Hell Mode: Volume 9, page 9
When the carriage crossed the entrance to the imperial palace of Giamut, knights and other officials were already waiting. Allen and his party were immediately escorted into a waiting room. Allen began using the Seeds of Magic that he had had Merus make, deciding to increase his skill levels while they were waiting. Some time later, it became time to attend the fateful conference.
A knight of the imperial castle entered the waiting room. He spotted Dogora carrying Kagutsuchi on his back and approached the boy with large strides.
“Please leave your weapons behind,” the knight ordered. A meeting where the world’s royals and global leaders gathered did not permit weapons to be carried inside.
“Huh?” Dogora replied. “Ugh, fine. I’ll skip the meeting, then.”
The knight was taken aback by the boy’s unexpected response. “Huh? Oh, um...”
Dogora knew that he would not utter a word at a conference where royals and important officials met to discuss difficult topics. He was not even sure that he would fully comprehend the contents of the meeting, and so he had decided to leave such complex matters to Allen. Above all, as a disciple, he wanted the divine vessel by his side at all times.
“Dogora,” Freyja said through Kagutsuchi. “You must abide by the rules set forth by humans in the Mortal Realm. I do not mind. You must make yourself known to the world.” It was clear that she had been listening to the conversation through the divine vessel.
“You sure?” Dogora asked.
The goddess seems to be in an awfully good mood lately, Allen thought. Indeed, she seemed to be in unusually high spirits. Three towns had been created on Hardcore User Island, and all the residents prayed every day and night to the flames in Freyja’s altar without fail.
In Neel, a city within the Holy Land of Elmahl, a stone statue had been erected in the likeness of Dogora and Freyja, which had no doubt also improved her mood immensely. The statue had actually been suggested by Allen, but the clergymen of the Church of Elmea had happily obliged and got to work on it immediately. It was quite a grand monument, proudly standing in the center of the city. The religious residents of Elmahl prayed to it daily. This also likely played a role in the partial return of Freyja’s power.
A few days ago, Habarak had claimed that the fire in his forge had become hot and vigorous once more. The blacksmith was eager to get to work forging orichalcum axes for Dogora. The boy currently had an adamantite axe to wield along with Kagutsuchi. He always slung the two weapons behind his back during travel—a shocking sight to unwitting bystanders. Many did double or triple takes when they spotted him walking down the road.
Dogora and the rest of the Gamers ended up leaving their weapons in the waiting room, requesting that Kagutsuchi be treated especially carefully. They then walked out into the hallway, escorted by knights and other officials.
This palace is really clean. Is it new? Compared to the palace in Ratash, this place was far more extravagant, seemingly shimmering in every corner. The interior was opulent, and no expense had been spared—a clear display of the empire’s wealth.
The imperial capital of Giamut had once been in the northern region of the empire, but following the invasion of the Demon Lord Army, it had moved to its current location. Much thought had gone into the design of the new palace, such as the building of a wider conference room and the expansion of the space where magic ships could land.
When the capital was being moved, the emperor had proposed the creation of the Five Continent Alliance and named the capital after himself, Beltias von Giamut VIII, or Beltias the Wise. He had helped lay the foundation for the fight against the Demon Lord Army, and much of it was still in use.
The No-life Gamers were guided to a room that Beltias VIII had personally designed. Inside, already sitting at a round table, was the head of each nation: Emperor Regalfaras von Giamut V, Emperor Pupun van Baukis III, Queen Lenoatiil of Rohzenheim, Beast King Muza van Albahal, and King Holanoroy van Crevelle. They were all in their respective seats alongside Hero Helmios and an attendant who had come with each of the five leaders. Other observers were also granted seats at this meeting, with nearly a hundred desks forming a semicircle around the round table. Representatives of those in the Alliance sat at these desks, watching as the monarchs spoke with the person standing in front of a podium.
“There’re quite a few people,” Cecil murmured.
“Indeed,” Sophie agreed. She, too, had been a victim of Allen’s plan, forced to farm iron golems for days. Recently, Cecil and Sophie had shared a sense of solidarity unlike any other. Allen had determined that sending the entirety of the No-life Gamers to hunt iron golems was terribly inefficient, instead choosing to split the party in two. Allen, Krena, Cecil, Sophie, Volmaar, a King Me’d Spirit A, and a King Me’d Dragon A had formed one group. The other had consisted of Dogora, Merus, Keel, Meruru, a King Me’d Beast A, a King Me’d Stone A, and a King Me’d Fish A.
Team Allen and Team Dogora had gone their separate ways to farm iron golems, competing to see which could hunt the most iron golems in a day. Both groups had spent over ten hours a day in the dungeon for several consecutive days. Cecil and Sophie had become closer friends as a result, and their teamwork had improved as well.
Allen marched into the conference room, leaving the two ladies whispering behind him.
“Over here please, Lord Allen,” a staff member said.
“Sure,” Allen replied.
While the rest of his party took their seats nearby, Allen was led in front of the podium. There, he spotted Makkaron. It seemed this podium served as more of a stand for people to be questioned at. Looks like he was put through the wringer.
Allen was actually aware of the general flow of this conference, which had started the day prior. He had snuck in a Bird G by hiding it inside Queen Lenoatiil’s pocket, then used Sharing to eavesdrop on the entire affair. He had even heard a good chunk of the questions hurled at Makkaron and their answers. This conference was not being hosted solely for Allen and his party; it was but one topic out of many that would be touched upon.
This world did not just have the Demon Lord Army to worry about. With numerous issues at hand, those present at this conference would discuss each subject at length before reaching a decision. Needless to say, many of these issues did not have optimal solutions or even a single correct answer that they could unanimously agree on. Each nation within the Five Continent Alliance differed in political and national power, inevitably creating a hierarchy of sorts. However, the main goal was for everyone to come to a compromise that they could work with, and they would need to go through a series of discussions to come to an agreement. It seemed that these conferences did not allow a solution to be reached so easily in any world.
Allen recalled the program for the Five Continent Alliance conference, which he had peeked at from within the elven queen’s clothes. Everyone in attendance was waiting to find out what Allen’s future plans were.
Yesterday’s Program for the Five Continent Alliance Conference
The current situation and damages to the Galiatan Continent following Gushara’s Daemonism debacle
Provision of support for the restoration efforts in Galiat
Today’s Program
Report on Rank S dungeon clearing guides
How the class promotion dungeon will be used and any issues
A hearing about the Allen Army’s motives
This Year’s Events
February: Rank S dungeon cleared
March onward: Gushara and his Daemonism followers cause destruction in the Galiatan Continent
April: Class promotion dungeon opens to the public
June: The Five Continent Alliance hosts a conference
As Allen was organizing his thoughts, he turned to Makkaron, who had been pummeled with questions as though this were an impeachment.
“You went through quite a bit,” he said.
“Mm, it’s always like this,” Makkaron replied wearily. “I wish I wouldn’t get called upon so frequently just because I’m nearby.”
The Guildmaster General had been being questioned for over an hour, and it sounded like the Five Continent Alliance had a bone to pick with him. He was being blamed for opening the class promotion dungeon to all adventurers, whereas Giamut had wanted the Five Continent Alliance to have complete control over its operations.
The Adventurer’s Guild was in charge of running the dungeon, however, and they felt they had the right to override the decisions of the Alliance. They wanted as many adventurers as possible to gain an extra star on their Talent. Sure, some people might die in the dungeon, but if everyone who cleared it became stronger and boosted the overall power of adventurers, it would increase productivity. Moreover, Allen wanted to prevent deaths as much as possible and had given all his dungeon-crawling notes to the Adventurer’s Guild’s information department. He hoped that the information he had gathered would help even a little.
The Five Continent Alliance was busy scrambling to clean up the aftermath of the Demon Lord Army’s invasion and had delayed announcing the class promotion dungeon. During that time, the Adventurer’s Guild had allowed those who had completed the entry requirements to use the dungeon as soon as they wished while making notes on how one could clear the dungeon open to the public. This had struck a nerve with the Alliance.
The Adventurer’s Guild and the Five Continent Alliance had friendly ties, but if their best interests clashed, they would look out only for their own benefits. Butting heads over and sometimes coming to a compromise on conflicting opinions was a simple fact of life. And because the headquarters of the Adventurer’s Guild was in Giamut, while Makkaron tried to take it easy, he was often called out to these meetings for questioning.
Seems like I’m here so they can gauge my army’s strength, my character as its commander in chief, and what our motives are. Ever since Allen had been called to this conference, he had been pondering the reason behind his summons. From the Five Continent Alliance’s point of view, they had been, as usual, at war with the Demon Lord Army when a Rank S adventurer was born for the first time in twenty years. The adventurer of immense power had started gathering an army of others with Talents to create an enigmatic organization. The Alliance needed to know why this organization had been created and what its purpose was. Above all, no one had any idea who Allen was as a person beyond the fact that he had become a Rank S adventurer. Was he worthy of trust, or did he have a nefarious ploy in his mind?
Beside Beast King Muza, who was a head larger than the others and had his arms grumpily folded in front of his chest, sat the king of Crevelle. Allen had enjoyed a meal with this monarch in the past. Some nations within the Alliance rotated the representatives of their nations, and the king of Crevelle had been selected this year. I see King Olbaas and Beast Prince Zeu too. Looks like they got special treatment from Giamut. Indeed, the two royals were seated in the semicircular formation of desks, with the presence of the dark elven king signifying that Fabraaze had officially been recognized as a part of the Alliance.
An unimaginable amount of wealth and supplies were needed for the fight against the Demon Lord Army. Since the Alliance would cooperate to fight their enemies, the more nations they had, the better. Unless there was a pressing concern, those who wanted to join the Alliance could generally do so without facing much objection.
In general, only one representative was allowed per nation, but Zeu, who was sitting next to Olbaas, was clearly an exception. No doubt Giamut’s trying to do him a favor since Zeu’s the favorite to be the next Beast King. Additionally, the Ten Heroic Beasts were on standby within the imperial castle. Beast King Muza had personally arrived to pick them up and bring them back home. The Ten Heroic Beasts had all managed to survive the Rank S dungeon, the battle in Rohzenheim, and the clash on the Central Continent. As Allen gazed at Zeu, he heard a voice from the round table call out to him.
“Do not be nervous, Allen,” Regalfaras von Giamut V said. He had golden hair, reddish-brown eyes, and a stern demeanor. “None of us here are your enemies.”
“Oh, no, it’s just that I’m not used to this sort of thing,” Allen replied. “I’m worried about coming off as insolent, but that’s it.”
Does he have a mic or something? The emperor’s voice had traveled well across the room. Upon closer inspection, there was indeed a magic tool in the shape of a microphone in front of each of the Alliance leaders, and a similar tool sat atop the podium. Allen approached the mic and repeated his words, his voice echoing throughout the room like the emperor’s had done moments ago. There were likely speakers of some sort that transmitted and amplified his voice.
“Ah, you’re not nervous?” the Giamutan emperor replied. “Is it perhaps because you’re as valiant as Hero Helmios?”
Allen simply smiled back, not saying a word. He had been gazing at Zeu and the other representatives. He was anything but nervous, and his attitude, as well as the attitudes of his party members, made it abundantly clear that they were as calm as could be. Only Luke and Pelomas seemed uneasy.
“Ugh, so a person who claims to be the hero of the Central Continent emerges,” Muza sighed gruffly as he cast a stern glare at Allen. “More and more of you keep popping up.”
He probably learned of me when I fought the Hero at the Academy. Sounds like the Beast King doesn’t like the Giamutan emperor’s ways and how the Hero keeps receiving special treatment. During his second year at the Academy, Allen had fought Helmios. Their battle was renowned for having been so fierce that they had almost destroyed the arena, and word of it must have reached the ears of the Five Continent Alliance leaders.
Allen had gone on to fight the Demon Lord Army in Rohzenheim, become a Rank S adventurer after clearing the Rank S dungeon, and aid Elmahl when it sent out a cry for help. The representatives of the Five Continent Alliance were dying to know the identity and character of this mysterious hero.
“Everyone is gathered here today because they’re interested in you, Allen. And I’ve heard that you have created an ‘Allen Army.’ Would you kindly elucidate the goal of your organization?”
“My goal is to defeat the Demon Lord,” Allen replied firmly to the Giamutan emperor’s question.
“To defeat the Demon Lord. I see.” The emperor’s voice echoed through the room. Allen had declared not that he was going to fight the Demon Lord Army but that he would slay the Demon Lord.
Over a century ago, the Demon Lord had appeared in the Demon Realm, and after fifty years, he began his invasion of the Mortal Realm in hopes of destroying the world. He was feared as the Demon Lord of the End. It had been sixty years since the start of the invasion, and those in the Mortal Realm had barely been able to hold off the Demon Lord Army, let alone defeat the Demon Lord. Even the idea of killing him had been shelved for so long that many had simply given up on the feat. And yet, here was this young man who had amassed a relatively small army for his lofty pursuit. All who had heard him doubted their ears.
“Yes, and that’s why I’ve been working with my friends,” Allen said. “But there’s a limit to what we can do, as there are only eight of us. That’s why I decided to form an army.”
“Oho... You seem rather confident in your skills, Allen,” the emperor replied before turning to the Hero, who was sitting next to him. “Helmios, what say you? Is this a possible feat?”
It was not an overstatement to claim that Helmios’s accomplishments had kept this world turning, and no one was against him taking a seat at the round table. While the emperor looked as though he was trying to extract information about Allen from Helmios, in truth, he had already learned quite a bit from Makkaron. Regalfaras was aware that Allen had an almost obsessive desire to grow stronger, as well as a penchant for analyzing and testing new ideas. No tactic was off the table if he could accomplish his goal, and he did not take other people’s feelings into consideration, even coming off as rude at times. He had zero interest in rank or honor, feared no authority, and was a bit of a fickle creature. If spoken to politely, he would sometimes offer his help, even if there were no benefits for him, and Makkaron had advised that it was best to treat the Summoner with care.
Allen’s impulsive actions had been on display recently. On top of having jumped headlong into the fight in Rohzenheim to fend off the invaders, he had been one of the first on the scene when Elmahl had signaled for help. His actions were difficult to read. In each of those situations, it had seemed perplexingly miraculous that he had come out alive while chasing the Demon Lord Army away.
Those peculiar incidents had made the leaders of the Five Continent Alliance and the keen-eared representatives of other nations grow increasingly wary of Allen’s future goals. Hence, when an extraordinary existence like Allen claimed to have a goal of defeating the Demon Lord, no one was sure if he was serious or merely chasing a pipe dream. It was impossible for them to predict the outcome of this endeavor, much less what the Summoner’s true thoughts were.
Everyone in the conference room chattered in confusion, but Allen only noticed a change in the air. Well, based on the size of our army and the Talents the members of it have, I can’t blame them for thinking we’re a weak organization. The No-life Gamers were a party of about ten people, yet they had quickly blossomed into an army of five thousand. It might have been a huge jump relative to their original size, but this army could not be considered large by the Five Continent Alliance, which constantly sent waves of people to the front lines. The armies tasked with simply defending strongholds on any given continent were likely much larger.
How, then, could they take Allen seriously? He was commandeering a minuscule force in comparison. Had this young man gone completely mad? Those surrounding the round table clearly thought as much.
“Well, Allen here has been saying the same thing ever since I first met him,” Helmios said, his words creating even greater confusion. “That seems to have always been his goal. Maybe he can do it. At the very least, he’s got a better chance than I ever would.”
