S-Class Conference: Topics 1-2

"For the 1st topic, Lord Calcas, if you please."

The first to bring up a topic was 9th-ranked Calcas.

… How to put it — a man who looked extremely unhealthy and thin.

The contrast with Rosalia, who lounged against him in full sex-appeal mode…

No, "thoroughly drained" was very strongly conveyed.

Rosalia was a very beautiful Garumon.

Sheer pheromones-on-display, just plainly a sex symbol.

Even at a distance you could feel a woman's allure rising off her like a scent.

Her breasts, too, were beyond explosive, super-bust…

So was she my type? Her face was a little too mature, perhaps. In short, she was that Hollywood, Western erotic type that I was a bit weak to… probably initial value 5000 without doubt, but not really my preference.

Whether I could or couldn't do it, I thought I could.

To begin with, the obviously bitch-y vibe was a bit much. I preferred the prim-and-proper type.

"Ehem, my topic concerns the S-Class Orgy Hall."

…Pff

"For a time it flourished, but recently the membership has become fixed and is on the decline… Rosalia is lonely as well.

"Beyond your own selves, we welcome many participants, such as slave Masters, knights, and others…

"For any of you with time, by all means, please join us."

So Calcas said, bowing that head like a withered cypress.

"… W-what? This 'S-Class Orgy Hall' is…?"

"… A venue for S-Class Masters to enjoy swap sex with each other, under strict secrecy.

"It has a fairly long history; one person manages it from generation to generation.

"The current manager is Calcas."

Ursula explained while heaving a sigh.

Such a ridiculous thing existed…? Were S-Class Masters all right?

"Well, I have not participated.

"… Gidsen, too, would surely be banned from participating."

"Well, that figures…"

"… Though there does seem to be a certain demand for Mara over at his place…"

Eeeh…? Tentacle demand… exists…?

"If thou art interested, thou may attend, as thou pleases?"

"An orgy, huh…"

Sex did feel good. It wasn't that I had no desire to do it with various Garumon.

If they were S-Class Garumon, then quality was guaranteed to a certain extent. (With one exception.)

In this world, there were no worries about STDs.

But… casual sex with an unspecified number wasn't really to my taste.

In the end, sex done loving and being loved was supreme.

If I started enjoying one-night stands, the number of times I had sex with my beloved companions would decrease.

That'd be discarding 100 pleasures for 50. I could only see it as folly.

"Yeah, I'll pass… I can't think of it as more joyful or pleasurable than sex with my companions."

Well, if it were only Aqueria, Shaina, Eclair, and Hortensia (after she'd taken the Yin-Yang Divine Elixir) participating, I'd join with great delight.

Though, the touch ban on Shaina would be hard…

"That is well, then."

In that sense, ordinary S-Class Masters shouldn't have any trouble finding sex partners.

If sex with Aqueria were on offer, they'd come crowding in droves, but… the one you could have sex with was Rosalia.

Rosalia was gorgeous, but she had a slightly gaudy feel and wasn't quite my preference.

Those who liked her would like her, though… so however much they got drained, there were probably people who kept coming back, again and again.

… But, yeah, I'll pass.

I mean, normally if I were told "you can have all the sex you want with a peerless beauty of Rosalia's level," I should have thought it worth participating in above all else.

… I'd come into quite a blessed position.

"We S-Class Masters are busy. Besides, with orgies, there are matters of personal preference; being forced to attend would be a trouble."

"Lord Calcas is not forcing anyone. It's merely a request that we please join. As manager of the venerable S-Class Orgy Hall, it's a natural proposal to make."

But even on such a frivolous opinion, everyone discussed it seriously.

There was no "what's this lewdness in the sacred chamber" sort of opinion. Different from Earth.

"Now, now. It's true that attendance at such venues tends to settle into fixed members. Calcas's wish to avoid a rut should be respectfully heard."

The discussion was actually peaceful.

"… How about it, Akai Naoto-kun. As the newest S-Class Master, are you interested in orgies?"

… Suddenly, Calcas asked me for an absurd opinion.

This was to be my first remark in the S-Class Conference Hall…

"Y-yes. I'm Akai Naoto, who recently became S-Class Master. Pleased to meet you."

First, I lowered my head in greeting.

Pachi pachi pachi, applause — perhaps obligatory — rained down on me.

… All eyes were on me.

… Eeh? In this state of being watched, I had to disclose my own sexual preferences?

Honestly, a bit… no, this was embarrassing.

But, well, couldn't be helped.

Hmm, refusing with "not my taste" would create friction. Could I refuse by saying something amusing?

Even so, I couldn't think of anything.

"… Um, I'm sorry, but in the customs of the world I come from, sexual relations outside a contract are considered immoral, so…"

Ahahahaha!

My desperate remark went over well somehow. Eh, was it funny?

Well, if it went over well, that was fine.

"My apologies."

So saying, I sat back down.

"… Did I say something funny?"

I checked with Ursula.

"Nay. It is the role of an S-Class Master to determine the rules. Yet for thee to try to follow the rules of thy original world by appealing to immorality — that seems comical to them.

"That word is not much used in this world.

"… Thou may be perceived as a strange one, mind."

So that was it. The humor of this world was hard to grasp…

"Well, being thought of as 'an otherworlder, a bit strange,' isn't that all right? I actually am, after all."

"Fufu… well, that strange part is thy charm."

So Ursula said.

In any case, I was glad I'd gotten past Calcas's proposal.

Overall too, it ended with a loose conclusion — "those who wish to attend, do so" — and that was that.

S-Class Conference… was it going to be all right?

Truly, in various senses I was starting to get anxious…

"For the 2nd topic, Lord Melville, if you please."

"Mm…"

Elderly Melville unsteadily rose to his feet, helped up by Uriela Aisha.

… Adorable, Uriela Aisha.

Tanned skin, brown hair, very much an Earth-element vibe. Big eyes, breasts that were my type — explosive-bust — a drool-worthy, magnificent beauty.

Her face was lovable, slightly loli-system. This girl matched my preferences 100%.

If I went to the orgy and could have sex with this girl…

Uwa, I was torn. Or rather, I wanted to go. Very much.

… But would it be possible to attend and have sex only with Uriela Aisha?

And, would I not have to supply my own Garumon?

… If, as the attendance fee, I had to supply my own Garumon…

I couldn't allow that.

Sex with my lovers was only for me, the one who loved them.

That I couldn't compromise on.

So, regrettably, I'd endure.

In any event, as the Master of that peerless beauty, I had to give Melville a certain respect.

Melville was a Master who looked even more elderly than Leonhardt-san. If Leonhardt-san was 70, Melville looked 80-plus.

In actual age, Leonhardt-san was the elder by 30-plus years, I think.

But he seemed closer to death.

What kind of person was he, exactly?

"In my Caleris territory, the existence of magic-ash has been confirmed…

"I judge that swift handling is needed."

He was tottering, but the content of his words seemed firm.

Zawa…

The room stirred a little.

"Um, what's 'magic-ash'?"

The meaning was lost on me. I asked Ursula.

"Mm. To answer the fundamental question of what magic-ash is, is difficult. The truth of it is, no one quite knows.

"… Yet, if one were to say, it is something like a buildup of malevolent energy… I suppose."

It didn't quite get through to me, but.

"Let us have Lyuka explain. Lyuka."

Ursula passed it to Lyuka.

"… If you can explain, Lady Ursula, I'm fine with you doing it…"

S-Class Conference was Ursula's stage, after all, so Lyuka was being deferential.

"Lyuka's explanations are better.

"I do not particularly object to explaining. Were Lyuka not present, I would have explained.

"But I am not as fond of explaining as Lyuka.

"Each does what each likes.

"That is the basic policy of we, Naoto's Garumon. Magic-ash explanation is well suited to thee."

"… Thank you for your consideration. Then, by your leave, I'll explain."

After such a graceful round of yielding, Lyuka explained.

"What is magic-ash?

"For the fundamental question, an explanation is difficult. Its true nature is not yet known.

"What is commonly said is that it's the dregs of the magic power we use when invoking magic or skills.

"Or, when monsters are subjugated they turn to dust and vanish, and that dust accumulates and sticks together.

"Or, when bodies are cleansed by Clearance magic, the removed filth accumulates and so on.

"Magic power, normally invisible, taking shape as visible sludge — filth — and sticking to parts of this world. That's how it's thought of.

"The etymology comes from the second case. The faint dust, the ash that briefly remains after a monster's death — it's said to resemble that, hence 'magic-ash', and so it's been called ever since.

"Now, what's the issue with this magic-ash…?

"Being filth, cleanup is necessary. Approach it and it gives off a foul stench.

"You might think 'wouldn't a Garumon skill destroy it in one blow,' but magic-ash has the property of not being affected by magic power.

"Once it sticks to your body, it can't be purified by Clearance magic; you have to physically wash it off with water.

"For cleanup, it must be incinerated, but Garumon-skill fire doesn't work either; physical fire is needed.

"If you use a Garumon-skill fire to burn wood, and then burn the magic-ash with that wood-fire, that's possible."

"Magic power doesn't work… then if you cover your whole body in magic-ash…"

"You could make an invincible armor against Garumon skills? Such a thing is not so.

"Even the weakest skill simply passes through and hits the person hiding under the magic-ash.

"At present, humanity has not figured out how to put magic-ash to useful purpose."

"I see…"

So it was like industrial waste.

This world had environmental problems too, huh.

"However, magic-ash hardly ever appears in human territory; it appears in monster territory.

"Since no people live nearby, the foul stench isn't a problem.

"Even if a passage is blocked, so long as one endures the dirt and stench, even if it sticks to one's body, there's no issue.

"You can just push through.

"… In that sense, on the surface there's no real demerit beyond looking somehow filthy.

"However, while magic-ash is of no use to us…

"To monsters, it may potentially have utility."

"Um…?"

"It hasn't been proven, but there's a possibility that monsters absorbing magic-ash become Great Magical Beasts.

"The locations where magic-ash appeared and where Great Magical Beasts appeared coincide.

"However, those who experimented by throwing monsters into magic-ash apparently had no results, so this remains only a hypothesis.

"Also, if a magic-ash appearance site is left alone, a new Dungeon can form there. This happens with somewhat greater frequency, so this view is more strongly held."

"Eh… then we should clean it up right away, huh."

How to put it… it was like dental plaque. Filth accumulated, and if not cleaned, led to cavities.

"That's right, but… magic-ash cleanup is extremely tedious.

"Skills don't work, fire doesn't simply burn it, so it has to be burned in small batches with massive amounts of fuel.

"If cleanup goes badly, it can take several months…"

"… Eeeh…?"

For months on end, cleaning filth… that was depressing.

"Since it's deep in monster territory, it's hard to leave it to NPCs or low-rank Masters. The workers would have to be defended anyway.

"So there's also the view that it's better to just wait for a Great Magical Beast or Dungeon to appear.

"Great Magical Beasts are formidable, of course, but for one to appear at the level of disaster of a Titan is truly exceptional.

"Normally, what appears is a formidable foe weaker than a Demon God, manageable by an S-Class Master.

"Great Magical Beasts give abundant experience, and defeating them brings expected level-ups, so for S-Class Masters they're rather seen as opportunities.

"Dungeons often have various rare treasures appearing alongside them, and conquering a Dungeon yields income enough to build a fortune. Well, for an S-Class Master that may not be all that much income.

"Good training, items to be gained — as mentioned before, many Masters favor Dungeon exploration.

"It's much more profitable than magic-ash cleanup."

"I see…"

"However, even if one decides to leave it, magic-ash can't be wholly ignored. Whether it becomes a Dungeon or a Great Magical Beast is uncertain…

"If a Dungeon, you can go later. But a Great Magical Beast, if left, will escape.

"A Great Magical Beast, left alone, is said to grow stronger with the passage of time.

"A Great Magical Beast left to its absolute limit may be the kind of disaster a Titan represents.

"A Great Magical Beast can be called a 'growth opportunity' only when defeated freshly born, in its weakest state; left for a long time, it brings a world-ending crisis.

"… So, when magic-ash is confirmed, processing is entrusted to the S-Class Master who manages that territory.

"Wait for it to become a Dungeon or Great Magical Beast, or grit one's teeth and clean it up."

"I see…"

So, having deepened my understanding of magic-ash, back to the room.

"Can't they just deal with it themselves?"

Heckles like that flew. At the very least, it didn't seem to be recognized as a matter requiring urgent S-Class Conference handling.

"Mm, that's so, but… monitoring magic-ash isn't easy enough to be left to knights or subordinate A-Class, B-Class Masters.

"What's more, it takes far too long.

"… I am, as you see, of advanced years. I don't have much time left.

"So I would like to entrust the processing of the magic-ash that's appeared to another Master.

"It can be cleaned promptly, or monitored long-term and waited out till something is born. Either is fine.

"In that case, the first challenge right belongs to the Master who takes it over.

"How say you?"

That was the substance of Melville's proposal.

The S-Class-difficulty quest "Caleris Magic-Ash Processing" was being put forth, and which S-Class Master would take it on?

That was the question.

"… How about I volunteer?"

"At the very least, thou wilt have Melville's gratitude… We have manpower. Whether cleaning or monitoring, we ought to be able to handle it."

If that was how it was…

"Excuse me, with your permission, I'll take charge."

I stood promptly to volunteer.

… No one else rose.

"S-Class number 24, Akai Naoto. If I'll do."

How was that, my "I'll proactively take on this tedious matter" appeal? Would I be taken as a goody-two-shoes, or seen as admirable…?

The reactions seemed about half-and-half.

Some seemed to take me as "an admirable young man," and others seemed to think "what's with this guy, looks impudent."

"… Oh, much obliged. Then, Master Akai Naoto, I leave it to you."

Melville said so at once, and this topic too was settled.

… Uriela Aisha smiling at me was a bonus that made me happy.

… There was no loss in being on good terms with Melville.

In his final hour, he might entrust Uriela Aisha to me… such calculation wasn't praiseworthy, of course.

But even with calculation, being kind to people was a good thing.

People who thought "since it's calculation, not kindness from the heart…" and did nothing.

People who, with full expectation of thanks at heart, 100% calculation, were kind to others.

Asked which was the better person, the kind one was.

People were judged by their actions. Their state of mind didn't matter.

… So, before the Eclair fight, the Julian fight, I had to handle magic-ash, huh…

"Nay, not necessarily before. It depends on the magic-ash's scale, but cleanup takes long. Lyuka's 'several months' was for a small party; for a normal 6-to-8-person party, it's easily several weeks.

"For monitoring, there is no telling. Magic-ash itself has not historically been found that often.

"It could be a day, or it could be a year."

"E-eeeh…?"

Being held up for a year would be unbearable.

"D-did I get ahead of myself…"

Maybe I shouldn't have accepted.

"Nay, it's not bad. The reputation of an admirable young man hath surely been raised. Without doubt it earned good points before thy own topic proposal.

"… If Yuria handles the magic-ash cleanup and Lyuka remains here, then by linking two Gates we can come and go freely.

"In that case, no matter how long the magic-ash cleanup takes… within limits, of course. There is no problem.

"If Yuria cannot be away, I or Haru can take Lyuka and swap in."

"… Right. For mass-tactics, there's the option of leaving it to Melvis's Undead Warriors… and Griera herself aside, Griera's party can cooperate."

So, until cleanup ended, or the Great Magical Beast / Dungeon was subjugated, we'd have to deploy on two fronts.

Depending on the schedule of the Eclair fight, I might have to pick fighters with those members missing.

Well, I'd think about that later.

… Shaina might help out, too.

So the 2nd topic was settled promptly.

I'd contributed to it, so I was starting to feel like an actual participant in the S-Class Conference.