82 – 16 – Union of Species – 2

“Welcome, nya. Welcome to Demander, the Gratia Union of Species Guilds, nya.”

As soon as he entered the massive building with Unika, an intense greeting flew in and puzzled Gi-jun.

The one who spoke was a cat dressed in clothes and standing on two feet.

It was so cute that he wanted to hug it, but knowing it would surely be rude, Gi-jun endured with grim determination, while Ur let out a soft cry on his shoulder as if telling him to be satisfied with him instead.

“Nyat, is the guest a spirit summoner, nya? Both of you look incredibly strong, nya.”

“I only have one spirit.”

Since Lucy was hiding her presence from the beginning, he was not lying.

Responding like that to the talking cat standing on two feet, a ‘Cait Sith,’ Gi-jun looked around the interior of the building.

What he saw the most, of course, were the Orcs and humans he had often seen in Turis.

Since coming over to Leta, the hardest thing to adjust to had been the sight of Orcs and humans mingling together, but it had already reached the point where it felt natural.

Aside from that, another unique point was that ‘civilized Goblins,’ who could not be seen in Turis, were wandering around in quite large numbers.

Cait Siths were also seen here and there, and those who looked like humans shrunk to half their size were also wandering around in large numbers.

‘Are they Dwarves? No, they seem even smaller than Dwarves and don’t seem to have any muscles…?’

Of course, since the only Dwarf Gi-jun had met so far was Glittertoss, he could not say for sure.

While he struggled to hide his curiosity, Unika stepped forward in his stead and spoke.

“I am Unika, the acting Lord of Turis. I have come with Lord Jun, who received a request from Demander.”

“Ah, I heard about that, nya! Come this way, nya!”

This bastard… because he kept cutting off the ends of his sentences and making cat sounds, it sounded like he was speaking informally.

Harboring a reasonable doubt that the creature might be doing it on purpose, Gi-jun followed the Cait Sith along with Unika.

He naturally guided them into the hallway and rambled on.

“If it’s a request to an outsider, is it a faction war after all, nya? I have quite a lot to say about this faction war, nya.”

“Ah! What do you think you’re doing, snatching away our important guests, Cait Sith—?!”

It was then.

A man with beast ears growing on his head spotted them, approached, and suddenly shouted at the Cait Sith.

“Nyat!”

He pricked his ears and let out a shriek, then vanished from the spot.

The man, who strode over, looked around despite knowing the creature had already vanished, then bowed his head to Gi-jun and Unika as he spoke.

“Are you Lord Jun? I apologize for being late. The representatives of the alliance are waiting, so let us go straight to the meeting room.”

“What about the Cait Sith who was guiding us just now?”

“It seems he slipped away while on another duty. The Cait Sith are capable, but they are so capricious and prone to slacking off that this kind of thing happens from time to time. I apologize.”

“…….”

Speechless, they silently followed behind the man and arrived at the meeting room where the representatives were waiting.

Fitting for the name Union of Species Guilds, inside the parlor sat the representatives of no fewer than four different species: an Orc, a human, a Goblin, and a beast-kin.

Glancing at a well-built, muscular man with round beast ears like a bear on top of his head, Gi-jun noticed that the seat next to him was empty.

“Were there originally five?”

“The Cait Sith representative is currently on an expedition, so they are absent. Now, please sit down.”

The one who spoke to answer him was, surprisingly, the Goblin, and though he had vaguely guessed it from the accessories she wore, she was female.

The Goblin saw the spirit and the Red Flame Beast perched on Gi-jun’s shoulders, and a peculiar glint flashed in her eyes, but without mentioning them, she introduced herself.

“I am Honeypup, the High Goblin representing the Goblins in Demander. It’s embarrassing, but I was granted the title of Baronet by the Gratia Royal Family.”

“I am Jun, a Flame Human.”

With a creak, the door closed, and Gi-jun sat opposite them, but Unika did not even think of sitting down and simply stood quietly behind him.

A few of those who saw the horn rising from Unika’s forehead flinched as if they had guessed her identity, and the Goblin narrowed her eyes and asked her.

“Then, you are…?”

“Unika, the acting Lord of Turis. I am acting as Lord Jun’s assistant.”

“It’s surprising that you are the acting Lord. As far as we know, Mr. Jun is not affiliated with anywhere yet.”

“He registered his party at the Turis Mercenary Guild. The Lord is also supporting him both materially and spiritually.”

“So it’s just that kind of relationship… I see. My goodness, I didn’t mean to be rude. It’s just that there are many who are curious about Mr. Jun’s exact affiliation.”

The Goblin’s tongue was excessively sharp.

Gi-jun saw that Unika’s horn, having been provoked, was faintly gathering light, and thought he should step in at this point.

“Just tell me the details of the request.”

“Of course. But before that, I would like to make a proposal first. Do you have any thoughts of officially registering as a citizen here in Cor?”

This was dangerous.

At this rate, Unika was really going to pierce that Goblin’s heart with her horn.

“Ahem, I will explain that part in detail.”

At that moment, as if afraid that all the aggro would be focused on the Goblin, the representative of the human side stepped in.

He was certainly not of the Common grade; he looked to be at least Rare grade, but on the surface, he appeared to be an ordinary human.

“The sponsor of our Demander is willing to actively sponsor Mr. Jun. The reason I bring this up first is because if you become a citizen of Cor, the reward for completing the request will naturally increase.”

“And the sponsor is, of course, a high-ranking noble.”

The Goblin added, as if it would be a shame to leave out that detail.

To Unika, who was already self-conscious about being a provincial noble, the mention of a high-ranking noble was a critical hit.

Perhaps that Goblin was in this place specifically to provoke Unika.

Even if she held the title of Baronet as she claimed, she was still just a Summoned, yet she dared to provoke Unika, a native Letan noble who would inherit Turis and become its Lord.

Was she that confident in the guild alliance, or was she relying on the noble who sponsored them…?

Gi-jun thought that this Union of Species Guilds might be more formidable than he had imagined.

In a low but firm voice, he repeated the same words.

“Just tell me the details of the request.”

His intention should have been sufficiently conveyed by now.

The Goblin shrugged her shoulders, while the human, who let out a bitter smile, finally got to the main point.

“Understood. Are you aware of the general details regarding the faction war fought over the right to apply for a fief war?”

“Of course.”

“Good. To put it bluntly, what we want from Mr. Jun this time is to act as the examiner of the faction war.”

“……An examiner?”

“That is correct.”

The human representative said with a relaxed smile.

“This year’s faction war will be held in the form of a conquest battle… and Lord Jun just needs to play the role of the boss guarding the final high ground of this conquest battle.”

“……A boss.”

Were they expecting him to play the role of a dungeon boss?

When he turned to Unika and asked with his eyes if such a thing was common, she nodded quietly and explained to him.

“The conquest battle is a type of mock battle designed to resolve conflicts while shedding as little blood as possible ever since the Summoned appeared. It is highly effective for training soldiers, the victory or defeat can be clearly decided, and because it can be broadcast in real-time using magic tools with recording and transmission functions, many among the nobles even travel to specially prepared viewing venues to watch and enjoy it. It can be said to have no downsides as long as safety accidents can be prevented.”

“So they reduced the risk factors to turn the faction war itself into an event that can be viewed without burden.”

And in this conquest battle that received so much attention, the one to receive the final spotlight was Gi-jun.

Now, the reason Unika had made such a fuss, saying he absolutely had to accept the request, made perfect sense.

For a debut match in Cor, there could be no better stage than this.

“So, what are the safety devices?”

Did they connect to a virtual space and fight each other until the side whose vitality ran out got logged out?

While Gi-jun was having such a silly thought, the human representative—the man who introduced himself as Christian—smiled as he pulled out several items that looked similar to Gi-jun’s Shock Absorber from his chest.

“This is a transmission device, an item that teleports the wearer to a designated location with a loud noise when it detects an impact above a certain level. Although its limits are clear as it requires a lot of preparation in advance and its range of application is not wide, it is quite useful in a faction war.”

“I understand.”

“Of course, it occasionally malfunctions, and because it cannot reduce the impact itself, people sometimes die after the device is activated. Since this is not child’s play, they have to bear that much. Still, usually, dying is avoided, ending at the level of a severed arm or leg.”

He knew it.

A fight where no one died or got hurt; there was no way such a thing existed here in Leta.

As he snorted, the man, Christian, continued his explanation.

“Those participating in the faction war over this fief war application right are the Goblins, the Trolls, and the Savers.”

“Saber?”

Did they mean a cavalry sword, or did a vicious race that fired beams from their swords actually exist here?

Just as Gi-jun was itching to ask for their true name, fortunately, Christian gave the answer.

“They are Savers, spelled with ‘save’ meaning to conserve. Didn’t you see the little people as you entered the building earlier? It is them.”

As for why their species name was that, it was because they usually lived in the form of small people, but when the moment came to display their power, they would swell their bodies several times over and bravely pour out their strength.

Because they usually conserved their strength only to pour it out in a single moment, they were savers.

Although they looked weaker than humans on the outside, he was impressed by the thought that they were indeed a species with a reliable card up their sleeve.

And although it was nothing new, English was indeed the common language of this continent.

“They are fairly strong, but they don’t know their place. To think they dared to butt in at a time when the Goblins and Trolls are about to duel over the fate of their species.”

The Goblin, Honeypup, said as she clicked her tongue in displeasure.

For now, he understood that the Savers were a different species from the Dwarves, but the situation was quite peculiar.

There were five species representing the Union of Species Guilds, and one of them, the Goblins, along with the Trolls and Savers who were not part of it, were competing for the fief war application right.

Seeing that the Goblins could not just ignore the Trolls and Savers and take the application right directly, it seemed that the work within the alliance was handled fairly in its own way.

Although it could not be said to be entirely fair, considering that the Goblin representative was present while the Troll and Saver representatives could not attend.

“You said it’s a conquest battle. Then does the species that reaches me first among the three win?”

“No. If it ended just by reaching you, it would be a finish line, not a boss or an examiner. Mr. Jun will be wearing this.”

The man said, holding out a device that was slightly larger than the devices shown earlier, which was equipped with a light source that emitted a soft glow like an LED.

“Just like the device I showed you earlier, space magic will be activated when a certain amount of impact accumulates—and this is linked with the other devices, so we can know which species inflicted how much impact on Mr. Jun.”

It was a damage meter.

“Indeed. So at the point when I can no longer hold out and get teleported, the species with the highest damage… ‘impact value’ recorded on this device wins.”

“Of course, the conquest battle will also end if Mr. Jun defeats all the participants, but even then, the winner will be measured in the same way. Isn’t it simple?”

“Even if I really defeat all the challengers—”

“We will not interfere at all. We promise. In fact, we intend to add a bonus to the reward.”

Christian smiled, showing his teeth.

“We didn’t bring you here to use you as a clown. Fixed matches are caught quickly, too. Mr. Jun must truly become a powerful boss. Only then will it keep the viewers on the edge of their seats, will it not?”

Gi-jun felt dizzy.

When he thought about it, this was originally a matter of who got the fief, but they had managed to expand the matter to this extent starting from that, creating a completely different value, which was simply astonishing.

Although Gi-jun, who was trying to piggyback on this to raise his recognition, was also quite something.

‘A boss. Everyone would be shocked if they found out my species was actually only Rare grade…’

At that moment, he felt Unika, who was standing behind him, gently gripping his sleeve.

Was she nervous out of worry for him, or was she looking forward to it, imagining what he would look like in the faction war?

It did not matter either way.

Whether they were Goblins, Trolls, or Savers, how could they possibly be stronger than a divine beast?

Gi-jun nodded deeply to show he understood everything and said.

“I assume the magic contract is ready?”

“Of course. Believing in the fame of the Divine Beast Hunter, we will also bet big.”

“It is a pity that you will not become a citizen of Cor, though,” the man finally added as a superfluous remark, pulling out the magic contract.

On the contract, the basic terms were already written down one after another.

All devices and tools used in the faction war must be strictly managed, and no measures beyond those explained in advance must be taken.

The participants of the faction war must not blabber about matters related to the faction war to the outside.

Until the faction war begins, no harm must be done between the contracting parties.

Only the three species belonging to the alliance will participate as challengers in the faction war.

The contract terms must not be falsified.

From the most important success reward to the penalties in case of breach of contract.

Checking meticulously the conditions both sides had to follow throughout the contract period of the faction war, Unika smiled with satisfaction and added.

“You forgot the support for lodging expenses. We have come up with the party and are staying at a lodging in Cor, so of course you will support us, correct? This is a proper consideration considering Lord Jun’s status.”

“If you wish, it is also possible for you to stay inside our alliance headquarters with your party members throughout the period.”

“In that case, will you write a magic contract for each and every one of Lord Jun’s party members?”

“Let us just support the lodging expenses.”

In the end, Unika achieved victory.

As if to gain trust, first of all, the human representative, Christian, signed the contract.

The Orc and beast-kin representatives, who had silently kept their seats while the talk was ongoing, also picked up pens and signed, and the High Goblin, Honeypup, was the last to sign while throwing an unpleasant wink at Gi-jun.

“The faction war will be held in two weeks. Since it is a large-scale event, we might have to bother you a few times.”

“I will keep that in mind. If you need to call me, contact me at least a day in advance.”

When Christian pulled out his Letaphone to exchange contact information with Gi-jun, Gi-jun likewise pulled out his own Letaphone, and the expected reaction could be seen once again.

“Letaphone 15?!”

“As expected…”

Looking at Gi-jun’s Letaphone, the representatives of the Union of Species Guilds trembled in unison.

No, in the end, it was just a phone; what was the big deal?

Come to think of it, Christian seemed to use a Letaphone 14, and even while exchanging contacts, he secretly examined Gi-jun’s phone with envious eyes.

Leaving the room after distributing the contracts, Gi-jun quietly asked Unika as they crossed the building’s hallway.

“What do you think, Unika?”

“I think the Letaphone 15 is indeed amazing.”

“Not that, them.”

“I will tell you that at the lodging. …Lord Jun? Over there.”

Turning his head at Unika’s words, Gi-jun could see the Cait Sith, who had tricked them by pretending to be a guide earlier, peeking his head out from the corner of the hallway.

Although he was walking on all fours pretending to be a cat, since he was wearing clothes anyway, it was obvious he was a Cait Sith.

“It’s a cute cat. I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere, though.”

“……Unika?”

“Nyaa.”

“Ah, the cat…”

The Cait Sith, who glanced back at them, let out a cute cry and toddled off somewhere.

As Unika was about to follow behind him as if possessed, Gi-jun, startled, grabbed her.

“That guy is a Cait Sith, what are you doing!”

“What?!”

Only after hearing those words did Unika seem to come to her senses, her eyes widening.

“I-I see. I must have been hit by illusion magic.”

“Ah, things have gotten annoying, nya.”

The Cait Sith’s muttering voice was heard, and he suddenly vanished from the spot.

Right after that, another Summoned belonging to the alliance appeared in the hallway and asked Gi-jun what was going on, but he answered that nothing had happened and hurried on his way back with Unika.

“What was his purpose? It didn’t seem like he was trying to harm us, though.”

“I think so too. Maybe he was pretending to be a cat not to trick us, but to fool someone else.”

Gi-jun said, nodding quietly.

“Perhaps it is related to the fact that the Cait Sith representative was not present today.”

“It weighs on my mind…”

Fortunately, the worries of the two were soon resolved.

“Ah, Jun!”

Scintilla, who ran out with a smile as soon as she saw him, hugged him once, let go, and spoke.

“Look, Jun. A cute cat came to the backyard of this lodging!”

“Nya, nyaa.”

It was a cat walking awkwardly on all fours and smiling—no, the Cait Sith.

Gi-jun snickered and captured him immediately.