Volume 13 Chapter 21 Hunting Point Ranking
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Hey, Iska! Show some respect to Lord Blackdagger! Get over here and greet him properly.”
Rosalinda tries to pull Iska off me, tugging at her arm.
”Huh!? But I wanted Kent’s praise… Rosalinda’s so stingy!”
”Little lady Iska, bagged another S-rank monster, did she? Lady Iska’s solo hunting scores are top-class, indeed. How many S-ranks is that now?”
Matthew, upon hearing about the S-rank hunt, places a hand on his forehead and chuckles wryly.
”Well, I should’ve bagged at least a handful by now.”
Everyone starts buzzing after hearing Iska’s confession.
Whispers like “Hey, she’s downed ten S-ranks on her own, huh?” and “Lady Miriallia’s no slouch either, that’s for sure” reach my ears.
”Damn, Iska took down ten S-ranks on this expedition alone… I’ll have to give you a reward for that.”
I give Iska’s fur a stroke before lifting her up by the rump.
”A reward for me!? Yay! Of course, Rosalinda can join in too, right?”
”Hey, Iska!”
Iska, having figured out the reward, comes over with an innocent plea.
I nod silently in agreement.
”Oh, Kent, you can’t really say you’ve gotten stronger if you don’t start solo hunting S-ranks soon.”
Milly, who’s been listening in, places a hand on my shoulder and gives a sly grin.
…Damn… Ms. Milly’s got that look; she’s definitely picking a wild hunt for tomorrow…
I decide to return her smile, despite inwardly groaning.
”I understand… I’ll give it my all again tomorrow.”
Everyone laughs at my awkward response.
For now, the large-scale monster hunting team was clearing out the southeast monsters without causing too much damage.
”Oh my, everyone just standing around chatting? The deadline for settling accounts at the Counter is approaching. Can it wait until tomorrow?”
Ms. Suzy, who’s spotted us never coming to settle our accounts, has a deep vertical line on her forehead.
To avoid causing trouble for future hunts, I quickly respond and we all head over to the accounting Counter in a hurry.
And so, my day of hunting comes to a close.
* * *
*Yaalan perspective
”How’s the situation in the Northeast?”
Sitting in the grand hall of Clanstadt’s northern fortress, I listen to Yuri’s report.
”We’ve taken roughly 40 percent of the Northeast so far. About 20 percent is territory of the True Demon Kingdom. Another 20 percent falls under the Eastern Garuda Principality. The Gwain remnants are holding about 20 percent. We’ve already sent forces──Lynthia, Claude, and others──to hunt down the remnants, but Nokin is also launching troops to wipe out Gwain’s leftovers. What shall we do?”
Felia, my trusted attendant, pips up after hearing Yuri’s report.
”Sir Yaalan… our strength can’t go any further. I believe we should hold back and observe for now. Waiting for next year’s tax revenues is the only way to avoid bankruptcy.”
Felia’s been funding our war efforts by seizing from now-destroyed noble houses──but even that source is running dry.
Guess we’ll just have to bide our time for now… then turn that patience into future deception.
As I focus on restoring our strength, my mind races with plans for the next move.
”Understood. No more military campaigns this year. Felia, focus everything on rebuilding our territory.”
”Ha!”
Felia bows and exits the study, just as Yuri slinks closer, her expression sly.
”And so… you’ll be pushing forward with your schemes?”
”Exactly. Yuri, I knew you’d see it coming. Send agents to Ugno in the Black Dragon Dukedom and its surrounds. Plan to split Fabulanova from them. Nord Dracul alone is the target──use him to stir discord between Ugno and Fabulanova. Let them weaken each other, and then we’ll strike. Also, put some pressure on the border lords and nobles.”
”Understood.”
Yuri nods sharply and vanishes into the shadows.
If I leave it to her, I’ve no doubt the Black Dragon Dukedom will ignite into chaos once again──sooner rather than later.
And once they tear themselves apart, the civil war will weaken the kingdom.
The border lords will grow tired of the chaos and rally to us.
Everything’s falling into place.
”Alright, looks like I can finally take it easy for a while.”
I stepped out of the office and made my way to my bedroom.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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