Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
It took us five hours to get back to the campsite, and we arrived there a little over 17:00 hours. It’s begun to get dark already, so we decided to procure some wild game for dinner first. Everyone’s spirits seemed bright, and peals of laughter rang out from different parts of the campsite from time to time.
The captured bandits were all dumped 50 meters away from the campsite on Captain Dalshim’s orders. They were all chained up securely and had five knights keeping an eye on them. All the bandits were injured to varying degrees, and they slumped down on the ground in dejection. It was probably because they no longer had any hopes of making an escape.
Cleria was surrounded by everyone else and looked like she was having a great time. The knights were eating happily while talking to her. They were probably talking about today’s events. I and the rest of the Shining Star party were gathered a short distance away from them to give them all some space.
“Oh, yeah. Hey, Elna. Why do some of the knights call Cleria ‘Your Royal Highness’ while some simply call her ‘Princess’?”
“Oh, that. Well, it’s the members of the Royal Guard who use the appellation ‘Your Highness’, while the members of the earl’s former forces call Cleria-sama ‘Princess’ instead.”
“What’s the reason for that though?”
“The men from the earl’s forces consider Cleria-sama as the rightful successor of the Ludvic House first and foremost.
For them, who have pledged their loyalty to the Ludvic House, the status of Cleria-sama as its heir is given more priority than her status as a member of the royal family.
However, it is undeniable that Cleria-sama is also the royal princess of the Starveek Kingdom. This would normally not be tolerated, but since Cleria-sama allowed it, they have continued to address her as ‘Princess’ till now.”
“…It’s quite complicated huh.”
“Cleria-sama swore to restore the Ludvic House to its former glory after all. One day, she will surely revive the Ludvic House as a branch of the royal family.
That’s why, in a sense, she truly is a princess of the Ludvic House.
Hasn’t Cleria-sama discussed branch families with you, Alan?”
“No, I don’t believe she did.”
“I see… She will probably discuss it with you one of these days.”
Well, Elna’s already given me a gist, so it’s not like I need to hear the details again anyway.
We then turned in for the night early and after deciding to leave first thing in the morning.
The next morning, we departed from the campsite as soon as daybreak came. We had a total of about 140 people traveling the road, including us Shining Star members and the captured bandits. We probably looked pretty strange to other travelers. It would probably be for the best if we sent some runners ahead whenever we encountered another group of travelers to explain about us.
In the afternoon, we did encounter a group of twenty people. They seemed like traveling merchants. However, there was no commotion raised due to the runners we sent out. That didn’t stop them from giving us puzzled gazes though…
As we neared Gantz, we encountered more and more groups, but since we were near a city already, at least they wouldn’t suspect us as bandits at first sighting. We had no trouble the rest of the way.
And at two o’clock in the afternoon, we finally reached Gantz.
“Hey, stop right there! Huh, aren’t you guys from Shining Star? What is up with those people chained up at the back?”
“These are the bandits we captured. There’s thirty-five of them. We caught them for a request made by the Commerce Guild.”
“The Commerce Guild… Wait, don’t tell me you guys managed to catch all thirty-five of them by yourselves?”
“No, not really. We had the help of the adventurers behind us. They are the members of the new Clan we’re founding.”
“You mean all the adventurers lined up over there will be your members!? I thought they seemed pretty organized, but… How many are they in total?”
“There are a hundred people all in all. We’d like to hand over the bandits first though…”
“W-Wait a moment! I’ll call some more men here. Just wait there for a bit.”
Of the two gate guards, one ran back to their station to report and fetch more guards. After a short while, he returned with ten more guards in tow.
“Hou, this is…… So you’re the rumored Shining Star?”
Someone who looked like the guard captain called out to us.
“That’s right. I’m the leader of Shining Star, Alan. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
“So I was told you managed to capture thirty-five bandits and brought a hundred members for your new Clan back with you as well. Is this true?”
“That’s right, sir.”
“I see. My name is Guido. I’m basically the leader of this lot here. Best regards.”
“Thank you. We’re looking forward to working with you all as well.”
“We’ll need to borrow the chain cuffs you used to secure these bandits for now. We’ll return them to the inn you’re staying at after we bring these guys to the holding cells.”
“Understood. Well then, can you please deliver them back to the Home previously used by the Great Storm Clan?”
“Hou, so you managed to get that place for yourselves huh… Understood. Oi! Take them away!”
The guards took the bandits off our hands.
“Captain! Please take a look at this guy’s face!”
A guard suddenly called out to the captain. I also tagged along to see what the fuss was about.
“Hou, that sure is a familiar mug. Oi! Somebody get me the bounty poster!”
A guard ran back to the station and brought the bounty poster with him when he returned. Captain Guido took the poster from the guard and brought it near the face of one of the bandits.
“You’re the Black Wolf Kuntz, aren’t you?”
The bandit looked down on the ground and kept silent.
“Fine. We’ll pry your mouth open eventually. Take them away, boys!”
The guards finally led the thirty-five captured bandits away.
“So you’re called Alan, right? I have good news for you. That was a high-ranked bounty target you got. The rest of them are probably Black Wolf members as well. You caught quite a big fish.”
“I see. So they were a pretty infamous bandit group huh. So, how much are we getting?”
“Guys like him have plenty of people after his head. I’d have to check the current bounty amount, so I can’t say for sure right here.”
I see. So it’s that kind of system huh. Man, bandit hunting really is profitable. Come to think of it, we made quite a lot of money out of the first group of bandits we captured a while back as well.
“You managed to nab quite a lot of them too, so we need about five days or so to settle everything and calculate the final amount.”
“I understand. I’ll pay you a visit after five days then.”
“Please do.”
Since it would take quite some time for the guards to check everyone out, I entered the city first to finish some of our business.
“I’ll go ahead to the Commerce Guild first. I’ll leave everyone to you, guys.”
I left the task of leading our new members back to our Home to the girls and headed straight for the Commerce Guild.
In order to complete the request, we first need to hand over the captured bandits to the city garrison and then report to the Commerce Guild. The Guild will then confirm with the garrison, and if everything checks out, the reward will be paid.
I arrived at the Commerce Guild building and headed for the counter the staff told me to go to.
“What is your business with us for today?”
“I’m here to report a request taken by Shining Star.”
“Alan-sama, correct? Perfect timing. Karina-sama is also here at the moment. Please wait while I get her.”
The staff disappeared to the back office and Karina came out to greet me a few moments after.
“Good afternoon, Alan-sama.”
“Sorry for bothering you, Karina-san. I actually came here to report since we managed to complete the designated request.”
“Is that right!? I was actually a bit worried since you took up such a difficult request, Alan-sama.”
“Thank you for your concern. Fortunately, we managed to fulfill the request without suffering any injuries. We just handed the bandits over to the city guards earlier.”
“Understood. We will confirm it with the guard station later. How many did you manage to capture, by the way?”
“Thirty-five bandits.”
“……Thirty-five, is it? It should have been quite hard on you all.”
“No, it wasn’t, actually. It was fortunate that we managed to meet up with the new members of the Clan who were coming over along the road. We managed to safely accomplish the request through their help.”
“Ah! The ones you told us were coming over to Gantz. That really was fortunate. So, I take it that you managed to meet all fifty-eight of them?”
“No. There were actually a lot more of them than we first expected. A hundred, to be exact.”
“……A hundred, is it. …Yes, it’s a lot more than what you told us.”
“It’s great that we managed to secure a Home with enough space to accommodate them all. Oh, right! We also managed to secure a lot of loot from the bandit lair. I was thinking of selling them off, so could you please introduce me to a reliable channel, Karina-san? Would that be possible?”
“If it’s alright with you, our Commerce Guild can purchase them ourselves. They would be bought at the market price though.”
“Oh, then please go ahead. The market price is fine as well.”
“Alright. I will bring an assessor over to sort them all out. Would it be fine if we come over at ten tomorrow morning?”
“Sure, go ahead. There is two carriages worth of loot by the way.”
“Understood. We’ll see you tomorrow then.”
After finishing my business at the Commerce Guild, I headed back to the Home. I found everyone in the middle of handing off their horses to the groom and stable boys. It looks like they haven’t entered the building yet.
“Alan-sama! You’ve managed to get us a truly splendid base. I am thoroughly impressed.”
“It seems buildings of this size are a rarity even in Gantz.”
“That’s right. I was surprised that the rent for this place is only 70,000 Guineas per month.”
“Oh, by the way, Captain Dalshim. Can you handle the distribution of the rooms for the rest of the members?”
“But of course. Since Her Highness is staying on the top floor, we will assign the rooms with her security in mind. What shall we do with the spoils we obtained from the bandits?”
“People from the Commerce Guild will come tomorrow to take a look at them. Please store them inside a room on the first floor and lock it securely. As for the gold, jewels, and other valuables, please move them to the Clan office on the fourth floor.”
“Understood.”
The Clan office had a secure lock, and with this number of highly trained personnel, stealing the gold and jewels from there would probably prove quite difficult for any thief.
I saw the head of the employees, Sally-san, when we entered the building and called out to her.
“Sally-san. I’m sorry for returning with this number of people all of a sudden. Can I trust you to prepare dinner for us all? Simple dishes are fine. Just make sure everyone would be able to eat their fill.”
“But of course, Alan-sama. I have already asked some of the staff to buy ingredients. We will be able to serve dinner on schedule.”
“I’ll leave it to you then. Oh, and please bring out the wine barrels I bought the other day for dinner as well.”
Now then, how about having a nice, hot bath.
The dinner was held in a buffet style. It’s the most appropriate for this number of people. Everyone seemed to be having fun while choosing the dishes they preferred.
I and the rest of the party were sitting together while having dinner. Captain Dalshim and Sir Walter were sitting near us as well.
“Captain Dalshim, can you do a brief introduction of all the men you brought with you to me after the meal? I would like to start remembering their names as early as now.”
“Understood.”
I’ll be able to record all of their names on my personal database with Nanom’s help anyway.
After everyone ate their fill, we had the staff clear out the tables. And when they finished, I had the staff all go out so only the knights and us Shining Star members remained. I also used my magic sensor to double-check if there were still people around who could eavesdrop on our discussion just to be safe.
With Captain Dalshim’s lead, each of the knights introduced themselves to me and stated their affiliation. The Royal Guard members were almost all from reputed noble families, and the earl’s troops were composed primarily of people who were knighted but had commoner origins. There should be a number of noble-born knights in the earl’s forces as well, but they should have been chosen based on their ability and not their pedigree.
Of course, I, Sharon, Selena, and Elna also introduced ourselves again.
Lastly, Cleria stood up and addressed the knights.
“I am honestly glad that you still call me ‘Your Highness’ and ‘Princess’ even now, everyone. However, I am no longer a royal princess, but just a simple adventurer, Ria. So I would like you all to address me as ‘Ria’ from now on.”
“”Yes!””
“Captain Dalshim, please gather the main leaders of your group and come to the Clan office. I want to conduct a meeting with just us later.”
“Understood.”
My party members, Captain Dalshim, Sir Walter, and the six people they selected, all gathered in the Clan office on the fourth floor.
“Tomorrow afternoon, I plan on going to the Adventurer’s Guild to officially register our Clan. I’ve looked into the registration process and it seems that the Clan leader and all the party leaders who wish to join him or her should apply together. This is probably to prevent people from registering other parties into a Clan without their consent. That’s why I’d like for ten people to accompany me in registering tomorrow.”
“Understood. In other words, you would like to form ten squads with the ten people serving as leaders, correct?”
“That’s right. I want each squad to be roughly equal in strength if possible. Oh, and we’ll have to decide on the party names of each squad as well.”
“Oh, actually, we already have an idea for that. What do you think about the name Satellite, Alan-sama?”
Captain Dalshim declared the name they came up with while grinning good-naturedly. Satellite huh? So they will be the satellites orbiting the shining star, I guess. I see. It does seem fitting.
“It’s a nice party name. But there are ten squads though?”
“Then let’s just name them Satellite Squad 1, Squad 2, and so on. What do you think?”
“I’ll leave it to you then. Next, we’ll talk about our next plans. First, I’d like to continue with the bandit subjugation. I would like to change the number of teams deployed depending on the number of bandits we need to capture. For example, if we’re up against 15 bandits, I’d like to send out 30 people, or in other words, three squads, after them. For 20 bandits, we’ll send out 40 people, or four squads, and so on.”
There’s strength in numbers. The overall strength of our Clan consists of the skill of the individual members as well as our great number. We’ll have to take advantage of those as much as possible. And if you went up against enemies with twice their number, the danger posed against the members would be lessened to a great degree.
“However, we’ll need a method to reliably scout out the rough number of bandits we’re up against each time we sortie with that plan…… Wait! I see! So it was that kind of plan. How splendid!”
I moved my gaze to everyone else in the room, and they all nodded in acknowledgment.
“Yosh. It looks like we’re all in agreement then. Alright then. I’ll leave the organization of the ten parties to Captain Dalshim and Sir Walter since the two of you have a better grasp of everyone’s abilities.”
“Understood. If it’s alright with you, we’d like to gather everyone in the dining room again after this.”
“Sure. I’d actually like to participate as well, but I have something else that I have to do right now.”
“Understood. Please leave it to us.”
The rest of the party were interested in forming the squads as well, so they joined up with Captain Dalshim and the others.
The thing I needed to do tonight was to devise a learning plan for Sharon and Selena in order for them to successfully cast healing magic. They haven’t learned how to do it until now after all. It seems they just couldn’t constrict a satisfactory image in their minds.
I actually sent them the video compiled by Nanom that I watched that one time, but it looks like they couldn’t cast Heal by using that as a reference as well.
In my case, I used the video compiled by Nanom to gain some hints, and I created the image of cute light spirits fixing up the cells of the body as my base to cast Heal, and it was honestly kind of embarrassing.
However, I’ll need the girls to learn how to cast healing magic as soon as possible. This is no time to be feeling embarrassed.
(Nanom, please create a holo-video to help in image training for learning the Heal spell.)
『Acknowledged.』
(The main concept is light spirits healing a wound. First, let’s design the looks of the light spirits. Please display a sample image for me. …Uh, that’s not right. Not that kind of slim and sexy fairy. Make them a bit more rounded… No, you just made them fat. Ugh, fine. I’ll do it.)
There you go. Now, these are some cute and cuddly spirits. They sported transparent wings and wore a white one-piece toga.
(Okay. First, let’s create a scene of the spirits playing happily in the spirit world. Yosh, that’s nice. Next is a scene where healing magic gets activated. Everyone gets surprised at first, but got themselves together and speedily went for their medicine pots. The color of the pots should be brown. The magic medicine inside them should be golden yellow. Next, the spirits all hoisted their pots under one arm and flew away to respond to the mage’s call… Great. Please compile and edit all the scenes for me.)
Nice. Now, a short clip of light spirits having fun, and then rushing over to respond to a mage casting healing magic with their trusty medicine pots in hand was completed. It’s coming along quite nicely.
(Next, please use the video you compiled and zoom in to the damaged cells. Hey! The expressions of the spirits haven’t changed y’know. Make them have expressions that are burning with a sense of mission here. Ugh. Don’t let them fly haphazardly like that. Make them fly in formation. Uh, use Fleet Formation B as reference.)
The expressions of the spirits finally turned more proper. The spirits flew in Formation B toward the damaged cells. After a short moment, they finally arrived in front of the cells.
(Yosh. Okay then. Have two spirits put a cell back together and another three apply their magic medicine on the gaps. This is the most important scene, okay. As for their expressions, make them seem like they’re seriously hard at work. …Yes. Make them rub in more medicine there. It’s fine if they empty their pots. No holding back.)
Nice. Now, a scene of spirits putting a torn cell together and applying plenty of magic medicine to heal it was created. Yep, this is good.
(Make the number of spirits increase in accordance with the intensity of the light. Yes, just like the video you compiled… This should be fine. Let’s review it from the beginning. This time, let’s also add some BGM.)
After roughly 30 minutes, I finally managed to create an instructional video. Let’s check it out first. ……The last scene involves the spirit captain giving the audience a heroic salute after a job well done and leaving dashingly.
Man. To think I actually had talent in something like this. I didn’t think I would be able to produce a short film of such quality.
It’s the perfect reproduction of the image I use for the Heal spell. No, it’s actually even better. With this clip, I’m sure the two of them will be able to master Heal in no time.
(Include a caption saying ‘Heal Spell Practice Reference Video’ and send it to Selena and Sharon right away.)
『Done.』
After receiving a message from Alan, we snuck out of the meeting and went back to our own room.
“Hey, Selena, did you already watch the video?”
“Of course.”
“…Is he playing a prank on us?”
“……I don’t think so. This was surely made with serious intent. We couldn’t cast the spell even after all that practice, so I’m sure he made it for us after giving it a lot of thought. Anyway, I’ll try to practice using this image.”
“I’ll practice too.”
Even after thirty minutes of repeatedly watching the video, I and Selena still hadn’t managed to grasp the method to cast the Heal spell.
“Did Alan really use this image as a reference when he learned the Heal spell?”
“I’m sure he did! ……However, I can’t seem to concentrate because too much unrelated thoughts keep popping into my head while watching it.”
It looks like it was the same for Selena. This video really was……
(Nanom, will it be possible for me to be put into a light hypnotic state while I watch the video?)
『It’s possible.』
(Then, please do so.)
My consciousness became hazy. Now I’ll just have to play the video on repeat. Once the image solidified in my mind, I muttered the spell’s name almost by instinct.
“Heal.”
Ah, rays of light are flowing out from my palm. Yes! I did it!
“Selena! Look at this!”
“Sharon! Just how did you do it!? Please teach me!”
I taught her the method I used, and Selena managed to succeed as well.
“Let’s report our success to Alan right away, Selena!”
“Yes, let’s go!”
Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
It took us five hours to get back to the campsite, and we arrived there a little over 17:00 hours. It’s begun to get dark already, so we decided to procure some wild game for dinner first. Everyone’s spirits seemed bright, and peals of laughter rang out from different parts of the campsite from time to time.
The captured bandits were all dumped 50 meters away from the campsite on Captain Dalshim’s orders. They were all chained up securely and had five knights keeping an eye on them. All the bandits were injured to varying degrees, and they slumped down on the ground in dejection. It was probably because they no longer had any hopes of making an escape.
Cleria was surrounded by everyone else and looked like she was having a great time. The knights were eating happily while talking to her. They were probably talking about today’s events. I and the rest of the Shining Star party were gathered a short distance away from them to give them all some space.
“Oh, yeah. Hey, Elna. Why do some of the knights call Cleria ‘Your Royal Highness’ while some simply call her ‘Princess’?”
“Oh, that. Well, it’s the members of the Royal Guard who use the appellation ‘Your Highness’, while the members of the earl’s former forces call Cleria-sama ‘Princess’ instead.”
“What’s the reason for that though?”
“The men from the earl’s forces consider Cleria-sama as the rightful successor of the Ludvic House first and foremost.
For them, who have pledged their loyalty to the Ludvic House, the status of Cleria-sama as its heir is given more priority than her status as a member of the royal family.
However, it is undeniable that Cleria-sama is also the royal princess of the Starveek Kingdom. This would normally not be tolerated, but since Cleria-sama allowed it, they have continued to address her as ‘Princess’ till now.”
“…It’s quite complicated huh.”
“Cleria-sama swore to restore the Ludvic House to its former glory after all. One day, she will surely revive the Ludvic House as a branch of the royal family.
That’s why, in a sense, she truly is a princess of the Ludvic House.
Hasn’t Cleria-sama discussed branch families with you, Alan?”
“No, I don’t believe she did.”
“I see… She will probably discuss it with you one of these days.”
Well, Elna’s already given me a gist, so it’s not like I need to hear the details again anyway.
We then turned in for the night early and after deciding to leave first thing in the morning.
The next morning, we departed from the campsite as soon as daybreak came. We had a total of about 140 people traveling the road, including us Shining Star members and the captured bandits. We probably looked pretty strange to other travelers. It would probably be for the best if we sent some runners ahead whenever we encountered another group of travelers to explain about us.
In the afternoon, we did encounter a group of twenty people. They seemed like traveling merchants. However, there was no commotion raised due to the runners we sent out. That didn’t stop them from giving us puzzled gazes though…
As we neared Gantz, we encountered more and more groups, but since we were near a city already, at least they wouldn’t suspect us as bandits at first sighting. We had no trouble the rest of the way.
And at two o’clock in the afternoon, we finally reached Gantz.
“Hey, stop right there! Huh, aren’t you guys from Shining Star? What is up with those people chained up at the back?”
“These are the bandits we captured. There’s thirty-five of them. We caught them for a request made by the Commerce Guild.”
“The Commerce Guild… Wait, don’t tell me you guys managed to catch all thirty-five of them by yourselves?”
“No, not really. We had the help of the adventurers behind us. They are the members of the new Clan we’re founding.”
“You mean all the adventurers lined up over there will be your members!? I thought they seemed pretty organized, but… How many are they in total?”
“There are a hundred people all in all. We’d like to hand over the bandits first though…”
“W-Wait a moment! I’ll call some more men here. Just wait there for a bit.”
Of the two gate guards, one ran back to their station to report and fetch more guards. After a short while, he returned with ten more guards in tow.
“Hou, this is…… So you’re the rumored Shining Star?”
Someone who looked like the guard captain called out to us.
“That’s right. I’m the leader of Shining Star, Alan. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
“So I was told you managed to capture thirty-five bandits and brought a hundred members for your new Clan back with you as well. Is this true?”
“That’s right, sir.”
“I see. My name is Guido. I’m basically the leader of this lot here. Best regards.”
“Thank you. We’re looking forward to working with you all as well.”
“We’ll need to borrow the chain cuffs you used to secure these bandits for now. We’ll return them to the inn you’re staying at after we bring these guys to the holding cells.”
“Understood. Well then, can you please deliver them back to the Home previously used by the Great Storm Clan?”
“Hou, so you managed to get that place for yourselves huh… Understood. Oi! Take them away!”
The guards took the bandits off our hands.
“Captain! Please take a look at this guy’s face!”
A guard suddenly called out to the captain. I also tagged along to see what the fuss was about.
“Hou, that sure is a familiar mug. Oi! Somebody get me the bounty poster!”
A guard ran back to the station and brought the bounty poster with him when he returned. Captain Guido took the poster from the guard and brought it near the face of one of the bandits.
“You’re the Black Wolf Kuntz, aren’t you?”
The bandit looked down on the ground and kept silent.
“Fine. We’ll pry your mouth open eventually. Take them away, boys!”
The guards finally led the thirty-five captured bandits away.
“So you’re called Alan, right? I have good news for you. That was a high-ranked bounty target you got. The rest of them are probably Black Wolf members as well. You caught quite a big fish.”
“I see. So they were a pretty infamous bandit group huh. So, how much are we getting?”
“Guys like him have plenty of people after his head. I’d have to check the current bounty amount, so I can’t say for sure right here.”
I see. So it’s that kind of system huh. Man, bandit hunting really is profitable. Come to think of it, we made quite a lot of money out of the first group of bandits we captured a while back as well.
“You managed to nab quite a lot of them too, so we need about five days or so to settle everything and calculate the final amount.”
“I understand. I’ll pay you a visit after five days then.”
“Please do.”
Since it would take quite some time for the guards to check everyone out, I entered the city first to finish some of our business.
“I’ll go ahead to the Commerce Guild first. I’ll leave everyone to you, guys.”
I left the task of leading our new members back to our Home to the girls and headed straight for the Commerce Guild.
In order to complete the request, we first need to hand over the captured bandits to the city garrison and then report to the Commerce Guild. The Guild will then confirm with the garrison, and if everything checks out, the reward will be paid.
I arrived at the Commerce Guild building and headed for the counter the staff told me to go to.
“What is your business with us for today?”
“I’m here to report a request taken by Shining Star.”
“Alan-sama, correct? Perfect timing. Karina-sama is also here at the moment. Please wait while I get her.”
The staff disappeared to the back office and Karina came out to greet me a few moments after.
“Good afternoon, Alan-sama.”
“Sorry for bothering you, Karina-san. I actually came here to report since we managed to complete the designated request.”
“Is that right!? I was actually a bit worried since you took up such a difficult request, Alan-sama.”
“Thank you for your concern. Fortunately, we managed to fulfill the request without suffering any injuries. We just handed the bandits over to the city guards earlier.”
“Understood. We will confirm it with the guard station later. How many did you manage to capture, by the way?”
“Thirty-five bandits.”
“……Thirty-five, is it? It should have been quite hard on you all.”
“No, it wasn’t, actually. It was fortunate that we managed to meet up with the new members of the Clan who were coming over along the road. We managed to safely accomplish the request through their help.”
“Ah! The ones you told us were coming over to Gantz. That really was fortunate. So, I take it that you managed to meet all fifty-eight of them?”
“No. There were actually a lot more of them than we first expected. A hundred, to be exact.”
“……A hundred, is it. …Yes, it’s a lot more than what you told us.”
“It’s great that we managed to secure a Home with enough space to accommodate them all. Oh, right! We also managed to secure a lot of loot from the bandit lair. I was thinking of selling them off, so could you please introduce me to a reliable channel, Karina-san? Would that be possible?”
“If it’s alright with you, our Commerce Guild can purchase them ourselves. They would be bought at the market price though.”
“Oh, then please go ahead. The market price is fine as well.”
“Alright. I will bring an assessor over to sort them all out. Would it be fine if we come over at ten tomorrow morning?”
“Sure, go ahead. There is two carriages worth of loot by the way.”
“Understood. We’ll see you tomorrow then.”
After finishing my business at the Commerce Guild, I headed back to the Home. I found everyone in the middle of handing off their horses to the groom and stable boys. It looks like they haven’t entered the building yet.
“Alan-sama! You’ve managed to get us a truly splendid base. I am thoroughly impressed.”
“It seems buildings of this size are a rarity even in Gantz.”
“That’s right. I was surprised that the rent for this place is only 70,000 Guineas per month.”
“Oh, by the way, Captain Dalshim. Can you handle the distribution of the rooms for the rest of the members?”
“But of course. Since Her Highness is staying on the top floor, we will assign the rooms with her security in mind. What shall we do with the spoils we obtained from the bandits?”
“People from the Commerce Guild will come tomorrow to take a look at them. Please store them inside a room on the first floor and lock it securely. As for the gold, jewels, and other valuables, please move them to the Clan office on the fourth floor.”
“Understood.”
The Clan office had a secure lock, and with this number of highly trained personnel, stealing the gold and jewels from there would probably prove quite difficult for any thief.
I saw the head of the employees, Sally-san, when we entered the building and called out to her.
“Sally-san. I’m sorry for returning with this number of people all of a sudden. Can I trust you to prepare dinner for us all? Simple dishes are fine. Just make sure everyone would be able to eat their fill.”
“But of course, Alan-sama. I have already asked some of the staff to buy ingredients. We will be able to serve dinner on schedule.”
“I’ll leave it to you then. Oh, and please bring out the wine barrels I bought the other day for dinner as well.”
Now then, how about having a nice, hot bath.
The dinner was held in a buffet style. It’s the most appropriate for this number of people. Everyone seemed to be having fun while choosing the dishes they preferred.
I and the rest of the party were sitting together while having dinner. Captain Dalshim and Sir Walter were sitting near us as well.
“Captain Dalshim, can you do a brief introduction of all the men you brought with you to me after the meal? I would like to start remembering their names as early as now.”
“Understood.”
I’ll be able to record all of their names on my personal database with Nanom’s help anyway.
After everyone ate their fill, we had the staff clear out the tables. And when they finished, I had the staff all go out so only the knights and us Shining Star members remained. I also used my magic sensor to double-check if there were still people around who could eavesdrop on our discussion just to be safe.
With Captain Dalshim’s lead, each of the knights introduced themselves to me and stated their affiliation. The Royal Guard members were almost all from reputed noble families, and the earl’s troops were composed primarily of people who were knighted but had commoner origins. There should be a number of noble-born knights in the earl’s forces as well, but they should have been chosen based on their ability and not their pedigree.
Of course, I, Sharon, Selena, and Elna also introduced ourselves again.
Lastly, Cleria stood up and addressed the knights.
“I am honestly glad that you still call me ‘Your Highness’ and ‘Princess’ even now, everyone. However, I am no longer a royal princess, but just a simple adventurer, Ria. So I would like you all to address me as ‘Ria’ from now on.”
“”Yes!””
“Captain Dalshim, please gather the main leaders of your group and come to the Clan office. I want to conduct a meeting with just us later.”
“Understood.”
My party members, Captain Dalshim, Sir Walter, and the six people they selected, all gathered in the Clan office on the fourth floor.
“Tomorrow afternoon, I plan on going to the Adventurer’s Guild to officially register our Clan. I’ve looked into the registration process and it seems that the Clan leader and all the party leaders who wish to join him or her should apply together. This is probably to prevent people from registering other parties into a Clan without their consent. That’s why I’d like for ten people to accompany me in registering tomorrow.”
“Understood. In other words, you would like to form ten squads with the ten people serving as leaders, correct?”
“That’s right. I want each squad to be roughly equal in strength if possible. Oh, and we’ll have to decide on the party names of each squad as well.”
“Oh, actually, we already have an idea for that. What do you think about the name Satellite, Alan-sama?”
Captain Dalshim declared the name they came up with while grinning good-naturedly. Satellite huh? So they will be the satellites orbiting the shining star, I guess. I see. It does seem fitting.
“It’s a nice party name. But there are ten squads though?”
“Then let’s just name them Satellite Squad 1, Squad 2, and so on. What do you think?”
“I’ll leave it to you then. Next, we’ll talk about our next plans. First, I’d like to continue with the bandit subjugation. I would like to change the number of teams deployed depending on the number of bandits we need to capture. For example, if we’re up against 15 bandits, I’d like to send out 30 people, or in other words, three squads, after them. For 20 bandits, we’ll send out 40 people, or four squads, and so on.”
There’s strength in numbers. The overall strength of our Clan consists of the skill of the individual members as well as our great number. We’ll have to take advantage of those as much as possible. And if you went up against enemies with twice their number, the danger posed against the members would be lessened to a great degree.
“However, we’ll need a method to reliably scout out the rough number of bandits we’re up against each time we sortie with that plan…… Wait! I see! So it was that kind of plan. How splendid!”
I moved my gaze to everyone else in the room, and they all nodded in acknowledgment.
“Yosh. It looks like we’re all in agreement then. Alright then. I’ll leave the organization of the ten parties to Captain Dalshim and Sir Walter since the two of you have a better grasp of everyone’s abilities.”
“Understood. If it’s alright with you, we’d like to gather everyone in the dining room again after this.”
“Sure. I’d actually like to participate as well, but I have something else that I have to do right now.”
“Understood. Please leave it to us.”
The rest of the party were interested in forming the squads as well, so they joined up with Captain Dalshim and the others.
The thing I needed to do tonight was to devise a learning plan for Sharon and Selena in order for them to successfully cast healing magic. They haven’t learned how to do it until now after all. It seems they just couldn’t constrict a satisfactory image in their minds.
I actually sent them the video compiled by Nanom that I watched that one time, but it looks like they couldn’t cast Heal by using that as a reference as well.
In my case, I used the video compiled by Nanom to gain some hints, and I created the image of cute light spirits fixing up the cells of the body as my base to cast Heal, and it was honestly kind of embarrassing.
However, I’ll need the girls to learn how to cast healing magic as soon as possible. This is no time to be feeling embarrassed.
(Nanom, please create a holo-video to help in image training for learning the Heal spell.)
『Acknowledged.』
(The main concept is light spirits healing a wound. First, let’s design the looks of the light spirits. Please display a sample image for me. …Uh, that’s not right. Not that kind of slim and sexy fairy. Make them a bit more rounded… No, you just made them fat. Ugh, fine. I’ll do it.)
There you go. Now, these are some cute and cuddly spirits. They sported transparent wings and wore a white one-piece toga.
(Okay. First, let’s create a scene of the spirits playing happily in the spirit world. Yosh, that’s nice. Next is a scene where healing magic gets activated. Everyone gets surprised at first, but got themselves together and speedily went for their medicine pots. The color of the pots should be brown. The magic medicine inside them should be golden yellow. Next, the spirits all hoisted their pots under one arm and flew away to respond to the mage’s call… Great. Please compile and edit all the scenes for me.)
Nice. Now, a short clip of light spirits having fun, and then rushing over to respond to a mage casting healing magic with their trusty medicine pots in hand was completed. It’s coming along quite nicely.
(Next, please use the video you compiled and zoom in to the damaged cells. Hey! The expressions of the spirits haven’t changed y’know. Make them have expressions that are burning with a sense of mission here. Ugh. Don’t let them fly haphazardly like that. Make them fly in formation. Uh, use Fleet Formation B as reference.)
The expressions of the spirits finally turned more proper. The spirits flew in Formation B toward the damaged cells. After a short moment, they finally arrived in front of the cells.
(Yosh. Okay then. Have two spirits put a cell back together and another three apply their magic medicine on the gaps. This is the most important scene, okay. As for their expressions, make them seem like they’re seriously hard at work. …Yes. Make them rub in more medicine there. It’s fine if they empty their pots. No holding back.)
Nice. Now, a scene of spirits putting a torn cell together and applying plenty of magic medicine to heal it was created. Yep, this is good.
(Make the number of spirits increase in accordance with the intensity of the light. Yes, just like the video you compiled… This should be fine. Let’s review it from the beginning. This time, let’s also add some BGM.)
After roughly 30 minutes, I finally managed to create an instructional video. Let’s check it out first. ……The last scene involves the spirit captain giving the audience a heroic salute after a job well done and leaving dashingly.
Man. To think I actually had talent in something like this. I didn’t think I would be able to produce a short film of such quality.
It’s the perfect reproduction of the image I use for the Heal spell. No, it’s actually even better. With this clip, I’m sure the two of them will be able to master Heal in no time.
(Include a caption saying ‘Heal Spell Practice Reference Video’ and send it to Selena and Sharon right away.)
『Done.』
After receiving a message from Alan, we snuck out of the meeting and went back to our own room.
“Hey, Selena, did you already watch the video?”
“Of course.”
“…Is he playing a prank on us?”
“……I don’t think so. This was surely made with serious intent. We couldn’t cast the spell even after all that practice, so I’m sure he made it for us after giving it a lot of thought. Anyway, I’ll try to practice using this image.”
“I’ll practice too.”
Even after thirty minutes of repeatedly watching the video, I and Selena still hadn’t managed to grasp the method to cast the Heal spell.
“Did Alan really use this image as a reference when he learned the Heal spell?”
“I’m sure he did! ……However, I can’t seem to concentrate because too much unrelated thoughts keep popping into my head while watching it.”
It looks like it was the same for Selena. This video really was……
(Nanom, will it be possible for me to be put into a light hypnotic state while I watch the video?)
『It’s possible.』
(Then, please do so.)
My consciousness became hazy. Now I’ll just have to play the video on repeat. Once the image solidified in my mind, I muttered the spell’s name almost by instinct.
“Heal.”
Ah, rays of light are flowing out from my palm. Yes! I did it!
“Selena! Look at this!”
“Sharon! Just how did you do it!? Please teach me!”
I taught her the method I used, and Selena managed to succeed as well.
“Let’s report our success to Alan right away, Selena!”
“Yes, let’s go!”
