Vol. 15 - Ch. 31 - The King's Scheme

After leaving the Adventurer's Guild, Gil Glendale was about to make his way back to his castle alone when his gaze landed on a seemingly empty spot. He stared at it for a moment before speaking up.

"Cain. I know you're there. Come on out."

As if on cue, Cain, the captain of the Glendale Royal Guard, appeared from thin air.

"Your Majesty's intuition just keeps getting sharper, having seen through my stealth technique with such ease."

"Well, what can I say, when you're surrounded by nothing but Bakemono, you adapt. And you're one of the Bakemono who helped me get this way, remember?"

Gil, the heir to the throne of Glendale, had received elite training since childhood, yet his combat skills had once capped out at around a B-Rank adventurer, which is pretty much the limit for an ordinary person.

It was then that Cain started serving him. Being half-otherworlder – his mother being Anna, a ridiculously powerful being from another world—Cain's influence unlocked Gil's latent potential.

Gil had also started hanging around Halt's place lately. That guy’s wives were obsessed with extending his lifespan, scouring the globe for rare ingredients to use in their daily meals. And so, being invited to these feasts and eating the same food as the Ernol family caused Gil's own stats to skyrocket abnormally.

"Everyone back there was from top-tier clans in this world, their leaders, but… Gotta be honest, I didn’t feel like I'd lose to any of them."

"Be that as it may, as captain of your guard, I must ask you to stop. Please remember that you're the king of a nation. If all of them had decided to gang up on you, even I might not have been able to protect you and come out completely unscathed."

"Hey, wait a sec, don't tell me you were in that room?"

"I am the commander of your royal guards, Your Majesty. It's my job."

Gil had been totally convinced he'd given Cain the slip when he snuck out of the castle. But the whole time, Cain had been hiding his presence, watching Gil's back from the shadows.

"...You've gotta be kidding me."

"Speaking of which, Your Majesty, what's the plan for the venue of the Ultimate Clan Battle? Our kingdom doesn't have a colosseum big enough for Clan Houses to battle. And seriously, brute fighting among the Clan Houses? Is that for real?"

"Sounds fun, right? And I'm dead serious. As for the venue, I'm thinking of commissioning H&T Trading Company."

"H&T Trading Company? You mean Halt's company?"

"The main tournament is next month. Even if we made it a public works project and put it out to bid, there's no one else who could possibly get it done in time."

The most powerful clans from various nations have magically modified their Clan Houses into 'Moving Clan Houses.' The key point is that these bases are massive. People tend to flock to the top clans, so it's only natural that the headquarters would get huge.

Finding a place to host a bunch of these gigantic, mobile bases for a battle royale is no easy task.

"Even if we’re talking about Halt and his people here, isn’t it still difficult building a suitable venue in just one month? Did you perhaps check with them beforehand?"

"Nope, not really."

Cain facepalmed himself when he heard Gil's reply.

"You're the one who told me I have this almost prophetic intuition for sniffing out interesting developments. I trusted that gut feeling and came here. Didn't really think much beyond that."

"Seems like you're trying to pin half of this responsibility onto me, aren't you?"

"Yep. You're the cause, I'm the executor. That makes us partners in crime. So now we're gonna go see Halt together, bow our heads, and ask him, 'Please, help us out’, yeah. "

Through his dealings with the Ernol family, Gil had learned that things usually just worked out if they were involved, and that's exactly what led to this current reckless decision.

"Your Majesty, you're aware that Undine, the guardian spirit of this country, is now married into Halt's household, right? If we make too many unreasonable demands, we might lose the kingdom's divine protection."

"That would be a problem, yeah, but I'm not planning to ask for the impossible. Of course we'll pay, and on top of that, I intend to grant any wish of theirs that's within my power."

"Why go that far?"

"Think about it. Clan Houses are gonna make their move, you know? And they’ll be fighting, you know? If we spread that news, royalty and nobles from all over the world will flock to our country. You know what happens then, right?"

"...They'd spend a fortune during their stay in Glendale."

"Exactly. The regular Ultimate Clan Battle already gives a decent economic boost, but a Clan House battle is a whole different level. If we want to develop this country further, we absolutely must make this tournament a success."

It wasn't just about the money. Just the fact that the kingdom is able to provide a venue for such a colossal fight would also be a powerful display of Glendale's national strength to other countries and kingdoms. With all these calculations swirling in his mind, Gil headed for Halt's mansion, with Cain in tow.

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