"Tenma, you look pretty worn out, huh?"
About a week after we dealt with the monster, Albert arrived from the Royal Capital as Duke Sanga's personal representative. Apparently, the duke himself had originally planned to come, but since this matter required discussions with the royal family as well, he took charge of that instead. With the royals as the other party, the burden was apparently too heavy for Albert, so the duke swapped roles with him.
"With the day-after-day meetings, helping with countermeasures, and wedding preparations squeezed in between... I've still got the stamina, but mentally I'm starting to burn out."
"Half of that is because you handled things wrong in the beginning, so there's nothing you can do about it."
This was something I'd learned when Primera scolded me about it early on.
When we defeated that monster, I'd invoked Duke Sanga's name in front of the villagers, which instantly made me one of the responsible parties on the ducal side. What's more, among the Sanga faction members stationed in Gunjou City, I'd become second in rank only to Primera — meaning I either had to sit in on the meetings alongside her or attend as her proxy. Though apparently, I could have refused to get involved if I hadn't brought up the duke's name. In that case, though, the entire burden would've fallen on Primera, and the question of whether that would've been right was its own can of worms.
"Well, from the ducal family's perspective, it was a good opportunity to highlight your ties to Tenma, and thanks to you, most of the people attending the meetings listened quietly."
Today, with Albert's arrival, representatives from the villages around Gunjou City had gathered for a meeting. It turned out that for those delegates, my account as a known adventurer who had actually slain the monster was far more convincing than anything Albert could say. Most of the questions were directed at me, not at Albert.
"So, how are the outfits coming along?"
"Almost done. Just need the final adjustments, and once the accessories are fitted, that'll be it."
I'd pretty much dumped the whole thing on Felt, but he understood my situation, so he basically came to me instead — which was a huge help.
"I have to say, though — for Tenma to emerge from the monster fight without a single scratch, only to take damage in Gunjou City of all places. And twice in a row at that."
What had actually happened was that the sudden meetings left me with less time to cook, so I'd gone to negotiate with the old man to help out under the guise of a "commission." But the moment I brought it up, the old man cracked me on the top of the head with his fist. The commotion drew the proprietress over as well, and after hearing the old man's side of the story, she proceeded to crack me on the head too — in the exact same spot, to the letter. And then the two of them yelled at me in unison: "That's not something you commission! You should've just asked for help!"
"Well, apparently the proprietress and owner of the Manpukutei were both disappointed about not being able to attend your wedding. They probably got angry because you couldn't just be honest and ask."
I probably should've thought it over a bit more — or at least consulted Primera — before bringing that up.
"Still, though... I wonder how many people in the kingdom could actually land a punch on Tenma. I know for certain that, no matter what, I certainly couldn't."
Albert went on, laughing: "It might be possible in play, but other than that, even my father couldn't do it." Excluding family like Grandpa and the people of Kukuri Village, there really weren't many who could land a hit on me. After all, if some stranger tried to pull that on me, I was confident I'd strike back with many times the force.
"Your Majesty and Lady Maria, though — if they had a legitimate reason, Tenma wouldn't complain, right? In other words, the two people at the Manpukutei are, in a sense, in a position equivalent to the king and queen."
When he put it that way, it made the list feel even smaller... At the same time, though, I couldn't help feeling like I was being called a disrespectful wretch for taking the king and queen too lightly. I had never looked down on the two of them — especially Lady Maria — and I believed I understood their standing. But having royalty so close to me on a daily basis had probably numbed me to it. That said, I had no intention of changing how I behaved around them. I just needed to be aware that others might see things differently.
"In many ways, the old man and the missus are irreplaceable."
"That's for sure. If Manpukutei were an inn somewhere outside Duke Sanga's territory, it might've caught the eye of nobles trying to indirectly build connections with Tenma. Though I doubt there's a fool out there dumb enough to make an enemy of House Sanga."
Albert was laughing, but it was no joke — they really were being watched by nobles. On top of their relationship with me, they had the recipes for sweets and other dishes I'd given them and could prepare meals based on those, so their culinary skill and knowledge alone made them plenty valuable. Well, as long as House Sanga was backing them, no one with more power than a ducal house could meddle or make any conspicuous moves. Besides, Manpukutei was a favorite haunt for adventurers, and the old man and the missus had quite a wide circle among them, so if anyone started acting suspiciously, someone was bound to notice.
"Also, between you and me, the knight order has had its eye on Manpukutei for ages. It's not that there's anything wrong with Manpukutei itself — it's just that there's always a certain number of adventurers who slide into crime, or criminals using adventurers as cover, so places where adventurers tend to congregate naturally draw scrutiny. Fortunately, there's never actually been an adventurer problematic enough for the knight order to step in..."
Albert declared there hadn't been, but for a split second he glanced at me and faltered. That was probably because, in a sense, I had been the most suspicious-looking adventurer to ever stay at Manpukutei.
"Sure, the old man and the missus, and even Furuto, seemed to suspect me at first, but I never committed any crimes."
"Well, in Tenma's case—
in
the
end,
it may not have technically been a crime, but he's done more borderline things than I can count on both hands. Mainly against fellow adventurers and criminals—
it
was
self-
defense
that
went
a
little
overboard."
"...and that's how it went."
Albert was saying this while stifling a laugh, but I don't think I'm at fault here. After all, they tried to steal money from or even kill a child, so having a few bones broken and being left with one or two lasting injuries is hardly unjust.
For the record, my basic countermeasures included punching and kicking, throwing and choking, breaking and crushing bones, and crushing balls—though depending on the situation, I also used them as test subjects for swordsmanship and magic.
"The Knights' report apparently stated that 'all the victims were known troublemakers or individuals flagged as persons of concern, and none suffered life-threatening injuries.' They did have Tenma on their radar as a possible suspect, but there were no witnesses to the incidents, and judging from his usual behavior, they concluded it was unlikely Tenma was the one responsible."
So I figured I'd been let off the hook for lack of evidence... or so I thought.
"Of course, the biggest reason was probably that the people Tenma dealt with were criminals or would-be criminals, so it was a relief for the Knights as well. Getting involved after the fact in fights between adventurers is a headache, and beating someone who attacked you first doesn't strictly qualify as a crime. It might have been a bit much, but adventurers are expected to take responsibility for their own actions, and going out of your way for criminals is just foolish."
So it seems the Knights had, in a way, been using me. Well, at least I wasn't dragged off in chains as a criminal.
"I want to tell them to do their job properly, but since I'm also an adventurer, I can hardly talk about 'personal responsibility'... Well, I spent more time as an unregistered"
self-
proclaimed
adventurer, anyway."
I'd only been active as a formally registered adventurer in Gunjou City for a brief period, but I'd used the adventurer's guild for about two years during my unregistered period (under fifteen). So during that time, my official designation was essentially "civilian (minor)" or "traveler (minor)"—which means the fact that the Knights had been using me could be seen as them either shirking their duties or being a rather despicable order...
"In Tenma's case, on top of his personal strength and the eerie aura around him, there were also suspicions that he might be the son of a noble. They probably judged it safer to turn a blind eye rather than get involved. If he really was connected to a noble family, they were counting on bodyguards showing up if things got dangerous."
The fact that Primera of the Duke Sanga household was the first person to become involved with someone like me was, in a sense, probably destiny.
"Changing the subject, can we expect our countermeasures against the creatures to improve going forward?"
"I can't say for certain whether they'll improve, but I think things will become considerably more manageable. At the very least, there should be fewer situations where we have to operate under the assumption of sacrificing something."
Since it was now almost certain that the creatures' weak point was the magic core in their chest, being able to target that weakness carried tremendous significance. Moreover, even when at a disadvantage, the possibility of a one-shot reversal remained—as long as you could destroy the magic core, you could turn the tide. This was a source of hope for those on the front lines. Of course, knowing the creatures' weak point didn't make them any weaker, and the damage from facing them head-on would likely be about the same as before.
"Even so, the fact that our chances of survival have increased is something to be grateful for."
"On top of that, we now have more options, like concentrating attacks on the magic core. For example, several knights could work together to immobilize a creature while a Golem delivers a powerful blow."
There was also the tactic Jin and the others had used against the hydra—stopping the creature's movement and then extracting the magic core—which might prove equally effective.
"From now on, we'll need to think about capture techniques using ropes and the deployment of 'battering rams'... The battering rams aside, there shouldn't be anyone in the current knight order who knows rope-binding techniques... In an emergency situation, wouldn't it be quickest to hire people from outside who can use them?"
"I think that's a good idea. If we don't act quickly, the capable ones will be snatched up by the Royal Family, and Marquis Samons will move to secure them as well. For the record, I can't use them myself, so I wouldn't be able to teach anyone."
In my previous life, I had tried swinging ropes around like a cowboy, but that level of experience and knowledge wouldn't be of any use. For the record, I had also tried swinging around a whip (or something like one) out of admiration for a certain archaeologist... but the fact that I don't use it in this world means it just isn't suited for me. That's the kind of lethal weapon where an amateur who picks it up for fun ends up dealing massive damage not only to those around them, but to themselves as well. Well, that could be said of most weapons, though.
"In that case, we need to inform Father right away. At the same time, we should put out requests to every adventurer's guild in the Duke Sanga domain—asking them to hire people who can use binding techniques as soldiers or invite them as instructors."
I suppose they don't necessarily have to be adventurers, but when counting them as fighting forces, adventurers who at least know something about combat would be the quickest option. Even villagers could potentially be gathered as instructors or reserve forces depending on their abilities, but carelessly recruiting them could reduce the village's workforce, so—to put it bluntly—adventurers who could be used up in a worst-case scenario would be more convenient for the ducal household in various ways. It's the kind of treatment people would call inhumane, but for adventurers, aside from a select few, that's just the normal way they're treated as a profession.
"So, how much longer are you and the others planning to stay before heading back to the Royal Capital?"
"Since replacements for me and Primera have arrived, we're planning to head back soon. If everything were wrapped up, I'd want to return tomorrow or the day after, but we've taken on so many things that there's more left than we expected... I'm actually thinking about extending our stay and having the old man help us mass-produce the extra and backup dishes for the wedding reception and after-party."
I've already had Jeanne and Aura, who would have nothing to do if the stay is extended, make what they can, but it's better to have too much than too little, so I'm thinking about increasing the quantity even more. However, if it were just me and Jeanne and the others, everything would probably end up being similar things and flavors, so I'm planning to ask the old man and his wife for help. We just got scolded by them about that very thing, so if I ask for additional help, they'll probably accept.
"From my perspective, it would be a great help if Tenma and Merlin could stay. The accounts of people who have actually fought and defeated monsters contain information that the Royal Family doesn't have at this point."
It seems that the Royal Family and the Royalist Faction—including the Duke Sanga household—as well as parts of the Neutral Faction have an agreement to share information about monsters, but whoever brings in that information first gains an advantage by appearing to do them a favor. And this time, the effective attack against monsters was discovered in the Duke Sanga domain, and the one who discovered it was me, fighting as an associate of the Duke Sanga household—though I didn't know it at the time—so Albert apparently wants to make the favor he can sell as large as possible.
"I want to tell you not to overdo it and earn Lady Maria's displeasure, but this time I'm on the Duke Sanga side too... If we're not careful, the Ootori household could end up siding with the Royal Family—or rather, with Lady Maria."
He said it half-jokingly, but since the other party was Lady Maria, he himself believed it could really happen depending on the circumstances, and Albert would likely understand the implication.
"Well, we'll be careful... or rather, it would help if you could at least give us a heads-up beforehand."
Just as I expected, Albert left the decision to me. Well, the monster information fundamentally belonged to me and Grandpa, and while it stood on the Duke Sanga side, if Albert's actions caused it to slip away and further worsened relations with the Royal Family, Duke Sanga wouldn't stay silent about it.
"For now, I'm going to tell Primera and Grandpa about this too, so you'll need to be mindful of them as well."
If it were my judgment alone, it would be possible for me to manipulate Albert, so I decided to involve the other party—Grandpa—and Primera, who could stand between me and the ducal household. This serves as a kind of brake for me as well, but from Albert's perspective, having more people he needed to be considerate of might increase his burden accordingly.
Well, for all these reasons, I left Albert behind—he still had discussions remaining with the Gunjou City officials—and returned to the ducal mansion to explain the situation to the two of them, and they both said it was fine.
However, Grandpa said he
would make his judgments based on the interests of the Ootori household,
while Primera said she would try to make decisions considering the interests of the Duke Sanga side as much as possible. This wasn't because Primera thought the ducal household was more important, but simply because she intended to act as a brake on me and Grandpa.
"It's possible that my brother might get greedy and make a wrong judgment, but even so, I think it would be wrong for everyone to only think about the Ootori household's side of things. That's probably what Tenma is counting on me for anyway."
She seemed to fully understand my thinking. Well, in exchange, she intended to keep a tight rein on Albert, so it looked like the balance of power between the siblings would tip firmly in Primera's favor.
"Oh, right — Primera, you went to Felt's place to check the outfits, didn't you? How did it go?"
"Yes, apparently there are no problems. The balance with Tenma's outfit is fine as well, and they said everything is good to go as-is."
One of the issues with the wedding was the balance between my outfit and Primera's. This was because the person in charge of my outfit was based in Gunjou City, while the person in charge of Primera's outfit was a craftsman retained by the ducal house (who traveled back and forth between the Royal Capital and the city where the duchy was located), so there was no opportunity for them to discuss things directly. There was a real possibility that when they actually wore the outfits side by side, something would look off.
So apparently, Felt and the ducal house's craftsman exchanged letters to finalize the balance of the outfits. The reason Felt had been shown Primera's outfit and entrusted with the decision this time was that, in principle, the groom's outfit tends to be more understated, so they decided to match the finer details to Primera's outfit. Primera explained that this was a courtesy to Felt, since the retained craftsman had more creative freedom — meaning the one who had to match things up was Felt.
"As long as there are no problems, that's great. I'll look forward to seeing Primera's outfit on the day."
When Felt had been comparing the outfits, Primera must have seen mine, but it would be a bit embarrassing to look at each other's outfits outside of the actual event, so I simply told her I was looking forward to the real thing. The fact that I could say things like that now, when I couldn't before — maybe I'd grown a little.
"Hmm… save the lovey-dovey stuff for later and let's talk about the schedule going forward, shall we? We're already way behind the original plan and a lot has changed. If we delay any further, it might start affecting the wedding date."
Grandpa's teasing left a slightly awkward atmosphere between Primera and me, but he was right — there were things we needed to discuss. So the two of us sat there with flushed faces as we laid out the plans going forward.
"Tenma, when are you heading back to the Royal Capital?"
Maybe because of the embarrassment, Amur brought up the schedule during dinner that very evening. Primera and Grandpa already knew, but Amur and the others didn't, so we naturally paused the meal to talk.
"We'll leave Gunjou City in three to four days at most, and the plan is to arrive at the Royal Capital in about two weeks. The schedule has shifted quite a bit from the original plan, but stopping by Seigen on the way back hasn't changed."
If things had gone as expected, I would have been in Seigen by now, reporting to Amyi's family about how Amyi was doing and about my wedding. But once we learned the monster incident would prolong our stay, I'd already sent a letter letting them know the schedule would be delayed — so I couldn't just skip the visit. Besides, technically I was responsible for Amyi in the Royal Capital, so even with our plans thrown off, choosing not to stop by wasn't an option.
"How long will you stay in Seigen?"
"Two days, tentatively. It's just to greet Jin and the others at the Tamer's Guild, Amyi's family, and Master Gantz. But the report to Amyi's family might take some time, so it could stretch to three days."
When I answered Jeanne's question, it seemed nobody had anything further to ask, and the meal resumed. That evening's dinner — maybe because we now had a clearer picture of the road ahead — everyone ate more, drank more, and talked more than usual, thoroughly enjoying the meal.
But in stark contrast to us, Albert — who had been stuck in discussions late into the night and came back exhausted — ate a lonely meal of leftovers alone in his room, or so I heard.