Chapter 1056

Leaving Urushi in charge of the fleet, Fran and I headed for the port of Bulbora. The damage was pretty immense. The Raydoss fleet must have concentrated artillery fire on the major facilities.

But because of that, many of the ordinary buildings and residences were surprisingly safe.

I saw a large number of people running toward us, probably having noticed the change when the bombardment stopped. At their front was a familiar presence.

「Over there.」

『Yeah. Let’s go there too.』

A few minutes later, we met up with the group of adventurers.

「Fran! Fran, is that you!?」

「Gamudo.」

They were led by Bulbora’s guildmaster, Gamudo, a former Rank A adventurer. It seems he got through unharmed.

Well, not like getting hit by cannon fire would be enough to kill him.

「What the heck happened!? And who are they?」

「Guys from Raydoss.」

「What!?」

Gamudo and his followers overflowed with killing intent after hearing that the three tied up guys dragged by Fran were from Raydoss. It seems everyone was well aware that Raydoss was behind the fleet shelling them. They were waving their flags in the open, so that’s only natural.

Fran explained all the intel she had extracted to Gamudo and entrusted him with their custody.

「Can you take them?」

「Yeah sure, that’s fine by me. But what are you doing now, Fran?」

「I’m heading to the orphanage.」

Fran’s biggest worry seemed to be whether or not the orphanage was safe. However, Gamudo smiled and reassured her.

「Oh, they’re perfectly fine. After all, I was just there.」

「Really?」

「Yeah. I went to check up on them and everyone was safe. Amanda built a super sturdy underground bunker. That thing ain’t budging unless you smack it with a direct hit of the highest level magic.」

「I see… That’s great.」

If Gamudo can speak with such confidence, then they really must be safe. Fran exhaled a breath of relief.

「There are still some enemy ships in the harbor.」

「What!? Is it safe?」

「Nn. Urushi is watching them. Besides, we’ve sunk all of Raydoss’s ships. All that’s left are Seedran’s ships.」

「Oh, so that’s how it is… Maybe this will work out?」

It seems Raydoss’s surprise attack annihilated Bulbora’s navy, killing a large number of sailors. They didn’t have enough manpower remaining to capture and seize the enemy ships.

「That said, we can’t just leave them floating there. I’d love to get my hands on those if possible.」

On the other hand, perhaps Seedran’s ships and crew could be incorporated to make up for Bulbora’s lost forces. Since no one knew Raydoss’s next move, they should prepare themselves for anything.

「What is the new lord doing?」

「…The guy’s a talented politician, but I can’t say the same for the combat side… I’d appreciate it if he could delegate some authority to me… Dunno if that’s ever happening though…」

So not incompetent, but lacking the skills for war. They likely dispatched a more accountant-type guy as the new lord to assist with the city’s reconstruction.

However, Fran could do nothing regarding such matters. We had no choice but to leave everything to Gamudo.

「…Fran. I know it’s a pain, but I gotta ask for your help capturing the ships. I’ll make sure you get paid.」

「…Okay.」

She still wanted to see the orphanage, but we couldn’t leave the port and Urushi behind. This problem needed to be taken care of first. Fran led Gamudo and the others back the way she came.

「Really sorry for this. I ain’t too great when it comes to the sea.」

『Oh yeah. He is a dwarf after all.』

I remember hearing once that the dwarves as a whole were incapable of swimming. It seems Gamudo can’t lay a finger on anything coming from the sea. Well, I’m sure he’s really impressive on land though.

「Fran, we need to talk.」

「Nn?」

Gamudo whispered in Fran’s ear for some reason. Since her ears poked out of her head, Gamudo could whisper without bending down.

The dwarf’s distinctive beard seemed to be tickling her a bit.

「About your rank.」

「…? I’m Rank B.」

「Well yeah, I know that. I mean about your rank up.」

Gamudo pulled Fran a little distance away from the others. I guess this conversation wasn’t one that could be overheard by other adventurers.

「I hear you did super well in Gordicia. There’s a recommendation for your rank up in the works.」

「So my rank will go up?」

「No, it ain’t that simple. Your case is a tad special.」

Fran was simply too young, and she had worked as an adventurer for less than two years. Though she was undoubtedly strong, many claimed that she was given too much special treatment. In particular, essential aspects such as Fran’s character and aptitudes were not given proper consideration.

Furthermore, it seems many doubted Fran actually performed as well as reported. The events in Gordicia occurred on a battlefield with Rank S adventurers and members of the Seven Sages, some of them without third party witnesses. They found it hard to believe that Fran could truly contribute in such conditions.

Also, Izario’s report avoided mentioning my existence, which generated some suspicious blank spots where Fran would normally have shined.

「Someone promoting to Rank A needs visible achievements and approval from multiple countries. To be frank, I think you ain’t passing this time.」

「I see.」

Fran nodded her head in response, and there didn’t seem to be much disappointment on her face. Gamudo also noticed this.

「What, you ain’t frustrated? I certainly am. You wouldn’t lie to us. It’s all true, right?」

「Nn. But I’m not ready for Rank A yet.」

『Fran…』

「Rank A adventurers are awesome, and I haven’t caught up to them yet. It’s still too early for me.」

Fran shook her head at Gamudo. To her, Rank A was something to aspire for. Amanda, Forrund, Hilt… Strength was not the only virtue these adventurers held.

Amanda ran several orphanages, rescuing countless children throughout the world. Despite his usual tone, Forrund was capable of negotiating, even with royalty. He also traveled all over the country taking all kinds of requests. Hilt inherited the Dimitris school and was responsible for training many disciples.

Call it contributing to society or what not, but these are the best adventurers with a myriad of abilities, virtues, and experiences other than strength. Only they are allowed to become Rank A.

Rank S is pretty much outside of human limits, so it’s not something you can just become. In a sense, Rank A was the highest you can go on your own efforts. Maybe that’s why it was so special to Fran.

「…I see. If you say so then. As a former Rank A, I have to say I think you’re up for it.」

「Even so, I’m not ready yet.」

「That so? Well, I’ll make sure you get promoted regardless on your next achievement. And when that happens, you better accept it, alright?」

「Nn.」

As we were discussing all of this, we arrived at the port. I could see the faces of the adventurers tensing up as Urushi’s huge body drew near.

Had Fran not informed them of her servant ahead of time, they might have fled at the sight. Urushi was standing guard in battle mode to ensure no ships escaped, and his aura was that intimidating.

Gamudo was pretty much the only one unaffected. This man belonged to a team specialized in dragon hunting, so even the current Urushi was not enough to scare him.

「Fran, can you tell the ships to come over this way?」

「You’re letting them into the harbor?」

「Yeah. Then we’ll hop on board and overpower the sailors.」

「Okay.」

However, the port of Bulbora and surrounding area was currently in no condition for sailing due to the wreckage of the sunken battleships.

So we decided to start by cleaning up all the wreckage. Just broke it all down and shoved it into storage.

After the sea was mostly clean again, we boarded the surviving vessels directly and told them to enter the harbor one after another.

I thought there might be some trouble, but the Seedran sailors ended up being very obedient. Come to think of it, they had seen Fran and Urushi’s power up close. That must have erased any desire to resist.

The fleet should still have a good number of combat-ready soldiers for their planned landing, but none of them dared to disobey us. Though it took a while, we succeeded in seizing 11 ships.

The best ships were slightly damaged, while the worst ships were completely incapable of movement, so Fran and Urushi had to literally pull them into the harbor via brute force.

Well, they should work after getting fixed up. Shipwrights capable of using Repair on boats exist after all.

（So tired.）

（Arf.）

『I guess this is the end of our business at the port. Might as well eat some food before we head to the orphanage.』

「Nn! Curry!」

「Woof woof!」

「F-Fran? What’s this all of a sudden?」

Woops, looks like we surprised Gamudo. You can have some curry as an apology. Straight from the Curry Master!