A Bottom-Tier Adventurer Devoted to Supporting Their Idol Activities: Every Time, They Offer Rare Materials and Stir Up the Elites - Episode 41: Despairing Roger and the Increasingly Cautious Empire

Episode 41: Despairing Roger and the Increasingly Cautious Empire

“Eeeeh~ nooo~! There’s a dead person on the street~”

“Geez~ call the cleaner~”

“You call them yourself~”

From quite far away, I could hear deep male voices speaking in a flamboyant manner.

“Did you guys actually check if they’re really dead?”

A familiar voice… Footsteps were approaching.

“Hey, are you okay? Wait, aren’t you Roger!! Why are you lying on the underground street ground!!”

The voice belonged to Boomer. He lifted me off the ground and brushed off the dust.

“Hey! Pull yourself together! What on earth happened!”

Boomer held my shoulders from the front and shook me as he asked. Behind him, his coworkers—men working in the gay entertainment establishment—were also gathering.

“I-I might have been hated by Ellel-chan…”

“Did you do something?”

“I made a bath set out of Kraken tentacles and gave it to her.”

“Eh…!?”

Boomer and his friends raised voices of surprise.

“I knew it was no good…”

“T-That’s not true! It just sounds too intense when you say ‘Kraken bath set’! So, what kind of effects does this gift have?”

Guess I should explain. I pulled out a matching bath set like the one I gave to Ellel-chan from the backpack lying on the ground.

“It’s a set of a chair, a tub, and a fist-sized magic tool I named ‘Jet Bath’.”

Boomer and his friends looked puzzled. I continued.

“The chair and tub were shaped by carving the hard parts of the tentacle. For the jet bath, I used a stone embedded with a skill that was inside the tentacle. The stone contains the skill [Water Control]. So when you pour in magic and imagine manipulating water, you can freely move the water.”

“I can’t imagine how to use it at all…”

Boomer looked troubled. It was the same expression Ellel-chan had during the gift-unboxing stream.

“So it was no good after all. I’ve been hated by Ellel-chan…”

“That’s not true!! If she was going to hate you, she would’ve done it during the ‘Going Wild’ stream!”

Boomer gripped my shoulder tightly and nodded, “It’s okay.”

“Is it really okay?”

“It’s okay. You already messed up a long time ago.”

When Boomer said that, I started to feel a bit better.

“I see. A long time ago, huh.”

“Yes. A long time ago already.”

For the first time in a whole day, I stood up.

“Boomer. Got any info on rare monsters?”

“I’ve got work now. I’ll gather some info and let you know later.”

Saying that, Boomer and his friends left. I picked up the Kraken bath set and headed toward the underground district’s public bathhouse.

#

In the capital of the Nebras Empire.

At the very center, a giant black castle stands. It announces the empire’s dignity to the surroundings.

Inside one room, a beautiful nobleman with blond hair and blue eyes and a man in a black robe sat at a round table. They were speaking in hushed voices.

“Valdrius-sama. We’ve identified the man who defeated our cultists at the border last time.”

“What…!? You mean the man with gray hair and a mask who ruined our three-year plan all by himself…!?”

The empire’s second prince, Valdrius, suddenly tensed. Veins were appearing on his forehead. And he glared fiercely at the man in the black robe.

“Yes… The man’s name is Renya. Recently, he’s registered as an A-rank adventurer with the Kingdom’s Adventurers’ Guild.”

After a short pause, Valdrius calmed down and started thinking.

“Why would the masked man reveal his identity at this timing?”

“I believe there are two motives.”

The robed man paused. He then continued.

“One is national prestige. The other is…”

“Go on,”

Valdrius urged.

“Provocation. A way of saying: ‘There is a man in the Kingdom’s Adventurers’ Guild who can easily dispose of the cultists!’”

“In other words, if the Empire makes a move, they’re ready to respond.”

“No. I believe it’s the opposite.”

The robed man’s eyes sharpened.

“Don’t you find it strange that there’s been no mention at all of the two S-rank adventurers supposedly belonging to the Kingdom’s Adventurers’ Guild?”

“True…”

“The Kingdom cannot control their supposed top-tier force, the S-rank adventurers. To cover that up, they merely pushed Renya to the forefront. In reality, they’re trembling inside. They fear the cultists or the Demon King’s appearance.”

“So now is the perfect chance to show strength. But we have no hands to play right now…”

At Valdrius’ words, the robed man shook his head.

“We have a trump card.”

“You’re looking very sinister right now. Speak.”

“One of the Kingdom’s S-rank adventurers I just mentioned has switched to our side.”

The ever-intense expression on Valdrius’ face suddenly softened.

“Is that true? How did it happen?”

“He came of his own will. He said, ‘I want to become a cultist.’”

“To gain power, you mean?”

“Yes. Exactly as you say. Valdrius-sama, please make your decision.”

Valdrius closed his eyes briefly and then spoke quietly:

He gave permission for the S-rank adventurer’s “conversion to cultist.”