Demon-Hunting Genius Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 123

Watching Elbert walk away, I fell into deep thought.

I knew very well what kind of event had just happened to me.

If this were a game, a message like this would have popped up:

[Job Event!]

- NPC 'Elbert' has offered player 'Yuhan' a new job route. If you press accept, you can change your job to [Royal Commander].

(※ However, please note that your current [Mage] job will be replaced with [Royal Commander], and your current traits may not apply.)

The Royal Commander route.

It was the ultimate route among the commander trees.

Elbert had just offered me that.

'...It's amazing. The Royal Commander route opened like this?'

Having played [Demon Fantasy] for over 10 years, I had tried various commander builds.

Naturally, I had changed my job to [Royal Commander] many times.

However, I had never received a [Royal Commander] job change event through war like this.

Maybe just a regular [Commander], but not this.

'Is it the difference of a mythic tier trait?'

It seemed likely.

I hadn't taken the commander route with a mythic tier trait back then.

Naturally, I rarely caught the eye of surrounding NPCs, so it seemed I hadn't been able to trigger a job change event like this.

Well, anyway.

'...It's a bit of a shame.'

Although I firmly refused, I honestly felt a little regret.

Because I knew how comfortable and perfect the position of [Royal Commander] was.

'I can gain wealth, fame, and power all at the same time. Ah, and a rise in social status too.'

As the name suggested, [Royal Commander] was one of the best jobs.

Just by changing jobs, I could solve most of the problems I currently had.

Above all, the biggest merit was that I could be relatively safe in this world.

After all, the main role of a Royal Commander was, naturally, commanding troops, wasn't it?

Usually, it was a position that didn't require direct combat but instead involved giving orders from the rear.

Furthermore, after the war, they would reside exclusively in Sector 1.

Therefore, they were exposed to danger far less than other jobs.

This meant a higher survival rate.

However, it didn't suit my current situation.

If I changed jobs to [Royal Commander], I would be tied to Asternon Sector 1 for the rest of my life, and no matter how strong that job was, it wouldn't allow me to catch Baal.

Just like my zombie swordsman build from before.

'It's fine if the goal is to survive for a long time... but there's no reason for someone like me, whose goal is the final content, to choose it.'

Defeat Baal and return to my original world.

To achieve that goal, I had to be able to give up even the coveted job of [Royal Commander].

It couldn't be helped that my mouth felt bitter...

'Let's forget about it.'

Putting aside the unattainable pie in the sky, I wandered around as originally planned.

Before long, I found Kayla, Thompson, and Barundel.

"Good work, young lady..."

"Good work, Uncle."

"Ahem, this is strangely heartwarming."

Seeing them gathered together, patting each other's shoulders, was somehow cute.

I made my way through the crowd and approached them.

And then,

"Oh, Mr First Place!"

"Hehehe, the hero of the day has arrived!"

"Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you."

They waved their hands and welcomed me with great enthusiasm.

"Ah, I was just talking with Commander Elbert."

"Talking? About what?"

"He asked if I wanted to become a Royal Commander."

"...What?"

Gulp.

Was everyone nervous because of what I said?

I could hear the sound of them gulping from here.

"...So what did you say?"

"...Did you say yes?"

"Of course I said no. What am I, a commander?"

"Phew!"

Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.

It seemed they were worried that I might go over to the royal family's side.

Well, it was natural for them to be anxious if I received an offer for such a position.

Anyway,

I changed the subject and brought up what I originally wanted to talk about.

"Anyway, that's how the conversation ended. The war is over today, so I was thinking of having a celebratory drink to commemorate it, what do you all..."

Before I could finish my sentence,

"Woohoo! Sounds good!"

Thompson jumped up and cheered enthusiastically.

A somewhat exaggerated gesture.

"I'm in too."

"Such an occasion is absolutely necessary."

Kayla and Barundel also nodded, expressing their intention to join.

"Okay, then let's meet at the tavern in Sector 6 that we frequent. The time is..."

Just then,

"Excuse me..."

Suddenly, someone spoke from behind.

I turned around to see that it was none other than Elbert...

"What, are you here to persuade me again? Well, I told you I'm not interested."

"No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"I heard you were having a celebratory drink, I was wondering if I could join you..."

"Huh?"

He suddenly expressed his desire to join our drinking party.

Honestly, I was a bit flustered.

'Elbert at our drinking party? ...A Knight Commander like him?'

Just thinking about it made me imagine how awkward the atmosphere would be.

Moreover,

'Absolutely not.'

Kayla was here.

Yes, Kayla, the mage from Sector 7.

Remembering how Elbert treated the residents of Sector 7 like dirt, I absolutely couldn't accept his request.

Who knows what kind of trouble it might cause?

Just as I was about to refuse,

"Ah, if you let me join you, I'll pay for the drinks. We can even move to a better place. On a day like this, shouldn't we celebrate in a good place and splurge?"

Elbert made an exceptional offer, and there was one person in our group who couldn't refuse it.

"Oooooh! How generous! I'm in, Knight Commander!"

"S-so, does that mean we can drink expensive liquor to our hearts' content...?"

Actually, there were two.

"Of course."@@novelbin@@

"Alright!"

"Hehehe, then I agree too."

Thompson and Barundel jumped up and down, shouting their agreement.

These simple-minded uncles... they loved expensive alcohol.

I glanced at Kayla, trying to gauge her reaction.

She must also know how Elbert treated people from Sector 7.

"..."

An expressionless face.

Unable to figure out what she was thinking, I quietly approached her and asked,

"Are you okay with this?"

Kayla glanced at the excited Thompson and Barundel and said,

"...Whatever."

She nodded in agreement.

It meant she would go with the flow.

The reason she made that decision was probably because of Thompson and Barundel.

"Phew..."

Somehow, I felt suffocated.

I decided to mediate myself if anything happened and said to Elbert,

"Alright. But it's our party, so please be careful not to spoil the mood."

"Heh, don't worry. I know how to have fun."

"...No, that's not what I meant."

Just then,

Tap, tap.

"...?"

Someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind again.

Turning around to see what it was this time,

"Dean?"

It was none other than Headmaster Asion Gale.

He was even with Professor Ziren and the elders.

I suddenly had a bad feeling, and as always, that feeling was right.

"...Yuhan. Do you think we could join you there?"

For some reason, it seemed like the scale of this ordinary drinking party was getting bigger and bigger.

***-

A luxurious tavern in Asternon Sector 2.

Although it had a less formal atmosphere than other places, this tavern, which was usually visited only by nobles, was filled with a diverse crowd today.

Me, Kayla, Thompson, Barundel, Elbert, Asion Gale, Ziren, the Society elders...

...and even Roan and Shuharn.

Asion Gale had insisted on bringing them along, saying, "They were the ones who stood out in this war, wouldn't it be right to celebrate together?"

Naturally, the atmosphere was very awkward.

"Here's the Asigahan beer you ordered. Enjoy your time."

"..."

"..."

Even though the drinks had arrived, no one dared to speak first.

It was questionable why we even decided to celebrate together if it was going to be like this.

"...Let's make a toast first."

In the end, I raised my glass and spoke first.

"Y-yes, let's! Everyone raise your glasses!"

Clink!

We exchanged awkward toasts in an awkward atmosphere.

The awkwardness continued, and after repeating similar situations for a while, perhaps because they were getting tipsy, they started to open up one by one.

The first one to break the ice was Thompson.

"This beer... was it called Asigahan beer?"

"That's right. It's a beer made by fermenting the Asigahan herb, also known as the herb of life."

"It's amazing! Knight Commander. Expensive alcohol is different after all! Right, Mr First Place?"

"Yes, well. It's delicious. The flavor is deep."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Kuh-huh!"

Thud!

Thompson, putting down his glass with a happy face, asked Elbert,

"Knight Commander. How much is one glass of this?"

"About five gold coins."

"F-five gold coins...? For just one glass of beer?"

Five gold coins.

It was ten times the price of the beer we usually drank at ordinary taverns.

Even I was surprised by the price.

'A hundred years ago, it wasn't even half a gold coin, it's gone up this much?'

Of course, it wasn't my first time encountering it.

When I was ranked first as a zombie swordsman, I drank expensive alcohol like this more often than I ate.

...Although it was in a game.

Anyway,

"Is it true that the Knight Commander is paying for today's drinks?"

"I always keep my word."

"Good."

After receiving confirmation from Elbert, I poured the Asigahan beer into my mouth without hesitation.

Gulp, gulp, gulp!

Even though the strong carbonation made my throat burn, I didn't stop.

Because this wasn't ordinary beer.

Most alcoholic beverages enjoyed by nobles contained special effects.

Asigahan beer was no exception.

If I remember correctly, Asigahan beer...

'Relieves physical and mental fatigue and stress.'

It had an effect that was comparable to the potion I drank during my training with Barundel.

'This is all medicine.'

Indeed, as I drank my second glass of beer,

Zing!

The fatigue accumulated in my body was relieved, and I felt energized.

It felt like I didn't need to rest separately.

'Expensive things are good.'

Around that time, I turned my attention back to the table.

The awkward atmosphere had disappeared, and the surroundings had become much more lively.

"Wahahaha! Dean, is that true? You didn't have a mane when you first succeeded in transformation magic?"

"...It's true."

"Pfft, like a maneless lion."

"...Do you want to be mauled by a maneless lion?"

Stories about the Dean's past, as well as,

"Sir Roan, I heard there's someone you dislike here...?"

"Ah, it's not that I dislike them. There's just a mage I find a bit unpleasant."

"Is it the mage sitting over there?"

"Yes, that's right."

"It's been a while since I've met a mage I can connect with."

I could even hear Roan and Shuharn openly gossiping about me.

I wondered what these guys were doing, but...

'Well, whatever.'

It was much better than before.

As expected, there was nothing like alcohol to break an awkward atmosphere.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]