222: The more reliable allies you’ve got, the better, right?

The air shifts as King Van runs a hand over his forehead, scanning everyone present.

“Jabir, Jitarou, Maina, Persia, Eva, Camille, Marilyn—set. If Craft’s going, the maid’s coming too… still, that’s a thin force. Anyone else want to go?”

Then Leifan quietly raises a hand.

“Um… I’d like to go, if it’s possible.”

“Hmm. Production Guild Master…?”

Van strokes his chin for a moment.

“No problem. Your master’s staying in Goldendown, right?”

“Yes. I can handle anything related to metal.”

Van raises one eyebrow.

“What about everything else?”

Leifan glances away, barely.

“…I think the Guild Master will manage somehow.”

Right. Well, doesn’t matter. It’s a revival elixir. If it’s something you can make anywhere, anytime, as long as you’ve got the ingredients, fine. But if it depends on location, time, or equipment, better keep it with your Craft.

I figured, once I had the materials, I’d just set up the transfer gate and head back—but I never thought about the possibility that I might not be able to.

The production guild’s a bit worried, but the metalwork’s in Leifan’s master—Dwarf Verund—so we’re fine.

General Grim’s good, that’s for sure. Best of all, he’s got Syndery as his right hand. If he’s around, we’ll be fine.

I’d feel a lot better if Leifan was coming with me.

Leave it to me! Craft-kun!

I clasp Leifan’s hand tightly. With her by my side, supporting me from the very start, she’s worth a hundred men.

Ah, thinking about the production guild reminded me of something important.

"Man, if both me and Professor Javir leave Goldendawn, won't we run short on alchemists?"

The answer came from the old man with the white beard—Bastia von Helmund, head of the royal alchemists.

"Let’s send a few of us, led by Elra Lulia. Lucky for us, we’ve got the transfer gate. Emergency responses’ll be easy."

Elra Lulia… right, Javir’s former student. Wait, she was his sister, wasn’t she? I remember her—came with the minister for a tour of Goldendawn.

Javir nodded at that.

"Elra’ll manage. She’ll bring her own students along too."

If the professor’s okay with it, I don’t have a choice but to agree.

Van, watching us, glanced around the room again and muttered.

“Is that it?”

Then Nobuna from the Mizoho Shrine Nation stepped forward with a smile.

“I’m going too.”

She glanced at the rest of her Mizoho Shrine Nation companions as she spoke.

The living god Muten couldn’t see, but General Shingen and the three heads of the Great Families—Hanbee, Motonari, and Masamune—nodded in agreement.

Hanbee, Nobuna’s father, spoke up.

“Indeed. We’ll spare no effort to wake Kyle-sama. Nobuna, Chiyome. Give it your all.”

““Yes, sir!!””

I’d hesitated—was it right to drag in foreign dignitaries like this? But with Raidock not here, having someone as skilled as Nobuna along was honestly a relief. So I just nodded and listened.

Having the two of them here would be a big help, but is it really okay from Mizoho Shrine Nation’s point of view?

Instead of Hanbee, General Shingen answers my question.

“Not a problem. There’s a debt to repay to the Maugaria Kingdom. Honestly, I’d be the one wanting to go… but…”

Hanbee grins. His eyes don’t move a bit.

“Not that I’d ever say the General abandoned his duty to go exploring, now, would I?”

“U… I never said that.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Hanbee straightens his collar.

“For this expedition, I’d be honored if Mizoho Shrine Nation could send Nobuna Wilhelm, eldest daughter of our family—the head of the Three Great Houses—and her retainer Chiyome Clemens.”

No objections from Mizoho Shrine Nation? Then we’re delighted.

Once My and Van give their approval, General Shingen bows respectfully to Muten.

"Lord Muten, your approval, please."

"I grant it."

"Haha! Blessed fortune! Nobuna! Chiyome! Let's give it our all!"

"Ha ha!!"

Raidock murmured quietly, "If it's Nobuna and the others, I'm at ease."

I'd been worried about lacking frontline fighters. Nobuna's arrival, able to wield both sword and Onmyō techniques, was a godsend.

The lizardman who'd been silent until now couldn't hold back any longer and stood up abruptly. Though called a lizardman, the figure looked no different from a human at first glance—except for the tail. To anyone not looking too closely, she'd seem just like a woman.

Her name was Shururu.

"Craft-sama! Me too! I want to go too!"

Shururu pressed her ample chest against me and half-clung to me, but was immediately restrained by Jurara, the tall, imposing male lizardman.

"Shururu! Remember your station—lowest caste! And your manners!"

"Jurara-nii! If we just stay quiet, we won’t get taken along!"

"I never planned to take you in the first place! And watch your tone!"

Shururu freezes mid-motion at Jurara’s words.

"Why?! Isn’t this the perfect chance to repay the favor?!"

"We’re circling the human lands! Outside of Goldendown, just having us around causes nothing but trouble!"

Ah. Right.

We don’t care. But outside Goldendown? All I can think of is discrimination and worse.

"W-well, I’m closer to humans…!"

"Cut off your tail and come along, then?"

"Harsh! You’re telling me to abandon my pride as a lizardman?!"

"It’s that pride that’s the problem! I’m not allowing you to come! Besides, we’ve got to push forward with the swamp reclamation—Kyle-sama won’t be happy when he wakes up if we’ve done nothing!"

"Ugh… y-yeah, I…"

This was a proper showdown.

Kyle wouldn’t care about that, but the lizardfolk would have to prioritize the task Kyle personally asked them to do.

Ignoring Shururu, on the verge of tears, Van delivered the final decision.

“Alright. The exploration team—adventurers—will be Craft, Maina, Persia, Leifan, Jitarou, Jabir, Ryuuko, Eva, Camille, Marilyn, Nobuna, and Chiyome. Twelve of you. You’ll bring back Yggdrasil-Soma—no excuses!”

The group scattered responses—“Yeah!”, “Understood!”, “Got it!”, “Hai!”, and so on—making Van frown.

“Idiots. You know the proper response, don’t you?”

I tilted my head, confused, and Van waved a hand, exasperated.

"Your catchphrase, right? Let's sync it up here!"

Catchphrase!?

I scratched my head, trying to remember if there was such a thing. Then it clicked. Probably that one.

I flashed my widest grin, thumb raised. Everyone else seemed to get it too.

And we answered the king’s request with a roar.

"Yesss! Leave it to us!!!"

We’d all meant to pull it off in perfect unison, but some of us said “we” instead of “us,” or “please leave it to us”—so it wasn’t quite tight.

Ugh!

I vowed silently to make Van pay for that loud laugh later—somehow, I’d make him cry.

Adventurer Dismissal #7—Now on sale!

June 7: The Comic-Style "Dismissal Alchemy" Vol. 5 is out!

★

We’ve changed up the way we present the lines and who’s saying them—no more of that old format.

Previously it was:

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

"Hello"

Leifan greeted.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

We used to write it like this, but now we're doing it differently.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

Leifan comes over to greet.

"Hello"

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

That's how it's changed now.

I'd love to hear your thoughts— which version feels easier to read?