"And as for the others, ...of course, many will be promoted. However, we can't include everyone who participated in the battle. There would be too many of them, and some of them have only just been promoted, and some don't have the skills to be promoted. Those whose rank does not match their true ability... have a much higher chance of dying..." (Guild master)
Everyone at Crimson Vow silently nodded at the guild master's words.
"And leaving aside the soldiers who acted as an organization, the majority of the Hunters did not receive a request, but rather joined on their own accord… Therefore, they will not receive any compensation for their requests. We're not a charity either. If we were to pay all the hunters who participated this time an appropriate fee, we'd end up in the red and going bankrupt. Besides, the general public is participating for free, so we can't give special treatment to hunters." (Guild master)
That couldn't be helped. It was not something that Mile and her companions could have any say in.
"In return, the country will provide a reasonable reward. And the families of those who died will receive a generous amount of money, as well as assistance with their children's education and jobs. This is only true in our country, but other countries who hear about it will likely take similar measures. There is no way that any member of the royal family would choose to save money and tarnish their reputation at this point. If we did that, not only would we lose the trust of the people, but all the hunters in the country would move to other countries. There's no hunter who wants to risk his life to work for a country like that. Hunters are not like farmers who can't leave the land, or members of commerce guilds who don't want to lose customers. If they give up on a town or a country, they'll easily move to another base. If it was just one or two it wouldn't have any effect, but if every Hunter in the country disappeared..." (Guild master)
From there on, they could understand without being told. Caravan guard. Thinning out the monsters. Collection and delivery of meat and medicinal herbs. Income from inns, weapon and armor shops, restaurants, and bars. Not only would there be no one to take on the necessary jobs, but if the people with high disposable income—in other words, those who spent money extravagantly—disappeared in large numbers, the city's economy would plummet. In other words, there would be no country that would treat Hunters with disrespect.
Also, although it's likely that this day wasn't foreseen, thanks to Mile, the financial situation of orphanages in neighboring countries is now improving, and they would likely be able to expand their buildings and increase the number of orphans they could accommodate. They were the orphans of heroes who fought to protect their country and the world. There was no way that anyone would treat them badly.
The Crimson Vow members nodded in understanding to the Guild Master's explanation, even though it was not something that directly concerned them. Then the guild master's tone changed slightly and asked Mile and her companions with a serious look on his face.
"...So, will that... coming again?" (Guild master)
Yes. This was a question that was also asked during the meeting at the royal palace, and it was something that was likely on the minds of those in positions of responsibility right now. However, Mile didn't have the answer either.
"I don’t know. I don’t know what their purpose is… No, I don’t know if they even have a purpose in the first place, and I don’t know why the dimensional rift appeared. It could be a natural phenomenon, or something deliberately done by someone involved… And with that last attack, perhaps the means to create the dimensional rift was completely cut off, or perhaps it was only temporary..." (Mile)
"I see..." (Guild master)
The Guild Master didn't say much, just bowed his head in silence.
The threat from another dimension may not had been fully resolved, but this one wasn't without its good points. The monsters might attack again, but they might never come again. Although there were still fears for the future, having a common enemy or a common threat would likely help to prevent conflicts with other races and fighting among humans. The future should be dealt with by the people living in that world. I can't take care of that much, thought Mile.
"Enough of the depressing talk. There was a lot of damage, but thanks to you guys we were able to keep it to a minimum. And the Hunters' status as 'Heroes who sacrificed their lives for the world and stood on the front lines' was greatly improved. Those who participated in that battle will no longer be insulted as dropouts or the scum of humanity. Furthermore, our Royal Capital branch, Kingdom of Tils, has made its name known throughout the continent as the branch that produced Angel-sama and her servants, 'Crimson Vow,' the A-rank party 'Mithril Roar,' and many other 'frontline heroes.' Thanks to that, I'm sure to be promoted two levels to Guild Master and receive a special bonus... ahem!" (Guild master)
Well, since he always had to work so hard, it's okay to have that much extra. Thinking that, everyone at Crimson Vow pretended not to hear.
"Also, a celebration party...or rather, it will just be a riot, but a celebratory banquet is planned. It won't all fit inside the store, so we're planning to block off a section of the main street and hold the event there. It'll be a pain to carry the food and alcohol to the central plaza, and lots of people who aren't hunters will sneak in and try to get their hands on free alcohol and food... It seems that you guys don't drink much alcohol, but this is also a way of mourning those who have died. We must make a fuss and let the joy and gratitude of the survivors reach those who are dead. ...That's why, you guys come out too." (Guild master)
"……Understood……" (Mavis)
Mavis answered with a nod on behalf of everyone. When someone asked that, there's no way they could refuse.
While waiting for the rank change procedure to be completed, Mile and her companions talked about various things with the guild master, and then left the guild using the external staircase at the back of the building to avoid being caught by the people on the first floor...
"...to be awarded the title of Viscount. Similarly, Monica and Aureana, citizens of the Kingdom of Brandell and members of the C-rank Hunter Party 'Wonder Trio', will be awarded the title of Baronets."
"…………" (All WT)
The three girls froze, not saying a word. The man standing right behind them as a guard gently poked Marcella in the back, and Marcella hurriedly repeated his speech, followed by Monica and Aureana.
"I, I'm grateful for this happiness[1]..." (Marcella)
"I'm grateful for this happiness..." (Other 2)
(How did it turn out like this...?) (All WT)
Marcella was the daughter of a noble family, so she held the title of Viscount. And the commoners Monica and Aureana were became baronets. Baronets was not technically a noble. It was merely an "honorable title given to commoners", and their status remained that of a commoner. It was a hereditary title, after all...
Because the Nanomachiness had intentionally aired the three's famous scenes, Marcella, who prioritized attacking over healing herself even when seriously injured, and Monica and Aureana, who supported Marcella and showed abilities comparable to A-rank magicians with their outstanding teamwork, were both very popular among nobles and commoners alike. However, no matter how well they did, it seemed that in this conservative country, it was a bit of a high hurdle for a commoner to become a full-fledged noble.
The upper echelons were probably too stubborn to respond flexibly like Kingdom of Tils, who was willing to use Crimson Vow as a figurehead to increase the prestige of the country as heroes who had saved the world, a party member who had fought alongside Mile the Angel-sama. Well, since Mavis, an aristocrat, was in Crimson Vow perhaps they were worried that making a blatant difference in rewards between aristocrats and commoners might worsen public sentiment towards the royal family...
Therefore, the Kingdom of Brandell likely decided that it was enough to concentrate all the credit on "Marcella, the noble's daughter who led two commoners in battle" and to bestow the highest honor that commoners could receive on her "attaching girls", who were all commoners. Adelle and Marcella. The leader probably had thought that two noble girls were enough and that there was no need to give excessive rewards to commoners.
Even though they both and Marcella had achieved great success with their powerful rapid-fire magic, they were merely a "strong commoner with a talent for offensive magic." This was a different story from Marcella, a beautiful girl with a clear mind, good manners, noble pride and compassion, brimming with magical talent, and highly respected by commoners, who had long been the object of attention from the King and the Queen, the two princes, and many other nobles. Well, perhaps Marcella was given the title of Viscount because she needed to add some prestige as the Prince and Princess...
But even so, with their talent for offensive magic and their status as "Angel-sama's best friend," as well as being best friends with Marcella, the top candidate for princess, and with a relationship with the scheming princess Morena that was more than just that of a superior or subordinate, Monica and Aureana would surely be highly sought after as marriage partners. ...Well, it's likely that Monica and Aureana would be adopted by a noble family and then married off to another noble family, so that probably didn't really matter.
Additionally, it seemed that Marcella's family would also be promoted from baron to viscount. Perhaps the king felt sorry for her father's lower rank than his daughter, or perhaps he was worried that her family's weak position would lead to other nobles picking on her and becoming a weakness for Marcella, or perhaps it was a reward for the achievement of giving birth to and raising a person like "Marcella"...
And Marcella and her companions were still thinking the same thing.
(How did it turn out like this...?) (All WT)
Author's Note
This is an announcement. (^^)/
The spin-off gag manga of "Noukin", "Didn't I say to live an average life!", has been very well received for its cute illustrations and sharp gag sense, and the series has been extended from the planned 3 volumes to 4, so a new series by Mori Kiyuki-sensei is about to begin! (^^)/
The comic adaptation of "The Otherworldly Pioneering Life of an Abandoned Old Man and an Evil God: A Slow Life, Village Building, and the Occasional Strained Back" by Amano Hazama, originally published on "Let's Become a Novelist", will be published by Bunkasha and distributed as a monthly serial at all e-book stores starting November 26th.
You can see the color cover illustration for chapter 1 (I think...(^^ゞ) on Moritaka-sensei's Twitter.
Thank you very much! (^^)/
And this Saturday, November 27th[2], is "Fine FUNA" Day.
We hope you will continue to support our three works, "Noukin", "Roukin" and "Potion"! (^^)/
Translation note
[1] ありがたき幸せ I was thinking of "I humbly accept" or "I gratefully accept", but there's this 幸せ (happiness) word. Please let me know if there's a better one.
[2] It's 3 years ago.