Immediately after I cast a defensive spell, a massive blast of magic tools that had been planted in the underground organization's base rushed towards me.
The ground was also destroyed, so I cast a defensive spell as I was blown away, and waited for the explosion to end.
The blast seemed to be directed rather upward, and I was blown high into the sky.

Fortunately, the blast magic didn't last too long.
Soon the explosion was over, I landed, and the flames and smoke began to clear.

"...... Wow. This is terrible. ......

The building that had been their base was blown up from the first floor, and the surrounding buildings were almost completely destroyed.
However, the explosion was momentary, and perhaps it was fortunate that the magic tools emphasized explosive power rather than heat, so no fire seemed to have broken out.
And strangely enough, there were no civilians involved. Not a single person.

Given the time and place, it's hard to imagine that there were no people there by chance.
Then there's the possibility that--
Well, I guess we'll find out later.



A few hours later.
Mercia and I were waiting in a room at the inn for Lake and the others who had gone to destroy Gengar's organization.

"Oh!　Great catch!　We've got some pretty good booze.

And the snacks are perfect!　Of course, we've destroyed every last one of Gengar's cells.

Of course, we've destroyed every last one of Gengar's gangs, except the ones we thought might have information.

"I only turned in the ones I thought might have information.
But I've got some questions I need to ask them.
We'll talk about the food later.

What's your excuse?

When they heard what I said, they nodded their heads.
It was as if they had no idea what I was going to say.

"...... what are you talking about?

You guys knew that the base I went to was going to blow up all the buildings around me!

Lake and the others knew about the explosion beforehand and evacuated the surrounding residents.
I can't think of any other way to do it without causing collateral damage.

That's right. I told you in the beginning that I had checked the traps properly.

Then where's the talk about safety?

If it's safe, then the only dangerous places in this world are in front of dragons and sub-dragons.
At least Desi Battley is a safe place. That's impossible.

"Come on, maple. Think about it. Was maple hurt in the explosion?　Did it get a scratch?

No.

I noticed it just before and used a defensive spell.
I did get blown into the air, though.

Any illness or poisoning?

No.

Explosion magic is not a bacteriological weapon, and the explosion was instantaneous, so there was no lack of oxygen or carbon monoxide poisoning.
I don't even know if explosions caused by magic tools eat oxygen in the first place.

Any burns?

No.

Look, it's safe!

You're right, it's safe. ......?

When people say things like this as if it's natural, it certainly seems safe.
I feel like I'm being deceived. ......

I don't care about that, let's talk about food. I've got some good meat.

What's that ......?
Well, it's certainly not as important as the meat. It's just an explosion, right? Yeah.

I'll get you a drink!

We're having an audience tomorrow, so no alcohol .......

There's nothing in this world that can give a decibatore a hangover, so don't worry. Mercia's ...... maple's recovery magic should be able to handle most of them!

That's right. Then I'll have a little .......

And so the night before the audience passed.


The next day.
We woke up to the sound of bells as usual.

"Finally, an audience. ...... Are you sure it's okay for me to go?

I'm sure the king will be annoyed if I go alone.　I know very little about the trade association.

That's true, but ......

I'm not sure what to do if I were to receive a territory.
I don't have any experience in territory management.
Mercia probably doesn't either, but if you're an adventurer and a merchant, a merchant is probably better suited to run a territory.

However, Mercia told me in her spare time that this was unlikely.
Basically, the country's stance is to keep adventurers out of the country, and even if the king wanted to give me a territory, he'd probably face too much opposition.
Well, I don't need a territory, so please don't give it to me. It would be too much work.



...... Oh, by the way, do I need to go to the royal castle for an audience?

The letter about the audience didn't say where I should go on the day.
Does it mean that I don't have to tell you?

No, sir. No. You've been assigned a place to stay, and I think you'll be fine if you wait here.

"Is that what ...... is for?

I've never had an audience with an adventurer before, but if it's the same as a merchant or something, we should just wait.

Mercia and Lake agreed. I guess we should just wait.
I don't know much about the customs of this world, but I've never found anything wrong with the information that Lake brought to me.
Except for the ...... safety stuff.

--A few minutes later.

"Miss Kaede. We've come for you.

About ten guards came to my room.
I checked their status with [Information Manipulation Analysis] just to be sure, but it didn't seem to be a trap set by the organization.



Thus, Mercia and I were taken by the guards to the royal palace.
We stopped in front of a richly decorated door.

"Are you ready for an audience?

What, an audience out of the blue?

Isn't there a more complicated procedure for an audience?

There are some circumstances. It's an informal audience.

Even if it's unofficial, how is it so easy to meet the king? .......

Why don't you keep your weapons?

As I was thinking about it, Mercia asked the guard a question.
I'm sure I've heard that before meeting the king, you have to leave your weapons with him.
Isn't it supposed to be deposited before entering the palace?

Normally, yes, but in Kaede's case, she has so many weapons that it's not practical to keep them. The King has also agreed to this. As long as you are willing, it doesn't matter if you have a weapon or not. ......

You've been blunt: .......
I'm not sure if you've heard of this, but I'm sure you've heard of it.



After such a conversation, I was ushered into the presence of the king.

The king was a man of mature age. He was not as big as the warriors of Decibatore, but he was much more powerful.
The king spoke to me.

"Thank you for coming. Kaede the Adventurer, Mercia the Merchant Chairman of Kaede Trading Company.

"Oh, thank you for .......

I didn't know how to respond, but when Mercia, who was standing next to me, dropped to her knees, I mimicked her and replied.

I replied, mimicking her. You've done more since the founding of our country than any other man since you took back Brokens, defeated dragons and sub-dragons, and put down the demon outbreak.

Then the King broke off.

To reward you for your achievements, I would like to bestow upon you the title of Count and a fiefdom.

The air in the room froze for a moment at the sudden statement.
Mercia's expression is normally normal, but her movements are frozen.

"...... territory, huh?

What I had feared had happened.
I've just heard that you don't give territories to adventurers.
I'd prefer not to, but how could I say no?

Domains. Of course, there is no precedent for granting territories or nobility to adventurers, and there was naturally some opposition. But a territory is a territory, so I managed to convince them.

"......GivesFiefdom......

Is it possible that the land is not wanted by others?
Maybe the land is too thin, too unsafe...

"The tax revenue is negative because we're too busy dealing with demons. The inhabitants are too powerful to rule properly. No one wants to keep it, so it's now under the direct control of the royal family. ...... I'm sure you'll like it.

It was worse than I expected.
What is there to like about it?

You can certainly give it to adventurers, but ...... it would be a nuisance for me to receive such land.
In this country, are we supposed to be punished for slaying dragons?

That's not all. Not only that, no nobleman has ever entered that city in the last 100 years. On the contrary, 'I'll give you the city' is the highest form of threat in this country.

Isn't that the worst?
Is that ......?　I've heard of that city before.

Is it Decibatore, by any chance?

Correct. And Brokens, too. I'm giving you all the land south of the outer wall of Photoren. Including the demon realm.

That's an awful lot of land, isn't it, ......?

If we could cultivate it, it would be several times the size of this country. And that's a lot of expensive land. I'm not saying for free. We'll give you the same amount of money every year for the defense of the front cities as we've been spending on the defense of Desibatore. We'll even exempt you from state taxes.

...... I thought I was going to be forced to deal with unwanted garbage, but actually I was treated exceptionally well.


I don't know if that's safe for the country.

You look suspicious, don't you?

With all due respect, sir, I don't see the benefit to the country. ......

What? Brokens, the most important defense center in the country, will be protected by the greatest hero. That's more than enough change for me. In addition, Kaede has contributed more than enough to this country ...... and this world. In fact, the past has been strange.

Well, if that's what you're talking about, what's wrong with accepting it?
I'm curious about the taxpayer subsidies, but as for that, if there's any left over, we can just give it back.