An S-Class Master's Work

S-Class Master.

In this world they were the highest soldiers, the highest politicians, the highest idols, the highest athletes, and… royalty.

A presence so great that listing the names of S-Class Masters was nearly synonymous with listing the leading figures of history.

And I'd just joined the tail end of that group.

At the very summit of this world's power.

I felt my back straighten.

… Well, no point in agonizing over it too much, I supposed.

Even when the king changed, the lives of the people didn't differ, as the saying went.

Kofuku-gekijo. We'd learned about it in class.

"All right, first let's get a rundown on what to do now that I'm S-Class."

I asked Ursula. Of course she readily agreed.

"The Japanese team probably doesn't know what S-Class even is, so if anyone's interested let's all listen together."

So everyone could hear the explanation, we gathered in Castle Ernest's meeting room.

"Mm, well then, I shall explain the duties of an S-Class Master.

"Before that, the matter of income.

"The annual income of an S-Class Master is roughly 1 billion. That is the base salary. On top of that come allowances for each mission… at the high end, it can reach 10 billion per year. Usually it is around 2 to 3 billion."

… 2 to 3 billion. Since higher amounts inflated more and lost value, in Japanese yen that came to roughly 100 to 150 billion yen.

No doubt I was now genuinely a celebrity.

"Now, first off, if you look at your status in the system, you'll see the basic duty content."

"I see… So with Stein dropping to B-Class and being out, the 128th-place Master fills in."

"No, the one who's out is me. By rights I would have dropped to A-Class No. 1, but I became thy Sub-Master.

"All A-Class Masters move up by one slot, and No. 128 is now vacant.

"Then, the Master who takes that vacant No. 128 position becomes assigned to thee."

"Ah, I see."

"A tournament to decide No. 128 will be held among B-Class Masters in the near future, it seems."

Lyuka added.

"Huh… Should I go watch that too?"

"If you're interested."

"… I'll think about it."

I obviously didn't know B-Class Masters' faces at all. If there was a cute futanari Master, it'd pique my interest.

"Whatever — the 5 below Gayus haven't changed in ranking, huh. With the A-Class Tournament, doesn't the ranking get shuffled around with wins and losses?"

"Mm… You remembered their rankings well. Indeed, none of them have changed."

"I've been working hard at calculation practice, so I've gotten a bit better with numbers lately."

"If one wins against those below and loses against those above, and the number of risers equals the number of fallers, the rank does not change.

"It is not unusual for 1 or 2 to stay put, but for all 4 to remain unchanged is somewhat rare."

… I'd burned my luck on something seriously trivial.

"So then, only 5 A-Class Masters… well, only the top 8 S-Class — have 6 A-Class Masters' territories under them. Ruling those is the S-Class Master's role.

"That said, S-Class Masters aren't much involved in the political side of governance — especially administration and judiciary.

"First, for administration: under thee, an NPC bureaucratic organization exists.

"Beneath Castle Ernest's living quarters is the office for those bureaucrats.

"These officials manage and operate the territory.

"These people are thy subordinates, but they are also dispatched by the system, each carrying out their duties.

"Since each NPC's work is supervised by the system, hardly any wrongdoing occurs.

"Thou hast the authority to dismiss NPCs thou dislikest, but doing so will usually cause great upheaval — mark this well."

"… I see."

So this was similar to the relationship between Japan's current Diet and bureaucracy.

The top of the bureaucracy was the vice-minister, and ministers were politicians elected through elections.

In this world, the minister was the S-Class Master who won Garumon Battle.

Actual administration was handled by the bureaucrats… the NPCs.

"And the judicial system?"

"Well, this world is basically one where the stronger one in Garumon Battle is right.

"Most disputes are settled by Garumon Battle.

"However, when the weaker side in Garumon Battle is being unjustly oppressed, the judicial system exists as a means to reverse this.

"If a B-Class Master ruling a fief imposes tyrannical governance, A-Class and S-Class Masters exist as recipients of complaints.

"If governance is conducted in a way the system itself sees as strange, NPCs monitor and judge.

"But the system grants Masters considerable discretion.

"There are reigns the system tolerates, but that are harsh on the people. In such cases, the only option is to appeal — B-Class Master's issues to A-Class, A-Class's to S-Class.

"Such petitions can be filed.

"If an S-Class Master says, 'That governance is wrong,' that B-Class Master is punished.

"If thou dislikest the B-Class Master under thee, replacing them is trivial for an S-Class Master.

"Knowing well that thou holdest such authority, at times it is good to lend an ear to the voices of the people."

"I see…"

I'd thought the looseness of this world's judicial system was a bit of a problem. I'd just become someone in a position to rebuild it.

For judicial matters, maybe I shouldn't leave everything to NPCs. If there was something I could do, I'd think it through.

But I'd try not to bring along the weird parts of Japan's judiciary.

"The one thing S-Class Masters do politically — that is the legislative side… the S-Class Council.

"Currently, the S-Class Council holds Garumon Masters' decision-making power for this world.

"The decision-making power for the world can be paraphrased as the right to control the system.

"What the S-Class Council decides becomes reality.

"It is an extremely important council."

"Hmm…"

It really was the Diet.

A Diet with only 24 politicians. Decisions there had to be much faster.

"Well, since the S-Class Council is extremely important, I shall explain it separately at another time. It convenes on the 24th of every month.

"In the near future, April 24th will be thy S-Class Council debut."

Oh-ho. Nerve-wracking, but also a little something to look forward to.

So we'd cover the S-Class Council again separately, which meant…

"The S-Class Master duty I'll explain this time is military matters.

"Military matters come in three types: defensive battle, search battle, and offensive battle.

"First, the most important: defensive battle.

"I hear thou hadst Lyuka give thee a history lesson.

"S-Class Masters historically exist precisely to 'fight Demon Gods.'

"Demon Gods… ah, no attacks last year, come to think of it. But 58 should still be active.

"Whenever they may attack, S-Class Masters must always train and be ready.

"Apart from Demon Gods, there are Great Demon Beasts, and disasters… There's no shortage of formidable foes threatening this world.

"The attacks of such mighty demonkind can be foreseen, location and date, by Leonhardt's Garumon, Prophecy Princess Himika.

"When Prophecy Princess Himika prophesies, all S-Class Masters are fully mobilized to gather at the attack site.

"There, we launch attacks on the Demon God or Great Demon Beast and drive them off.

"In the old days, challenging Demon Gods meant death, but in modern times they're not such a threat.

"… That said, lower-rank S-Class Masters dying still happens often. Never let thy guard down.

"If thou fellest a Great Demon Beast, there is a chance to rescue the Garumon it has consumed.

"If thou fellest a Demon God, there is a chance to make that Demon God thy comrade.

"So there is also a view of these as opportunities. If thou hast such leeway, that is."

"Defensive battle, huh…"

The battles with Demon Gods I'd heard about so many times in history. I'd finally become someone who would shoulder a part of that, huh.

"When a defensive battle occurs, a shrill alarm sounds from the system. No matter how many times one hears it, it never feels natural.

"If thou art late assembling, it becomes even shriller and starts urging thee. Better to hurry."

She taught me that.

"Next, offensive battle and search battle. These two can be considered similar in nature.

"Defensive battle protects the human realm, but these two are battles invading the demonkind realm.

"Now, first, display the map.

"As S-Class, thou canst display a far more expansive, detailed map than before."

"Yes. Um…"

The system's basic screen was a map. A map of the local area with nearby people displayed as dots, but…

When I tapped that map, bun — it expanded further.

Ursula stood beside me and taught me how to operate it.

… A world map was displayed.

It was divided to some extent along mountains and rivers, but this world… well, the human realm seemed to be laid out roughly grid-like, with 500 nations ruled by B-Class Masters.

A single nation's size was roughly 300 to 500 km on a side. In area, 90,000 to 250,000 square km… though that didn't really click for me.

"The average area of each nation is about 150,000 square km. The human realm's total area is 75 million square km.

"The Earth's land area is about 140 million square km. So the human realm's current size is about 1/2 of Earth's land area."

Mira taught me.

"… Um, how big is 150,000 square km…?"

"Roughly half the area of Japan. Japan's area is 378,000 square km."

I see, that helped me get a sense of it. One nation about half of Japan, 500 nations about half of Earth.

"Hee… eh, is it that wide? It doesn't really feel that wide… ah, thanks to teleport, huh.

"Indeed, for the demonkind realm, even from the nearest teleport point, it's normal to dash 3 days on Garumon foot."

In an area that wide, the total population was 10 million Masters and 100 million Garumon. About the same as Japan's total population.

Actually, it was quite spacious and roomy.

But since humans concentrated in each town, it didn't feel that wide-open.

"Enough about the human realm.

"And all around it is the demonkind realm.

"To the east, the Faerie territory. To the south, the Vampire territory. To the north and west, still unknown.

"The demonkind's home base is said to perhaps be in the north.

"The full square is roughly 23 nations × 23 nations, divided into 24 blocks: 6 on the north edge, 6 on the west, 6 on the east, 6 on the south, defending.

"S-Class No. 24's assigned area, named for the castle as Ernest District, is positioned at the south-center of the east edge."

Ursula tapped the map, pi, pi, indicating it.

Mm, this district… was the area I'd headed to many times for monster subjugation since becoming a B-Class Master.

"The 4 corners are handled by S-Class No. 1 through No. 4 Masters. The most demanding, the northwest, is No. 1, Satoru.

"The next most demanding, the northeast, is No. 3, Sairas. The southwest is No. 2, Aqueria.

"The closest, the southeast, is No. 4 Leonhardt's domain.

"Allied nations are nearby; it's a relatively safe district."

From the human realm, with about one human-realm-sized gap to the east, the Faerie territory, about 70% the size.

About one human-realm-sized gap south, a Vampire territory about half the size was displayed.

"They're not directly adjacent, huh."

"Mm. Hence, even now, traveling overland to and from the Faerie territory or Vampire territory means risking one's life.

"… But with Gates connecting, there's no issue."

Aah, Gates were truly convenient.

"Now then, about search battle.

"This Ernest District is comparatively safe even among the demonkind realm.

"… Or rather, it must be. If formidable monsters were running rampant, the human realm could be invaded at any time.

"… When a formidable monster appears, or threatens to, it must be immediately subjugated.

"In that way, searching within the Ernest District and felling powerful enemies…

"That is search battle."

"You mean the normal monster subjugation we've been doing through A-Class?"

"Mm, that's right.

"About that monster subjugation: there hasn't been a detailed explanation either, just a quest-style 'go here and kill this monster.'

"Let me explain it properly.

"The demonkind realm is, in its way, a treasure trove of resources.

"So C-Class, B-Class, and A-Class treasure hunters and adventurers search the demonkind realm for resource gathering and exploration.

"The areas managed by the 24 S-Class Masters are the safest within the demonkind realm.

"… Why they're safe is because if there's danger, B-Class, A-Class, and S-Class Masters head out to relieve them.

"When adventurers or border-guarding patrol teams detect dangerous monsters, a relief request reaches the S-Class Master.

"By urgency:

"That's the breakdown. Among these, what reaches the S-Class Master is C and above.

"Up to D is auto-assigned to A-Class Masters."

"Mm, but LV80-ish monsters aren't a big deal, are they?"

"Mm, but sometimes they're only confirmed from a distance, and information may be inaccurate. 1-tier errors are common.

"Hence, C and above are S-Class's charge as a precaution.

"That said, for C, leaving it to A-Class is almost never a mistake.

"B and above must absolutely be handled by S-Class and their knights."

"I see…"

"S-Class Masters should distribute these requests to A-Class and below if there's no issue, and go to resolve them themselves if there is.

"The frequency is about 1 per day, but going out almost every day is rather a hassle.

"… Well, thy group is large in number and hath reliable Sub-Masters. The burden may not be that great.

"Then, during searching, sometimes facilities built by monsters — underground mazes, towers, generally called dungeons — are discovered.

"Dungeons have the effect of compressing and amplifying magic power, making it easier for more powerful monsters to be born.

"There's even an opinion that leaving dungeons unattended for long periods is how Great Demon Beasts come about.

"For that reason, when a dungeon is found, the response is to infiltrate and subjugate the boss inside.

"If wild adventurers would do it, great, but skilled adventurers like that are few.

"In the end, it falls to S-Class Masters.

"Well, dungeons are also places to find rare items and materials — a treasure hunt.

"Many Masters love dungeon exploration for the fun of it.

"So if exploration is a hassle, posting a quest request may get another Master to take it on."

"Hee… dungeon exploration."

That sounded fun.

"But, with skill counts being fixed, can we even hold up under continuous combat inside a dungeon…?"

"Indeed. Without combat efficiency, one runs out of skill counts and must retreat.

"When a day passes, monsters revive. Dungeon clearing is quite a tough business.

"… But, a dungeon's magic power isn't infinite either.

"Entering over and over, subjugating monsters as much as possible, escaping.

"By endlessly repeating this, one can weaken the dungeon's magic power and neutralize and destroy the dungeon. Not unheard of."

"Hee… If destroying it's fine, what about destroying from outside with a technique and burying it alive?"

"That's not very advisable. First, it's impossible without an extremely powerful technique, and monsters apparently don't take damage from dungeon collapse.

"Rather, the dungeon's magic power all pours out at once, and it becomes easier for Great Demon Beasts to be born.

"Great Demon Beasts strengthened by dungeon collapse are unleashed all at once… the curtain rises on a catastrophe.

"Destroying the dungeon itself is the last resort when all options in dungeon exploration are exhausted."

I see.

So that method was one option, but in principle prohibited.

"Dungeon exploration sounds fun. I'm interested too."

I'd definitely try it someday.

"Last is offensive battle. This is an occupation battle of invading the demonkind realm, cutting off territory, and making it human realm.

"What needs to be done to turn demonkind realm into human realm:

"(1) Bring the main strongholds under control.

"(2) Using those strongholds as bases, subjugate many monsters and weaken their power.

"Destroy all dungeons and the like.

"(3) Build a castle wall to surround the territory.

"Achieving these, the Ernest District demonkind realm becomes new human realm.

"The system buys it at a high price, making it profitable. For S-Class Masters, it's a significant achievement.

"The fact that the human realm's area has doubled over 300 years of history means that's how often these offensive battles have been won.

"Each district is roughly 3 nations' worth of width, so achievement has become difficult in recent years.

"Sometimes territory is lost in defeat. That is a great humiliation. For an S-Class Master, it must never happen."

"Hoh…"

Occupation battle, huh.

"… Eh, occupation battle — doesn't that need tens of thousands of soldiers?

"Can you do that with a handful of Garumon?"

"That's what the strongholds are for. The point where a dungeon emerges can be repurposed as a stronghold where magic power easily accumulates.

"Once you conquer a dungeon, you build a castle there.

"That way, you can place a Gate and travel back and forth easily.

"If about 8 Gates can be placed in one nation, that district is essentially controlled.

"If 24 dungeons total in the Ernest District are conquered, that's enough strongholds.

"Dispatch a knight order and engineer corps, and just keep defending for several months until the castle wall is built.

"If an Alchemist is present, this castle-wall construction period can be greatly shortened.

"An Alchemist can build a castle wall instantly."

"I see…"

… Right,

"A whole bunch of new stuff suddenly came up!"

It really felt like a separate game had abruptly started!

I could now newly choose from:

• Defensive battle

• Search battle

• Offensive battle

The monster subjugation I'd been doing was part of search battle, but monster subjugation could stay monster subjugation.

The search battle here referred to dungeon clearing.

Well, defensive battle just suddenly started with Prophecy Princess Himika's prophecy. An event battle I couldn't choose.

For now, repeat search battles and clear dungeons, and once enough dungeons were conquered, finally shift to offensive battle — that was the flow, huh.

Oh… it was getting fun! Dungeon clearing with my comrades, too.

"Nice, my tension's rising."

"Fufufu… It's wonderful that thou art enjoying it. Mm. S-Class Masters are fun."

Ursula vouched for it.

Now that I was S-Class and the breadth of what I could do had expanded… things were going to get more and more fun.