By the Grace of the Gods: Volume 2

by Roy

  “Oh my! So the one buying them was you, Ryoma. If you’re using them to feed your slimes, everything makes sense. There are... quite a few in your possession, after all...”

  “What do you normally do to feed them?”

  “They seem like they’d cost a ton to feed. I’ve heard some familiars cost a fortune to keep.”

  While we were chatting, a new carriage arrived. Since it was already here, I decided to ride on the carriage with the three of them.

  Several hours later.

  The carriage arrived safely. The driver told us to check in at the temporary reception set up at the entrance of the mines, so we went to do that before waiting. Once it reached 11, everyone was told to gather in the square.

  “The number of participants today is 264! Subjugations take place in parties of 6, for safety! No fighting over kills! Anyone who isn’t assigned to a party, come this way to check your assigned squads! And finally... earn as much as you can today!”

  Everyone cheered at the guildmaster’s simple instructions to begin work before gathering into groups and heading into the mines.

  ...Wait, was that it? I shouldn’t be standing around. Which party was I in?

  I checked the squad list to see that I was with Jeff, Miya, Welanna, Mizelia, and Cilia. It was comforting to be with people I knew already, but had the guildmaster done that intentionally? At any rate, I had to find them...

  I looked around to see five people walking my way with Welanna in the lead.

  “Welanna, everyone. I look forward to working with you today.”

  “Same here, Ryoma.”

  “Let’s do this, nya.”

  “Let’s work hard today.”

  “I’ll be sure to lead you properly, as the more experienced adventurer.”

  “That’s impossible for you, Mizelia. We saw each other just earlier, but hey again.”

  “Wha— Hey, Jeff! Isn’t that a bit rude?!”

  “You might have the skills, but you’re too hasty.”

  “What was that?!”

  “What are you two on about... Ryoma, ignore those two. Now, time for combat checks. Ryoma, what’s your weapon? Cave bats and small rats should be easy, but have you fought cave mantises before?”

  “I’ve fought them before. I normally use a bow and arrow, but I can use daggers and martial arts too. The rest of the time I use magic.”

  “Then Ryoma, please focus on using your magic to attack the airborne enemies. Since no one else in our party can use attack magic.”

  “It’s not that we can’t use it at all, nya! It’s just that beastkin have less magical energy, so you can’t really rely on our magic, nya. Though Cilia has more magical energy than the average beastkin...”

  “Unfortunately, I can only use healing magic.”

  “Mizelia and I are terrible at magic in general. We’ve given up on everything but the neutral spells for enhancement and hardening!”

  “Don’t lump me together with you, I excel in enhancement and hardening!”

  “That’s just a different way of saying the same thing, nya... So what element do you use, Ryoma?”

  “All of them, but I mostly use earth.”

  “All elements! That’s rare, nya.”

  “There’s more variation in your fighting that way. By earth, you mean Earth Needle?”

  “Earth Needle and Rock Bullet. Out of the other elements, the only things I can really use inside a mine would be Ice Arrow and Stun Arrow, I guess.”

  “That’s more than enough. All right, let’s go!”

  Thus the subjugation began.

  Chapter 2 Episode 9: An Average Adventurer

  “There’s no challenge...”

  We stepped into a new mineshaft all pumped up, but the monsters that appeared were all so weak, we proceeded forward smoothly. This was already the third mineshaft.

  “What challenge is there to seek from small rats and slimes?”

  “If a challenging enemy to Jeff appeared it’d just be trouble, nya. We’d be fine, but the other G and F rankers would be in danger.”

  “Our main job is to be prepared in case the worst happens in the mines.”

  “It’s just that only standing around sets a bad example to the lower ranks.”

  Based on their words and fighting until now — especially the fighting — these people were far more skilled than the bandits I had encountered in this world until now. Were they actually really high ranked people? Why was I mixed into a group with them?

  “Hmm? Something the matter, Ryoma?”

  “No, it’s just that everyone here seems to be high-ranked, so I was wondering why an F-rank like me was grouped with you. Was the guildmaster being considerate? It’s easier around familiar faces, after all.”

  “That’s not it. The old man likes to meddle, but he prioritizes ability when it comes to jobs.”

  “It’s probably because the five of us would struggle against a monster only weak to magic, so he valued your stamina and strength.”

  “Ryoma. We’re actually moving at a fairly fast pace right now, one that a F rank adventurer would normally be unable to keep up with.”

  “At first, I was planning on dropping our pace once Ryoma showed signs of fatigue. But he’s been keeping up without issue the whole time.”

  Really? I hadn’t noticed at all.

  “Ryoma, you’re not actually F rank in ability, are you? There’s no way.”

  “What’s the biggest monster you defeated until now?”

  “The biggest one wasn’t a monster, but a black bear that inhabits the Forest of Gana.”

  The five of them looked as though their expectations were confirmed.

  “There’s no way a normal F ranker could defeat a black bear, nya. Even D rankers have to team up to hunt one safely.”

  “If you hunted a black bear alone, that would put you at the combat ability of a C rank adventurer. You’ve shown the guildmaster your skill before, right?”

  Come to think of it, yes.

  “When I was registering, the guildmaster supervised my entry test.”

  “That would be it.”

  “No mistake there. He must have had his eye on you since then.”

  “That’s why he put you in this squad. Makes sense.”

  “You have the ability, so don’t let ranks bother you, nya. You’ll climb up to the same rank as us in no time.”

  “Speaking of which, what rank is everyone? I haven’t heard yet.”

  “Didn’t we mention it?”

  “We’re all B rank.”

  “A rank just barely worthy of calling ourselves top-class adventurers.”

  “For the record, Sher who you met earlier is D rank, and Gordon is B rank. Asagi and Leipin are both A rank.”

  We were walking and talking when Welanna came to a sudden stop, focusing her attention in front of her. She seemed to be scenting something.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “From the smell of things, there’s a colony of cave bats up ahead. There’s so many of them. It’s not dangerous, but some will definitely get away before we can defeat them all.”

  “How bothersome, nya...”

  “Are there any people on the other side?”

  “There’s no smell like that. Can you use some kind of wide range attack magic?”

  “It’s not a killing one, but I have something that will work perfectly.”

  I explained the Sound Bomb I tested yesterday.

  “Huh, you can do something like that?”

  “I’ve never heard of that magic before.”

  Well, I would hope not, since I made it with knowledge from Earth.

  “That magic can only knock them out or render them immobile, right? Will we be able to finish off all the cave bats before they revive?”

  “It’d be a lot easier after knocking them out, but I’m not sure if we’ll make it in time.”

  “Then how about we ask the people behind us?”

  The five of them agre
ed to my suggestion.

  “Wait, you noticed too?”

  “I lived in the forest for three years, after all. I’m sensitive to presences.”

  “I see. In that case, let’s wait here for a bit.”

  So... there was actually a group of six people that had been following us from a distance all this time. They didn’t seem particularly aggressive so we had ignored them until now, but according to the others they were probably poor G to E rank adventurers. They were probably picking up the monsters we threw aside for money.

  According to Welanna, the rewards for G to E rank jobs were low, so it was common for newbie adventurers to struggle financially with the costs of living and equipment.

  “Unless they have some other kind of income, their living costs only settle once their start D rank jobs.”

  “Until then, they have lots of expenses, nya. Every injury and unforeseen circumstance costs.”

  “There are many people that save up in advance, but how long they take to rank up depends on their work. Oftentimes someone will mess up doing an unfamiliar task and their money runs out before advancement.”

  “In exchange, once you can complete D rank requests steadily, you should be able to receive enough money to compensate for those expenses, while C rank would bring about a comfortable lifestyle. That was how Miya bought her home, too. I think she was a little hasty with that home, but there aren’t many jobs for people of our age that allow us to buy our own homes. It’s a clear example of how some adventurer jobs are high risk, high return.”

  Like Cilia had said, Miya still looked to be in her early twenties. I don’t know how many years it’s been since she bought her house, but she was about the age of a university student in Japan. To buy her own house with money she earned working at that age... It was actually quite amazing. Hell, I myself only lived in a run-down apartment up until my death... Though I couldn’t complain about it.

  “At B rank and above, all the jobs become dangerous and fewer in number, but the rewards rocket up. As long as you don’t spend recklessly or slack off, you won’t have an issue with money. But up until E rank, the low risk makes for the worst financial struggle. That’s why the people behind us now are probably under D rank.”

  For this subjugation request, the monsters belonged to whoever finished it off, but if they couldn’t hold any more they would discard them starting from the most worthless ones. Discarded monsters were seen as abandoned items, so other adventurers would gather them for money.

  But while this behavior wasn’t forbidden, it wasn’t favorable either. It could also cause issues later, so it was a bit of a gray zone for those who did it without permission.

  We rested where we were for a while, until the party in question noticed us resting and stopped. That was when Welanna called out to them loudly.

  “You lot over there! We know you’ve been following us this whole time! Show your faces!”

  The six of them panicked, but eventually appeared.

  Four humans and two beastkin, huh... This might be rude to say, but they overall looked quite shabby. They must be adventurers struggling with living costs... But they were pretty young. They didn’t seem much older than me, perhaps?

  “What are you lot shadowing us for, hmm?”

  “We were... picking up discarded monsters...”

  “...First off, we’re not trying to pick a fight with you.”

  The six faces brightened a little, relieved at those words.

  “But I’d like to hear why you chose to do such a thing, yeah?”

  “Y-Yes ma’am! The truth is, we’re all G and F ranks... and don’t have much money...”

  “I was doing okay in the start, but after buying weapons and armor I ran out of money...”

  “I messed up a subjugation job and lost all my money paying the contract penalty...”

  “We were struggling to feed ourselves, making do by living frugally. Then, when this job came up, we jumped at the chance. We figured we could earn enough to cover our living expenses for a while. The monsters are weak so it’s safe, and we get paid for participating and bringing back monster bodies. We just knew we had to make as much as we could!”

  “That was when we saw you guys come this way, and...”

  The reasons they gave were exactly as had been explained to me just now. It must be really common, huh... I listened quietly as Jeff pressed the human girl to continue.

  “And what?”

  “And...”

  “We saw that kid following you. We figured if you were willing to take a kid like that into the mines with you, then you wouldn’t mind if we took the monsters you discarded. We thought people that could put up with a kid that was a clear hindrance would let us off lightly.”

  The other five people looked rather uncomfortable at the boy’s words. Of course they would. I was still a member of this party, and it would normally be rude to call someone outright useless.

  However, the other five must have also felt the same or agreed to it, as not a single person bothered to stop or argue against him.

  “Do you lot realize the position you’re in—”

  Welanna started to scold them for looking down on me when I stopped her. This stuff didn’t bother me, and there was nothing to be done about it.

  “It’s fine, Welanna.”

  “Ryoma, it’s better to speak your mind in times like this.”

  “Thoughts can’t always be changed just by talking. I can’t help my weak appearance.”

  “Fine... But! You lot! If that was the case, why didn’t you say anything? Grabbing them without a word makes you no different to thieves!”

  ““We’re very sorry!!””

  After the six of them apologized, they tried to offer the monsters they had taken back to us, but Cilia and Mizelia put a stop to that.

  “Hold it! We took issue with you guys for collecting the corpses without telling us, not for actually collecting the corpses.”

  “If you’re strapped for cash, you can take it. We don’t need it anyway. But if you’re going to do this, make sure you get permission next time.”

  “If you’re too ashamed to ask for permission, don’t do it from the beginning. Train yourselves until you don’t have to!”

  The six of them brightened at those words. They thanked everyone other than me. Welanna looked a little unhappy at that, but Miya began to ask the six of them for help as planned.

  “There’s actually another reason why we called out to you, nya. There’s a colony of cave bats up ahead, but there’s too many for us to take out quickly. So, could you help us, nya? You can keep the corpses, nya!”

  Naturally, they were on board with that. While I was using Probe to confirm no one else was around, Miya gave a simple explanation of the plan to them.

  “First, Ryoma will fire a magic into the back of the cave. Then we charge in, nya.”

  “Wouldn’t that kid’s magic just make the enemy more alert?”

  The other party expressed their apprehension, but backed down when Welanna yelled at them to go home if they had complaints. But they still whispered to each other a small distance away. About their doubts towards me, and how they should do it for the money anyway, I suppose.

  I paid them no mind as I finished my checks and set up the soundproof barrier.

  “I’m ready.”

  “All right. Do it, Ryoma. You lot, get ready to move!”

  “Here I go! Sound Bomb!”

  I activated my magic and set off the sound explosion in the mineshaft. But the noise didn’t reach us thanks to the soundproof barrier. The low-rank party took that to mean it failed.

  “Nothing happened?”

  “It probably failed.”

  “It was a success, you just can’t see it because it’s wind magic.”

  After saying that, Welanna and everyone made their way into the cave, followed by the six skeptical adventurers.

  Once they reached the depths, they stared at the floor in a daze.
An immense number of cave bats were piled on the floor.

  “They’re only knocked out, so please split up and finish them off quickly,” I said as I got straight to work. After we finished off all the cave bats, we realized that we were at the end of the mineshaft and exited, leaving the other party behind us. They could at least clean up the rest, since that would benefit them more.

  But that was when Welanna asked me, “Ryoma, was it really okay not to say anything to them?”

  “I believe I showed enough with that single spell. If they can’t accept the truth with that, speaking would have been a waste of time.”

  “That may be true...”

  In the first place, things like this could only be resolved when dealing with people who could accept facts; those who only wanted to complain wouldn’t listen anyway. Even if they were the latter type, I could just avoid associating with them in the future. Changing someone was a feat that took time and effort — if it worked at all. Those that didn’t change would never do so, no matter how much time passed. You simply had to be prepared to cut those people out... in my opinion.

  “They didn’t seem to have any money, so let’s just say it was the desperate struggles of some brazen young boys and girls to live and call it a day.”

  “Brazen young... You talk like you’re so much older than them, Ryoma. You know the oldest of them is fifteen, right?”

  “Are you really 11, Ryoma?”

  “If that’s what Ryoma decided then fine, nya.”

  Anyway, even if my body was a child my heart was still a 42-year-old old man... I didn’t feel like scolding some kids over such trivial matters, and the others had already lectured them enough. I also showed them my magic skills already. All that was left was for them to reflect for themselves.

  “But I am a little curious. Do I really look that weak?”

  I did survive three years in the forest relying mostly on my physical strength, and fought with bandits too. ...It actually bothered me quite a bit, now that I think about it.

  “You don’t really look strong, yeah.”

  In my previous life, the young ones at the company would backbite me by saying my presence had them feeling like they were on the hot seat. Was it really my appearance after all?