
saying it, so I guess it is.

“I hope this won’t cause any inconveniences…”

“What are you saying? There’s no use having power and authority if you don’t flaunt
it from time to time. One of the reasons I became so rich is because I used the authority
my position as the Guild chief afforded me to favor my company you know.”

“Um, I think you should refrain from saying such things so openly though, father…”

“Well, that’s about it. It’ll be fine as long as I don’t go overboard. No problem.”

“Thank you very much. Now that’s one less thing to worry about.”

“Hold on. Save the gratitude for when you finally settle down. Well, just leave the
renovations to us. But we can’t provide you the furnishings and equipment. It won’t
go over well if I did that and some might complain. You’ll have to procure them
yourselves.”

“Of course. If it’s possible, I’d like to check out the site as well.”

“Sure. We’ll introduce you to some skilled craftsmen as well, so go ahead and check it
out along the way. I’ll have Karina accompany you.”

“Thank you very much. That would really help.”

“But this will be the birth of a Clan with more than sixty members right off the bat
huh… You’ll probably be the fourth or fifth largest Clan in Gantz once you begin
operations. What exactly are you aiming for by doing such a thing, Alan?”

“Of course we’re aiming for the very top. We came to Gantz in order to make a name
for ourselves after all. Since we’ve decided to do so, it goes without saying that we’ll
aim for the top. No, we won’t just aim for it. We will become the number one
adventurer Clan in Gantz city……… But, well, we’re still B rankers though, so the first
agenda on the list is achieving A rank as soon as possible.”

“Hou! Those sure are some bold aspirations! Being the number one here in Gantz
practically means being number one in the whole world you know? Interesting! Fine,
I’ll take a piece of that action myself.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Adventurer ranks are determined via an internal grading system implemented by the
Adventurer’s Guild. Of course, it could also be influenced by the instructions of the
upper management. And regarding that grading system, managing to successfully
complete requests that are specifically designated by other guilds nets you a fairly
substantial amount of points compared to regular ones and could make quite the
difference.”

It was much the same as what Verse told us back then.

“I’ve also heard of such a thing from someone.”

“Hou, that person’s pretty knowledgeable regarding the trade then. Well, in other
words, I’m saying our Commerce Guild will be putting up a request and designating
you guys specifically. But the results will still depend on your overall performance.”

“That will be immensely helpful. If you can do so, then please.”

“Now then, what would be ideal? An escort request? Material collection? There are
also investigation requests, but I don’t really recommend those. The benefits aren’t on
par with the effort you’ll be putting out.”

“……Are there bandit subjugation requests?”

“……Well, bandits certainly are the worst enemies of us merchants, Alan. We loathe
them to the bone. They won’t hesitate to go after our friends, relatives, and loved ones
after all. But they are elusive and pretty hard to track. You could chance upon them by
luck sometimes, but they usually aren’t people you can hunt down whenever you feel
like it.”

“If there really is a request for bandit subjugation, would it be okay to let us try it out?”

“……Alright, fine. Just try it out first. I’ll put up the request at the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Oh, but I would like to check out the Clan base first, if that’s alright with you. I’d like
to see what type of furnishings will be suitable.”

“Of course. The request can wait. It’s not like it’s urgent. I’ll make sure to not put up a
deadline as well. How about you check out the base along with the craftsmen
tomorrow?”

“Thank you very much. I’ll do so.”

“Okay then. I guess that’s it. Oh, right. Hey Alan, how about you become a member of
the Commerce Guild? There’s that matter about the liquor as well.”

“Understood.”

“Um, I would like to ask something as well. It’s about that magic tool you lent us while
we were at the camp. Just where did you procure such an article? If possible, I would
also like to purchase one for myself, so…” Arista interjected.

The rest of the party all moved their gaze toward me.

“Ah, that’s actually something I built. I still have two spares on hand, so would you like
to purchase those?”

“……Just what do you mean, Alan? You made a magic tool?”

“I’m actually an A rank member of the Magic Guild as well, you see. I learned magic
tool production methods from the guild.”

“A rank…… So you were a full-fledged mage.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not too familiar with these kinds of matters. Are you considered a full-
fledged mage if you become an A rank Magic Guild member?”
“Well, it’s just that most, if not all, A-rank Magic Guild members are full-fledged mages.”

“I see. I’m both an adventurer and full-fledged mage then.”

“I personally haven’t encountered someone like that until now though. Well, no matter.
So how much are those magic tools of yours?”

“Since we’ll be in your care, I’ll give you a discount and sell them for 20,000 Guineas
each.”

“Twenty thousand! That’s quite cheap. I’ll take you up on your offer then and purchase
both items.”

“Thank you very much. Well then, we’ll be coming over again tomorrow to check out
the base.”

“By the way, Alan-sama. We’re sorry for the delay, but please receive this. It’s your
reward for those bandits you handed over to us,” Karina said as she handed me the
money.

The Guineas was placed inside a small leather pouch. I opened the pouch and checked
the contents. There were exactly six gold coins inside.

“Yes, I’ve certainly received them.”

After that, we finally bid farewell to our hosts since the dinner and the talks were
essentially over. We were brought back to the inn via carriage by Karina-san as well.

“Well then, Alan-sama. Since there will be a need to check with the craftsmen’s
schedule first, shall we depart for the base at ten o’clock in the morning?”

“Of course. I’ll match your schedule.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Karina-san left with the carriage.

“Let’s talk a bit while having tea, everyone.”

We had Kira-san serve some tea as we sat around a table in the dining area. Since there
were no other guests present apart from us, our current outfits posed no problems.

“I ended up settling the discussions earlier without talking it over with you all, so I
want to ask if you have any objections. Um, do you?”

I asked a bit nervously. I did end up making decisions all on my own so it’s probably
too late, but still…

“I don’t have any problems whatsoever. I’m actually very happy that you considered
the circumstances of the Royal Guards as well, Alan.”

“That’s right, isn’t it, Ria-sama? To think you were able to make a 1,500,000 Guinea
deal with the chief of the Commerce Guild and secure a Clan base as well as an
exclusive request. Making you our leader really wasn’t a mistake, Alan.”

Oh! Cleria and Elna both gave rave reviews!

The thing with the liquor just seemed really interesting, and I brought up the base
because I thought it’ll be hard to house all of the Royal Guard members in an inn. I’d
also feel sorry if we were the only ones who get to stay in an inn with a bath. And I also
brought up the bandit hunting thing because I simply thought it would be a lot more
profitable than monster hunting. I should probably not reveal my real reasons though.
All’s well that ends well, as they say.

“Do you guys have no problems with it as well, Selena, Sharon?”

“Of course. It all turned out well, so I have nothing to complain about. Just like Elna
said, you were wonderful, Alan.”

“We wouldn’t oppose anything Alan decides in the first place.”

I just went with the flow, but it looks like there are no problems. I’m on a roll today.

“I see. So I guess there are no problems. We’ll check out the base tomorrow then.”

“I’ve returned, sir.”

“Oh, welcome back, Karina. Since you’re back, how about we discuss what happened
tonight a bit with Arista and Natalie?”

Before long, Arista and Natalie also joined the two.

“Now then, what do all think about those adventurers?”

“The first thing I was thoroughly surprised about were the clothes Alan-san and his
party was wearing. Just how did they manage to procure such splendid articles?”
Arista began.

“Yes, that’s right. I didn’t want to seem rude, so I stopped myself from staring too much,
but those certainly were uncommon articles, weren’t they?”

“I was able to observe up close while sitting alongside them inside the carriage. All of
their clothing had a certain unique style to them, but they were all so intricate to a
somewhat terrifying extent. Or rather, I could not even imagine they were weaved by
human hands because of their extreme intricacy,” Karina added.

“You’re right. I also had that impression. There’s also their design. The designs of Alan-
san and Ria-san’s clothing were, as Karina described, so intricate and sophisticated
that you couldn’t help but feel their magnificence. The clothes of the others were quite
wonderful as well, but those two were just on a league of their own. Ah, to think such
divine-looking clothes existed in this world…”

“What’s clear from this is that Alan and his group possess clothes that are far superior
to anything our company produces. That also goes for the made-to-order clothes
exclusively sold to royalty.”

“That’s right. They were definitely even more magnificent than the clothing worn by
the royal family, or even the king himself.”

“Another point is the abilities of Alan and the others as adventurers. They are even
more impressive than what you three described. They can be said to be top A rankers,
or maybe even S rankers.”

“They are that skilled?”

“Yes. It’s definitely not normal to successfully bring down an entire orc settlement
along with a General Orc with just five party members. Usually, you would need over
a hundred skilled knights for that. Orcs are quite dangerous when they attack in
groups. One orc probably won’t pose a problem to seasoned adventurers, but if five or
ten of them swarm you, that will be a different story. And they defeated seventy-five!
Alan looked nonchalant as he related their feats, but that just goes to show how
confident he was of their skills. In other words, he didn’t even consider seventy-five
orcs as a problem at all.”

“I’m also quite curious about the fifty-eight individuals who will be forming a Clan
with Alan-sama and the others.”

“Oh, that’s right. Normally, a Clan is something that grows in strength and influence
gradually over the years. But they will be creating a Clan with over sixty members all
at once. Well, if other guys attempt such a thing, I’m sure they will run out of funds
sooner or later and collapse under their own weight.”

“But Alan-san and the others looked quite wealthy, so I suppose that doesn’t apply to
them,” Arista observed.

“It’s not just their wealth. If you don’t have the charisma to attract others to follow
your lead, you won’t be able to create a successful Clan. Well, after getting a glimpse
of Alan and the other’s abilities, I can understand why people would be compelled to
follow them. I’m sure Alan and the others would not group up with average folk, so
those comrades of theirs should all be considerably skilled as well. Perhaps we will
get to witness the birth of a brand new strongest Clan.”

“Father, what about the matter with the alcohol? Is it really possible?”

“Yes, I was also quite shocked. But judging from his tone, he was pretty confident about
it. There’s also the commission he brought up. That was something he mentioned
while being completely aware of just how much money you could potentially earn
from selling a newly developed type of liquor. Even with that knowledge, he only
mentioned such a paltry sum as his commission.”

“Eh!? 2,000,000 Guineas is a paltry sum!?” Arista exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes. If he does manage to make a brand new liquor that surpasses what we brought
out tonight, then earning several million would be a simple affair. No, perhaps even
tens of millions is a conservative estimate. It’s so big of a deal that it may potentially
endanger our lives if we make the wrong step. And even then, he actually agreed to
lower the payment to 1,500,000 Guineas… In other words, what he’s after isn’t money
per se.”

“Come to think of it, I managed to notice something while we were having dinner. It
seems Alan-san, Sharon-san, and Selena-san aren’t from this country. The way they
handled cutlery was somewhat different from ours,” Arista revealed.

“Hou, so you managed to notice such a thing.”

“They tried to follow after what the rest of us were doing, but all three of them have
certain habits ingrained which they couldn’t completely discard. However, they were
far from inelegant. Rather, they were impressively refined. Their basics are
fundamentally different, but they were still quite the sight.”

“I see. Well, if their country treats producing alcohol on par or better than my special
stash as commonplace, then it’s not hard to imagine their basic table manners to be
exemplary as well. So the three of them are most likely from one country huh?”

“On the other hand, Ria-san and Elna-san’s table manners were completely similar to
our own. They should be citizens of this country or other neighboring kingdoms.”

“I see. They are comrades hailing from different countries huh. I’m now quite curious
about how they came together as a party.”

“Silas-sama, don’t you think the bandit subjugation request will be difficult even for a
party of Alan-sama and the rest’s caliber? Though they did seem to know how to go
about it when they rescued us…” Karina asked in concern.

“Oh, that matter huh… I also thought so earlier, but they might actually pull it off.

Normally, groups that go after bandit gangs try to match or exceed them in numbers
in order to ensure success.

But if such a large group went out, the bandit’s scouts will be able to easily spot them
and allow their comrades to flee or hide.

But what about them? If their group approaches a bandit-infested territory with just
one carriage, I’m sure those knaves will just think of them as easy prey.

But the one waiting for them is a group with enough strength to completely decimate
an entire orc settlement all on their own. Who will win out, in the end, goes without
saying.”

“So, you really will have Alan-sama and the others…?”

“No, it’s not that simple. Even if there are a lot of incidents involving bandits within
the general area, they won’t always be present on every road, and there’s no guarantee
they’ll walk into the trap either.

There are many winding paths along the roads after all. This may sound strange, but
under such circumstances, you just wouldn’t be able to ensure you’ll run into some
bandits even if you actively search for them.

It would be a different story if you knew the location of the bandits beforehand, but
since that’s not possible most of the time, it probably won’t go so well in the end.”

“That’s… Yes, that may be the case.”

“Well, they did say they wanted to have a go at it first. If so, then why not let them?”

“But they really are such a mysterious group, aren’t they?”

“Yes, certainly. I was actually thinking of inviting them to be our Commerce Guild’s
exclusive contracted adventurers, but they don’t seem to be the type to accept such a
thing. I still can’t see their depths. In any case, I sure became acquainted with some
pretty interesting folks after so long. Karina, sorry to dump this on you, but please
look after Alan and the rest for me for a while.”

“Understood, Silas-sama.”
We’re taking a break from monster hunting today, so I’m taking it easy this morning.
Since Karina-san will be coming over to fetch us at ten, we can’t wander around
outside the inn at this time. It looks like everyone’s going to get some sword practice
out in the yard after we had our breakfast.

Since I had something to check with Iris, I ended up holed up inside my room.

(Iris, can you pinpoint the current position of Cleria’s royal guards?)

[I currently cannot. But I can anticipate the roads they may take along the way. Do you
want to send out some drones, captain?]

(How long will it take to find them?)

[We should be able to find their location in about thirty minutes or so.]

(Great. Send them out then.)

[We found them.]

Well, that was fast. It’s only been ten minutes or so since we started the search.

Then I watched the live footage taken by the drone through a virtual window and
zoomed in on a single man riding on horseback. It really was Captain Dalshim.

When I panned out the image, I discovered a group consisting of about twenty horses
pulling carriages traveling speedily on the road. Since the carriages didn’t have roofs,
I was able to confirm the number of people as well.

And there was another similar-looking group traveling two hundred meters behind
the first one. They may have made some distance from each other, but they were
traveling in the same direction. They probably did so to avoid suspicions since a group
of more than fifty people traveling together may seem quite strange in other’s eyes.

Hm? That’s strange? Aren’t their numbers a bit too much? If only 58 people were
coming, then dividing into three groups should be enough. But why are there actually
more than three groups following after each other?

(Can you check exactly how many people are there?)

The live feed sent back by the drone moved closer to the highway. Whoah, isn’t it flying
too low? Even if it’s concealing itself through stealth mode, the engine sounds can’t be
masked, and it looks like it spooked the people since they were scanning the sky warily
as if looking for the source of the noise.

[Numbers confirmed. There are one hundred people in total.]

(Are you sure they are all from the same group? Maybe they’ve mixed with unrelated
people while traveling.)

[That is probably unlikely. I have spotted the royal members we met in Gotania
traveling together with all of the different groups.]

Iris then displayed the faces of the royal guards we met in Gotania on half of the screen.
Hm. Yep, they’re all there alright. It looks like there’s no mistake.

But what’s going on? Did they take an escort request or something?

(Can you spot people not wearing armor?)

[There are none.]

All one hundred people were displayed on the virtual HUD. Oh! There are some
women with them as well. Are they all Elna’s colleagues?

If there were some people not wearing armor and weapons mixed in, then we could
surmise that they’ve undertaken an escort request, but since there were none, I
suppose they all really were part of the same group.

Their number being exactly one hundred people seemed deliberate, and all of them
had the air of experienced soldiers.
Well, this sure was a surprise.

When I mentioned wanting to procure a base, I was only expecting the 58 royal guard
members, but I didn’t think their number would actually exceed that.

They probably thought 58 won’t cut it and looked for more members to join up.

They were probably from the army of the late margrave that was mentioned by
Roberto back then.

It would be great if the potential base we will be checking out later could actually
house all one hundred people, but if not… But we can’t do anything about it since
they’re already coming. There’s no helping it anymore.

(How much time before they arrive here on Gantz?)

[Approximately twenty-three days, captain.]

That’s faster than I expected. Well, it’s Captain Dalshim after all. He might be urging
them to pick up the pace.

(Check the position of the group once every day for me. Inform me if they run into any
trouble.)

[Understood.]

(And I’m sure you’ve heard as well Iris, but we’ve taken up a request to produce a
liquor with high alcohol content.)

Iris used Selena to check out the state of our group from time to time with her
permission via linking with her and utilizing her as a sort of biological terminal.

[… Yes, I’m aware.]

(Can you design an alcohol distiller that can be manufactured by this planet’s
blacksmiths using local techniques and materials.)

[Like this? But as I have not yet had the opportunity to check out the tools that the
local blacksmiths use, I cannot guarantee whether or not they can make this.]
The image of the distiller’s blueprint was displayed on the virtual HUD. Hou, so ancient
distillers looked like this huh. It had the appearance of a slightly distorted copper
kettle.

If you heat wine and other alcoholic beverages, the alcohol evaporates first. Purified
alcohol can be obtained by inducing the evaporated gas into another container, cooling
it, and returning it into a liquid form. And the equipment which can facilitate such a
process is a distiller like this.

(Come to think of it, that’s right, isn’t it? I’ll go visit a local blacksmith’s workshop once
I get a chance. Let’s settle on this design for the time being. Make it a bit smaller… No,
a bit bigger than that… There we go. If you print out an instruction manual regarding
the assembly of a distiller this size, how many pages would it be?)

[It would be 153 pages. Additional user instructions will take up another 57 pages by
the way.]

Man, that’s a lot. So it’ll be 200 pages huh. No, I bet it’ll get longer if the knowledge
regarding alcohol production was included as well.

Oh, man. 1,500,000 Guineas might have been a bit too cheap.

(Fine. Get the data regarding the liquor I drank yesterday from Nanom.)

[Data obtained.]

(What’s its exact alcohol content?)

[About 21%.]

(Okay then. The one we will produce needs a bit more. Let’s see. Make it about 25%. I
bet they’ll find the liquor more delicious with that. I surmised the basic process of
making the liquor yesterday was adding distilled alcohol with this world’s regular
wine, but I’d like you to research the details more if you could.)

[Excuse me, captain. I do not have the faculty to judge whether or not an alcoholic
drink tastes ‘good’. I certainly have data regarding the brewing equipment and
manufacturing processes that you humans use, but I do not have the know-how to
brew a drink that the people of this planet would find ‘good’ by using locally secured
ingredients, and this distiller we’ve designed.]
(I know. I’m planning on sampling all kinds of different local liquors these coming
days. I want you to base the research on the data we’ll obtain from sampling those.
You surely have some data for the beverages that are rated highly back at the empire,
right? Just try to reproduce a drink based on one of those.)

[Even if we do have some data on hand, an appropriate evaluation program is lacking,

so I don’t believe it will go as smoothly as you hope, captain.]

(There’s still some system resources that are not in use, right? Build a simulation
module with those and use it for the research project.)

A simulation module is a system that can create a stand-alone virtual world that
completely simulates the same conditions as the real world in cyberspace, so one can
perform various experiments and verification processes in that environment. Since
it’s completely virtual, you can freely adjust the time dilation to suit your needs. It
does, however, use up a ton of processing power, so it isn’t normally utilized unless it’s
for a grand undertaking of some sort.

[Are we really going to build a simulation module for something like this?]

(Don’t say it like that, Iris. This matter is vital for securing funds for our future
activities. Also, although it would only cause small ripples at best, it will lead to an
improvement of this planet’s science and technology, and that’s also one of the main
goals of our long-term operations.)

[… Understood. I will do it then.]

I somehow managed to convince Iris. I then proceeded to recommend some of my

personal favorite liquors to Iris. Before long, the time set by Karina-san for today’s
appointment arrived.

When Karina-san came to the inn, she also brought a guy who looked very much like
a craftsman with her.

“Alan, this is the craftsman we told you about yesterday. His name is Turk-san.”

“It’s nice to meet you, sir. My name is Alan.”

“The name’s Turk. Nice to meet you too, lad.”

Let’s hand over the hairdryers first before anything else.

“Karina-san. Here are the magic tools you ordered yesterday. These magic tools are
called hairdryers.”

I took up one box and opened it to show them the contents. I also gave them a demo.
Of course, both units were working perfectly. The magic stone batteries are included
for free as an extra service.

“Yes, thank you. Here’s the payment.”

She gave me a small leather pouch. There were four gold coins inside.

“Yes, certainly.”

After that, we headed out for the base. The carriage we took was pretty big, so it had
no problems housing all of us. After about five minutes on the streets, the carriage
finally stopped in front of a large four-story brick building.

There’s a big, wide-open square in front of the building, and there was a facility
resembling a stable on the side of the said square, and it looked like it could house
quite a few horses. There were already more than ten craftsmen standing around the
building and discussing with one another. They were probably the other craftsmen
commissioned to renovate this place. Silas-san sure works fast.

“This is the property we talked about yesterday evening,” Karina-san pointed out.

“It’s bigger than I expected.”

“Yes, it’s quite big indeed. A facility this huge is actually quite rare even in Gantz. Well
then, let’s have a look inside.”

The seven of us then entered the building. Karina-san was in the lead and entered a
room near the main entrance.

“This is what a standard room looks like in this building.”

The room measured four meters on each side, had two double bunk beds installed
opposite each other, and a table and four chairs placed at the center. Hou, so there was
already furniture available even though they looked used. I thought the rooms would
actually be empty.

Turk-san checked the current state of the beds, tables, and chairs.

“If all the furniture here is like these ones, then it would be enough to just fix them up
a bit and repaint them, I think. We’ll have to replace the beddings though.”

“I see. Okay. Let’s use whatever we can still use.”

We then proceeded to check out the other rooms. Each room was roughly similar to
the one we first saw. Turk-san seemed to be jotting down some notes on a memo of
sorts. Maybe he’s taking count.

“This is the room used as the dining area.”

The room was relatively large and housed four long tables. Each table could probably
seat around thirty people.

“We can also still use the tables and chairs here,” Turk-san declared.

Well, since they were still in use until two months ago, there should be nothing that
was already broken down.

We also checked out the kitchen and storage room. It looks like there’s no problem.

“This is the bathroom.”

Oh! I nearly forgot the most important thing! Baths are extremely important y’know.

The large bath seemed like it could accommodate more than ten people, so it looks
like there’s no problem here either.

“Is this a bath that can be heated up via magic stones?” I asked. This is also an
important point.

“Let’s see. The guild will shoulder renovating the bath area for you.”

Oh, okay. No problem then. We have quite a substantial supply of magic stones anyway.
“Is there a bath area exclusive for women?” Sharon asked.

“Right now, there’s none. If it’s necessary, then shall I have the guild prepare one as
well?”

Everyone turned their gaze toward me. Man. That sure is some pressure.

“Yeah, please. By all means.”

“Understood. Let’s turn one of the vacant rooms into one then.”

“Thank you very much.”

We went up to the 2nd and 3rd floors, but they looked mostly the same as the first.
Lastly, we went to the 4th floor.

“This floor was used by the executives of the Clan.”

The size of the rooms was the same as the other floors, but only one double bunk bed
was inside. So even executive-use rooms had double bunks?

“This is the exclusive room of the Clan leader.”

The rooms were twice the size of the others and had a desk, chairs, a long couch, and
a large table. This was probably also used for meetings by the Clan executives.

“Now we’ve finished checking all of the rooms. The guild will check all of the
furnishings inside the rooms and refurbish them.”

That’s great. By the way, there were twenty-eight rooms that could house four people
each. In other words, the rooms will be able to accommodate a total of 112 people.

“So how many of them should we work on?” Turk-san asked to confirm.

“Please work on all of the rooms.”

“Alan, isn’t that too much? It’s only going to be 63 people, so we won’t even be able to
fill up half the rooms,” Elna pointed out.

It looks like Elna was keeping count as well.

“Who knows. Maybe the number of members will increase in the future. Anyway, it’s
better to have some leeway here.”

After hearing my reason, it looks like the rest were somehow convinced. But in truth,
I already know that we’ll be filling up about 70 to 80% of the rooms. Oh well.

“Um, Karina-san, can I ask you a general question? For example, if this place ends up
housing about 100 or so adventurers, how many staff would be needed to take care of
things like cooking, cleaning, laundry, and taking care of horses?”

“You’ll need at least ten people. If you want, the Commerce Guild can introduce some
competent staff to you.”

“Yeah, that’ll help a lot. Well then, please introduce thirteen people for now.”

Karina-san displayed a doubtful expression when she heard the number I proposed.

“Understood. I will have the guild look for suitable people and bring them here. When
shall they begin their employment?” Karina-san asked.

“When will the renovation be completed?”

“I can’t say for sure yet, but it’s tentatively scheduled for twenty days or so,” Karina-
san answered.

“Okay. Let’s have them start after twenty days then.”

“Understood. By the way, the average daily wage should be about 100 Guineas per
person.”

“Got it. We’ll be counting on you then.”

Next is the furniture.

“This is a rough estimate, but repairing all the furniture in each room will cost about
70,000 to 80,000 Guineas. Anyway, it shouldn’t exceed a hundred thousand,” Turk-san
informed.

“Understood. Please take care of it then. If possible, have the repairs finished after
twenty days as well.”
“Alright. It probably won’t take that long anyway. We’ll start work by tomorrow.”

Turk-san then told me the location of his workshop in case there was something I
needed to discuss with him later on.

With this, our inspection was over. The ladies told me they wanted to look around the
place some more, and Karina-san and Turk-san left together.

“This is amazing, Alan! So this will serve as our base from now on!” Cleria gushed in
excitement.

“I didn’t think it would be this large. Ria-sama, if I remember correctly, members call
a Clan base as ‘Home’.”

“I see. So this is our ‘Home’…”

“Oh, so they call it Home huh. So that’ll make it Shining Star’s Home then. Hm? What
about the Clan name though? Do we have to think up something new for it?”

“No, Clans normally use the name of the leading party as their name as well. That’s
why Shining Star’s Home should be appropriate.”

“I see… But doesn’t that mean we’ll have to introduce ourselves as Shining Star Clan’s
Shining Star party? Isn’t that redundant?”

“But that’s just how it is. It’s a longstanding custom. It can’t be helped.”

“I see. Alright. If everyone else is doing it, then I guess there’s no problem.”

We ended up going over the first up to the fourth floor again by ourselves.

“By the way, are we now considered the Clan’s executives?” Sharon asked.

“But of course,” Elna asserted.

“Okay then. That means we’ll be living in the rooms here on the fourth floor.”

“Since there are a lot of vacant rooms, do you want to have a room to yourselves?”

“We don’t mind sharing a room like before,” Sharon said. Selena nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. We don’t mind sharing a room like always as well,” Cleria followed up.

“So I’ll be the only one who has a room to myself huh.”

“You’re the leader Alan, so having a room for yourself is okay,” Elna quipped.

Everyone then went ahead and chose their rooms.

“If you have a particular piece of furniture or other things in mind, go ahead and tell
me, okay. I’ll try to get them for you.”

“I want something to store clothes in,” Sharon answered.

“”Me too!””

“Yeah, alright. Okay, Sharon. Write down all the things you girls want on a piece of
paper and hand it to me. I’ll consult with Turk-san about them tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

I also have some stuff I want to be made for the kitchen. Since we’ll be living with a
hundred people, there’s a need for several stove magic tools for cooking meals.

We’ll also need a large refrigerating magic tool to store ingredients in. It would be nice
if it had a freezer included as well. Actually, can I make them myself? Oh, and we’ll
need mixers too.

Right, we also need quite a few light magic tools for illumination inside the building. I
guess I’ll have to make them myself.

After checking everything out again, everyone seemed to be satisfied.

I was planning on registering with the Commerce Guild and thought to go there by
myself, but the others offered to accompany me. We decided to have some lunch along
the way.

We went out of the base, uh, Home, and found an eatery just outside, so we decided to
dine there.
“Welcome! Table for five?”

There weren’t any other diners inside the eatery. We nodded and took our seats. The
eatery had no menu and there was only a sign which said that a meal costs ten Guineas
per serving.

After a short while, our meals were served. The meal was stir-fried Big Boar meat and
veggies. There was some soup and a big slice of bread as sides. I also ordered wine for
myself.

“This is delicious!” Sharon exclaimed.

“Yep, it’s good.”

The flavoring was simple and consisted of garlic, salt, and pepper. The stir-fried
veggies were exquisite and kept their crispness fairly well. The Big Boar meat was also
cooked expertly.

The middle-aged proprietor seems to have heard us and went out of the kitchen.

“So what do you think of our specialty?” he asked in good spirits.

Man. It’s not like you didn’t hear our praise earlier. Fine, I’ll humor you. His smile was
a bit annoying though.

“It’s delicious.”

“Isn’t it? It’s definitely not bad. But there are still no customers coming.”

“Why though?”

“Because my best ones have all gone their separate ways, y’see. You heard about Great
Storm disbanding, right? We basically went down with them. Most of our regulars
were Great Storm members after all.”

Maybe this guy was just naturally gossipy. But we’re still having a meal here, so I wish
he’d get a clue.

“Oh, so that Clan was…”

“Yeah. What do you think, sir? Should I already close up shop?”

You can do whatever you please, man. Tsk. Can’t be helped. I’ll give him a bit of a tip.

“Actually, there’s going to be a new Clan renting out that building.”

“Eh!? Are you serious!? Do you know which Clan it is?”

“Yep. It’s a Clan named Shining Star.”

“Shining Star?… Can’t say I’ve heard of em. Are you familiar with them, sir?” the
proprietor asked.

“…Yeah. We’re actually part of it.”

“Oh! So that’s it! It’s reliable info then! When are they moving? How many people
would there be?”

“The rest should be arriving after about twenty days. As for how many… There should
be at least more than sixty people.”

“Sixty people! That’s quite a lot! I see I see, so that many huh. Oh, right. You guys are
members, correct? Can you introduce me to the Clan leader once they arrive? I want
to talk with him at least once. It won’t be for free of course. That’s right! I’ll make this
meal free of charge. How about that?”

Well, I guess a free meal is always a good thing.

“Sure. By the way, I’m the Clan leader.”

“Eh!? You? Err, hello there, sir.”

“Yeah. I’m Alan, by the way. We’ll be in your care.”

With this, we got ourselves a free meal.

“But we’re planning on shouldering the three meals of the Clan members ourselves so
there might not be that much of an increase in your customers.”

“Eh!? Now that’s just cruel, sir!”

“Are you really going to provide all three daily meals for the entire Clan?” Elna asked.

“Yeah. Why?”

“That’s curious. This is only the norm in cities, but most establishments usually
provide only two meals per day. That will be breakfast and dinner.”

“That’s right!” the proprietor exclaimed.

“Really? Oh right, that’s also the case at the inn huh?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Wouldn’t two meals a day be fine then? It would be fun to have at least one of our
meals in a different place after all.”

“You tell ’em, missy!”

“It would be hard on the cooks if they had to provide all three meals huh…”

“Yeah, exactly!”

“Okay. Let’s make it two meals then.”

“Thank you very much, sir!”

Of course, since he offered to let us dine for free, I made sure he made good on his
word.

We passed by the Adventurer’s Guild on our way to the Commerce Guild, so we stopped
by as well. Perhaps Silas-san has already posted the designated quest for us.

We passed by several reception desks and went over to the counter where they posted
designated quests to confirm.

“We were set for a designated quest and we want to confirm if it’s already been
processed.”
“Please tell me your party name.”

“It’s a Shining Star.”

“…Yes, a request from the Commerce Guild just came in. These are the particulars.”

I was handed the request slip.

“Is it alright for us to take out a copy?”

“Of course. Once you decide to accept the quest, please fill out that slip and return it
to me.”

We moved to a spot where we wouldn’t get in the way of other people inside the guild
and looked over the contents of the request slip.

The request consisted of the capture or subjugation of bandits. The reward for the
capture or killing a bandit was a thousand Guineas each. The price was the same
whether you capture or kill them. There wasn’t any set deadline. Come to think of it, I
didn’t manage to discuss the reward with Silas-san yesterday huh.

A thousand Guineas huh. It’s a bit of a weird price. It can be said that the Commerce
Guild would benefit just the same whether the bandits are captured or killed, so I can
get them setting a standard price, but I still feel it’s on the low side.

“Don’t you feel it’s a bit low?”

“Right. I was expecting it to be larger than this as well,” Elna seconded.

“With this reward amount, if say, we captured ten bandits, we’ll get 5,000 Guineas per
head as the standard reward from the local administration for a total of 50,000
Guineas. If we add the reward from the Commerce Guild, it’ll be 60,000 Guineas all in
all. That’s a reasonable amount if we manage to catch them at a fast pace. But if we
need to spend days just to gather such a number, hunting monsters is still way more
profitable…”

“But in the case of bandits, we can expect to gain more benefits apart from the
bounties placed on them, right?” Sharon pointed out.

“Oh, you’re right. There’s also the loot hoarded by the bandits. I see. So they set such
a reward amount in anticipation of that huh. The guild chief sure is sharp.”

“Since they’ve already placed a request, shouldn’t we accept?” Cleria said.

“Yeah. Right now, what’s more important is raising our adventurer ranks instead of
making money. How about it guys?”

Everyone nodded in assent, so we went back to the counter to accept the request.

“We’ve decided to accept this designated quest.”

The staff wrote the request slip serial number on a ledger and handed the slip back to
us again.

“Alright then. Once you’ve completed the request, please have the requester sign here
and submit it back to this counter again.”

“Got it.”

I received back the request slip and led the others toward the exit, but before we could
step out of the guild building, we heard someone call out to us from behind.

“Hey, are you guys Shining Star?”

When I turned around, I saw an adventurer uncle I wasn’t familiar with. He had the
bearings of a seasoned veteran and looked quite skilled.

“Yeah, that’s right. Do you have business with us?”

“Sorry to bother you, but can we talk? There’s a nice tavern nearby. Can you accompany
me there for a bit?”

“…Uh, what do you want to talk about in the first place? Can you tell us first?”

“It’s about the party called Green Wind.”

Green Wind? I seem to have heard of that from somewhere. Oh, right! They were one
of the parties hired by Arista-san as their escort. So this guy was related to them?

“Just me?”
“No, if it’s possible, can the rest of the party members join us too?”

I exchanged gazes with everyone, and it looks like they had no problems with it.

“Okay.”

We followed after the man and entered the tavern nearest to the Adventurer’s Guild.
We then sat at the table located furthest back. A waitress went over to take our orders
and the man requested ale for all of us. It looks like he means to treat us.

Apart from me, the girls were displaying awkward smiles. They were probably
thinking it would have been better if it wasn’t ale.

“Sorry for taking your time like this. The name’s Karl. I’m actually the leader of a Clan
named Gale.”

Since he honestly introduced himself, it would be impolite if we didn’t do so as well.

“I’m Shining Star’s leader, Alan. These are my party members; Ria, Elna, Sharon, and
Selena.”

I introduced myself and each of the girls. It looks like the girls were a bit wary of the
rugged-looking guy.

“I see. Okay, Alan. I just want to make sure. It’s true that you properly buried and
mourned for the members of Green Wind, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. We did make them a proper grave.”

“I see… Actually, Green Wind was part of my Clan. First, let me offer my gratitude.
Thank you for giving them a proper burial.”

“No, don’t mention it. We just did what we felt was right. But how did you manage to
find out?”

“Oh, that’s because in cases like this, the Clan leader has a right to know the particulars
of what happened to a party under his or her wing. We can inquire about the necessary
info from the guild, and if we get permission, we can also ask for details about their
last employer.”

“I see. So that’s the case.”

“You guys rescued Green Wind’s employers from the hands of bandits in their place,
recovered their guild identifications and personal effects, and gave them a proper
burial. That’s what happened, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“It’s not something just any party would normally do. Actually, I haven’t heard of any
other party willing to go that far. I’ve already taken a look at the recovered belongings,
but you guys didn’t even touch the money. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t check
it myself.”

“We thought they must have families and loved ones they left behind, so it would be
better to hand those things over to them.”

“Yeah, I know. Those guys were all from these parts. Some of them were married, and
all of them had families depending on them. I already delivered their belongings to
their families and loved ones personally. Everyone was very grateful.”

“I see. I’m glad to hear that. It was worth all the effort then.”

“Actually, I knew the guys from Green Wind ever since we were just brats. When we
came of age and made a name for ourselves, they went and nominated me as the Clan
leader. They then raised their ranks little by little until they made it to C rank. They
even promised to go even further still, but…”

“…I see. That’s… truly unfortunate. My condolences.”

“Yeah. They were out of luck. Really… Dammit…!… Uh, sorry about that… So, uh, I asked
the employers about the details of their death, but I couldn’t get much out of them.”

“I see. So you want to ask the details from us. Is that it?”

“Yeah. I especially want to hear how those damned bandits died. I only heard from the
employers that the bandits were all dead.

You guys look like decent folk, so you might have ended them quickly, but I honestly
can’t help thinking I wanted to murder them myself.

I just keep thinking about how I would have wanted to kill them since I heard about
what happened and it’s not letting me get a wink of sleep.”

“I see. Well, Karl. You’re under the wrong impression. The end of those bandits was far
worse than what you’re thinking of. I’d even go so far as to say it was the most pathetic
death I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life.”

“What!? Really!? Please, Alan! Can you tell me the details?”

I ended up relating the entirety of what happened to the guy.

I first told him that when we got to the site of the ambush, all the members of Green
Wind have already died. But they still took down three bandits with them.

I then told him how we captured the five bandits who remained on site.

We then got to know they actually captured three women and took them to their
hideout.

We had the captured bandits lead us to their hideout to mount a rescue.

We then managed to rescue the three women and captured an additional seven
bandits in the hideout.

“And when we were discussing what to do with the bandits, one of the ladies proposed
to buy them off of us for the market price.”

“Oh, now I get it! So that’s what happened!”

Karl started getting excited in anticipation of hearing just how the bandits were killed.

“Yeah, that’s right. I entered the cave with the women and prepared some rope. I then
said to them: ‘Hey, you lot! Bind your own feet with that rope. I’ll take it that the ones
who bind their feet the tightest are the ones who are truly about their actions, and
maybe, just maybe, plead with the ladies on your behalf.’ Well, something like that.”

“You’re unexpectedly one cruel fella, aren’t you, Alan!? So what happened after that?”
“The bandits obediently tied themselves up of course. They looked pretty desperate
too. They even raised their feet toward me so they could show me just how tight they
bound themselves. Frankly, I couldn’t have done a better job if I tied them up myself.”

“Hahaa! I see! And then?”

“After that, the ladies told me to exit the cave ahead of them. Apparently, they wouldn’t
be able to focus if I was with them.

But even if their legs were bound, this was still twelve bandits we’re talking about. I
hesitated to comply with their request because of that, but unexpectedly, the ladies
were proficient in wielding swords. They had really sharp-looking swords with them.

That’s why I decided to obey their words in the end.

When I was about to exit the hideout, the bandits shouted something like ‘No way!?
Boss! What about pleading for us!?’ in a panic.

And then… the moment I stepped out of the cave that served as their hideout, I heard
the agonized wails of the bandits.”

“Ah…”

“And in the following hour or so, the wails of those bandits continued non-stop. That
gave me goosebumps, I tell you.”

“An hour huh…”

Honestly, it was more like twenty minutes or so, but if a white lie like this can make
Karl feel better, then why not?

“When the ladies came out of the cave, they had really satisfied smiles on their faces.
The victims were very satisfied with what transpired. I don’t even need to elaborate
just what happened, eh… I honestly got scared to even check out the cave again. That’s
why I can’t exactly say I managed to witness the end of those bandits, but I think you
get the point.”

“Yeah, I do… Man, even I would hesitate to enter after all of that. But that sure was
amazing. It’s a thousand times better than the ways I thought up each night.”
“Yeah… No worse way to go out than that. And so, we went back to the highway,
recovered the dead adventurer’s belongings, and gave them a burial just like you heard
from the guild. Oh, and we threw the three bandit corpses your comrades took down
on the side of the road. Well, that’s about it.”

“But you sure say it like it was easy digging a grave for ten men. I’m sure it must have
taken quite the effort… Alan, Ria, Elna, Selena, Sharon… Let me give my deepest thanks
once more. Thank you for all you’ve done.”

Uh, I used Earth magic so it was actually quite easy, but I guess I’ll just leave that out.

“Well, just like I said, we only did what we thought was right…… Oh yeah, Karl. I’m sure
you already know, but don’t go around spreading this info, okay.”

“Yeah, you don’t have to remind me. It’s to preserve the honor of those ladies, right?
No problem. They managed to avenge those guys from Green Wind after all. And what
a satisfying act of revenge it was. They are also my benefactors. I’m never gonna let
anything slip. I swear.”

“I see. Sorry about this, Karl.”

Thankfully, the tavern had next to no patrons present, so no one had the opportunity
to eavesdrop on our conversation. That was a blunder. If the story got out, Arista-san
and the others would probably be the subject of nasty rumors.

“But you guys sure are impressive. After all, you managed to subdue all the bandits
without taking any injuries even if they outnumbered you.”

“Well, yeah, I guess. Keep this between us too, but we’re actually all able to use magic.
That’s why we didn’t find it particularly difficult to subdue them.”

“What!? All of you!?… Um, by the way, what rank are you guys now?”

“We’re all B ranked.”

“Oi, oi! That’s amazing! You all look so young too. I see. It certainly would be a piece of
cake for B rankers.”

“How about you Karl? What’s your rank now?”

“I’m currently A rank. Well, a Clan leader should be at least this capable, right?”

“Haah… So it really is like that.”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“No, well, we were actually planning on setting up a Clan too, but I guess a B ranker
being the leader is a bit of a stretch huh.”

“What!? You’re going to set up a Clan at your age!? Now that’s impressive! Man, that
sure is something, alright. Oh, and about a Clan leader’s rank, it’s normal for small
Clans to have B rankers as their leaders. Only large-scale Clans have A rankers as
leaders exclusively.”

“Is that so… Wait, so that means your Clan is also a large-scale one?”

“Oi, oi. Don’t tell me you haven’t even heard of Gale?… Wait, you guys are newcomers
here huh. I guess that makes sense. The only ones who don’t know of Gale in Gantz are
the newcomers. Not to brag, but we’re one of the largest here. Well, if you have
something you’re having trouble with regarding running a Clan, I can give you some
advice. You can pay me a visit whenever.”

“Oh! That sounds great. I’ll be counting on you then. Um, but where do you exactly stay
at, Karl?”

“I’m staying at an inn called Sunbeam. Give me a holler if anything’s up.”

“We’re staying at the Spring Breeze. Feel free to pay us a visit as well.”

“The Spring Breeze? Man, that means you guys are actually loaded.”

“Well, yeah, I guess. We really wanted somewhere with a bath, y’see. We’re actually
planning to move out soon, but we’ll either send word once we do or leave a message
for you at the inn.”

“Yeah, understood. Sorry for taking up your time again. I’m glad I was able to talk to
you though. It looks like I’m finally gonna be able to sleep tonight.”

“Glad to hear that. Oh, and thanks for treating us to ale. I’ll treat you next time too.”
We all exited the tavern, and Karl parted ways from us soon after. We then continued
heading for the Commerce Guild.
When we immediately entered the Commerce Guild building the moment we arrived.

The facilities inside looked the same as the interior of the Adventurer’s Guild, but
obviously, the people inside consisted of folks who seemed to be merchants and their
assistants.

Sheets of paper were pasted on both sides of the guild building’s walls. The people
inside were all checking out the sheets with serious expressions.

There were large characters spelling out「Sell」on top of the right wall, and「Buy」
on the left wall. So they were sort of bulletin boards for buying and selling activities
huh.

I wasn’t really interested in trading stuff, so I headed to the reception desk straight
ahead of me.

“Please state your business, sir.”

“I came to register in the guild.”

“Have you already registered yourself in other guilds, sir?”

“Yes. I’ve both registered with the Adventurer’s Guild and the Magic Guild.”

“Please let me see your guild plates.”

I handed over my guild IDs as requested.

“Alan… So you are Alan-sama. Please wait for a moment.”

Afterward, the receptionist went to the back of the guild building with my guild IDs.

“I wonder what’s up?”

“”No idea.””

After a short while, the receptionist came back. Karina-san was following behind the
staff. What’s up?

“You’ve already come to have yourself registered huh, Alan-sama.”

“Yeah… What are you doing here, Karina-san?”

“I’m here to iron out some details regarding the renovation work. You can now leave.
I will handle this.”

Karina-san had the receptionist leave and she took her place in front of the desk.

“So you are also a receptionist at the guild, Karina-san?”

“No, it’s not like that. But in this case, I will be the one processing your guild
registration.”

I see…… Silas-san really is putting his weight around here huh. Karina-san started
writing stuff on a ledger.

“Alan-sama, I’m sorry, but can you wait for three minutes?”

After saying so, she went to the back of the guild office again. Just like Karina-san said,
we only had to wait for three minutes. She returned exactly on the dot. Maybe she
made a new guild ID by using that magic tool I saw back in Gotania.

“Thank you for waiting. This is a copy of the guild bylaws, and here are your guild
plates. ”

After saying so, she handed over a paper sheet and two guild IDs.

Oh, that’s nice. They have the rules properly written on paper. I’ll give it a read later.
The guild IDs were naturally my Adventurer’s Guild and Magic Guild ID and my newly
created Commerce Guild ID.

There was no change to my previous ID, but the Commerce Guild ID had A rank printed
on it.
“Um, so does the Commerce Guild also have ranks?”

“Of course. In a sense, ranks can also signify the level of confidence in a merchant. It is
determined by the results of a merchant’s various transactions. For example, in the
case of big transactions, people are more inclined to make a deal with C-ranked or
above merchants because the high rank is a guarantee that those merchants are
trustworthy.”

“That’s pretty convenient. But I don’t really have any achievements yet… Why is my
rank suddenly A?”

“You are sufficiently wealthy already, Alan-sama. And you also managed to save Arista-
sama, so those count as big enough achievements for A rank. And more importantly,
You need to be A rank to conduct deals with Silas-sama.”

So the biggest reason was I needed to be A rank in order to go through with my deal
with Silas-san huh.

“I understand. Thank you very much. Um, do I need to pay a registration fee?”

“Normally, we charge 500 Guineas. But in your case Alan-sama, it’s completely free.”

They really are the ones running the show here huh. They’re freely using their influence
to give out favors.

“What are your plans for the rest of the day, Alan-sama?”

“I don’t have any plans in particular. Why?”

“Well then, why don’t we take this time to head over to the blacksmith’s?”

“Ah, that would be great. If it’s alright with you, then I’d like to go straight away.”

It looks like the rest of the party wanted to see the workshop as well, so we all decided
to go together. We took a carriage parked behind the guild building and arrived at the
workshop after five minutes or so.

When I entered the workshop behind Karina-san, I was immediately surrounded by

the noise of clanging hammers.
“Master!”

“It’s noisy here so let’s move elsewhere.”

We were led by a man who seemed to be the boss of the place out of the workshop.

“Alan-sama, this person is the master blacksmith of this workshop, Jordan.”

“Name’s Jordan. Nice to meet you, folks.”

“I’m Alan. Nice to meet you too.”

“I heard from Silas-sama that your request should be our top priority. So what would
you like us to make?”

“Oh, I’m in the middle of putting together the materials on paper right now. I think I
should finish by tomorrow, so I’ll bring it to you then.”

“Having it put on paper would be really helpful. I guess we’ll have to wait until
tomorrow then…”

“If it’s alright with you, can we take a look at your workshop? It’ll serve as a good
reference as well.”

“Yes. of course. Go ahead and look around as much as you want.”

After saying so, Jordan went back inside the workshop.

“Halt your work boys! We’re taking a break!”

After Jordan-san’s loud bellow, the nearly thirty craftsmen inside the workshop
stopped all at once and started chatting normally.

Of course, I was already having Iris monitor and record the whole thing. We toured
the workshop with Jordan-san in the lead.

[Captain, can you confirm if they handle copper plates here?]

“Um, Jordan-san, do you make use of copper here?”

“Copper? Oh, of course, we do. We use copper a lot actually. It’s a lot easier to handle
than iron, that’s for sure. I’m sure there’s no blacksmith in this world who doesn’t
make use of it.”

“I see. What are you making here?”

When I passed in front of a certain blacksmith, I saw that he was making something
that looked like a thin metal chain.

“Ah, this is a binding tool used for securing slaves at the mines.”

Hou, interesting. We can probably use some for bandit hunting.

“How does it look when finished?”

“Oh, there’s a completed item over here.”

The finished product we were shown looked a bit like handcuffs. The metal loops that
restrained the wrists are secured by a metal bolt. The chain between the loops was
fairly long as well. It was at least 50 centimeters.

“Um, this can’t be turned by hand, right?”

I pointed at the bolt and asked.

“Of course. Rather, it would defeat the purpose if it could. These were made to be tough
and they can only be loosened with the use of a special tool.”

It looks like this really could come in handy.

“Can multiples of these be interconnected?”

“Ah, that’s for when you want the slaves to have the ability to walk around. We have
something for that right here.”

Have they already made something similar to what I was thinking about?

The item I was shown totally fit what I was envisioning. It was made by connecting
dozens of handcuffs at one-meter intervals, and it was made exactly for the purpose I
was thinking of.
“This is quite good. Can I order something similar to this?”

Karina-san, who saw the value of the item, looked convinced as she nodded.

“How many do you want?”

“About ten of them. Oh, and I want five of those special unlocking tools as well.”

I should order a good number right now. It’s better than running out later.

“These will need to be delivered in a month anyway, so we can sell you ten of this
straight away if you like. Of course, that goes for the unlocking tools as well. We can
just make some more for the other order. There’s plenty of time left anyway.”

“That would be wonderful. How much for everything?”

“These handcuffs are a thousand Guineas each. The unlocking tool is a hundred each.
That’ll be 10,500 Guineas then.”

“Can I pay for them right now?… If so, then here you go.”

I thought I’d have to place orders with Silas-san as the middleman, but it looks like
that’s not the case. I handed the master blacksmith one gold coin and five silver coins.

“Since they are fairly heavy, I’ll have the carriage transport them over to the inn,”
Karina-san offered.

“Thank you very much. That would help a lot.”

(Iris, have you recorded enough references?)

[Yes, we have enough.]

“Alright then, Jordan-san. I’ll hand you the schematics tomorrow.”

“Okay. Pleased to do business with you, lad.”

The handcuffs were loaded inside the carriage, and we left the blacksmith workshop
soon after.
“I’m sorry, Karina-san. We ended up troubling you even though you seem so busy.”

“No, it’s no trouble at all. I also want to be of as much help to Alan-sama as I can. Do
you have any other places you want to visit?”

“Thank you. I’ll be taking you up on your offer then. I want to visit as many liquor
stores as I can in order to research alcohol in this country. Do you know of any liquor
stores nearby?”

“Of course. I will guide you.”

Guided by Karina-san, we ended up visiting about 15 different liquor stores around

the city. We can’t carry all this stuff without a carriage, so Karina-san’s help was more
than welcome.

We unloaded the liquor and the handcuffs at the inn and carried them to my room.

The girls then gathered together in order to design the items they want Turk-san to
make for them. I’m sure they’d be able to do it with no problems with the help of
nanoms.

I also holed up inside my room in order to make a magic tool blueprint. Since the
housing of the magic tool needs to be made by Turk-san, I’ll have to get a design ready
as well.

(Iris, I want to design a refrigerating magic tool. Please design a blueprint while
considering the cost and practicality.)

[Would this be sufficient?]

The virtual window displayed the completed image of the magic tool, the design
blueprint, as well as the magic circle that was going to be installed into it.

Hou. By adding a temperature insulating material within the housing, wouldn’t this
design turn out having more cooling capability than the one Verse was using? It will
also serve to save magic energy.

It also has a vegetable compartment and seems user-friendly.

(Oh, and I also wanted a freezing function as well if possible. Can we combine magic
circles to make that work?)

[That is impossible. The functions of the available magic circles are too limited.]

(So that really is the case huh. Has the research regarding magic circles not progressed
yet?)

[There is a lack of samples for reference. If possible, it would be ideal to secure three
times the current number of samples.]

(I see… Yeah, that’s true huh. This type is fine then. Please display a 3D model of each
part.)

I copied the specifications of the parts on paper.

Afterward, I continued with copying the designs for the stove magic tool and light
magic too as I sipped the wine we bought from the liquor stores earlier.

When I managed to completely copy everything down and took a breather, there was
a knock on my door. When I opened it, the rest of the party was waiting outside. It
looks like they finished designing the furniture they wanted as well.

“We just finished the designs, so we wanted you to have a look at them first, Alan,”
Sharon declared as she handed me the papers.

“Sharon is really good at drawing.”

Cleria was acting all proud for some reason.

I didn’t really need to inspect them, but it looks like the girls wanted me to anyway, so
let me oblige. It looks like they also want to brag a bit.

They showed me the completed designs as well as the schematics of the different
parts. They made the same type of documents I did.

The first one was a closet where you can hang up your clothes by using a hanger.
There’s also a shelf at the bottom where you can put in your shoes.
The second one was a cabinet with several drawers for storing small items. One
drawer was designed to have a lock function that could be unlocked via a key. They
look pretty well-designed.

“These look great. Well done, everyone.”

“Everyone gave their own opinions to come up with the designs,” Sharon revealed.

“If they’re this good, then I’ll have to get Turk-san to make my share as well.”

“That would be best. Alan, let’s hurry and hand these over now.”

Cleria seems to want to hand the blueprints over as soon as possible. I already finished
the magic tool designs myself, and it’s still three in the afternoon.

“Okay. Let’s get going then.”

I wrote how many of each item should be made on the blueprints. We then left the inn.

The workshop of Turk-san wasn’t all that far from the Adventurer’s Guild, so we
reached it right away.

“Good afternoon!”

I immediately noticed Turk-san when we entered the workshop and gave a loud
greeting amidst the sound of mallets striking wood.

“Oh, it’s you, folks. What’s up?”

“Actually, we want to commission you to make new items apart from the furniture
repair.”

I then handed the magic tool and furniture blueprints to him.

“This is……”

He scanned the blueprints with a professional gaze. After five minutes, he finished
poring through all of them.

“What should we do for the finishing touches?”

Perhaps he means painting them or something.

“We’ll leave that to you.”

“Were these designed by you, Alan?”

“These are my work, but those are hers.”

Turk’s sharp gaze turned toward Sharon.

“How impressive for someone so young. I don’t know what you mean to do with the
items you drew, Alan. But this closet and this cabinet are very well-designed.”

“Is that so? Thank you for the praise, sir,” Sharon replied.

The other members, who thought up the designs with her, also looked happy.

“We want to make this secured via lock and key. Can you make them?” Sharon asked.

“Yeah. No problem.”

“How much would these items cost? By the way, the deadline for these items is in 15
days and these ones would be 20 days.”

I want the magic tool casings delivered earlier so I can finish the rest of the work on
time.

“These are pretty detailed designs, so these items would be easy to make. We can make
these by the deadlines you set. No problem.”

Turk-san laid the blueprints on top of a workbench and told us the price of each item.
He may have already decided on the prices when he checked them out earlier.

Refrigeration magic tool – 2000 Guineas – Four items

Stove magic tool – 500 Guineas – Five items

Light magic tool – 100 Guineas – 50 items

Clothing closet – 700 Guineas – Five items

Cabinet – 1000 Guineas – Five items

All in all, the total cost was 25,000 Guineas. It turned out to be a pretty large sum.

“So everything would be for 25,000 Guineas. However, we could use these closet and
cabinet designs ourselves. If you allow us to have these designs, I’ll give you a 3,000
Guinea discount.”

Since Sharon and the others didn’t have any objections, the final price ended up being
22,000 Guineas.

After our business at the workshop, we returned to the inn.

“Come to think of it, Alan. Wouldn’t the General Orc and Big Blue Serpent’s rewards be
ready by now?” Elna reminded.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot. We’ve been running around busily recently after all. Do you
want to visit the guild to take a look?”

And so, we went to the Adventurer’s Guild and headed straight for the counter. The
guild wasn’t as filled with people compared to the number during morning hours.

“Please state your business, sir.”

‘We’re the B-ranked party Shining Star. We want to ask about the rewards from the
other days.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of those. I’ll call the one in charge, so please wait for a moment.”

The guild staff then withdrew to the back of the guild office. Apparently, the staff has
been told to call their higher-ups once we come for a visit.

The receptionist came back with the guild master Kevin-san as well as one of the male
staff we met before.

“Sorry for the delay. We have a result regarding the matters from before. Can you come
with us to the back for a bit?”

Kevin-san led us to the private room we came to a few days back.

“The price for the General Orc and Big Blue Serpent have been decided. The General
Orc head is 210,000 Guineas while the serpent meat is 38,000 Guineas and the leather
is 105,000 Guineas.”

So that’s a total of 353,000 Guineas huh. That’s a pretty hefty amount. But I’m
surprised there’s a person who’s willing to pay such an exorbitant price for the head
of an ugly orc. But I guess the guild has already taken their share as well, so the actual
price should be higher. I can’t believe it.

“I see. Understood.”

“…You don’t seem to be surprised. Normally, people would be shaken after hearing this
sort of amount though…”

“No, I actually am surprised. But I’m surprised someone actually paid good money for
an orc’s severed head. Actually, I find it hard to believe such a person even exists.”

“I didn’t mean it that way though… Well, fine. Hey!”

Kevin-san ordered the male staff to hand over the money to us. I counted the contents
of the bag for formality’s sake.

“We’ve certainly received it.”

“Thank you for deciding to hand the items over to the guild this time. We will certainly
take note of your valuable contributions.”

“Thank you very much. We’re looking forward to working together more with you as
well.”

The receptionist then accompanied us out of the private room.

“We managed to make quite a sum.”

“It is more than just a large sum. I’ve been more or less influenced by your sense for
wealth Alan, but this amount is an absolute fortune for commoners,” Elna remarked.

“Uh, I do get that you know.”

On the way back from the guild, we passed by five seedy-looking men sneaking glances
at us. They laughed vulgarly when we passed in front of them.

They then walked up to us and blocked the way. One of the men moved forward.

“Hey, you! You’re hanging out with such fine-looking ladies, aren’t you? Can you share
at least one of them with us?”

His breath stinks of booze. It looks like he’s pretty drunk.

I ignored them and tried going past, but my shoulder ended up being grabbed.

“Hey, don’t ignore us. We’re even asking nicely you know?”

“Are you picking a fight? Sure, I’ll play with you.”

They were obviously picking a fight, but I always wanted to say those lines, man.

“Remove that filthy hand of yours right this instant!”

Selena shouted in anger and grabbed the hand of the punk who grabbed my shoulder.
She then proceeded to take him down in a flashy manner.

“Oww! What’s with you, woman!?”

“You should never have grabbed Alan’s shoulder with that filthy hand of yours.”

Selena was raring for a fight as well.

“Hey, hey. What’s the matter with you guys? You really picking a fight?”

The other four men started approaching us as well.

“Oh, it’s just that this guy was asking for a fight but tripped and fell down.”

“This is bad, It looks like a bone or two’s broken. So how do you want to compensate
him for this, huh!?”

“Are you asking for a fight as well? It’s troublesome, so you can just come all at once.”

“Hah! Yer a brave one ain’t ya! We have five guys here. Ye sure yer up for it?”
“I’m telling you to get over here already, you idiots.”

“Alan, please let me handle them. There’s no need for you to get your hands dirty. I
alone am enough.”

“Selena, I also want to participate since they were just so rude to Alan. They’re going
to pay,” Sharon declared.

“Haa, it can’t be helped.”

“Hey, they were picking a fight with me you know? Back down, you two.”

“”It’s you who needs to back down, Alan!””

“Ugh, fine.”

Damn. I got swallowed up by the two’s momentum and ended up really backing down.
Well, I guess they’ll be fine though.

“We have to stop them Alan!” Cleria exclaimed worriedly.

“It’s alright. They are both stronger than me in a straight-up fight you know.”

“Eh!? Really!?”

Selena and Sharon’s combat levels were higher than my own after all. The combat level
indicates our mastery over imperial martial arts. Those level 90 and above can already
serve as senior instructors.

Most likely, the two of them raised their level inside the ship’s training room by
fighting against each other and the training bots.

Imperial martial arts, or simply imperial arts, are a form of martial art that has been
honed and passed down in the empire for thousands of years. These two, who have
achieved certain mastery over it, will not be defeated by a mere five drunk men.

“Hurry up and get over here,” Selena taunted.

“Hey! I ain’t holding back just cuz you’re a girl!”

“You don’t have to…… Ugh. This is getting tiresome.”

After Sharon sighed, she quickly closed in on the man nearest to her and slammed her
fist on his solar plexus.

“Hey, no fair!”

Selena raised a voice of complaint and closed in on another man. She then grabbed the
man’s raised hand by the wrist, used it to pull his upper body downward, and slammed
a knee onto his exposed face.

Sharon speedily approached another man, who was frozen in shock and casually gave
him a right hook; hitting him squarely on the chin. She then hit another one with a
magnificent spin kick.

The remaining guy, who watched each of his friends get defeated easily, was
approached by Selena and finished off with a front kick to his stomach.

All of them were taken down and brought to unconsciousness in one hit.
“Amazing!” Cleria quipped.

“You’re terrible for getting a head start on me, Sharon!”

“But they just wouldn’t come, so I found it too troublesome and brought the fight to
them.”

There was already a sizable crowd forming. They must have noticed the commotion.

“Thanks, you two. I ended up troubling you over something so trivial.”

“No, it’s our pleasure,” Selena replied with a smile.

“This is nothing,” Sharon followed up.

“They will get in the way of pedestrians if we left them like this, so let’s move them
over there.”

We carried the passed out men to a corner of the street where they won’t get in the
way.

“Yosh. Let’s go back to the inn. It should be dinner time once we get back.”

“”Yes, Alan.””

On the way back, Cleria gushed about how awesome Selena and Sharon were and
asked them to teach her. They made a promise to organize a training session along
with Elna.

While we were drinking tea after having dinner, Cleria suddenly spoke up.

“Alan, I’ve been thinking, but wouldn’t it be a good idea to postpone bandit hunting
first and train in magic, swordsmanship, and martial arts first…?”

“Oh? Yeah, sounds good. How about it, everyone?”

“I also want to practice magic and swordsmanship more,” Sharon replied.

“Me too,” Selena seconded.

“I as well,” Elna answered next.

“It’s decided then. I’ll also need some time to develop that new liquor and assemble
the magic tools for use at our new Home. It’s perfect timing.”

And so, it was decided that I and the girls will act separately for a few days.

Cleria and the others will first focus on magic practice, so they planned to go inside
the Sea of Trees in the mornings and hunt Gray Hounds. I objected to them not
bringing me along at first, but they convinced me by saying stationary targets aren’t
enough for practice, so I allowed them to do so while imploring that they should be
careful and keep watch of their surroundings.

In the afternoon, they will go for swordsmanship and combat technique practice. They
planned to do this schedule every day. They can use the square in front of our Home
for the afternoon practice.

Now then. I’ll have to finish making the blueprints I’ll bring to the blacksmith workshop
tomorrow. Even if I can’t finish all the details, I’ll at least note down the important
points.

(Iris, there’s no problem with the data we obtained from going around the blacksmith
workshop, right?)

[Yes, there is no problem. We can utilize the design we came up with the other day.]

(Yosh. Please display the blueprints on a virtual screen and overlay them with the
paper sheets.)

I then started tracing the blueprints that appeared on screen and transferred them to
the paper sheets.
I stayed up late last night and somehow managed to finish copying down the schematics
for the distiller’s basic parts on paper. It ended up being about 50 pages long. I also
copied down the schematics for the metal parts of the magic tools. I’ll have to buy a
fresh supply of paper today.

When I pored over the Commerce Guild rules and regulations through the document
I brought with me yesterday, I saw something good.

It turns out the remittance fee for sending money actually differed depending on your
guild rank. It was 50,000 Guineas for C ranks and below, 40,000 for B ranks, 30,000
for A ranks, and finally, 10,000 Guineas for S ranks.

It looks like the rule of the rich getting richer still held true even on a different planet.
But since there would be a potential difference of 20,000 Guineas or more once I went
up in rank, it was definitely worth signing up with the Commerce Guild.

Everyone was happily discussing their plans for the day while having breakfast. It
kinda felt like I was being left out.

After breakfast, the girls readied themselves and went out looking pretty pumped.

(Selena, Sharon. If you get into any sort of danger, don’t hesitate to use your rifles. Even
if you guys are going out for training, there’s no reason to unnecessarily risk your lives.
Don’t get your priorities mixed up, okay?)

(Understood.)

(We’ll make sure to be careful.)

Their tone suggested everything would be fine, but I was still worried after all.

(D-1, please monitor them. Notify the Ensigns immediately when a monster approaches
with an alarm, and if a monster manages to get within five meters of the four of them,
deal with it immediately.)

[Acknowledged.]

I guess I should head out as well.

When I arrived at Jordan’s smithery, I heard the sound of clanging hammers even
though it was still pretty early in the morning. Wouldn’t all this noise cause trouble for
the neighbors?

Jordan-san immediately noticed me when I entered the workshop.

“Let’s move somewhere else.”

I showed him the documents I prepared outside of the workshop. Jordan-san read
each page carefully for some time.

“These are some amazing blueprints. They’re pretty easy to follow too. It would be
great if our customers brought something as nice as these whenever they make a
commission.”

“Can you make them?”

“Yeah, no problem. We’re gonna use copper anyway, so we’ll be able to manage.”

“Um, but this is just one-third of the full schematics. There are about a hundred more
pages to go.”

“Hmm, so there’s still so much huh… Well, it can’t be helped. Just hand them all over
to me. We’ll just have to do our best.”

“Understood. I’ll do so.”

Afterward, I went over the schematics page by page with Jordan-san and explained
the illustrations in detail.

I did so for the schematics of the magic tool’s metal parts as well.

“Oh, and one more thing, sir. Can you make this too? I need it after twenty days if it’s
possible.”
“Hou, this is an interesting design. Well, if we make a proper mold, I think we can make
a good number of these. If it’s after twenty days, then we can probably manage.”

“Then, if you please, sir.”

It was already 11 o’clock when I left the workshop after settling the payment for the
additional items I ordered. I guess I’ll have lunch out first and return to the inn
afterward. I remember the girls had planned to start the imperial martial arts lessons
this afternoon, so I might as well participate. I’ve gotten a bit rusty, so it would be nice
to have a spar or two with Selena and Sharon to get the feel for it back.

As I searched for a suitable restaurant, I saw a child bawling on the side of the street.
It was Ella, and Teo was kneeling in front of her while trying to console her.

“Hey, Teo. What’s going on?”

“Bro!… I ain’t the one who made her cry. Ella just started to bawl her eyes out. I think
she tripped.”

“I bet she tripped because you pulled her in a hurry again, right?”

“Uu, well, yeah, I guess. But Ella’s such a slowpoke. Ugh. Even her clothes got ripped.”

The dirty one-piece dress Ella was wearing got torn in some places when she tripped.
When Teo tried to touch the torn part, Ella started crying even louder.

“Don’t cry, Ella. It’ll be fine if we sew it a bit.”

Huh? Maybe they didn’t have enough spare clothes. No matter how you slice it, seeing
a young girl like this is just too pitiful.

“Do you know of any second-hand clothing shops around here, Teo? I’ll buy some for
you guys.”

“Eh!? No, it’s fine bro. Clothes are expensive, y’know?”

“You may be okay about this, but don’t you feel sorry for Ella? It’s fine, so just hurry up
and lead the way.”

“Really!? Um, uh, I think there’s one this way, bro!”

I had Teo and Ella choose a dress once we arrived at the clothing shop.

“We’ll have this, bro.”

The dress they showed me looked worn out already, and it was too big for the 4-year-
old Ella. She would probably end up dragging the one-piece dress around if she wore
it.

“Hey, this is too big for her.”

“It’s fine, bro. She’ll grow into it real quick. You’ll see.”

Really? I went to the clerk and paid for the dress. It seems that this second-hand dress
actually still costs 200 Guineas.

Teo had Ella change into it right away even though we were out on the streets.

“There we go. It fits just fine. Thanks for buying us this dress, bro! Say thank you as
well, Ella.”

“Bro.”

It looks like Ella was quite happy to get a dress that didn’t look like dirty rags.

“Good. Okay then, you two. Lead me to a nice restaurant next. I’ll treat you to lunch as
well.”

“Really!? Over here then, bro!”

The restaurant the kids led me to was quite bustling. Since the seats inside were full,
we were guided to the terrace seats instead. They had meat and fish set meals.

“What do you guys want? Meat or fish?”

“”Meat!””

The meals consisted of the usual bread, meat and veggie stir-fry, and soup. The meals
cost 10 Guineas per serving, so I paid 30 Guineas for me and the kids.

Teo and Ella started scarfing down on the food right away. As he chewed his food, Teo
put his share of the bread as well as Ella’s into a jute bag.

“We’ll save the bread for tomorrow. Ella won’t be able to finish it all anyway.”

Teo explained his actions to me when he noticed me watching him.

“I see… Good for you then.”

“Yeah! Thank you very much, bro! Really. It’s been a while since we ate such a hearty
meal.”

“……Hey, Teo. Are you familiar with Clans?”

“Yeah, I am. It’s a group formed by adventurer parties, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. We’re gonna start up a Clan of our own soon. We got a pretty nice
building for our Home just recently too. If you feel like it, do you wanna work there? I
can hire you as a helper.”

“……Really!? I’ll do anything for you, bro! Please hire me!”

“But even though I say I’m gonna hire you, I’ll just provide you with a room to stay in
as well as breakfast and dinner every day. I can’t pay you any money for now.”

“A room and meals every day!? Bro! Please, please hire me! I’ll do anything you want
me to! I don’t mind not getting paid.”

“I see. Okay then. But we’ll formally move to the new building twenty days from now
though.”

“Twenty days… Hey, bro… Um, can Ella also work for you?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Really!? As expected of my bro! Yosh, I and Ella will work hard for ya!”

Of course, I’m aware that I’m being a hypocrite here. But I just can’t leave this pair of
siblings alone after seeing how hard they had it. It was just giving them a nice room
and meals every day. It’s nothing much. Teo’s been a great help as a city guide anyway.
After finishing our meals, I parted ways with Teo and Ella. Okay then. Let’s go for some
Imperial Arts practice. I hope Selena and Sharon go easy on me a bit though…

For a while, I spent my days helping out with the manufacturing of the distiller,
preparing for alcohol brewing, making magic tools, purchasing things to use for our
new Home, and participating in the girl’s practice sessions. It was pretty hectic.

I only helped out with making the distiller as an advisor though. Even though there
were detailed blueprints, making something like it for the first time still posed some
difficulties for the blacksmiths after all. I was called in to give some technical advice
from time to time.

Additionally, we ordered some wooden barrels and other supplies and equipment for
alcohol brewing as well. We also secured a place to store them during the fermentation
process.

The production of the magic tools I designed went without a hitch, and I had them
brought to our Home straight away. Aside from that, with Karina-san’s assistance, I
purchased a large number of items such as tableware, kitchen utensils, and cleaning
tools for our new Home.

And so, today, we were finally going to formally move to our new Home.

After having breakfast, we checked out of the inn and prepared our carriage for
departure. When we started heading for our new Home, we found Teo and Ella waiting
for us outside the inn. They’ve been visiting us practically every day ever since my last
encounter with them. They probably just want to get treated to a meal. It was a bit sly
of Teo, but he’s only doing his best as Ella’s big brother, so it’s fine.

“Good morning big bro and big sisters!”

“Yeah, morning, you two. We’ll finally be moving to our Clan’s Home today. You guys
will start working for us today as well.”

“I got ya, bro. We’ve been waiting for today as well.”

We let Teo and Ella aboard and left the Spring Breeze inn.
It took us fifteen minutes to arrive at our destination, and we found Karina-san already
waiting for us.

“Good morning, Alan-sama, everyone.”

“Good morning, Karina-san.”

There were thirteen new employees lined up in front of the building along with
Karina-san. I already held a simple interview for these people a few days back, and I
had a basic grasp of their personalities.

“Okay, Teo. You guys head over there as well and listen to Sally-san’s orders, okay?”

Sally-san was the head of our Home’s helpers and was a pretty dependable middle-
aged widow. Her late husband was also an adventurer. I already told her and the others
about Teo and Ella. The sibling hurriedly lined up with the rest of the employees.

“Well be in your care from now on, everyone.”

“Yes. Thank you very much, Alan-sama, everyone.”

First, we went around with Karina-san in order to check if there were no problems
with the building and the new equipment. Of course, Karina-san handled everything
perfectly, so we found absolutely nothing wrong with the building and equipment. The
beds, tables, and chairs also looked practically brand new.

We looked around all the facilities and finished our tour at the office on the fourth
floor.

“Well then, everyone. I will now formally hand the building over to you.”

“Yes. Thank you for all your help. By the way, Karina-san, what about the rent for this
month?”

It was just the fourth day of the month after all.

“We won’t charge you for this month, Alan-sama. We’ll only start billing you next
month.”
“I see. Thank you very much then.”

After handing over the building, Karina-san finally left.

The total rent for this place was 70,000 Guineas per month. I thought it was a bit too
cheap since it was a pretty big building with complete facilities, but Silas-san insisted
on the price. I hope it doesn’t cause trouble for the rest of the Commerce Guild though.

“We finally have our Home now.”

“Yes. We’ll all be living here starting today,” Cleria said with a smile.

“Oh, right! I made these for all of us. Try it on, everyone.”

I secretly made badges for all of us. It had a secure hook, so you could fasten it to your
clothes or pocket.

“”This is–!?””

Selena and Sharon let out surprised gasps.

The badges had the insignia of the Red Fleet on them. It was also the insignia placed
on the hulls of every ship included in the fleet. It was a stylized supernova, so it also
fit our party and Clan, Shining Star, perfectly.

“This is… a badge for Shining Star!? This symbol represents a brilliant star, right?”

“Yep. It’s pretty cool huh?”

“Yes! It’s wonderful! Let’s put them on, everyone!”

The girls found the badges to their liking, so they became our Clan’s official badges. Of
course, I had prepared a hundred more badges as well. These will help strengthen the
sense of solidarity within our fledgling organization. I’ll give these to the rest of the
Clan members as well.

“Okay then. Now that we’ve moved, what do you girls want to do for the rest of the
day? I was thinking of setting out for a monster hunt.”

“I think that’s a good idea. We’ve used up quite a bit of our funds after all. We’ll have
to start earning money again soon.”

The rest of the party also agreed to my suggestion.

“I see. Okay then. We’ll hunt monsters today and set out tomorrow for bandit hunting.
How about it, everyone?”

The girls all nodded in agreement.

We prepared straight away and set out on horseback. We only had two horses when
we first got to this city, but we purchased an additional three a few days back, so now
we had five. The three of them were good horses like Tarth and Syrah as well. Oh, and
it cost us a total of 100,000 Guineas for all three.

I reviewed the habitat info scouted by D-1 and decided to aim for easy ones for now.
We’ll hunt some Gray Hounds and Orcs then. There weren’t really a lot of Orcs to take
down, but it’s been a while since we dedicated a full day for monster hunting. It should
work out.

The monster hunting went without any trouble, and we returned to Gantz by four in
the afternoon. Our harvest for today was 85 Gray Hounds and 12 Orcs.

As a bonus, we managed to take down a Big Boar as well while on our way back to
Gantz. I immediately drained its blood, removed the innards, and tied it to two of our
horses to carry it back. This is a pretty nice bonus. I’ll process it with our employees
back at our Home later.

Everyone’s magic has improved considerably after dedicating twenty days for
training. I didn’t want to get left behind, so I participated in the training sessions as
well and learned a new spell; Light Arrow. Its overall power was about half of a Flame
Arrow, but it was really fast. It was a great anti-personnel spell.

We reached the main city gates and greeted the guards on duty.

“Oh, if it isn’t Shining Star. That’s a pretty huge Big Boar you bagged there.”

“Yes, we were quite lucky,” Cleria answered genially.

It seems that Cleria and the girls became quite familiar with the guards after these last
twenty days. They were a group of beautiful ladies, so I imagine the guards had the
time of their lives trying to chat them up as well.

We were allowed passage and entered the city. I had the rest bring the Big Boar back
to our Home while I headed to the Adventurer’s Guild to exchange today’s harvest of
proofs and magic stones for cash.

Our total earnings for today amounted to 38,750 Guineas. Not bad for a day’s work.

I went back to the Home and took my horse to the stables. I found Teo there. He was
being taught by one of the staff about how to take care of the horses.

“It looks like you’re working hard huh, Teo.”

“Oh! Br… Uh, Alan-sama.”

He now changed the way he addressed me. Honestly, I would have preferred being
called ‘bro’ instead of ‘Alan-sama’, but this was also part of Teo’s training, so I have to
get used to it.

“Do your best.”

I also tried to have Sally-san and the rest of the employees to stop calling me so
formally, but I ended up getting lectured and told that as the leader of the Clan, I had
to get used to being addressed in a way that fit my position, and that it would also be
for the benefit of those under me. Sally-san was especially strict.

I entered the bath and heard the others call me for dinner after a while, so I dried
myself up and went to the dining area.

It felt a bit lonely since there were only five of us sitting in the middle of a large dining
room.

Tonight’s menu was rice, cream stew, and vegetable salad. I handed some recipes to
our cook, Routal-san, and it looks like he made some of them for us tonight. By the
way, Routal-san worked at a restaurant as a professional chef before, and the rest of
his family ended up working for us as well.

“It’s good.”

“Yes. But it’s still a bit different from the food you cook, Alan.”
“That’s right. There’s definitely something different.”

“Really? It’d probably turn out much like this even if I was the one who cooked y’know.
Oh, by the way, let’s have a meeting after the meal. Let’s gather at the Clan office later.”

After our dinner, we gathered at the Clan office on the fourth floor. After everybody
found their seats around the large table inside the office, I spread out a map of the
surrounding area and the highways. I made this map by copying sections of it on
separate sheets of paper and then pasting them together.

“I managed to scout out a bandit hideout around this area. They have a fairly large
number of members. There’s probably around thirty or so of them.”

“Just how…… Haah, fine. Thirty is quite a number indeed. We can probably capture
them all, but we would have a hard time transporting them,” Elna pointed out.

“Yeah, that’s right. But this is where those chain handcuffs I bought a few days back
come in handy. We’ll go around on our carriage in order to serve as bait for the bandits.
The main road branches out at this point, and we’re gonna enter this section over here.
Since there’s quite a bit of distance to cover, we may need to camp out for a night. Any
questions?”

Everyone shook their heads.

It looks like they have no problems with my plan. Well, it just goes to show how
confident they’ve all become.

“We’ll set off two hours after dawn tomorrow. So be sure to sleep early tonight guys.”

Everyone nodded and started heading out of the office to go to their respective rooms.
But before Sharon managed to step out, she turned around and called out to me.

“Oh, Alan. I was thinking of adding a pocket on one side of our adventurer clothes, just
below the shoulder, to clip our badges on. Would you like me to add one on your
clothes as well?”

“I’ll help too,” Selena offered.

After hearing Sharon’s suggestion, everyone agreed to place pockets on the left side of
their clothes for attaching the badges.
“That sounds good. I’ll leave it to you then.”

I then handed them some of my clothes. It looks like they were planning to finish some
tonight.

After drinking a bit of wine, I turned in early for the night.

We headed out on schedule the next morning. The girls were pretty pumped for our
first bandit hunting expedition. We exited Gantz and headed out to the highway.

We were attacked by Gray Hounds along the way, but the girls handled them swiftly
without my help.

“It’s a bit early, but how about taking a break and having lunch here?”

“Yes, that sounds lovely,” Elna agreed.

We were near a resting spot along the highway. I researched the place in advance of
course. The timing was spot on.

Everyone ate the sandwiches prepared by Routal-san this morning. By the time we
finished eating, I finally spotted a certain group of people traveling along the highway.

“There’s quite a lot of them. Let’s stay on alert,” Elna warned.

The group was now less than 100 meters away from us. Someone broke out from the
group on horseback and started approaching us. It looks like they finally noticed us.

“Hey, Cleria. How about you wave toward them? They’re probably people you know.”

Cleria looked confused at first, but she understood what I meant after a few moments,
and frantically began waving at the group on the highway with both hands with a half-
disbelieving expression on her pretty face.
I doubted my ears when I heard Alan’s words. Some people I know? In a place like
this?

Wait! Perhaps they are the members of my royal guards!? Yes, that’s most likely it!
Alan’s words have never been off the mark ever since I first met him. I started waving
at the person on horseback who was approaching us.

The person noticed me and stopped the horse in its tracks. The person looked quite
cautious. Well, I do admit our group looked fairly suspicious from a distance. The
person stopped the group of carriages and horsemen trailing behind him and started
approaching us. When he came within fifty meters of us, he kicked his horse and had
it approach us in a run. Yes, the man on horseback was definitely Dalshim!

“Your Highness! It truly is Your Highness! What in the Goddess’s name are you doing
all the way out here!?”

Dalshim jumped off of his horse and knelt before me.

“It’s been a while, Dalshim!”

I found it quite surprising that I was conversing in such a casual tone with a member
of my former royal guards.

“Oh! Yes, it truly has been a while, Your Highness!”

Dalshim signaled for the group on the road to come close, and they all came to the
clearing that served as a resting spot where our carriage was currently parked.

“It’s Her Highness!”

“Oh! Princess!”

“Our princess!”
Ah! It’s the rest of the royal guards. But there were some people I wasn’t familiar with
mixed among them.

“It has been a while, everyone! I’m glad you all look in good health.”

“What are you doing in a place like this, princess? Did you perhaps somehow get wind
that we were coming and came to receive us?”

I glanced at Alan. I’m sure it was Alan who found out that the royal guards were going
to take this route. It wouldn’t have hurt to inform me beforehand though! Honestly.

“No, it’s nothing like that, actually. We’re in the middle of doing a request for the
Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Oh! What a coincidence this is then! It’s as if we were predestined to meet. We were
actually worried we wouldn’t be able to meet up with Her Highness right away once
we arrived at Gantz.”

Yes, that would have been the case. We should have planned some measures beforehand.
What an oversight.

“Yes, you’re right. We didn’t think you would arrive this fast. We haven’t thought up
any measures for meeting up yet. We nearly missed each other.”

“Quickly inform the others following behind us. Have them hurry up and gather here!”

Dalshim shouted orders to one of his men who were unfamiliar to me. The man got on
his horse again and hastened back to the main road. So they still had others following
after them?

“You still have others following after you? Well, you do seem a bit too few in number.”

“Yes. We traveled in separate groups since such a large number of people would attract
too much unwanted attention.”

Dalshim’s mouth curled into a sly grin. Was there something else?

“It has been quite some time, Alan-sama. Everyone as well.”

“Yes, it’s good to see you again, Captain Dalshim.”

Selena, Sharon, and Elna also gave their greetings.

And before long, the rest of the group under Dalshim arrived one after the other. It
looks like everyone rushed here as fast as they could.

“Your Highness!”

“Cleria-sama!”

The group gave their greetings one after another. Even though I can no longer be
considered royalty, everyone still treated me with the utmost respect. I was so touched
that I nearly teared up.

Everyone knelt before me reverently. Before long, all of the men Captain Dalshim
brought with him finally gathered in the clearing. How strange. No matter how I look
at them, their numbers seem far more than fifty-eight. Everyone quieted down.

“Captain Dalshim, this number–?”

“Forty-two elite members of the late Earl’s personal troops have come with us as well.
All of them are as skilled as the royal guards. All in all, we have one hundred people
gathered here.”

I see. No wonder there are a lot of new faces among them. So they were part of my
uncle’s private troops… I noticed the man who was kneeling right beside Dalshim.

“Yes, I remember you. You certainly were part of my uncle’s men. I think your name
was… Walter, if I remember correctly.”

I called out to the man kneeling beside Dalshim.

“I can’t believe it! To think you remember this humble knight’s name, Princess! I am
honored beyond words. Yes, we did meet each other on one or two occasions. I am
currently serving as the representative of the late Earl’s personal troops.”

“I see. I shall be in your care then, Walter.”

Oh, dear Goddess! I had no idea this many would answer my call!

“Everyone! You have journeyed far to come here. I am truly glad to meet all of you
again.”

“We are unworthy of your grace, Your Highness.”

“Just as you’ve heard everyone, we are currently aiming for becoming the absolute
best adventurers in this country. Please lend us your powers as well everyone, and let
us aim for the top together.”

“”By your will!””

“”Yes, Your Highness!””

“You mentioned that you were in the middle of a quest earlier, didn’t you, Your
Highness? What type of quest is it?”

“Bandit hunting.”

Everyone looked surprised.

“My word! And you are planning on completing such a dangerous quest with just five
people?”

“There is no problem. We five are more than enough.”

“Oh! It surely is through the Goddess’s providence that we met Your Highness here.
There is no need for you to risk yourself for such a quest. Please allow us to smite
those foul bandits in your stead.”

“Cleria, this isn’t a place that’s suitable to discuss such things y’know. There’s a more
suitable spot just a short distance away. How about we all move there first, and then
discuss things further?”

Oh, I completely forgot to introduce Alan to everyone!

“Everyone! Forgive me for the late introduction. This is Alan, and he’s the current
leader of our party and Clan, Shining Star.”

“Hello everyone. I’m the party and Clan leader of Shining Star, Alan. Going forward, all
of you will also enlist as official Clan members. I am looking forward to working hard
with you all.”
“”Yes!””

“”We will be in your care, Alan-sama!””

This is great. Everyone seems to approve of Alan.

“Well then, let us do as Alan suggested and move to a more comfortable spot. We will
have to return to the highway for a bit, so please prepare accordingly.”

“”Yes!””

“Have each group prepare to go back on the road! Hurry!”

Everyone went back to the main road with our carriage in the lead. After about three
hours, we finally arrived at the place Alan talked about. As we alighted from the
carriage, I saw a wide and spacious riverbank. There would be no problem for more
than one hundred people to gather here along with the carriages and horses.

“Prepare for camp! Assign the lookouts!”

“Dalshim, there is no need to assign lookouts.”

Everyone suddenly stopped in their tracks.

“Whatever do you mean, Your Highness?”

“Alan and the girls Selena and Sharon over there can all cast scanning and detection
magic. There is no monster that can avoid detection.”

“Scanning magic…… What manner of magic spell is that!?”

“Cleria.”

Alan informed me that he had spotted monsters in the distance via hand signs. There
were three Gray Hounds. He also told me their distance from us as well as their general
direction. Recently, we have improved upon the hand signs further so now we also
have certain signs for particular monsters.

“I shall show you proof then. There are three Gray Hounds coming over from that
direction. They should reach us within thirty seconds.”
Everyone moved their gaze to the direction I pointed my finger toward. And under the
gazes of everyone, three Gray Hounds appeared from the thickets after roughly thirty
seconds. They were about sixty meters away from us.

“””Oooh!”””

The Gray Hounds stopped in their tracks for a moment. They were facing quite the
number after all.

“I will finish them off myself.”

I launched the three flaming arrows I prepared earlier. I tried to copy Alan recently
and the speed of my arrows has definitely improved.

The three flaming arrows sailed through the air and headed straight for the surprised
Gray Hounds. They tried to avoid them, but it was no use.

“”Oooooh!””

“”Splendid!””

“A wonderful show of skill, Your Highness!”

“Can somebody collect the magic stones please?”

“”I’ll do it!””

A number of the knights volunteered.

“It seems we have greatly underestimated your current prowess, Alan-sama, Your
Highness.”

“Alan and the rest are already keeping watch. As I said, there is no need for lookouts
anymore. Instead of that, I want to talk with you all about what you’ve experienced
this far. Let us discuss in earnest once the camp is ready.”

“Understood. Hurry and set up camp!”

Everyone started to move around the place in a hurry. I also moved along and went
over to the carriage in order to unharness Tarth and Syrah.

“Sharon, Selena, I’m sorry but can you two secure our dinner for tonight? The river
looks shallow so I don’t think there would be fish to catch,” Alan instructed.

“Roger.”

“Understood.”

“Alan, shall I also hunt some game for dinner?”

“It’s fine, Cleria. It looks like everyone is already anxious to share their stories with
you. Just stay here and keep them company.”

I suppose I shall do as Alan says. Sharon and Selena took up their rifles and slung them
over their backs. They then climbed on Tarth and Syrah and rode away to hunt.

“Would they truly be alright on their own, Your Highness? They look like delicate and
fair maidens.”

“Fufu. Sharon and Selena aren’t the delicate maidens you think them to be, Dalshim.
In terms of martial arts skills, they may be the strongest among all of us. They are even
more skilled than Alan in martial arts after all.”

“More skilled than Alan-sama!? My word…”

“I’ll have them spar with you all next time.”

Alan started making those earthen toilets he created last time with his Earth magic
spells. A crowd quickly formed around him.

“Your Highness, that is–!?”

“He’s making toilets for us. They are quite splendid by the way.”

“How truly amazing! I have witnessed the court mages create simple walls made of
earth before as well, but I have never seen them make structures that are so elaborate.”

Alan made three toilets for the men and one toilet for the women in less than twenty
minutes. He then started explaining how to use them to everyone. It looks like he
wasn’t going to put up earthen huts this time. Perhaps it’s because he may be able to
create enough for the party, but not for the rest of the knights. That’s so like Alan.

Alan then went over to our carriage and brought out a large metal plate. It was a flat
board with a length of more than one meter and a height of 80 centimeters. It was my
first time seeing it.

“What is that, Alan?”

“I had the blacksmith workshop make it for me. We’re going to use this to roast meat.”

Alan then made an earthen stove to place the metal plate on using magic and started
gathering firewood afterward. Gathering firewood would pose no problem since there
were a lot of dried twigs and branches scattered around the riverbank.

After a while more, Sharon and Selena returned with their catch. Two Big Boars that
looked to be at least 50 kilos each were pulled by Tarth and Syrah via rope. Selena and
Sharon also held one Big Bird each. As expected, the two of them really were quite
capable.

“Amazing! To think that they managed to catch this much in such a short time. You lot,
hurry up and help the ladies with the game and prepare for butchering them!”

“”Yes!””

A group of twenty knights received the hunted game and started butchering them.
Alan instructed them on how to properly cut the meat.

Flames blossomed on the bottom of the stove and the preparations for grilling the
meat was finally done. Everyone then gathered around the stove. Everyone probably
had not eaten a satisfying meal since they started traveling on the road. I have truly
troubled them.

“Cleria, it’s a bit early, but how about having dinner now?”

“Everyone! I’m sure we have plenty to discuss, but for now, let us have dinner first!”

“”Yes!””
Alan selected two of the knights as helpers and gave them metal spatulas. He then
started grilling the meat along with them. They used a simple combination of salt and
pepper as the flavoring. Perhaps due to the high heat of the flames, the first batch of
grilled meat was done in no time. I see. So that iron plate will allow a large amount of
meat to be grilled at the same time. The grilled meat slices were placed onto a large
plate. There were quite a number of tableware placed right beside the plate for
everyone to use.

“Please go ahead and sit, Your Highness.”

The knights set up some foldable chairs and had me, Dalshim, and Elna sit on them.
They then gave each of us a serving of grilled meat slices. There was a combination of
thin Big Boar and Black Bird slices on the plate.

The flavoring was simple but delicious. Somehow, I felt that the meat was even more
delicious than the meals that restaurants served. No, perhaps it’s the presence of
everyone here eating happily that has made me feel this way.

“Go ahead and eat as well, Dalshim. The meat is very delicious.”

“If you’ll excuse me then, Your Highness.”

Dalshim brought a piece of meat to his mouth and ate it. After about an hour, everyone
seems to have eaten their fill. Since it was already dark, the illumination magic tools
were brought out, and several bonfires were also lit around the camp.

Everyone then sat down with me in the center.

“I want to hear your report first. What is the situation of our comrades who have
scattered throughout the land and went into hiding?”

“Yes. They are doing fine for now. There have been no reports of deserters until now,
so I believe they are doing well for themselves.”

The one who answered was the current representative of my late uncle’s private
troops, Walter.

“I see. But I am more concerned about their families. I’m sure there were also a lot of
families that have lost their breadwinners as a result of the coup. What about them?
How are they doing now?”
“Roberto-sama has distributed the money he received from Your Highness as fairly as
he could.”

“I shall be direct in asking then. Was the money we sent enough or was it still lacking?”

“……Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough.”

“…As I thought. Well then, that means we have to do our absolute best from now on.
We have already managed to earn at least a million Guineas during our stay here. Once
we return to Gantz, we will send the money to them immediately. Will that be alright
with you, Alan?”

“Of course.”

“You are saying you managed to earn a million Guineas in such a short period, Your
Highness?”

“It was mostly Alan who earned the money though.”

“Wait, that’s not right. We earned the money as a party, okay?”

“…Yes. That we did. Is there anything else of import you wish to tell me?”

“The taxes in Starveek Kingdom have dramatically risen since the change in regime
and the people are becoming increasingly dissatisfied.”

“Ah, we have also heard about that as well. It’s all the more reason to retake our
kingdom as soon as we can. Anything else?”

“…Nothing else of import, Your Highness.”

“Alright then. I will now relay our progress during our stay in Gantz to you all. However,
we have not undertaken requests as adventurers in Gantz all that much as of now. But
we have managed to secure a Home for our new Clan and improved our magic skills.”

“Your Highness, the Home that you speak of is like our main base, correct? We thank
you dearly for doing so much for our sake. How many people can the new Home
accommodate?”

“The number of rooms can accommodate a total of 120 people if I remember correctly.”
Come to think of it, it actually seems that Alan somehow knew how many people were
coming over in advance. But perhaps I am just overthinking things.

“…Then all of us will be able to stay in the new Home?”

“That’s how it is.”

“That is wonderful! I was actually thinking of booking rooms at several cheap inns
once we arrive, but now we don’t have to. However, wouldn’t such a big building cost
a lot of money to rent?”

“Do not worry. Alan has negotiated with the guild chief of the Commerce Guild and
secured a discounted price for us.”

“Oh! As expected of Alan-sama!”

“And that’s not all. Alan also managed to negotiate for profitable designated quests
from the Commerce Guild. This bandit subjugation quest is one of them.”

“Oh! However, isn’t it reckless to attempt the subjugation of an entire band of low-lives
with just the five of you, Your Highness?”

“I understand why you would feel that way, but a mere thirty or so bandits are not a
problem for our party whatsoever.”

“Thirty!? Did you just say thirty, Your Highness?”

Everyone started getting restless.

“This is information Alan has scouted in advance. We will proceed to subdue those
thirty bandits tomorrow.”

“Uh, Cleria, I’m sorry. It actually seems that there are thirty-five bandits.”

“I see. Well, thirty-five it is then.”

Everyone started getting even more restless.

“What do you think, Dame Norian?”

Dalshim turned toward Elna and asked in an imploring tone. It’s not as if I do not
understand what Dalshim was trying to say. If you think about it under normal
circumstances, he truly had a point. However, our party, Shining Star, with Alan leading
us, can surely do it.

“I also think there would be no problems. However, that’s if Alan leads us.”

“Yes, I agree as well. If Alan wasn’t present, going for bandit subjugation tomorrow
would certainly become far more difficult. Reckless, even”

“Let’s just see whether or not it’s reckless tomorrow, Cleria. I will have everyone
participate tomorrow as well, so they will be able to witness our current prowess
firsthand.”

“Yes, by all means. Please let us lend our assistance. Well, if possible, we would like
you all to leave it to us instead, however…”

“No. It’s Shining Star that took up this quest in the first place. That just won’t do.”

“Cleria, Captain Dalshim, let’s discuss our plans in more detail tomorrow morning.”

“Understood, Alan-sama.”

Afterward, we related to everyone about how we attacked the orc settlement and
hunted down the General Orc, how we took down the Blue Serpent and the fact that
we were just recently all promoted to B rank. It got very lively.

“By the way, Your Highness. I have been curious about this since earlier. What are those
things you have pinned on your left chests?”

“Oh, these? These are Shining Star’s official emblems. They have the insignia of a
brilliantly shining star. They are great, aren’t they?”

“Yes! Such wonderful craftsmanship! Would it be possible for us all to obtain one as
well?”

“Of course it is. This is the Clan’s emblem after all.”

Alan got up and headed toward our carriage. Did he perhaps make more of our
emblems? But he couldn’t have made that many, could he? After a short while, he came
back carrying a large sack.

“It just so happens that I made quite a lot of those emblems, Captain Dalshim. Can you
please distribute these to everyone?”

“Oh! That’s wonderful! How many emblems are there in this sack?”

“I think there’s enough for everyone. I made quite a lot after all.”

“Understood. Alright, you lot! Form up into three rows!”

Three rows of expectant knights formed up in front of Dalshim immediately. Everyone

looked quite excited. Some of them attached their respective emblems to the pockets
of their clothes, and some pinned them to their left breasts just like us.

“Alan, just why did you make more than a hundred emblems anyway?”

“I thought the Clan’s members would increase sooner or later, so I made them in
advance. I’m a man who prepares and plans ahead after all.”

How very suspicious. I feel that Alan somehow knew just how many people would
arrive beforehand. It would still stand to reason if he just made extras just as he
claimed, but there was no reason to purposefully bring them with us at this time.

We decided to start our preparations by daybreak, so we turned in early for the night.
I had Dalshim refrain from assigning people for night watch duty as well.

“Alan and the rest’s scanning magic is very effective. They will immediately wake up if
monsters approach our camp, so there is no need to keep watch at night.”

“That’s–!…… No, I understand. It shall be so then.”

Even so, Dalshim and the rest still positioned themselves around us when we slept.
Well, I do understand their doubts.

The next day, after having the leftovers from last night as our breakfast, Alan gathered
the commanding officers among the knights for a strategy meeting. Well, we ended up
surrounded by the rest of the knights just like yesterday though.
Alan brought out a map that looked like a smaller version of the one he showed to us
back at the Home.

“First, take a look at this map. According to the info I managed to obtain, the bandits
have set up a lot of traps in this area. There are about twenty-seven to twenty-eight
bandits manning the various traps at a given time. The remaining seven or eight
bandits stay inside their hideout and stand guard over it.”

“If you have discovered their location, then why don’t you leave it to us to storm the
place?”

“No. The bandits have stationed several scouts around the area. If we went at them
with a great number of people, they’ll just run away and hide instead of engaging us.
Of course, since we know the location of their hideout, it’s also possible to surround
and corner them with our numbers, but that would take too much time. It would be
better and faster to take them out all at once.”

“However…”

“Dalshim, the Clan’s leader is Alan.”

“Yes! Forgive me for stepping out of line, Alan-sama.”

“We will make use of our carriages for this assault. If we remove all of the luggage, it
would be possible to fit fourteen people inside them. The ones who will board the
carriages will be archers and those who know magic or are adept in defense. How
many are magic casters among the knights?”

“There are seventy-five knights who are capable of casting spells. Shall we take care of
the personnel selection on our end?”

“Yes, please. In addition to the carriages, please form two squads with twenty people
each. It would be best for them to know magic and archery as well. If possible, they
should know their way around mountainous terrain and can trek up to them without
making too much noise.”

“Understood.”

“Our basic strategy is quite simple. The two 20-man squads will make a big detour
over here in order to position themselves behind the bandits. Once they are in position,
we will start traversing the road via the carriages. Once the bandits get baited into
attacking us, we will spring the trap and pincer them with the help of the ambush
squads. That’s about it.”

“How will we signal the attack?”

Alan pointed toward the sky and looked up. Everyone followed his gaze. A fireball
launched out from his finger and flew upward for about thirty meters, and then burst
with a loud explosion.

“”Oooh!””

“Let’s use this as the signal.”

“Just what was that spell!?… No, it’s nothing. Forgive me.”

“The ambush squads will be commanded by Sharon and Selena since both of them are
proficient in scanning magic.”

“”Understood!””

“Those who cannot join with the carriage squads and ambush squads will wait just
behind the highway and should rush out once the signal goes off. And that’s our
strategy. Any more questions?”

Alan swept his gaze around everyone, but it looks like they don’t have anything to add.
They don’t seem to have any more questions since it was quite a simple strategy.

As Dalshim and Walter organized the rest of the troops, preparations for unloading
the luggage off the carriages also went underway.

We tested just how many would fit in inside one carriage after we unloaded it as well.

“Alan-sama, we have finished selecting and organizing the squads.”

The squads were lined up in orderly groups. Everyone seemed to be filled with
enthusiasm for today’s operation. Alan walked around and scrutinized the newly
formed squads.

“Good. Let’s begin!”

An additional twelve people boarded our carriage with us since Selena and Sharon
will be acting separately.

At last, the operation has begun!

It has been four hours since we left the campsite. Our bandit subjugation mission
turned out to be a lot livelier than expected. Of course, if we wanted to simply capture
the bandits, us five members of the Shining Star party would be able to accomplish it
without any problem. However, we decided to let everyone fight together with us this
time.

These new Clan members would probably serve as the core forces for our plan of
uniting the entire continent in the future. Thus we will need them to gain as much
experience as possible, as well as learn to collaborate with us and grow. No, it’s
actually the opposite. We would need to learn from these veterans and grow as well.
However, it wasn’t necessary to put everyone’s lives in danger for the sake of training.
I will ensure that no casualties will occur.

It should be about time. I stopped our carriage and got off the coachman’s seat. The
ones behind me stopped as well.

“Ambush team, form your squads, and deploy immediately.”

“”Roger!””

Selena and Sharon rode on the carriages used by the ambush team. They would
contact me via comms later.

The team formed into two squads immediately and headed for the mountains in two
separate directions. Of course, I’ve already scouted the terrain with the drone in
advance. With the girls in the lead, they would be able to reach their positions easily.

After an hour or so, Sharon and Selena informed me that they were already in position.

“Yosh. It’s about time. We’re moving out.”

We advanced via carriages again and were now just 500 meters away from the
position of the bandits. I displayed the aerial video feed taken by the drone on a virtual
window. There were fourteen bandits on the left side of the road and another fourteen
on the right. I witnessed them chatting leisurely with each other as well. They haven’t
noticed us yet.

Selena and Sharon’s squads were positioned about 70 meters behind the bandits.
They would probably begin sneaking up on the bandits once we’ve closed the distance
further.

Once we were just 400 meters away from the bandits, a bandit scout up on one of the
trees finally noticed our presence. He quickly signaled to his comrades and informed
them to get ready.

We’re now just 50 meters away. Selena and Sharon’s squads have closed upon the
bandits gradually. They were now just 30 meters behind them.

“Fifty meters to target. One scout armed with a bow on top of the tree on the right.
Thirty meters from the scout are other bandit bowmen. There’s five on each side of
the road.”

Elna didn’t show any outward signs that she had received information about the
bandit’s positions. They were probably planning to surprise us with arrow fire first.
Let’s not give them the chance to fire their bows and take them out right away.

When we neared the scout’s position, he and the other bandits started raising their
bows but didn’t pull them yet. They also didn’t aim their bows on the right side of the
carriage where Elna was. They probably planned to capture Elna after noticing that
she was a beautiful woman.

I pointed toward the sky and launched a Fire Grenade spell. With the explosion as the
signal, I started the attack by launching Light Arrows toward the ten bandit bow
wielders I locked on to earlier. Next was the scout on the tree. After incapacitating him
with a Light Arrow, I shot down the arrow he fired with my rifle.

Everyone then jumped out of the carriages and bellowed a loud war cry as they
charged toward the bandits.

I stood on the coachman’s seat and scanned the battlefield with my rifle in hand.
Screams resounded one after another from the hiding places of the rest of the bandits.
It looks like Selena and Sharon have also begun their attack.

Elna blew away the bandits who ran to the highway in order to attack the carriages
with Air Bullets. Screams and angry shouts echoed along the road for a while, but they
soon died down.

The bandits were kicked out onto the highway one after another.

“Did somebody get injured!?”

It looks like there was no injured personnel this time.

“We really did finish them all in a flash, Alan-sama! I didn’t even have the chance to
make my move.”

Captain Dalshim sounded a bit regretful, but he also looked relieved because there
was no one injured among our men.

“I’m the same, Alan. I was late in getting off the carriage so I didn’t get to defeat even
a single bandit.”

Cleria sulked cutely on the side.

“Yosh. Disarm the bandits and gather them on one spot. Oh, and don’t forget to collect
the bandit’s belongings, including their equipment, weapons, and valuables!”

Sharon and Selena’s squads also came out to the highway. I checked up on them and
found them all safe as well. The ambush team played a big part in our success, so they
were all in an elated mood.

“Sharon-dono’s lead was splendid. We moved to a perfect spot behind the bandits and
caught them unawares the moment the signal rang out.”

“Selena-dono’s lead was more impressive! We were able to approach within an arm’s
length of the bandits without getting noticed after all.”

It looks like both of them managed to get along with their respective squads. I bet the
bandits were far too focused on the carriages so they failed to notice the threat directly
behind them.
When the ambush commenced, the remaining knights positioned behind the highway
also joined the fray, so the bandits stood no chance.

The surrounded bandits were all in a daze. Since I instructed that the bandits should
be kept alive if possible, there were none of them who were unable to walk due to their
injuries. The knights gathered them up and secured them all with the chain cuffs I
ordered from the blacksmith workshop.

“Let’s head to the bandit hideout next, Captain Dalshim. It’s about four kilometers east
of here. Twenty men should be enough to keep an eye on the bandits here. It isn’t
exactly necessary to bring a lot of men to subdue the remaining bandits, but there may
be items worth bringing back with us inside their hideout.”

“Understood.”

Captain Dalshim bellowed commands in succession and organized the knights. It

looks like one squad from the ambush team would be remaining behind.

We then entered the mountain and headed for the bandit hideout. After about an hour,
we finally reached an area near the bandit hideout. From the info gathered by the
drone’s multi-sensor, all the people present within the hideout were bandits, and
there was a low chance of kidnapped people being kept inside. We should finish them
off quickly then.

“That’s the bandit hideout over there. There are two guards outside.”

“…That certainly seems to be the case. What is our next move?”

“There’s only seven of them left. Let’s charge in openly.”

The guards noticed us approaching and ran inside their hideout in panic. The hideout,
which was another cave, was a dead end. The bandits had nowhere left to run.

We approached the cave openly and entered straight away. Of course, I was keeping
eye on the location of the bandits with the drone’s multi-sensor.

Once we arrived at a corner at the deepest part of the cave, I signaled for the men to
stop. I then called out to the cornered bandits.

“Oi! We have eighty men with us here. I’d just obediently surrender if I were you guys!”
“Shaddup! Jus try an get closer, ya bastards! We’ll skewer you full of arrows!”

This is just a waste of time. I copied what Elna did earlier and blasted all the spots
within the cave that provided cover with multiple Air Bullets. There’s no need to aim,
so it was pretty easy.

Screams like ‘Gyaaah!’ and ‘Arrrgh!’ echoed within the cave. Oops. I didn’t think the
spells would kick up this much dust. When the dust cloud settled, we found the bandits
sprawled on the cave floor. After seeing that, some of the knights behind me threw
themselves at the bandits and apprehended them all.

“Don’t forget to secure the loot, everyone.”

In the innermost part of the cave, we found several wooden boxes and chests piled
together. I wonder what’s inside them all.

“Captain Dalshim, check the containers and retrieve all that we can carry out.”

“Understood.”

Everyone started opening the boxes and chests one after the other.

“Captain! We found a locked chest over here!”

I and Captain Dalshim approached the knight who called out. Hm. It really was a
locked chest. And a pretty large one too. I took out my electromagnetic bladeknife and
cut the locks in two.

“Amazing!”

What was contained inside was a huge stockpile of Guineas, as I expected. Oh, aside
from Guineas, there were also gems, necklaces, bracelets, and the like inside. There
were lots of gold coins. Looks like we hit the jackpot.

This is the true charm of bandit hunting!

“This is quite the big haul!”

“Yes. It was worth coming all the way out here. Divide the loot and carry them out of
here.”
“Understood.”

Captain Dalshim continued checking the contents of each of the boxes and chests and
gave his orders. I wasn’t familiar with which stuff was valuable, so I refrained from
participating.

In the end, we only left less than ten percent of the items inside the cave. The loot was
divided between the eighty knights we brought with us and carried out. We then
walked back to the highway. It took us another hour or so. However, the knights didn’t
look tired at all. Instead, their faces were all radiant and their steps were light. Of
course, they would be happy. It was a rather good haul after all.

We loaded all the loot inside the carriages, secured the remaining bandits with chain
cuffs, and finished our preparations for departure.

“Yosh! Let’s go back to the campsite!”

“”Yes!””

We drove the carriages and traveled back. Hmm. It should be fine at this distance.

(D-1, go back to the cave and destroy it thoroughly. Make sure that no other bandits
will be able to make use of it as a base again.)

[Acknowledged.]

“Um, Alan… Did you hear something just now?”

“No, not really. What’s wrong?”

Wow. Elna has some really sharp ears. I’ll have to take note of this next time.
It took us five hours to get back to the campsite, and we arrived there a little over
17:00 hours. It’s begun to get dark already, so we decided to procure some wild game
for dinner first. Everyone’s spirits seemed bright, and peals of laughter rang out from
different parts of the campsite from time to time.

The captured bandits were all dumped 50 meters away from the campsite on Captain
Dalshim’s orders. They were all chained up securely and had five knights keeping an
eye on them. All the bandits were injured to varying degrees, and they slumped down
on the ground in dejection. It was probably because they no longer had any hopes of
making an escape.

Cleria was surrounded by everyone else and looked like she was having a great time.
The knights were eating happily while talking to her. They were probably talking
about today’s events. I and the rest of the Shining Star party were gathered a short
distance away from them to give them all some space.

“Oh, yeah. Hey, Elna. Why do some of the knights call Cleria ‘Your Royal Highness’ while
some simply call her ‘Princess’?”

“Oh, that. Well, it’s the members of the Royal Guard who use the appellation ‘Your
Highness’, while the members of the earl’s former forces call Cleria-sama ‘Princess’
instead.”

“What’s the reason for that though?”

“The men from the earl’s forces consider Cleria-sama as the rightful successor of the
Ludvic House first and foremost.

For them, who have pledged their loyalty to the Ludvic House, the status of Cleria-
sama as its heir is given more priority than her status as a member of the royal family.

However, it is undeniable that Cleria-sama is also the royal princess of the Starveek
Kingdom. This would normally not be tolerated, but since Cleria-sama allowed it, they
have continued to address her as ‘Princess’ till now.”

“…It’s quite complicated huh.”

“Cleria-sama swore to restore the Ludvic House to its former glory after all. One day,
she will surely revive the Ludvic House as a branch of the royal family.

That’s why, in a sense, she truly is a princess of the Ludvic House.

Hasn’t Cleria-sama discussed branch families with you, Alan?”

“No, I don’t believe she did.”

“I see… She will probably discuss it with you one of these days.”

Well, Elna’s already given me a gist, so it’s not like I need to hear the details again
anyway.

We then turned in for the night early and after deciding to leave first thing in the
morning.

The next morning, we departed from the campsite as soon as daybreak came. We had
a total of about 140 people traveling the road, including us Shining Star members and
the captured bandits. We probably looked pretty strange to other travelers. It would
probably be for the best if we sent some runners ahead whenever we encountered
another group of travelers to explain about us.

In the afternoon, we did encounter a group of twenty people. They seemed like
traveling merchants. However, there was no commotion raised due to the runners we
sent out. That didn’t stop them from giving us puzzled gazes though…

As we neared Gantz, we encountered more and more groups, but since we were near
a city already, at least they wouldn’t suspect us as bandits at first sighting. We had no
trouble the rest of the way.

And at two o’clock in the afternoon, we finally reached Gantz.

“Hey, stop right there! Huh, aren’t you guys from Shining Star? What is up with those
people chained up at the back?”

“These are the bandits we captured. There’s thirty-five of them. We caught them for a
request made by the Commerce Guild.”

“The Commerce Guild… Wait, don’t tell me you guys managed to catch all thirty-five of
them by yourselves?”

“No, not really. We had the help of the adventurers behind us. They are the members
of the new Clan we’re founding.”

“You mean all the adventurers lined up over there will be your members!? I thought
they seemed pretty organized, but… How many are they in total?”

“There are a hundred people all in all. We’d like to hand over the bandits first though…”

“W-Wait a moment! I’ll call some more men here. Just wait there for a bit.”

Of the two gate guards, one ran back to their station to report and fetch more guards.
After a short while, he returned with ten more guards in tow.

“Hou, this is…… So you’re the rumored Shining Star?”

Someone who looked like the guard captain called out to us.

“That’s right. I’m the leader of Shining Star, Alan. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“So I was told you managed to capture thirty-five bandits and brought a hundred
members for your new Clan back with you as well. Is this true?”

“That’s right, sir.”

“I see. My name is Guido. I’m basically the leader of this lot here. Best regards.”

“Thank you. We’re looking forward to working with you all as well.”

“We’ll need to borrow the chain cuffs you used to secure these bandits for now. We’ll
return them to the inn you’re staying at after we bring these guys to the holding cells.”

“Understood. Well then, can you please deliver them back to the Home previously used
by the Great Storm Clan?”

“Hou, so you managed to get that place for yourselves huh… Understood. Oi! Take them
away!”

The guards took the bandits off our hands.

“Captain! Please take a look at this guy’s face!”

A guard suddenly called out to the captain. I also tagged along to see what the fuss was
about.

“Hou, that sure is a familiar mug. Oi! Somebody get me the bounty poster!”

A guard ran back to the station and brought the bounty poster with him when he
returned. Captain Guido took the poster from the guard and brought it near the face
of one of the bandits.

“You’re the Black Wolf Kuntz, aren’t you?”

The bandit looked down on the ground and kept silent.

“Fine. We’ll pry your mouth open eventually. Take them away, boys!”

The guards finally led the thirty-five captured bandits away.

“So you’re called Alan, right? I have good news for you. That was a high-ranked bounty
target you got. The rest of them are probably Black Wolf members as well. You caught
quite a big fish.”

“I see. So they were a pretty infamous bandit group huh. So, how much are we getting?”

“Guys like him have plenty of people after his head. I’d have to check the current
bounty amount, so I can’t say for sure right here.”

I see. So it’s that kind of system huh. Man, bandit hunting really is profitable. Come to
think of it, we made quite a lot of money out of the first group of bandits we captured
a while back as well.

“You managed to nab quite a lot of them too, so we need about five days or so to settle
everything and calculate the final amount.”

“I understand. I’ll pay you a visit after five days then.”

“Please do.”

Since it would take quite some time for the guards to check everyone out, I entered
the city first to finish some of our business.

“I’ll go ahead to the Commerce Guild first. I’ll leave everyone to you, guys.”

I left the task of leading our new members back to our Home to the girls and headed
straight for the Commerce Guild.

In order to complete the request, we first need to hand over the captured bandits to
the city garrison and then report to the Commerce Guild. The Guild will then confirm
with the garrison, and if everything checks out, the reward will be paid.

I arrived at the Commerce Guild building and headed for the counter the staff told me
to go to.

“What is your business with us for today?”

“I’m here to report a request taken by Shining Star.”

“Alan-sama, correct? Perfect timing. Karina-sama is also here at the moment. Please
wait while I get her.”

The staff disappeared to the back office and Karina came out to greet me a few
moments after.

“Good afternoon, Alan-sama.”

“Sorry for bothering you, Karina-san. I actually came here to report since we managed
to complete the designated request.”

“Is that right!? I was actually a bit worried since you took up such a difficult request,
Alan-sama.”

“Thank you for your concern. Fortunately, we managed to fulfill the request without
suffering any injuries. We just handed the bandits over to the city guards earlier.”

“Understood. We will confirm it with the guard station later. How many did you
manage to capture, by the way?”

“Thirty-five bandits.”

“……Thirty-five, is it? It should have been quite hard on you all.”

“No, it wasn’t, actually. It was fortunate that we managed to meet up with the new
members of the Clan who were coming over along the road. We managed to safely
accomplish the request through their help.”

“Ah! The ones you told us were coming over to Gantz. That really was fortunate. So, I
take it that you managed to meet all fifty-eight of them?”

“No. There were actually a lot more of them than we first expected. A hundred, to be
exact.”

“……A hundred, is it… Yes, it’s a lot more than what you told us.”

“It’s great that we managed to secure a Home with enough space to accommodate
them all. Oh, right! We also managed to secure a lot of loot from the bandit lair. I was
thinking of selling them off, so could you please introduce me to a reliable channel,
Karina-san? Would that be possible?”

“If it’s alright with you, our Commerce Guild can purchase them ourselves. They would
be bought at the market price though.”

“Oh, then please go ahead. The market price is fine as well.”

“Alright. I will bring an assessor over to sort them all out. Would it be fine if we come
over at ten tomorrow morning?”

“Sure, go ahead. There is two carriages worth of loot by the way.”

“Understood. We’ll see you tomorrow then.”

After finishing my business at the Commerce Guild, I headed back to the Home. I found
everyone in the middle of handing off their horses to the groom and stable boys. It
looks like they haven’t entered the building yet.

“Alan-sama! You’ve managed to get us a truly splendid base. I am thoroughly

impressed.”

“It seems buildings of this size are a rarity even in Gantz.”

“That’s right. I was surprised that the rent for this place is only 70,000 Guineas per
month.”

“Oh, by the way, Captain Dalshim. Can you handle the distribution of the rooms for the
rest of the members?”

“But of course. Since Her Highness is staying on the top floor, we will assign the rooms
with her security in mind. What shall we do with the spoils we obtained from the
bandits?”

“People from the Commerce Guild will come tomorrow to take a look at them. Please
store them inside a room on the first floor and lock it securely. As for the gold, jewels,
and other valuables, please move them to the Clan office on the fourth floor.”

“Understood.”

The Clan office had a secure lock, and with this number of highly trained personnel,
stealing the gold and jewels from there would probably prove quite difficult for any
thief.

I saw the head of the employees, Sally-san, when we entered the building and called
out to her.

“Sally-san. I’m sorry for returning with this number of people all of a sudden. Can I
trust you to prepare dinner for us all? Simple dishes are fine. Just make sure everyone
would be able to eat their fill.”

“But of course, Alan-sama. I have already asked some of the staff to buy ingredients.
We will be able to serve dinner on schedule.”

“I’ll leave it to you then. Oh, and please bring out the wine barrels I bought the other
day for dinner as well.”

Now then, how about having a nice, hot bath.

The dinner was held in a buffet style. It’s the most appropriate for this number of
people. Everyone seemed to be having fun while choosing the dishes they preferred.

I and the rest of the party were sitting together while having dinner. Captain Dalshim
and Sir Walter were sitting near us as well.

“Captain Dalshim, can you do a brief introduction of all the men you brought with you
to me after the meal? I would like to start remembering their names as early as now.”

“Understood.”

I’ll be able to record all of their names on my personal database with Nanom’s help
anyway.

After everyone ate their fill, we had the staff clear out the tables. And when they
finished, I had the staff all go out so only the knights and us Shining Star members
remained. I also used my magic sensor to double-check if there were still people
around who could eavesdrop on our discussion just to be safe.

With Captain Dalshim’s lead, each of the knights introduced themselves to me and
stated their affiliation. The Royal Guard members were almost all from reputed noble
families, and the earl’s troops were composed primarily of people who were knighted
but had commoner origins. There should be a number of noble-born knights in the
earl’s forces as well, but they should have been chosen based on their ability and not
their pedigree.

Of course, I, Sharon, Selena, and Elna also introduced ourselves again.

Lastly, Cleria stood up and addressed the knights.

“I am honestly glad that you still call me ‘Your Highness’ and ‘Princess’ even now,
everyone. However, I am no longer a royal princess, but just a simple adventurer, Ria.
So I would like you all to address me as ‘Ria’ from now on.”
“”Yes!””

“Captain Dalshim, please gather the main leaders of your group and come to the Clan
office. I want to conduct a meeting with just us later.”

“Understood.”

My party members, Captain Dalshim, Sir Walter, and the six people they selected, all
gathered in the Clan office on the fourth floor.

“Tomorrow afternoon, I plan on going to the Adventurer’s Guild to officially register

our Clan. I’ve looked into the registration process and it seems that the Clan leader
and all the party leaders who wish to join him or her should apply together. This is
probably to prevent people from registering other parties into a Clan without their
consent. That’s why I’d like for ten people to accompany me in registering tomorrow.”

“Understood. In other words, you would like to form ten squads with the ten people
serving as leaders, correct?”

“That’s right. I want each squad to be roughly equal in strength if possible. Oh, and
we’ll have to decide on the party names of each squad as well.”

“Oh, actually, we already have an idea for that. What do you think about the name
Satellite, Alan-sama?”

Captain Dalshim declared the name they came up with while grinning good-naturedly.
Satellite huh? So they will be the satellites orbiting the shining star, I guess. I see. It
does seem fitting.

“It’s a nice party name. But there are ten squads though?”

“Then let’s just name them Satellite Squad 1, Squad 2, and so on. What do you think?”

“I’ll leave it to you then. Next, we’ll talk about our next plans. First, I’d like to continue
with the bandit subjugation. I would like to change the number of teams deployed
depending on the number of bandits we need to capture. For example, if we’re up
against 15 bandits, I’d like to send out 30 people, or in other words, three squads, after
them. For 20 bandits, we’ll send out 40 people, or four squads, and so on.”
There’s strength in numbers. The overall strength of our Clan consists of the skill of
the individual members as well as our great number. We’ll have to take advantage of
those as much as possible. And if you went up against enemies with twice their
number, the danger posed against the members would be lessened to a great degree.

“However, we’ll need a method to reliably scout out the rough number of bandits we’re
up against each time we sortie with that plan…… Wait! I see! So it was that kind of
plan. How splendid!”

I moved my gaze to everyone else in the room, and they all nodded in acknowledgment.

“Yosh. It looks like we’re all in agreement then. Alright then. I’ll leave the organization
of the ten parties to Captain Dalshim and Sir Walter since the two of you have a better
grasp of everyone’s abilities.”

“Understood. If it’s alright with you, we’d like to gather everyone in the dining room
again after this.”

“Sure. I’d actually like to participate as well, but I have something else that I have to
do right now.”

“Understood. Please leave it to us.”

The rest of the party were interested in forming the squads as well, so they joined up
with Captain Dalshim and the others.

The thing I needed to do tonight was to devise a learning plan for Sharon and Selena
in order for them to successfully cast healing magic. They haven’t learned how to do it
until now after all. It seems they just couldn’t constrict a satisfactory image in their
minds.

I actually sent them the video compiled by Nanom that I watched that one time, but it
looks like they couldn’t cast Heal by using that as a reference as well.

In my case, I used the video compiled by Nanom to gain some hints, and I created the
image of cute light spirits fixing up the cells of the body as my base to cast Heal, and it
was honestly kind of embarrassing.
However, I’ll need the girls to learn how to cast healing magic as soon as possible. This
is no time to be feeling embarrassed.

(Nanom, please create a holo-video to help in image training for learning the Heal
spell.)

[Acknowledged.]

(The main concept is light spirits healing a wound. First, let’s design the looks of the
light spirits. Please display a sample image for me… Uh, that’s not right. Not that kind
of slim and sexy fairy. Make them a bit more rounded… No, you just made them fat.
Ugh, fine. I’ll do it.)

There you go. Now, these are some cute and cuddly spirits. They sported transparent
wings and wore a white one-piece toga.

(Okay. First, let’s create a scene of the spirits playing happily in the spirit world. Yosh,
that’s nice. Next is a scene where healing magic gets activated. Everyone gets
surprised at first, but got themselves together and speedily went for their medicine
pots. The color of the pots should be brown. The magic medicine inside them should
be golden yellow. Next, the spirits all hoisted their pots under one arm and flew away
to respond to the mage’s call… Great. Please compile and edit all the scenes for me.)

Nice. Now, a short clip of light spirits having fun, and then rushing over to respond to
a mage casting healing magic with their trusty medicine pots in hand was completed.
It’s coming along quite nicely.

(Next, please use the video you compiled and zoom in to the damaged cells. Hey! The
expressions of the spirits haven’t changed y’know. Make them have expressions that
are burning with a sense of mission here. Ugh. Don’t let them fly haphazardly like that.
Make them fly in formation. Uh, use Fleet Formation B as reference.)

The expressions of the spirits finally turned more proper. The spirits flew in
Formation B toward the damaged cells. After a short moment, they finally arrived in
front of the cells.

(Yosh. Okay then. Have two spirits put a cell back together and another three apply
their magic medicine on the gaps. This is the most important scene, okay. As for their
expressions, make them seem like they’re seriously hard at work… Yes. Make them
rub in more medicine there. It’s fine if they empty their pots. No holding back.)
Nice. Now, a scene of spirits putting a torn cell together and applying plenty of magic
medicine to heal it was created. Yep, this is good.

(Make the number of spirits increase in accordance with the intensity of the light. Yes,
just like the video you compiled… This should be fine. Let’s review it from the
beginning. This time, let’s also add some BGM.)

After roughly 30 minutes, I finally managed to create an instructional video. Let’s

check it out first…… The last scene involves the spirit captain giving the audience a
heroic salute after a job well done and leaving dashingly.

Man. To think I actually had talent in something like this. I didn’t think I would be able
to produce a short film of such quality.

It’s the perfect reproduction of the image I use for the Heal spell. No, it’s actually even
better. With this clip, I’m sure the two of them will be able to master Heal in no time.

(Include a caption saying ‘Heal Spell Practice Reference Video’ and send it to Selena
and Sharon right away.)

[Done.]

After receiving a message from Alan, we snuck out of the meeting and went back to
our own room.

“Hey, Selena, did you already watch the video?”

“Of course.”

“…Is he playing a prank on us?”

“……I don’t think so. This was surely made with serious intent. We couldn’t cast the
spell even after all that practice, so I’m sure he made it for us after giving it a lot of
thought. Anyway, I’ll try to practice using this image.”

“I’ll practice too.”

Even after thirty minutes of repeatedly watching the video, I and Selena still hadn’t
managed to grasp the method to cast the Heal spell.

“Did Alan really use this image as a reference when he learned the Heal spell?”

“I’m sure he did!…… However, I can’t seem to concentrate because too much unrelated
thoughts keep popping into my head while watching it.”

It looks like it was the same for Selena. This video really was……

(Nanom, will it be possible for me to be put into a light hypnotic state while I watch
the video?)

[It’s possible.]

(Then, please do so.)

My consciousness became hazy. Now I’ll just have to play the video on repeat. Once
the image solidified in my mind, I muttered the spell’s name almost by instinct.

“Heal.”

Ah, rays of light are flowing out from my palm. Yes! I did it!

“Selena! Look at this!”

“Sharon! Just how did you do it!? Please teach me!”

I taught her the method I used, and Selena managed to succeed as well.

“Let’s report our success to Alan right away, Selena!”

“Yes, let’s go!”

“Can I have a little of your time, Dame Norian?”

The meeting in the dining hall had finally concluded. I was about to return to my and
Cleria-sama’s room when Captain Dalshim suddenly called out to me.

“What is it, Captain?”

“Can we talk for a short while?”

“It’s been quite some time since you’ve reunited with your comrades, Elna. You should
talk to them more. I will be returning to our room first.”

I found Dame Sasha, another one of my comrades from the Royal Guard, standing by
in the corner of the room. It seems she will take over my duties in watching over
Cleria-sama for the night. Sasha nodded slightly in response to my gaze.

“…I understand.”

Before I knew it, in addition to Captain Dalshim, Sir Walter and the rest of the knights
chosen to be party leaders of their respective squads gathered around me as well. I
wonder what they want to discuss with me.

“What is it you want to discuss, everyone?”

“It’s fine. You don’t have to be so tense. It’s nothing much, really. We would just like to
ask you a few things since you’ve been with Ria-sama and Alan-sama for quite some
time.”

I see. It was inevitable that some doubts will arise when acting with Alan and the rest
for the first time after all.

“Understood.”
“The first thing we want to ask is about that scanning magic Alan-sama, Sharon-dono,
and Selena-dono use. Just what kind of magic spell is it?”

I told them about the principles behind scanning magic and its maximum range that
I’ve heard from Alan a while back.

“Unbelievable! To think that kind of thing was actually possible!? No, I have no choice
but to believe after seeing it in action for myself, but it is still quite amazing that not
only Alan-sama, but even Sharon and Selena-dono are able to cast such a spell…”

“Alan, Sharon, and Selena are all part of the military in their homeland. It is probably
a secret technique that is taught only to soldiers like them.”

“The military that Alan-sama was part of should probably possess terrifying might. I
would never want to face such an army in battle. No. Since Alan-sama is a general of
such an army, there is probably no need for such worries.”

I had no choice but to agree with the opinion of Captain Dalshim. We will certainly be
no match for an army equipped with magical artifacts such as rifles and bladeknives.

“However, I am appalled that you are addressing Alan-sama, who will be Ria-sama’s
spouse in the future, without honorifics, Dame Norian.”

The one who chided me was Sir Derry, who was one of the longest-serving Royal Guard
members.

“That’s not it, Sir Derry. It was Alan-sama who permitted Dame Norian to address him
as such. Alan-sama is a very friendly person. Though it won’t be advisable once we’ve
founded our country, we should still strive to gain such a level of trust and rapport
with Alan-sama as well.”

“…Understood.”

“I understand that Alan-sama is a very accomplished mage, but what about his sword
skills? We were able to cross swords with him back in Gotania, but I was unable to get
a firm grasp because it was over in practically an instant.”

“Alan is a master of Corinth-style swordsmanship. As for his skills, I can only describe
them as transcendental.”
“I believe ‘Corinth’ is Alan-sama’s family name. I see. He is from a family that has
developed their own style of swordsmanship. However, Dame Norian. We still won’t
have a good grasp of his skill if you just describe it as ‘transcendental’.”

“In truth, I was fortunately able to witness Alan’s secret technique just for one instance.”

“”Secret technique!?””

“So you have already earned Alan-sama’s trust to such an extent, Dame Norian…”

“How was it? How strong was his secret sword technique?”

“It was absolutely overwhelming. I do not believe a person exists in this world who
can withstand such a sword technique. I will dare say that he is able to take on the
current sword saint and sword king at the same time.”

“What!? The Sword Saint and the Sword King at the same time, you say!? I cannot even
imagine what such a clash would be like… I see. So it is just that overwhelming…”

“Recently, Alan and the others have been teaching me and Ria-sama about the basics
of Corinth-style.”

“My word! To think Alan-sama is even willing to do such a thing. If that’s the case, then
we would also like to learn it if possible.”

“If it’s just the basics, I and Ria-sama can also teach you. Ria-sama has truly become
quite strong. I’m sure none of those present here will be able to win against her easily.
No, we might even lose to her if we’re not careful enough.”

“……Dame Norian. Are you truly saying such a thing? Will we really lose to Ria-sama in
swordsmanship?”

“Even I have lost to her after all. It was only one match out of ten, but it was still quite
splendid.”

“Ooh! How heartening! So she has already become so strong! She has grown so much
in such a short period of time… She must have trained really, really hard in order to
achieve her present strength… As expected of our lord. We will also train harder from
now on! There is no point to Royal Guards who are weaker than their lord after all.”
“”Understood!””

One of the reasons Ria-sama has become strong is because Corinth-style

swordsmanship suits her quite well. To achieve similar results through practicing
Divine Sword-style would probably prove difficult.

“By the way, I’ve heard that Sharon-dono and Selena-dono are actually better than
Alan-sama when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. Is that really true?”

“Yes, there is no doubt. Alan and the others call the martial art they practice the
Imperial Arts, which is a bit similar to the martial art we are familiar with, but also
quite different. The difference in ability between Alan, Sharon, and Selena is actually
not that large, but Alan has yet to win against the two of them in sparring matches
until now.”

“Do they spar regularly?”

“Yes. Ria-sama, Alan, and I are all taking lessons from them recently. However, I am
still treated as nothing but a child when it comes to hand to hand martial skill.”

“So Ria-sama is also learning from them as well. However, to think that a seasoned
member of the Royal Guards like you is treated as if you were a child… Just what in the
Goddess’s name is the army Alan-sama was affiliated with…?”

“No, it seems that those two are especially exemplary, even in their military. Alan told
me that Sharon and Selena are daughters of an exalted hero of their country.”

“”A hero!?””

“Yes. He told me that the hero was revered for standing her ground against thousands
of foes as she protected the citizens of their country. It may sound unbelievable, but
she was said to have defeated more than half of them during the struggle and let them
accompany her to the grave. It really seems that Alan holds a great amount of respect
and admiration for that hero.”

“Thousands… And all by herself even… What a hero indeed! It does sound unbelievable,
but it is someone even the blessed Alan-sama respects. Thus, it is most likely true…
Children of great heroes may not necessarily become great heroes themselves,
however, those two are certainly far from ordinary… Now I understand why Alan-
sama dotes on them so much.”
“I’ve heard from some of the men that the leadership and skills displayed by Sharon
and Selena-dono during the bandit subjugation were truly exemplary. It seems people
possessing the blood of a great hero are truly of a different caliber.”

“Perhaps. Ah, it is truly a blessing for us to have encountered such people! It seems
that the heavens are helping us in our cause.”

We all agreed with what Captain Dalshim said. However, I believe it’s mostly due to
Cleria-sama’s great luck and virtue that we were able to meet them. As expected of my
lord, Cleria-sama! There is no doubt that Goddess Ruminas is watching over her.

Everyone’s interest in Alan and the others was seemingly endless, and our discussions
continued deep into the night.

When I went to the bathroom to take a morning bath, I saw that people were already
present inside even though it was just at the crack of dawn.

When I asked them why they were up so early, it seems they want to register as official
adventurers at the Adventurer’s Guild as soon as possible. It looks like ten people from
the late earl’s army have not registered themselves as official adventurers yet. Maybe
they didn’t have a guild branch at the place they fled to.

Selena and Sharon were also able to learn healing magic smoothly last night. Well,
with the quality of that instructional video, it’s not unexpected at all.

I also sent them bruise and fracture versions of the video afterward, so Selena and
Sharon should be able to handle most injuries from now on.

Man. I should have made such videos from the start if I knew they were this effective.

Captain Dalshim already handed me a list of the party leaders and their members. I
wouldn’t be able to remember them all on my own, so I had Nanom record the list in
my personal database.

(Nanom, please display their names on top of their heads whenever a Clan member
comes into view. Oh, and please color code each party as well. Display the font of the
leader’s name in bold letters.)
[Understood.]

With this, I’ll be able to easily remember the names and faces of each of the Clan
members.

At ten in the morning, Karina-san finally came along with the appraisers sent from the
guild. I immediately guided them to the storage room where the loot was.

“Karina-sama, these boxes are surely–!?”

One of the appraisers appeared surprised when he saw the boxes which stored the
loot.

“Yes, they most likely are.”

“Is there something wrong with the boxes?”

“These boxes are actually something commonly used by the Commerce Guild to store
valuables and goods. We often use them in exchanges and deliveries between different
guild branches. In other words, these boxes were probably former properties of the
Commerce Guild.”

The boxes comprised about 70% of the containers which contained the loot.

“But there is no need to worry. This won’t affect the value of the appraisal at all. In
truth, Alan-sama and the others probably ended up taking revenge for the Commerce
Guild employees who have most like been harmed by the bandits to obtain these
boxes. For that, we thank you, Alan-sama.”

“It was nothing. We were just fulfilling the request after all.”

The guild appraisers checked the contents of the chests and boxes one after the other
and took memos. There were lots of magic crystals and strange raw materials taken
from monsters among the loot. They were probably being transported out of Gantz
when the guild employees got ambushed by the bandits.

They then placed ten precious gems, two necklaces, and three bracelets on top of a
table in order to do a detailed appraisal of them. The appraisers used magnifying
glasses in order to scrutinize the items. Once that was done, they went straight to
calculating the overall value of the loot.

“A price has been decided, Alan-sama.”

They then handed me a memo sheet. Guess I need to check it out first.

Oh! So we’ll get a total of 252,450 Guineas huh.

When I checked out the individual prices, one bracelet actually reached a value of
15,000 Guineas. It’s probably the one inlaid with lots of precious-looking jewels. A
majority of the most valuable items on the list were precious metals and jewels.

“Understood. This price is fine.”

I’m not too sure about the market price, so I’ll just have to trust Karina-san and the
Commerce Guild. I’m sure I’ll be able to judge for myself once I’ve gathered enough
data.

Karina-san immediately handed me 252,450 Guineas.

“Alright then, Alan-sama. We will be bringing them away.”

“Understood. Let us help you.”

When we went out to the corridor, I saw about ten Clan members passing by. Good
timing. According to the color of their names, they were part of Satellite Squad 8. Their
leader, Kenny, was with them. He was part of the late earl’s army.

“Hey, Kenny! Can you guys help with carrying these boxes out?”

“Understood!”

With the combined effort of 14 people, we were able to swiftly load the boxes and
chests on the Commerce Guild’s carriages parked outside the Home.

I thanked Karina-san for coming, and the Commerce Guild carriages finally departed.

“Alan-sama, how much did we get for the loot?”

Kenny asked me in a whisper.

“Don’t tell anyone yet, okay? We got 252,450 Guineas.”

I answered him in a whisper as well.

“Oh! That’s quite a lot.”

“Yeah. It was really worth all that effort.”

It looks like Kenny and the others were heading out to the Adventurer’s Guild in order
to register, so we parted ways.

We’ll all meet up at the Adventurer’s Guild to register the Clan at 13:00 hours, so it
would be nice to have lunch with the rest of the party somewhere before that.

I arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild along with everyone at the appointed time. The
entrance of the guild building was teeming with people.

Of course, most of them were our Clan members. They were probably standing by
outside since it would be too crowded if they all went in. Actually, they were still kinda
being a nuisance to the unrelated parties though…

This is a blunder. I could have avoided this by staggering our arrival time. It’s too late
anyway.

“Let’s hurry up and complete the registration, Captain Dalshim.”

“Understood.”

We finally entered the guild building and caught the attention of everyone inside.

“W-What’s with you all!?”

It looks like we caused trouble for the young lady receptionist. I saw her running
inside the inner offices to call some more staff. Ugh. Really. What a blunder.

“We came to get our Clan registered. The ones behind me are the parties that will join
the Clan.”

“Clan?…… Is that all?”

“Yes, that’s all.”

I saw the guild chief, Kevin, along with his usual entourage of male staff running out
of the inner office. As expected, they’re the ones who came out.

“What’s with all this commotion!?”

“Sorry about this, chief. We came to register our Clan.”

“……You’re telling me all the people behind you are your Clan members?”

“That’s right.”

“…Fine. Let’s proceed with the registration.”

“Alright, chief. Everyone, please submit the guild plates of the Clan leader and all of the
party members to us for verification.”

“I’m the Clan leader. And the party that’s going to join me is called Satellite Squad 1.”

I submitted my guild ID along with the IDs of Captain Dalshim and the others to the
guild staff. The guild staff began to carefully record our details on a ledger.

“All of them are C-ranks…?”

Kevin-san got a look at the IDs of the Satellite Squad 1 members and muttered in
amazement.

“We’ve finished the registration of Satellite Squad 1 into your Clan.”

“Great. Please do the same for Satellite Squad 2.”

The members of Satellite Squad 2 handed over their guild IDs.

“…Understood.”
“They are also all C-rankers…”

The rest of the parties registered in order. I had the ones who finished their
registration to return back to our Home so we didn’t continue to congest the guild
building.

“The registration of Satellite Squad 10 is finished!”

The guild staff looked kinda irritated. Sorry, miss. It was my fault for dragging them all
here to register at the same time.

“Uh, Alan, can I talk to you for a bit?” Kevin-san asked.

Since I was the only one he wanted to talk to, I had everyone return. He brought me to
the usual meeting room we went to before. There was only me, Kevin-san, and one
staff member in the room.

“So, who exactly are they, Alan?”

That’s a broad question, chief.

“We all met each other a while back and got along pretty well. We decided to gather
together here in Gantz to make a name for ourselves by founding a Clan.”

“I see… So, you’re saying that all 100 C-rank adventurers who came earlier are
newcomers like you?”

Wow. So they were actually all C-ranked. I didn’t really get to ask them before this.
Well, considering their previous jobs, I guess it’s to be expected.

“That’s right.”

“…You’re not telling me they all got evaluated as C-rank when they took the qualification
tests?”

“I’m not too sure, but that’s most likely what happened, yeah.”

“So that means their skills really are C-rank or above… Just who are they?”

“I cannot disclose anything on my own volition. I haven’t really heard all of the details
myself. How about you ask them directly, chief?”

“No, it’s fine. An increase in the guild’s manpower is a very welcome thing.
Furthermore, it’s an increase of a hundred personnel with skills rated C-rank, or
maybe higher. Can we count on you all to help out when there’s a need for your
strength?”

He’s probably referring to the compulsory quests the guild issues out from time to
time. The guild usually issues them in times of emergency.

“Understood. You can definitely count on us to cooperate.”

“Alright. Then please tell me the inn you are staying at. We’ll be coordinating with you
since you’re the Clan leader.”

“We’re staying at the former Clan Home of Great Storm. We’re now the ones renting
the place.”

“I did hear it was being renovated, but to think a new Clan will be staying there… So,
what kind of quests do you plan on accepting now?”

“We’re planning on continuing with the designated quest put up by the Commerce
Guild for now. Specifically, it’s a request for bandit subjugation.”

“The Commerce Guild… Well, you could probably accomplish that easily with those
numbers. Alright. That’s all I wanted to ask. Sorry for taking up your time.”

“No, we’re sorry for causing such a commotion as well.”

I left the Adventurer’s Guild and went back to the Clan Home.

Great. I’ve managed to accomplish most of my to-do list today. After this, I should
probably disclose the sale price of the loot to everyone over dinner and hold a brief
meeting. For now, let’s spend the rest of the afternoon leisurely.

When I arrived back Home, the field looked like it had turned into a battlefield.
Everyone was gathered on the square with wooden swords in hand, and are practicing
in pairs as if they were in a real battle. Why the heck did it turn out like this?

Elna was standing near the entrance gate, so I should probably just ask her.
“Hey Elna, just what happened here?”

Elna looked at my face and flashed me a wry grin. What’s with that? I suddenly got a
bad feeling.

“…I wonder. I don’t know what happened either.”

“Ooh! It’s Alan-sama! Perfect timing. Can you please teach us your swordsmanship just
like you did with Ria-sama and Dame Norian? Please! We want to learn from you as
well!”

My hands were pulled and I was brought to the center of the square.

“Everyone gather! Alan-sama is going to teach us about swordsmanship!”

“”Ou!””

Dammit! You set me up, Elnaaa!

What’s up with everyone suddenly wanting to learn my swordsmanship all of a
sudden? It looks like everyone gained an intense curiosity and admiration for my
swordsmanship style, and Captain Dalshim ended up proposing joint training through
practice matches.

And as the Clan leader, I couldn’t afford to lose in front of all of them. In order to
maintain my facade of superiority, I ended the matches in one, two, or at most, three
strikes. And I had to win against all one hundred of them.

Everyone was using the same swordsmanship style as Elna’s. Their swordsmanship
highly emphasized one-hit killing moves, but as a consequence, it had a lot of openings
to exploit. It’s great that Corinth-style can be used to deal with it somehow due to its
high number of sword strokes per move.

I was already running on fumes by the time I finished all the matches, but I somehow
managed to fool the crowd that I still had plenty of fight left.

Oh, man. That really was terrible. I’m gonna get back on Elna for this one of these days.
Mark my words.

When everyone finished bathing to wash off the sweat, it was already dinnertime. I
really wanted to drink some chilled ale, so I told the kitchen staff to serve me some.

And then, I saw a young girl carrying a tankard of ale from the kitchen with tottering
steps. Everyone was watching over the girl with warm gazes. She finally managed to
bring the ale tankard to where I was sitting.

“Bro.”

I’m glad. It looks like Ella’s doing well here.

“You’re really working hard, aren’t you, Ella?”

“Un! It’s fun.”

“I see. Good job. Do your best, okay.”

“Un.”

She went back to the kitchen with a spring to her steps. It looks like Sally-san and the
others are taking good care of Ella and her brother.

I called the attention of everyone after we finished our meals for the night.

“Everyone! I have something to tell you! The money we recovered from the bandit
hideout today has been counted, and we got a total of 310,000 Guineas. We’ve also
sold the other loot items for roughly 250,000 Guineas.”

“”Ooh!””

“We’ve also received the request rewards from the guild, and it amounts to 210,000
Guineas. The bounty rewards are also scheduled to be paid out soon.”

“”Ooooh!””

“I’ll announce the amount again once we receive bounty rewards.”

I want to distribute our earnings as fairly to everyone as possible. I’m sure that would
allow their motivation to increase more.

“Captain Dalshim. Can you gather the party leaders for a meeting on the fourth-floor
office again tonight?”

“Understood.”

After dinner, my party members and the party leaders of the other squads all gathered
inside the Clan office.

“Now then, there’s a number of things I want to discuss with you all. One of them is
the monthly wages of the Clan members. In your opinion, how much should be our
monthly wage?”

“Wage is it…? We’re already being provided both breakfast and dinner, so I think the
bare minimum amount should be just right. 500 Guineas should be more than
enough.”

But 500 Guineas seems far too low. It can’t possibly cover their daily necessities,
clothes, and lunch. If a person lacks money, it would not lead to anything good. It
affects their mental and emotional well-being as well.

“500 Guineas is too little. Let’s set it to 1500 Guineas instead.”

With this salary amount, they could buy themselves some alcohol or new clothes from
time to time. Everyone’s risking their lives and doing their best after all. They deserve
at least that much reward for their efforts.

Captain Dalshim looked like he still wanted to say something, but he held himself back
in the end.

“Alan, let’s set our own salaries to that amount as well. Actually, I haven’t really spent
that much money this past month.”

My party members all nodded in agreement. Well, I did only spend on our lunch, the
dress I bought for Ella, as well as the barbecue plate I commissioned. Hmm. A
thousand Guineas might be too much after all.

“Yosh. Let’s do that then. Captain, I’d like you to select two or three people who can
manage the Clan funds. And also, some who will be in charge of procuring supplies,
food, and daily necessities.”

Managing everything by myself has become quite a pain after all. I’m sure there are
more qualified people among the members than me when it comes to things like that.

“Understood. I’ll select some appropriate people tomorrow.”

“Yosh. Let’s discuss our bandit hunting activities next. Our numbers have grown large
so we don’t really need to deploy all our men to raid a few bandit hideouts. Having all
of the Clan members take action for that is very inefficient. Thus, I propose forming
two subjugation teams that will act separately.”

When I observed their reactions, no one seemed against the idea. I guess that’s to be
expected.
“I’ll also have the Shining Star party members split up accordingly in consideration of
even personnel distribution. I’ll go with one team while the four of you will go with
the other.”

“So we will have to act separately from you, Alan?”

“That’s right. Not to boast, but the strength of the teams won’t be balanced if we don’t
do something like this.”

“I guess so. I agree with your idea, Alan.”

It looks like Sharon and Selena agree with me as well. Cleria seemed convinced too
and nodded her head.

“I’ll lead one of the subjugation teams. As for the other one, I’ll have Selena lead it with
Sharon acting as her second-in-command.”

When I observed their reactions, there doesn’t seem to be anyone who had doubts
about my decision. It goes without saying for Cleria and Elna. Selena and Sharon
looked really pumped up as well.

“Do have any opinion about this, Captain Dalshim?”

“It would only be appropriate for someone who has a greater grasp of vital information
and the overall situation to lead the men out on the field. Thus, having these two ladies
who are proficient with scanning magic lead the men will be ideal. The two of them
already proved themselves during the bandit subjugation last time, so I imagine their
appointment will be more than welcome with the rest of the members.”

Fumu. I certainly didn’t expect things to go this well. The reasons Captain Dalshim
mentioned are truly part of the reason why I appointed the two of them for the
leadership role.

However, another vital reason was that Selena was next in rank after me according to
the imperial military system. If, for some reason, I happened to die, Selena would be
next-in-line to be appointed as captain instead of Sharon, and she will lead the
imperial military forces we will raise on this planet in my stead. In preparation for that
possibility, I would like to let Selena and Sharon accumulate as much leadership
experience as possible.
“Alright then. The subjugation team Selena and Sharon will lead will be called the A
Team. Mine will be the B Team.”

I spread the rolled-up map I brought with me on the table.

“Let’s talk about the bandit groups we will be attacking next. Please take a look at this
map. The bandits have set up their traps in these locations. They number about
eighteen. No more than fourteen of them position themselves close to the traps. The
remaining four remain on their hideout as guards. The hideout is located over here. I
plan to have the A Team handle them.”

“Roger.”

“Selena, go and take Satellite Squads 1 to 5 with you. You would need one day of travel
to reach the target, so you would need to spend two nights out on the field at maximum.”

“Understood.”

I’ve surveyed the bandit hideout and their positions through the drone and had Iris
compile them into a video. I’ll send it to Sharon and Selena later.

I already checked it out in advance, and honestly speaking, the video quality was sub-
par. I’ll have to teach Iris how to make and edit a higher-quality video sometime soon.

“The B Team will be composed of Satellite Squads 6 to 10. We’ll attack the bandits
hiding out in this location. They have twenty men. We’ll probably need to spend two
nights out on the field as well.”

I saw the party leaders of Satellite Squads 6 to 10 give the map a serious once-over.

“To be honest, attacking with our numbers should guarantee our victory. Our men are
highly trained elites, incomparable to these bandits. And they probably won’t be able
to withstand an attack with twice their numbers. I can’t really see us losing to these
guys at all. That’s why what I’m aiming for is a total victory. I’d like you all to give your
best effort in order to ensure that none of our men get injured and not lose anyone
during this operation. Our ultimate goal is still far from our grasp. We don’t have the
luxury of making mistakes at this point. Understood?”

“Roger!”
“Understood!”

“A Team and B Team will depart together by daybreak one day from now. In the
meantime, plan the most efficient and effective way to attack and secure the bandits
with your respective teams tomorrow.”

With that, I concluded tonight’s meeting. I’m quite worn out today, so I fell asleep right
away.

The next day, everyone gathered after breakfast in order to discuss the plans and
strategies for the upcoming bandit subjugation.

A lot of ideas got proposed, and after consolidating everyone’s opinions, we decided
to open with an Air Bullet barrage to disrupt the bandits, and once they are all down,
a separate group will rush in and disable them by hitting them on their weak spots
with wooden swords. We decided to make use of wooden swords instead of real ones
to ensure we only injured the bandits and don’t accidentally kill them.

We then proceeded to the square in front of our Home in order to practice our
coordination. Since a lot of the members can cast Air Bullet, both A and B teams ended
up with more than twenty casters each.

We practiced the cooperation between the Air Bullet casters and the rush-down
groups for a good while until we were satisfied. Now all that’s left is to put it into
practice out in the field.

“Alan-sama, do you have plans for this afternoon?”

“I have some business to attend to. We only have one enclosed carriage in our
possession, right? Using an enclosed carriage to conceal our men during bandit
hunting operations would be ideal, so I was thinking of purchasing more today.”

“Is that so…? Understood.”

Captain Dalshim looked quite disappointed for some reason. Wait. Don’t tell me…

“Oh! Selena-dono! Sharon-dono! Are you both free this afternoon?”

When Selena and Sharon said they were free, they were immediately dragged by
Captain Dalshim to the center of the square.

I knew it! It seems I dodged a bullet there. Phew…

I was able to quickly find a suitable carriage at the Commerce Guild. It didn’t look all
that aesthetically pleasing, but it was practical and sturdy. We should be able to use it
for quite some time. Its price was 20,000 Guineas, and I immediately had it delivered
to our Home.

Selena and Sharon were still busy teaching the knights Imperial Arts, so I pretended
to be busy and quickly ran inside our Home. I ain’t gonna go through harsh sparring
sessions with a hundred knights two days in a row, man.

The next day, the A and B teams departed from Gantz together and split up once we
reached the first split in the main road.

(Selena, Sharon. I’ll leave them to you.)

(Roger.)

(Understood.)

I sent a drone to monitor the status of the A Team from above so they should be fine.

Selena and Sharon looked pretty pumped up for this time’s mission. They re-watched
the information footages Iris compiled a couple of times and presented the refined
strategy they came up with to me for verification.

I didn’t see any flaws in their plans, and we expected a rather easy victory anyway, so
I guess there’s no need to worry much about them with this.

Our B Team had a rather uneventful journey and reached the area near the bandit
hideout on the second day since our departure from Gantz. Our strategy will be what
we previously used on our first bandit subjugation. We sent two ambush teams to
circle around the position of the bandits and will launch an attack after my signal.

“Start the operation.”

The two ambush teams started going up the mountain. From the drone footage, there
were eight bandits hiding within the bushes on the right side of the road and ten
bandits on the left side.

After confirming that the two ambush teams were safely in position, we started
advancing as well. The carriage and horses already made quite a lot of noise while
traveling, and I added to it by placing a bell on the carriage. The ambush teams will
make use of the sound of the bell to judge our distance from their position and advance
accordingly.

Even if a bandit or two notices that something was wrong, the ambush teams had
double their numbers anyway, so they should have no problem overcoming them. The
operation was nearly foolproof.

There were ten men stationed on the carriage. I and the party leader of Satellite Squad
6, Sir Novalta, sat on the driver’s seat. The remaining eight men were hiding their
presence within the carriage.

Due to the bell equipped on the carriage, the bandits noticed our group quite early on.
There was no lookout on top of a tree this time. I sent up a Fire Ball once we were only
ten meters from the bandit’s positions.

Frantic yelps and intimidating shouts rang out from both sides of the road along with
the sound of the spell’s explosion. We leaped off the carriage as well and charged
toward the bandit’s positions, but it was already over when we arrived.

The bandits were kicked toward the open road one after the other.

“It was over in an instant, Alan-sama.”

“Yeah, you’re right. We didn’t even have any chance to act.”

Once all the bandits were kicked out to the road, the ambush teams also showed
themselves.

“Was there anyone who got injured?”

It looks like there was no one who got hurt. We secured the bandits via chain cuffs
immediately. The bandits still looked shell-shocked. It seems what happened to them
still hasn’t sunk in.
“Yosh! Good work, everyone! We couldn’t have done this any better. Let’s proceed to
the bandit hideout then. Oh, and can ten of you stay behind here and guard these
guys?”

Everyone was excited about their success as we walked toward the bandit base. It was
about 3 kilometers away from our current position.

The hideout this time was quite unique. They actually built a large cabin on top of a
tree. It was a treehouse base. The construction was rough though, and it looked like it
wouldn’t be able to keep the rain and moisture away. Geez. If they were gonna build
something like this, couldn’t they have done a better job?

We surrounded the treehouse with forty men. We already knew there were two
bandits inside the house, but they still pretended to be out.

“Oi! We know there are two of you inside there! Just give up and get out of there
obediently! If you don’t, I’m gonna set fire to that house!”

……It looks like they were determined to ignore me. Fine. You got some guts, huh. I
aimed at one of the cabin’s windows and launched a small Fire Ball spell inside. We
heard some frantic noises. It looks like they were trying to put out the fire in panic.

“Oi! Don’t make me angry. I’m gonna spare your lives at least if you surrender now!”

After a short while more, the two bandits finally used a rope ladder to go down. We
captured them immediately.

“Yosh. Sir Walter, it’s time to search for the loot.”

“Yes, Alan-sama!”

We went up the rope ladder one at a time to ensure it doesn’t snap on us. There were
fewer items stored inside the treehouse than I expected. There were a few boxes
containing bows, arrows, foodstuffs, and alcohol piled up in a corner. I managed to find
a leather pouch with Guineas in it, but it contained less than 50,000 Guineas. Damn!
This one’s a bust huh.

We brought down the items that would be worth money using the rope ladder and
walked back to the highway. Oh, man. Since we didn’t find that much loot, everyone’s
mood seemed to be a bit down. But we did achieve an effortless victory, so it’s not so
bad.

I left the job of driving the carriage to Sir Walter and we traveled back to the place we
camped on last night. Selena and the others should have started their operation as
well.

I displayed the image taken by the drone flying above Selena’s group on a virtual
window. Their ambush teams were about to pounce on the bandits.

Selena and Sharon led an ambush team each. Selena’s group had Cleria, while Sharon’s
group had Elna with them.

They planned to spring their ambush once the carriage came into view. It looks like
they’re already in position behind the bandits eyeing the road.

As the carriage got near the bandits, the ambush teams carefully inched closer to them
as well. When the bandits started stringing their bows, Selena’s signal went up.

Just like what we did earlier, they also pounded the bandits with Air Bullets and
incapacitated them with wooden swords. It looks like they’ve finished. Well, that’s just
as expected.

They didn’t have anyone injured, so the operation was a resounding success. All that’s
left are the four bandits inside the cave they made into their base. I can’t see them
losing with that difference in manpower. I hope they don’t make any careless mistakes
though.

At 14:00 hours the next day, we finally arrived back at Gantz. We were stopped at the
gate by the guards again.

“Oi, uh… Hey, aren’t you Shining Star’s party leader!?…… Your party members just
came back earlier with captured bandits in tow, you know?”

“We also went out to capture some bandits. We acted separately this time.”

“P-Please wait a bit!”

The gate guard called for some support. Shortly afterward, several more city guards
arrived along with Captain Guido.
“Hey, it’s you guys again. Just what happened this time?”

“We just captured some more bandits. Here you go.”

“……Understood. We’ll need to borrow your chain cuffs again. Oi!”

One of the captured bandits started making a fuss when the guards tried to take him
away.

“You’re wrong! We’re not bandits at all. These guys just suddenly attacked us for no
reason!”

Captain Guido approached them to settle the commotion.

“It’s true! They just attacked us all of a sudden while we were traveling down the
highway!”

After taking the hint, the other bandits started kicking up a fuss as well. Captain Guido
held up one hand to silence them.

“Hou? A mistake, you say? But you lot don’t look like adventurers or merchants
though.”

“You can’t be serious! You’re judging us just based on our appearances!?”

“Now, look here fellas. Between you guys who definitely look the part of bandits, and
a man who’s both a certified B-rank adventurer and leader of a Clan boasting a
hundred members, who do you think I’ll be more inclined to believe?”

“Huh!?”

“Okay then. If you insist you guys are innocent, then obediently subject yourselves to
questioning. If you manage to withstand our interrogation methods, maybe I’ll think
about it. No one has ever managed to last that long by the way. Bring them in, boys!”

The bandits were forcefully taken away even as they made a loud racket.

“Nice work, everyone. We’ll return you the cuffs right away after we’re done with them.”

“Understood.”
I felt that I managed to witness a glimpse of the harshness of this world just now. How
people judged good and evil here was pretty ambiguous after all and could be
influenced by one’s authority and backing. But in this case, it would have been better
if those guys didn’t perform that little act of theirs. There could have been better
options.

When we arrived back at our Home, we found that Selena and the others had just
returned as well.

“We managed to come back safely, Alan. There wasn’t anyone who got injured.”

“That’s great. Good job.”

Selena and Sharon looked really happy.

“We were able to secure a lot of loot! They’re worth over 150,000 Guineas. What about
you, Alan?”

Oh, so Cleria and the others managed to hit it big huh…

“Uh, we did okay, I guess. Isn’t that right, Walter?”

“……Um, yes. It was pretty okay.”

[It’s the Bugs, Commander.]

I was jolted awake by the loud volume of the emergency alarm.

Bugs! Ah, just how unlucky was I…?

A week ago, I was just appointed as the commander of the Tau Vegas 2 star system
defense fleet, but I’m really down on my luck to encounter Bugs just after a week of
service here.

(Teo, give me their numbers and current distance.)

[One fleet. BG-I cruisers. Ten ships. Distance, approximately 30,000 light-seconds.]

It wasn’t the worst-case scenario yet.

(Attention, all ships. We’re entering Alert Level 1. I repeat, we’re entering Alert Level
1.)

If it’s just against that many, our fleet here might be able to manage.

Although we’re called a defense fleet, we only had three Satellite-class destroyers and
a single Star-class heavy cruiser「Teo」under my direct command. In other words,
we were more like a single squadron than a proper fleet.

(Call the colony planet governor-general, um, His Excellency Cheetos. Slap him awake
if you have to.)

I hurriedly changed into my commander’s uniform and impatiently waited for the
governor-general. A sleepy-looking male finally called me through the comms. He
looked quite irritated. He’s the so-called governor-general here, but he’s most likely
nothing more than a washed-out politician who lost in the nasty political battles in the
central capital of the Adele government and got thrown out here. This was an extremely
out of the way place with a population of a mere 20,000 imperial citizens. It was an
out and out demotion.

[Just who in blazes are you, woman!? Just what time do you think it is!?]

“I’m the commander of the Tau Vegas 2 garrison fleet, Lieutenant Colonel Iris Conrad.
The Bugs have appeared here.”

[W-What did you say!?…… Why! They haven’t shown up here for the longest time! Are
you sure about your info?]

“There’s no mistake. Please start evacuating the citizens immediately. In this case
Evacuation Plan C would be the most appropriate.”

[C, you say!? But isn’t that issued only once the colony planet is judged to be unable to
avoid being destroyed!? No, absolutely not. I have finally managed to begin standing
up again. If we abandon this place, I really will have nothing left! It would take years
and years for me to recoup my losses once again!]

“But once the Bugs appear, it would be your life that would be at stake.”

This planet was just a small colony with scarce resources. They will never be able to
afford the loss of an imperial garrison here. The colonial program might even be halted
for years after this incident.

[Lt. Col. Conrad, I order your fleet to do something about it straight away!]

Is this guy crazy? Does he not understand the current situation? It’s already a race
against time. If he cannot even tell the difference between a regular fleet and a small
squadron of three destroyers and one heavy cruiser, it would be a waste of time to
explain further.

“Your Excellency, as the commander-in-chief of this star system, I request that you
implement Emergency Evacuation Plan C under Article 8, Paragraph 3-A of the
Imperial Military Codex.”

[Did you not hear me? I’m telling you to do something about those damned Bugs with
your fleet!]

“Then may I take this as a rejection of my earlier appeal?”

[Enough! Hurry up and do something already!]

Either this man was confused by the sudden emergency situation, or he’s just plain
idiotic. Just how did such a dimwitted man become a governor-general?… This may be
a sign that the empire’s glory is already starting to fade.

“Well then, I move to implement martial law on the entire Tau Vegas star system,
effective immediately.”

[W-What did you say!? You can’t be serious!?]

(Teo, what is the name of the star system Colony Planet Athena is part of?)

[Vegas, ma’am.]

“Vegas. Did you manage to hear that clearly, soldier?”

[Yes, ma’am.]

“As of now, you are hereby placed under my direct command.”

[Yes. Acknowledged.]

“I will temporarily relieve Governor-general Cheetos of his authority henceforth.

Execute Evacuation Plan C and start gathering the citizens immediately.”

[Understood!]

“Once the evacuation is complete, destroy all the important facilities as per standard
protocol.”

[Yes, ma’am.]

I ignored Cheetos who was kicking up a fuss and cut off communications. I wrapped
my VR terminal around my neck.

(Teo, are the captains ready?)

[They are already on stand-by.]

In the next moment, I found myself sitting in the virtual meeting room of my fleet.

“I take it that you’ve already been briefed about the situation, gentlemen?”

The three ship captains under me nodded their heads.

“For now, we need to intercept the Bug fleet.”

“But can our four ships actually handle them?”

“We don’t have a choice but to engage them anyway. Get ready to sortie!”

“”Roger!””

I found myself back in the real world after a short instant.

I hurried out of the captain’s quarters and proceeded to my ship’s bridge. When I
arrived, the bridge crew were already seated. I promptly sat on the captain’s seat and
gave my orders.

“Immediately advance to intercept the Bug fleet. Starship Formation 1. Maximum

combat speed.”

“Aye, ma’am. Starship Formation 1. Maximum combat speed. We will engage the
enemy in approximately 50 minutes.”

(Teo, do you have any good strategies to propose?”

[Tactic Sigma 1 that Captain is currently studying might be a good option, considering
the relative firepower and speed of our opponents.]

Sigma 1 was a fleet maneuver that involves encircling the enemies and kiting them
from a medium distance while orbiting them at high speed. The firepower of this Star-
class heavy cruiser [Teo] does trump the enemy BG-I cruisers, and the Satellite-class
destroyers aren’t far off either. However, our advantage in overall firepower is offset
by the Bug’s speed. Thus, this tactic might be the most appropriate.

We are now about to engage with the Bug fleet.

“By my authority, I order that the tactical systems of all ships be connected to Teo
immediately.”

“Connection complete.”

“Begin Tactic Sigma 1.”

“Executing now.”

In fleet battles, human intervention was quite minimal. The FCS of all weapon systems
was handled by the ship AIs, so there’s very little room for human intervention. Thus,
fleet battles are more of a head to head between our ship’s AIs and the Bug ship’s AIs.

Of course, the overall performance of our AIs is superior, so we hold an advantage in

a sense, but the Bug fleet had three times our number. We can’t make even the tiniest
mistake, or it’ll cost our lives.

Our squad started to circle around the Bug fleet at maximum speed.

“First ship, down.”

“Oh!”

“Second ship, down.”

“Yes!”

It looks like Tactic Sigma 1 really was effective. We started bringing down Bug ships
one after another.

“Bug fleet, only three ships remaining… Bug fleet, all ships down.”

“Oooh!”

“We did it!”

“Immediately head back to Colonial Planet Athena’s orbit to assist in the evacuation
efforts. Cruising Speed 1”

“Aye, aye, ma’am.”

The bridge crew looked at me with gazes filled with respect, but I really didn’t do
anything. I did indeed study the tactic we used, but it was Teo that implemented it
perfectly.

The colony ship that people rode when they first came to this system was repurposed
as a space station orbiting the colonial planet. However, since it hasn’t been that long
after this planet’s colonization, both cold sleep and hyperspace navigation functions
were still available, so it can be used as an evacuation vessel in case of an emergency.

But since the population has increased, it may be necessary to split the citizens
between it and our three Satellite-class destroyers.

Three shuttles were used to send up people via piston drive, and more and more
citizens were brought into space.

A week later, the evacuation process was proceeding smoothly, and almost all of the
20,000 citizens were already sent up to orbit. The ones sent up have already boarded
the colonial ship, and there was a little bit more room for some people from the last
returning shuttle to squeeze in. However, the colonial ship will not be able to
accommodate everyone in the end, so it was necessary to send the remaining citizens
to the destroyer.

[It’s the Bugs, Commander.]

(Yes…… Number and position?)

[BG-III-class cruisers, 16 ships. Distance, approximately 40,000 light-seconds.]

What rotten timing. Just a little bit more and the evacuation would be complete…… My
Star-class heavy cruiser won’t be able to compete with 16 BG-III ships that were far
larger and sported more firepower than BG-Is. The BG-IIIs completely outstripped the
Satellite-class destroyers in terms of firepower and speed as well. We won’t be able to
handle them even if we fought with all we had. If we just had another Star-class, then
maybe…

Just what should we do? We will be able to complete the evacuation with just one more
return trip from the three shuttles.
(Teo, how long would it take to complete the evacuation process and escape to
hyperspace?)

[Approximately one hour and thirty-two minutes.]

That long!?

There are still more than six hundred people scheduled to board the shuttles. More
than six hundred people…

I watched the monitor and saw the people hurrying to board the shuttles on the
surface. I zoomed in on the image feed. I saw many children among those who were
evacuating.

First, let’s have the colonial ship depart immediately. There’s no merit in keeping it
here. I promptly gave the order.

The people boarding the shuttles on the surface of the planet had no choice but to take
the destroyers now.

(Teo, can the three destroyers accommodate all the people from the three shuttles?)

[It’s possible.]

(What about the crew of this ship? Will they be able to squeeze in as well?)

[There will be no problems.]

(Please contact the captains for a meeting.)

After a short while of waiting in the virtual meeting room, the ship captains under me
appeared one after the other.

“I shall try to buy some time with Teo. Wait for the shuttles to return to orbit, and once
they’ve all boarded, immediately head for the Daks imperial base. Oh, and I’ll have the
rest of my crew board each of your ships as well.”

“You can’t be serious, ma’am!? Please allow us to fight with you!”

The other captains were of the same opinion.

“Adding three Satellite-class destroyers to intercept them won’t make much difference
anyway. And I am the commander of this fleet. So obey my orders. If I fail to stall them,
leave immediately without waiting for the shuttles. Captain Kurz, make sure to lead
them well. As the next highest-ranking officer after me, you will now be in charge. Is
that understood?”

“……Understood.”

“Alright then. It has only been for a short while, but I am truly glad to have served with
you all. Good luck.”

“”Good luck as well, Commander!””

I returned to my captain’s seat in reality.

Of course, I knew that the most rational decision I could make as a military officer was
to abandon the shuttles and leave immediately.

However, I, personally, cannot bring myself to do that. I’m a failure of a military officer.
At the very least, let me make up for this lapse in judgment with my utmost effort.

“All personnel, abandon ship! Start evacuating everyone to the other fleet ships at
once.”

“Captain!?”

“That’s an order, XO.”

“But–!”

“I’m going to buy us some time. Please, Sarah. Listen to me.”

“………I understand, Iris. All hands! Abandon ship!”

The bridge crew gave me one final salute and started to evacuate. I also gave them a
crisp salute in return.

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I’m going to have you come with me, Teo.”
[It’s fine. I’ll accompany you till the end, Captain.]

“Declare a first-class state of emergency. Teo, ignore normal regulations and release
the limiters of all the systems of the ship.”

[Limiters are off, Captain.]

With this, I should be able to put up a decent fight even by my lonesome.

Before long, all of the ship’s crew have managed to escape via the landing crafts and
started heading for our allied ships. However, I had them leave the combat bots usually
assigned to the landing crafts behind.

“Now then, let’s head for that Bug fleet. Maximum combat speed. I’ll leave the system
controls to you.”

[Roger.]

The Bug fleet was acting warily. They were slower than usual. Well, that’s convenient.

We will soon have them within firing range.

“Tactical Maneuver Sigma 1, commence.”

[Roger.]

We started circling around the Bug fleet at maximum speed and attacked them from
medium range. As expected, BG-IIIs really are different from BG-Is. This won’t be easy
at all.

[One ship, down. The attack trajectories of the Bug ships seem odd. They seem to be
recalibrating their aim constantly and are trying to disable us.]

As I thought! It’s just as I predicted. I banked on the possibility that they will act like
this when faced with just a lone ship. The Bugs greatly desired humanity’s tech after
all. They are probably thinking of acquiring this ship so they are trying not to overly
damage it. Of course, even if this ship gets shot down, the Bugs still won’t get their
filthy hands on it. The moment we get incapacitated, Teo will activate the self-destruct
sequence according to protocol.
If I can just shave off a couple more from their number…

When I managed to shoot down an additional five ships, their attack patterns finally
changed. It looks like they won’t be permitting any more losses. I guess this is how far
we can go with this strategy.

“Prioritize evading their attacks while exchanging fire.”

[Roger.]

“How much time left before the evacuation is finished?”

[The shuttles have reached orbit and the transfer of passengers has started. I estimate
that it will take approximately 36 minutes until they can escape via hyperspace
navigation.]

So there are still 36 minutes left. We’ve ended up coming pretty close to the colony
planet. Just how long will we be able to last at this rate?

Even when we prioritized evasive maneuvers, we still managed to shoot down one
more enemy ship. There were nine ships left. At this rate, we’ll be pushed back near
the orbit of colony planet Athena, and it will end up within enemy range. But there’s
still 25 minutes to go before they can make their escape.

“Can you cause a localized explosion near the engine remotely?”

[It’s possible.]

“Okay. Try to make it appear as if we got hit by one of their attacks and detonate an
explosion. Bring down the shield as well.”

[Are you sure, Captain?]

“There’s no other way to get their attention.”

[Understood. I will execute it now.]

This is a very risky bet. I couldn’t think of any other way but this.

We evaded a couple more attacks from the Bug fleet and made a sudden sharp turn at
maximum combat speed. After gaining some distance, vibrations rocked the ship. Teo
must have already set off a localized explosion. What is the reaction of those damned
Bugs?

Yes! They bit the bait! All nine ships turned back to encircle Teo. Yes, this is fine. I was
worried they would end up splitting their forces in half. It looks like they really want
human tech for themselves.

“Activate all combat and general-purpose bots. Have them defend all passageways
leading to the bridge.”

[Roger.]

They would probably have a hard time eliminating the bots while trying not to cause
too much damage to the ship.

“If the Bugs try anything funny and attempt to access the main system, immediately
activate the self-destruct protocol.”

[Understood.]

“You can jam the communication systems of the Bugs, right? Make sure no information
leaks out. Activate the self-destruct protocol at your discretion.”

[Understood.]

The Bugs had three of their ships approach Teo and extended something that looked
like a boarding passageway to infiltrate the ship. They broke through the ship’s hull
and started infiltrating. They seemed pretty efficient for mere insects. They probably
planned all this in advance the moment we engaged them with just one ship.

They immediately entered combat with the combat and general-purpose bots
guarding the main passages. Only 15 more minutes to go.

Unexpectedly, the Bugs didn’t seem afraid of causing damage to the ship. They sent
wave after wave of armored insect soldiers to engage the defending robots. The
combat bots were already beginning to suffer large losses. Ten minutes more.

The Bugs finally made it in front of the bridge. They immediately destroyed the
reinforced sliding door by tearing it with their claws. So these are the enemies of
humanity – the Bugs. It’s my first time seeing them alive like this. All I saw before were
dead specimens sent back for research. Six minutes more.

The ones that entered were basic Beetle Type IIs. They had a horrifying figure covered
in messy hair filaments and rugged carapace. Their entire body looked slimy and
greasy. And the smell! It made me want to throw up a thousand times over.

They invaded the bridge en masse. They looked like they were talking with each other,
but all I could hear were bizarre clicking noises. Then one of them started fiddling
with a tiny box-like device.

“System, hand over.”

A Bug spoke!? Precisely speaking, the voice was from the tiny device, but still…

(What’s going on!? How did these Bugs get a hold of our language?)

[This is just my conjecture, but this may be proof that a certain unsavory rumor was
true.]

Rumor? Oh, that rumor huh… There was a claim saying that the Bugs might have
captured a great number of humans and brought them back to their home-world.

It stemmed from the fact that the number of those reported missing after attacks on
colony planets did not match the number of corpses recovered to a significant degree.
According to that rumor, the Bugs apparently raised humans akin to livestock and
were treated as gourmet foodstuffs back in their home-world. To think there was a
possibility of that being true…

I definitely don’t want to end up like that though…

“System, hand over.”

So that little box is some sort of translator device? They seem to want me to hand over
the systems of the ship.

They seem to be getting impatient.

“No!”
“System, hand over. Otherwise, kill.”

“Go ahead and kill me then.”

It seems the Bugs were confused when I told them to kill me without hesitation. The
frantic clicking noises they make is getting on my nerves.

“System, hand over. If you don’t, I, eat your hand.”

Eat my what now? Oh, was it threatening me? Did it think the reason I’m not self-
destructing immediately was that I wished to live? Ah, the foolishness of these Bugs is
one of the saving graces for the human race. It would be terrible for humanity if they
were even just a bit smarter.

“No, don’t eat me!”

I don’t know if the Bugs actually understood human emotions, but I pretended to
shake uncontrollably to signify fear. I’m sure these bastards are having a blast
watching me.

“No, will eat. System, hand over.”

“I won’t hand over the system, but please don’t eat me.”

“Will eat. System, hand over.”

“I won’t hand over the system, but please don’t eat me.”

It looks like it finally realized I was making a fool out of it. It grabbed one of my arms
and chewed it up starting from the fingers. I screamed as loud as I could. One minute
more.

…4, 3, 2, 1. I stopped screaming immediately. I had my nanoms cut off my sense of pain
earlier, so I naturally didn’t feel a thing.

(How long before the reactor goes critical?)

[We can go out right now if you like, Captain. But for maximum effect, three minutes
more would be ideal.]
I see. Alright then. I guess there’s enough time for me to finish handing over command.

[Captain Kurz.]

The image of Captain Kurz, who was currently sitting on the captain’s chair of the
destroyer under his command, went up on the screen. My former XO, Sarah, was
standing by his side. She was crying profusely. My current appearance might be a bit
too much for her.

The situation on my ship was monitored by all of my former subordinates, so they

must have seen the entire thing.

The Bugs got surprised when the screen suddenly turned on and were making a
racket. Ugh, so noisy. The scum that was happily munching on my arm finally released
me.

“Captain Kurz, I now fully relinquish command of the fleet to you.”

[… Understood, ma’am.]

“Stay safe, Sarah.”

[Uu… Captain!]

Sarah was a friend who’s been with me since I was first assigned as the captain of an
imperial destroyer.

“I’m sorry Captain Kurz, but can you help me send a video message?”

[Of course ma’am. We can depart via hyperspace drive anytime so there’s absolutely
no problem.]

“I’ll send it to you later then.”

I cut the comms. The Bugs were still clicking and clacking in confusion.

“Teo, my appearance is a bit unsightly, so can you edit the video so I’d look like I was
inside the captain’s quarters in civilian clothes? Edit out the clicking sounds too of
course.”
My left arm ended up getting eaten right up to the elbow. I can’t show such a thing to
my family.

[Understood. Go ahead, Captain.]

“Selena, Sharon. Are you doing fine, girls!? I got the sketch you sent me! You drew it
very well! Mama was really surprised! But Mama’s busy with work, so I won’t be able
to come home for a while. I’m really sorry. Be good girls and listen to Papa always. I’ll
leave them both to you, okay, Aaron? I love you……… And cut.”

The Bugs seemed taken aback by my sudden actions. They looked pretty confused
when I made my best smile and waved goodbye cheerfully.

I didn’t think I would actually record a holo-video for my family under the eyes of
dozens of Bugs… You really never know what life will throw at you next, huh.

[The reactor has reached critical mass.]

“I see. I’ve been in your care, Teo.”

[No. It was my pleasure to serve under you, Captain.]

I ran my gaze to the surrounding Bugs. They still looked absolutely bewildered. Oh,
and I suppose I should thank them for allowing me to shoot a holo-video without any
disturbance.

“Okay then, you lot! I’ll see you all in hell!…… Detonate!

Five of the nine Bug ships got caught up directly in the explosion and got thoroughly
destroyed. The other four heavily damaged ships were brought down by the three
destroyers with a vengeance.

The Imperial Military High Command praised Lt. Col. Iris Conrad for her heroic actions
and gave her a posthumous promotion to Brigadier General.

And when the last video message of the Brigadier General got mysteriously leaked
from the imperial military database, which never allowed any sort of data leak until
that point, it immediately spread throughout the known galaxy and caused a massive
commotion. It was then decided that the Brigadier General would be given the highest-
ranked imperial military medal; the Great Galactic Cross.

After this, it was also decided that the next-gen Galaxy-class dreadnought being
constructed at the time will be christened as the Iris Conrad, in commemoration of the
fallen hero.
“We’ve managed to return safely today as well, Alan-sama.”

“Yes, thankfully. There wasn’t a lot of loot this time, but it’s still good that everyone
managed to come back in one piece.”

“The loot is still satisfactory nonetheless.”

Walter has been using the word ‘satisfactory’ a lot recently. He might be just trying to
console me about the lacking loot anyway. I’m not really that hung up on the amount
of our loot anyway. I just wish to have everyone’s efforts rewarded more because
we’ve been basically risking our lives all this time.

We just came back from another round of bandit hunting and had just reached Gantz’s
gates. When we lined up behind a merchant who was currently undergoing the
customary inspection, one of the gate guards immediately noticed us, made a panicked
face and rushed to the guard barracks again.

When the merchant and his caravan finally finished undergoing the inspection,
Captain Guido and the other guards were already waiting for us to come forward.

“You’ve gotten quite a haul again this time, Alan.”

“Yes. We managed to capture two bandit groups this time. These guys are one group,
and those ones are the other.”

“To think that you were able to bring down two bandit groups this time around. Well,
you certainly have the manpower though, so I guess it’s not really all that hard for you.
Oi, take them away!”

“Here you go.”

Recently, the city guards have been letting our Clan members off without undergoing
the customary inspection. I was wondering if that really was okay, but I guess this is
just one proof that we’ve gained their trust.

Man, I wanna take a bath right away. We spent a total of eight nights away for this
time’s expedition after all. There weren’t any spots to wash off along the way as well,
so I was nearly at my limit.

There were several groups of adventurers who whispered with each other when we
passed them by as we walked along the city streets. I was a bit curious, so I enhanced
my sense of hearing and listened in.

“…Those guys are from Shining Star, right? Did they bring down more bandit groups
this time?”

“I’m sure they did. Word is, those guys specialize in bandit hunting.”

“But they sure manage to find bandits a lot huh. They surely have an excellent source
of info.”

Those guys probably managed to spot the badges we were wearing, so they recognized
our group right away. This is proof that our Clan was gradually gaining recognition
around these parts. We’re not really bandit specialists or anything of the sort, but we
did hunt bandits most of the time, so I guess getting misunderstood like this was
inevitable.

When we reached our Home, we found Team A busy training hard in the square. They
were training Corinth-style swordsmanship with Selena and Sharon as their
instructors. I already received a report from Selena earlier that Team A returned from
their own expedition yesterday with none of the men injured.

They then spotted our group and welcomed us back.

“”Welcome back, Alan!””

“We’re back, everyone. Did you encounter any problems on your expedition?”

“No. However, there wasn’t a lot of loot this time around.”

It seems Cleria was bothered by how few the loot they managed to bring back was this
time.
“I see. We’re much the same. I guess bandits with few members really aren’t worth
much huh. Well, it can’t be helped. There probably aren’t that many bandit groups in
possession of lots of loot anyway.”

We managed to capture a total of twenty-five bandits when we raided the two bandit
groups this time around. Also, we managed to loot a total of 40,000 Guineas. There
weren’t any items that looked all that valuable though. I guess the loot they were able
to hoard was limited because of their small numbers.

Team A continued their training while we from the B Team hurried to the bath to wash
up.

When I got out of the bath, the head of our workers, Sally-san, approached me.

“There was a representative from the Adventurer’s Guild who came by five days ago
sir, and he told me to inquire if you could pay them a visit once you got back.”

“I see. Understood. I’ll pay a visit to them tomorrow.”

I wonder what’s up? Well, it’s true that I’ve been paying a visit to the Commerce Guild
a lot lately, and didn’t come much to the Adventurer’s Guild. Well, I won’t know unless
I go, so I might as well.

After we had our dinner, I called out to all the Clan members for some announcements.

“Everyone! Thanks to all your efforts, we’ve already managed to clean up most of the
bandit groups lurking near Gantz. Due to this, I propose we put a stop to our bandit
hunting activities in the meantime. We need to decide on our next plans tomorrow, so
I hereby declare a two-day break, starting tomorrow!”

“”Oooh!””

So far, we did sort of schedule the next day every time we return from bandit hunting
as a rest day, but everyone got hooked on training or doing other Clan-work in the end,
and they ended up nothing remotely like proper breaks. It wouldn’t hurt to rest
properly from time to time guys. C’mon.

I then addressed Captain Dalshim who was seated near me.

“Captain Dalshim, if possible, could you take a break from training for the next two
days as well?”

“If that is what you wish, Alan-sama, then that is what we shall do. It is true that
soldiers need breaks from time to time to unburden themselves of accumulated
fatigue.”

Uh, you’re no longer soldiers though. You guys are already adventurers, remember?

Since we’ve just returned from a fairly lengthy expedition, I had them all rest early for
tonight.

I started going over our first month of operating as a proper Clan when I returned to
my room. We managed to bring down a total of eleven bandit groups in this span of
time, and the number of bandits we captured amounted to about 215 or so.

The bounty rewards and quest rewards alone netted us about 1,290,000 Guineas. The
sales from the loot roughly amounted to 1,000,000 Guineas as well. The special bounty
rewards for certain notorious bandits amounted to 310,000 Guineas since we managed
to capture three of them. All in all, our total earnings for the month amounted to about
2,600,000 Guineas.

We already sent 300,000 Guineas to Roberto. It would still be a bit lacking once it gets
divided to the five thousand people under his care, but it would help them out just the
same.

We’ve already cleaned up all the bandits within a five-day range around Gantz. Of
course, I didn’t forget to have the drone thoroughly destroy all the bandit bases we
found, so no other bandits will be making use of those places again.

Hideouts and bases are indispensable for the bandits after all since they needed a
place to stay near the traps and ambush points they set up in order to effectively watch
over them. And even skilled veteran adventurer parties wouldn’t dare set up camp for
long out in the wilderness that’s practically crawling with monsters. The bandits
would be helpless without a secure base.

Since I’ve already destroyed all the spots that could be used as bases, I think other
bandits wouldn’t be able to set up shop for quite some time around these parts.

Even if it doesn’t turn out as I expect, I still have the drones keeping an eye on the
surrounding areas, so it’s just a matter of heading out again to take care of them.
Groups camping out at night were pretty easy to spot because they stood out a lot, so
it wouldn’t pose a problem for the drones to find them.

The next day, I planned to visit the Commerce Guild later to report the result of this
time’s expedition and tell them our intention to suspend bandit hunting activities for
the time being. And I also needed to visit the Adventurer’s Guild right after.

When lunch came, I told the party about my plan to visit the Adventurer’s Guild, and
they all decided to accompany me. We’re on a rare break, guys. It would have been fine
if you just spent the entire day relaxing or something.

After finishing lunch, we all headed for the Adventurer’s Guild. Based on my prior
experiences, there’s a good chance Karina-san will be present at this time. It’s possible
we’ll be able to meet up with her.

We entered the guild building and went to the usual counter to report. When the guild
clerk saw us, she immediately ran to the back office to report our arrival. It’s great that
she’s quick on the uptake.

After a short while, Karina-san came over.

“Good morning, Alan-sama.”

“It’s been a while, Karina-san. I’ll report the results of our bandit hunting expedition
first. We managed to capture 25 bandits and handed them over to the guards like usual
yesterday.”

“Understood. We’ll confirm it with them right away.”

“And one more thing. We decided to suspend our bandit hunting activities in the
meantime. According to my source, all bandits in the immediate area have already
been captured.”

“I see… You did manage to round up quite a number of them, so it’s no surprise. And
Alan-sama’s informant seems quite trustworthy and accurate as well, so I’m sure that
really is the case. So I take it that you will no longer be taking up our request, correct?”

“No. We plan on heading out again once we get some new info. If it’s alright with you,
can you not withdraw the request yet?”

“Of course. Our guild would prefer that as well.”

“Oh, by the way, what’s the update regarding the distiller?”

“It should take a bit more time for it to be completed. They need to perform some
finishing touches it seems.”

“I see… I’ll wait for the good news then.”

I already gave them an in-depth explanation about the alcohol-making process, and I
handed them a detailed instruction book as well. I planned on leaving the rest to them,
so I’m basically hands-off as of now, but I’d like to check it out once it’s ready anyway.

“Alright. I’ll pay a visit again if something else comes up.”

“Ah, Alan-sama. Please wait for a moment.”

Karina-san called out to me and went past the counter.

“Everyone! These are the members of Shining Star!”

She then announced our identities in a loud voice. The merchants inside the guild
building instantly turned their attention to us.

“What did you say!? Shining Star!?”

The merchants were stunned in place for a bit but immediately rushed over to us
afterward.

“Oh! So you are the party members of Shining Star! I’ve finally met you all!”

“They are all so young! How impressive!”

“Thank you very much! Truly, thank you very much, everyone. I cannot even find more
words to express how thankful I am…”

Each of the merchants said words of gratitude and praise one after the other. I turned
a questioning gaze to Karina-san.
“I was requested to introduce Shining Star to them if ever you came by.”

I see… Silas-san did say that the merchants absolutely loathed bandits a while back. I
guess all their gratitude is due to that.

More merchants continued to thank us for a while. After accepting their thanks, we
finally left the Commerce Guild. Next is the Adventurer’s Guild.

“It certainly feels really good to be of use to the people, doesn’t it?”

Sharon seemed really happy. The other girls looked elated as well.

“Yeah, that’s right. And we’re even receiving money for it, so there’s nothing to complain
about. It would be nice if we encounter more similar quests in the future.”

We reached the Adventurer’s Guild and went to the reception counter.

“I’m the party leader of Shining Star, Alan. I was told to come if I had time…”

“Ah! Yes, of course. Please come with me. Your other members can follow as well.”

And so, the receptionist led us to the usual meeting room. After a short while, the guild
chief Kevin-san came in along with a male staff member.

“You sure took your time. Well, you made it in any case…”

“I’m sorry. We just got back from a bandit hunting expedition yesterday.”

I wonder what he means by me making it?

“Alright. First things first then. We’ve decided to promote all the members of the
Shining Star party to A-rank.”

“Eh?! Already?”

Well, that was unexpected. I didn’t think we would get promoted this quickly. Everyone
was surprised as well.

“Well, yeah. It certainly is a bit quick, but according to the guild’s evaluation criteria,
you guys already met the requirements for promotion. You accomplished such a high-
profile designated request and captured a whole lot of bandits after all. There’s no one
who remains unconvinced.”

Is that how it is…? Well, I’m sure the Commerce Guild did rate us fairly high in the
evaluation reports.

“What about the other members of the Clan?”

Everyone did their best, so I wanted a fair evaluation for them as well.

“Ah, well, the request was designated specifically to the Shining Star party alone after
all. Basically, the other Clan members only helped out. So we can’t exactly credit them
for it.”

I see… Somehow, I feel like they’re holding off in order to exploit us more. But, well,
our main goal in coming to Gantz was raising our party rank anyway, so I guess I can’t
complain much.

Ranks are basically thought to signify the strength of adventurers in general, but with
the current evaluation system, any adventurer could become an A-ranker even if they
weren’t particularly strong individually.

Mm, no, the ability to lead and make effective use of other people can also be said to
be a type of strength, isn’t it?

Well, ranking up does seem highly dependent on getting good evaluations from quests,
so I guess individual strength isn’t that much of a factor after all.

“Please hand me your guild identification plates. We will need to update them.”

I handed my guild ID along with everyones to the male staff. He went out of the
meeting room right away to update them.

“Now that that’s settled, let’s move on to another matter. There have been rising
concerns that something strange has been happening in the depths of the Demon
Forest. Some experts say the signs might be a prelude to a monster stampede. We will
be holding a Clan gathering to discuss possible countermeasures. Oh, and a Clan
gathering is a meeting in which the leaders of each of the major and influential Clans
in Gantz will participate. It will be held at 1 o’clock tomorrow afternoon, so please do
attend as well.”
A monster stampede is literally a phenomenon in which a large group of various
monsters go out of control and attack human settlements en masse. I see. That
certainly does sound worrying.

“Am I the only one that’s invited to attend?”

“Yes. Only the Clan leaders are supposed to attend the meeting.”

“Understood. I’ll definitely come of course.”

So the chief was relieved that I made it back in time for this meeting huh. Ah! Come to
think of it, I completely forgot my promise with the Clan leader of Gale, Karl, to get in
contact with him once we’ve settled down and registered our Clan! All this talk about
major Clans reminded me.

Well, he did say Gale was a pretty major Clan, so I’m sure I’ll get to meet him again
tomorrow. I’ll just apologize to him at that time.

It looks like that’s all they needed me for. Kevin-san asked me a couple of details about
our bandit hunting activities thus far until the male staff brought back our updated
guild IDs. We received back our shiny, new A-rank IDs and left the guild building.

“Alan! We’re now A-rank adventurers!”

“Yeah. I didn’t expect us to get promoted this quickly. This is thanks to the hard work
of everyone in the Clan.”

“That’s right! We’ll have to tell everyone the good news later tonight!”

Cleria was pretty excited and looked really happy. Well, it can’t be helped since we did
take a major step toward our goal. Everyone else was happy about our promotion as
well.

Cleria and the others proposed that we go shopping to celebrate since we’re already
in the downtown area of the city anyway, but I didn’t feel like getting dragged around
by excited girls keen on shopping till they dropped, so I excused myself and started
walking back to the Clan Home by my lonesome.

Oh, but come to think of it, I also had something I wanted to buy, didn’t I? But it’s not
that it’ll take that long anyway, and we’re on break. A nice, long afternoon nap doesn’t
seem so bad every once in a while.

We had a lively dinner like usual, and when things settled down a bit, we announced
the fact that all the members of the Shining Star party were promoted to A-rank. After
we did so, all the other Clan members began wildly celebrating. It looks like everyone
also felt that we took a significant step forward toward our goal.

Elna even brought out a full wine barrel she bought with her own money this
afternoon, and the rest of the dinner turned into an all-out celebration party. Cleria,
Sharon, and Selena were all pretty high-tensioned as well. Anyway, we’re still on break
tomorrow, so I guess this much is okay. Yep. It’s nice to be able to just kick up a huge
racket with everyone from time to time.

I ended up drinking more than usual as well. Of course, I wouldn’t really get myself
drunk thanks to Nanom, but it really has been a while since I drank this much. They
poured me ale almost non-stop, and it’s not like I could refuse either since that would
ruin the mood. The next day, I set off to attend the Clan gathering after having a nice,
long bath. Now then, I wonder how the discussions will go.

When I arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild, I went up to the receptionist counter, and
the lady staff manning it immediately led me to the usual meeting room. There’s still
some time before the meeting officially begins. Well, I think it’s a sign of good manners
to always try to arrive earlier than the scheduled time to avoid making others wait.

When we entered the meeting room, I noticed that only two other people have arrived
before me. And one of them was quite familiar. It was the leader of Gale, Karl. It looks
like he wasn’t kidding about Gale being a big Clan since he was really invited as well.

“Hey there! It’s been a while, Karl!”

Karl had a blank look on his face. Did he actually forget about me already?

“C’mon! It’s me! Alan, remember?”

“It’s not like I already forgot your face, y’know! I see. So the rumors really were true…
That Shining Star Clan was a newly founded Clan that made a big splash by hunting
down a large number of bandit groups. That’s your Clan, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. I did tell you we were gonna start a Clan before, right?”

“But ain’t your Shining Star a large Clan with several tens of members already!? I just
came back to Gantz yesterday and heard the rumors, but I can’t believe someone as
young as you ended up really leading such a large Clan. I rushed over to the Spring
Breeze in to confirm it for myself, but they told me you already moved out a good while
back.”

“Oh, right! Sorry. I kinda forgot leaving a message since moving to the new Home got
so hectic. I’m really sorry about that, man.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I see… You really are quite the character, ain’t ya?”

“Nah, not really. The amazing ones are my comrades.”

The main contributor for making our Clan as large as it is was Cleria after all. Without
her, I doubt we could have gathered a hundred capable people right from the start.

“Well, alright. But those comrades of yours all look up to you as their leader, right?
That means you really are impressive. C’mon. Don’t get all humble on me now.”

Other people gradually started arriving at the meeting room as Karl and I chatted.
There were seven of us, all in all. When the meeting time arrived, Guild Chief Kevin
finally entered the room as well.

“Good. Since all of you are here, let’s get this meeting underway. First, I’m sure most
of you are unfamiliar with him yet, so let me introduce you. The one sitting over there
is Alan. He’s the leader of the newly established Clan, Shining Star.”

“It’s a pleasure, everyone.”

“The bandit hunting guys!?”

“This young’un is the leader, you say!?”

Uh, I kinda expected their reactions. I did look quite young. I didn’t exactly look like
your average twenty-something year old. But that’s all thanks to Nanom as well.

“With that out of the way, let’s start the meeting, shall we? There have been some
abnormal incidents spotted within the Demon Forest lately. As for what those exactly
are, some reports tell of a low, rumbling roar resounding from the depths of the sea of
trees that even makes the ground visibly shake. There are also reports of people seeing
phenomena akin to bright lighting flashes emanating from the depths at night. Does
anyone here have an idea about these incidents as well?”

“Ah, now that you mention it chief. There certainly are some of my boys who’ve been
talking about experiencing strange stuff like those lately.”

The one who spoke was a middle-aged man who looked unfamiliar to me. I see. I
haven’t received any report from Iris about those though.

“This is the first time something like this happened around these parts. The guild
specialists are suspecting it might be signs of a stampede.”

“A stampede…”

The meeting room descended into silence. It sounded like a severe problem for sure.

“Furthermore, though unconfirmed, there have been reports of people sighting

dragons from a distance.”

“”Dragons!?””

The meeting room instantly exploded into a huge uproar.

Dragons huh… Iris did mention spotting several of them living in the depths of the
forest in her previous report. A video record of a dragon flying through the sky was
also sent to me a while back, and it certainly didn’t look like your average monster. It
was virtually a huge flying dinosaur.

“Well, it’s certainly going to be difficult to put up countermeasures against dragons.

However, it’s relatively easier to deal with a stampede to some extent. So we’re
thinking of taking steps to thin out the number of monsters inside the forest as much
as possible.”

The meeting room became noisy once again.

“Most of our Clan members are out on an escort quest right now, so we’re short on
manpower! So please assign us an easy area if possible, chief!”
“We’re almost all in the same boat anyway! You can’t use something like that as an
excuse!”

“We’re fine with the spot we got assigned to before.”

Everyone started kicking up more of a fuss. I wonder what’s going on though?

“Hey, Karl. What are all of them talking about?”

“Oh, they’re trying to secure favorable assignment areas. In short, the guild will assign
you to a particular area and your Clan will be responsible for hunting down monsters
exclusively there. The number of monsters will become uneven if everyone does their
own thing after all. Well, something like that is mostly for peace of mind though.”

“I see. So that’s how it is… Is this a compulsory request by the way?”

“It ain’t. For now anyway. And you also don’t get a separate quest reward. It’s not a
very profitable quest for big Clans like us.”

I see. So we won’t get a separate quest reward and will only get to hunt within the area
assigned to us. In other words, our income will just be from the usual subjugation
rewards and from magic stones. It’s certainly a bit unprofitable.

It’s possible to set out only to swing and miss because no monsters are lurking around
the area you got assigned to after all. And even if there were, it would still be a loss if
the only ones you find are goblins or the like.

But on the other hand, it’s also possible to slack off and not hunt monsters at all since
there’s no specific quota. Well, I guess the pride and reputation of the entire Clan are
at stake, so no Clan would willingly take that option anyway.

And so, they are aiming either for an area with only a few monsters to have an easier
time or an area with fairly valuable monsters to make more money. I see. So that’s why
everyone is making such a fuss.

Afterward, a large hand-drawn map of the Demon Forest was brought out, and the
chief began assigning an area to each Clan. There’s also the Clan’s size and overall
abilities to consider, so it turned out to be quite difficult to decide each Clan’s
assignment.
I didn’t really have a spot I was particularly set on, so I just watched the proceedings
calmly.

“Alright. Your assignment will be from this area to here, Shining Star. How about it?”

“Understood.”

“Wha–!? Wait, that area’s just too much no matter how you look at it! Don’t make
promises lightly like that, Alan!”

“No, I believe they will be able to handle it. Shining Star has more than a hundred
members after all. And all of them are C-ranked or above.”

“What did you say, chief!?”

“A hundred…”

“C-ranked…”

“It’s okay, Karl. We’ll manage.”

It took a while, but all the Clans present were finally assigned an area on the map.

“We’ll proceed with this arrangement then. Of course, it’s still up in the air if these
countermeasures will be enough to prevent or at least lessen the effect of the
stampede, but things will be too late if we don’t move now. Please do your best and
cooperate, everyone. If a stampede does happen, monsters will still appear in droves
even if we do start to thin out their numbers now. So please concentrate on thinning
them out as much as you can to lessen the impact as much as possible. Do you have
any questions?”

I see. So stampedes are like that huh… Now’s a good opportunity, so I decided to ask
about something that Iris was curious about as well.

“You mentioned dragon sightings earlier chief, but have there been any casualties
resulting in dragon attacks around here before?”

“Ah, the last dragon attack with casualties happened about 60 years ago. Adventurers
out on the field got attacked, and I think there were more than fifty dead. Fortunately,
dragons don’t seem all that interested in humans. There certainly was a sighting
report this time as well, but honestly, I’m not very worried about the dragon.”

“I see. Understood.”

“If you encounter any strange or suspicious incidents while out there, please
immediately make a report to the Adventurer’s Guild. Alright then. The meeting is now
adjourned.”

It took quite some time, but the meeting was finally over. We didn’t really have a lot to
discuss, but the meeting still took more than two hours.

“Hey, Karl, are you free after this?”

“I don’t have any particular business right now, yeah.”

“Let’s go for a drink then. My treat.”

“That sounds great, buddy! I certainly can’t pass up such an offer.”

We decided to drink at the pub near the guild. We ordered ale and some snacks from
the waitress.

“Hey, Karl. Do things like this incident happen often?”

“Not really. But sometimes the number of monsters balloon a lot and quite a number
of adventurer parties and Clans suffer damage and casualties as a result. At those
times, the guild organizes the major Clans just like this time in order to cull the
monster numbers to manageable levels again. I think the last time that happened was
two years ago.”

“I see. Hey, have you ever seen a dragon for yourself, Karl?”

“I did spot one when I was a kid. Just once though. That definitely wasn’t just a wyvern.
I got pretty lucky, I guess.”

“I haven’t managed to see one yet though. Is it true that they breathe fire?”

“Yeah, it’s true. Not just any flame though. More like a gigantic blaze. Some also spit
out something similar to the Fire Ball spell too.”
“Hou, that sounds really amazing. I wanna see one myself if possible.”

“Anyway, let’s talk about your Clan, man! You guys are really impressive, you know
that? I mean, there’s more than a hundred of you, and all of you are C-rankers and
above!”

“Oh, right. Haha. Well, we sort of just came together and decided to raise our flag here
in Gantz.”

“Can you give me more details, man?”

I told him some things with some embellishments and white lies mixed in. We also
exchanged info regarding bandits and possible bandit hideouts. It was a very
meaningful afternoon.

We wrapped up our little drinking session when it was near dusk and promised to go
out for a drink again next time.

I felt pleasantly drunk, so I decided to plop down on my bed to rest until dinnertime
once I got back Home.

I thought about today’s Clan meeting as I laid flat on the bed. Stampede huh… It really
would be a big problem if something like that were to happen. Maybe Iris can give me
more detailed info.

(Iris.)

[Yes, Captain.]

(I heard that there were some strange phenomena happening within the Great Demon
Forest lately. Do you know anything about it?)

[No. There doesn’t seem to be anything worthy of note that’s happened recently……
Well, apart from the base-building activities I am currently supervising anyway.]

(………So you’re saying the sounds and light flashes that are being sighted here are
from our base construction activities?)

[No. I don’t think they will be able to spot our activities all the way over there. I can’t
say with a hundred percent certainty though.]
Come to think of it, I haven’t really checked out the progress of our base huh. I thought
it would still be a long way off to getting finished, but it has been a few months already
after all. There should be some noticeable progress now.

(Can you show me the current state of the base?)

[Understood. We’ve already accomplished this much.]

A holo-video of an aerial shot above the base suddenly appeared before my eyes.

(What the–!?)
I didn’t think Iris’s base-building activities could raise such a racket. It would certainly
make a lot of noise if she went at it like that. It’s quite possible that the adventurers
who ventured deep into the Demon Forest would have been able to pick up on the
noise.

Well, at least the noisy construction work has mostly settled down now, so they
probably won’t be able to pick up on any more ‘strange’ rumbling sounds. At least, I
hope so.

I had Iris investigate for me again, but there were no signs of a monster stampede just
like I thought. It looks like the matter this time was just the Guild totally getting it
wrong.

I did plan on having the drones clean up the monsters if ever a stampede did occur,
but it looks like it’s just some needless worries.

But just in case, I still had Iris stay on alert and told her to immediately report to me
once she picks up on something that seems abnormal.

But with this, we’ve ended up in a strange situation of working to thin out monster
numbers even though there’s actually no risk of a stampede.

Well, we did decide to suspend bandit hunting for the time being, so I guess the Clan
could focus on this request instead. Once they determine that the monster numbers
won’t suddenly increase, the guild would probably call off the culling activities anyway.

After dinner, I invited my party members and the leaders of each sub-party to the Clan
office once more.

“Recently, it seems there have been rumors of strange happenings within the depths
of the Great Demon Forest. The Adventurer’s Guild is worried these incidents might
be precursors to a stampede.”
“A stampede!?”

It looks like the stampede phenomenon really was viewed as highly dangerous. The
gathered sub-party leaders all became agitated.

“But this still hasn’t been confirmed. Or rather, according to the information I received,
the danger of a monster stampede occurring is actually quite low.”

“If Alan-sama says so, then I’m sure there is no problem then.”

Aren’t Captain Dalshim and the rest trusting me a bit too much? There wasn’t a trace
of their earlier panic, and now they were all quite calm.

“But even so, the guild still imposed a request on all major Clans. They want each Clan
to work on thinning out monster numbers in order to prevent or lessen the impact of
the stampede. They assigned each Clan an area where we would be responsible for
hunting down monsters. Our Clan was assigned to this area in particular.”

I showed them the area assigned to us by using the map I spread out on the table
earlier. Everyone checked the area out.

“They assigned us quite a large area, didn’t they?”

“Our Clan has a lot of members and all of you are quite skilled as well, so that’s why
the guild was confident in assigning us such a large area.”

“…If that’s the case, then we definitely have to live up to their expectations, don’t we?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Once they determine that the number of monsters won’t increase
further, this request would probably be called off. We’ll do our best in hunting
monsters at our assigned area starting tomorrow.”

“Understood. Do we split into the A and B Teams this time as well?”

“No. Having fifty or so people hunting monsters together is too inefficient, don’t you
think? I plan to divide the Clan into five teams composed of two squads each. The
leaders for each team will be me, Sharon, Selena, Elna, and Cleria.”

“Oooh!”
The sub-party leaders expressed surprise when they heard that Cleria would be
leading one team. Cleria nodded vigorously with a motivated expression on her face.

“These ladies already have extensive experience when it comes to monster hunting
deep in the forest. They’re probably even more experienced than I am, to be honest.
I’m counting exactly on that experience of theirs to see things through.”

“Alan-sama, forgive my presumptuousness, but what about the assignment of

personnel for each team?”

“Oh, right. There’s that too huh. If it’s alright, can you handle that among yourselves?”

I’m sure Captain Dalshim will choose to join Cleria’s team anyway. Uh, but I guess all
of the other leaders are thinking the same. And before I knew it, an intense argument
erupted between the sub-party leaders.

By the way, even though the area assigned to us was fairly large, there weren’t that
many monsters lurking within it. A majority were Gray Hounds, with only a few Orcs
and Goblins scattered around here and there. Twenty skilled C-rank adventurers
would be more than enough to deal with them.

Since this was a pretty good opportunity, I’ll have Cleria and Elna lead their own teams
as well. I’m sure they’ll learn a lot from the experience. Of course, I won’t let them take
any unnecessary risks, so I already arranged some support.

Elna unexpectedly didn’t have any complaints about being separated from Cleria
though. It looks like she really trusts her fellow Royal Guards. No. Maybe she’s also
thinking that this will be beneficial to Cleria just like me.

It looks like they finally settled the assignment of personnel. Cleria’s team had Captain
Dalshim and his Satellite Squad 1 included just like I thought.

“Yosh. We’ll depart at seven tomorrow morning then. We’ll move separately once we
enter the forest, but we’ll depart and return together, alright? Let’s make this our
standard procedure.”

The meeting’s over, but my four party members wanted to continue discussing the
arrangements for our deployment to the sea of trees with the sub-party leaders at the
dining hall. I thought it would be better if I didn’t participate and declined to join.
Now then, we’ll depart early tomorrow, so I guess I’d better get some shut-eye now.

We departed early as planned when morning came. Mobilizing with a hundred-plus

people would normally make us stand out quite a bit, but other adventurer parties
and Clans were also starting to make their move at this time, so we didn’t end up
causing a lot of commotion. We blended in with the rest of the adventurers who were
heading out of the city gates. All of them were probably going to take the same request
as us.

Our assigned area was still a fair distance away, so we continued traveling as a single
group. After walking for about two hours, we finally reached the area assigned to us.

“Yosh. Separate into your respective teams as planned and begin the operation. When
it’s time to return, I, Selena, and Sharon’s teams will make sure to group up with Cleria
and Elna’s teams again, so we’ll go back to Gantz together.”

I roughly designated each team to different portions of our assigned area and told
them what types of monsters they would probably encounter in each.

I made it so Cleria and Elna’s teams as well as my, Selena, and Sharon’s teams were
positioned to quickly perform a pincer formation with at least two teams if the
situation requires. This would allow us to easily assist each other in case of an
emergency.

Cleria, Elna, Selena, and Sharon all nodded with tense expressions on their faces. They
then split up in different directions with each of their teams in tow.

“Yosh. Let’s get going as well, Walter.”

“Yes, Alan-sama.”

A portion of my team included Walter and his squad. Another portion was made up of
some more of the late earl’s forces.

After roughly twenty minutes of walking, we finally encountered a group of five Gray
Hounds. They seem to have already noticed us. I informed the others via hand signs.

Eight magic casters immediately formed up and started activating their spells. Their
preparations were long finished when the monsters appeared from the bushes, and
they were felled one after another with spells. Everyone commonly used Wind Cutter
and Fire Ball as their offensive spell.

“It really is easy to finish them off quickly when you know they’re coming in advance.”

“Yeah. Gray Hounds are fairly quick on their feet, so having our guys prep their spells
beforehand is really advantageous.”

“Can you let us deal with them with our swords next, leader? It feels a bit unfair if our
men who can’t use magic don’t get a chance to act.”

Walter suggested as such to me while we were in the middle of recovering magic

stones from the corpses.

Hm. There’s actually no practical reason to purposely engage them with swords, I
think… However, I do feel a bit curious as to how well everyone would deal with the
monsters using their swords.

“Yosh, let’s do it then. Let’s head over there next.”

My magic sensor just caught the presence of ten Gray Hounds. After walking a short
distance, the Gray Hounds finally noticed us.

I gave out orders using hand signs once more. Everyone became alert when they
learned there were ten monsters approaching. They then pulled out their swords. I
also drew mine.

Everyone then formed a semi-circle formation and surrounded me. I’m glad you guys
are trying to prioritize my safety, but with this, I won’t even get the chance to swing
my sword, won’t I?

The Gray Hounds leaped from the bushes one after another. They hesitated for a
moment when they saw our team’s numbers, but they chose to fight it out with us in
the end. They started prowling around in circles and gradually surrounded us. One of
them got impatient and suddenly made a jump for Walter.

Walter swung his sword and easily split the Gray Hound’s head from its neck. One hit,
one kill, huh. The rest of the monsters attacked one after another but were calmly and
efficiently defeated by the team with their swords. Most of the monsters got taken
down in one blow as well.

I ended up finishing off the one remaining Gray Hound that tried to escape with a Light
Arrow spell.

As expected of military elites. They made fighting Gray Hounds look extremely easy.
With this, Cleria and Elna’s teams would probably be fine.

I checked up on Cleria and Elna’s teams via the drone’s image feed just to be sure and
found that there were no problems. By the way, I had Iris deploy three drones for
today’s operation. At this rate, they might not even be necessary.

We continued hunting monsters and exterminated 19 Gray Hounds, 5 Orcs, and 12

Goblins. Everyone fought calmly and methodically, and we didn’t encounter any
problems whatsoever.

At two in the afternoon, we finally joined up with Cleria’s team. It’s about time to
return to Gantz.

Cleria seems to have made a big impression on her team with her magic, and was being
praised left and right. She was trying really hard to hold herself back from smirking.

We took a short break, and Sharon, Selena, and Elna’s teams rejoined us as well.

“Is there anyone who got injured? None? Yosh. Let’s get back to Gantz then.”

Along the way, Elna, Selena, and Sharon told me they faced no problems on their ends.
They actually would have wanted more monsters to appear.

Well, twenty people in each team might have been a bit overkill for these monster
numbers after all. However, there wasn’t any particular rush to exterminate monsters
right now, and the demerits of splitting up exceeded the merits, so we’ll keep the
current arrangements.

After walking for two hours, I managed to catch responses that corresponded to humans
via my magic sensor. There were ten of them, and they were currently stationary. Were
they fellow adventurers taking a break? I took the lead and approached their group
cautiously.
It looks like they really were adventurers. There were several Gray Hound corpses
lying around close by. One person was sprawled on the ground as the others looked
after him. Was he injured?

When they noticed our approach, two of them panicked and hurriedly drew their
swords.

“Who the heck are you all!?”

“Oi! Sheath your swords, you two!”

The one who called out was Karl.

“Hey! If it isn’t Karl.”

“Alan!? Oh, so the ones behind you are your Clan members huh.”

“Yup. One of your men got injured?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Good grief… I told them not to let their guards down against Gray
Hounds! Dammit!”

“I see. Can you let me check the injury out?”

I looked at the injured guy and found that one of his arms seemed to have been gnawed
by a Gray Hound and was left in a bloody mess.

“If it’s alright with you, I can try to heal his arm. What do you think?”

“Heal his arm…? You’re telling me you know how to cast healing magic?”

“Yep. I can. How about it?”

“Please. Can you at least stop the bleeding?”

Come to think of it, this is my first time trying to heal such a serious-looking injury.
Let’s fix up his fractured bones first.

“Yosh. I’ll have to be a bit rough, so brace yourself. Everyone, please hold him down
first.”
The injured young man paled in fright after hearing my words and frowned in pain.
He was immediately held down by his comrades.

(Nanom, please indicate the area of the incision for me.)

First, I’ll have to cut open his arm in order to have a clear view of the fractured bones.
I’ll treat his flesh after fixing up his bones.

A red indicator line was displayed over a portion of the young man’s arm. I’d have to
make a fairly large cut huh.

While reminding myself that it was for treatment, I cut his arm swiftly and decisively
with my bladeknife. The young man couldn’t help but scream in pain.

I spread the cut open flesh to get a better view of the fracture. It looks like the poor
guy already lost consciousness from the pain. I used the Water spell to wash the
wound and found that the fracture wasn’t all that bad. The bone was broken off cleanly.
That’s good. I was worried about what to do if the arm bones were broken into small
pieces.

I held his arm and aligned the bones. Oops. If I don’t take time before activating the
Heal spell here, I would probably get scolded by Elna again. I held back for a full thirty
seconds before casting Heal.

“Heal!”

Yosh. With this, his bones are now fixed back together. Next, let’s continue to cast Heal
to fully fix his arm.

I closed up the wound and concentrated to cast Heal once more. I also applied
disinfectant and anti-inflammatory magic salves just in case.

The wound gradually closed up. As expected of my cute light spirits. They really do a
great job.

“Yosh, he’s good to go.”

“Ooh! The wound’s already healed!”

“This is healing magic!?”

“Ooh! As expected of Alan-sama!”

“Alan, what the heck was that magic…? No, it’s fine. Just take it that I didn’t ask. I’ll
definitely repay you for your help today.”

“C’mon. It’s fine. We should try to help each other out when we’re in trouble, right?
Anyway, we have to check if the wound healed properly first…”

“Oh, right! Let’s try and wake him up.”

Karl grabbed the unconscious guy’s lapels and gave his face a couple of slaps. After
getting three slaps to the face, the young man finally woke up.

“Oow! Leader, please stop hitting me!”

“Hey, Ken. How does your arm feel, huh?”

“Arm? Oh, right! My arm! Huh? I can move it! It doesn’t hurt! Not one bit!”

Everyone displayed shocked expressions on their faces. It looks like I overdid it again.
I just focused on successfully performing the spell so I didn’t notice, but… the speed
that I healed such a serious wound might have been a bit too fast. I get why they’re all
shocked. However, it was an emergency, so I guess it can’t be helped.

“Hey, Karl. About my magic–“

“Yeah, I know. I ain’t gonna tell anyone else about it. Oi! You lot! Don’t you dare blab
about what you saw here, alright!? Alan’s my buddy as well the leader of the bandit
hunting specialists, Shining Star. I’m gonna kill you all if you ever leak anything,
understand!? Well, maybe I’ll just beat you half-dead first, but you get my point,
right!?”

“”Understood!””

Uh, there’s no need to kill them though.

It looks like Karl’s team was about to return to Gantz as well. Since we’ve already met
up, we decided to go back together.

Karl and his team were hunting monsters as per the guild’s request just like us. Come
to think of it, the area assigned to Gale was adjacent to ours.

Karl accompanied a D-rank party comprised of their younger members to give them
some practical experience and pointers, but one unlucky guy got gravely wounded by
a Gray Hound.

We finally got back to Gantz after roughly two hours of walking. It looks like there’s
quite a long line of adventurers outside the gate. They’re probably returning from
hunting as well.

“Hey, Karl. How long would it take for the guild to judge if a stampede would occur or
not?”

“Let’s see. One week at the earliest, and one month at the latest. But judging from
today’s results, it doesn’t look like there’s gonna be any stampede.”

“You can actually tell?”

“Yeah. I managed to experience a stampede when I was younger. At that time, things
were more intense than right now. The monsters were practically flowing out of the
forest. But the monster numbers right now seem normal.”

“I see… If that’s the case, then I hope they retract the request soon.”

We finally entered the gates after a while and headed straight for the Adventurer’s
Guild.

“Alan, you wanna go for a few rounds?”

“Uh… I dunno.”

It looks like Karl wants to go drinking for a bit after work.

“Alan-sama, I’ll handle handing over the magic stones to the guild, so go ahead.”

Ooh! Good going, Walter! How kind of you.

“Okay then. Let’s drink a few rounds.”

“Great. Hey! Ken. You haven’t thanked Alan yet, right!? You gotta express your gratitude
properly!”

“Ah, I’m sorry! Thank you very much for today, Alan-san! You really saved me! Um…
how much is the healing fee, by the way…?”

“I’m gonna discuss that with this guy later. You guys return to the inn after cashing out
our spoils.”

“Yes! Understood!”

He actually wanted to discuss payment for the treatment so he invited me for a drink,
huh. We headed for the usual pub near the guild. Karl called the waitress over and
ordered ale and snacks. It looks like the order was pretty large this time.

“You really saved our hides today, Alan. Thanks. With that kind of injury, it wouldn’t
have been strange if Ken lost the function of his arm.”

“I told you earlier, right? We should try to help each other out whenever possible. Don’t
sweat the small stuff.”

“Man. But that would make it seem like we took advantage of you for nothing. How
much should the treatment fee be? You go ahead and name your price, Alan.”

Uh, I guess I can’t say something like wanting to practice my healing spell so it’s fine if
it’s free, huh.

“Okay then. How about owing me a favor first? You guys can then help us out if ever
we get ourselves in a pinch as well.”

“Umu, a favor huh… Giving you money would have been way simpler though. Well, I
guess you won’t ask anything unreasonable if it’s you, Alan. Okay. A favor, it is then.”

“Great! I don’t know when you’ll get the opportunity to repay us, but we’re counting
on you just the same.”

“Please go easy on us. Well, anyway, today’s my treat. Don’t hold back and drink till
you drop, man.”

We chatted about everyday topics and recent rumors as we drank our ale, but since I
was a bit tired from walking and treating that young man’s wound, we decided to end
today’s drinking session early.

I went back to our Clan Home and took a nice, hot bath. I then proceeded to the dining
hall for dinner.

I didn’t get to drink my fill earlier, so I ordered some ale from the kitchen. Ella brought
the ale tankard over to me as usual.

“Big bro.”

She called out to me and carefully handed me the tankard while trying not to spill a
drop.

“Thanks, Ella.”

“Un.”

She skipped back to the kitchen with light steps.

The cold ale wasn’t free, but it’s been rather popular among the Clan members lately,
probably because Ella was the one who always delivered it to the tables.

Captain Dalshim spoke to me while lightly picking his dinner.

“Alan-sama, I heard a rather alarming rumor from the Adventurer’s Guild. It seems
that the city of Sistina in the Cecilio Kingdom was attacked by a dragon.”

“Dragon!? But isn’t Cecilio Kingdom our neighboring country? How was the damage?”

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a hold of that information. Perhaps it was a stray dragon.”

(Iris.)

[Yes, Captain.]

(What’s a stray?)

[I am not one hundred percent sure about the exact definition, but to put it simply, it’s
a dragon that got separated from its flock. According to the accumulated data from
discussions in taverns and inns, stray dragons are supposed to be far more dangerous
than normal dragons.]

(I see… What was the extent of the damage done to Cecilio Kingdom?)

[It wasn’t much. It just flew above the city for a short while… I can look for it if you’re
worried, Captain.]

(Please do. We can’t let ourselves get surprise-attacked by such a monster after all.
Please look for its current position for me.)

[Roger.]

“Are you worried about it?”

Captain Dalshim seemed to think I was deep in thought when I suddenly turned silent.

“Yeah, that’s right. Are stray dragons rare?”

“Well, one appeared in Starveek Kingdom only once when I was still young. Fortunately,
there was no damage or casualties that one time…”

I see. So stray dragons don’t always pose much danger.

“I see… I hope nothing untoward happens.”

By the way, our kills for today were fifty-seven Gray Hounds, twenty Orcs, and thirty-
five Goblins. All in all, we managed to earn 36,350 Guineas.

It was still a respectable amount of money compared to our previous daily earnings,
but it would probably decrease gradually as we continue to thin the monster numbers
down.

We have no choice but to wait until the request gets rescinded by the guild.
–One day prior–

After dinner, Alan gathered us inside the Clan leader’s office for a meeting. It was most
likely going to be about what transpired during the Clan gathering this afternoon.

“Recently, it seems there have been rumors of strange happenings within the depths
of the Great Demon Forest. The Adventurer’s Guild is worried these incidents might
be precursors to a stampede.”

“A stampede!?”

Stampede… I think the last time something like that happened in the Starveek Kingdom
was a century ago. Thousands of monsters went amok and attacked villages and cities,
causing casualties of more than a thousand five hundred people.

If a stampede occurs in Gantz, which was close to the Great Demon Forest, I’m sure
the damage will be more than several times worse.

“But this still hasn’t been confirmed. Or rather, according to the information I received,
the danger of a monster stampede occurring is actually quite low.”

Ah, well, if Alan says so, then a stampede may not really occur after all. However, can
scanning magic detect something like that? No, if Alan says he managed to get a hold
of information from his personal source, I’m sure he must have been referring to the
spirits.

It seems that a request was put forth by the Adventurer’s Guild. It entailed culling the
monster numbers in areas assigned to each Clan. The risk of a stampede is quite low,
but I think we should still do what we can as well.

“Understood. Shall we split into the A and B Teams this time as well?”
“No. Having fifty or so people hunting monsters together is too inefficient, don’t you
think? I plan to divide the Clan into five teams composed of two squads each. The
leaders for each team will be me, Sharon, Selena, Elna, and Cleria.”

After Alan declared his plan, everyone’s gazes gathered toward me. I could not believe
my ears either. Alan said each party member of Shining Star will lead a team. I was
going to lead a team as well?

It was but natural for Sharon and Selena to lead. In addition to their mastery of
scanning magic, their offensive magic skills, and precise, decisive orders impressed
me while acting under them on the A Team.

Their skills in swordplay and magic already exceed mine. To be honest, I felt quite
frustrated, but I’ve witnessed the two of them working really hard, so I couldn’t
complain even if I wanted to. It just meant that I’m still lacking in talent and effort.

Elma has also led a squad before when she was still part of the Royal Guard, and she
was the best wind magic user in the Guard as well. I think she’s quite suitable as a
team leader.

However, I never thought Alan would judge that I was fit to lead a team as well!

I think Alan places importance on one’s ability above anything else. This is clear from
the fact that Sharon and Selena were appointed as the leader and vice-leader of A
Team. And that Alan has just said I would be leading a team as well.

The moment I understood that I couldn’t help but well with pride. Ah, Alan has really
acknowledged me!

I will absolutely fulfill my role well!

After the meeting, we decided to continue discussing the monsters present within the
Great Demon Forest with the sub-leaders in the dining hall. It seems they wanted a
clearer picture of the overall situation of the Great Demon Forest near Gantz.

“The most common monsters within the Great Demon Forest are Gray Hounds. Next
would be Goblins, and probably Orcs. Also, monsters called Kobolds are present as
well, although their numbers are fewer than the rest.”

“If I remember correctly, aren’t Kobolds monsters who are like Goblins with dog
heads?”

“That’s right. However, we’ve only managed to encounter them once. They were just
slightly stronger than Goblins, so I think you don’t have to worry about them too
much.”

Sharon explained things about the Great Demon Forest to everyone. The monsters in
the areas near Gantz didn’t have much variety. But I did hear from the guild that the
deeper you went, the more variety of monsters you would encounter.

“But the important thing to note is that the deeper you go, the greater the number of
monsters you would encounter. The maximum number of monsters the four of us
managed to encounter while training was 26 Gray Hounds.”

“By the Goddess! You managed to fight off that many Gray Hounds with just the four
of you?”

“Yes. It would have been worse if they attacked all at once, but they attacked
haphazardly so we managed to eliminate them.”

“I see… As expected of our Clan’s main party.”

Ah, we really were put in a bit of a tight spot during that one time. What should I do if
we encounter something similar in the subjugation operation tomorrow? No, I will get
through it somehow. Most adventurers manage to handle such situations anyway, so
there’s no reason we won’t be able to do so as well.

After exchanging some more information, the meeting was adjourned. I decided to call
out to Selena and Sharon while we were heading for our rooms.

“Selena, Sharon, do you have a moment?”

“What is it, Cleria?”

“Um… It’s my first time to lead a team on my own like this, so I was wondering if you
can give me some pointers…”

“…I don’t think you have to worry too much. As long as you act the same as always,
you’d be just fine, Cleria.”
“I think so as well. And also, our Clan members are all pretty experienced veterans, so
they actually don’t need to be commanded by us to do well. I also think you would be
just fine if you act like usual, Cleria-san.”

“Act like the usual me?”

“You don’t panic no matter what danger you’re subjected to, right? You always finish
off the most dangerous-looking monster before the rest of us make a move after all…
So I really think you’ll be fine!”

Really? I really have such a tendency? I didn’t even notice… I’m glad I asked for advice!
I feel like I can really do this now.

“Thank you! I think I’ll be fine now.”

“Yes, you’ll be just fine. And even if you encounter a monster you can’t handle on your
own Cleria, we’ll be sure to rush to your aid.”

Ah, I really managed to meet such wonderful comrades…

“I will be counting on you then. Thank you, Selena, Sharon.”

I went up to the fourth floor together with them until we entered our respective
rooms. Come to think of it, Elna didn’t say anything about me becoming a team leader
as well.

“Elna, do you think I’ll do well as a team leader?”

“Of course you will, Ria-sama. I am also not worried just like Selena and Sharon. I do
find it a little unfortunate that I won’t be able to accompany you like usual though.”

“I see… Let’s sleep early tonight and have a good rest then.”

My confidence has been built up thanks to everyone. I’ll do my very best tomorrow!

The next day, everyone departed from the Clan Home together. We walked all the way
to the area assigned to our Clan. After two hours of walking, we finally reached the
assigned area.

“Yosh. Separate into your respective teams as planned and begin the operation. When
it’s time to return, I, Selena, and Sharon’s teams will make sure to regroup up with
Cleria and Elna’s teams, so we’ll go back to Gantz together.”

Finally! Alan told us a general direction of where we should head to and departed. Ah,
to think not having scanning magic at our disposal would make me feel so uneasy… I
once again realized how amazing scanning magic was.

Would it be better if I sent some scouts ahead first? No, the speed of Gray Hounds
when they rush in to attack is considerable. When the scouts get attacked, there is no
guarantee we would make it in time to assist them.

My role right now is not to hunt lots of monsters but to make sure that I bring back all
my men alive and well.

“Ria-sama, how about sending some men out for scouting first?” Captain Dalshim
suggested.

“No, let’s not do so. Rather than that, is there a method we can use to lure monsters
toward us? Like a loud sound, perhaps.”

Alan said that monsters would generally always opt for an attack once they notice the
presence of others in their territory. Since we don’t know the positions of the monsters
in the area, it would be more efficient to have the monsters come to us instead.

We did bring a bell with us, I think. So I decided to ring that as we traversed the forest.

After walking for about twenty minutes, a Gray Hound suddenly jumped out of the
bushes. No, there seems to be more rushing behind it.

“Defensive circle!”

When Dalshim bellowed his command, everyone formed a defensive circle formation
and surrounded me. Some of the men slashed at the Gray Hounds that jumped in to
attack and killed them. There were still three Gray Hounds left.

I had already finished preparations for casting attack magic, but everyone was
blocking my line of sight. I could barely see the Gray Hounds through the gaps between
my men, but can I really hit them by sending my spell over everyone’s heads?

There’s no choice but to do it! I cast a single Flame Arrow by imagining myself pulling
a bowstring and sending out a projectile in an arc.

The Flame Arrow spells flew in an arc and went past Captain Dalshim’s head. It then
successfully bored through a Gray Hound’s head.

I hit it! I fired two more Flame Arrow spells and finished off the remaining two Gray
Hounds.

“Oooh!”

“Amazing!”

This was a technique I recently became able to perform. I prepared enough magic
power for three shots in advance and consumed each shot one by one. Alan, Sharon,
and Selena could all do it. I finally learned to do it myself.

“That was splendid, Ria-sama!”

“Dalshim, let us quickly collect the magic stones from the corpses and move on. And
also, I think there’s no need to form a defensive formation around me as well…”

“Forgive me for being presumptuous, but you are the main commander and core of
our team, Ria-sama. Forming a defensive circle around you in order to protect you is
only natural.”

…It might really be so. I’ve also learned the importance of protecting the commander
while in battle, and I am also the one most adept in magic among the team. Alright
then. Let us go with this arrangement for the time being.

After we finished collecting the magic stones from the Gray Hound corpses, we
continued on.

There’s still quite some time until we come back, so I better conserve my magic power
first. Ah, I wish I could replenish magic power through magic stones like Alan and the
others… I will definitely learn that technique in the future.

After an hour of walking, we encountered a group of five Goblins. They suddenly

appeared from the bushes, and when they saw us, they immediately turned around
and attempted to run. The three team members nearest to them chased them down
and finished them all off.
That’s quite strange. The Goblins living in this forest were an extremely cautious
bunch. It was my first time witnessing them suddenly popping out without warning
like that.

“Be careful everyone! The Goblins might have been chased out by something else!”

The men started forming a defensive circle immediately, and those who could use
magic all gathered together in the center of the formation. Most of the members of my
team can use magic.

Ten seconds after forming the defensive circle, Orcs appeared in front of us while
making a racket. There are multiple monsters!? There seem to be five of them.

This is bad. Everyone isn’t ready to cast their spells yet. They should need about ten
seconds more. I will keep the monsters at bay until they’re ready!

I slammed a Flame Arrow inside the mouth of the first Orc to discover us as it opened
its mouth to roar. I then launched another Flame Arrow at the brows of the other Orc
who saw what happened to the one in the lead and rushed in.

“Wind Cutter!”

“Flame Arrow!”

Magic spells were launched out one after another after the ones who finished their
preparations immediately cast them out. The remaining three Orcs got struck by
magic consecutively and collapsed on the spot.

Fuu, we were able to manage somehow. It might have also been possible to fight them
with swords or spears, but since defeating them with magic was safer, there’s no
reason not to choose that option.

“As expected of Ria-sama. To think you’ll be able to predict the appearance of the
Orcs…”

“The state of those Goblins was strange after all. The Goblins within this forest are
especially cautious, so there was no way they would suddenly rush out like that for no
reason.”

“I see… This is my first time hearing of such vigilant Goblins, but I guess that’s just
how it is within the Great Demon Forest. Even the Goblins are cautious in order to
survive here.”

We then collected the magic stones and proceeded further. As expected, without
scanning magic, our hunting efficiency was comparably poorer since it wasn’t as easy
to encounter monsters.

We continued hunting after having lunch, but we only managed to hunt down two
more groups of Gray Hounds afterward. One group had six while the other had four.

As Alan said, there doesn’t seem to be any indications of a stampede. I felt that our
encounters were too few.

We continued on with our search for some time until I heard a voice calling out to me
from a distance.

“Hey, Ria! It’s me, Alan!”

It’s Alan! I guess it’s about time to return to Gantz. Alan was as prompt as always. I
first thought he carried a magic tool for telling time with him, but it looks like he didn’t.
The spirits might be the ones telling him the time.

“Nice work, Ria. How was it?”

“There weren’t a lot of monsters after all. It was definitely harder to hunt without
scanning magic…”

“No, we also didn’t encounter a lot of monsters as well. It looks like the area assigned
to our Clan has fewer monsters lurking in it.”

When I asked Alan how many monsters they managed to hunt, we still came up short,
but the difference wasn’t as much as I expected. That’s great.

“You didn’t encounter any problems, right?”

“Yes, we don’t have anyone injured. I feel like I’ve successfully managed to do my part.”

“No, it was more than that, Alan-sama. Ria-sama’s leadership was absolutely superb.
She managed to care for and protect the ones under her command without sacrificing
efficiency. I dare to say even Alan-sama would find it difficult to emulate her
accomplishment.”

“Oh, so she did really great, huh! That’s quite impressive, Ria.”

I couldn’t help but smile in delight after hearing Alan praise me like that. But Dalshim
sure was exaggerating my accomplishment.

The other members of my team praised my actions as well.

“I see. That’s really impressive for your first time in command, Ria. Well, I expected as
much though.”

Mou, I’m already at my limit. My smile widened into a silly grin.

After regrouping with Alan’s team, we met up with Selena, Sharon, and Elna’s team as
well.

Without me noticing, I was already rushing toward Selena and Sharon.

“Selena, Sharon! I managed to serve as the team leader without any problems!”

The two of them had surprised expressions on their faces.

“Well, isn’t that just a given? You’re probably the only one who thought you wouldn’t
be able to do a good job, Cleria.”

Eh? Really!? I didn’t think everyone held such trust in my abilities!

Today was the day I’ve felt most proud of myself in my entire life to date.
It’s been ten days since the Adventurer’s Guild issued the request for thinning out the
monster numbers within the sea of trees and assigned areas to different Clans.

“Alan-sama, I feel like the number of monsters has already decreased to a great
extent…”

“Yeah, that’s right. I’ve been using scanning magic but it really seems that the monster
numbers have thinned out a lot. It looks like we don’t have to hunt monsters in our
assigned area for a while.”

Of course, there’s a possibility of an influx of monsters coming over from the areas
assigned to the other Clans, but since they probably also thinned the monster numbers
in their areas, the numbers probably won’t increase for a good while, and we didn’t
need the entire Clan to go out and hunt them anymore. We can just hunt them again
once the numbers increase to a certain extent in the future.

“Honestly, I’d like for the guild to call off this request already. I’ve been checking with
the guild every day, but they keep on saying the same thing. Yosh! I’ll definitely give
them a piece of my mind today.”

“I’ll accompany you, Alan-sama.”

It looks like he’ll accompany me even though I was just heading over to complain to
the guild. Walter really is such a good guy.

We didn’t take on a mandatory quest though, so we really didn’t have to hunt monsters
constantly if we didn’t feel like it since there was no quota, but it just won’t feel right
to skip on a job y’know. Since it’s already obvious that there’s no danger of a stampede,
I’d like the guild to make a decision already.

We finished our hunt for the day and lined up outside the gates to wait for the
mandatory inspection. The ones lined up were all adventurers and there didn’t seem
to be anyone who looked suspicious. They were probably all members of the Clans
that took on the guild’s request like us.

In our Clan’s case, I used the drones to scout ahead and pinpoint the location of the
monsters, so we had a much easier time hunting monsters compared to those
adventurers who went in practically blind.

After undergoing the inspection, I took all the magic stones and subjugation proofs
the teams collected and headed to the Adventurer’s Guild with Walter.

When we entered the guild building, we found that the assessment was congested
with people. We waited for fifteen minutes or so until the assessment for all the earlier
adventurer parties was done.

Our total kills for the day consisted of 26 Gray Hounds, 5 Orcs, and 25 Goblins. Our
earnings amounted to 29,600 Guineas.

We barely made a profit.

“Yosh, let’s go Walter!”

“Yes! Let’s give em a good one!”

We headed to the receptionist’s counter to offer a complaint.

“I’m Shining Star’s Alan.”

“Ah! It’s about the request, right? We just rescinded it earlier. We at the Adventurer’s
Guild thank all you Clans for your cooperation. Thank you for doing such a fantastic
job.”

“……Ah, is that so.”

“……”

And just when I resolved myself to give them a piece of my mind, they went and
canceled the request. I and Walter headed back Home without saying anything.

“Hey, if it isn’t Alan-san!”

A guy who looked like a merchant suddenly called out to us. I looked at the nametag
displayed on top of the guy’s head and found that he was called Geld. I didn’t have any
recollection of him, but since Nanom had recorded his name on the database, he was
probably one of the merchants who introduced themselves to us at the Commerce
Guild.

“You’re Geld-san, if I remember correctly.”

“Oh! To think you even remembered my name! Yes, that’s right! It’s me, Geld.”

“It’s been a while.”

“To think I was able to meet you again today. Shall we go for a little drink? How about
it? I know a good place with some delicious chilled ale. Your companion can come too
of course. I’ll treat you both.”

Man, and I was just craving for some chilled ale. Perfect timing. When I exchanged
gazes with Walter, it seems he left the decision to me. Well, it would be a shame not to
accept his invitation, especially since he was treating.

“Okay then. We’ll take you up on that offer.”

“There you go! The shop is just ahead.”

The shop he led us to was a tidy-looking bar where a number of merchant-looking

folks were hanging out. It was probably a bar that especially catered to merchants.
Geld placed a large order of ale and snacks. The waitress immediately brought out the
ale.

“I’ve always wanted to talk to you at length even just once, Alan-san. No, I understand.
I promise I won’t take up much of your time.”

“No, it would be nice to converse with a merchant like you from time to time.”

“Alan-san, did you know that Shining Star has become pretty famous around these
parts?”

“Hee, is that so? Maybe it’s because we always wear our Clan badges, so the people
find it easy to identify our members.”

I showed Geld-san the Clan badge I put on near my left shoulder. I received reports
from our Clan members of people thanking them for our bandit subjugation work
from time to time.

“No, no. Of course, you’re all pretty famous in Gantz. But according to the rumors,
you’re also getting pretty well-known in the Kingdom’s capital.”

“Hou, so our fame has even reached the royal capital, huh…”

“Well, the rumors are mostly spread by merchants of course. By the way, is it true that
you’ve managed to capture more than ten bandit groups?”

“That’s mostly right. Precisely speaking, we managed to capture eleven groups, with a
total of 215 bandits, I guess.”

“Two hundred fifteen bandits! My word. That’s one impressive number! Truly, thank
you very much for your work.”

“No, it’s a request from the Commerce Guild after all.”

“Since everyone is saying that the guild does some meaningful work from time to time
after all, Guild Chief Silas is often in a good mood these days.”

I see. So our activities ended up boosting the Commerce Guild’s reputation as well. We
did manage to earn a tidy profit, so it was a win-win.

I downed two tankards of ale while listening to various rumors and parted with Geld
afterward.

“We did it, Alan-sama!”

“Yeah, that was some good ale.”

“No, not that. I was referring to our fame in the royal capital.”

“Ah, so you were talking about that. I also think it would be nice if that was really the
case. I hope it turns out to be true. Well, we don’t know to what extent the rumors have
spread, so we still can’t confirm it though.”

“When you think about it, we did accomplish quite a feat, so I’m sure the rumors have
some element of truth to them.”
I finally arrived back home while exchanging some small talk with Walter. Now then,
it’s about time I took a bath. Afterward, let’s have some dinner with everyone.

After dinner, I called out to Captain Dalshim.

“Captain Dalshim, I want to conduct another meeting. Can you gather the rest of the
sub-leaders at the Clan office again?”

“Understood. Alan-sama, um… I’m glad you still refer to me as ‘captain’, but the Clan
already has a captain, so I think it isn’t quite appropriate anymore.”

“Oh, right, sorry. Come to think of it, I have an idea regarding that. Let’s talk about it
later during the meeting.”

“Understood.”

When my party members and all the sub-leaders gathered up, I began the meeting.

“First, I’ll tell you about the latest announcement. The Adventurer’s Guild has finally
canceled the request for monster culling within the Great Demon Forest. As expected,
they judged that there is no danger of a stampede. I would have liked them to have
come to such a decision four or five days earlier though.”

“The number of monsters has clearly gone down by a lot, so it’s just proper.”

“Well, that’s right. I have another announcement to make. It seems the rumors of our
Shining Star’s bandit subjugation activities have even reached the royal capital.
However, I’m still not sure to what extent the rumors have spread, so we still can’t say
for sure if we really have achieved some fame.”

“Ooh!”

“They are spreading good rumors about us, right?”

“That seems to be the case. I heard this particular piece of information from a
merchant, and it seems the ones spreading such rumors are mostly merchants as well.
Also, he gave us some info that there have been signs of another bandit group
appearing around here. There haven’t been any victims so far, but it’s fairly suspicious
that a group of fifteen or so people has camped out in the same spot for two nights
without even hunting a single monster.”

Of course, this info was captured using the drones. I watched a video recording of the
group in question, and they certainly didn’t look like adventurers. They even searched
for some good ambush spots at one point, so I was pretty sure they were bandits. We
probably need to head out again to capture them.

“Please let the A Team handle it,” Selena requested.

“Understood. I’ll leave them to you then. They should be located around here. You can
prepare yourselves and depart tomorrow. Alright then. Fancy some Orc hunting, B
Team? Let’s attack an Orc settlement. Maybe we can even encounter a General Orc.”

“”Ooh!””

Since the bandits still haven’t secured a hideout, they probably don’t have that much
loot on them yet. Assaulting an Orc settlement might be more profitable if that’s the
case.

“Lastly, let’s talk about Captain Dalshim. If you’re okay with it, would you like to serve
as my adjutant?”

“I will be serving as your adjutant, Alan-sama!?”

“Only if you don’t have any problems with it… Can I count on you then?”

“Of course I accept! I will certainly not fail your expectations!”

“That’s good then! We all know how capable Dalshim is as a leader and commander.
He is fit enough to take up a leadership position in any organization. I know you
already understand this, but I want you to always consider Adjutant Dalshim’s opinion
in matters relating to the Clan. Got it?”

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

I’m sorry though, but I have already decided to have Selena serve as my Vice-
commander. Dalshim was a lot more experienced right now, so he was actually more
suitable in a sense. However, I’m glad Dalshim agreed to the position of adjutant.
“Yosh. Well then, the A and B Teams will head out together at 7 in the morning
tomorrow like usual. Be sure to make adequate preparations.”

The moment I went back to my room, Iris contacted me. Maybe she waited until I was
all alone before she called.

[Captain, here is the regular report regarding the dragon.]

The other day, I ordered Iris to find the wild dragon that appeared in the skies of
Cecilio Kingdom, and she managed to find it within two hours. I compared its behavior
to the footage of other dragons previously captured by the drones and found that there
wasn’t anything particularly alarming. It was just flying around without a particular
destination in mind, it seems.

It didn’t pose any harm even when it approached human settlements and cities, and
seemed to have gotten bored after hovering around them from above for a short while.
It hunted other monsters like Big Boars for food, and it hasn’t attacked any humans
until now. It should find it easy to bring down humans, but it didn’t show any interest.
Does it have an opinion against attacking certain creatures as a dragon or something?
It seemed like quite an intelligent beast.

I displayed the current position of the dragon on the virtual HUD.

(Isn’t it actually approaching Gantz?)

[It seems so. However, there is no set pattern to this particular dragon’s movements.
It’s probably a coincidence.]

( I see. Continue monitoring the subject for now.)

[Understood.]

The dragon’s movements certainly didn’t indicate a particular pattern like Iris said.
When you think it’s chosen a course to fly toward two or three days earlier, you’d
suddenly find it moving more than 150 kilometers away from it the next day. It felt like
it was just flying around wherever it wanted to without a particular destination in
mind. I can’t help but worry about it.

Oh well. I was certainly curious about the dragon, but we have to depart early
tomorrow. Let’s just get some sleep.
At exactly 7 in the morning, the A and B Teams departed from the Clan Home together.
The A Team needed to bring a carriage and horses, so they were in the lead.

Meanwhile, we from the B Team were walking on foot. Our target Orc settlement was
located twenty kilometers away from Gantz, so we should be able to go back within
the day.

We traversed the sea of trees and managed to arrive near the Orc settlement before
noon. Along the way, we were attacked by Gray Hounds a total of two times. We faced
a total of ten Gray Hounds, but we managed to dispatch them easily. The monster
numbers have really thinned out, as expected. It looks like we successfully culled a
sufficient number of Gray Hounds within the forest.

I gathered everyone and explained my plan.

“The Orc settlement is located five hundred meters from here. There’s a total of 55
Orcs residing in it. The settlement is shaped like this.”

I drew a simple diagram of the Orc settlement on the ground and indicated the
positions of the Orcs within it.

“First, we’ll try to go unnoticed as much as possible and thin their numbers via magic
spells. It won’t be much of a problem even if we were to be discovered, but in order to
make the battle as easy as possible, try to avoid notice while picking them off as much
as you can. If we get noticed and it turns into a melee, don’t panic and form up as a
party.”

Everyone nodded with nervous looks on their faces. Come to think of it, this was the
first time the B Team faced enemy numbers comparable to their own.

“Orcs aren’t really all that much of a big deal. I can actually dispatch them all by myself.
So relax guys.”

I joked around and made a wry grin.

“Yosh, let’s go.”

We silently moved in a column and slowly approached the Orc settlement.

We didn’t manage to encounter any Orcs along the way, and after traversing five
hundred meters in forty minutes or so, we finally made it right next to the Orc
settlement. It looks like they haven’t noticed us yet.

The settlement was formed by open-air tents that used wide plant leaves as roofing
arranged in a wide circle 150 meters in diameter surrounding an open clearing in the
center. Most of the Orcs were sleeping around below the tents.

I used hand signs to get the rest of the party into position. This time, after hearing that
we were going Orc hunting, a lot of the men brought bows and arrows with them. First,
let’s attack from outside the village using magic and arrows.

When everyone was in position, I swung my arm down to initiate the attack. As
expected, when more than fifty people launch a simultaneous attack, it would make
quite a racket. We were immediately noticed, but the Orcs seem to not understand
what was going on yet.

The simultaneous barrage managed to take down at least twenty Orcs. That’s a good
start.

“Charge in!”

After shouting my order, I led the charge toward the settlement. The Orcs finally
realized they were under attack, and they charged at us as well. I launched Light Arrow
spells at the heads of the incoming Orcs and killed them one after another.

Oh, so arrow attacks were quite effective against the slow-moving Orcs huh? Lots of
Orcs got skewered by arrows all over their bodies and fell dead.

After a few more moments, a load bellow rang out from within the settlement. It looks
like a General Orc was coming. So there really was one.

“I’ll handle the General Orc!”

It would be bad if its valuable head got damaged in the process. Let’s focus on hitting
it in the body like last time. This General Orc was smaller than the last one I
encountered, but it was still easily close to three meters tall. It held something like a
big club as its weapon and stomped over with confidence. I hit it with consecutive
Light Arrow spells before it could come near. After getting hit a fourth time, the
General Orc slowly fell down on the ground. It was finally dead.
“Oh! Alan-sama has finished off the General Orc!”

The battle was all but decided at that moment, and all that’s left was mopping up the
remaining stragglers. I killed the Orcs that tried to run away after seeing the General
Orc get defeated with Light Arrow spells. Yosh. With this, it’s over.

“Yosh! Good job, everyone! Operation over.”

“Oooh!”

“We did it!”

“After a short break, start harvesting the magic stones and subjugation proofs.”

“That was an easy victory wasn’t it, Alan-sama.”

“Yeah. With our numbers and everyone’s skills, winning is all but natural.”

I turned the fallen General Orc over and used Final Blade to lop its head clean off. I
want to drain the blood properly before bringing it back.

Man, that sure is one ugly mug. Since it was this atrocious-looking, I’m sure it’ll fetch
a pretty good price.

After taking a light break, everyone proceeded to collect the magic stones and
subjugation proofs from the fallen monsters. It’s already two in the afternoon. We’ll
have to hurry back before it gets dark.

“Yosh, let’s get back to Gantz!”

“”Ou!””

At that moment, a transmission came from Iris.

[Captain, the dragon seems to be heading for the forest.]

(What!?)

I opened the virtual map in a panic and confirmed the dragon’s current position and
speed. I see… It’s certainly flying in the general vicinity, but it’s not like it was heading
in our particular direction.

(It isn’t aiming for us, is it?)

[I think that’s not the case, but you should still exercise caution, Captain.]

“Um, Alan-sama?”

Ah, since I paused without moving for a long time, Walter found it odd and called out
to me.

“There’s some bad news. A dragon is heading here.”

“A dragon!?”

“That’s right. Let’s head back while being as cautious as possible.”

When everyone heard that a dragon was approaching when we left the Orc settlement,
they anxiously gazed at the sky from time to time.

After traveling for thirty minutes or so, another transmission from Iris came.

[The situation isn’t good. Please look at this.]

We’re in the middle of a march though… I raised my hand and stopped the group.
Everyone stopped in their tracks and watched the sky with wary eyes.

I checked the video displayed on the virtual HUD and found that it was a recording of
the dragon while it was hunting for prey. Yes, it was a recording and not a live feed.

The dragon was circling in the air in search of prey. It found its mark and dove down
at high speed. It plunged into the trees and killed a large Big Boar that looked to be
500 kilos in weight.

[After a short while, a group of adventurers appeared.]

Ah, well that’s not good.

I zoomed at the image of the ten-plus adventurers. The adventurers were scared out
of their wits, but in their panic, they stupidly tried to attack the dragon to chase it
away.

How idiotic! They should have run away while it wasn’t paying attention. Just how did
they plan to defeat that monster anyway?

The adventurers circled around the dragon’s position, and two of them who seemed
to be spell casters started chanting. Oh c’mon! Don’t these guys realize that monster
won’t be fazed with just those kinds of spells? The result was as clear as day.

After the spells were ready, three other party members aimed at the back of the
dragon’s head and fired arrows at it. The arrows were deflected by its scales of course,
and the dragon turned toward them. It was obviously angry at being interrupted from
having its meal.

And the two spell casters released their spells at that timing. Honestly, they timed their
spells perfectly. The two cast Flame Arrow spells and six arrows of flame flew toward
the dragon’s face and landed direct hits.

Ooh! One flaming arrow even managed to hit one of the dragon’s eyes. The dragon
unleashed a furious roar.

It thrashed around all over the place for about twenty seconds, but it calmed down
soon after. Perhaps the pain from the injury had subsided. It then stood up and glared
angrily at the adventurers with its one remaining eye. It unleashed a furious roar once
more. Ah, it’s just like I thought.

The adventurers got frightened by the dragon’s roar and tried to run away. They
shouldn’t have run. Since they managed to blind one of its eyes, they should have had
a chance of driving it away if they stood their ground.

The dragon took a deep breath, and after a few moments, it unleashed a blazing torrent
of flames at the adventurers. The flames swallowed the adventurers completely.
Haah…

Perhaps it was not satisfied after killing the adventurers. The dragon kept roaring in
fury toward the sky.

When it seemingly got tired of bellowing its lungs out, it took off. It started flying in a
circle; seemingly in search of something. I zoomed at the upper body of the dragon. As
I thought, the dragon’s gaze was focused on the ground. It was definitely looking for
something. I’m sure it was looking for more people to vent its anger on.

I checked the virtual map and confirmed that it was definitely closing in on our
position. I see. This certainly is a bad situation. If the dragon spots us, I’m sure it’ll
definitely launch an attack.

However, this might be a chance as well. You can even call it a one in a million chance.
I heard from Cleria a while back that they awarded noble titles to adventurers who
managed to slay a wyvern in the Starveek Kingdom. Then what if I managed to slay a
dragon?

And that big, fat chance was currently coming over. There’s a point to facing it head-
on even with the risks involved.

“Walter, the dragon really is heading our way. I’ll take another route and do something
about it. You lead the B Team and head back to Gantz.”

“What are you saying!? If that’s the case, then please allow us to accompany you. If we
pool our strengths together, even a dragon will be no match!”

“No. Against a dragon, everyone’s present strength is still lacking. If you stay behind,
you’ll honestly just serve to hinder me. Please stay out of this one for now.”

“It can’t be! T-There must be something we can do!?”

“This is an order, Walter. If you were once part of the military, then I’m sure you
understand what a command from your superior entails.”

“………Yes.”

“I think it won’t come to this, but in the off chance that I don’t manage to come back,
obey the commands of Captain Selena. Captain Selena is the Vice-leader of the Clan,
and if I don’t come back, she will lead you all in my stead.”

“…Understood.”

“Oh, and another thing. Hand me some of the Orc magic stones. Half of them should be
enough.”

I received a jute bag containing the Orc magic stones. It should be enough with this
much.

“The dragon is approaching from the east. Run west for about an hour, and then head
north. You should be able to reach Gantz by then. I’ll leave everyone to you, Walter.”

“Understood. Alan-sama… Please don’t push yourself too much.”

“I understand. Just leave it to me.”

(Nanom, activate long-distance sprint mode.)

[Roger.]

I turned east and started running.

Of course, if I made use of the drones I’d be able to easily bring down that dragon.
However, I don’t have any intention of doing so.

If the dragon was a monster that mindlessly attacked humans like the Orcs or Gray
Hounds, I would have done so without any hesitation.

However, that dragon was different. It didn’t attack humans for no reason. Even that
earlier incident can probably be categorized as self-defense. If that dragon really has
lost itself in rage and wants to attack humans, I want to stop it myself.

……No, is that really the reason? I ain’t such a principled and righteous person, right?
Of course, I ain’t.

Would I find it unpleasant if I claim to have defeated it but actually used drones to
bring it down? Maybe. I certainly don’t want to tell a lie like that. But, is that the only
reason?

That dragon was arguably the strongest living creature I’ve encountered in this world.

Until now, I have never unleashed my magic at full strength even once. There wasn’t
an opportunity to. But I did wish I’d get a chance to unleash it one day, just to find out
how far I can go.

Ah, that’s right… I simply want to test my current strength against that dragon.
Yosh! Let’s do this!
I felt uneasy.

I was familiar with this sensation.

It was the feeling of something intruding into my domain.

It has been quite a long time since anything had paid me a visit. The last time was
when my mother was still alive.

But it’s only natural that no one comes to me. I have not a single friend nor acquaintance,
nor do any of my clan still remain.

It might be an acquaintance of my mother.

This wouldn’t do. Since I have a guest, I have to showcase the greatest hospitality. And
if it was an enemy, I will stake the pride of my clan and fight to the best of my abilities.

Alan-sama ended up separating from us and going alone.

“…As per Alan-sama’s orders, we will now be heading west. Assume a tight-nit battle
formation.”

“Walter! You can’t really be saying we’ll just leave Alan-sama here and escape by
ourselves!?”

“It’s an order… What can the lot of us do against a dragon? We would just get in Alan-
sama’s way. Alan-sama is probably planning to buy some time in order to allow us to
escape. He is risking his life for our sakes, do you understand? I cannot possibly ignore
his intent and force myself to stay only to become a hindrance to him.”

“However…”
“More importantly, there are people in our Clan better suited to deal with a dragon,
right? We will return to Gantz and get in contact with the A Team! Do not even think
about whether or not we’ll be able to make it back in time! Listen here! Run back to
Gantz as fast as possible! I’ll leave behind anyone who drags their feet. Put your lives
at risk and run!”

“”Understood!””

As I was running toward the direction of the dragon’s location, a call from Iris came
in.

[What do you think you’re doing, Captain?]

(I’m thinking of subjugating that dragon. That’s only if it doesn’t run and persists in
attacking though. That dragon hasn’t attacked people until that incident earlier
happened, so if it’s gained a taste for attacking humans, there’s no way we can leave it
alone.)

[You can’t be saying you’ll try to subjugate it on your own, Captain?]

(That’s the plan. I’ll probably manage somehow.)

[Forgive me, but I do not think so. Your chance of winning is approximately below
70%]

(That’s actually higher than I expected! I can do this.)

[…Please tell me the reason why you insist on subjugating the dragon personally,
Captain.]

(Of course, it’s for the goal of becoming a noble. That’s the main reason why we came
to Gantz in the first place. Don’t you think I’ll be able to become one if I manage to
subdue this dragon?)

[That would probably be the case. Those who are able to defeat dragons are exalted
as Dragon Slayers and are afforded with great respect. Moreover, a Dragon Slayer
hasn’t appeared on this continent for hundreds of years. Also, the scales, blood, and
magic stone of a dragon are highly prized materials of considerable value. If you offer
the defeated dragon to a country, you will probably gain even more standing.]

(I see! Yosh, I’m getting really pumped about this now.)

[There is no reason for you to fight it yourself, Captain. Let the drones handle it.]

(No, I’ll take care of it. I want to test out just how effective my magic spells are against
a dragon.)

[You are actually willing to risk your life for such an illogical reason?]

Damn, I can’t really offer a good retort here.

(There’s still Selena and Sharon anyway. If I do kick the bucket, they’ll be able to carry
on just fine. It won’t affect the overall plans much.)

Of course, I have absolutely no intention of dying though. But I just wanted to get back
at Iris a little by saying something unreasonable.

[Of course, there will be problems. First, we already have very limited personnel, and
you’re saying we’ll possibly incur a loss. That is unacceptable. And besides, the male-
dominated hierarchy system is still prevalent on this planet. Since Selena would be
both seen as a commoner and female, she will have significantly more troubles leading
our forces.]

Chauvinism huh. I honestly didn’t think of that. Man, what a backward practice. Haa…
It can’t be helped.

(I understand. At least give me a chance to get one good hit in. If I don’t manage to
finish it off with that, you can let the drones take over.)

[… Understood.]

I checked the drone image feed and saw that the dragon was still circling around the
area as if searching for something. If I keep going like this, I’ll be able to reach the
dragon in about five minutes.

I ran to a spot that had sparser trees and had ample light shining through the canopy.
Yosh, I had a good field of view here, and in case of an emergency, I can use that huge
rock nearby as cover. Great. Let’s make this the spot for the decisive battle with the
dragon.

(Nanom, please proceed to replenish my magic power through the magic stone in my
hand whenever it runs out even without my prompt.)

[Roger.]

If I choose to position myself here, I’ll definitely get spotted by the dragon before long.
I was curious if that dragon will really proceed to attack humans or not. If it still
possesses enough intelligence and self-control to ignore a human like me even after
what happened to its eye, I’ll cancel my attack. If it turns out to be such a creature,
then it should not be treated as a simple monster, but instead held in more respect.

At the rate the dragon was flying about, it’ll probably spot me in another minute.

[Captain, it looks like another dragon has appeared.]

Damn. What rotten timing.

(Just where did it appear from?)

[The newly arrived dragon is probably a native of this forest. It is heading in your
direction with great speed. It would probably arrive there in three minutes.]

I checked the map displayed on the virtual HUD and confirmed that the new dragon
was certainly approaching my location at a considerable pace. It’s definitely planning
to join up with the first dragon.

I’m sure the dragon mentioned by Kevin-san days ago was this particular dragon. It
completely slipped my mind. However, let’s focus on the other dragon first.

Ah, it looks like I’ve been found by the one-eyed dragon already. According to the map
icon, it was heading straight for me.

A few seconds later, I finally saw it with my own eyes. It was coming toward my
position while flying about 40 meters above the ground. I had my vision zoom in and
confirmed the appearance of the dragon. It really was huge. It was now only 150
meters away from my position.

After unleashing a loud roar, it positioned its head above, as if it was taking a deep
breath, and a fireball was spewed from its jaws. It can actually hit me with that magic
at this distance!?

No, it wasn’t just an ordinary fireball. The amount of magic power detected by the
magic sensor is more than ten times that of a normal Fire Ball spell. It’s similar to my
Fire Grenade!

I fired my own Fire Grenade spell to counter the speeding fireball and sprinted behind
the rock I was eyeing earlier.
A deafening sound accompanied the shockwaves resulting from the explosion. I was
able to barely make it behind the rock to shelter myself from the blast. Damn. I was
late in identifying that last attack as a grenade.

[Captain!?]

(I’m fine! But that’s amazing! To think a dragon has the ability to spew magic flames
similar to my Fire Grenade spell!)

I searched for the dragon’s position as I continued to crouch behind the rock. There!
This time, it’s my turn. I took out two Orc magic stones and gripped them tightly in
order to replenish my magic power. I aimed eight Fire Grenade spells pumped with
plenty of magic power at the dragon and fired them in rapid succession. I don’t care if
you’re a dragon. If you eat at least one of those, even you wouldn’t be left unscathed!

The dragon spotted the Fire Grenades and hurriedly performed some evasive
maneuvers. It was as if the dragon was aware that the spells coming for it were
explosive grenades.

Did it really notice? Don’t tell me a dragon has the ability to perceive magic power as
well!?

Hou! So it can fly at such speeds in the face of danger huh. My special Homing Grenade
spells chased after the flying dragon, but it doesn’t look like they’ll be able to catch up.
All eight grenades exploded about thirty meters away from the dragon’s back. The
power of the explosions was quite substantial, but it doesn’t look like the dragon was
affected.

If the problem is speed, then I’ll use my fastest spell, Light Arrow, next. They might not
possess enough firepower, but I think they’ll still prove effective if I aim at the dragon’s
remaining eye. I took out another three magic stones in order to replenish my magic
power once again.

The dragon performed another inhaling motion 150 meters away from my position.
Damn! It was planning on firing another grenade at me.

[Time’s up, Captain. I shall dispose of it.]

(Wait. Wait up a bit.)

At that moment, I witnessed a fireball suddenly head for the dragon from another
direction. What!?

That fireball set off a small explosion near the dragon. Perhaps the dragon didn’t see
that fireball incoming. It looks like it was confused by the sudden attack. It hurriedly
turned toward the direction the fireball flew from.

Damn! I also want to check, but the view was obscured by the trees. I continued to
monitor the dragon’s movements while I opened another window to display the image
feed captured by a drone. It looks like that small fireball was unleashed by the newly
arrived local dragon.

What’s going on? Was the other dragon not the first one’s ally? Did it actually save me?

[I shall proceed to eliminate the two targets.]

(Wait! Hold up! Let’s check the situation out first.)

The newly arrived dragon was quite a bit smaller than the one-eyed dragon. It was
flapping its wings and hovering in place as it roared at the one-eyed dragon.

The one-eyed dragon retreated about 50 meters away from it and hovered in place as
well.

Before long, the smaller dragon unleashed a more aggressive-sounding roar.

Were they actually communicating with each other?

The one-eyed dragon also roared aggressively in retort after hearing the smaller one’s
roar. It actually seems that the two were having a heated argument.

Both of them were now roaring so loud, it would probably make people’s eardrums
burst. It really seems that they were communicating, but that didn’t manage to resolve
anything and they instead became more and more hostile. Rather, it was looking more
and more like them picking a fight with each other.

(Are they really communicating?)

[There is no doubt that they are performing some sort of communication method.]

The two dragon’s heads raised up at the same time, and they unleashed Fire Grenades
against each other. It looks like the fight’s starting!

The two grenades met each other in the middle of the space between the two dragons
and exploded simultaneously. The two dragons weren’t fazed by the explosion and
rapidly closed the distance. Just before they collided, the smaller dragon broke away
first.

They were completely ignoring me now, huh. I was a bit annoyed because I actually
came here with the resolve to risk my life.

And then, an intense mid-air battle began. They took distance after the first charge,
and then rapidly closed in on each other once more. They spewed Fire Grenades at
each other during the charge, broke away before colliding, and then repeated the
process. They seem to be following some kind of rule during their battle, and the fight
really resembled a formal duel, or perhaps a joust.

(What’s happening?)

[It’s probably a territorial conflict. The smaller dragon claims a large area of the forest
as part of its territory. And now, it is fighting the wild dragon that suddenly intruded
into its territory.]

(I see… But man, that’s one intense fight.)

Powerful explosions occurred whenever the two dragons passed each other by. No
matter how tough a dragon is, if they get caught in one of those explosions at such
speeds, I can’t imagine they’d remain uninjured. Both of them were truly risking their
lives in every exchange. Neither seemed to be able to fire off Flame Grenades in
succession nor quickly change trajectories.

However, they seemed to be employing various different strategies like constantly

varying their flying speed and subtly changing the timing of releasing their Flame
Grenades.

After their grenade spells crashed into each other for the twelfth time, the movement
pattern of the smaller dragon clearly changed. It seemingly predicted its opponents’
flight path, matched its timing while avoiding the enemy’s grenade breath, and
hammered an attack at a distance and angle the enemy dragon would find hard to
dodge when they passed each other by. The power of its attack was reduced a bit, but
it also ensured the smaller dragon didn’t take damage during the exchange. That’s
some really skillful dogfighting.

However, it didn’t manage to land a deciding hit, and the one-eyed dragon was still in
the air. What a tough body. So it can take such an explosion and still continue to fly
huh. However, it seems that it indeed took some damage since its flying speed was
evidently slower than before.

They reversed course again and charged toward the other party once more. The
smaller dragon managed to land another clean hit using the same strategy. After
taking another spell, the one-eyed dragon’s flying speed dropped even further.

It looks like the battle has been decided. The next hit would probably be the last.

However, after the charge, the one-eyed dragon didn’t spew a grenade of its own, but
instead withstood the smaller dragon’s attack and spread its wings in order to block
the smaller dragon’s flight path. It was an extremely risky move.

It probably realized it would eventually lose if the situation continued and decided to
use such a desperate method. The smaller dragon eventually collided with the one-
eyed dragon, and the two got entangled and fell to the ground.

It looks like the one-eyed dragon didn’t get weakened as much as I expected. It bit the
smaller dragon’s neck and swung its head from side to side to worsen the damage. It
looks like the larger one-eyed dragon held the advantage when it comes to fighting on
the ground.

But why didn’t it use this method earlier? Maybe it’s because it deviates from the duel
style they used in the beginning.

The larger one-eyed dragon held the smaller dragon’s neck firmly and pinned it down.
It would probably find it hard to reverse the situation now.

After three more minutes, the smaller dragon’s struggling evidently began to weaken.
It must be finding it really hard to breathe.

(Let’s help out the smaller dragon. The one-eyed dragon should be disposed of. Try
not to make it suffer as much as possible though.)
In any case, the one-eyed dragon that has become hostile to humans can’t be left to its
own devices and has to be disposed of.

However, I did feel that butting in on the two’s battle was quite a despicable act.

But I was saved by the smaller dragon earlier, and I would feel bad if I left it to die like
this.

[Understood.]

A drone canceled stealth mode and fired an attack at the head of the one-eyed dragon.
The round pierced deep into its skull, and the one-eyed dragon slowly collapsed dead.

The small dragon seems to have kept its consciousness, albeit in a hazy state. It would
be bad if it thrashed around here. I’ll try to threaten it a little.

(All units, cancel stealth mode and approach the dragon.)

I ordered all the drones present in the area to gather up as I walked toward the dragon.
The twelve drones dispatched by a worried Iris gathered near my position.

When I was only 15 meters away from the dragon, it finally noticed me. It didn’t seem
to hold any obvious hostility and just stared at me.

Multiple engine sounds gradually grew louder as the drones approached. The dragon
seemed to be looking around to search for the source of the noise.

When all the drones reached us and canceled stealth mode simultaneously, they
blotted out the light of the sun and plunged the area below them in shadows. The
dragon raised its head and stared at the drones hovering above, and then lowered its
gaze again to continue staring at me.

Afterward, it suddenly laid itself belly-up on the ground. Its gaze was still focused on
me though.

(What do you think this means, Iris?)

[It’s an action often taken by a lot of creatures to signify their willingness to submit to
those stronger than them. It is an action that implies surrender by exposing their
bellies, which is often the weakest part of their bodies, to the other party.]
(So it’s just like I thought huh. So, what should I do next?)

[There are many examples of creatures accepting the surrender of their peers by
stepping on the other’s belly.]

Okay. I’ll do that then. It might be a bit dangerous, but since I had all the drones
positioned above us, Iris would probably finish the dragon off the moment it performs
any questionable behavior.

I approached the dragon and jumped up to its belly. The dragon kept still as it
continued to watch me. And then, it slowly lowered its head on the ground and closed
its eyes.

(Hey! It didn’t just die on me, right!?)

[No. Its heart is still functioning normally. It probably just lost consciousness.]

(I see. Can we do something for it?)

[It’s most serious injury is probably the one on its neck. The bleeding seems to be
severe. Why don’t you try treating it with healing magic, Captain?]

Yosh, let’s try it. I wonder if healing magic will really be effective on a dragon? No. If
it’s those light spirits, I’m sure they’ll be able to do it.

Since I found their engine noise to be distracting, I had the drones go on standby in
the sky and jumped down from the dragon’s belly in order to approach its neck. Due
to the bite attack earlier, red blood kept flowing out of the gaps in the dragon’s scales.

Surprisingly, there seem to be no damaged scales. They must really be pretty tough.

I created an image in my head that would allow me to cure the damaged tissues under
its scales. First, let’s prioritize stopping the bleeding. I used the image of the cute light
spirits repairing broken blood vessels and cells.

I activated the Heal spell while griping three Orc magic stones in my hand. I couldn’t
see the wound clearly through the scales so adjusting the spell proved tricky.

My palm which held the Orc magic stones shone several times, and I continued to cast
the Heal spell while replenishing my magic power with the stones. When I finally
finished closing the bite wound, I had already consumed as many as six Orc magic
stones.

“Fuu. Well, I finally managed to stop the bleeding. How is it?”

[Its condition looks stable. Captain, can you touch the dragon’s blood for me?]

That’s a simple request. I touched the dark-red dragon blood that flowed to the
ground. It felt viscous and sticky. So this blood is actually something valuable?

[I see. It’s just as I expected. Captain, don’t you think this dragon resembles something
we’re very familiar with?]

Something familiar? I can only see it as a huge dinosaur with bat wings though. Wait…
Oh, so that’s what she means.

More than sixty years ago, the empire discovered a planet on which dinosaurs actually
managed to survive and not go extinct. If I remember correctly, it was named Satic.
This dragon does share some resemblance with the carnivorous dinosaurs found on
that planet.

Of course, the carnivorous dinosaurs there didn’t sport any bat-like wings. Those
dinosaurs had dark-brown hides while this dragons’ was a blood-like crimson. The
size was different as well. Those creatures weren’t as large as this dragon and stood
only at a height of five meters or so. I think they were called satiron.

“You’re saying this dragon resembles the satirons?”

[Yes. They may not look the same in outward appearance, but they resemble one
another on a genetic level.]

It was recently confirmed that the satirons possessed high intelligence. When it was
announced that communication was possible twenty years ago, it became a really hot
topic.

I remember when I was five years old, I was really excited when I watched the program
about the talking dinosaurs on the holo-bit. Of course, the dinosaurs didn’t actually
speak human words. They were instead interpreted and translated by a translation
system. That was a really fascinating experience.
Even at present, the debate on whether or not the satirons possessed true intelligence
is still ongoing. I see…

[Why don’t you give it a try, Captain?]

“…That sounds interesting. What should I do?”

[Let’s use that.]

Iris was referring to the newly developed item for use precisely for situations like this
– a clump of nanoms I call the Nanom Ball. When Cleria lost her limbs, I transfused my
nanom-filled blood to her in order to heal her, but that method was very inefficient.

In order to perform a nanom infusion immediately in times of emergency, I created

this ball made up of a cluster of countless nanoms. I made this by taking in rare metals
in order to increase Nanom’s reproduction rate. In the end, I managed to produce
Nanom Balls with a diameter of 2 centimeters. There were 12 of them inside my
pouch.

It takes about an hour for the nanom cluster to form into a spherical shape within my
mouth, so I had quite a bit of trouble producing these.

“Yosh, give me some instructions.”

[Please check if it has any small scratches on its head.]

I moved toward the dragon’s head and found a small wound on top of it.

[Please press the balls on the wound. You would need ten of them.]

I lifted the dragon’s scales and pressed the Nanom Ball on the open wound. The
Nanom Ball immediately liquefied and seeped into the wound. Very soon, I’ve already
managed to use up all ten Nanom Balls.

“How long would the process take?”

[For the time being, I will give priority to communication functions and neural control.
It will take three hours to establish neural control and at least 5 hours to achieve
simple communication functions.]

“I see. I hope it stays passed out until those are finished. Okay then. I’ll continue
treating its other wounds.”

[Please leave the wound where the nanoms were transplanted open.]

I don’t know what that’s for, but okay. I healed as many visible wounds as I could
except for the head wound, and consumed another three magic stones.

“It looks like I’ll need to camp out here for the time being. I don’t have anything to do
now, so I guess I’ll go get ready for camping out.”

It was already near evening and it was beginning to get dark. And I don’t want to camp
in a place with a dragon corpse and drenched in dragon blood. I guess I’ll have to put
up with the few pieces of dried meat in my pouch for tonight.

A little ways away from the dragon, I made a makeshift bed by piling up mowed grass
and some large and wide leaves as cushions. I also lit up four bonfires on four corners
of the camping spot to ensure that I had enough illumination.

Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I camped out like this all by myself. Before I
met Cleria, this was how I lived daily. It felt like something that happened so long ago.

Oh, there’s a call from Selena.

(Alan, I’m making my regular report. We have arrived at the camping site without
problems, and we are now making camp.)

(I see. Good work… There are no problems on our end as well. Everyone has already
returned back to the Clan Home. I’ll leave everyone there to you then.)

(Roger. Selena out.)

I refrained from telling Selena and the others my current situation to prevent them
from worrying unnecessarily. It won’t make any difference even if they knew. B Team
should be about to reach the Clan Home by now.

Three hours have passed since the nanom transplant. It’s already turned completely
dark. The dragon was still fast asleep. Well, it’s not unexpected. It rampaged around a
lot after all. It should have really exhausted itself.

[Captain, please touch the wound where you infused the nanoms.]

I still don’t know what it’s for, but I just did as I was told. I walked back to the dragon’s
head, lifted its scales, and poked my finger into the wound.

[Information successfully obtained. The makeup of the body tissues such as the
nervous system and brain are very similar to satirons, as expected. I cannot perform
fine control yet, but initial neural control has been established. With this, this dragon
no longer poses any danger.]

I see. It’ll take more time to establish the communication function so Iris used my
nanoms as a relay to obtain the necessary data huh.

Since she already took control of the dragon’s nervous functions, it was definitely safe.
Most creatures would be helpless once their sense of sight and hearing was taken
away after all.

It should be fine to heal the wound on the dragon’s head now, so I immediately healed
with magic. And so, the wait continues.

[The basic communication function has been successfully established. Total neural
control is almost complete as well. Now, I will proceed with analyzing the dragon’s
thought patterns in order to establish an understanding of it.]

(I’ll leave that all to you, Iris.)

After about three minutes, the dragon finally began to twitch. It was probably a sign
that it was starting to wake up. After a few more moments, it finally raised its head. It
looked around the place as if checking out where it has woken up to.

“Is alright if I got closer?”

[Of course it’s fine. I have taken control of its limbs. It cannot walk and certainly cannot
fly right now.]

“I see… I kinda feel I’m doing something really bad to it.”

[It’s necessary to ensure safety. It would only have to put up with it temporarily until
we establish a complete understanding of its nature.]

When I approached it, the dragon’s head movements seemed to indicate its surprise,
and at times, it would frantically shake it.

“Can you show me what you’re having the dragon see as well?”

My surroundings suddenly changed. The only ones that existed in a seemingly dark
space were me and the dragon. And then, a Goblin appeared right in front of us. The
number of Goblins increased gradually. At first, there were two, and then three, and
so on. In no time we were completely surrounded by Goblins.

And then, they all disappeared. The next monster to appear were Orcs, and the earlier
process was repeated again.

[I am currently recording its reactions when being shown these images. I will probably
obtain enough information to establish a simple form of communication with it after
a night.]

So this process will continue overnight huh. In a sense, that’s quite terrifying.

(Understood. I’ll leave it to you.)

My normal vision was restored. I do hope the dragon won’t go crazy from something
like this though.

[Captain, please wake up.]

Oh, so I fell asleep. I was thinking of staying up all night but ended up falling asleep
instead. Wha– It’s already nine in the morning!

“You could have woken me up earlier.”

[There wasn’t anything I needed you to do anyway. In any case, I have finally managed
to gather enough data to establish communication. Let us try it right away.]

“Yosh, go ahead.”

I looked at the dragon and found it looking down dejectedly. Well, it experienced that
kind of mental torture for the entire night after all. Of course, it’ll run out like this. Is
it okay? Mentally, I mean.

The dragon suddenly raised its head and looked around, as if its vision was now clear.
The moment it saw me, it dropped to the ground like a dog.
[This is a gesture of obedience. This is a greeting for the head of its clan.]

“………Head of its clan?”

[Of course, I’m referring to you, Captain.]

“…Uh, when did I even become the head of a dragon clan?”

[It’s the opposite. The dragon has joined your clan instead.]

“…Why the heck did that happen?”

My relatives would definitely have a field day if they ever found out a dragon joined
the family.

[It is a custom of the dragons. If they surrender to an opponent of a different clan, and
the opponent accepts, the defeated dragon would have to leave its former clan and
join its opponent’s clan instead.]

“What the heck!? Then this guy won’t be able to go back to his original clan?”

[There is no need to worry. She is the last surviving member of her clan.]

“She? You mean this dragon’s actually a [1]female creature!?”

[Captain, that statement can be considered a form of harassment. Your wording implies
that a creature of her intelligence is no different from an animal.]

“No, that wasn’t my intention. Sorry, let me take that back.”

Damn! You’re one to talk! You were performing something that can be considered a
form of torture to her all night, you know!

“I see. So she’s the last surviving member of her clan. But…”

The dragon started to make a series of low growling and grunting noises.

[She has a question. She is asking if those black things were the clan’s warriors. She’s
probably referring to the drones.]
Iris was probably not translating the dragon’s grunts directly, but reading and
interpreting her thoughts instead.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

[All units, lower your altitude to fifty meters and execute Formation A. Cancel stealth
mode.]

When she heard the sound of the drone’s engines, the dragon stood and looked up at
the sky. Before long, the drones dropped down in a tight formation.

The dragon laid down on the ground like a dog again. But this time, she did it in front
of the drones. She didn’t seem to show any intention of moving from her spot as long
as the drones were around, so I had them disperse and go on standby again.

When the drones disappeared, she turned toward me again and made more of those
growling noises.

[They looked to be superb warriors, is what she’s saying. She has another question.
She’s asking how many warriors there are in the clan.]

“There are 82 drones currently in service.”

The dragon seemed to be taken aback. She laid down in front of me again. She made
some more growling sounds as she continued to lie down.

[She is saying she is happy to have been able to join a clan with such strength. She is
apparently worried that the rest of the clan will not approve of her joining though.]

“Um… They do, I guess.”

The dragon got up and raised a loud roar toward the sky. That’s some serious sound
volume!

[She is expressing happiness due to being accepted into the clan.]

Her roar finally abated after a short while more.

“By the way, do you have a name?”

It felt weird to always address her as ‘dragon’. She should have a name, at least.

Iris conveyed the meaning of my question to her.

[Guroarua.]

“……Sorry, but can you run that by me again?”

[Guroarua.]

It’s no good. It’s just a grunt variation. At least, humans won’t be able to pronounce
such a name correctly.

“Yosh. I got it. Your name is Gloria. It’s a really girly name, and it fits you very well.”

Gloria seemed pleased when she heard her name get praised. She growled and
grunted again.

[She doesn’t have high standards. Her only requirement is for the male to be young
and healthy.]

“………Uh, what the heck are you talking about?”

[In dragon society, the clan chief is the one who decides the partner of every dragon
in the clan. She just told you her requirements for a potential partner.]

“…Wait, so, I gotta find a strapping young dragon lad and introduce him to her later
on?”

[That’s how it is.]

Is it just me, or are things actually proceeding in a very weird direction…?

[1] TL Notes: Alan referred to Gloria as ‘mesu’ (雌) at first. This is a term used to
denote a female animal or plant as opposed to a human (or in this case, a sentient
dragon). That’s why Iris said he was being rude.