Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Vacation - 1
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As soon as I returned to the palace, I headed straight to the queen's office. She must have been waiting for me, because I was able to meet her without any special preparations.
"You've worked hard."
"Yes."
I really had. Of course, there was still cleanup to do, but Veronica and Lucille would handle that just fine.
The queen, who had been reviewing a pile of documents in her office, set them down and spoke.
"Even if the plague issue in the elves' forest has been resolved, the conflicts between the races won't end there."
"That's true."
With the elves weakened, the other races would push their advantage. Problems would arise in the process, but that was for them to sort out.
The queen bringing up this topic probably meant she wanted me to mediate, but it had nothing to do with achievements, so I wasn't interested.
"...Is that all?"
"What do you want?"
"Hmm... This incident has sparked talk of forming a political community where the races collaborate to resolve issues they can't handle alone."
"Is that so?"
"And there's a lot of talk about appointing the Sage—you—as its chair."
It made sense. I had the highest affinity with every race.
While rushing through the main story to rack up achievements as quickly as possible, I'd resolved issues between the races, and now my affinity was through the roof.
"Sage. If you refuse... this proposal will probably go to the Hero."
"Is that right?"
"What do you think?"
"Tell Claire to do it."
"You could wield considerable power."
Even if it was just a council for resolving disputes, it would come with real authority—maybe even on the level of a nation's ruler.
But that power would come with heavy obligations. In the worst case, I might get tied down somewhere, unable to move, or lose all personal life just coordinating between races.
So, no thanks.
For achievement hunting, I couldn't afford any restrictions on my movements.
"I'll pass anyway."
"I never thought there'd be someone who hates power."
"If you search the world, you'll find one or two like that. I'm just one of them."
The queen stared at me silently. The charisma of a nation's ruler seemed to press down on me, but it meant nothing to me.
"...I see."
"Yes. That's right."
"If you refuse, the Hero will probably refuse too. Then the races might fight even harder over the chair position."
"Really? Good luck with that."
"It's someone else's problem."
"Exactly."
The queen fell silent, and I smiled. The silence that followed was broken by a voice from outside the door.
"Your Majesty. General Leoden has arrived."
"Let him in."
General Leoden entered, looking slightly surprised to see both the queen and me. But it was only for a moment. He greeted the queen politely and handed over a report.
Probably a battlefield report. He was likely here to discuss the troop shortages from the Hero Party's absence.
"Sage. When is the Hero returning?"
"As soon as cleanup is done. We can't just send those people back empty-handed, right?"
"I see. That'll take at least a few more days, then."
"Probably. If the princess handles it well... it might wrap up faster. Veronica will support as my proxy, so no need to worry."
"Cardinal Veronica... Understood. Oh, and there's one favor I'd like to ask."
"If it's about filling in the gaps from the Hero Party's absence, I'll pass."
General Leoden shut his mouth, and the queen chuckled.
I had quests to clear at the Adventurer's Guild—battlefield duty? No thanks.
With nothing more to say, I looked at the queen and General Leoden. The queen waved her hand and shook her head.
"It'd be hard to keep holding you. You've worked hard, so rest easy."
"Yes. Good luck to you."
They really would have it rough.
***
Once the Sage left, the queen reviewed the report. The Sage had resolved the elves' forest issue astonishingly well.
This had indebted the elves to the other races, especially humans.
After all, the Sage had stepped up as a representative of humanity.
"The Sage's influence is growing."
"He's always been a big figure. Ever since the Hero Party set out to defeat the Demon King."
"The problem is the reward. If he were my subject, I could grant him fitting power or compensation..."
The Sage was merely fulfilling his contract as Lucille's mentor. And his reward was just appropriate tuition.
That was it. All the Sage wanted.
He didn't wield the authority of being the princess's mentor for influence.
Even though he surely knew the sweetness of power.
Look at his actions.
Despite holding the prestige of the princess's mentor, his visits to the Adventurer's Guild were the same as always.
He took on what others wouldn't, helping the powerless and poor without hesitation.
Just last time, he'd even taken down a mine demon in the Robento Mountains that no one else could touch without heavy losses.
And that wasn't all. While scouring the continent for plague cure materials, he hadn't stopped at bandits or thieves—he kept hunting powerful monsters.
As if it were his duty and mission.
"I want to tie him down somehow."
"Is that possible?"
Leoden was pessimistic. Even he, who had known the Sage for a long time, couldn't grasp the man's desires.
Did he love money?
He never took more funds than necessary.
Did he love beauties?
Then he wouldn't treat the Hero and party members that way.
The Hero and his party felt immense debt and guilt toward the Sage.
If he wanted, he could turn those beautiful women into slaves to his liking.
But he kept a thorough distance from them.
Not just them—the Sage distanced himself from every beauty he'd been involved with.
He only got personally close to those in power, never more.
He focused solely on helping and saving people, making him impossible to pin down.
Like a saint from myth.
"Have you ever asked him?"
"Yes. He just said not to get in his way."
"Get in his way..."
The queen crossed her arms, hiding her bitterness.
What did the Sage truly want?
This man who appeared out of nowhere and wielded such influence.
What was his ultimate goal?
"We'll have the Intelligence Department investigate the Sage. It won't be easy, but..."
The queen's worries only grew.
***
"Uoooooh!! I'll kill you! Kill! Kill! Darkness has fallen uwaaaaaah!!"
My ears are gonna burst.
Listening to Lark's scream-like performance and song, I slammed Moonlight down and shouted.
"One shot!"
"The 'one shot' you're referring to here is the priest skill Light Strike, which deals heavy damage to evil-scented enemies while also..."
Screeching song on the left.
Ear-grating explanation from the nun on the right.
And then...
"XX! You fucking XX!! Shitty XXXX!! In your mother's crotch...!"
Up front, a bald human warrior spewing provocation so filthy it couldn't even go in my ears.
This confirmed it.
This party was truly the worst party ever.
-Kuwaaaaaah!!
The four-man party—three trolls and one normal guy—was facing an ogre, a giant monster.
We'd heard rumors of a monster attacking people near a small village.
The reward was too low for regular adventurers, so it fell to us jobless ones.
The trolls who struggled to form parties.
I just took it because I had nothing else.
"Reverse Gravity!!"
The ogre, properly taunted and eyes rolled back, charged at the bald human warrior.
While the massive ogre and the similarly built warrior traded punches, I activated my prepared spell.
"Wh-what the fuck?! What is this shit?! Let go! Hey, you bastard! Hey! Cheap magic XXXXXXXX!!"
Good thing I didn't bring Lucille. Never party with this rag-in-mouth warrior later.
He's skilled, but that mouth... ugh.
Can't just kill him with it either.
"Grab it!"
I turned Moonlight into a whip, pulled the warrior out, and as he escaped the area, I reached toward the floating ogre.
The spell released, and the ogre plummeted from the sky.
-Kwanggjijijik!
Who said falling without wings hurts? The ogre thrashed in midair, smashing headfirst and shattering all over. Even a tough monster couldn't recover from that.
"Ugh..."
The bald warrior glimpsed the ogre bits, felt queasy, and dry-heaved.
Dude looks like he could eat ogre flesh raw, but so delicate.
"This the last ogre?"
"Yeah. As far as we know. Uh... Warrior."
"Ugh... Hey, Sage. Ease up on that magic. I'm a delicate man like glass."
"Oh, really?"
"And sorry for the cursing. When I use taunt, the swears just come out..."
Fair enough. I get it.
Anyway, business done. Time to head back.
While Lark chopped off the half-smashed ogre head, I checked the map.
All ogre traces from scouting and investigation accounted for. Good to go.
"Let's stop by the village on the way."
I led the trolls to the village that posted the request. It was a tiny slash-and-burn hamlet.
The elderly village chief sighed in relief at our return.
"Oh... Adventurers... Thank you for your hard work."
"I wanna wash up, so prepare some bathwater."
As the self-proclaimed delicate, clean freak bald warrior spoke, Lark grabbed his lute and headed off. To perform in the village square, even here. The nun left for evangelism, and the chief sweated.
"Uh... Your companions are quite free-spirited."
"Yeah, something like that."
"Th-the reward we promised... here it is. But really, is this enough...?"
The chief eyed me nervously. His pouch had just ten coppers and one silver.
Ridiculously low for slaying a powerful ogre, but whatever.
What mattered was clearing the quest.
These guys just did it for fun anyway.
"It's fine. Matches what we agreed on."
"S-still. Oh, we're planning a little festival tonight for visitors... If you'd join us..."
"A festival?"
Should I cook? Feeding the villagers could rack up a good count.
Then.
Hoofbeats echoed from afar, and the chief tensed. Thought they were bandits.
But bandits don't charge openly like that. I shook my head and watched the dust.
There...
"Master!!"
"Sage!!"
Lucille and Veronica.
Totally unexpected.
"Why are you guys...?"
"That's my line! Why are you here?"
"Master! We finished up at the elves' forest and returned, but you weren't at the palace..."
Already done? Faster than expected. I looked at Lucille in admiration, and she beamed, snapping her fingers.
"Oh, right, Master. You have to keep your promise with me?"
Right.
I nodded, and Veronica lightly grabbed my arm.
"What about our promise?"
"......"
"......"
They glared at each other, then turned to me.
"...I don't know where you're going, but we're coming."
"...Might as well."
Author's Note
Hello! It's Malmulmalmul! Happy Friday! Hope everyone enjoys their wild Friday night! Have a good night~!!