Chapter 80

"――Shall I go first?"

Akikawa, who had already spoken with Banis, silently gave up his place.

Banis, placing his shield and helmet on the table, sat opposite Kurando, showing a slight hesitation before speaking.

"――I still believe in what I said."

"……"

"Those who wield power must consider how they use it. Power without benevolence and conviction is mere violence.

……But, they made a fatal mistake they should not have. I, too, believed in them and did not stop them. Moreover, I even guided you to the right path. I feel like crawling into a hole. I am truly sorry."

His golden hair swayed.

Banis had bowed his head.

"You don't need to apologize.

You have a place to return to, a society to protect. Everything is different between you and me. I have no intention of committing evil, but if I need to use force to live a decent life, I will, even if it means violence."

While Kurando had doubts about the law, he still had a fondness for Japan and might have shared Banis's values if he had acted alongside the heroes. But that was not the case.

Kurando had developed a fierce, almost animalistic set of values.

His abilities, environment, and circumstances had shaped the current Kurando. He had no intention of discarding them now.

Banis raised his head and looked straight at Kurando with a straightforward gaze that showed no hostility or malice.

Kurando felt no guilt about his current self.

He met Banis's gaze head-on.

"This is my way of taking responsibility.

……But, when you use your power, think about it. Before you destroy yourself with a wrong move."

Banis nodded to Akikawa, then picked up his shield and helmet and stood up.

"……As promised, I know nothing and have no intention of prying."

Banis whispered something in Kurando's ear, seemingly relieved after their conversation, and left the association with a brisk pace.

"……So, what about you? I don't want to talk to you, a hero, in a public place for too long."

"I am not known as a hero, so it's fine. I'm wearing a hood, too. Besides, there are things I need to discuss with you, Kurando-san. ……For the sake of cooperation."

Akikawa spoke in his usual unassertive manner, but his tone was serious.

"……I'll listen."

Kurando sighed but listened to Akikawa.

"First, the second squad of the Moon Goddess's attendants has been asked to leave the country."

This was an unusually harsh statement for Akikawa.

Officially, they had left Maranova to attend the annual grand gathering in Hidden Moon and Birth Moon.

A year had 460 days, with the Blue Moon, Yellow Moon, Red Moon, and White Moon each lasting 101 days, totaling 404 days. The remaining two days were the end and beginning of the year, known as the Hidden Moon and Birth Moon.

"――This incident is significant. They tried to protect a girl by interfering in a duel, but the girl attempted to kill the duel opponent along with an unrelated woman.

If mishandled, this could have severely damaged the Moon Goddess's attendants' activities. However, with the current chief lady-in-waiting, Ophelia, there would be no such mistake, but she is currently far away. Therefore, I reported and consulted with the association.

The result was that they accepted our side of the story and took appropriate action. After the consultation, they immediately arranged for people from nearby areas to escort the second squad and handled the payment to Kurando-san.

Ophelia also sent a message, saying she was truly sorry and would apologize in person soon."

"……What about the punishment for Dawi, who broke the contract?"

It was understandable if she had fled after being confined in the mountains for over ten days, but if her location was known, Kurando wanted to request the association to enforce the contract, which was why he had requested a meeting with the branch chief.

Akikawa looked apologetic.

"That is my request to you. Please do not seek punishment for Dawi. Also, do not speak of this incident. Say that Estia was killed during the Baltis attack, the duel never happened, and the girl, Fanfu, was also killed during the attack."

Kurando was suddenly curious.

"Wait. Why are you involved in this? Aren't you just a monster researcher?"

"I am personally involved because a hero, or rather a student, is involved."

"But the heroes weren't involved in this incident, right?"

"No, Fujishiro Akari is involved. And you are a summoner, Kurando-san."

Akikawa, as usual, looked apologetic and weak.

But this made Kurando feel uneasy.

"Fujishiro Akari? Is there a summoner among the Moon Goddess's attendants? Why is she involved in this?"

"Various circumstances led Fujishiro to seek refuge with the Moon Goddess's attendants.

If this incident tarnishes the Moon Goddess's attendants' reputation, it could hinder their activities and negatively affect Fujishiro.

Therefore, I am acting while I can. A while ago, Fujishiro faced trouble in another country, and I could do nothing about it. By the time I realized the situation, it was too late. To prevent such things from happening again, I want to nip any trouble in the bud.

I have already discussed this with the association. All that's left is for Kurando-san to agree, and everything will be resolved. I should have talked to you first, but I couldn't find you, so this became a post-incident report. I am truly sorry."

Akikawa, who said he was acting for the students, was calmly covering up the incident.

Kurando never thought he was smarter than Akikawa, but he had underestimated him.

This was what made Akikawa seem eerie.

"Whether the other party is a summoner or not, it doesn't matter to me. I won't sacrifice my safety for others. I tolerated it once, but not again."

Kurando said this without showing any sentiment for Akari.

Even if Akikawa knew about his relationship with Akari, it might not be a problem, but he couldn't predict where the information might leak or how it might be used.

If Akikawa had resolved the incident, Kurando didn't know what means he had used to smooth things over.

He could no longer see Akikawa as the harmless middle-aged teacher he appeared to be.

Kurando had changed his perception of Akikawa.

And because of this, he couldn't back down.

But even after hearing Kurando's harsh words, Akikawa's expression remained unchanged, still looking apologetic.

"Estia, who passed away, and I also visited her hometown, Baltis."

Akikawa started talking about something else without reproaching Kurando.

"I had the second-in-command, Agatha, and the chief assistant, Dawi, bow their heads to Estia's relatives and provided a million Lutz as a condolence payment from the Moon Goddess's attendants. In return, I asked them not to speak of this incident."

"……That innkeeper wouldn't move for money."

"Indeed, she initially refused to accept it.

However, when I proposed lifting the blockade on Maranova's side of Dragon Mountain, and the government of Yurifranz and the Moon Goddess's attendants pressured the Baruk executive to allow the establishment of an association branch in Baltis, she reluctantly agreed. Of course, I also obtained the mayor's consent.

While I felt uncomfortable using Estia's death, I was more concerned about the students. Even though they are no longer under my direct care, I want to protect them if I can."

As the mayor's daughter and a North Baruk native, a large sum of money was needed to rebuild the devastated North Baruk. Lifting the blockade on Dragon Mountain, one of the root causes, would normalize the territory of the flying dragons. Additionally, establishing an association branch in Baltis would attract more hunters, reducing the monster attacks in North Baruk.

It was not hard to imagine that Mayor Reyle would not refuse such conditions based on personal feelings.

North Baruk had no intention of immediate independence. If they could receive such aid by remaining silent about one woman's death, no one would reject Akikawa's proposal.

Despite this, Kurando found himself frowning.

Seeing this, Akikawa looked even more apologetic.

Akikawa continued, saying that the situation had been resolved smoothly in a short time, partly due to fortunate circumstances.

Maranova, which had sealed off Dragon Mountain under the pretext of the heroes, and the Baruk executive, which had refused to allow the establishment of an association branch due to dissatisfaction with the moderate independence movement in North Baruk, were both at fault.

Using the name of the hero and hinting at Albaum, Akikawa secured the cooperation of the Yurifranz government and pressured the Baruk executive to accept the Moon Goddess's attendants' intervention in the Baruk Hunter Association.

The Yurifranz government could not ignore the situation if the conflict between Maranova and North Baruk led to the devastation of North Baruk and the outbreak of riots.

Furthermore, with the announcement of the thief Skeleton, they no longer had the resources to maintain the blockade with the dragon cavalry.

The government used the external pressure of the heroes and the threat of the terrorist thief Skeleton to forcefully suppress Maranova and force them to cooperate.

The Baruk executive, which had already decided to submit to Yurifranz, could not refuse the strong request from the Yurifranz government and the Moon Goddess's attendants to establish an association branch.

The Baruk Hunter Association would have no objections to establishing a branch in Baltis if the executive approved it.

Akikawa had swallowed both the good and the bad, and made others do the same.

"What about them?"

"Officially, there is no punishment.

However, to set an example, the second-in-command, Agatha, and the chief assistant, Dawi, have retired and are in seclusion at the main temple, completely cut off from the outside world. The other women have been reassigned to different squads."

"……You mean they have no intention of keeping the contract?"

Disappointed, Kurando's words made Akikawa look flustered and continue speaking.

"This was my request.

Ophelia intended to make the incident public and order them to commit suicide according to the contract. The result would have been internal distrust and external criticism, and the Moon Goddess's attendants would have faced a difficult situation, but it would have been the responsibility of the organization that caused the incident.

However, I couldn't let that happen, so I forcefully reported it as a post-incident report, citing the support for North Baruk and Kurando-san's prior consent.

I apologize for using Kurando-san's name."

Akikawa bowed deeply.

"The purpose of this incident is to avoid causing any damage that would hinder the Moon Goddess's attendants' activities.

More specifically, the purpose is to avoid putting the summoners in a bad position.

While it won't be made public, it must appear that the contract was not broken and nothing happened.

The Moon Goddess's attendants don't have an assassination department, and if they were expelled, it would be clear what actions they might take, so that's not an option. Therefore, they are in seclusion under the guise of training.

The same applies to the association.

If the association secretly executed punishment, the information about Kurando-san, who requested it, would leak. No matter how much it is hidden, someone will know. There's a chance that a summoner might recognize the name 'Kurando.'"

Kurando frowned as Akikawa continued speaking, raising his head.

"……Are there heroes who want to use me?"

"There are some. Some students resent Ichihara, who cooperates with Albaum, and some still hate the summoned Albaum.

While Albaum is now focused on protecting the heroes, respecting their free will, and seeking their cooperation, there are many politicians who strongly oppose this approach, believing that heroes can be used as tools or taken hostage to make them comply.

Considering the possibility that someone who wants to undermine Ichihara might use such a politician and use Kurando-san's information to bring down Ichihara and jeopardize the heroes' position, I decided it would be better to keep Kurando-san's information confidential."

The contract was broken, and an attack occurred.

Kurando had anticipated this and was prepared to counterattack.

However, he had overlooked other aspects.

The leakage of his own information.

When he created the contract, he hadn't considered such a possibility, and now he felt foolish for not thinking of it at the time.

"……I'll kill her outside the city. I'll cooperate with the public announcement, but tie her up and throw her in the mountains. I'll take care of the rest. It's better for keeping her quiet, right? ……Would you do that if I said so?"

Kurando, who had lost his composure, said this with a gaze that felt poisonous, as if he didn't see the other person as human.

"……Dawi had already left the Moon Goddess's attendants and returned to secular life by the time she tried to interfere with the duel. Whether this is true or not, she said it, and Agatha, the chief lady-in-waiting, accepted it. Therefore,