S-Class Conference: Begins

The fun conversation with Shaina continued.

"But why just three? You're an S-Class Master, getting hold of UR-Class Garumon isn't hard, right?"

"Eeh, even so, you want to feel that fate-y thing, right.

"The moment you meet, shubibi, electricity runs through. You'd want only those spiritual, fated meetings as your companions, that kind of…"

I see… well, I got the feeling somewhat.

"Well, the way me, Carla, and Shita met — it was a fated meeting like that, after all!"

"Eh, what kind of fate?"

"Fu-fu-fu, want to know? Then let me tell, regale you with the memory of our love…!"

… And so we kept talking endlessly… what Shaina told me at this point, I'll relay separately as a side chapter.

"… Eh?! A-already, it's that time?!"

I'd talked with Shaina endlessly!

… No, it was a very fun, very meaningful time, but…

With the S-Class Conference imminent, it wasn't what I should have been doing right now!

I noticed — most of the seats were already filled.

"W-whoa… before I knew it, the S-Class Masters are nearly all here…!

"I was so absorbed in talking with Shaina I didn't notice.

"That was rude, wasn't it…"

"N-no, at minimum I greeted each Master's secretary on your behalf, so…"

Colette seemed to have at least kept up the minimum follow-through.

"Thank you, Colette…"

"A-aiya… s-sorry. I meant to just lightly greet you, but I really got drawn into the conversation.

"It was fun, and I just got carried away… sorry…"

Shaina ducked her head, shun.

Shaina too, with no particular malice or calculation, had simply been into the conversation with me.

We were both at fault, truly. I'd been so into it I'd lost track too.

By rights, advance negotiations for the conference should have been needed, but…

I really had lost myself in the conversation.

Well, couldn't be helped.

From here on, it'd be off-the-cuff. For now, just getting to know Shaina was what made me happiest.

"Then, Naoto, let's chat slowly again later."

"Yeah! Shaina."

With that promise, we returned to our spots.

Once back in the living quarters…

"… Quite an animated chat thou hadst."

So Ursula said to me.

… Ah, I'd been so absorbed I'd forgotten to call Ursula in.

"S-sorry, Ursula…"

"Fufu, it doth not matter.

"… So? Doth it seem thou couldst make Shaina Fervey thy lover?"

"How was it? She seemed like she might become Ursula's lover, but… I seemed to be regarded only as a friend…"

"Fufu, I see."

Ursula smiled ambiguously.

"… Well, I wasted time talking too much with Shaina, but… at last, the S-Class Conference.

"Time to head to the seat room.

"For the seat room, how many companions can I bring?"

"That's up to thee. Some bring none, others bring as many as can fit.

"In the seat room, besides the Master's seat, there are 6 chairs, no? That's the general maximum."

"… I see."

For one Master, the secretary, plus up to about 6 staff supporting the Master. That seemed to be the seat room's intended use.

"Then, let's bring 6.

"First, the secretary Colette.

"For strategy, Ursula. Then… Lyuka too. And Yuria too."

"Mm."

"Understood."

Ursula and Lyuka agreed. Very reassuring.

"That's fine, but instead of me, why not bring Vivia and Miria?

"You don't often hear of someone recruiting a Demon General into their group.

"It'd be a good show of strength, wouldn't it?"

So Yuria recommended.

"In that case… will you come? Vivia, Miria."

"Yes, Goshujin-sama!"

"Yes, very well. Boast to your heart's content of having acquired me, the great I!"

Vivia and Miria assented.

"You don't want to come, Yuria?"

"It's not that… if you have one more spot…"

The direction Yuria's gaze pointed was…

"Then, of course it's Kanan."

"… Fufu, I'm glad, but at a conference I can be of no use, you know? If a mere wallflower is fine, then sure…"

"No, Naoto's representative Garumon is Kanan. This time also serves as Naoto's debut. Bringing the Garumon who represents oneself is normal."

"In that case… I'll come along."

And so the 6 were decided.

I headed for the seat room.

The central dais was ringed by 24 Pods, arranged round-table style.

I see, with this shape, each Master's face and the figures of the Garumon with them were easy to see.

The easiest to see was, of course, the neighbor.

To my right sat Shaina. We exchanged smiles and waves.

To my left was Zeiros, but whatever.

Maybe because of my appearance…?

Zawa… a stir rippled through the hall.

"That's the new this-year rookie, Akai Naoto."

"Acquired a Demon General…? A mere rookie…?"

"Unremarkable looks…"

"The unremarkable bit resembles Satoru too. Might be unexpectedly sharp."

The stir was like ripples — hard to tell who was speaking.

In any case, I could sense that attention was gathering on me, and that was making the conversation buzz.

Now, let me look at the various Masters too.

The other Masters… oh, Eclair was already here.

As usual, with Sario Shard beside her. Besides them, she'd brought only her secretary Vyletta. The remaining three seemed to be in the living quarters.

Himuro-san had a sharp mind too — was she not relying on that side?

… No, leaving just Presea and Hizaki-san in the living quarters, there was no telling what mischief they'd get up to, so she'd probably left Himuro-san behind as the babysitter.

Eclair, with a slightly fufun air, smiled at the sight of me.

I smiled back too.

… See, I made it this far, that kind of look.

We held each other's gaze a while.

… Beautiful, after all. But I wasn't just admiring her.

Next, to obtain that Eclair Feradria… I had to give my all today.

Next… oh, 13th, Hortensia was here too.

Even seeing her in person, she was beautiful… yeah, I could only see her as a girl. The Adam's apple was… too far to see, of course.

We were more than 10m apart in a straight line, after all. The face I could see, though…

This was really a guy? Hard to believe…

Well, I knew there were men in the world who could only be seen as bishoujo, like Haru or Sario.

So Hortensia must be one of them.

By all means, I wanted him to drink the In-Yo Divine Elixir.

For that, I'd have to get intimate enough that he'd drink it…

Well, no use scheming.

Now, who else… various Masters had come, but more than that, the 3 empty seats caught my eye.

The ones not yet here were…

Pin — at that moment, a reaction on the system screen.

I immediately focused on her.

… Ohhh… Aqueria!

The luxuriant blue hair was so beautiful… and yet a maiden-like fragility, adorableness… and large breasts.

She really was, deserving of the title of goddess, of an overwhelming beauty.

… So beautiful you almost felt it as intimidating.

She was the very Aqueria I'd been longing for ever since admiring her in the Garumon Almanac, that very goddess…

She was in the space right nearby…!

She had two more wonderful bishoujo to her left and right.

One was… horns, and ear-back fins very Dragon-God-like.

That was likely Liviath, daughter of Silvana and Kukuru.

And… a wonderful angel girl, the spitting image of Aqueria.

That had to be Gabriella Aqua.

One of the Seraphs…

Ahh… how cute. All three so very cute. And the breasts spectacularly bountiful too…

Ah, if I touched those breasts, how good would it feel.

How adorably would they pant.

I wanted to know as soon as possible… so strongly I felt.

… Wait, mustn't drool.

Poker face. Remember mid-battle.

… This was a battlefield.

I'd love to keep watching Aqueria forever, but I had to look at other members too.

She'd come to the seat next to Eclair.

And Hortensia was nearby too — I couldn't take my eyes off that corner!

… As I struggled to shift my gaze,

Pinpoon

Oh, Leonhardt-san.

This one I obviously couldn't ignore. I was able to focus on him immediately.

Accompanied by Mercheada-san, Leonhardt-san took his seat about opposite me.

… He had the air of someone used to this. To him, with the longest S-Class career, this mysterious seat must have been like his own well-known garden.

I immediately bowed in place.

Leonhardt-san, having noticed me, un, nodded back.

Now then… who hadn't arrived yet…

Hmm, plenty of seats were lit blue with no Master in the seat room — hard to tell at a glance.

Julian seemed to be one such.

… He was holed up in the living quarters.

Damn, that bastard, he wasn't bullying my Sonya again, was he.

If he was, I wouldn't forgive him.

… I had to take her back fast.

Now then, the last one was…

Pinpoon

Oh, last was Sairas, huh.

… Which meant the 1st-ranked Satoru had slipped in casually while I was absorbed in talking with Shaina, hadn't he.

… A 1st-ranker with no presence.

Him aside, the Garumon he brought should be eye-catching.

I searched left and right… ah, there. Next to Hortensia. So he'd been in my field of view at some point and I'd skipped over him.

A youth propping his cheek in his hand looking bored, an unremarkable-looking, lackluster guy.

… I was in no position to talk!

Why was he alone? Where were Karen or Michaela Hilde… no, that wasn't right, Goddess Hildegard?

… Well, whatever.

So the seating was like this. In reality circular, but flattened for display.

The order wasn't strictly by rank — the seating arrangement seemed fairly arbitrary.

13 Hortensia

1 Satoru　　　　　　　　 17 Eclair

8 Aleph 　　　　　　　　　 2 Aqueria

7 Fauzel 　　　　　　　　 10 Hamilton

18 Melville 　　　　　　　 16 Julian

23 Zeiros 　　　　　　　　 12 Goldin

24 Naoto 　　　　　　　　 4 Leonhardt

22 Shaina 　　　　　　　　 6 Duras

21 Fergus 　　　　　　　 9 Calcas

20 Gidsen 　　　　　　　 11 Gazain

19 Zares 　　　　　　　 14 Garland

5 Caios 　　　　　　　 15 Dunes

3 Sairas

For starters, I focused on the last arrival, Sairas… no, even if I hadn't wanted to focus, he was such a striking man I had to.

… There was an aura to him.

He almost looked haloed.

As if he were the emperor.

Of the Masters gathered here, the ones who could rival him were… Aqueria, Leonhardt-san, maybe.

Of course, in pure beauty Eclair wasn't outdone in the slightest.

… But in actual ability, undeniably much inferior.

The greatness of presence backed by real ability — that was what I felt from him.

… Well, if asked who was 1st between him and the world's current 1st Satoru, 100 out of 100 would point to Sairas.

A man not just cool, but to whom even the adjective "beautiful" applied…

… Tch, words I'd rather save for cute girls being used on a guy.

A pretty-girl face like Hortensia's was fine, but his face was clearly male.

With such dramatic looks, I wondered what kind of life he led.

… Even trying to spend it peacefully, fate's intensity wouldn't leave him alone.

… So, fine, the unremarkable face I had now. Turbulent fate was hard work too… a normal life was the best.

Without envying him in particular, I gazed at him absentmindedly.

He'd noticed my gaze too, but showed no particular reaction.

"Rare. For that man who haunts the Magical Beast territory to show his face."

Ursula muttered.

"… Sairas?"

"Mm. The S-Class Masters' attendance rate at the S-Class Conference is generally high…

"But Sairas frequently skips. So the full 24 gathering is rather rare.

"He's reputed to devote himself to sweeping the Magical Beast territory, and he does deliver enough results to silence any complaint, yes…"

… Ursula apparently didn't take to Sairas. There was no warmth in her tone.

They were ostensibly contemporaries…

"All present, it appears… we shall now commence the S-Class Conference."

At that moment, Letra-san, somehow standing on the dais, breezily declared.

Pachi pachi pachi…

A scattering of applause.

… Was applauding a custom here? Or not?

Not knowing, I missed the chance to applaud.

"Mm, I myself don't really understand this opening applause. Some Masters do it, others don't."

Vague.

… Apparently a fairly trivial custom. Leave it alone, then.

"Then, first, the current year's budget and public works expenses…"

… Eh? Something like a normal national parliament had started!

I'd been belittling this as some slipshod world, but they did do the things that should be done properly, I thought, with some surprise.

"On the proposal for the current year's budget, I shall now present.

"For public works expenses…"

Eh, this part is omitted.

Basically, budget allocations were decided by NPC political experts.

If S-Class Masters had input, that was welcome, that kind of thing.

In other words, if S-Class Masters kept quiet, it ended quickly.

… Yet there were always noisy types — some were waa-waa snapping at the NPC presenting the budget.

"But what about the allocation to my domain?! My master surely filed the application! Is there a lack of consideration for it?!"

"Same here! Compared to the application, the allocation is plainly small! This isn't acceptable!"

"As stated, considering the previous year's results, the current year's allocation is…"

"I'm saying it's not acceptable!"

… Well, the ones snapping back were also bishoujo Garumon.

16th Julian's secretary and 10th Hamilton's secretary.

… Both had to be beautiful in features.

But even acting on their master's orders, scolding the NPC presenter wasn't a pretty sight.

Hmm, the master's quality showed up in the Garumon too, I guess.

That Julian was awful was a given, but Hamilton's secretary was also pretty bad.

If anything, on this side the shouting voice was louder.

Arrogant and overbearing. With an attitude pressing "Our master is noble nobility, why aren't you serving him!" and saying selfish things.

… The master's nature came through and I felt a little put off.

10th was supposed to be top-class for Middle S-Class, after all…

He might be a person of less than great character. Highest-noble, Stein-bloodline Hamilton.

… Just from the secretary's atmosphere, not really someone I'd want to grow close to.

… And the fact that he didn't make the argument himself, leaving it entirely to the secretary while holing up in his living quarters, felt even nastier.

"So, the Master himself doesn't come out, but has the secretary do it."

"Well, right tool for the job. The Master's task is to fight, so handing off troublesome things like politics to the secretary — many take that stance.

"… Of course, some Masters are also geniuses at policy management — such prodigies do exist, but they're exceptions."

"Both of you, hold a moment… I should like to state an opinion."

At that moment, one Master stood up.

A carrying voice, handsome features… but not Sairas. He was 6th, Duras Heidrich.

"6th, Duras Heidrich. One of those prodigies. Nicknamed 'the S-Class polemicist.'"

Hee, he should be commoner-born, but he's the kind to lead the S-Class Conference, then.

… Birth really isn't a reliable indicator.

"On Hamilton-kou's opinion…"

In a flowing voice that could've been a voice actor's or an opera singer's, he smoothly summarized the heated opinions and shaped them into a single direction.

Before I knew it, the discussion had landed nicely on the opinion he'd shaped.

"… No… objection. Hamilton-sama…"

"… No objection… uu, Julian-sama'll scold me…"

The 10th Hamilton's secretary and 16th Julian's secretary, who'd just been fervently asserting unreasonable positions, were now defeated beyond comeback — they had no choice but to fall silent.

… Those secretaries looked awful too… but they were only voicing their masters' will.

The bad ones really were Hamilton and Julian.

Hmm… the S-Class Conference seemed to have a quirk or two.

With the two opposers withdrawn, the budget resolution passed smoothly.

That said, the worry that, when my side had its turn, strange opposition might come my way crept in.

"And from here, the individual agenda items begin.

"Today, we have received agenda items from four Masters:

"9th Calcas-sama,

"18th Melville-sama,

"21st Fergus-sama,

"24th Akai Naoto-sama."

… So, from here is the main event.

I straightened up.