Chapter 63

【Holy Knight】Ray Sterling

"What should we do?"

"What should we do, indeed."

Ray and Nemesis sat across from each other at a table in the adventurer's guild's tavern, deep in thought.

It felt like they had been worrying since yesterday, but with one problem after another, there was no choice but to keep going.

"There are just too many..."

"But we can't refuse them..."

The cause of Ray and Nemesis's worry was the window on Ray's screen.

It was the inventory window, but the important part wasn't the items.

It was the amount of money displayed in a section of the screen.

There, a staggering 80 million rils was shown.

Needless to say, it was a vast sum, equivalent to 800 million yen.

Now, how did Ray end up with such a large amount of money?

It all started with the report of the Gouzmaze Bandit Gang's defeat, which was the purpose of his visit to the adventurer's guild.

◇

After parting ways with Luke and Marie, I visited the adventurer's guild in the morning to claim the bounty.

This time, not only did I have to show the MVP equipment, but I also had to answer various questions and provide detailed explanations.

These procedures were unusually long and thorough.

Although I thought it was more troublesome than the simple process of signing and circling options at the knight's barracks, I answered everything from one to ten.

Regarding the situation, I only omitted the fact that Hugo, who accompanied me, was the Master of the Dryf Empire, an enemy country of the Alter Kingdom, and told the truth.

As a result, the defeat was recognized, and the bounty was paid.

At that moment, I was thinking, "If I can meet Hugo, I should give him half. But I only defeated the Great Necromancer and Gouzmaze after their fusion, and I obtained the MVP equipment, so he should get more..."

My thoughts were interrupted by the sight of 80 million rils, an unprecedented amount of money, placed before me as the bounty.

—What is this?

—80 million?

—Not 800,000 or 8 million?

—Eighty times the bounty of Galdoranda?

My mind was filled with confusion, but the receptionist quickly explained.

Originally, the bounty set by the adventurer's guild for the Gouzmaze Bandit Gang was 1 million rils for each of the two major leaders and about 10,000 rils per member, totaling around 3 million rils.

Even so, considering their scale and strength, it was rather low.

In fact, those who had attempted to defeat the Gouzmaze Bandit Gang had been defeated.

Thus, the Gouzmaze Bandit Gang became known as a dangerous and unprofitable target.

There was also the high risk of kidnapped children being killed with each failure, which led to fewer parties attempting to take them on.

However, there were those who wouldn't just sit idly by.

The families of the kidnapped children and the Duke of Gideon, who governed this city, were among them.

Since Gideon was a wealthy city, many of the families of the kidnapped children were also wealthy.

Several people had paid ransoms but only received their children's bodies in return.

These people wanted at least to avenge their children and contributed additional money to the bounty through the adventurer's guild.

Additionally, the Duke of Gideon, who harbored strong animosity towards the Gouzmaze Bandit Gang for ravaging his territory, wanted to use his forces to defeat them if possible.

However, moving the military against the Gouzmaze Bandit Gang, who were hiding near the border, would provoke the neighboring country of Cardina to the east, so it was not feasible.

The Duke, feeling frustrated, added to the bounty from his personal wealth, hoping that at least an excellent party would defeat the Gouzmaze Bandit Gang.

The cumulative result of these contributions was the 80 million rils.

"It's surprising that no one has acted until now."

This amount would likely attract many people dreaming of a quick fortune, especially Masters, who would face almost no risk.

"Each failure reduces the chances of the children's safe return, so the guild master only shows the warrant to those he deems capable. Only those of the Super Rank, who can solve the problem with certainty, are targeted..."

To prevent the situation from worsening, they didn't release information.

I couldn't judge whether this decision was right or wrong.

Their policy seemed to prioritize avoiding repeated failures.

They only targeted Super Rank parties, and the difference in strength was significant.

Someone like Figaro would have handled the situation much more easily than I did.

"Considering the excellent Masters expected to gather for the event at the Central Arena today, we decided to take this opportunity..."

They aimed to approach the excellent Masters.

In reality, they had planned to leave by yesterday, anticipating this.

"So, it was really unexpected that you defeated the Gouzmaze Bandit Gang yesterday..."

In short, while they were sitting idly, Hugo and I suddenly appeared and somehow defeated them.

No wonder they had so many questions.

In the end, the proof was the "Purple Vengeful Walk Armor Gouzmaze" I possessed.

◇

In any case, I now faced the problem of this large bounty.

"First, we need to find Hugo."

"Y-yeah."

Hugo had written that he would be around, but I couldn't accept such a large sum without discussing it.

I had also made a decision at the knight's barracks on my own.

I had no way to contact him, as I hadn't asked for his contact information or added him as a friend, so I didn't know if he was online.

I should have done that.

"Whatever happens, we need to discuss the fate of this money with Hugo."

I'm not short of money!

"The bounty for that horse Undead was apparently 1 million rils. Using that amount shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Indeed."

That's true.

However, 1 million rils.

The same amount as the bounty for Galdoranda, which I could use entirely, is already a substantial sum.

But even with money, I don't know what to buy.

It's too early to replace my equipment due to the level requirement.

If anything, it would be accessories, and... a weapon.

"Are you planning to cheat?"

"No, that's not it. Hugo mentioned that there are skills to be gained when a Maiden fights in human form, right?"

"Indeed, he did."

"So, I'm buying a weapon for you and one for me to use when you're in human form."

"Ah, I see. That makes sense."

Nemesis nodded in understanding after the explanation.

"Yes, a weapon for Ray to use other than me. I need to choose carefully, like a mother-in-law inspecting a potential daughter-in-law!"

...Is it really that important?

Ah, right. If we're going to Alejandro's shop, we might as well...

"Are you thinking of pulling the gacha again, Ray?"

"HAHAHA, what are you talking about, Nemesis? I'm a man who can reflect properly."

"Hmm, is that so? Then you should say that while looking at me."

"......I'm sorry."

Ugh, it's true that pulling non-equivalent prizes or another "Permit" would be bad.

But there are also big wins like Luke's and Silver's "Severing Gloves"...

...?

"Huh?"

On the way to Alejandro's shop, I saw a familiar silhouette in the square adjacent to the Central Arena.

At first, I thought it was a mistake or a similar figure, but as I got closer, I realized it wasn't a mistake.

The black, furry body, the tall stature, the rounded silhouette, and the short limbs.

It was clearly a bear costume, and it was surrounded by children.

"Oh, the popular bear! I feel like a star in Japan!"

It was my brother.

"......"

That bear costume is definitely my brother.

However, because he was in the central square, he was mistaken for a performer or mascot and was being mobbed by many children.

"No place to stand! Be careful not to fall when climbing!"

"...What are you doing, brother?"

I called out to my brother, who was being mobbed and climbed by children, almost evolving into an obstacle course.

"Mu, who calls me 'brother'... Oh, it's Ray, isn't it, bear!"

He raised both hands to respond, but the pose looked like a bear was threatening me.

And he didn't call me 'brother.'

I never called him that, even when I wasn't disappointed in him.

"It's been a while, Mr. Bear."

"Hello, Nemesis, bear."

My brother slowly waved his hands.

The slow movement was to prevent the children hanging from his arms from falling.

"Still as popular as ever. When I met you in the capital, you were also surrounded by children."

"It's because the costume is rare, bear."

"It's rare?"

"Even Masters rarely wear them, bear. After all, they are the worst class of equipment, bear."

"Is that so?"

"Think about it. Wearing this fills all your equipment slots except for weapons and accessories."

Ah, that's why it's unpopular.

"Costumes that can compensate for this are extremely rare, bear. I don't know of more than five Masters who wear them regularly, bear."

"...There are four others."

Five, including my brother. Like a superhero team.

Come to think of it, he used to do that too, my brother.

"What do you mean by 'that'?"

I thought of something, and Nemesis reacted telepathically.

No, it's not a big deal.

Just that my brother used to be a member of a superhero team in a TV show.

"...I don't fully understand the context of that world, but from the common knowledge I've gained from Ray, isn't that a big deal? By the way, wasn't your brother originally a martial artist?"

"That's right. He was a student and martial artist in middle and high school."

"And in elementary school, he was a child actor and singer."

"He was chosen as the sixth member, the additional warrior, of a superhero team."

"I only knew about it after he quit."

"...What is Mr. Bear, then?"

No, he's my brother.

"Did you come to Gideon to watch the 'Super Rank Clash'?"

"That's right, bear. I came to see Duke Figaro's match, bear."

Figaro... Mr. Figaro.

They were friends.

"Right, I also plan to watch the match, so we might meet at the venue."

"Eh? Did you get a ticket, bear?"

"Yeah. A friend got it for me."

I showed my brother the ticket I took from my item box, which Marie had given me.

"Oh, a box seat, bear. How did you... Hmm?"

After a quick glance, my brother examined the ticket closely.

"What's wrong?"

"Look at this, bear."

He took out his own ticket from his item box.

It read L-001.

The L is the box number, and 001 is the seat number within the box.

My ticket was L-004.

"The box number is the same?"

The seat numbers were different, but the box was the same for both of us.

"What a coincidence, bear. We can sit next to each other, bear."

"Is such a coincidence possible?"

"Maybe your friend bought the ticket from the same scalper, bear."

That makes sense. It's not surprising that we ended up in the same box.

"Still, it's great that you've already made friends in Gideon, even though you just joined Dendro, bear."

My brother took out a handkerchief from the box and pretended to cry by pressing it to his eyes.

...But nothing would come out, right?

"Also, from the look of your equipment, it seems you've had many adventures in a short time."

I could feel my brother's gaze on my gauntlets and boots, the "Miasma Flame Gauntlets Galdoranda" and "Purple Vengeful Walk Armor Gouzmaze."

"Yeah, a lot has happened. I'd like to talk about it, but... it's not the right time with this situation."

My brother was still surrounded by children, and we were talking while he was being mobbed.

"Right. Hey, kids! The bear has to go now, bear! I'll give you candy as a goodbye, bear!"

He took out a large amount of candy from his item box and started distributing it to the children.

The children were delighted and thanked him, saying, "Thank you, bear," as they left one by one.

"...You did this in the capital too, didn't you?"

"Hmm, it's a must when moving in a costume, bear."

Then, why not just take it off... but he can't, right?

The inside of the costume is his real face.

"How about a mask or a hood instead?"

"I don't like looking suspicious, bear."

...Does a bear not look suspicious?

"Why not dress up as a superhero like you used to?"

"That's a no, bear. There's a specialized clan for that, bear."

There are... superhero clans.

As we talked, my brother finished distributing the candy, and the