Chapter 103: The Adventurers' Gathering ②

"Hafuh? Lord Reima... and Lord Goro? You both look exhausted. Are you quite alright?"

"I'm telling you, Kagura... female adventurers are terrifying."

"They're my friend’s party, so I suppose it couldn't be helped... I’m just glad we finally managed to slip away."

Tsubaki—or rather, Kagura—was waiting for us.

She looked different than usual, dressed in an elegant furisode, and was currently stuffing her face with food. By the time Kaiser and I finally reached her side, we were both completely drained.

If anyone had asked what happened, the answer was simple: we’d been swarmed by a mob of female adventurers and subjected to a relentless interrogation. Navigating a sea of more than a dozen over-eager people had been more taxing than a dungeon dive. Senka had stepped in to act as a shield so we could make our escape, but the mere thought of having to experience that again made me want to pack up and go home immediately. It was that bad.

As my vocabulary withered under the weight of mental fatigue, Kagura finished the mouthful she was chewing, swallowed, and looked at us.

"Good work, Lord Reima... Though, Lord Goro, I really think it’s time you got used to that sort of thing."

"As if I ever could! I am the solitary Dragon Emperor!"

"Then why not dive back into that crowd right now? You are the Dragon Emperor, aren't you?"

"I’m sorry. Please, just let me stay here."

Kaiser’s response to the jab was a reflexive shout followed by a near-instant, ninety-degree bow of apology as Kagura pointed back toward the area where Senka and the others were still fighting the good fight.

"Honestly, Lord Goro, you’re hopeless. Your junior is going to weep for you."

"...Why are you bringing that guy up now?"

"Birds of a feather, I suppose," Kagura murmured poignantly, returning to her meal. There was a look of profound pity in her eyes, and I had the distinct, sinking feeling that I was included in that assessment.

"So, Lord Reima, what brings you over to this side?"

"Just making the rounds to say hello, I guess. Yamato is in your guild, right?"

"Indeed. He is the nominal head of our guild, [Amatsushuu]... though he rarely bothers with actual work."

"Well, he does seem like the type to spend every waking moment in a dungeon."

"That is exactly the case. I heard from Saaya-nee that he apparently found a stray dungeon to dive into even today, just to kill time before the ceremony."

That sounds like him, I thought, picturing the man who was currently nowhere to be found.

According to the itinerary on my invitation, he was supposed to be acting as a sort of master of ceremonies, so he was likely backstage or in a prep room. I still hadn't adjusted to the suffocating atmosphere of the hall. Knowing that my epithet announcement would be broadcast live on the Dungeon Agency’s official channel only made the knots in my stomach tighten.

As I was brooding over the pressure, my mobile terminal buzzed with a message. I checked the screen. It was time. I was being summoned to the seventh floor.

"Sorry, you two... I’ve been called. I have to go."

"Safe travels!" Kagura chirped.

"Do your best, my friend! Go and receive what is yours!"

With their encouragement ringing in my ears, I did my best to thin my presence and slipped through the personnel corridor toward the conference hall on the upper floors.

Yamato was already waiting behind the scenes. He gave me a sharp, jaunty grin the moment he spotted me.

"Yo, Reima boy! You actually look the part!"

"You look different too, Yamato. Not used to seeing you without that casual kimono."

"Well, yeah. Even I put on formal wear for an occasion like this."

"I still feel like this is a bit much for a naming ceremony for just one person."

"Eh, I have my doubts about the scale too. But they’re doing introductions for the other top-rankers as well, so it’s about right."

"Ah... I think I remember seeing something about that in the fine print."

I recalled the schedule attached to the invitation mentioning that this would serve as a formal introduction for other S-Rank Adventurers as well.

"So you really did overlook it. That’s typical of you. What were you doing, Reima?"

"...Why are you here too, Laura?"

"The crowd was too much for me. Yamato found me while I was hitting my limit and brought me back here."

She gave a small, haughty snort. It’s not exactly something to be smug about, I thought, but I was grateful to Yamato for looking out for her. She had always been bad with crowds.

"Wait, so is every S-Rank in the country going to be here?"

"That was the plan," Yamato said, his expression souring slightly. "But three of the problem children aren't showing up."

"Problem children?"

"Lady Shiraku, Lady Ena, and... the Ouma brat."

"I know Ena, but by Ouma, do you mean [Carnage]?"

"Yeah. I figured those three wouldn't show, and they didn't disappoint—they flatly refused. Besides, the Shiraku girl is currently overseas anyway."

I could understand the first two being no-shows, and having met the guy called Ouma once, he didn't exactly seem like the type to enjoy a gala. I didn't know much about Shiraku, other than the fact that she was a female Summoner, just like me.

"So," Yamato continued, "the six of us who actually showed up will be doing the opening greetings."

"In that case, wouldn't it have been better if I came in with everyone else?"

"Nah. There was something I wanted to ask you before the curtains went up."

"Something you wanted to ask?"

Yamato nodded gravely. I waited for him to find the words.

"Listen, boy. From today on, you’re an S-Rank Adventurer. You'll be one of the pillars carrying the weight of Japan on your shoulders. I don't know if you've fully accepted that yet, and God knows the political red tape is only going to get worse... but do you have any regrets about choosing this path?"

"............Well, I suppose not. I can't keep hiding forever, anyway."

I had made my resolution back during the Perseus incident. To show my face, to demonstrate my power... I knew it meant I had to shoulder the consequences. I still didn't trust the government, and I lived with the constant knowledge that the world could turn on me out of fear at any moment.

There were plenty of things that scared me. Plenty of things I had to worry about.

But for the sake of returning this body to the original Reima, and so that the people of this world could live in peace, I had to move forward. As long as I had the strength to fight, I would.

If that meant using the government for my own ends, so be it. I couldn't afford to cling to empty platitudes; I’d learned that lesson the hard way when I was betrayed and murdered in my past life. I didn't know what the future held, and there might be enemies out there I couldn't handle alone—but even then, I knew I could make it through as long as my Summoned Beasts were by my side.

"Besides, I have my comrades," I said, my voice steady. "So... I'll be fine."

"Ha! Is that so? Then I can rest easy. Alright, boy, stay put until your cue! We’re going out there to warm up the crowd for you!"