| Author: Himezaki Shiu | Original Source: Syosetu |
| Translator: PunishedLyly | English Source: Re:Library |
| Editor(s): Fire | |
Returning to the inn our party “Fools’ Gathering” is occupying, I announce my arrival to my party members lounging at the cafeteria.
「So, that girl. Cielmer, was it? How did it go with her?」
「I was completely unneeded as a bodyguard. Ah, but I was at least useful as a criminal escort. How were things on your side, Lucie?」
「The investigation went smoothly. For the time being, the fact that the forest has been neglected for several years is confirmed. I can’t believe she seriously went there alone.」
「I guess I misjudged her capabilities.」
Following Lucie, Chasse shrugged his shoulders as he shook his head. That’s right, we’re no match for Cielmer. If she had a sorcery-type Job, she’d likely reach S-rank within several years. That’s the impression I had from today’s experience.
「Judging only by her skill in magic power manipulation, she’s already at S-rank. Only few in the world can compare to her.」
「Aren’t you exaggerating too much?」
Chasse laughs at my words but I can’t tell my party members about what happened today, so I can only smile ambiguously in reply. I understood this due to what I experienced today, but the Song Princess’ ability doesn’t deserve its current cold treatment. While I know full well that Song Princesses with the capacity for combat are rare, as long as a Song Princess is strong enough to at least protect herself, she could contribute a lot in battle such as healing at safe-zones and such. Moreover, in large battles where non-combative logistical support becomes necessary, such as stampedes, Song Princesses can demonstrate their true strengths.
And yet, while not being as extreme as this country, Song Princesses tend to be considered a disappointing job worldwide. As for why that is… While I do have a certain hunch, it’s not something a mere individual can resolve. And even if the public’s opinion of Song Princesses improves for the better, this issue still won’t be resolved that easily. At the very least, I think a national scale influence will be required for that.
「Which reminds me, there’s two things I need to report. There’s the choice of good and bad, and bad news. Which one first?」
「You just said two, didn’t you?」
「The first news has both good and bad aspects.」
Every day, I can’t help but wonder if there’s anything that can be done to amend Lucie’s tone, but this hearty attitude of hers is one of her charm points. And it seems like Chasse knows the answer to her question. As expected of our leader. We were the one that forced leadership onto him though.
「For now, let’s hear the bad-only news.」
「We were ambushed, by two different groups. The first group was that of hunters acquainted with Tolt. Pure misguided resentment. The other was an individual from the house of Ortis. We’ve already collected a knife bearing the family crest as evidence. As for the individual in question, who knows? If she is still alive, I reckon that she’s probably not having a good time.」
「Nobles… Things become difficult with them involved, so I really wish they just don’t.」
「It’s possible that the guildmaster is connected to this. So, them backing off won’t solve anything. With today’s ambush, Cielmer had additional demands.」
「I don’t want to hear it.」
「It’s nothing complicated, actually. She simply wants permission to abstain from fighting if ever the Royal Capital gets engulfed in a stampede. Coordination with the knights is indispensable during stampedes. With the evidence we collected, it shouldn’t be difficult to receive permission.」
「Getting stabbed from behind during the battle with monsters is definitely a possibility. Well, I have no idea if Miss Cielmer will still be here by the time the stampede arrives though.」
「There’s still a year or two, right?」
「Nope, it’s possible that it’ll come much sooner. We’ve already appealed to the Headquarters, so A-rank hunters are going to be dispatched. We’ll stay here until the stampede is resolved or until preparations against the stampede are complete. Similarly, a new guildmaster is arranged to be dispatched too.」
「A stampede hasn’t happened here in decades. I’m surprised things are going so smoothly.」
「It’s because Cielmer mentioned the possibility of a stampede occurring after five years of neglect. With permission from the headquarters, I reviewed the forest investigation records. At the very least, there hasn’t been any new records for 5 years.」
The guildmaster. While I approve of his attitude of wanting to eliminate Job discrimination, I can’t respect him for neglecting his original duties for the sake of his personal goal. While mobilizing people can be done considerably quickly, gathering enough supplies to last an extended period of time for the people here at the capital would be difficult without at least a year of preparation. If a stampede does happen, it’s not as if supplies can be immediately delivered freely after it’s resolved. If there are damages to the capital, repair work will be necessary, as well as safety checks for the main roads.
Setting aside how long the stampede could last, since I have no idea at all, it should take at least a month for the capital to recover its former liveliness. The exact estimations will probably be done by the concerned specialists.
Besides, the Hunter Guild is only there to protect people from monsters. Due to that, the supplies the Hunter Guild can prepare are quite limited. In these sorts of unforeseen circumstances, either the kingdom or the feudal lord is to prepare the supplies.
「The house of Ortis is a military household, right?」
「They’re in a position to take responsibility if a stampede ever occurs.」
「So in short, the kingdom also neglected this. I can’t quite see the preparations making it in time, so I really want to get away from here.」
「If this place falls to the monsters, the casualties are going to spread to Central as well, you know?」
That’s right. Moreover, half of this is the Guild’s fault. Besides, with A-rank hunters dispatched, we probably wouldn’t die.
「Well… Anyhow, we need to get permission within tomorrow morning, so keep that in mind.」
「Roger. And what about the other news?」
「I might not be able to use sorcery properly for a while.」
「Haa?」
Chasse, with an unusually stupid-looking face, let out a stupid voice. As Chasse was frozen stiff, Lucie came up to me in his place. Arold also isn’t saying anything. There once was a whole month where I haven’t heard him speak so it’s nothing unusual, but I at least wanted to hear him sound surprised.
「It’s not that you got injured or sick and can’t use sorcery anymore, is it?」
「That’s right. The amount of magic power I can use instantaneously has increased and it’s difficult to adjust. In simpler terms, my firepower is going to increase.」
「Woah, that’s great news. With your power increasing, requests that we had no choice but to pass up are now on the table.」
「Sorry about that.」
「Don’t be. We teamed up with acknowledgment of that fact. Still, how did that happen all of the sudden?」
「It’s all thanks to Cielmer. However, I can’t say any more than that. I promised her.」
「Promised, huh. Then it can’t be helped. Still, is that really true? Why don’t you try using sorcery. Aim for our leader’s stupid spaced out mug.」
No, Chasse is already back to normal though. Still, I actually do want to try it out, so it won’t hurt to try some sorcery. I use the magic power overflowing from my body and, just how I usually do it, I use the same spell I’ve always used. With the intent of producing a cup’s worth of water, I dropped water above Chasse’s head.
「Oogua.1」
Single word chanting. I’ve kept it a secret from Ciel, but this is something I was able to do after a long bout of trial and error. As for its uses, I can produce water, light a fire, and blow a breeze with it. None of them are particularly useful for combat. Still, it’s awfully convenient. I reckon if I even just tell Cielmer about this, she’d master it completely.
As per usual, I used this technique to cast a practically powerless spell but, in front of my eyes, a waterfall appeared. It was only for a moment, but to begin with, I only intended to produce a cup’s worth of water. That volume clearly says something entirely different. I feel bad for completely drenching Chasse, but I couldn’t help but laugh. With just this spell, this is the result. If it was sorcery I utilize for combat instead, what would be the results?
Perhaps, soon enough, becoming an A-rank hunter might be within my reach. Perhaps I might gain an alias just like my teacher.
I was so excited thinking about this, but since I flooded the inn, we got scolded.
◇
Ever since Ciel left the capital, I have been putting my all in getting used to my current circuits. Being a party dispatched by Central, we, as a party, have many duties that we have to handle but all of these will be handled by my other party members. I honestly feel bad handing the work to them, but they just insisted that I’ll have the opportunity to pay them back when they have a situation like this in the future and left me to train on my own. That time, Arold cheered me on, saying “Do your best,” which shook me so much that I just stared blankly at the closed door for a while.
With that, I’m in perfect condition. Spending my time combining my new power with my past experiences and testing out what I can do, every day is exciting. But on the other hand, the royal capital’s situation isn’t going well. The Hunter guild is preparing restlessly for the imminent stampede.
It didn’t take much time for us to be told that the stampede could start at any moment. Because of that, our party began prioritizing combat preparations. While A-rank hunters will be coming, we’re capable enough to be counted as war potential being a B-rank party, so it’s likely that we’ll be sent to the frontlines. To be prepared no matter when the stampede arrives, we began doing strategy meetings, formation checking, and thoroughly adjusting our teamplay in particular, due to my increase in firepower.
The deployed hunters have then finally arrived, and among them was my teacher. She’s the counterpart of the Ice Witch, one of the two leading young sorcerers. Though I say young, we’re not that much different in age, but considering her status as a B-rank solo adventurer, she’s plenty young. The Scorching Hot Princess. She was given the nickname “Princess” due to her noble-like flamboyance and preference of particularly flashy spells among the already showy flame sorcery, but it’s not as if she’s an actual princess.
Incidentally, the Scorching Hot Princess and the Ice Witch are not on good terms. To be exact, my teacher has a grudge against the Ice Witch.
Since she was dispatched for the stampede, we’ll likely see each other when the stampede begins. I can’t wait to see her react to my sorcery when that happens.
◇
The stampede has finally begun. The once bustling Royal Capital is now deserted, with the only people moving around being the hunters, knights, and soldiers that are to fight against the stampede, and the people supporting them from the backlines. Particularly since there have been sightings of wyverns this time, an official notice has been given for the civilians to stay within buildings as much as possible. Wyverns are considered to be the face of the A-rank monsters. Due to their ability to fly, subjugating them is incredibly difficult.
Given that fact, I can’t thank Cielmer enough for lending a hand with my last moment power up.
「We’re finally blessed with the opportunity for a test shot.」
「You’re the only one thinking that in my opinion.」
「Still, now we can see just how much powerful Viviana got, right?」
With the stampede before us, we’re filled with enthusiasm. After all, it’s an opportunity to show the results of our training.
「Oh, is that you, Viviana?」
Turning to the voice that called out to me, there was a beautiful red-haired lady wearing a conical hat. The dress she’s wearing shows a lot of skin, making her stand out in this place. The Scorching Hot Princess.
「It’s been a while, teacher.」
「I’ve caught wind of your promotion to B-rank, but I never expected to see you here. It’s quite late, but congratulations.」
「Thank you very much. Still, it’s a B-rank promotion as a party, so I’m still far behind you, teacher.」
「That would be the case before. While you had good sense, your handicap was not something that could be ignored. However, as you are now, you don’t seem to truly think that, do you?」
「Then, at the battlefield.」
「Sure. I’ve been a bit stressed out lately, so this is good opportunity.」
「Later then.」 Leaving this, teacher waved goodbye and left. As she did, a cloud of dust began to appear from the horizon.
「Now then, let’s go. We’ll come in contact with the monsters earlier that the others and mow down as much as we can.」
With Chasse’s orders, we, the Fools’ Gathering, broke into a run.
◇
There’s a simple reason for why we need to reach the monsters before the others. The power of my sorcery is too great, making collateral damage extremely likely to happen. If it’s just us, then my party members would move in a way that would make it easy for me to fire off sorcery, but the same can’t be expected from other people.
Naturally, I can simply use sorcery that wouldn’t cause much collateral damage, but even just for one time, I wanted to use my full power today.
The reward hunters here receive will depend on their results. Due to that, everyone was scrambling to meet the enemy, but as we had a head start, we were able to get into combat formation the earliest.
Now then, the first wave of enemies are the pig-faced orc horde. If these are the ones coming at the first wave, D-rank hunters and below are highly unlikely to be useful in this battle. And right behind them, ogres and a small number of cyclops can be seen.
「Vintus2.」
Before this flood of monsters, I’m using a large spell that I would have been unable to use just a few months back. It takes time to complete, so during this, I’ll be relying on my party members. Well, Chasse, Lucie, and Arold aren’t really weak to just fall from being surrounded by orcs, so I’m not worried. As long as I can finish my sorcery before the group of cyclops reaches us, it’ll be our win for the moment.
「Mahgliuzmina3.」
Being specialized in quick spellcasting, the long time it takes to finish casting this is frustrating me. If I take too much time, my party members take all of my prey. My prey is already slowly decreasing one by one.
「Sartahle4.」
Just as I finished chanting, my party members pushed back the monsters all at once before falling back. And what happened next was something even I couldn’t believe myself. The approaching wall of monsters suddenly raised a spout of blood and collapsed to the ground. It wasn’t only the front row of monsters that were affected, but even the ogres and cyclops behind the orcs received damage.
Before I noticed it, the space around us was opened up. And then from behind, a loud yell erupted.
「UwooooO!」 These were yells of cheering, rallying, and envy.
Since I completely forgot to hold back, I nearly exhausted my magic power and before me, my teacher came along. Her face seemed somewhat colored in envy, causing me feel somewhat proud for managing to make the extolled Scorching Hot Princess show this expression.
「It seems that you’ve reached your breakthrough.」
「Yes. But it looks like I’m already down for today.」
「Naturally. You’ve simply taken your first step on this side after all. Still, well done. As your teacher, I’m proud of you. And as a sorcerer, I envy you. Both you and Ice, I really wonder how you’ve developed so much in such a short amount of time.」
「Just watch.」 After declaring that, she headed towards the swarm of monsters alone.
「Haha, to think that you’ve become a sorcerer who’d make the Scorching Hot Princess say that much. We’re not gonna fall behind.」
「For now, I’ll accept that you’re leading one step ahead, but we’ll catch up soon enough.」
「I’m proud for you as your comrade.」
Hearing praises from my party members as well, I couldn’t help but feel happiness welling up in me.
Hiya~! On the other side of the story (chronologically before Chapter 69), the stampede has finally come for the Royal Capital! And it seems like someone was really excited to pump out some spells, lol.
From this chapter to the next, the interludes are going to be about the stampede, which was only shown for a bit on AinCiel’s side since of course. Who the heck would willingly dive into a sea of monsters when they don’t even need to? But yeah, Viviana got a really big power up, considering how she was pretty much limited to using small spells. Also, we’re introduced to a new character… if introduced is the right word for it at least, we actually haven’t gotten her real name yet. But yeah.
Also, small thing about the translation of her nickname. Her nickname 灼熱の美姫 is, if in a more literal translation, actually more like “Beautiful Maiden(Princess) of Scorching Heat”, with the kanji 姫 being princess. The part 美姫 is less of a reference to a princess and more of a reference to a beautiful woman. There’s reference of the nickname being due to both her beauty and her noble-ish aura, so in Japanese it would be a play on words. It is a bit unwieldy as a nickname when translated though. Therefore, I opted to translate it as “Scorching Hot Princess”, with the “Hot” being both a reference to temperature and her looks as well, lol. Wordplay for wordplay, equivalent exchange.
Now then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to comment. Stay clean, stay safe, and have a nice day~!
