Chapter 99

"Wow, it's bustling again today, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's amazing, Mako."

"In fact, it feels like the number of customers is increasing..."

The incident involving the demon lurking in the tourist city of Vayzel.

It had been a few days since its resolution.

Today, we were spending our time working in the Second Abatos Village, which has now become the face of this land.

While observing the flow of passing customers, I, Mau, Meala, and the others engaged in conversation.

The city was still in the process of reconstruction, with the removal of the collapsed walls and other tasks ongoing. It would take a bit more time before it could fully function as a tourist city.

So, it was natural that the influx of visitors was flowing into this area.

...No, at this point, it might not be an exaggeration to say that the hot spring resort we created is the current tourist city of Vayzel.

The bustling market stalls and the throngs of visitors.

It's like a scene from a certain dreamland in the real world.

"Hey! Can you eat that thing here in this cafeteria?"

A passerby was talking in front of the restaurant.

"It's a rare dish made with fresh, live fish, right?"

"Is it really safe to eat?"

From their conversation, it was clear that the most popular item in the village now was the new menu item created by Reire's efforts.

—A few days ago.

"Mako! I finally succeeded in making sashimi!"

It was a bit after the incident was resolved.

Reire came to me and said that.

"Really!?"

"I got some help from them."

Reire pointed to the priests.

After escorting Asmodeus to the headquarters of the Holy Church in the capital, they had returned to this village at Reire's request.

What kind of request was it? I wondered, but it turned out they were involved in the preparation of the sashimi.

"But, what did you get them to do?"

"Hehe, using my magic to freeze the fish, I was able to make it safe to eat raw... We did taste tests as we went along. If I got sick, they would heal me with 'Cure' each time."

"Wow... That's an unimaginable process."

As expected, Reire.

Her dedication to business is incredible.

"Anyway, thanks to the experiments, we successfully created safe sashimi! Mako, let's come up with a dish using this fish right away!"

"Sure, thanks, Reire. Hmm..."

Reire, I, and the chef Bushi joined forces to develop a new menu item.

And what we created was a 'Seafood Bowl' using a variety of local seafood.

"Wow!"

The time is now.

When the Seafood Bowl was served to the customers at the restaurant, exclamations of amazement rose.

A colorful array of sashimi, made from various types of fish, was placed on top of the rice sourced through a special route from the merchant AmuAmu.

Added to that were squid, octopus, sea urchin, crab, and salmon roe.

It looked like a work of art.

I remember Delphi grinding his teeth when he saw the first one.

I almost said, "It's like a treasure box."

"Amazing!"

"Super luxurious!"

With such excellent results, it quickly became a popular item.

One day, while we were spending our time busily.

"By the way, Mako."

Iksa suddenly spoke.

"When do you plan to return to Abatos Village?"

"...Oh."

Right, I had completely forgotten.

We originally came to this place for a vacation.

"Well, you can use my property or villa if you want. But, you can't stay here forever, right?"

"Yeah, you're right."

Most of the people from Abatos Village were here in this village.

If we focused too much on this place, the original Abatos Village would be left in ruins.

The future should be fine with just the members of 'Berserk.'

The former slaves have been freed, and with the resolution of the conflict with the city, they should be able to manage even better than before.

So, we decided to start preparing to leave.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

And so, the day of departure arrived.

The day when we, the residents of Abatos Village, bid farewell to Second Abatos Village and returned to our hometown.

"You've really taken care of us."

We received words of gratitude from the members of 'Berserk.'

"You gave us a place and a new culture when we were just waiting to die here."

"On top of that, you even rescued our captured comrades... You truly deserve to be called a messenger of the gods."

"Well, that's still just a hypothesis..."

The issue with the Holy Church and the 'Holy Maiden'... It seems we'll be involved in that in the future.

After saying goodbye to the members of 'Berserk,' I went to see the siblings of 'Lavinia'—Lunato and Mu.

"...Thank you so much for everything."

The two bowed deeply, and I waved my hands, saying, "Not at all."

"What are you planning to do from now on, Lunato?"

"...We plan to help with the reconstruction of this city for a while and continue taking on requests from the Adventurer's Guild."

Despite being serious and not very talkative, Lunato spoke steadily.

"...Thank you so much. As fellow adventurers, I'm sure we'll meet again."

"Yes, I look forward to it."

"Koya!"

"Ponpoko!"

"Kyuu, kyuu!"

"Pu!"

The little ones, Chibi and Pokota, were hugging each other and crying, reluctant to part.

We all climbed onto the cart pulled by Entia and the others.

"Thank you so much!"

"Come back again! We'll welcome you with a feast!"

"We'll work hard to keep the things you gave us alive!"

"Uga! See you again!"

Waving goodbye to the members of 'Berserk' and Mu, we set off for Abatos Village.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

Riding in the cart, I thought about many things.

The sudden arrival in a different world after returning from work.

I had become so accustomed to the intense life in this world.

Not only that, but the influence of Abatos Village was starting to show in various places.

In the market city, at the Weeble family's fruit shop.

In the capital, at the direct store.

And finally, a sister village was created.

I couldn't even imagine what kind of changes would come in the future...

...But, anyway.

"It's been a while since we've been to Abatos Village!"

"Indeed!"

As soon as we arrived at our hometown, Abatos Village, Mau, Meala, and Fressa jumped out of the cart with enthusiasm.

"Hey, you're finally back!"

The Beowulfs who stayed in the village welcomed us.

It seemed they had been working hard while we were away, and the village looked unchanged.

"We're back! Thank you for everything while we were away. We brought a lot of souvenirs too."

"Wow! I'm looking forward to it!"

"Mako, by the way, the new product you came up with, the potato chips. They were apparently a big hit in the capital."

"Really! That's great."

"Yeah, that's what he said."

What? Who?

The Beowulf who reported this pointed in a random direction.

There stood—

"It's been a while, Mako-sama."

"Beltona-san?"

It was Beltona, the receptionist at the Adventurer's Guild in the capital.

"Why are you here?"

"We were notified by the Adventurer's Guild in the tourist city of Vayzel about your return to Abatos Village. Additionally, I heard about the recent events from Moguro-sama. I wanted to greet you in person, so I waited here."

Thank you for your hard work this time—Beltona bowed her head.

"Thanks to your efforts, the missing S-rank adventurer, Lunato-sama, was successfully rescued. We, the members of the Adventurer's Guild, are deeply grateful."

"Oh, you're too kind."

"Additionally, I came today to report on the aftermath of the incident."

Beltona said, her glasses gleaming.

"The demon and the criminal Walca, who were captured by the Holy Church, are currently in custody and are scheduled for interrogation when the time comes. It seems that the incident is being taken seriously by the knight orders, the Holy Church, and other national defense agencies."

It seems that the movements of the demons are finally being recognized as a serious threat.

"Furthermore, the Adventurer's Guild is also taking it seriously. The activities of the demons will likely have a significant impact on our future missions and jobs. Therefore, the Adventurer's Guild plans to gather S-rank adventurers soon to discuss the future developments."

"S-rank adventurers?"

"Yes. Currently, among the adventurers in this country, the S-rank adventurers, who are at the top in terms of strength, will be the main participants in the discussion. The time and place are yet to be determined, but it is likely to be in the capital."

Beltona continued.

"At that time, I would like to request the participation of Mako-sama and Garai-sama."

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

"Demons... huh."

—The location is the capital.

In the center of the city, in the towering castle, the senior officials of the various agencies of the Grouga Kingdom were gathered.

"Demons... While we have often witnessed their appearances and the damage they cause, they have never intervened so deeply in our world. Is it that they are now seriously considering taking over human society?"

This was said by the top of the organization that guards the kingdom—the Chief of the Kingdom Knights.

"...No, perhaps... They have been hiding in our society for a long time, and we just didn't realize it."

Another person sitting in a different seat was the Chancellor of the Magic Academy in the capital, who also spoke, placing his hand on his forehead.

"What is the Holy Church's view on this?"

"Currently, our headquarters is where the 'Holy Mother' is facing the demon Asmodeus. She will likely extract useful information."

The bishop representing the Holy Church responded to the Chief of the Kingdom Knights.

"Hmph... Wasn't the role of the Holy Church to prevent demons from doing as they please? If demons have been hiding in human society all this time, does that mean you have been letting them run wild?"

"Demons that hide among humans are among the highest-ranking of demons. They are extremely rare. Incidents like this one are rare."

The Chief of the Kingdom Knights clicked his tongue at the bishop's words.

"Regardless, this situation must be taken more seriously than we imagined. If we underestimate it, we will lose our country. The Knights, the Holy Church... all agencies must devise countermeasures against the demons."

"I hear that the Adventurer's Guild is already taking action."

The Chancellor of the Magic Academy murmured.

"They are gathering S-rank adventurers to solidify their future strategy."

"S-rank adventurers... I believe there are 11 of them now, right?"

The Chief of the Kingdom Knights counted on his fingers.

"If the lineup hasn't changed... 'Dawn Witch,' 'Phoenix,' 'Latch,' 'Thunder Cage,' 'Gluttony,' 'Sword Grave,' 'Bagua Crystal,' 'Holy Mother,' 'Sky Fairy,' 'Black Iron Magician,' and 'Oni God,' right?"

"A death row inmate, a royal from the Five Nations, a former Knight Chief, a prodigy of the Sukuna clan... From beastmen to saints, and even a former member of the legendary secret service. It's quite a diverse group."

"I hear that it's the largest and strongest group ever assembled."

"There's no doubt about it. The Holy Church's greatest genius, 'Holy Mother' Solmaria Holygrace..."

The bishop looked towards the throne.

"And the second prince, known for his mastery of magic, Prince Raidelark Diabolos Grouga, is also present."

The face of the person sitting on the throne was hidden in shadow.

The bishop spoke to the person.

"The top candidate to succeed the Grouga King..."

"...Honda Mako."

The person on the throne murmured.

"...Honda Mako?"

"I believe it's the name of the S-rank adventurer, 'Black Iron Magician,' right?"

"Yes, that's the name."

The Chancellor of the Magic Academy added.

"The recent exposure of the demons' activities... It's said that a certain adventurer is involved. It's said that this person has solved the disturbances caused by the demons each time. Apparently, they were given the nickname because of their unique magic."

"Is that adventurer Honda Mako?"

"Honda Mako... In our Holy Church, it is being deliberated whether this person is the 'Holy Maiden' who was born into this world."

Hearing Mako's name, the senior officials of the various agencies began to murmur.

Among them, the person sitting on the throne—

None other than the King of Grouga—

A small smile appeared on his lips.