Chapter 158: With the Clan
After the two Heroes went to see the Grandmaster, Ryu arrived soon afterward, and thus it was decided that the clan system would be explained.
Stingray pulled a pair of glasses from somewhere within her armor and smoothly put them on.
“A clan is a special system that exists only in the Adventurers’ Guilds of dungeon cities. Simply put, a clan is a team formed by multiple adventurer parties with the goal of conquering dungeons together. But if that were all, it would be fairly ordinary. What makes it special is that people other than adventurers—that is, those who assist with dungeon expeditions—can also belong to a clan. Skilled mercenaries, merchants who act as sponsors, and in rare cases even the lord of the city are said to be members.”
“In short, it’s a convenient system that incorporates a structure allowing funds, authority, and other matters to be handled smoothly in addition to the adventurer teams,” Ryu concluded.
“Yes, exactly as you say, Ryu-sama. Conversely, you could also say that dungeons are just that complicated—and dangerous—of a place to earn money.”
The most appealing part was likely the fact that people who were not adventurers could also belong to a clan.
“Ryu, this system suits us perfectly,” Esther said with satisfaction.
“Indeed. If Stingray forms a clan and we join it, we can enter the dungeon even without registering as adventurers.”
At present, the two of them carried false tags under the names “Ryoma” and “Kagura,” which had been obtained by abusing a viscount’s authority. The reason was simple: if the upper aristocracy discovered that the two had registered as adventurers, the future awaiting them would be an endless flood of personal requests for monster extermination or potion crafting. While personal requests from nobles and royalty were generally considered an honor, to this pair they would be nothing but troublesome obligations.
Apparently, there were also many people like Ryu and Esther who did not officially register as adventurers but carried fake tags for identification.
“Come to think of it, Stingray, how do you avoid personal requests?” Ryu asked.
“I currently hold the position of exclusive retainer to the Arden Viscount family. In that case, I’m allowed to refuse personal requests from those ranked viscount or lower. Even so, the Adventurers’ Guild occasionally sends letters requesting my services, so it still takes a bit of effort to deal with.”
“So if Esther and I registered as adventurers, we would have to accept personal requests from counts and above, while also occasionally refusing those from viscounts and below.”
“Yes. Normally nobles are the ones who make requests, and that is how the guild generally views them, so Ryu-sama is something of a rare case. Most nobles use their family crests rather than adventurer tags for identification.”
Even Esther couldn’t help letting out a sigh.
“What a troublesome situation…”
“I was curious about registering as an adventurer too, but I think I’ll pass!” Lena said quickly.
“Indeed. That would be the best choice for you as well, Lena.”
“But it seems Alice already registered as an adventurer…”
“Well, it should be fine. If anything were to happen to Alice, it wouldn’t just anger the Count Blanc family. It would also incur the wrath of the Marquis Grace family above them, as well as the Arden Viscount family, with whom they are close. No upper-class fool would take that kind of risk.”
After that, everyone headed to the clan registration counter so Stingray could establish the clan.
“The members will be myself, Ryu-sama, Esther-sama, Lena-sama, Alice-sama, and Ryoma-sama—six people in total. Signatures are required, so Alice-sama and Ryoma-sama will only be provisional members for now. Also, who will be the party leader?”
“Stingray.”
“Stingray.”
“Stingray, please take the lead!”
“I—I understand…”
…At the very bottom of the form was a final blank.
“It seems we need a name for the clan. What should we do?”
“I have absolutely no sense for naming things, so I’ll leave it to the three of you.”
“How about ‘The World Beneath Ryu-niisama’s Hand!!’”
“Gyau.”
(That sounds great!)
“Good grief… it seems the lack of naming sense runs in the family. In that case, leave it to Stingray and me!” Esther declared.
“Heh heh… it seems my knightly spirit has been stirred,” Stingray said.
A few minutes later, the receptionist checked the form and pressed the official wax seal of the Adventurers’ Guild Headquarters onto it.
“Ha ha ha! This marks our official beginning!” Esther laughed heartily.
“Since we’re already here, how about we grab some good food at that tavern over there?” Ryu suggested.
“Agreed!”
◇◇◇
Around the time Ryu and the others formed their clan, on the top floor of the guild headquarters, the Grandmaster was quietly working through a pile of documents.
The man was a former S-rank adventurer, once praised as the greatest adventurer on the continent. His powerful physique and commanding aura had not faded with time, and anyone who saw him would feel an overwhelming sense of pressure.
“Grandmaster. The two Heroes from the north have arrived.”
“Let them in.”
“Yes, sir.”
The staff member opened the door and allowed the Heroes to enter.
“It’s been a while, Grandmaster. Do you need something from us?” the female Hero asked casually.
“…More importantly, why is Kaito slumped over like that?” the Grandmaster asked.
Hero Kaito was still unconscious, being dragged along with one hand.
“Oh, that idiot started bothering a beautiful adventurer earlier, so I dealt with him before he could cause trouble.”
“I see. A wise decision.”
“Just as expected of you, Grandmaster. I knew you’d understand.”
“However, going too far isn’t good either, Amane. If Kaito develops resistance to being beaten, it will become difficult to stop him in the future.”
“Hehe. I’ll keep it reasonable.”
The name of the Hero girl responsible for disciplining Kaito was Amane Kujo. Though she had a somewhat strong personality, she was reliable and trusted by those around her.
“By the way, where is your leader?”
“Sorry about that. I tried really hard to convince him, but he said something like ‘I saw a future where the wind was calling me,’ and wandered off toward the food stalls on the way here…”
“I see. If he saw the future, then it can’t be helped. At worst, as long as one of you besides Kaito is here, that will suffice.”
“Thanks for being understanding. So, what did you call us for?”
The Grandmaster cleared his throat and spoke in a heavy tone.
“The two great powers—the Western Empire and the Eastern Principality—have each dispatched assassins simultaneously to eliminate the Heroes.”
“Oh? Attempting an assassination within the Gran Federation takes some nerve. The two guild masters and the Federal Council won’t stay silent about that.”
“That may be true. But if no one can determine who carried out the assassination, then it becomes another matter. It is likely they have sent extremely powerful individuals. Be on your guard.”
“Understood. But the kingdom will probably send guards too, right? After all, Reina is over there.”
“Yes. The First Special Unit Commander and three others are currently on their way here. They should arrive in the capital within a few days.”
“Wait, Captain Lily is coming? Then we’re safe,” Amane said with visible relief.
(As expected of Reina.)
“…If that is indeed the case. That is all.”
“Understood. Thanks for the information as always, Grandmaster.”
Amane dragged Kaito out of the room.
Left alone in the quiet office, the Grandmaster muttered to himself.
“…Even if this is the kingdom’s own doing, sending assassins into the Gran Federation is absolutely unacceptable. We’ll crush them with the full strength of headquarters. Don’t underestimate us… adventurers.”
◇◇◇
“Street stall food really is the best, Ryoma-sama.”
“Indeed. It exceeds my expectations.”
“I wish we could stay like this forever, just the two of us on a date, Ryoma-sama.”
“Th-that is…”
Alice tightly gripped Ryoma’s arm.
“Y-yes… perhaps just the two of us like this wouldn’t be so bad.”
“That’s right. Then after everything in the Federation is finished, let’s hold our wedding immediately in the Count Blanc territory.”
“I must first return to Tosa.”
“That can’t be helped. I will go with you.”
“You are supposed to be a member of the academy’s student council…”
At that moment—
“You there, samurai. I would like a word with you.”
“Hmm?”
The two turned toward the voice.
“…Oh? That is a fine sword you have there.”
Standing before them was a boy holding a katana.
“How rude of you to speak to my Ryoma-sama.”
“Ryoma…? Could it be that you are the legendary Sakamoto Ryoma, feared as the greatest in history?”
“And if I were?”
“—Then I would very much like you to join our Hero party.”