Chapter 169: Erasure
Along with the sound of two sets of footsteps, the Guild Master and Sub-Master entered the conference room.
“How much do you have?”
“Since everyone is holding their own, I don’t know the exact number, but I’d say about 25 to 30 bears and 15 to 20 tigers. Apart from that, there should be ten-odd rare creatures from the Deep Forest.”
“For now, show me a few.”
I headed to the Dismantling Area with the Guild Master and the others, and laid out the game in a cramped corner where the Snake was being dismantled.
Golden Bear: 3
Horn Boar: 2
King Tiger: 1
Main Tiger: 1
Big Wolf: 2
Big Horn: 2
Golden Tiger: 4
Red Bear: 5
“Hold on a minute. Are they all this big?”
“These were hunted about four or five days west of Deelgo Village, deep in the forest. Since it’s near where the Dragon was, I think the creatures from deeper in came out with the Dragon.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Main Tiger. As expected of those who accompany you, they have quite good skills. Show me your Guild Cards.”
Hmm, I have a bad feeling about this.
He looked at the five cards and nodded; they were all Silver Cards, C-Rank.
“What about the Magicians’ ranks?”
“They’ve all been promoted to B-Rank, but is there something wrong?”
“If you’d brought out a Dragon here, I could have made you A-Rank… but I guess that’s impossible. Shinya, show me yours too!”
“Guild Master, I told you I refuse any promotions, didn’t I?”
I took out my Guild Card, placed my finger on it, recalled the words I heard during my Adventurer Registration, and muttered, “My name is Shinya. I hereby erase my Adventurer Registration,” channeling my Magical Power.
《Aargh… you… what have you done!》
“Hmm, I’m retiring as an Adventurer. I can earn enough even without belonging to the Guild, and it’s easier not to be tied down by troublesome ranks.”
I placed the card, its registration information now gone, into the Guild Master’s hand.
“Ah well, he’s gone and done it.”
“It’s very Shinya-like, though.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen someone erase their own registration info.”
“I’d completely forgotten you could even do that.”
“What in the world! You could have become S-Rank. As a Platinum Ranker, you could have received treatment comparable to a noble.”
When I registered as an Adventurer, it was recorded that I was a Tamer with 1 ability and 10 Magical Power. If I got a new Guild Card, there was a risk that the names of the magic I was endowed with and my Magical Power would be displayed. If that happened, it would definitely cause a huge uproar, and if it became known that I could use magic obtained outside the Rite of Endowment, the church wouldn’t stay silent. It’s definitely better to retire as an Adventurer than to get caught up in troublesome affairs.
“What have you done…”
Ignoring the Sub-Master’s lament, I told them to distribute the payment equally among the five of them and left the rest to them.
The Queen’s Identification is hard to use outside the Royal Capital, so maybe I should ask Milene-sama or Prime Minister Brighton to prepare an Identification I can use more casually.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
News came that the payment for the Dragon and Snakes, which were handed over to the Royal Family separately, had been transferred.
Terrano Dragon: 5,500 Gold Coins, Armored Dragon: 5,500 Gold Coins, Green Snake: 8,500 Gold Coins, Crimson Snake: 8,500 Gold Coins.
Total: 28,000 Gold Coins, which is 2,800,000,000 Dahla.
The auction prices were 5,421 Gold Coins for the Terrano Dragon, 5,147 Gold Coins for the Armored Dragon, and 8,372 Gold Coins for the Crimson Snake, so they bought everything at a high price.
At dinner, I announced that the Royal Family’s purchase price was 2,800,000,000 Dahla. Subtracting the 1,450,000,000 Dahla advanced, that leaves 1,350,000,000 Dahla.
Divided among 30 people, that’s 45,000,000 Dahla per person, I told them.
“So, that means each person earned 95,000,000 Dahla in total, huh?”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself. There’s still a lot more remaining.”
“What about the Royal Family’s share?”
“The two Dragons and two Snakes are separate, I think. Of what’s left, one-third of what will go to auction is the Royal Family’s share, but…”
“What is it? That sounds ominous.”
“I told you, didn’t I? If Dragon auctions continue, the prices will drop.”
“Does that mean…”
“It means those who won bids at auctions until now bought them at high prices.”
“The Royal Family too. They bought them at a premium over the Tanza auction prices. I think Dragon auction prices will fall much, much further. It seems Dragons were subjugated in Hyulzass and Kryunzass too.”
“But without someone with Spatial Storage like Shinya, it’s a pain to bring them back.”
“So they’ll have to dismantle them to bring them back?”
“The price is likely to drop significantly then.”
“Dismantling those tough beasts must be a lot of work.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll go transfer 45,000,000 Dahla to each of your accounts. Anything after this will be after everything is settled, so I think it’ll be one or two years from now. Once it’s all done, it will be distributed equally into everyone’s accounts.”
“With this, we can retire as Adventurers and live comfortably.”
“Hawkin, with 95,000,000 Dahla, if you buy a house, there won’t be much left.”
“It’s too early to retire; we’d probably run out of money partway through.”
“We’ll earn money comfortably without overdoing it, and retire when our bodies can’t keep up anymore.”
“I’m going to head out on subjugations with a barrel of ale in my Magic Bag, just like Shinya-san!”
“Sounds like we’ll have some drunken Adventurers on our hands.”
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
Once the disposal of the Beasts was finished and everyone had completed their shopping in the Royal Capital, they all returned to their respective base cities.
As for me, the Dragons I was holding onto became a constraint, and I spent my days wandering around the Royal Capital to stockpile food, ale, and liquor.
And then, I started hearing stories about the six Barons of Deelgo.
A tale of how they joined forces with Adventurers to subjugate a Dragon that appeared west of Tanza, in the Deep Forest.
My existence was neatly erased, and the stories skillfully blurred the details about the other parties and the Adventurers who served as escorts.
Moreover, it was framed like tavern or market gossip, and the official narrative became that the Royal Family, nobles, and the Adventurers Guild joined forces to subjugate the Dragon.
The central figures in this story were the six Barons of Deelgo.
It’s said that the six members of the Magic Squad were granted the title of baron for one generation for their distinguished service in the Dragon Subjugation, and His Majesty bestowed upon them the family name ‘Deelgo’.
Because the Royal Family spread these rumors, the talk about the Adventurers involved stopped at the Guild, and they were spared from curious gazes.
Eventually, both sets of rumors will likely mix, becoming an even more incomprehensible story.
What made me laugh was that because their bestowed honorary family names were the same, they are apparently usually called by their full names or by their first name with ‘Baron’ attached.
Because of this, an epithet like ‘The Six of Deelgo’ came about, and ‘The Six of Deelgo’ seems to have become synonymous with Dragon subjugators.
All of this was also because in the neighboring Kingdom of Bajiscar, a scandal involving nobles and the Adventurers Guild had spread. Although they somehow managed to subjugate the Dragon there, the populace viewed them coldly.
In the Kingdom of Bajiscar, trust in the nobles and the Adventurers Guild was shaken, and the Kingdom of Wilandall is desperate to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
For that purpose, heroes are needed. Many Dragons have been subjugated, and there are subjugators who can be brought into the public eye.
All that’s left is to concoct a suitable story and spread it as a rumor.
Since it’s not an official announcement, there’s no need to take responsibility even if it differs from the facts.
The official announcement is that the Tanza Adventurers Guild and the Kingdom’s Magic Squad cooperated to subjugate numerous Dragons.
And the names of the heroes from the Magic Squad who subjugated the Dragons have been made public.
It’s just a story where lies are mixed with facts.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
When I went to Milene-sama’s place to deliver Flower Nectar and Gold Mash, Prince Barrot was there, buried in the sofa and enjoying tea as usual.
“Hmm, why are you here?”
“It’s your fault, you know. Because you go around subjugating Dragons so easily.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Well, you see,” Milene-sama began, “when the report of the Dragon’s appearance reached the Royal Castle, Prince Morrisun advised His Majesty that something like Beast subjugation should be left to mere Adventurers. While many other princes and ministers agreed, Prince Barrot here appealed about the disastrous situation in the neighboring country and strongly requested the dispatch of the Kingdom’s Magic Squad. His Majesty had already issued the order to dispatch the Magic Squad, but he was angered by the naive thinking of the Crown Prince and the other princes, and removed Prince Morrisun from his position as Crown Prince.”
“The Magic Squad was dispatched and achieved results. So how is that my fault?”
“Under the guidance of you and your companions, Dragon subjugators were born within the Royal Family, and the people’s trust in them is strong. His Majesty is well aware of the disastrous situation in the neighboring country and the dissatisfaction with the Royal Family and nobles there. Rather than someone who lives comfortably within the Royal Castle and looks down on the Adventurers who protect the people and towns…”
I glanced at Prince Barrot, who was sinking into the sofa.
“Voices are starting to rise, saying that Prince Barrot, who knows the state of the world well and made appropriate requests during the crisis, should be the one to fill the vacant seat, you know,” Fran-san said.
“Is that why you’ve fled here?” I asked.
“As someone who knows your abilities, in the face of the kingdom’s crisis, I’ve grown quite angry at my far too carefree elder brothers, you see,” Barrot-san replied.
“If a carefree fellow were to manage national affairs, the country would decline and its people would become unhappy. You’ll have to give it your all, then.”
“It’s not just that, you know. If someone starts saying unnecessary things, the backlash is severe.”
“Use of force?”
“There’s only one throne. Those who want to sit on it aren’t just one or two, and those connected to them are even more numerous. If I’d known it would come to this, I should have fled much sooner.”
“It’s probably not too late, even now.”
“My father has warned me sternly, so running away is impossible. This is something I asked of you before, but it’s also necessary for my own protection, so could I ask for your instruction?”
“Is it that dangerous?”
“It hasn’t become public, but among those close to me, there have been suspicious deaths and people who have disappeared. Since I am the eighth prince, I wasn’t assigned such strict security or many attendants, you see.”
“With magic, you can only manage direct defense, you know.”
“I hear that Ice Magicians possess splendid barriers and offensive power.”
“Are you reading the Magic Primer?”
“Of course. However, what I can do is a far cry from the Ice Magic I’ve heard tales of, and the members of the Magic Squad are also unreliable.”
《I guess it can’t be helped. Suppose I’ll teach him about barriers and a few secret weapons for self-defense.》