Chapter 121: Conditions and follow-up (1/2)

Chapter 121: Conditions and follow-up

“Hohoh~ so these are Waka’s students. Oh, those two there, I have seen you in portraits. You must be the daughters of Rembrandt-ja na” (Tomoe)

“Y-Yes! Nice to meet you. My name is Sif Rembrandt!” (Sif)

“I’m the little sister Yuno Rembrandt! Nice to meet you!” (Yuno)

“Nice answer-ja. As expected of the Rembrandt household-ja no. This is our first time meeting face to face, but we are-“ (Tomoe)

“Kuzunoha Company’s Tomoe-sama and Mio-sama right? I have heard about you from father. I am honored to meet you” (Sif)

We entered the venue and asked Shiki the place where Jin and the others are and headed there.

Root originally planned on coming with us, but he used the excuse that he forgot work he had to do and that he would be yielding me to Tomoe and Mio. Even I can tell that he was lying. He clearly found someone, and to meet with that person, he separated.

That guy, he has some objective. No doubt that’s one of the reasons why he is talking to me. But there’s clearly other reasons he hasn’t told me about.

If I am able to ask the core of the matter, he might tell me. On the contrary, if I were to ask him what he is planning, what is his objective, or vague things like that, he would definitely not tell me.

Anyways, after separating from Root, I brought Mio, who is at my left, and Tomoe, who is at my right, to where Shiki and the students are.

And so, Tomoe is looking at the students I give classes to in an amused way.

The seven, no, excluding the Rembrandt sisters; the five probably felt uncomfortable by the gaze of Tomoe. This is their first time meeting Tomoe and Mio after all.

“I hope he didn’t call me greedy though. But I am happy that you know my name. Leaving aside Mio, I am not in Tsige that much” (Tomoe)

“Father said the two of you are the pillars that support Raidou-sensei and the Kuzunoha Company”

“That man, he does get it huh. Leaving aside that I am being put in the same standing as Tomoe-san, he understood that we are the two pillars, so I will let it slide” (Mio)

Mio, what a visible antagonism there. Or this is some new kind of bullying to Shiki? She seems to be looking at Shiki for some reason after all.

“Compared to the two, I am still inexperienced. It’s because Mio-dono is managing the administration in Tsige and Tomoe-dono is doing the foreign businesses that I am able to study under the tutelage of Raidou-sama. I am grateful” (Shiki)

Shiki talks as if answering to Mio’s gaze, and lowers his head with a smile.

Mio has made Tsige her base and every day she is been going back and forth from there to Asora while learning cooking. And she is just supporting the adventurers at whim. I haven’t really heard about her actually being involved in the company work.

Tomoe has been going here and there looking for the four seasons. Well, she does gather information of the various areas with the Forest Onis but… foreign business?

In my opinion, regarding the company’s administration and decision making, there’s actually more times that Shiki ends up teaching me.

And to say that Mio is doing the administration in Tsige, Tomoe is in charge of foreign business, and I am the one teaching.

Shiki, you don’t have to go so far to mind us. If you don’t release all that pent up stress, you will end up exploding like the time with Lime. Let’s be careful.

Ah, now that I mention information gathering. The winged-kin said that they wanted to do what the Forest Onis are doing as well. The Forest Onis are doing well, but the numbers are lacking. Also, the winged-kin –just as the name implies- can fly, so they have the plus that they can go to places the Forest Onis can’t.

If there were only plusses, there would be no wavering in having them help, but the problematic point is that they have lower specs compared to the Forest Onis. Also, the fighting power is currently higher on the Forest Onis.

The general purpose of the previously mentioned can be liquidated by dividing the works. The winged-kin, in exchange of being able to fly in the sky, are not that suited for places like seas, watersides and wetlands. It’s not to the point that they are unable to enter them, but their abilities are clearly restricted. Also, in the depths of the forest and the insides of mazes, the Forest Onis can move a lot better. On the contrary, in wide spaces like plains and mountainous areas, the winged-kin are better.

About the winged-kin, I am talking about their average capability, but it should be okay if I just appoint the elites. Just that, it is difficult to differentiate their merits. Dividing them just for the color of their wings actually brings inconveniences. Probably in the environment they have been living in, there will clearly appear merits, however, only looking at their abilities in that area will most likely bring the differences in unsuitableness… Yeah. Next time, let’s have a detailed talk with them. In addition to having those guys do that boot camp as well.

[Jin, Amelia, Daena, Misura, Izumo. This is the first time you meet them. The ones I am counting on as both of my hands are Tomoe, and Mio]

“Tomoe-ja. Nice to meet you”

“I am Mio”

So short. Mio-san, that’s not even an introduction.

Even so, the students answered the two of them with respect. Maybe they are just doing the same as Sif and Yuno, who introduced themselves first. They probably can’t tell just how much power Tomoe and Mio have after all. There isn’t that majesty when looking at them, and they are good at hiding their powers too.

“… Uhm, sensei. You said both hands but, what about Shiki-san?”

Amelia. Maybe because she idolizes Shiki, her tone is a bit low.

[Just like they said, Shiki is still in the middle of learning. Just that, in the business side, he is one of the persons I trust the most. But in terms of dangerous dealings, in other words, transportation and supply, where the fighting power and self-defense abilities are taken into account, it is certainly true that he is lacking compared to this two]

“Fighting… power?”

“Shiki-san is lacking?”

“… This is a nightmare”

Daena-san and the other three of them seem to be imagining something scary.

Just that, it looks like they don’t hold much doubts in what I just told them. Maybe that’s the result of my unusual training.

“Well, it might be hard to understand quickly with your common sense. Even so, if you are receiving the teachings of Waka, you must know that the numerical value of levels is not what determines the victor, right?” (Tomoe)

“…”

The five nod. The Rembrandt sisters nodded a breath faster than everyone else. Ahaha, looking at this, Rembrandt probably told them about Tomoe and Mio’s levels. In that case, maybe about my level as well. This is something that almost everyone in Tsige knows. The two of them are a lot more famous than me.

“Even at that numerical value, Mio and I overwhelm Shiki though. Well, what I am trying to say is, don’t use that as your basis for strength. This isn’t something that can always be relied upon you know? For example; in the things I have experienced, I have known a level 1 hyuman that has easily defeated two people that surpass level 1,000” (Tomoe)

“?!!”

“That’s not a lie you know. Fufufu. I feel like I understand why Waka and Shiki mind you guys. How charming and amusing. I will be looking forward to your matches” (Tomoe)

“… Hah~. I don’t understand it at all. No matter how I look at it, they are only chicks that have barely peeked their heads out of their eggs. The matches of these people, I think it will only turn into looking at their bodies though” (Mio)

“Yareyare, it would be good for you to learn the happiness of teaching. Tomorrow just go around the carts eating obediently. Don’t go displeasing Waka” (Tomoe)

I feel like the happiness of bullying the Forest Onis is slightly mixed in what Tomoe said. But, I am happy that she understands the fun of teaching. Because there’s less people that just look down on people that are inexperienced.

“There’s no way I would do something like that!” (Mio)

Mio might also understand a bit, if there comes a time when she teaches someone. Right now, she is still being taught and is concentrating in bettering her skills after all.

From what I have heard of Ema, even if you leave the preliminary arrangements to someone else, the cooking is basically done by the person, or so it seems. When she helps and teaches, I feel like Mio might change once again.

[Don’t fight in this kind of place, you two. Learn a bit from Shiki. Shiki, did you tell them about that matter?]

Feeling like they were about to begin something, I stop both Tomoe and Mio by calling out their names. Most of the reason why I came today was to warn my students. Since I told Rembrandt that there wasn’t a million of a chance, I should warn them properly.

“Yes. From what I have investigated, that student was Limia’s Hopelace household’s second son. Hopelace has blood relatives of the royal family. In Limia, they are big nobles that can enter the top three. Because he is the second son, he doesn’t inherit the family head, but since we are in times of war, he is being treated as the one who comes after the eldest son” (Shiki)

[Well, isn’t that quite the big-shot. His actions didn’t match that position though]

A household who has strong aristocratic power in Limia Kingdom, and big nobles huh. Moreover, the second son. If the head and the eldest son participate in the war, there’s the chance they will lose their lives. In that case, he wouldn’t just be a tool in political marriages.

Normally, it would suffice by just having the second son, third son and so on do the job, but because of pride, duty and ties of obligation, it seems they can’t do that. The hero that went from the democratic principle Japan to the Limia Kingdom, might actually be having hardships. The usual things don’t work like that there after all.

I see. So he is quite the big-shot huh. Limia’s Hopelace household. If they are prominent nobles, they should just have them educated in their own country.

… I was thinking about having Jin and the others deal with whatever came, but it seems the situation has changed a bit.

If he uses something that has way too much difficulty, I will deal with it. Things like using money to employ a brutal assassin or using poison of some kind of rare plant.

“Raidou-sensei really gets involved with troublesome people a lot huh”

That Jin. Can you please stop those eyes of ‘I have gotten used to this as well’?

[Jin. That unfaltering attitude is truly good. I think you have already heard but, the harassment that you receive, you will have to cope with it. Also, it seems everyone passed the preliminary contest but, I hope you didn’t go all out]

“Of course no. We all passed with only half of our strength”

Oh. Everyone is pushing their chest out. I expected it, but it seems that they didn’t have to fight with their all in the preliminary contest. The people that participated in it have quite the high level, but well, that’s obvious.

[Splendid. Well done, everyone]

“…”

[What is it? Aren’t you happy?]

“Normally, when sensei praises us, there’s something else”

…

They are being pretty cautious of me huh. I probably went with the same pattern too much since the Blue Lizard-kun. Well, even so, I can’t suddenly change. I also want to watch how they fight in the festival and decide if I can add more students, so I should be a bit strict.

It is a bit sad to take this kind of attitude after praising them though.

[You have good intuition. Well, I have not been watching the other students in detail, so for the preliminary contest, I mostly heard about you guys from hearsay. Even so, I could clearly tell that you guys were being way too overconfident]

“…”

[And so, I have decided to establish a restriction on you guys. Shiki will tell you what point each of you have to follow by thought transmission later. Follow those and enter the finals]

In this school festival where there are a lot of visitors, they won’t begin the tournament by doing the preliminaries of the people that want to participate. In the time of the preparation period, the preliminaries were already done. They first have to show their abilities to the academy in order to even be shown to the visitors.

In that point, Jin and the others were able to show enough ability and were able to advance. As expected, they wouldn’t mess up in the first step, so I didn’t go watch.

I had Shiki tell the students, in order, the prohibited points. In their stiffening faces, there were some who also ended up yelping.

But to show your all in a place that gathers this much attention isn’t advisable, so this time, I will have them show me their way of fighting when bound.

“… Uhm, are you serious?”

[Of course. There isn’t a single speck of joke. The matches from tomorrow on, I will be watching them. Looking forward to it]

I have done what I came here for.

Tomoe’s suggestive smile and Mio’s glance.

I leave Shiki to look after them, just like he has been doing. I want to confirm what kind of cards that big noble will be playing.

After Lorel and Aion, now comes Limia huh. At this rate, I feel like Gritonia will be coming next. I hope not.

I expected things would happen, but I didn’t think things would happen every day. If the four major powers line up, my stomach won’t be able to take it.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

“Shiki-san, wait!”

“Raidou-sensei was serious right?”

“He was serious. Those weren’t the eyes of someone joking”

“Scary. As I thought, that person is scary!”