Well, that's it anyway. If we don't have enough, we can go get it, and we can get as much mithril as we want. Can you recruit people?

...... Yes, if we can keep up with the pace of ship construction, we should be able to get enough people.

Then do so. Any other problems?

No, sir. It's fun to see the store grow.

　After that, we negotiated with shipbuilders and refiners to make a detailed plan for the construction of the ship.
　He decided on a construction pace of about one ship every two weeks.
　I asked two shipyards to build it, so it was actually one ship per week.
　In the original world, this would have been an astonishingly high pace, but in this world, it is rather on the slow side.
　Then, while we were preparing the distillation equipment, high performance scythes, and transport equipment that would be needed in connection with the increased production, the date for the victory party was set, and when we had finished selecting and converting the island into new farmland, the day of the victory party arrived.

　The venue was Photoen. The attendees were mainly guild members, researchers, artisans, and people from the large merchant companies that supported them with transportation and materials.
　Those attending from our side were myself, Mercia, and Catherine, who was attending as a representative of the Kaede Chamber of Commerce.
　It seems that the artisans are gathering with other artisans, and Catherine is in that gathering.
　The only noblemen or important people in that direction were the lords of Fotolen.
　The venue was just an ordinary large hall that was rented out.
　There were a lot of people, but it was just a victory party for the people concerned.

　There were no troublesome rules regarding admission or seating order, and the organizer's greeting began as soon as people had gathered in the hall.
　Incidentally, the host is Breiva, the guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild of the Kingdom of Basis (this country).

"Welcome, everyone!　We will now celebrate the success of our mission to defeat the dragon!

　Loud cheers went up from the tables here and there.
　I don't know if it's proper etiquette for a guild master, but it's much better than being formal. I joined them in cheering.
　I waited for it to subside, and then Mr. Breiva spoke again.

This operation would not have been successful without the intelligence, equipment, transportation, and other behind-the-scenes elements. Therefore, this victory is a victory for everyone present!

　The crowd cheered again.

...... However, no one can argue that there is one person in particular who has performed exceptionally well.

　With those words, the Guildmaster turned his gaze to me.
　At the same time, a few of them looked at me and started nodding.

　Well, I knew he was talking about me when he said that.
　I was the only one who had fought the dragon directly, despite the fact that the entire guild had been involved in the preparations.

"Kaede the Adventurer, step forward!

　As soon as those words were spoken. As if it had been planned, the people in between me and the guild master's small magic loudspeaker (apparently a valuable item) split off to the left and right, creating a path.
　If you look closely, you can see that even the arrangement of the table seemed to have been designed with this in mind.
　Was that what they were aiming for?

　As I reached the loudspeaker, the guild master spoke to me again.
　Of course, his voice was also transmitted through the loudspeaker to the whole hall.

Do you have your guild card with you?

Yes.

It's going to be renewed. Give me your old card.

　...... I have a bad feeling about this.
　But of course, you have no choice but to refuse.
　I handed over my guild card, and the guildmaster smiled and pulled out a card.

　But it was clearly different in appearance from any guild card I had ever seen.
　First of all, the thickness was different.
　In what world is there a guild card that is more than three millimeters thick?
　The design was also clearly special.
　The body of the card is white with a gold border.
　My name is engraved on it in the form of mithril or something embedded in it.
　Not only that, but it seemed that everything was engraved with shining metal, except for the parts that were frequently rewritten, such as the request completion and defeat history.
　In addition, next to the guild's coat of arms, the national emblem shines brightly, which is not present on ordinary guild cards.
　The ...... glittering everywhere hurt my eyes.
　I wonder how much money was spent on the processing of the guild card.

　Finally, when I looked at the bottom right corner of the card, I understood the guild's intentions with the thought, "Oh, so this is the pattern .......
　There was a large "Rank S" and the words "Basis Kingdom Adventurer's Guild" stamped in large letters.
　The name of the country was emphasized more than on a normal card, probably to enclose it.
　And the most important reason is, of course, the rank.
　As if to prove it, the guildmaster declares in a high-pitched voice.

"Adventurer Kaede, in recognition of your outstanding contributions to the Adventurer's Guild and your outstanding abilities, you are hereby promoted to the first S Rank Adventurer in the Guild's history!

　There was an incomparable cheer from the entire hall.
　Some of them started calling for Kaede, and some of the researchers who ran into the crowd of artisans who questioned whether it was the tools' fault explained about the hopelessness of the dragon and the freakishness of me defeating it.
　Both are embarrassing and should be stopped.
　The guildmaster seemed to try to contain the commotion for a bit, but he soon realized that he couldn't do it. And then he went back to his seat and started drinking with the people around him.
　Perhaps the victory party was originally about drinking and making noise, and my promotion announcement was a prelude to that.

　Seeing this, I was left behind with a guild card in my hand that shone so brightly that it hurt my eyes, and I tried to return to my seat.
　But now that the Guildmaster was no longer an obstacle, there was no way that the crowd that wanted to celebrate me would let that go unnoticed.
　My magic and power are not precisely controllable enough to unleash on friendly people in this chaotic situation.
　So I couldn't resist, and I was quickly torn apart.
　I don't remember much of what happened next. I'm not supposed to get drunk, but ......



　The next thing I knew, it was the following evening.
　Not the next morning, but the next evening.
　The participants continued to make noise until the sun came up, and then went to bed and woke up in the evening, that's all.
　As if that had been anticipated, today's meeting was set for a little after dusk.


　Unlike the victory party, this was a serious meeting to think about the future.
　The number of participants had been narrowed down to a few representatives from each position.
　As yesterday, the guild master announced the opening of the meeting, but without the use of a loudspeaker.

We will now begin the meeting on countermeasures against demons after the defeat of the dragons. Tupone, please explain the current situation.

　An elderly man who looked like a researcher stood up with a reply.

The other day, we successfully defeated a dragon, but now we have two issues to deal with. One is the dragon. Based on the concentration of magical elements, we believe the next dragon will appear in 15 years at the earliest. So we need to be ready to deal with the next one by then.

　Some of the artisans and merchants voiced their surprise.
　Some of the artisans and merchants shouted in surprise, but the researchers and guild members seemed to have already figured it out and were calm.

　After that, there was a discussion about the specific method, but the following was decided.
　First, we will analyze the ancient documents and make it possible to create artifacts other than the basic ones.
　Then, using the technology we have developed, we will somehow complete the magic freeze (the blueprints have been found).

　Now that it is possible to decipher ancient texts, research on artifacts is advancing at an unprecedented rate.
　Many of them are difficult to create due to processing problems, and there are too many missing materials regarding their principles, but for some relatively simple ones, they have succeeded in combining existing artifacts to achieve different effects.
　This is apparently an extremely significant discovery for an artifact that until now has only performed its intended function: .......

　The right to participate in the production and research is on the condition that the merchant company that participated in this operation, so I'm thinking of joining the Kaede Chamber of Commerce.
　My knowledge from my time in Japan may come in handy, and I may be able to make a lot of money with artifacts.
　I don't really need to make any more money, but it's boring to live without doing anything.

　In addition to the artifacts, I've also decided to prepare for another fight in case the freeze doesn't succeed.
　This is mainly a stockpile of powerful magical artifacts.

　After the topic of dragons was settled, the next question was posed.

The second problem, which we have just discovered, is more pressing: the appearance of demons. As it turns out, there may be sporadic outbreaks of special demons over the next few years.

　This time, some of the guild members were surprised.

What do you mean by special?　What is the scale of the outbreak?

　The question came from the head of a branch of the Adventurers' Guild in some large city.

I'll explain one by one. First of all, the cause is that the unevenness in the concentration of magical elements caused by the appearance and disappearance of dragons creates an unevenness in other places, and as a result, places with extremely high magical element density appear. The frequency is, on average, about once a week. They number in the thousands to 10,000, and most of them are thought to be flying types.

"Once a week, 10,000 flying types!　Once a week, 10,000 flying types! That would destroy the planet even without dragons!

　The branch manager shouted.
　With 10,000 flying types to deal with, it's no wonder he reacted this way.

Fortunately, I don't think it will go that far. It is said that demons born due to anomalies in the magical element will disappear within a day after the outbreak is over because they are predicated on anomalies in the magical element. Considering that the duration of the outbreak was about half a day, it was actually only a day and a half. You don't even have to worry about it unless you happen to be in a populated area. Some of the cities may be affected, but it won't be the end of the human race.

"...... I'm sorry, I was distracted. I'm sorry.

　The branch manager apologized and took his seat.
　Mr. Tupone opened his mouth again.

The question is, how much damage can we mitigate? The problem is how much damage we can do to mitigate it. With the facilities we have now, we should be able to narrow it down to a radius of about a hundred kilometers two weeks ago, so I would like to ask the large merchant associations to help with the evacuation. Of course, there should be a reasonable reward from the government. We can work out the details later.

　The members of the Chamber of Commerce nodded.
　Of course, it won't be a charity, but that will be discussed later with the relevant people only.
　But demons move. If there are thousands of flying demons, some of them may reach other cities and cause damage.
　We need to take countermeasures against them. ......

However, there are limits to evacuation. However, evacuation will be limited. The city, the fields, and the people in the surrounding cities must also be protected. ...... To do this, we will need someone who can take on thousands of flying demons. ......

　I felt the eyes of the people in the conference hall turn towards me.
　This is definitely going to be my job, isn't it?
　Yeah, I knew that.