第２６８堀：持てる者 持たざる者 (Part1)
**Chapter 268: The Haves and the Have-Nots**
Yes.
Those of you who peek at Monster Bunko might already know, but the second volume will be released on September 30th.
Well, if you’re curious about the illustrations, the little extra stories I’ve added, or the special SS (short stories) available at certain retailers, you might want to pick up a copy.
Also, since the post I made on September 2nd was at a rather odd hour, some of you might have missed it.
It’s a secret story involving Kaya, so if you haven’t read it yet, you might want to check it out.
Additionally, I’ve uploaded the fifth part of my "Daydreaming about a Wizardry-type game" series in the activity reports.
If you’re interested, please give it a read.
Well then, onto the main story.
Everyone, we’re still in the Academy Arc, you know?
***
**The Haves and the Have-Nots**
Side: Yuki
Yeah, once the holidays end, you return to the daily grind of work.
It seems that’s the same in every world.
And when you return from a break, the work has piled up...
"So, you really caught one of the Holy Sword Users?"
The troubles just kept on increasing.
Well, depending on how you look at it, one problem was solved, but when they come one after another like this, it gets busy with situation reports, paperwork, and everything else.
Don't they ever think about giving me a break?
"No, I already sent word to your side, so why are you asking me a second time?"
Taiki and I were talking about this on the terrace of a cottage on the beach in the Special District.
By the way, I’ve opened this place up for Taiki and his group during their vacation.
I wanted to get other people’s opinions, too.
But since Taiki ended up capturing a Holy Sword User, I ended up having to confirm the details during his time off.
"...I can't help but ask. Once I get back to work, there’s a mountain of paperwork waiting."
"Ah, well, that’s how it goes."
"I wonder why the reports increase so much in just a day or two."
"Well, I caught a Holy Sword User, so I had to write the report. After that, the procedures to send them to Weed are endless. Everything is paperwork, paperwork."
"...I never thought I’d hear that from Taiki, who came here straight from being a student."
"Well, I’m a king here, too. I realize now how much easier it was when I was a Hero..."
"...Good for you. You’ll be a fine working adult over there, too."
"...Living is tough, isn't it?"
What is this conversation? We sound like a couple of guys exhausted by work and drunk on booze...
"Well, putting that aside, what did you think after actually fighting them?"
"Hmm, for me, I find it strange that they’ve lived this long and still have such childish ideas. 'We are not wrong. It’s the fault of those around us. Therefore, we shall destroy them.' That’s all there is to it. Their thinking feels shallow for how rigid they are. Am I overthinking it?"
"No, I think the same. All six we captured had that same mindset. You’d think someone would have defected by now, right? They’ve lived long enough to actually take action, after all."
"Right? I don't want to think about it, but it feels like there’s still something behind the scenes."
"Well, there’s also the possibility that they killed their predecessor and reached a point of no return."
"Either way, there’s no proof yet. Or rather, whether there’s a secret agenda or not, it’s a pain in the neck regardless."
We both gave a bitter smile.
Problems really don't get solved easily, do they?
"Taiki-sama!! It’s amazing!!"
Airi’s voice reached us from the sea.
Well, I’ve asked what I needed to ask, so it’s time for the intruder to leave.
"It’s fine, Taiki. Go have fun with Airi. Sorry for bothering you on your day off."
"Not at all. I’ll leave the Academy side to you."
"Yeah."
And so, I returned to the Academy to report to the Principal and the others, but...
"Damn it, why does everything have to be so complicated..."
Interrupting an acquaintance’s vacation—that’s something I would never have done when I was a regular employee back in Japan.
But in my current position, I have to do it.
Ah, maybe I should extend Taiki’s vacation by a day or two.
I’m really not cut out for being in a position of authority.
The mentality of a low-level grunt is too deeply ingrained in me.
"Um... is there a problem?"
Popuri, the Academy Principal, asked timidly, having noticed my exhaustion.
Right, I’m back at the Academy now, and on the surface, I’m here to report on delivering the letter.
Eoid has already finished his report and left, leaving only the report on my true objective.
On paper, the Principal is my superior and I am the subordinate.
But in reality, I am the superior and Popuri is the subordinate.
For Popuri, I must be a very difficult person to deal with.
"No, it’s not your fault, Popuri. It’s a problem on my end. Well, you’re doing a good job, too—with all that paperwork."
I pointed to the stacks of documents on the desks of Popuri and Lara.
Since parchment is the mainstream here, it smells strongly of animal hide.
"Ah, thank you for your concern."
"...So even for a Dungeon Master, things are the same everywhere, aren't they?"
"Yeah. As Lara says, because we operate as an organization, these things are just a matter of course."
"If I recall, you have people living there, don't you?"
"That’s right. Killing them for a one-time DP harvest is inefficient. It’s better to provide a place where they can live safely, right?"
"That is certainly an ideal, but it’s impressive that you managed to get people to live there. Her predecessor, and even I, always thought of dungeons as places where you risk your life; the idea of people living in one never occurred to us."
"That part was easy. I took in a large number of slaves. It was during the war, so there were plenty of slaves on the market, which drove the price down."
"I see. So that’s where the people came from. Thinking about it, she could have used the same method. Ah, wait, no—she was entirely focused on research."
...Hm? The conversation seems to have turned into idle chatter.
"Anyway, we’re getting off track. Let’s talk about Weed another time."
"Ah, I’m sorry."
"My apologies."
"No, no, it’s natural to be interested. Once things settle down, I’ll give you a proper tour. Nothing to apologize for. Now, the matters we need to discuss are..."
"The Holy Sword User captured by Hero Taiki, and..."
"The exit permit for Cleena’s country, right?"
"Right. And the confirmation of the five Holy Sword Users we captured."
Just saying the words makes it clear that these are all massive headaches that will require mountains of reports.
Plus, they have to be handled discreetly, which adds another layer of annoyance.
"...Indeed, things are moving at a breakneck pace."
"But thanks to you, Yuki-dono, my homeland was saved. Thank you."
"Hah, getting a word of thanks from Lara is a rare treat. I don't usually get any."
"That’s true. You’re thoroughly behind the scenes, and you always yield the public credit to others."
"...Well, accepting the credit would just be a hassle."
"Cleena is right. Considering our goals, standing out is not a good idea at all."
"Exactly. If we get any more trouble piled onto us, we won't be able to function."
The guards joined in, agreeing.
As Jessica said, we try to yield the credit to others as much as possible.
But the King of Zilba keeps trying to force titles on us, and in Enaria, we used the royal capital attack to our advantage, so our names have become somewhat known.
Well, it’s not a bad thing since it gave us a positive reputation with Samantha’s father and the others.
But as Cleena said, accepting the credit head-on would lead to very troublesome situations.
In Enaria, we suppressed a fortress guarded by Holy Sword Users in not just half a day, but almost an instant.
Riding that momentum, we took over Betan and a city, stalled an army of nearly 100,000 Enarian magic sword users with a massive pitfall—the so-called "accidental collapse"—and defeated the rescue forces individually. After that, we prevented the royal capital attack in Enaria while we were there for peace talks and succeeded in capturing the minister who was pulling the strings.
If we were to seriously accept the rewards for these achievements, we would end up as high-ranking officials in both countries.
As Samantha said, that would leave us in a position where we couldn't move at all.
In our current situation, where we need a foothold in each country to stop the Holy Sword Users' secret maneuvers, we absolutely cannot afford to be tied down.
Furthermore, as Ria said, we would have to manage the positions that come with those rewards.
We still have work to do in Weed; we wouldn't have the hands to spare for that.