Chapter 333

(T/N: This is an explanation of a scene before they met the king...)

Two days after the guild master’s words, they had some free time to kill.

On the second night, the two were resting on a bed, with Tatsuro embracing Ai from behind, playfully teasing her.

“Haha! That tickles!”

“Ai’s tummy is as smooth as ever. And yet, it’s got that perfect firmness. I hereby grant it the title of Supreme Belly!”

“I don’t need that title—hahaha! Stop it! Don’t rub it like that! We’re in cuddle time now, not later!”

“Oops, my bad. I’ll have a stern talk with my right hand.”

“While you’re saying that, your left hand’s still at it!”

“What a peculiar hand!?”

“The only peculiar thing is your pervy brain, Erolong!”

After their intimate moment, Ai had set a rule: cuddle time comes first, then they could resume later. She grabbed Tatsuro’s hands, pinned them down, and took the upper hand to calm him.

“Hmm, hmm. This angle’s always a treat, no matter how many times I see it. Nice!”

“Ugh, that’s all you ever say.”

Despite her complaints, Ai didn’t seem particularly upset. She gently rested her head on Tatsuro’s chest, giving it a peck-like kiss.

Tatsuro squirmed at the ticklish sensation, and Ai, in retaliation, repeated the kisses multiple times.

The two never seemed to tire of these daily antics, but Tatsuro suddenly recalled something, shifting the mood to a slightly more serious tone.

“By the way, since we completed the request, we’re supposed to get that Hyalva Medal, along with some land and a house, right? Wonder what kind of house it’ll be. Can we just magically remodel it however we want?”

“Who knows? But since it’s in the Noble District, it’s probably in the town center, right? Honestly, I’d rather have a place by the sea with an ocean view, not some walled-off spot. And I want to go to the beach with everyone!”

“Beach… swimsuits! Alright, let’s look into it.”

“Ugh, Erolong, you perv.”

Ai narrowed her eyes, looking like a relaxed cat sprawled on Tatsuro’s chest.

Tatsuro lifted Ai by her waist, sitting up while still holding her close, and began wondering if there was a seaside town nearby. He pulled out a map of all of Casapisti, purchased in Gagapoa—the first town they visited in this land—from his Infinite Item Field, and the two started examining it.

“Hmm, Casapisti has half its territory facing the sea, so I figured there’d be something, but the closest is about two kilometers away.”

“And even then, it’s just the town center, right? You wouldn’t even see the sea from there.”

“Yeah, exactly. It’d probably be scenic, and rich nobles would be all over that land—oh, wait, that’s it.”

“What’s it?”

Peering over Ai’s shoulder at the map, Tatsuro noticed a small note about a seaside area.

It mentioned that magical beasts often emerged from the sea there, warning people to be cautious when approaching.

“Guess it’s because of the magical beasts. No helping that.”

“Yeah, if you step out of town and it’s ‘Hello, Mr. Magical Beast,’ normal people would be in trouble.”

“Such a shame, though. This place has vast natural landscapes and the sea, but it says here you’d need a party of forty level-60 adventurers to even set foot in this area. No wonder no one lives there.”

“Abundant nature and rich seafood. It’d be the perfect spot for our home.”

“We could probably live there just fine, and if it’s unused, maybe they’d give us the whole thing.”

“Haha, yeah, if we could do whatever we wanted with that whole area, it’d be amazing.”

“Right? There might even be cute magical beasts like Mame, and we could rack up tons of SP from all sorts of creatures.”

“Even though we’ve already hit our goal, more SP never hurts.”

“But yeah, that’s probably a pipe dream. Let’s look for some realistic options.”

“Okay.”

With that, they dropped the topic, set the map aside, and resumed their cuddling.

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Later, when asked where they’d like their land, Tatsuro recalled this conversation.

In a monarchical state where the king’s word was absolute, and with a king who felt such gratitude toward them, Tatsuro thought their joking wish might just become reality. He pointed to a spot—not quite the Amneri Great Forest, but still one of Casapisti’s most dangerous regions.

The Sea of Beasts, Solrumesia, and the adjacent grassy plains and forests, Solrulesif.

Tatsuro’s index finger boldly pointed to the center of this region.

“Could we have the seaside area here and the surrounding land?”

This was a place where even high-level adventurers, in groups of dozens, could barely explore.

Building a house and living there would make anyone think they were suicidal.

Everyone except the king gave Tatsuro strange looks, wondering what nonsense he was spouting, but Tatsuro was dead serious.

Even a king of this country could ignore such a request, but the man before him had gone out of his way to meet them, seeming like a good, kingdom-loving ruler.

Tatsuro wasn’t the type to toy with such a person’s goodwill.

Meeting Tatsuro’s earnest gaze, Howl Luisarch Casapisti, the king of Casapisti, deepened his grin.

“Interesting! I’ll allow it!! And I won’t be stingy about just the surrounding land. Take all of Solrumesia and Solrulesif!”

“Your Majesty!?”

A male elf, seemingly the second-highest-ranking aide, widened his eyes in shock, practically leaping forward.

“Giving them all of it? Even if we were to welcome them as nobles, giving such vast land to people who aren’t even citizens is practically granting them an independent territory!”

“Hah, what’s wrong with that? The nearby towns live in fear of dangerous magical beasts emerging from that land, don’t they? If someone with the power to manage such a dangerous place volunteers’ to do so, what’s the problem? If anything, I feel bad giving them such a place.”

“But if they use that land as a base and secretly let in foreign armies, this country could be devoured from within! Please reconsider, Your Majesty!”

“Enough, Fardolha! What a way to speak to the kingdom’s heroes. Have some shame!”

“—Guh, my apologies, Your Majesty Howl Luisarch Casapisti…”

Even in an absolute monarchy, Howl tolerated honest advice. But if someone repeatedly opposed a decision he’d firmly made, he’d naturally get angry.

Realizing further protest was futile, the elf named Fardolha apologized to Tatsuro and the others.

“Please don’t mind him. When you choose your reward from the castle’s treasury, I’ll have the official documents prepared. Once you receive them, the land is yours to do with as you please. Of course, this assumes you won’t do what Fardolha fears. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes, that’s fine. Honestly, I have no interest in human conflicts. We have no intention of doing anything like that, and if foreign invaders come from that sea, we’ll politely send them back before they even reach land. So please, rest assured.”

Tatsuro directed his sincere words more toward Fardolha than Howl.

Perhaps his sincerity got through, as Fardolha gave a slight nod.

“To think you’d even consider my vassal’s concerns—truly a hero. By the way, Tatsuro Hasami—”

“Just Tatsuro is fine, Your Majesty.”

“Very well, Tatsuro. Do you know of a magical beast called Laranest?”

The sudden change in topic made Tatsuro raise an eyebrow, but he figured there was a reason and answered honestly.

“No, I don’t. What kind of magical beast is it?”

“It’s about two meters tall, covered in a very hard shell, with giant pincers for hands, and it’s blue, living in the sea. It’s extremely strong, and an average person would likely be killed without landing a single scratch on it.”

Tatsuro pictured a blue, crab-like crustacean magical beast.

“I see. And what about this creature?”

Tatsuro wondered if the king wanted them to hunt it, but Howl, with a serious expression, said:

“Its flesh is incredibly delicious. Even I, a king, would jump for joy at its taste.”

“—!?”

Tatsuro and Ai’s eyes lit up, and they sat up straight.

“W-where is this creature? —No way!”

“You’re exactly right. It lives in the very Sea of Beasts, Solrumesia, that I’m giving you—and in large numbers.”

“Large numbers!?”

Tatsuro and Ai exclaimed in unison. Sensing an opportunity, Howl made a proposal.

“Here’s the thing about Laranest. Occasionally, its carcasses wash up on other beaches, but only those that aren’t rotten make it to market, so I’ve only eaten it a handful of times.

…So, here’s my proposal: could you supply it to the capital regularly? Of course, I’ll pay a fair price for it, plus a premium.”

“We’d need to see it first to know for sure, but if we can catch it regularly, we might be up for it.”

“Excellent! I have no doubt you two can handle it.”

Howl grew visibly excited, while a fishman behind him stared at Tatsuro, practically drooling. It seemed he, too, was captivated by Laranest’s flavor.

If a king with refined tastes was this eager, it must be extraordinary. Tatsuro and Ai were intrigued, their curiosity piqued.

Moreover, Tatsuro had his Strengthened Modification Ranch. Perhaps, like with the honey, he could enhance its flavor even further.

{If we could make high-class Laranest and sell it graded by taste, that’d be pretty interesting.}

{High-class!? What a delicious word… I can’t wait to try it!}

Ai, eyes narrowed, was already daydreaming about the yet-unseen beast’s meat.

While charmed by Ai’s reaction, Tatsuro asked if there was any more “delicious” information, but since the area wasn’t well-known for its flavors, no further useful data came up.

(Still, that’s more than enough. Plus, we got a way bigger piece of land than I expected, and we can build a base to return to whenever we want.)

With that, Tatsuro added a new item to his mental to-do list before heading back.

Afterward, Howl shook hands with each of them (Cardina with her wings, Jeanne with her horns, Amaterasu with her umbrella ribs, Tsukuyomi with Secom-kun’s tentacles), leaving Cardina and the others wide-eyed. He promised to meet again at the castle for the Hyalva Medal ceremony, then returned to the capital in a palanquin carried by flying magical beasts.

Finally, Tatsuro and the others received their rewards from the guild master.

First, they received the full reward for completing all requests: 12 billion Shis, paid in one lump sum.

Then the conversation shifted to rank advancement and rank granting.

“After reviewing that land and consulting with guild staff and other guild masters about your actions, we’ve decided to grant you individual ranks of 12 and a party rank of 15. This is a first in history.”

“…You said before it was individual rank 11 and party rank 12, right? And that those were the highest ranks ever given…”

“Exactly. This is unprecedented.”

“That’s… gonna make things a hassle every time we enter a town…”

Even their previous ranks had an effect almost as powerful as a certain retired official’s seal (T/N: A reference to a historical symbol of authority). Tatsuro worried that being granted the highest ranks in history would cause a commotion every time they entered or left a town.

But the guild had considered this and offered a certain feature.

“You can display your rank at any level lower than your actual rank. You can’t raise it higher, but you can freely lower it.”

“That’s really helpful—but is that okay? Isn’t that kind of like falsifying your status?”

“It shows how much the Adventurer’s Guild trusts you. Besides, displaying a lower rank shouldn’t cause any issues.”

“Well, yeah, I guess. Displaying a higher rank would probably cause problems. Alright, if you’re going that far to accommodate us, we’ll accept. Everyone okay with that?”

Everyone nodded firmly in response to Tatsuro’s words.

Turning back to Ippolito, he pulled out a transparent, smartphone-sized panel from his pocket and handed each of them a glowing blue plate.

As they each took one, the system automatically activated.

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Adventurer’s Guild Rank Advancement Request Confirmed.

Would you like to increase your rank?

Yes / No

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Without hesitation, everyone selected “Yes,” and with that, Tatsuro and his party officially became the highest-ranked adventurers in history, with individual ranks of 12 and a party rank of 15.