Episode 39: Mission Complete!
We safely escaped from the hole, and as it was nearing dusk, we ended our activities for the day and returned to the campsite.
Since I’d unlocked the Spatial Storage, we were preparing and eating meals at a much higher level than before. As we did, the teams that had entered the hole returned one after another.
Then, a cheer erupted! Apparently, the Queen had been successfully defeated.
“There was also an intrusion by a mysterious wolf-type monster. An incredibly strong monster. We should remain vigilant.”
I broke out in a cold sweat when I heard that, but for now, the mission was complete.
“Claffy, so you were here.”
“Mr. Volks. I’m glad you’re safe.”
I was relieved to see a familiar face unharmed.
“We’re thinning out the Monsters with an Adventurer party. Apparently, we’ll be mobilized to annihilate the Nest tomorrow.”
“I see, you’re going into the Nest. Be careful, okay? We’re guarding the soldiers. They’re still working on preparing the road to the Nest.”
“Is there any point to that?”
“They’re burying the Nest to prevent it from becoming a labyrinth. They’re collapsing some of it from above, but there are quite a few places that need to be filled with earth. And they need a road to transport the massive amount of earth.”
“Ugh, that sounds time-consuming…”
Clearing the Forest alone takes time, and then preparing the road and transporting the earth. Without mechanization, it’s a pretty tough task.
“Exactly. We’ll probably be tied up until the Knights belonging to the country are free. You guys will be doing the annihilation, and maybe some thinning out and surveying of the surrounding area.”
“Apparently, there’s a dedicated survey team, so they won’t be coming our way.”
With a Nest this large, there’s a possibility that females have been born inside and become independent.
If they find one, we’ll probably be recalled.
“Oh? Claffy, do you know him?”
“Yes. He’s my employer’s superior.”
“He’s a Knight employed by Baron Cybarossa House. I’m glad we’re both safe.”
“I’m Raise from Earl Herschel House. I’m an Adventurer, so forgive my lack of formality.”
“No one here cares about that sort of thing, so don’t worry about it.”
Raise-san started talking to Volks. As they did, I saw someone I’d seen several times recently walking towards us.
It was Brian-sama.
“Hey, good work.”
“Yo.”
It was Grams who called out.
“Was it your team that did it?”
“It was a joint effort with an Adventurer team. They helped us out.”
“I see.”
Saying that, Grams plopped down next to Brian and took out some alcohol.
“…I lost a comrade.”
“!”
Don’t look at me! I shook my head just in case. Okay, Brian-sama has his head down, so he didn’t notice! Safe!
“…I see.”
“Barbatos had been saying that since she was the oldest, she’d probably be the first to go. The words of an experienced Knight are accurate.”
“…I see.”
“I feel bad about Beatrice. She said herself that she was inexperienced, but I forced her into my unit. As a result, she lost her life here.”
“…I see.”
Ah, Grams is only saying the same thing!
“It’s hard to know how to react when you’re told something like that… I was actually thinking of inviting you to join my unit. But I’m not in the mood for that anymore.”
Saying that, he opened the lid of the sake he was holding and drank it straight.
“…I just wanted someone to listen. I can’t really vent like this to other Knights.”
“…I see… You fulfilled your role. You should be proud.”
“Ah, thank you.”
He did it! Grams managed to say something else! Grams, sorry for making you read the atmosphere!
“Well then, let’s call it a day. It was pretty fun.”
“Yes. Let’s have a meal somewhere when things calm down.”
The joint request was over, and we safely returned to the Royal Capital. Unlike the journey there, we were told that we could return individually, so most of the Adventurers chose to return on their own.
We did too. However, considering the camping arrangements, the five original members remained the same.
“Claff, let’s take on another request sometime. I feel like I could challenge stronger opponents with you.”
“What aspects are you expecting from me?”
“…It’s hard to carry back the big ones.”
“So, I’m just a baggage carrier… Well, whatever.”
“Haa, we were tied up for quite a while. About a month, all things considered?”
It took a week to mobilize after the summons. It took about four days to defeat the Queen on-site, and then an additional ten days for the surrounding environmental survey and hunting down the remnants.
The return trip was individual, so we were able to return to the Royal Capital in five days, but that’s a total of twenty-six days of confinement. Certainly, we had been acting together with this group for almost a month.
Of course, we weren’t always on the front lines, and we occasionally went to nearby villages and towns for breaks, but it was mostly for shopping and didn’t really feel like a holiday.
Well, we were able to split up and stay overnight, so we rested in container houses and stuff.
“For a national emergency, I’d say it was pretty short, wouldn’t you?”
“I guess you’re right. I heard that some large and complex Dungeons can take over half a year.”
“There are Dungeons that take that long?”
“It’s not that they take that long, but if they’re far from villages or towns and inconvenient, you have to start by building a post town.”
That sounds like a large scale. This time, there weren’t many villages or towns nearby either, but they built roads and stuff, and there are still many people left because the Nest removal is still in progress.
We were able to return because we didn’t have to do that kind of work, unlike the Knights Order and the soldiers. Mr. Volks and Brian-sama are still there.
“I’m not going to take any jobs involving nobles for a while…”
“Same here. I was expecting something more from an A-rank Monster, but it was just a bit tough and had sharp claws. It wasn’t as impressive as I thought.”
“The Royal Guard-class was incredibly hard, though…”
“Claff was the only one who could defeat them easily. It took a lot of slamming to finally do it.”
“It’s mostly because the weapon is good.”
“Why a Nata? And to think you can one-shot them with that thing is frustrating. Oh, thanks for this. Can I just return it as is? I’ll return it after I maintain it, okay?”
“I’ll have my acquaintance sharpen it, so it’s fine.”
“Oh? If you say so. Also, introduce me to the person who made that weapon.”
“You like it? When should we do it?”
“Usually, you’d meet at the Guild for something like this, but I’ve never seen you there.”
“I mostly go after school ends.”
I mostly show my face after the academy is over. It’s a perfect time when the Adventurers haven’t returned from work yet, and hardly anyone is taking on new requests.
“What are you doing at that time? Well, whatever. I’ll show my face at Cybarossa House tomorrow, right? Keep me company.”
“Roger.”
Brenda, who’s not confident in her current weapon, has decided to spend money on a weapon. That’s a good thing.
Well then, we said our goodbyes again and scattered to our respective destinations.
It was my first time participating in such a large-scale march since I became this body, so I was worried, but I managed to pull it off somehow.