Hell Mode: Volume 5, page 8
Keel’s head whirled around. “Nina!”
People parted to make way for a ten-year-old girl who was slowly approaching Keel with her face scrunched up half in laughter and half in tears. Keel walked forward just as slowly and spread his arms wide, enveloping the girl in a bear hug when she finally reached him.
The way they went to each other seems so well-mannered. What a stark difference from Mash and Myulla with me, ha ha.
Allen could not help but compare what he was seeing with how he had reunited with his own younger siblings the other day, which made him think of the differences in the two families’ upbringing.
“What a wonderful day it is, Baron Carnel.”
“Huh? Uh, yes, I suppose it is.”
Keel looked up to see who had addressed him and found one of the officials in the room approaching while rubbing his hands.
“Please accept my heartfelt congratulations for your recent conferment. I am a royal envoy—”
“This is hardly the setting for such talk, is it?” Count Hamilton coolly stepped between the official and the pair of siblings.
“O-Of course, Count Hamilton. My apologies.”
So, Count Hamilton has no qualms standing up to a royal envoy. That’s upper nobility for you.
Due to his title, not only was Count Hamilton considered one of the upper nobles, but he also held significant influence within the political group known as the Alliance faction, a smaller body mainly composed of Talentless nobles within the Academy faction. All this together gave him the authority to stand up to even royal envoys here on orders from the king.
As instructed by the count, servants led the group to the mansion’s conference room. Count Hamilton, the No-life Gamers, Nina, and the top servants of the house would be sitting in on the meeting between the royal envoy and Keel.
“Once again, allow me to congratulate you on being conferred the status of baron and on the successful restoration of your realm.”
“The restoration has only just begun, but thank you.”
Keel’s goal had been to create a place for his sister and servants to call home, as they had lost a place to belong after House Carnel was dismantled. As such, he had not been all that bothered at having been given the lowest possible noble title or that he was now lord of only half of the land that his father had overseen. In fact, having only half the land suited him just right, given that he was only fourteen years old and had not received any education whatsoever in noble matters or realm management. He was aware that he still had a lot to learn.
The envoy changed the subject. “Baron Keel, I have heard that you intend on leaving a magistrate to administer the realm in your place. Is this so?”
Of course he would. Since he’s gonna be traveling with us.
“Yes, I will,” Keel replied.
There was no rule that Ratashian nobles must always be present in their realm. While they were away, they could appoint a magistrate, someone who would manage the domain in their place. Count Hamilton already knew that Keel would be relying on this system in order to continue traveling with the No-life Gamers. Allen had originally planned on asking Viscount Granvelle to find someone for this post, but Count Hamilton, with his wealth of connections, had taken it upon himself to do so.
Sure enough, the count nodded and said, “I have already reached out to someone about that. He will be arriving soon.”
“You have been too good to me, my lord.” Keel lowered his head. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Oh hey, so Keel can speak politely too.
“Now, the white dragon.” Here, the envoy changed the subject yet again. “Bringing back its head is certainly one way to make an impression upon assuming office. I am sure His Majesty will be greatly pleased to hear the news.”
“I hope so,” Keel nodded.
Silence filled the room as the envoy studied Keel without saying anything.
The hell you lookin’ at, huh?
“In regards to this... Would you be favorable to presenting the white dragon to the royal family?”
Yep, there it is. I knew he’d ask that.
Allen and his companions had talked it out beforehand and agreed to dedicate the entire dragon, magic stone and all, to rebuilding House Carnel, aside from a small portion of the meat that they would be eating. They had no plans to give anything to the royal family.
“Are you asking House Carnel to hand over the dragon?” Count Hamilton cut in, unable to stay silent. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Oh, no, far be it from me to so rudely ask for the entire beast. However, is it not the duty of nobles to give back to the royal family who grant them their titles and the land they manage? I would not go so far as to suggest presenting everything, but conversely, to present nothing at all is...”
“Count Hamilton.”
“Yes, Allen?”
“My understanding of the concept of profit is what’s left over after costs are subtracted from income. In this case, there is a need to restore the mines destroyed by the white dragon, dig new shafts, and recruit miners. Only after all these expenses are paid would the leftover be considered profit. Please correct me if I am wrong.”
“You are entirely correct.”
The white dragon had dealt so much damage to the realm of Carnel that even if its entire body was sold, the price still would not fully cover what it would cost to get everything back up and running. The count also agreed with this estimate.
Keel spoke up. “It is as my friend just said. My duty is to develop this land that the crown has entrusted me with and to enable my people to work for the kingdom’s sake. To make that happen, I’m afraid I do not have anything tangible, such as any parts of the dragon carcass, to present to His Majesty.” He added that he also planned on giving condolence money to those who lost family members to the dragon.
The royal envoy gasped at the fact that the newly instated baron had just refused a request to offer something to the royal family.
Then again, there’s no need to come across as overly confrontational against the royal family either.
“However,” Allen said, “in light of his recent coronation, we understand His Majesty’s wish to assert his authority. Now that the white dragon is dead, it can definitely be helpful as a showcase of his dignity.”
“Riiiiight.” The envoy looked at the black-haired boy with narrowed eyes, suspicious of why he suddenly seemed cooperative.
“To that end, after the dragon head is left on display at the city square for the next few days, would the crown be interested in buying it?”
“Buying...?”
“Don’t let this leave this room, but as long as we get some money, we’d be more than happy to play along and pretend to present it.”
“But that’s...”
“We will be looking forward to a favorable response.”
Seeing the conspiratorial grin on Allen’s face, the other No-life Gamers sat back and sipped at their tea, watching him get up to his usual antics.
Oh right, we have to do that too. “By the way, we’ll be heading to the local Adventurer’s Guild right after this.”
“Hm? Do you have business there?” the count asked.
“Well, we did just complete the quest for killing the white dragon that the royal family had posted years ago, so we have to collect the bounty. It was a thousand gold, if I remember correctly.”
“Wha—?!” The envoy was struck dumbfounded.
I did tell Viscount Granvelle to take down the request in his realm.
Decades before, House Granvelle had also put up a request at the Adventurer’s Guild for killing the white dragon. The bounty they posted was a thousand gold, which was a massive sum for the family considering their financial situation, but they thought it part of their duty as the nobles entrusted with administering to the realm.
The white dragon had then moved to Carnel, and the realm was brought back under the palace’s management. The royal family had then posted a similar request at the Adventurer’s Guild in Carnel City, setting the same bounty of a thousand gold.
When informing Viscount Granvelle of his plans to take down the white dragon, Allen had reminded him to take down the request on the Granvelle side if it was still up. He had zero intention of demanding payment from someone who had done so much for him, after all. Conversely, he had no qualms whatsoever wrangling money from the royal family.
Fearing that anything else he said would make things worse, the royal envoy fell silent. Seeing that the conversation was over, Nina asked with an earnest gaze, “How long will you be staying, Keel? I want to hear stories of your time away!”
“Uh...” This time, it was Keel’s turn to fall silent as he struggled for words.
Count Hamilton answered on his behalf. “Well, before we came here, I was told that it would take a few days to issue the traveling permits for your party. How about staying here until the process is finished?”
Nina blinked. “Traveling permits?”
“Yeah,” Keel nodded. “We’re actually heading to Baukis next.”
“I...see.” Nina lowered her eyes.
Myulla also looked sad when I told her I was leaving. I guess this is the same in all families.
And so, after finishing their talk with the royal envoy, the No-life Gamers decided to stay in Carnel City for a few days, during which they also dropped by Rodin Village and the Granvelle mansion to deliver white dragon meat. After that, they set out for Baukis.
Chapter 6: Traveling to Baukis
The No-life Gamers were headed for the largest landing pad at the Ratashian capital magic ship port, where their flight to Baukis awaited them. Viscount Granvelle and Thomas had gone to see them off.
The viscount clasped Allen’s hand in his. “Take care of my daughter.”
“Of course, sir. And thank you for everything you’re doing for Myulla.”
After the God of Spirits granted Myulla the Cleric Talent, Viscount Granvelle had requested the Church send someone to Rodin Village who could teach her how to use her newfound powers. And by “the Church,” everyone in this world understood that to mean the Church of Elmea. Of the many deities of this world, the God of Creation undoubtedly had the most followers.
Rodin Village was steadily building all the facilities it needed, and a church was already in the plans for that year, with the Church dispatching a clergyman once the building was completed. In a sense, all that was happening was moving up the construction schedule.
The great boar hunts in autumn had gotten far less risky with the addition of Allen’s Summons, but once Myulla mastered Healing Magic, they would become even safer. Plus, Healing Magic could be cast from a distance, so she ought to be able to level up easily.
Cecil was the last to bid farewell to her family. Once she was finally done with her goodbyes, the whole party boarded the magic ship.
There were many types of magic ships, differing in size and speed. This time, the No-life Gamers were taking a large one meant for international travel that flew at normal cruising speed. The group had reserved two comfortably sized rooms for the boys and girls to sleep separately.
Everyone was familiar with riding magic ships by now, as they had done it many times before. They dropped by their rooms to set down their luggage, then gathered in the guys’ room to discuss their plan going forward. The group was like a bunch of students on an overnight field trip; in fact, this had been the mood around them ever since they left the Academy.
“By the way, what was that thousand gold for?” Cecil asked. She was referring to the amount that Allen had pressed upon his father as village development funds when they left. The village was still in its tax-exempt period, so Cecil could not imagine what the village would need that would be so expensive.
“It costs money to bring expert tradesmen to the village. For example, to build flood control works.”
A normal village would reach a point where it no longer needed much by way of development. Krena Village was one such example. However, Rodin Village was set to become a hub for handling monsters, and that would be a whole different story. It would need to hire experts in many fields, such as architecture, civil engineering, and flood management. The way Allen saw it, as soon as long-term development plans were drawn up, the funds would practically evaporate.
“You left quite a lot of money too, didn’t you, Keel?” Dogora asked with a yawn from where he lay on his bed. It was not uncommon for him to fall asleep during these meetings.
Seeing Krena nodding off in her seat, Allen considered laying her down in his bed.
“It’s fine. I’m the feudal lord, after all,” Keel scoffed. He had entrusted a thousand gold of his own with Count Hamilton, asking the man to pay for anything that his sister or servants might need with it. This was the reward he had received from the queen of Rohzenheim, who had given all the Gamers—aside from Allen—a monetary reward.
“The Rank S dungeon is filled with Rank A monsters, so we’ll probably be picking up a whole bunch of valuable equipment that we can just sell off.” Allen was not that hung up on money; in his optimistic view, he could always earn more.
“I suppose that’s true,” Cecil said as she nodded. “On an unrelated note, I wonder how Meruru’s doing.”
“Using official Rohzenheim channels,” Sophie replied, “I have reached out to Meruru’s Academy to formally request for her graduation, as well as to Baukis for permission for her to accompany us. I am sure it will not be long before we receive an answer made in good faith.”
It was the party’s unanimous opinion that they absolutely needed Meruru to clear the Rank S dungeon in Baukis. She was a strong, reliable companion, true, but besides that, she also was the only one who knew much of anything about Baukis or dwarves in general. Everyone was hoping that she would give them the lowdown during their time together in the dungeon.
This was why they had submitted a request that her Academy let her graduate early like they had, with the assumption that she had also accomplished plenty of feats in the Baukisian effort to repel the Demon Lord Army. Citing the same reason, they had also asked Baukis to permit her to accompany them to the Tower of Tribulation. The last they heard from Rohzenheim had been through a magic tool in Ratash, but at the time, no reply from Baukis had come yet.
For what felt like the hundredth time, Allen asked, “They haven’t responded yet, right?”
“They have not.” Sophie shook her head before continuing in a reassuring tone, “However, Baukis has never turned us down out of hand for anything else before. There should be no cause to worry.”
The No-life Gamers soon wrapped up their party meeting, and Allen carried Krena—now fast asleep—over to the girls’ room.
＊ ＊ ＊
Several days later found the magic ship still in the middle of its uneventful journey. During this time, the party had eaten meals together and spent the rest of their time however they pleased, with Allen dedicating all of his time alone to making Blessings of Heaven to expend his MP and earn skill XP. He was doing the same today in the private dining room the party had reserved next to the cafeteria while he waited for his friends and food to arrive.
The No-life Gamers always reserved a private room for their meals specifically for Sophie’s sake. Outside of Rohzenheim, elves were really only ever seen on battlefields or at the Academies, so their long ears tended to catch a lot of attention. Sophie herself also had especially pleasant features, which only made her stand out even more. She wore a hooded cloak that hid her face most of the time, but for situations when she had no choice but to remove her hood—such as when she was eating—alternative measures had to be taken.
Cecil soon came in. “You’re here again, Allen? Weren’t you making those during lunch too?”
Allen shrugged. “I’m replenishing my stock now ’cause I left pretty much everything I had in Ratash.” Since there’s no guarantee we’ll make it back alive.
When handing Rodin the money, Allen had also left him with a large number of Blessings for emergencies. Of course, this had hardly been the first time Allen had done that. And by now, Cecil thought nothing more than Oh wow, he’s really stepped up his pace making those ever since he got his MP Recovery Ring
One by one, the other Gamers showed up for dinner. The last one in today was Krena, who arrived right after the food had been brought in.
“Yay, food!”
She was at the door cheering when an unfamiliar woman approached from behind her and called into the room. “Excuse me. Is Lord Allen here?”
Allen looked up. “Yes, that’s me. How may I help you?”
“I am an envoy from Giamut. If I may have a bit of your time, please?”
“Huh? Uh, sure.”
The Gamers watched vigilantly as a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties walked in. As an extra precaution, Allen sent a Spirit B into the nearest wall, just in case.
Hold on, I recognize her. She spoke to me at the palace in Ratash.
Allen recalled that, at the time, she had been wearing an outfit similar to the formfitting suit she had on now. She had introduced herself as a Giamutan diplomat and asked to speak with him then too. Unfortunately, Allen had been surrounded by dozens of other nobles at the time and therefore never had the chance to meet with her.
Did she follow us onto the ship?
Deciding to at least hear her out, Allen invited her in to take a seat. And because she had not eaten yet, Allen ordered food for her as well.
“Thank you for your generosity.” The woman was adopting a humble manner, but she had not let her eyes stray from Allen’s face even once.
When all the food had been served, Allen said, “Let’s eat.”
“Okay!” Krena replied eagerly.
After the diplomat bobbed her head in acknowledgment, the meal began. As always, the party had ordered family-style, because while Krena and Dogora had massive appetites, Sophie and Volmaar did not eat all that much, with the rest of the group all over the spectrum in between. As such, the most effective thing to do was to order large portions of various dishes and have everyone just take however much they wanted.
