Hell Mode: Volume 5, page 28
What she did already know, however, were Allen’s plans for after graduation. She was torn whether to tell her father now.
“Mm? Wassup?” One of Meruru’s brothers noticed that she had fallen into thought.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Meruru was still mulling when a rough voice called for her from a distance away.
“Ahoooooy! Meruruuuuuu!”
Admiral Garara was standing on top of the tables laden with food and making his way toward Meruru, dragging Pepeku along in a cobra twist headlock. The nobles could not believe their eyes, but no one tried to stop him. This was pretty much how the admiral always acted whenever he got drunk; he had done the same even on the group’s way back to Dongbao.
“Sorry, I have to talk with him.” Meruru excused herself to her family before heading over. “What is it, Admiral?”
“Ye’ll like this! Word just came in—Rohzenheim beat back their own bunch’a Demon Lord Army forces. And they did it after losin’ their capital! It be a miracle! I sure wanna know how they pulled it off!”
“Are you serious, Admiral?!”
“I ain’t no liar. Word is, ’twas an overwhelmin’ victory. Th’ elves ain’t half bad!”
Although Rohzenheim had yet to declare their war was fully over, they had informed all the other nations that they had succeeded in recapturing their capital. Admiral Garara had remembered that Meruru had elven friends like Sophie, and so he came over to give her the update on their front.
“Th-Thank you, Admiral!”
Meruru recalled the sight of a million monsters at Lamchatka Strait. Hearing that the elves had beaten back twice that number, she could not hide her surprise.
“Hm, ye look like yer thinkin’ about somethin’. Here, I’ll lend ya Pepeku!” The admiral roughly tousled Meruru’s hair, as if telling her to get whatever it was off her chest so she could fully enjoy the party.
Finally freed from his drunken superior, Pepeku turned to Meruru and asked her kindly, “What’s the matter? Do you want to talk about it?”
“O-Okay. Actually, I’m not sure if I should tell my family what I’ll be doing after graduation.”
“Are you not going to work at the imperial court?”
“I’m actually thinking of going to the Rank S dungeon with the friends I made in Ratash.”
“What?! ...Ah, you did mention your group managed to clear all the necessary Rank A dungeons during your time at the Academy. Is that them?”
Pepeku had already asked Meruru about her time in Ratash and was surprised to learn that she had joined a party that had helped her clear five Rank A dungeons within a single year.
Meruru nodded. “Yep. And I haven’t been able to bring myself to tell my parents yet.”
“Well...I think it’s entirely up to you whether to tell them or not.”
“Huh?!” The girl’s eyes widened with bewilderment.
“It’s my turn to be honest with you. I actually joined Stinger without telling my parents either.”
“Really?”
Stinger was the party that Admiral Garara led back when he was an adventurer. They were famous for clearing all the dungeons in Baukis in the blink of an eye and for showing up to save settlements under monster attack, no matter the rank of the threat. And because Pepeku’s home village was close to a Rank A dungeon, the party had stayed in town for a while.
“At the time, I already knew that I had the Talos General Talent, just like you. So I thought they might accept me in their party.”
“Did they?”
“I got a punch to the face instead. The admiral was like, ‘What’s a brat jumping into danger for?!’”
“Aww, he said no.”
“He said, ‘Doesn’t matter how great yer Talent be. Ye’re just a brat, and ye joinin’ will worry yer parents.’ But I didn’t give up. I enrolled at an Academy and did everything I could to get stronger. And after I graduated, I went to the admiral and asked to join his party again. Turns out he still remembered me.”
“No way!”
“He went, ‘Looks like ye won’t take no fer an answer,’ and finally accepted me.”
Pepeku looked positively pleased when he finished telling his story.
“And you’re saying that you didn’t tell your parents you got in right away?” Meruru understood that Pepeku recounting his story was his way of answering her question.
“That’s right. Because they would’ve worried. In the end, I only told them when Garara became the admiral of the Baukisian navy.”
The Empire of Baukis could not simply leave Garara to his own devices—not when he was the one and only Talos King in their country. With the intensity of the Demon Lord Army’s assault increasing every year, Garara was eventually persuaded by the ministers to accept the promotion to admiral. It was only then that Pepeku revealed to his parents that he was in Garara’s party. In the end, his parents had already figured it out by the time he told them, though. In short, Pepeku was making the point that if his parents could deduce that he was in Stinger, he was sure Meruru’s parents and brothers also could make out what she was worrying about.
“I see...” she murmured. With the weight now off her shoulders, Meruru started pestering Pepeku for tales of his adventurers as a member of Stinger.
“Our Extra Skills are only useful when there are five of us, so we always had to work together to beat our enemies. For example...” The alcohol was starting to get to Pepeku, making it hard to understand what he was saying.
“And? And?!”
“Whenever we met a strong enemy, Admiral always charged in first...” Halfway through telling Admiral Garara’s story with as much pride as if it were his own, Pepeku slumped over, dead drunk.
“Oy, Pepeku! How can ye sleep at a party?!” Admiral Garara, also very drunk, began to violently shake Pepeku in an attempt to wake him up.
After participating in the war to defend the Empire of Baukis, Meruru felt she had learned what it truly meant to have companions. She swore once more that she would definitely go to the Rank S dungeon with the rest of the No-life Gamers.
Side Story 4: Unconquered
The young emperor of Giamut, Regalfaras von Giamut the Fifth, had been crowned after each of his older brothers met timely deaths. Because of this, there were those who called him the Bloody Emperor behind his back.
At the moment, Regalfaras was sitting at a heavy, luxurious-looking desk and glaring at the man and woman before him with disapproval. The pair remained standing instead of sitting down, either because they felt out of place or because they did not want to stay a moment longer than necessary, possibly both. Sitting next to the emperor was Hero Helmios.
“And that’s basically just how Allen is,” Helmios said. “I’m pretty sure the only thing he’s got in his head is going to the Rank S dungeon.”
“Is that so. And that is why he refused my summons?”
There was a reason for the emperor’s bad mood. The man and woman before him were his foreign minister and one of the minister’s envoys, respectively. And they had come together to deliver a certain report.
The report in question was an account of how the envoy had, on the emperor’s direct order, approached Allen while on a magic ship and conveyed that the emperor wished to meet him when the ship landed in the capital of Giamut. However, Allen had turned her down in no uncertain terms.
“We are deeply sorry.”
The foreign minister apologized on behalf of his subordinate, who had kept her head bowed the whole time. Before this audience, he had told her to stay quiet unless directly addressed and to leave all the talking to him.
“Allen is a former serf from a tiny country, is he not?” The emperor frowned. “He must have failed to understand just what you were saying. It appears the Academy’s curriculum requires revision.”
He apparently thought Allen had not comprehended the weight and meaning of the emperor of Giamut seeking his presence. A serf being granted an audience with the head of such a massive state was probably the first time such a thing had happened in history.
“That could well be the case,” the foreign minister replied obsequiously while shooting glances at Helmios with upturned eyes. “It is unthinkable for someone to turn down an invitation from Your Imperial Highness.”
The Hero sighed, lamenting the fact that he always happened to be around whenever the emperor received unwelcome news as of late. He had come here on a separate matter when the foreign minister and the envoy suddenly showed up.
“I’ll ask Allen what he thinks,” Helmios offered, despite already having a general sense of Allen’s attitude toward royalty after spending time with him in Rohzenheim.
Logically speaking, there was no way that Allen, who had enrolled in the Academy with the highest entrance exam score of all time, would fail to grasp what a summons from an emperor meant. However, saying so at this moment would only prolong the conversation with no real benefit, so he chose to wrap things up while leaving the matter vague.
The foreign minister breathed a small sigh of relief and promptly led his subordinate out of the room.
“People seem to have forgotten how to show respect lately,” Regalfaras growled. He was not stupid. He knew that his ministers and nobles were purposely putting off bringing him bad news until Helmios visited.
“I’m sure that’s not—”
Knock, knock.
The two turned their eyes to the door. When the emperor granted permission to enter, the royal guard outside let two men in. One was an old man wearing expensive-looking clothing who did not look like a noble or government official. The other was a large middle-aged man who had a certain rough air to him like an adventurer.
Emperor Regalfaras narrowed his eyes. “There you are. Finally.”
“I would never even think of ignoring a summons from Your Imperial Majesty.” The old man walked over leisurely and took the seat in front of him and Helmios.
“What did I say? No respect,” the emperor said, prompting a wry but noncommittal smile from Helmios.
“What are we talking about?” The old man raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing. Now, Guildmaster General Makkaron. The reason for today’s summoning is Allen.”
The man at the very top of the Adventurer’s Guild hierarchy, Makkaron, nodded. “Hmm. Are you referring to the young man who managed to wound Hero Helmios?”
“That young man is said to be responsible for saving Rohzenheim from a Demon Lord Army force of several million. Is that even possible?”
“Interesting.”
The country of elves had made an official announcement giving Hero Helmios much of the credit for their victory in the war that just ended. However, the emperor had heard from Helmios how Allen had been involved. Assuming it was true, the emperor wanted to know what abilities the boy had and how he had pulled it off.
“Helmios told me what Allen has done on the battlefield. I want you to explain how powerful he would have to be in a way that I can understand.”
As a ruler, Regalfaras could not simply go, “Oh, someone strong showed up,” and not do anything about it.
“I’ll go over everything again,” Helmios said. “Allen’s achievements are beyond the powers he had when fighting me at his Academy’s Martial Arts Tournament.”
The Hero recounted how the No-life Gamers had landed on the southern tip of Rohzenheim and saved the queen of the elves, then won battle after battle until eventually defeating even a Demonic Deity. He let Guildmaster General Makkaron know everything he personally witnessed as well as what he had heard from the elven soldiers.
The man standing next to Makkaron listened with a skeptical frown.
When Helmios finished, Makkaron slowly replied, “I didn’t expect him to be so powerful. If everything you said is true, it means Allen and his party killed millions of monsters all by themselves.”
It was near the end of autumn last year when Guildmaster General Makkaron heard a student named Allen had managed to wound Hero Helmios during a Martial Arts Tournament at the Ratashian Academy.
“That’s what it means, yes.” The emperor nodded. “Is that possible?”
Makkaron turned to the Hero. “Helmios, could you pull it off?”
“Nuh-uh. Not even if I had my whole party with me.”
“See? Curse the Ratashian king for trying to pull one over the world’s eyes! I can’t wait for the next Five Continent Alliance summit,” Emperor Regalfaras spat, making no effort to hide his displeasure.
One of the articles of the Five Continent Alliance charter required signatory countries to announce whenever someone with a Talent of three or more stars was found within their citizenry. The fact that Helmios and his ten three-star Talented party members could not achieve what Allen’s party supposedly had with even fewer members spoke volumes about just how powerful Allen should be. Not reporting this to the Alliance was a clear violation of the charter.
The Giamutan emperor was happy with the status quo where a Hero born in Giamut went around racking up miraculous feats. Someone from another country playing hero all over the place and hogging the spotlight was something the emperor very much wanted to deal with—even more so if that person refused his summons, therefore undermining his authority as an emperor. Emperor Regalfaras was looking forward to tearing the newly crowned King Invel of Ratash apart at the next Five Continent Alliance summit.
“Now, now, there’s no need to be so hasty,” Makkaron cautioned.
“What do you mean?” Regalfaras frowned.
“Helmios.” The guildmaster general turned to the Hero. “If you were to fight Allen now, how would it turn out?”
“He was pretty strong during our fight with the Demonic Deity, but I believe I’m still much more powerful than him.”
Allen had yet to level up his Summoning skill since his time in the Academy. And since he was dedicating Summons to helping his allies and the elves, his damage output was now even lower than when he fought Helmios.
“As I thought.” Makkaron nodded. “It seems this Allen fellow’s ability, ‘Summoning,’ is specialized for supporting other people.”
Helmios nodded, recalling the elven soldiers who told him they felt more powerful than usual when fighting during the war. The reason Allen had brought Helmios along for the fight with Rehzel was because the boy fully understood his own strengths and weaknesses and had determined that he could not win in a one-on-one with the Demonic Deity.
“I see. Still, are you saying that he managed to repel a force of several millions with his party’s help alone?”
“A certain country did splurge in hiring elven squads, effectively funding Rohzenheim with large amounts of money. Thanks to this, they have all the best equipment that money can buy. Their soldiers are also powerful enough to fight Rank B monsters one-on-one. Now, add all this with the buffs that Allen supposedly cast on them, and you can see what actually happened.”
Makkaron’s point was that the money that Rohzenheim received in turn for lending other countries elven healers had enabled them to outfit all their troops with mithril equipment. If the number of soldiers and monsters was around the same, then chances of the elves losing were low. Even more so if they were fighting defensive battles from behind fortresses that gave them even more of an edge.
Of course, the Demon Lord Army had sent three million at the start, twice the size of the elven army. The elves did end up managing to beat them back, so the guildmaster general’s interpretation of Helmios’s account was that this result was not due solely to Allen’s Summons but that the buffed soldiers themselves surely played a huge role.
“I see.”
“Did Giamut not also receive a large number of elven elixirs? Perhaps the elves who could make these recovery items were also buffed, significantly increasing their production rate.”
“I could see that happening. That would explain the elves giving Allen a title as grandiose as grand strategist. Securing him means being able to make as many recovery items as they want.”
The news that Rohzenheim had installed Allen as grand strategist had reached Giamut as well. The emperor, being unable to imagine it was Allen himself making the so-called elven elixirs, felt Guildmaster General Makkaron’s words made sense.
“So, is this all I can help you with today, Your Imperial Majesty?”
“No, there is more. This Allen is currently at the Rank S dungeon in Baukis. Helmios will be joining him there soon.”
“With the war barely over! I sure envy the young ’uns for their energy!” Makkaron said with a laugh.
“I’ve heard that the Tower of Tribulation has never been cleared before. Exactly how difficult is it to do so?”
“There is a limit to how strong even the greatest heroes and champions can get. Many such champions who reached their limits have dashed themselves against the Tower.”
This world had a leveling system, which meant everyone had a level cap. Those who reached this cap all invariably turned to the Rank S dungeon in search of orichalcum weapons and equipment.
“However, no one has cleared it yet?” the emperor asked again to clarify.
Makkaron nodded. “Indeed. A while back, the Rank S adventurer Bask, also known as the King of Shura, also gave up when he reached the final floor. And if we’re talking way back in the past, the champion Astel did the same.”
“Now that’s an old story,” the emperor commented.
Gathering orichalcum equipment from the Rank S dungeon and actually clearing the dungeon were two very different things. To prove his point, Guildmaster General Makkaron even brought up a champion from thousands of years in the past. There were historic records, far before the birth of the Demon Lord, of champions who met tragic fates challenging the Rank S dungeon’s last level. According to one account, one person who came back out alive had said, “That floor is Dungeon Master Dygragni’s playground. It’s no place for a mortal to step foot in!”
