TWEM Vol. 7 Chapter 2 Part 2
—The next day.
The six of us, Finne, Iris, Asha, Suzuno, and Char, visited the royal castle.
The other members of the group were taking it easy at the mansion.
Kuzel didn’t come to the castle, saying she was going to train in the basement or something. Well, that was usual, wasn’t it?
We were soon ushered into the conference room and met with Dillan.
“It’s been a while, Haruto, Finne, and Ichinomiya.”
“I’ve been busy, but I’m doing well.”
“It’s been a while, Your Majesty. I’m fine, just like Haruto-san.”
“It’s great that Your Majesty seems to be doing well.”
We replied to Dillan in three different ways.
“I am glad to hear that. Is Iris also in good health?”
“I am well, Papa! I’ve gotten stronger and my cooking skills have improved!”
“I-I see, Iris. Above all else, I’ve heard about what happened in the Empire from Emperor Galzio!”
He must have had a bad feeling when he saw Iris’ face. Dillan immediately changed the subject.
“It’s been a while, Your Highness the Second Princess Charlotte.”
“It’s great to see that Your Majesty King Perdis is doing well.”
Char bowed to Dillan.
Then Dillan looked at me.
“Haruto, if the Second Princess of the Galzio Empire is here, does that mean she is…?”
“You guessed correctly. Char is now my fiancee… and so is Ilmina, the saintess of the Holy State of Belifaire.”
“I knew it. It’s fine, but don’t you think you have too many fiancées? I’m worried about Iris.”
“Maybe. But I’m going to do my best to respond to their feelings.”
“Hmm. You’re right. You’ll also take care of Iris, right?”
“Even without being told.”
Dillan nodded with satisfaction at my words.
After I had reassured him, I got to the main topic for today.
The reason I came to the castle this time was to allow Iris to visit her family and to introduce Char, but also because I had to inform Dillan about the Demon King.
“Dillan. I’m sorry, but let me get to the point right away.”
“I know—the Demon King, right?”
“That’s right. From the two of the Four Heavenly Kings I defeated, it does not seem like they invade us under the orders of the Demon King. I think it’s possible that the Demon King doesn’t want a fight. So I need to go to the demon territory to find out…”
“I can’t just agree to that. Will you go to the demon territory all by yourself?”
I shook my head at that question.
“No, I’m thinking of bringing Tendo along.”
“Hmm. Speaking of Tendo, was he the leader of the heroes?”
“Ah, that’s right. I plan for just the two of us to go, but first we have to talk to each country.”
“That would be better. Then, shall we have the head of the Adventurers’ Guild be present as well?”
“The head of the Adventurers’ Guild? Not the guildmaster?”
“Yes, the Grandmaster.”
I was puzzled by the unfamiliar word.
I looked at Finne, a senior adventurer, but she didn’t seem to have the slightest idea either.
“A Grandmaster is a person who is in charge of all the adventurers’ guilds in the area. The current grandmaster is Gregori Alfred. He was once even called ‘Fist King of Destruction’ and was considered the strongest S-rank adventurer at the time. Well, he has no connection with most adventurers, so it’s no wonder you don’t know him.”
“I see…so you think that if we talk to that grandmaster, he will talk to all the guilds in the various regions?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Was there such a person? At most, I had only met the branch guild master, so I didn’t know.
“If that’s the case, it would be better to have him present.”
When I said that, Dillan nodded his head.
“Then let’s send a notice to each country. What about the hero? Shall I have someone from Glicente contact him?”
“No, I’ll contact him.”
“Understood.”
After that, we spent some time talking to Dillan about what had happened in the Imperial Capital and the Holy Capital.
～
After leaving the royal castle, we headed to a certain place.
It was the main office of Ashtaroth Trading Company, which I had established.
“Haruto-san, it’s been a while since I visited the company.”
“That’s right. It looks like it’s bigger than I imagined…”
“It seems so…”
After walking for a while, we arrived in front of the company, and there was a long line.
There were also quite a few employees who were unfamiliar to me.
We were stunned by how prosperous it was, more than we could have imagined.
“The store is getting bigger…”
Everyone except Char nodded at Iris’ words.
The words “joining the ranks of a large company” had finally dawned on me.
The fact that our company crushed other companies that were interfering when we first started up may have had something to do with its growth… but it had grown in size.
I think it would be better to give bonuses to all employees, not just Bohbee.
We walked into the store, which was busy, as standing in the street would have interfered with the traffic.
Everyone seemed busy, but when I asked if Bohbee was there, I was immediately led to a room where he was waiting.
After a few greetings, I told him that I wouldn’t be able to come back for a while.
“—Okay. So, where are you going this time?”
“The demon territory.”
“I see, the demon territory…Wait, are you serious?”
Bohbee nodded, but immediately froze.
“I’m serious. I have no idea the reason for the demon’s current movements. I’ll go directly and talk to the Demon King. I don’t know if he’ll agree to the discussion for now.”
“I see. I heard that Haruto defeated one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the demon race in the Empire. Please be careful.”
It didn’t take long for the merchant to hear about it. Did that mean that information was also a commodity?
“Then we’ll go now. We’ll be a nuisance if we stay.”
“It’s not a nuisance. Everyone is just happy to have met Haruto.”
Still, we felt bad about staying so long, so we decided to leave quickly.
～
On the way back to the mansion, I ignored Finne and the others talking about a new store that had opened in the city, and used my communication magic tool to call out to Tendo.
“Tendo, can you hear me?”
This magic tool was not in general circulation, so from the outside I looked like a weird guy staring at something strange. It was fine when I contacted Sebas as soon as I arrived in Perdis because I was in a carriage, but now being outdoors, I used it while being mindful of my surroundings.
After a while, I received a response from Tendo.
“(This voice, Haruto-kun?)”
“(That’s right. I have some things to talk about with you. Do you have time now?)”
“(Yeah, it’s fine. I was just training with the soldiers of Glicente together with everyone else.)”
When Tendo and the other heroes decided to act separately from us, they said they would train in Glicente.
Apparently, they were doing their best.
Although I was feeling a bit emotional, I quickly told him about my business.
“(I’m going to the demon territory soon.)”
“(Into demon territory!?)”
Perhaps in response to Tendo’s surprised voice, I could faintly hear the voices of my other classmates.
“(Haruto, why are you suddenly going to demon territory?)”
“(I was in the Galzio Empire a while ago, but I was attacked by one of the Four Heavenly Kings.)”
“(Attacked?)”
“(Ah. So I defeated him, but apparently the attack by the Four Heavenly Kings was not the Demon King’s will. That’s why I thought it would be better to talk to the Demon King once. That’s why I want you, the hero, to accompany me.)”
“(Will Aoi join us too?)”
Tendo mentioned the name of other hero, but I denied it.
“(No, it’s just the two of us this time.)”
“(I see, so that’s how it is. It’s easier to move with a small group and there is less danger.)”
“(That’s what I’m saying. So I want you to come to the Kingdom of Perdis once… is it going to be alright, Tendo?)”
“(Can you give me a minute?)”
Perhaps Tendo was discussing the matter with everyone else, and after a while he replied.
“(All right. However, is it okay if I let Aoi, Natsuki, and Shinya accompany me to the Kingdom of Perdis? I think they will be staying at the mansion…)”
“(Oh, it’s okay. And if they come, Suzuno will be happy.)”
The names that were mentioned, Shinonome Aoi, Asakura Natsuki, and Mogami Shinya, were childhood friends along with Tendo and Suzuno. Of course, there was no reason to refuse.
“(Thank you. I’ll get ready and go right away. Should I go to the mansion when I arrive?)”
“(I would be happy if you did that.)”
“(Roger that. See you.)”
After I cut off communication with Tendo, I noticed that Finne and the others had become quiet and were looking at me.
It’s probably because I was silent the whole time.
“Haruto-san, did you suddenly become quiet? Did something happen?”
“Sorry. I just contacted Tendo to come over here. Apparently Shinonome and the others are coming over here as well.”
“Yay! Let’s have a duel!”
Iris was happy to hear that Shinonome and the others were coming this way. The same was true for Char.
“Are we going to be able to duel with the heroes? That’s exciting!”
I’m sure Kuzel would say the same thing if I told her…
I arrived at the mansion with everyone excited.
From then on, it was time for free time, but Char asked for a mock battle.
Moreover, Asha and Kuzel, who had heard about it, also wanted to do it…
“Why don’t we do it tomorrow? We just got back yesterday and I was tired so I couldn’t relax much, so let’s have a light party tonight.”
When I said that, perhaps lured by the word “party”, everyone agreed.
That night, there was a lot of food on the table, and it turned out to be a lively night.
～
—The next day.
As promised yesterday, I came to the arena in the basement of the mansion with Char, Asha, Kuzel, Iris, and Finne who wanted to have a mock battle.
We took turns to fight mock battles, and I felt that all of them… had improved their abilities considerably, probably because they had trained in the subspace during their journey.
The first person I fought, Char, had mastered the ability to use her magic sword, Yamabuki, even more, and was able to make tricky moves such as turning the sword blade into flower petals.
I’ve also started to make magic tools and weapons in my own way, but I didn’t think I could make a sword similar to that one.
However, it still seemed worth the challenge of making it.
Next was Asha.
The dagger of darkness I gave her has the ability to make the blade invisible, but it was hard to pick up the pace with her, probably due to her quick movements.
However, it was not difficult to deal with it because I could see a large disturbance in the air if I looked closely.
In order to become one step stronger, she would have to minimize this air turbulence.
The third opponent was Kuzel, but perhaps because she had been training with Zero for a long time, her attacks had more weight to them.
Her blows were heavier than before, and her physical abilities seem to have improved.
Despite this, the scary thing was that there was still no limit to her growth.
Whatever the case, I fought as usual and won without a hitch.
The only thing I could improve on was to have a broader perspective.
The fourth opponent was Iris.
Also, her movements were faster than before, and her use of magic had also improved. In terms of adventurer rank, her combat ability would be comparable to an S-rank.
She seemed disappointed after losing, so I patted her on the head and her mood returned as usual.
Finally, there was Finne.
Perhaps it was because she had been with me for so long, but her ability was already at S-rank.
She could also create illusions with her unique skills, so it was extremely troublesome for everyone…except me.
Since I could follow the flow of magic power, I could quickly find Finne’s whereabouts.
If she could use hidden magic, she would become even stronger.
That’s how we finished the mock battle and I gave advice to each of them.
“While I’m in the demon territory, why don’t you go to the Adventurers’ Guild and improve your rank? I think you’ll be able to rise to A or S-rank in no time. I’ll guarantee you that.”
Finne and the others agreed to my proposal.
In this way, we had fun training, shopping, and going on dates until Tendo and the others arrived.