Departure

Since I didn't particularly need to pack anything, my preparation for the journey was pretty much done after handling things like informing the village that I'd be away for a while and assigning some temp jobs.

As for clothing, the adventurer's travel outfit I wore when I went to the Imperial Capital last time would suffice. It would actually be more comfortable with the [Divine Pajamas] tracksuit underneath. Rokuko would use the [Divine Comforter].

(I had Wataru take care of Nerune's preparations during our shopping date. Naturally, it was on Wataru's dime.)

With that, we were all set for the journey and it was time to welcome the three of the Four Heavenly Kings to the village.

Golen, a frontier village reachable from the Imperial Capital via the beach route and Soto for the rest of the way.

"Alrighty, looks like I'll be in your care again for a while, nya! I'll protect the peace of this village, nya!"

"Welcome, all three of you… For the record, I've arranged a job negotiating with the Adventurer's Guild for you, Misha. The deputy village chief will handle it… Amelia-san, you'll be overseeing the village's operations, and Dolce-san, I'd like you to manage the inn."

I assigned tasks to Misha, who was unusually enthusiastic, as well as Amelia-san and Dolce-san.

"Understood. We'll cover for Rokuko-sama and Kehma-san during your absence, so don't worry."

"… Why am I handling the inn? I'm not a fan of being in the spotlight…"

Well, by process of elimination… Dolce-san might need to interact with people due to her experience in infiltration investigations. Besides, she seems like the most capable of handling it.

This time, Wataru, Rokuko, Nerune, and I would be traveling together.

The position at the inn would undoubtedly be the busiest one since it had to manage operations in place of two people. Therefore, it made sense to assign the most competent Dolce-san to handle it.

"If necessary, you can use your subordinates who can take on human forms. However, you'll need to cover their wages yourself or bill Haku-san for the expenses."

"… Alright, I'll summon three Wraiths that know humanization. I guess I could go sleep in the church basement again…"

Wow, she's already covering the manpower shortage. Dolce-san sure is reliable; that's a big help.

"If your subordinates can handle the workload sufficiently, that's fine. Make sure they listen to Kinue-san and the shift leader. Oh, and I'd appreciate it if you could also handle some of Rokuko's behind-the-scenes duties as the inn's owner…"

"That'll be a piece of cake. I'll be able to relax… It's practically a vacation."

"Nya!? Dolce's being sneaky, nya!"

It's not sneaky at all—she's taking on a lot of responsibilities, you know?

Misha, if your subordinates handle the work, that's fine for you too. In fact, I encourage it.

"Nya! Then I'll just dump everything on Silia, the person in charge of this branch of the Adventurer's Guild, and call it a day! Wow, job complete, so easy! … But hold up, I'm the Imperial Capital Guild Master, and I'm still being tasked with handling negotiations with a village guild outpost… What a peculiar situation, nya?"

"I just don't want you dealing with inn guests."

"That's a wise choice. You're sharp, Kehma-san… As for me, I'm not sure I can delegate to my subordinates. What should I do?"

As the acting village chief, she can't exactly dump all her duties on her subordinates. But—

"Don't worry. I'm just a figurehead as the village chief, so there's really not much to do."

"Is that so? Phew…"

"Yes, at most I'll have to conduct a few masses for the Beddhism."

"… I'm actually a high-ranking member of the White Goddess Faith, though."

"Well then, please attend as a guest of honor. Don't worry, as you know, the White Goddess Faith and ours are very much intertwined."

"That's true."

Alright, that's all the work divvied up.

"So, when will you be departing, Kehma-san?"

"Now that everyone's here, we'll leave tomorrow. I'll leave the village and dungeon in your care."

"… Rokuko-sama, I will do my utmost to protect youthe dungeon, so please rest assured…"

"If any enemies show up, I'll smash them all to bits, nya!"

It's great that everyone's so enthusiastic.

Now that the Holy Kingdom's situation has settled down, it doesn't seem like we'll have many enemies showing up anyway.

For now, I'll host a banquet tonight to welcome the three of the Four Heavenly Kings and leave things in their capable hands.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

And so the day of our departure came. Wataru, having been staying in the village, met us at the village entrance by the tunnel through Mount Tsuia which led to Pavera.

"I heard from Roppu-san. Hiring a B-rank adventurer as a temp worker? That's quite the luxury."

"Well, Haku-san said she'd cover the expenses, so it's not coming out of my pocket."

Even without her help, the inn earns plenty, so it wouldn't run at a deficit.

"Alright, Amelia. I'm counting on you to take care of the village, Dolce, and Misha."

"As you wish, Rokuko-sama… Nerune-san, please take good care of Rokuko-sama."

"Yup, leave it to me~?"

Amelia, representing the Four Heavenly Kings, bowed to Rokuko and Nerune.

"Wataru, make sure you protect Rokuko-sama."

"Of course. Amelia-san, please take care of the village."

"Kehma-san can take care of himself, so he'll probably be fine."

"Hm?"

"Right, I'll protect Nerune-san and Rokuko-san completely!"

While I can't deny my defensive capabilities, please don't just leave me alone, okay?

After that, while watching Wataru and Nerune talk, Amelia approached me and quietly spoke in a low voice.

"… By the way, are the others not coming to see you off?"

"We said our goodbyes yesterday. Besides, it's not like we'll be completely out of contact, so it's not a big farewell."

Even if we couldn't return quickly via Soto's powers, as a Dungeon Master, I could still send messages through the mail function. Besides, I could just gather up mana and hurry back via [Teleport] if push comes to shove.

No one could deny it if I insisted that it's not like it's impossible. I could even summon mana potions by the barrel, and besides, I have the recovery powers of the Divine Bedding.

"If anything happens, contact me by mail."

"Understood. Please take care."

And so, with Amelia seeing us off, we set out for Wakoku.