The Match
And so I now had a team that specialized in intelligence. This meant that from that day on, there was a huge increase in information that came our way.
Information was the most valuable thing in this world.
If there was a king out there who thought war and diplomacy were possible without information, he was a fool.
And so I had told Hanzo to inform me if such a king ever surfaced.
He was in agreement, but no such conveniently incompetent king was likely to exist.
It was unfortunate, but we would have to take our time and look for the weaknesses of the surrounding kings.
And while none of them were fools, we did get some interesting information.
"…Master. While it is good you have made this intelligence team, there is something that it lacks."
"Lacks? And what is that?"
"A commander."
"Hanzo, are you not their commander?"
"A wise king would use a commander that was of the "Hero cla.s.s." And I am not suited to such a position, anyway. I can gather information, but I would not be as useful in battle."
Normally, they would focus on intelligence gathering, but during times of war, they may have to agitate or ambush and destroy bridges.
And the kobold ninja claimed to be unfit for such tasks.
They say that those who understood their limits would make good generals. But still, it was true that I lacked generals who were of the Hero cla.s.s.
Jeanne was a Saint. She had nothing to do with intelligence and a.s.sa.s.sinations.
I saw no reason to make her their commander.
Hijikata could be an a.s.sa.s.sin, but he was a warrior at heart. It would not be putting him to the best use.
What about Eve?
I thought for a moment. She was cold and calculating. But ultimately, she did not seem fit for such rough work.
This was quite a problem. I told Hanzo that it was no simple matter, the acquiring of Hero cla.s.s personnel. He then smiled knowingly.
"And that is why I wished to speak with you. Why not explore the dungeon to the south?"
"Dungeon?"
"There is a dungeon south of here that is called the "Ruin of Ashgold.""
"Hmm. I have never heard of it before.
I asked Eve if she knew of it, but she shook her head.
So there were things that the walking database did not know.
It was clear that summoning Hanzo and creating the intelligence team had been a good idea.
That was good and all. Now the problem was what was so important about this dungeon?
Hanzo must have read this on my expression, as he immediately explained it to me.
"This Ashgold Ruin is the remains of an ancient magic civilization."
"A magic civilization, eh? Perhaps there will be treasures."
"It has already been searched through by Adventurers. I doubt you will find anything that was left behind."
"That is unfortunate. So, what worth does this place have then?"
"A certain Sorcerer keeps a workshop in the ruins. And this Sorcerer is researching other worlds. There is a possibility of there being drifted relics."
"I see."
"It is also quite possible that the relics are related to ninjas."
"In other words, you think I could summon a Hero to be your captain?"
Hanzo nodded.
"Well, I don"t see how we can ignore this story now. I have no Demon King enemies at the moment, so it would be the right time to act."
Without a moment"s delay, Eve raised her hand.
"Master! Please allow me to go with you!"
I allowed it, as she looked quite pretty while stretching out her arm.
Dungeon exploration was dangerous, but it should be fine as long as she stayed close to me.
She sighed in relief when I told her she could come.
"As for who should stay… I think that I"ll put Gottlieb in charge."
The reticent and capable chief of the dwarves. He had been the lead planner of the city and was a brilliant administrator.
As long as he remained here, things should continue to run smoothly.
The problem was what general I should take with me…
As I pondered this, the door opened with a loud bang.
"Demon King. I have heard the whole thing!"
Said the Saint with gold hair.
She wore a white coat and was full of excitement.
Like a girl before a picnic.
"To be very blunt, I would be of no use if left here. You must take me."
It was not only blunt, but rather true.
Jeanne was worse than even Hijikata as an administrator.
She wasn"t quite as sharp as him.
In that case, it did seem right to leave him here and take her with me. However, Hijikata was not pleased when I told this to him.
Hijikata was being entertained by dancers at the brothel when he heard the news about the dungeon. He immediately came to my office and asked me to take him as well.
I wondered why he couldn"t just stay and play in his little brothel, but I wouldn"t voice that question. I asked him why he wanted to go.
"I never liked holding the fort. Not even as a child. Besides, I have an interest in these "dungeons.""
I understood what he meant. It was a roundabout way of saying that he was bored.
He thought it would be more entertaining to cut down monsters in a dungeon than to stay in the castle and train goblins and orcs.
He was troublesome in a very different way to Jeanne.
I tried to persuade him, but he only shook his head firmly.
"I do not care to be left behind every time. It is hardly fair. You only take Jeanne with you."
"It"s proof that I trust you."
"But put yourself in my shoes. This time, I must insist. She will stay. If you have to take Jeanne, I want a good reason for it."
He then basely suggested that I only wanted to take the Saint because of what she could offer at night.
"If that were the case, I cannot force you."
He laughed.
Of course, it was not the case at all.
And he knew it. Still, he could not fathom why I would make this decision otherwise.
As I thought of what to say in reply, someone entered, making the situation much worse.
It was Jeanne.
"Hijikata is a low-bred pig. The Demon King and I are in no such relations.h.i.+p. However, who knows what will happen in several weeks."
It was a little confusing. Was she angry?
"Hijikata, I have thought of an idea. We shall determine here and now which of us is the strongest warrior in the Ashtaroth Army. And the stronger one will accompany the Demon King. It makes perfect sense."
"I never thought I would hear the word "sense" come from your little mouth. But, very well. I was just thinking about how I would like to cross swords with you."
And that was how it was decided. They would fight over the right to accompany me.
d.a.m.n it, could they not behave?
But at the same time, it was quite interesting.
Tos.h.i.+zou Hijikata, Vice-captain of the s.h.i.+nsengumi.
Jeanne d"Arc, the Maid of Orleans.
Which one of these two Heroes was stronger?
Because of my great interest in the result, I allowed them to fight.
And so I gave Eve the order.
"As you wish."
She said with a bow. And she began to prepare the arena for the fight.