As Kimishima and the other students, made their way to the cafeteria in the morning, they were met with an unusual sight. Perched atop the walls of the dining hall, there was an unusually gigantic bird they had never seen before.
“What… what is that?”
Even from a distance, they could discern its unusual size. As they hesitated, guards emerged from the cafeteria and informed them that it was a riding beast. It seemed someone had arrived riding on it.
Relieved upon hearing the explanation, the three proceeded to the cafeteria where they encountered a man they had never seen before, dining with Yazzak.
The man had shoulder-length golden hair and wore a dull green robe. Upon noticing them entering the cafeteria, he happily asked something to Yazzak sitting next to him. When Yazzak responded resignedly, the man stood up and approached the three.
“Hey there. Nice to meet you. I’m Gazelme Dorn. Pleasure.”
At times like this, Nishina usually took the lead, being the man of the group. Though he thought about it himself, considering there was a senior present, he was unsure if it was appropriate.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Takato Nishina.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know you. And the two behind you are Sakuragi and Kimishima, right?”
“Eh?”
“Hahaha. I’m a member of the Uruk Magic Corps.”
“Uh, Uruk?”
“Hm? Oh, I see you still don’t know. We’re a magic corps under the Glenvaren Dynasty. Haven’t heard from Tomonori?”
“Tomonori…huh! Ikeda-senpai???”
“Yeah, yeah, Ikeda. Tomonori Ikeda.”
Indeed, Ikeda had decided to go to a different country from the seniors of the third year. Nishina remembered it was under the Glenvaren Dynasty. Hearing Ikeda’s name, Kimishima leaned forward.
“How’s Ikeda-kun? Is he doing well?”
“Yeah, he’s doing fine. Might be exhausted from training every day, though.”
“I see… Thank you.”
“Yeah.”
Learning about the whereabouts of their companions who had come with them, the three quickly warmed up to Gazelme. As they continued to have breakfast together, Spellsess and Mainui entered the cafeteria. Seeing them, Gazelme’s expression turned awkward.
“Oh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing. Senpai seems well too.”
“Hmph. What are you doing all the way here?”
“Oh, I was just curious about the new Celestial.”
“You won’t find any in the Dynasty.”
“N-no, it’s not like that.”
In this world, once every four years, there was an event called the Sage Council held at the Keron Magic Academy. Rather than discussing practical matters, it had more of a reunion-like atmosphere, but since they were all sages, Spellsess and Gazelme knew each other. In this world, the Keron Magic Academy was considered the top institution, where magical power didn’t matter much in terms of grades. Thus, Sages were sought for their knowledge rather than power, and such conferences fostered peaceful interactions across nations.
Then, Spellsess came up with something and grinned.
“You know, Gazelme, you’ve come at the right time.”
“W-what is it?”
“I heard the adventurers coming to town today are headed to the Dix Village deeper in the wilderness.”
“Oh?”
“It seems there are many high-level monsters in that area. I thought it’s about time these kids had a fight with high-level ones.”
“Well… that’s…”
“If adventurers are there, there might be some tricks. I thought having one more excellent guard might be a good idea.”
“Really?”
Despite being from different countries, the hierarchy among the alumni of the academy was solid. Gazelme couldn’t refuse Spellsess, even though he thought it was troublesome. And while he hesitated, Yazzak grinned, relieved.
“Well, do your best.”
“What are you saying, Yazzak? You’re coming too.”
“Huh???”
Even though he wasn’t a Sage, Yazzak was also a junior at the academy. There was no way for him to resist Spellsess.
…
Benga and Amur, a couple, actually had no connection to the Dix Village. They were adventurers making a living in the Jibe Kingdom. Amur, who used fire magic, and the strong-armed Benga formed a duo party, making a name for themselves as mid-tier adventurers in the local area.
Their reason for coming to the Dudur Valley was simple: to make Benga a Celestial. That’s why they had come.
Amur was confident in her husband Benga’s abilities. Although his magical power was slightly weak, his physical abilities were exceptional. Originally ranked around 700th, about two years ago, he defeated another adventurer ranked 512th in a dispute between adventurers. It was a shift of around 200 ranks, significant for a three-digit ranking jump.
Naturally, their base guild commission also changed, increasing their income. If that’s the case, how much more profit would they make if he became a Celestial? Amur didn’t have much resistance to such thinking.
…
On the other hand, Brian and his two companions were also skilled adventurers. Originally childhood friends, they registered as adventurers together and had a strong bond that supported each other’s lives from the beginning.
Since all three belonged to the Horasan State Adventurers Guild in the Hodgkin Federation, they had heard about Carton’s intention to climb the Ladder in the Dudur Valley. So, as soon as they heard about the upheaval, they began to move to make Brian a Celestial.
—Make Brian a Celestial.
Ranked 179th on the 9th Step, Brian wasn’t seen as a strong candidate for Celestial even if he moved to the 10th Step. Still, among the three, he had exceptional skills. He had a natural sense of using all kinds of weapons, and he believed he could beat anyone with his favorite dual swords. Especially against what seemed to be novice adventurers.
Even though they belonged to the federation, if the Celestials were holed up in the Dudur Valley, there was a way to deal with it. That’s what they thought.
Their companions were willing to help. While the other guards were held back, they would defeat the Celestials. It was a gamble.
◇◇◇
Meanwhile, Kimishima, thinking she might meet her teacher if she went deeper into the wilderness, immediately accepted Spellsess’s proposal. Nishina and Sakuragi also agreed since they had started to struggle less against mid-level monsters.
After finishing their preparations, the three headed to the city gate where adventurers had already gathered. However, as it was an impromptu party, unfamiliar faces were scattered around, casting furtive glances at each other in the tense atmosphere.
Amidst such tension, Spellsess spoke up.
“Ah, don’t worry, we’ll try not to interfere too much with your Ladder climb. But still, be careful. If there’s danger, we’ll lend a hand anytime.”
“So, you guys are coming too? Can you guarantee our safety?”
For Brian and his companions aiming for the federation’s Celestial, the presence of the federation’s sages and knights was nothing but a hindrance. However, they couldn’t just abandon their goal of climbing the ladder. They reluctantly accepted the situation.
“It’s okay, Gazelme just arrived, so the children’s protection is assured.”
“…”
Indeed, even more troublesome was Gazelme. The presence of a man bearing both the titles of sage and Celestial placed further constraints on their movements. While he claimed to have come here by chance, it could be expected that he had come to assess the Celestial abilities as someone from the dynasty.
—Now, how to use Puppet Master…
Brian had noticed Benga and Amur’s background. A mocking term for an adventurer who manipulate her husband like a puppet, named “Puppet Master”, referred precisely to Amur. Presumably, Amur had also come here to make her husband a Celestial.
How to utilize that was the crucial point of the game.
And then, another adventurer who had come as an escort for a merchant was also participating. It seemed the wheels of the merchant’s carriage had broken, and since it would take some time to fix, he joined out of boredom.
He seemed to be an adventurer from the Spelt State, but Brian didn’t recognize him or his name. He didn’t particularly seem strong, but he must have had enough strength to take on an escort mission alone. His level of caution was unknown.
—Damn it.
Brian, frustrated by things not going as planned, could barely contain his irritation.
