Nido Tensei Shita Shounen wa S-rank Boukensha Toshite Heion ni Sugosu ~ Zense ga Kenja de Eiyūdatta Boku wa Raisede wa Jimi ni Ikiru ~

Episode 87: It’s all over.

“Let’s start the emergency meeting.”

In a room in the royal capital’s castle, there were many nobles, knights, and even the esteemed members of the temple.
They were all influential nobles who held important positions.

And among them, I, Urzu, the only commoner who serves as the head of the adventurer guild in the royal capital, couldn’t help but feel out of place.

This meeting was hastily convened after reporting to the country about the earth-shattering events that occurred in the ruins deep within the forbidden territory, which used to be a mine.
Well, if you read the contents of the report seriously, it’s nothing but dangerous and absurd things.

“Guild Master, let’s hear your explanation.”

It was none other than His Majesty the King who said so.
Normally, it would be the ministers who would conduct the meeting as his vassals, but since this was an emergency meeting, formalities were set aside.

Well, since powerful nobles from all factions were gathered here, it was probably to avoid any conflicts by keeping the content of the meeting less formal.
But thanks to His Majesty’s arrangements, I, a commoner, am allowed to speak at the meeting, so it’s not all bad.

“It all started with the sudden appearance of high-ranking monsters from the forbidden territory…”

And I reported the details of the incident to the nobles.

After finishing the report, as expected, the meeting room became chaotic.

“A demon? Wasn’t that supposed to be a mythical creature?”

“Who are these S-rank adventurers who supposedly conducted the preliminary investigation? If we’re talking about chimeras, they would require a whole knight order if they were large enough.
Is it true that they defeated them with just a few people? What kind of strategy did they use to subdue them? I assume those adventurers were the ones who defeated the demon as well?”

“Wait, wait, why would a Bahamut be in there? Why would an S-rank magical beast be in a cave?”

“No, the problem is that there was a functioning ancient chimera manufacturing facility! With that, our country could have an endless army of chimeras!”

Well, the original agenda was to report on the resolution of the mass appearance of monsters, but no matter how you look at it, the discoveries made this time are not something that the adventurer guild alone can handle.
It’s a matter that would require the country to fulfill its reporting obligations.

“Enough about adventurers and Bahamuts.
The real issue is the demon.
Was it really a demon? How powerful is it as an individual? This incident marks the first encounter with a demon in this era.
We must gather information about the demon before other countries do.”

And one of the noble gentlemen directed a question to me.
Well, if it turns out that the legendary natural enemy of humanity actually exists, it would become a significant matter for national defense.

“Baron Norman, have you not heard the report on the investigation of the Great Inner Sea’s monsters? There was a report confirming the existence of a demon in that incident, right?”

“W-Well, I heard about it, but I thought it was just a fabrication by the navy…”

I am also aware of the incident involving the giant monsters that appeared in the Great Inner Sea and the subsequent events involving the demon and the giant magical beasts.
The incident involved a giant monster that troubled the coastal countries, which had an impact on the Great Inner Sea, and the cause of it all was that demon.

Fortunately, with the help of the high-ranking adventurers who were accompanying me, we managed to capture the demon before it could go on a rampage.
And the custody of the demon was supposed to be jointly managed with the coastal countries… or so it was supposed to be.

However, during the transportation of the demon, it was suddenly taken away along with the ship by the legendary monster Bahamut, resulting in a disastrous outcome.

Therefore, it is understandable that those nobles who did not directly witness the capture of the demon would doubt its existence.

However, the ship that was taken away along with the demon unexpectedly returned to the royal capital, transformed into an absurd existence like a flying ship.
The situation completely changed.

After all, a ship flew across the sky of the royal capital.
It caused a commotion from the nobles to the commoners.
Some nobles who didn’t know to whom the ship belonged even made unreasonable requests to the guild, asking us to investigate that flying ship.

With such an incident, the existence of the demon also became something that couldn’t be easily dismissed, but it seems that those who secluded themselves in their territories and mansions without seeing the actual evidence couldn’t grasp the reality of it.

And unintentionally, this scene revealed the difference in information gathering abilities among the nobles.
The nobles, including Baron Norman, who were exposed for falling behind in information gathering during this meeting, are going to have a hard time from now on.

“Everyone, please calm down.”

His Majesty raised his voice to calm the chaotic meeting.
As expected of the words of the King, the nobles, who were chirping like fledglings, fell silent.

“First of all, the issue that triggered the discussion, the problem of the mass appearance of monsters, has been resolved, right, Guild Master?”

“Yes, that is correct.
Thanks to the efforts of the S-rank adventurers in our guild, many dangerous chimeras and monstrous creatures were defeated.
If you take a look at the materials from the chimeras we recently submitted, you will understand the power of our guild’s elites.”

“Hmm, I have also seen the carcasses of those chimeras.
To think that a few individuals could defeat chimeras that exceed dozens of meters in size, truly worthy of being S-rank adventurers.”

To increase the credibility of the report, we deliberately transported the huge chimeras without dismantling them.
I believe it was called a prototype chimera or something like that.
His Majesty judged the authenticity of my report after seeing it.

“Knight Commander, how much of a threat would you consider a chimeras that exceed dozens of meters in size?”

“Yes, in general, the length of a typical chimera is about 3 to 6 meters.
Chimeras are extremely troublesome creatures that possess the abilities of multiple organisms, so at the very least, three squads would be required.
If we match it with the guild’s ranking, it would be around B-rank.
However, if it is a special individual with special abilities, the danger level would increase, and we would need to increase the number of squads to seven, and also mobilize mages and priests, making it equivalent to A-rank.
Individuals exceeding 10 meters in size would pose an even greater threat, and their threat level would also increase to A-rank.
The required military strength would need to be increased proportionally to their size.”

At this point, the Knight Commander paused.

“However, if it exceeds dozens of meters in size, it would be an even greater threat.
It is an unprecedented size, and based on the report, it possesses special abilities equivalent to magic.
Without a doubt, it is at least on par with or even surpasses S-rank monsters.
It would require the entire knight order, as well as the court mages and church priests, to barely stand a chance against it…”

The Knight Commander’s statement caused the atmosphere in the room to freeze.

“In other words, it is a threat on par with dragons.”

“That’s correct.”

His Majesty’s statement caused another commotion in the room.

“A dragon…!?!”

“Could the ancient people have artificially created such a being!?”

“Everyone, there is no need to fear.
Guild Master, it is certain that all the chimeras and monsters created in the ruins and the demon have been defeated by the S-rank adventurers, right?”

“Well, the demon has been defeated, but I cannot say for certain about the chimeras without thoroughly investigating all the caves.”

“I see.
Then let’s have the knight order participate in the remaining extermination of the monsters and chimeras.
After collecting everything from the ruins, we will seal off the passage connecting to the mine and consider reopening the mine in the future.”

Indeed, now that the monsters and chimeras that were the cause of the appearance of high-level monsters have been defeated, there is no longer any merit in abandoning the mine as a dangerous area.
It is a reasonable idea.

Well, in reality, the intention is probably to prevent adventurers from entering and monopolize the ruins for the country.
But the guild will likely be given benefits from the discovery of the ruins, so there is no problem.
It can also serve as a negotiation card for future problems.
Moreover, it would be troublesome if the guild were to monopolize the technology to develop chimeras.
It’s wiser to hand it over to the country and receive compensation and rights before being suspected by the country.

“However, as expected of S-rank adventurers.
It was thanks to their gathering of such formidable individuals that we were able to overcome an unprecedented crisis.
Truly, they deserve praise.
Guild Master, you have done well.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

Well, the really dangerous one is just one person among them.
But since they wouldn’t believe me even if I said it, I’ll keep quiet.
Honestly, the more I hear about that kid’s achievements, the more I can’t believe my own ears and sanity.

“However, the existence of the White Calamity, a magical beast that defeated both the ancient beings and the demon, is also a matter of concern.
If we can make use of the chimeras developed in that facility, it would greatly benefit the future of our human race.”

“Yes, that’s right.
If we can create chimeras that even S-rank adventurers struggle against, our country will have an immeasurable military advantage over other nations.”

And one of the nobles who had just refuted Baron Norman approached me in agreement.
It’s because of those S-rank adventurers who easily defeated those chimeras.

“Yes, indeed.
However, it is also concerning that the undead who had been conducting research in the ruins has disappeared.”,Well, I’m curious about that too, but we only found out about it after everything was over and we received the report.

“Well, it’s just one undead after all.
If they have turned against our country, we can simply use the exorcism magic of the priests to forcibly purify them.”

The knights and priests laughed confidently, but have they not considered the new Chimeras that the undead will create?

“Besides, this so-called White Calamity magical beast doesn’t even exist in ancient legends.
There’s no need to take it too seriously, right? Moreover, the Chimeras created to defeat that beast were also defeated by adventurers.
We, the Royal Knights of the capital, are a gathering of knights who have been trained for a long time since the founding of this country.
No matter how strong that beast is, it is ultimately just one magical beast.
If we face it fully prepared, there is nothing to fear.”

“That’s right, Your Majesty.
After all, demons are merely legendary beings.
Even if they did exist, it’s not certain that they possess the strength described in the legends.
They were defeated by just a few adventurers working together.
If they are such opponents, there is no reason why our knights cannot defeat them.”

The members of the knight order begin to boast about their usefulness, belittling the adventurers.
Hey, you guys, do you really think your proud knight order can fight in caves swinging heavy armor and spears? Your strength relies on numbers, horses, and magical support! Don’t compare the strength of adventurers with your own!

However, it would be problematic for me, the guild master, to openly criticize the knight order.
I’ll just have to endure it.
I have conveyed what needs to be conveyed, and now I’ll focus on how to get through this boring and troublesome meeting.

Thinking that all the problems had been solved, we were relieved.
But a few days later, we would learn that the Chimera development facility and its data inside the ruins had completely disappeared, causing a commotion.

“I’m back!”

“Welcome back, big brother!”

“Oh, welcome back!”

Gyro and the others welcomed us as we returned home from work.

“Hey, hey, big brother, what kind of request did you get as an S-rank adventurer?”

As soon as we got back, Gyro started pestering us for a story.

“Come on, at least let him sit on a chair since he’s tired from work.”

“I’ll go make some tea.”

Mina scolded him, and Norbu prepared tea.
Ah, it feels like coming home.

“So, what kind of adventure did you have?”

As soon as I thought that, Mina and the others sat down on chairs, eager to hear our story.
Ah, they want to hear about our adventure as if it were a treat.

“Alright, here we go.”

And so, I began to tell Gyro and the others about our adventure.

“…So, after defeating the prototype Chimera on the lowest floor, we spent a few days exterminating the monsters and Chimeras in the cave.
And once we couldn’t find any notable monsters anymore, we considered the request completed.
And this is the reward, 1500 gold coins, the materials we shared from the monsters, and a history book we found in the ruins’ library.”

Taking breaks for tea a few times along the way, I finished telling them about our adventure and placed the reward of gold coins, the most visually appealing monster material we shared, and finally, the history book we found in the library on the table.

“……”

However, for some reason, Gyro and the others, who had finished listening to our adventure, remained silent without expressing any comments.
Huh, maybe they found it boring? Well, it wasn’t an especially amazing adventure, to be honest.

“I-It’s amazing, isn’t it? So Rex and the others obtained research materials from the ancient civilization era and the technology to create Chimeras, right?”

Just as I thought, Mina exclaimed with excitement, her cheeks turning red.

“Is that impressive?”

In contrast to Mina’s excitement, Meguri, who is not interested in technical matters, tilted her head.
Instead, Meguri’s gaze was fixed on the monster materials placed on the table.

“Of course! The technology to create Chimeras! Chimeras are living beings created by combining elements of multiple animals using ancient civilization’s technology, but that knowledge no longer exists in the present! So obtaining that knowledge is an incredible feat!”

Oh? Was the technology to create Chimeras lost in this era? Come to think of it, I didn’t see any pet Chimeras like I often did in the capital in my past life.

“I-I don’t really understand.”

“W-Well, anyway, it’s an amazing lost technology.”

“Oh, really…”

Seeing Meguri’s lack of interest in technical discussions, Mina sighed and left it at that.

“Oh, but there was a report later that the main materials and equipment in the ruins disappeared while we were on our way back from the mine.”

“What!? What is that!? Were they stolen!? By whom!?”

Upon hearing that the hard-earned technology had vanished, Mina’s eyes widened in shock.

“It’s probably Mr.
Ganai.
He probably took them to continue his research in a different location since he was originally in charge of those ruins, and he didn’t want to be disturbed after we found out the location of the ruins.”

Well, that’s what researchers do.

“T-That’s so unfair!”

Upon hearing that, Gyro seemed to be frustrated.

“What’s wrong, Gyro-kun?”

Norbu spoke up to the silent Gyro.
Come to think of it, it’s rare for Gyro not to shout.

“Kuh…”

“Kuh?”

“It’s frustrating!”

Huh? What’s going on all of a sudden!?

“What’s frustrating?”

Mina asked with a weary expression as Gyro suddenly expressed his frustration.
It seems that he’s disappointed that he couldn’t join us in such an amazing adventure.

“Because, you know, even though you guys had such an amazing adventure, we couldn’t fight together! It’s frustrating!”

Ah, I see.
Gyro is disappointed that he couldn’t adventure with us.

“That can’t be helped.
We’ve only become adventurers recently, you know?”

“In fact, thanks to Rex, we’ve already surpassed the D-rank, which is considered a full-fledged adventurer.”

“That’s right, we became adventurers not long ago, and we’re already beyond the D-rank.
It’s quite an achievement.”

Everyone comforted Gyro.
Yeah, it’s nice to have understanding comrades in times like this.

“But still, it’s frustrating, you know? As a man, it’s frustrating that I couldn’t participate in such an amazing adventure with you guys.”

“You’re being selfish.”

“That’s right, we understand how you feel.”

“Indeed, we’ve been able to advance ranks much faster than normal adventurers thanks to Rex.”

“But still, it’s frustrating, you know? It’s frustrating that we couldn’t fight together in such an amazing adventure.”

“I’m not saying you’re being unreasonable.”

Liliera stared at Gyro, who continued to be frustrated, with an exasperated look.

“But I understand that feeling.”

It was Liliera who said that.

“Oh, Liliera’s sister, you understand! Ouch!”

With Liliera’s agreement, Gyro stood up, feeling satisfied, but Mina kicked his leg to shut him up.
Well, it’s not envy-worthy to have such a familiar relationship at times like this.

“What do you mean?”

“Rex and I took on this request together, but during the battle with the Chimeras, I keenly felt my own lack of strength… I thought I had become quite strong myself, but…”

“Well, I don’t think that’s true.”

I interjected.
I actually think Liliera did a great job.

“But in the battle with the Chimeras, I was barely able to handle the enemies right in front of me.
I couldn’t even help Rex.
At this rate, I won’t be able to repay Rex’s kindness.”

Come to think of it, Liliera joined us to repay a debt.
She’s truly a serious person.

“But an adventurer’s true calling is adventuring.
Our purpose is to achieve the request, and fighting is just one means to that end.
The duty of knights and mercenaries is to resolve conflicts through battles.”

This is a passage from the adventure of the great swordsman Laigard, which I like.
When Laigard and his companions were adventuring in a certain cave, they encountered enemies that couldn’t be defeated with swords or bows, but were eventually repelled by a wise sage they met by chance.
From there, Laigard learned that strength alone is not everything, and that using wisdom and negotiation to resolve conflicts is also important.

Having spent my past lives constantly developing combat techniques and defeating enemies through sheer force, I have a fondness for this story that emphasizes not relying solely on strength.

“An adventurer’s true calling is adventuring.
Our job is just one means to achieve the request, and resolving conflicts through battles is the duty of knights and mercenaries.”

Norbu and Meguri nodded in agreement with my words.,”Yes, if we can resolve things without fighting, that would be ideal.
I can understand the perspective of using techniques to resolve things without fighting.”

Mina also affirms my words.

“But you know, I still think it’s better to become stronger.
There are problems that can only be solved by winning, right?”

However, Gyro-kun and Liliera-san seem dissatisfied with their own lack of strength.
Well, I can understand what they’re trying to say.
There might be such possibilities in the future.
In that case, our next destination is…

“Then, how about going to a place where we can have a training session and test our strength on our next adventure?”

“Let’s go!”

Gyro-kun and Liliera-san’s voices harmonize beautifully.

“Alright, then let’s train against dragons next.”

“Oh, dragons! That’ll really put our skills to the test… right?”

“Yes, if dragons are our training partners, then for them, we will be… lacking?”

At that moment, Liliera stops speaking, and everyone looks at me.

“……Huh?”

“Yes, our next destination is the sacred land of dragons, the country of Dragonia, home to dragon knights!”

Yes, when it comes to training partners, dragons are perfect!

“There are plenty of dragons there, so we won’t be lacking in training partners!”

“Wha…!?”

Yes, everyone is already fired up even before we set off.