That day, Margrave Rowlocks, the noble ruler of the city of Gilm, was rudely awoken.

A report had arrived that Orcs had established a settlement roughly a day’s march from Gilm, prompting battle preparations and the mobilisation of his knights. A force of capable adventurers had also been assembled for the Orc subjugation force. As part of a lord’s routine duties, he had to process endless paperwork, and right in the middle of these hectic days, a letter from the Royal Capital had arrived.

His saving grace was knowing the chaos would only last until the Orc subjugation was complete. Had he been forced to endure a whole month under such conditions, Margrave Rowlocks might very well have thrown in the towel.

At the end of another exhausting day, the weary Margrave Rowlocks, who had been sleeping like a log, was abruptly jolted awake by knocks at his door that grew steadily louder, rising from polite taps to urgent thuds. He forced his eyes open at the noise.

Margrave Rowlocks rose from his bed and looked around.

Darkness still filled the room, leading him to believe he had barely managed a few hours of sleep.

「What on earth……」

Still, being the feudal lord, he draped a robe over his nightclothes and opened the door.

Standing on the other side was his secretary, who should have been just as exhausted as he was. Yet, unlike Margrave Rowlocks, the man showed no trace of weariness or sleep. If anything, his face beamed with delight.

「My lord, forgive me for disturbing your rest. However, I needed to inform you as soon as possible.」

「I don’t mind. What happened?」

「A short while ago, several members of the Orc subjugation force returned.」

Hearing the words “several members” gave Margrave Rowlocks a sinking feeling, but it vanished with the secretary’s next words.

「According to the report delivered to the guild, the Orc subjugation was completed safely.」

「Truly?」

「Yes. They returned ahead of the main force to report the completion of the request as quickly as possible. However……」

「What is it?」

「Having rescued two women who were held captive in the Orc settlement, they requested that the women be allowed to rest in peace without disturbance.」

「……I see.」

Women captured by an Orc settlement. It was all too easy to imagine the horrific treatment they had suffered.

「See to it that they are welcomed warmly. Provide them with all the care and support we can muster.」

「Understood.」

「Even so, they managed to crush the Orc settlement safely……did they?」

Margrave Rowlocks let out a deep sigh of relief. Had the subjugation force been wiped out, hardly any fighting strength would remain in the city to hold back the Orc horde. If he had been forced to appeal to the Royal Capital and accept troops dispatched from either the Aristocratic Faction or the Royalist Faction, it would have put him at a serious political disadvantage down the line.

(Come to think of it, that letter might actually work out in our favour.)

Recalling the letter that had arrived earlier that day, he quickly shook his head.

Regardless, he could celebrate the fact that Gilm’s adventurers had successfully defeated the Orcs.

「So then, what was leading the Orcs? Was it a rare species?」

Lately, reports of rare species being sighted around the frontier, including the city of Gilm, had been on the rise. The most recent incidents involved Goblins led by a rare species attacking travellers and merchants along the highway.

(……Now that I think about it, I haven’t heard any reports of Goblin attacks over the past few days. Did they catch on that we were on our guard and move somewhere else?)

Naturally, the thought that the new adventurer who had brought the Griffon had already wiped out that rare species never crossed Margrave Rowlocks’s mind.

However, the secretary answered his question.

「No. According to the adventurers who returned, the horde was led by an Orc King.」

「……What? Did my ears deceive me?」

Margrave Rowlocks’s secretary shook his head.

「You heard correctly. An Orc King was indeed leading them. The presence of numerous higher-ranking Orcs, including Orc Archers, Orc Mages, and Orc Generals, was also confirmed. Furthermore, while initial reports estimated fifty Orcs, their actual numbers were well over a hundred.」

「Wait. Hold on, hold on, hold on. A massive horde of higher-ranking species alongside an Orc King, numbering over a hundred? And our force still won?」

According to the initial briefing from the guild master, the Orc subjugation force consisted of only thirty people, hardly enough to face more than a hundred Orcs.

「From what I was told, the A-rank party Axe of the Thunder God served as the core fighting force and cut down the majority of the Orcs.」

「Ah, right. Now that you mention it, I remember hearing that Axe of the Thunder God had joined the expedition. Forgive me, my head still feels half asleep.」

「It is only natural, my lord. You have been wrestling with a mountain of paperwork these past few days.」

「Wait, hold on a moment. Did Axe of the Thunder God slay the Orc King, then?」

His secretary furrowed his brow slightly at the question.

The tale he had heard was so unbelievable that he hesitated over whether he should share it with his master.

「……Was that not the case?」

Noticing his secretary’s hesitation, Margrave Rowlocks asked again with suspicion. Making up his mind, the secretary finally spoke.

「Well, I cannot say for certain, as this is only what the returning adventurers reported……」

「Stop beating around the bush and spit it out.」

「……A G-rank adventurer defeated the Orc King in single combat.」

「Impossible! Isn’t an Orc King a B-rank monster!? A G-rank adventurer……no, wait a second. Are you certain it was a G-rank adventurer?」

「That is the exact information I received.」

At his secretary’s words, Rei’s image flashed through Margrave Rowlocks’s mind. He certainly did not know of any newly registered G-rank adventurer capable of felling an Orc King other than Rei. In fact, checking the roster of the subjugation force, Rei was the only G-rank adventurer who had participated. Even so.

(If Set, as a Griffon and an A-rank monster, had brought down the Orc King, that would make sense. But according to the report, it fell in single combat. In other words, this kid, Rei, has the power to defeat a B-rank monster on his own?)

Margrave Rowlocks felt his interest in Rei and the youth’s perceived importance soar once again.

As expected, any lingering drowsiness was blown clean away, and the margrave began issuing orders one after another.

While sleep was essential for an exhausted body, Margrave Rowlocks was brimming with excitement, joy, and relief. With such a storm of emotions, sleep was out of the question.

「So, when is the main subjugation force scheduled to return?」

「Considering the time needed to clear out the Orc settlement, the day after tomorrow at the earliest.」

「The day after tomorrow……Very well. Send a messenger to the subjugation force on the morning of their return. We will hold a parade when they enter the city.」

「A parade? But my lord, wouldn’t that consume a significant portion of our budget……」

「I understand your concern. However, word that an Orc settlement appeared within a day’s march of Gilm has already spread throughout the city. To dispel the residents’ anxiety, we must make a grand show of it.」

A subjugation force of thirty members, including an A-rank party, could hardly depart without causing a stir, and news of the Orc settlement had quickly spread through the city’s commercial district. Disclosing the information through the Adventurers Guild had been necessary to keep wild rumours from causing mass panic. Fortunately, it had not led to panic-buying among the merchants, but unease still lingered in the air. Under these circumstances, Margrave Rowlocks knew that putting the victorious subjugation force on display was the best way to put the public at ease.

「In that case……we need a hero.」

「A hero, my lord?」

The secretary responded to Margrave Rowlocks’s murmur.

「Indeed. Someone who can serve as the symbol of the subjugation force.」

Two names immediately came to mind. One was Elk, leader of Axe of the Thunder God and a well-known powerhouse in Gilm. Margrave Rowlocks had met him several times on business and had a good grasp of his character. He could trust Elk to understand the purpose behind the parade.

The other was Rei, the youth who had defeated the Orc King. Margrave Rowlocks had never met him in person, knowing him only through rumours and official paperwork.

(Should I present Rei as the hero of the hour? ……No, it’s too risky when I know nothing of his character. If he proves difficult, things could go sour, and at worst he might decide to leave Gilm altogether. If the goal is to provide a reassuring figure for the residents, Elk, as leader of the renowned Axe of the Thunder God, is a far safer choice than a freshly registered rookie.)

「It will be Elk.」

「Pardon? Ah, forgive me. Elk it is, then. I will make the arrangements immediately.」

The secretary wondered for a moment why his lord had not chosen Rei, who was credited with slaying the Orc King, but quickly reached the same conclusion. Bowing respectfully, he turned and left the room to coordinate with the guild and gather further details.

Watching his secretary leave, Margrave Rowlocks sank heavily onto his bed.

「Not only is he accompanied by Set, as a Griffon and an A-rank monster, but he also possesses the strength to slay a B-rank Orc King in single combat. Combining his own might with that of his Griffon, he easily rivals an A-rank party. Yet he holds such power while sitting at G rank……no, wait. G rank? I see.」

Looking around the room, he recalled the letter that had arrived the day before. It requested assistance with a particular matter, and right in the middle were the specified requirements: adventurers promoted to D rank.

「Even if Elk serves as the public face of the subjugation force, nothing changes the fact that Rei defeated the Orc King. If he is promoted straight to E rank, his achievements are more than enough to justify having him take the rank up test to D rank immediately.」

By pure coincidence, Margrave Rowlocks’s assessment aligned perfectly with that of Hobbes, commander of the subjugation force.

「Leaving someone who matches an A-rank party sitting at G rank offers nothing but disadvantages for Gilm.」

Muttering to himself as if to reinforce his conviction, he noticed the room had grown considerably brighter. The morning sun had risen while he was lost in thought.

Thus began another busy day for Margrave Rowlocks. Yet the weariness from the previous day had completely vanished from his face, replaced by an eager vitality as he prepared for the parade and took up his duties as lord.

 

 

Two days later, several carriages pulled by warhorses rolled along the highway toward the city of Gilm.

「A victory parade, huh? And I have to lead it?」

Inside one of the carriages, Elk’s disgruntled voice resonated. Five people were seated together: Hobbes, Rei, and the members of Axe of the Thunder God.

The source of his complaining was the notification brought by the messenger earlier that morning. A parade on its own might not have bothered him, but the instructions specified that Elk, who despised formal functions, was to lead the subjugation force from the city gates all the way to the guild.

「It can’t be helped. News of the Orc settlement has already spread across the city, and Margrave Rowlocks wants to dispel the residents’ anxiety.」

Sitting across from Elk, Min shared her view and told him to give up resisting.

「I know that, but you know how much I hate being put on a pedestal.」

「I know that very well, but weigh your personal preferences against calming the fears of the residents. Which do you think is more important?」

「Guh~……Even so, why me? Why not Rei? After all, he’s the one who took down the Orc King.」

「Don’t be unreasonable. You’re famous as the leader of the A-rank party Axe of the Thunder God, whereas Rei only just registered with the guild. It doesn’t take much thought to see which one the public would find more reassuring. ……Besides, if Rei has no objections, he can serve as a representative later.」

Rei shook his head side to side at Hobbes’s words.

「Spare me from that kind of hassle. If it has to be Axe of the Thunder God, why not let Rhodes lead? You could present him as the next successor to the party, or something like that.」

「Oi, are you trying to use me as a sacrificial lamb!?」

Rhodes’s voice dripped with horror at the thought of being forced to lead.

While he did not mind seeing his parents in the spotlight, he had no desire to be dragged into it himself.

「Calm down, both of you. Give it up, Elk. Look, the city is already in sight. We’ll halt to form a single column.」

With those words, Hobbes blew the Magic Whistle to signal all the carriages to halt.

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