Chapter 09: Return
More than ten days had passed since we left Bismarck.
The journey to Ilgusia went smoothly.
Having Ike and Zeke with us meant that neither Clarice nor I had to worry about MP, which was a huge factor.
Clarice would cast 《Heal》 on the horses continuously, and when her MP ran dry, I would switch in. Once Clarice's MP recovered, I would deplete my MP and switch back with her. By repeating this cycle, we were able to keep the horses running for over ten hours a day.
And now, having left Almeria, we were almost at Ilgusia.
It was already past 18:00, but this area was like our own backyard. Since it wasn't particularly dangerous, we kept the horses running straight for Ilgusia.
The four of us were making final confirmations before reaching Ilgusia.
"Clarice, once we get to Ilgusia, you should keep your Holy Magic hidden as much as possible from anyone other than the Bryant family or those close to us. Is that clear?"
Zeke confirmed with Clarice.
"Yes. That was my intention."
"Also, I would like you to live with us at the Bryant household, Clarice. We want to welcome you as a new family member. I've already told everyone except Mars, and obtained their consent. Is that alright?"
"T-Thank you very much. I look forward to living with you."
"Father, thank you."
"Alright, we'll discuss the details once we get home. Look, Ilgusia is coming into view."
Ilgusia, seen for the first time in a while, looked a little different.
The number of magic stones illuminating the town had increased significantly.
"The number of Magic Stone Lamps is amazing... With this, we can walk outside safely even at night."
Clarice also voiced her admiration for the fantastical light created by the magic stones.
"This was done because Father and Mother rallied the adventurers and residents to install them so they could go look for Mars even at night. Naturally, I helped too."
I really caused my family a lot of worry. I have to be filial to make up for it.
With new resolve in my heart, I passed through the gates of Ilgusia. There, starting with Maria and Lina, everyone from 【Blue Fang】 to the adventurers and residents of Ilgusia was gathered to welcome us.
"""Mars! Welcome home!!!"""
Once they knew I was fine, everyone's interest shifted from me to Clarice.
Especially in Ilgusia, due to the difficulty of the dungeon, there were many E-Rank adventurers who had risen from G and F-Ranks—often called "Papers". E-Rank adventurers were generally around fifteen years old. So, Clarice, who looked slightly younger than them, immediately stole the gazes... and hearts... of those impressionable guys.
Clarice, having monopolized everyone's gaze, followed apologetically behind me.
When we returned home, a grand party was held. Some adventurers and residents were also invited, and as always, everyone's gaze and interest were poured onto Clarice.
Since I had heard from Zeke beforehand that there would be a party, I had asked to speak first, so I was allowed to give a greeting before Zeke.
"Everyone, I am truly sorry for causing you so much trouble this time. It seems some of you are surprised or interested in the lady who came with me, so let me introduce her. Clarice, come here."
I called Clarice, who was talking with Maria, to my side.
"This is Clarice Lampard-san. She is a precious person to me, so I hope you will all treat her well."
When I introduced her, she showed the same gesture as before: lightly lifting the hem of her skirt, pulling her left leg diagonally back, and slightly bending her right knee.
"Nice to meet you all. My name is Clarice Lampard, as just introduced. I am honored to be taken in by the Bryant family. I am sure I still have much to learn, but I humbly ask for your guidance and encouragement."
Perhaps Clarice was nervous, but her greeting sounded like that of a working adult in a corporate setting, causing me to chuckle slightly.
Among the party attendees, some were impressed by her splendid choice of words and demeanor, but the young adventurers simply hung their heads in despair.
"I imagine there will be more to discuss regarding Clarice at a later date. Today is a celebration of Mars's return and a welcome party for Clarice. Let's forget about formalities and enjoy ourselves! Cheers!"
When Zeke led the toast, the young adventurers downed their drinks and started crying, as if to wash away their pent-up frustrations.
—The next day.
Zeke gathered the Bryant family and Clarice for a family meeting.
"Mars, Clarice, I'm sorry to do this when you must be tired from your long journey, but we need to decide our course of action moving forward."
At Zeke's words, a tense atmosphere settled over all the participants.
Incidentally, Lina was sitting on Clarice's lap. It seemed she had become quite attached in just one day; apparently, Lina had even slept in the same bed as Clarice last night.
"First, Ike. I want you to aim for enrollment at the Lister National School next January. The exams start this December. Are you up for it?"
I involuntarily looked at Clarice hearing Zeke's words. Lister National School?! That was the school Sasha and Cyrus told us to go to! Why did that name suddenly come out of Zeke's mouth? However, whether Ike had anticipated this or had already been told, he answered without hesitation.
"Yes, Father. I will definitely pass the exam for the Lister National School, hailed as the most difficult on the continent."
Next, Zeke turned his gaze to me.
"Mars. I want you to help procure materials for a large-scale apartment complex where adventurers can settle down! Specifically, bricks! The timeframe is one month! Will you help?"
Bricks? If people are going to live in it, he must mean proper fired bricks, right? Come to think of it, I saw several magnificent brick mansions in Almeria... but aren't those difficult to make?
"Understood. But I don't know how to make bricks."
"Ah, no worries there. As you know, most of the guys in Ilgusia are immigrants from Almeria. I've already spoken to the carpenters about the details, so don't worry."
If that was the case, it would be a piece of cake. It seemed like it would be useful for the future, too.
"Okay!"
When I replied loudly, Zeke nodded in satisfaction.
"I want Clarice to get used to Ilgusia as much as possible over this next month. So that you can think of this place as your second home. Maria, I'm counting on you too."
When Zeke looked back and forth between Maria and Clarice as he spoke, Maria replied:
"Of course. I'll do anything for my future daughter."
The Bryant family seemed to be proceeding with the strategy of "filling in the outer moats"—making it impossible for her to back out.
Clarice blushed and showed a relieved expression (or maybe it just looked that way to me).
"Thank you very much, Maria-san. I look forward to your guidance."
When Clarice answered, Maria and Lina attacked.
"You might not get used to it right away, but please call me 'Mother'."
"Can Lina call Clarice-san 'onee-chan' too?"
The Bryant family's fierce offensive against an eight-year-old girl began.
"The reason I set a one-month deadline for Mars and Clarice is that I want you two and Ike to dive into the Ilgusia Dungeon one month from now. I want you to level up, get equipment, and if possible, earn money there."
I didn't think we were struggling for money, so why?
"What I am about to say is the future outlook for the Bryant family. I aim to be promoted to Count."
Zeke, who had never shown interest in titles before, was aiming for a promotion?! However, Maria and Ike weren't surprised. He might have told them while I was away.
"To achieve that, we inevitably need money. And personnel. Asking Mars to build a large apartment complex is also for the sake of securing personnel. Among adventurers, there are those like 【Blue Fang】 who will become stronger, but there are also those who have passed their growth period and given up on working on the front lines. Such adventurers sometimes turn to banditry or fall into slavery to survive. So, I want to hire those adventurers as this town's vigilance committee... the town guard. If I am promoted to Count, I intend to welcome them as members of the knight order or as instructors!"
Zeke spoke with increasing passion.
"The members of 【Blue Fang】 agreed with my opinion and decided to stay in this town. And 【Red Wing】, a party just as promising as 【Blue Fang】, has also agreed. Ike should be familiar with 【Red Wing】. They are a C-Rank party where everyone is a D-Class adventurer. I want to hire these two parties, 【Blue Fang】 and 【Red Wing】, along with one other party to constantly monitor the Ilgusia Dungeon. Of course, Maria and I will also dive into the Ilgusia Dungeon. Eventually, I hope to form about three knight orders. Well, that's about it. Are there any questions?"
Since Zeke asked us, I immediately asked a question.
"Why did it suddenly seek that Ike-nii should aim for the Lister National School? And what kind of school is it?"
"Ah. Actually, I didn't know about the Lister National School until recently either. You sent a letter before leaving Granzam, right? There was a letter from Count Beetle attached to it. He said that he wanted the talented Mars and Clarice to study at the Lister National School by all means."
Count Beetle did?
"That was when I looked into the Lister National School. I found out that talented children selected from various countries are educated by top-class teachers there, and after graduation, it's not a dream to serve A-Class adventurers or the great nobles of the Lister Federation."
Was it such a school that he would want the heir of the Bryant family to attend, even if it meant sending him to another country? Well, if he could spend his days polishing his skills with children of the same age, it would be quite a good stimulus.
As I was convinced, Zeke added more explanation.
"Actually, I consulted the Carmel Margrave as well. He said that two of his outstanding children took the exam for the Lister National School in the past, but the result was failure. Furthermore, they weren't even allowed to take the test properly; they were handed several sheets of paper just a short walk from the main gate and failed right there. Apparently, his grandson took it this year, but he also failed."
Eh? Isn't it strange to fail just by being handed some papers without even taking a test? How would you even know why you failed?
My doubts deepened, but Zeke said he didn't know why they failed either. Well, you couldn't exactly ask, "Why did you fail?" when someone's child or grandchild failed a school entrance exam.
I was curious about why he was aiming for a promotion, but salarymen aim for promotions, and adventurers aim for higher ranks. I was surprised by Zeke's sudden declaration, but thinking about it, it seemed normal, so I swallowed my words.
"Alright, if there are no other questions, I'm counting on you starting tomorrow. Tomorrow, the five of us—me, Maria, Ike, Mars, and Clarice—will head to the boss room. We confirmed Clarice's strength in Rimulguard, but show us your Holy Magic and other spells too!"
—The next day.
The five of us headed to the boss room of the Ilgusia Dungeon.
To state the conclusion: they were able to fight with composure even without me. As expected, Clarice's Magic Arrow from the rear was effective. It consumed little MP and could deal considerable damage.
If Ike thrust his spear into a damaged Goblin General from a distance, it would turn into a magic stone or be rendered incapacitated immediately.
Zeke and Maria only joined the fight against the Goblin King and Goblin Lord, but viewing it with Vision, Ike and Clarice alone would probably be fine.
While watching everyone fight, I was doing my own training in Earth Magic. I wanted to raise my level even a little to make bricks efficiently.
As we dove a few times, Zeke must have thought it was safe, because the number of times the four of them dove without me increased.
Clarice still had her trump card, Barrier Magic, after all. She had shown it to Ike and Zeke once, but they hadn't fallen into a dangerous enough situation to use it in actual combat yet.
In the meantime, I proceeded with building the apartment complex.
—And then, one month passed.
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