Kansutoppu!

A Mission in the name of a Commission?

Avangard Castle King’s Chamber

It was a spacious place with a long red carpet that extended all the way to the throne on which the king sat. The ceiling was as high as the second floor of a normal building. I, Roel, Balm and Gilbert were summoned to such a spacious place.

I understand that much, but I wondered why Kirkton was there as well.

The king had a stern look on his face and did not change his expression at all. Belmund, the prime minister, stood next to him, looking at us with lizard-like eyes.

After passing the exam, I immediately went to the guild to see if there were any requests for A Rank. But since there were no dungeons beyond Mist Village in this area, most of the requests were of a level that could be described as B Rank.

There were dungeons other than Mist Village, but there was no point in going all the way to those dungeons. There are some A Rank people who go to Mist Village to get materials that could be sold at a high price, but so far I have no money problems and have almost 200,000 gold left over. However, I was worried that I might not be able to keep track of my money. Thanks to that, I was not allowed to waste any of my allowance, so no matter how much I cried or what I did, I was never given any extra money. This was the one thing I really regret.

I wonder how much we would be paid for this request. It was a request from the king, after all, so it should be quite a lot.

“I have an immediate request for you who have just been promoted to A Rank. No need to be so firm. After the test, I’d like to test you personally. The request I’m going to ask you for now is about what a D Rank adventurer would call picking medicinal herbs.”

The king’s expression was hard for a man who said he didn’t need to be hard. He was much older than the king of Wizard Kingdom, but he might be the type of person who doesn’t smile even a twitch.

“First of all, Balm and Gilbert, you know the Kingdom of Normitz, right?”

“Yes, it is a renowned agricultural country, the highest importer of fruits and vegetables in the Kingdom of Avangard, the most famous of which are often cited as hydra fruit, pohpoh fruit, and emerald lettuce. But in fact, many of those momol fruit also come from Normitz. It is also grown domestically, but in the Kingdom of Normitz it has its own unique flavor.”

“Umm, mmm. Enough, Gilbert, the Kingdom of Normitz has long been a friend of our country and an essential part of its development.”

“Yes, the Kingdom of Normitz has a well-developed agricultural industry, but it is very weak in terms of military strength. The Kingdom of Avangard, which devoted itself to the training of adventurers, is the best place to go.”

“Okay, okay. Anyway, I want you to listen to me. So, imports from the Normitz Kingdom suddenly stopped. We sent a messenger about two months ago, but he still hasn’t come back, and it’s not that far to the Normitz Kingdom, and there are no dangerous areas like the Kizel Valley along the way. I considered the possibility that he might have been killed by demons, but even our soldiers, although they vary widely, are on average of B rank in terms of adventurer rank. Therefore, it is difficult to believe that they were killed by demons in that area.”

“That’s puzzling…did you not use the Giga Horse’s carriage?”

“No, unfortunately, they all went out for other reasons.”

“Hmm…”

“I want you to go to the Kingdom of Normitz. If anything goes wrong, return immediately and report back to me. The important thing here is that you do not go in too deep. If anything should happen, it would be beyond your control. Understood?”

“Yes, I understand. Right away.”

“All funds will be provided from here; you can get them from Belmund. In addition, we have 80,000 gold as a reward. Be encouraged.”

So, A Rank does receive support from the government. This was a big difference from the B Rank because they provide everything you need, like in this case.

Roel says that the expenses was much lower and the rewards amount was just off the charts, so she was considering giving me an allowance increase from now on.

“Well, Ryua and Roel, I’m glad to see you’ve made it up to A Rank, as expected. Now, I have something I’d like you to do.”

The king suddenly smiled, a far cry from the stern expression on his face as he turned to Gilbert and Balm. The switch was instantaneous, as if he had switched masks. Come to think of it, he seemed to want to say something to me the last time I saw him.

“You know about Triferia, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“I managed to get things back on track the other day. But the threat is not completely over. We are still having a hard time getting back into the line of fire.”

Naturally, Roel looks quite nervous and chosen her words because the other party was a king. Even now, she was giving only minimal reception.

That was good to know, a person as good as Triferia-san would not die so easily. But what could Juo’s blood be that made Triferia-san suffer that much?

“The identity of what was poisoning Triferia’s body is less clear. If it was some sort of epidemic disease, it would be too late to fight the demon king’s army. Furthermore, if it was brought by the Demon Lord’s army, we need to take immediate countermeasures. Therefore, I ask you to go to Mt. Daigami in Azuma.”

“Azuma…. An island nation in the western ocean.”

“Yes, there are many mountains around Mt. Daigami, and even the local inhabitants rarely go near the mountain. However, there is a kind of thousand year old grass that grows only on the top of that mountain. I want you to go and pick it.”

“What’s Clematis?”

“So, Ryua-chan, honorifics…”

“It was the name of a herb that is said to prolong one’s life for 1,000 years if taken as a potion. It seems that we would need that kind of herb to ward off a serious illness.”

“‘Is there really such a thing?”

====

“That thing that’s rumored to have extinguished the spread of the Ash Death?”

Suddenly, Balm opened his mouth; what is hycivyo?

“Ash-death disease. The skin gradually turns gray from one part of the body to another, and with it the body stops functioning. The hands and feet also stop moving, and the disease is of unknown cause, as if the person is rotting away while still alive. It spread in some areas of Azuma and took many lives.”

Belmund spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. There was no emotion in his voice, even though he was supposed to be talking about something horrible.

“Azuma is essentially the most long-lived country in the world. Azuma is by nature the country with the longest life expectancy in the world, and its knowledge of medicinal herbs and processing technology is in a league of its own. However, as Balm said, the millennium herb is only a rumor. However, I am convinced of its existence. For some reason, Azuma persistently denies this fact. It’s a bit of a trick question.”

“Millennium grass grows on top of Mt. Daigami. This is barely available information about the millennium grass.”

Listening to King and Belmund, they are trying to get us to pick something they don’t even know is there. That makes me nervous. If not, it would be a complete waste of time.

Besides, we would have to cross the sea like the Wizard Kingdom, and that would take days.

“…That’s all. I’ll give you both some money for the trip, Azuma is an island nation far west of here. It will be a long journey, and I wish you good luck.”

“Your Majesty, I humbly beg to differ. This request…”

We’ve already had that conversation, Captain Kirkton.”

But that Daigami mountain…!

“Stand back. No more questions and answers are needed.

Belmund interrupts Kirkton to glare at him. With an expression so full of frustration that it could have been a tongue-lashing, Kirkton said nothing more.

“The reward for success is 250,000 gold. I expect good news.”

The amount of the reward that was offered so casually was truly off the charts. Even now, there is 200,000 gold, but if we succeed, it will be 450,000 gold. I wonder how much my allowance would go up if I succeeded.

In the corridor of the Avangard castle

After receiving an unbelievable amount of gold coins, we decided to go to Azuma, which was going to be a really long trip as we would have to go through ports on different continents from the port of Avangard. I wondered if we could get there faster by swimming, but that would mean leaving Roel behind.

Still, I wonder if this is really a request. Listening to what he just said, I felt like I was a soldier being ordered by the king. If it’s a request, then we should be able to say we don’t want to do it. But we won’t do that.

Because only a few adventurers are allowed to enter the village of Ikana. If that’s the case, we need to do more requests to be accepted.

And I haven’t forgotten about the one-winged devil. If we go to other continents, maybe someone will know him. So, it wouldn’t be a waste of time to go to different places.

“Ha~, I’m so nervous in front of the king.”

“Yeah? I feel sleepy when I’m in his presence.”

“You really don’t want to go to sleep…”

“By the way, Kirkton-san, what was the last thing you were going to say?”

“Hey! You guys got a minute?”

It was Kirkton who followed. I wonder if it was earlier.

“Kirkton-san, what’s the matter with you in such a hurry?”

“His Majesty didn’t say anything, but the truth is that many people have gone to Azuma with the same request. In fact, several people have gone to Azuma with the same request and none of them have come back. I don’t mean to scare you, but please be careful.”

“Da, is Mt. Daigami such a dangerous place?”

“…That country is renowned as God’s country. Although it is a small island nation, it has repelled several invasions by other nations. According to the people of that country, this is because it is protected by God. It is a country with a very strong belief in God. I have visited there only once before, but it is rather exclusive to strangers. You should never insult Daigami, which they believe in, especially if you are a stranger. It is said that adventurers who did not return were erased by them, and there are no good rumors that they have incurred the wrath of the gods by going to Mount Daigami.”

“Daigami?”

“The name of the god they worship. You know what? Even if you are a stranger and know nothing about it, never call him Daigami-sama. On the contrary, that alone should make you a little more welcome as a studious tourist.”

I was unexpectedly overwhelmed by Kirkton, who was so enthusiastic in his ramblings. I don’t know how to respond to the “God’s country,” “Daigami-sama” thing, because I can’t imagine it for a second. In the first place, I wonder if there really is a God. If there is, why was my village destroyed? If it is God’s country, would God have protected it?

“It is even said that Mt. Daigami is the mountain where Daigami-sama lives. Perhaps it may not be accessible by a straight line. Such a reckless mission, I was against it until the very end…”

I was a little disappointed with Kirkton for rephrasing it as a mission instead of a request. Maybe he didn’t mean to offend, and maybe he’s certainly not wrong.

“Oops, I guess I held you back. I think I know what you guys are capable of, but this is an alien place, after all. You’d better be careful.”

“No, thank you for going to the trouble.”

Kirkton bowed his head and left with his cloak fluttering behind him, and as I watched him go, I imagined what kind of place Azuma would be like. All I had to do was go to the mountains, pick some grass, and pack it in the special box I had been given. That’s it.

“Let’s see, first we’ll go from the port of Avangard to the port on the Ballard continent via…”

Maybe I can’t be asked to go somewhere I don’t know by myself. There are so many ways to get from one port to another, and at that point, my mind would be occupied. I left that to Roel.

Okay, our goal is Azuma. Wait for me, Sennenso and Daigami, or rather, Daigami-sama. Oh, God doesn’t have to wait for me.