An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 61

Chapter 61   Winter reward

The unfolding of events was later recounted by Faal and Kyrif, who were present at the meeting.

Upon the arrival of the Grand Bishop, he immediately exclaimed, “Summoning me to such a lowly place and daring to comprehend the church! Divine punishment shall descend upon you!” The response from the royal family and all the nobles was one of deep apologies.

“We humbly apologize, Your Eminence. This is merely a formality to dispel any suspicions among the populace and to offer our prayers for Your Eminence’s well-being. Please accept our sincerest apologies,” they proclaimed, warmly welcoming him.

A lavish luncheon was held, during which the Grand Bishop remained in high spirits throughout.

After a brief afternoon recess, the Consultation Committee began its session at two o’clock.

With gratitude and apologies extended to the Grand Bishop for his special presence, and acknowledging the effort he had made to attend, the atmosphere became increasingly congenial as the proceedings unfolded.

“Now, let us delve into the series of assassination incidents,” the prosecutor’s explanation commences.

Here, the prosecutor begins to elucidate the details.

An explanation of the sacred artifacts mentioned in the scriptures, followed by an exposition on the guns.

The condition of the victims who suffered, elucidation of the trajectories, and the recovered bullets.

One after another, the pieces of evidence are presented.

The countenance of the Grand Bishop turns pallid.

“In light of this, it appears that the culprit acted alone, and there is no connection between the series of assassination incidents and the church. No evidence whatsoever indicates any involvement by the church. We apologize profoundly for casting uncertain suspicions. The suspicions surrounding the church have been unequivocally dispelled. Your Eminence, we deeply regret the inconvenience caused and extend heartfelt apologies on behalf of the entire royal court,” the explanation continues.

“Th-that is indeed so. Truly, such an uncouth act,” the Grand Bishop comments, sweating profusely, creating an amusing spectacle.

“Moreover, taking responsibility for this recent mishap and in furtherance of the church’s authority, I hereby declare my abdication! For the greater enhancement of the church’s influence, I step down from my position,” the King’s sudden announcement reverberates, eliciting a chorus of surprised voices—stilted exclamations of astonishment—within the conference room!

“I am no longer fit to be king. I shall transfer the throne to you, Your Eminence.”

“What?! This can’t be!”

“From today onwards, you shall be the sovereign of this land. Please accept this mantle of leadership.”

“Well, well, well! If you put it that way, I cannot refuse…”

“Please stand. It is time for the ritual of succession to the throne.”

The Grand Bishop rises.

The King gracefully drapes his mantle over the shoulders of the Grand Bishop, gently bestowing the scepter, the symbol of the throne. With a reverent bow, he kneels and humbly presents his own royal crown.

At this moment, a realization seems to dawn upon the Grand Bishop. Trembling visibly, beads of sweat stream down his face.

In a teasing manner, the King playfully removes the Grand Bishop’s hat and firmly places the crown upon his head.

“Now, to the throne,” he beckons.

“I… I refuse,” stammers the Grand Bishop.

“Why is that? You are already His Majesty the King,” questions the King, a hint of impatience in his voice.

“I am declining,” asserts the Grand Bishop.

“But why? You accepted just a while ago,” points out the King.

“It’s no good! This is no good!” the Grand Bishop exclaims, his agitation escalating.

“Why do you refuse? The series of assassination incidents have already proven the church’s innocence. Come now, please,” urges the King.

“I’m going back. This is a trap!” protests the Grand Bishop, his agitation turning into outright resistance.

“Escort His Majesty the King to the throne!” commands the King, as the Royal Guards subdue the struggling Grand Bishop, forcibly seating him upon the throne.

Suppressing the Grand Bishop’s attempts to rise, they firmly hold him in place.

“Do you really think you can escape consequences by resisting like this?!” questions the King, his voice unwavering.

“Yet, you have been granted the honor of ascending to the throne, accepting the great loyalty of your subjects. Why should you be troubled? We all extend our hearty congratulations on Your Eminence’s coronation as our King,” the King’s tone softens, offering a glimmer of understanding.

“N-no… no…” the Grand Bishop stammers, visibly overwhelmed.

Applause fills the room.

Joyous cheers resonate.

Congratulations—!

Congratulations—!

Congratulations to Your Eminence, the Grand Bishop!

“Why, it seems it’s almost three o’clock. Shall we have some tea?”

“What?! No!”

“Prepare some tea.”

“Release me! Let go, let go――――!!”

“This room is rather dim. Hey, open the curtains and let the light in.”

“You insolent fool! I said release me!”

“Why is that?”

“Ugh… I’m going to be shot!”

“Pardon?”

“I’m going to be shot! They’re going to shoot me!”

“Who is?”

“Enough, release me!”

The Grand Bishop swings his scepter and thrashes about.

Bang…

The church bell tolls.

“I’m going to be shot! Shot――――!!” The Grand Bishop tumbles from the throne, crawling on the floor.

Bang…

“About to…,”

The Grand Bishop tosses his scepter aside, rips off his mantle, and hurls his crown away.

Thunk…

On all fours, the wheezing Grand Bishop struggles to catch his breath.

“Your Eminence,”

King Majesty crouches before the Grand Bishop, looking down upon him in his prone state.

“The sniper concealed in the church clock tower has already been apprehended. We’ve captured them alive. How do you plan to justify your current ignoble display?”

The Grand Bishop’s face turns pale as he gazes up at the king.

“For the attempted assassination of the king and the series of noble murders, you’re being arrested as a suspected mastermind. Take him away.”

The Grand Bishop lets out a feeble groan and collapses.

Such an account, presented in a lively manner by Faal and Kyrif, unfolded before us. Ah, hahaha!

“Is this really alright?”

Faal’s Hawksburg family carriage, Kyrif’s Altars family carriage, accompanied by the escorts’ carriages, march in tandem. Each carriage heads toward its respective territory.

Strangely, everyone has huddled into our carriage.

“I’ll be a bother if I join. Please attribute all the credit to you,” I said.

“However…”

“We Elves wish to live quietly and peacefully in our village. We won’t tolerate being swarmed by those who seek to exploit us,” I added.

I shared the same sentiment with the Palace Guard Captain. Though he wore an expression of resistance, he eventually understood when I explained, “If our names become associated, we’ll forever be targeted by the church as the ones who arrested the Grand Bishop. We’d be under constant scrutiny and threat.”

“Assigning such a role to common hunters would be a disgrace to the Palace Guard. Indeed, that duty is more fitting for us.”

Tanra laughed and agreed, a smile gracing his face.

However, both Faal and Kyrif appeared disappointed, as if saying, “Exactly.”

“It’s a shame. I’d love to have you serve under me” I sighed.

“Me too. I can’t repay this debt, no matter how hard I try.”

“But that would mean we end up working in this country after all,” Kyrif chimed in.

“That’s right. I’d really want you to work to protect my domain…”

Faal and Kyrif nodded in agreement.

“We don’t need titles or honors.”

“People without desires are difficult to utilize, aren’t they? Shall we give up then?”

With those words, the two of them burst into laughter.

“However, there’s one thing I’d like to ask. We, or rather, the two of us, we are friends. I hope we’ll continue being friends forever. Don’t hold back on anything anymore.”

“Thank you. Those are words that bring me great joy.”

It’s far better than dealing with troublesome nobility, that’s for sure.

“Well then, Faal, there’s something I’d like to ask of you. Would that be alright?”

Saran speaks up.

“Anything at all!”

“Huh? You don’t need anything from me, Saran?”

“As long as Kyrif fulfills the promised reward.”

“Right, that’s true! Ahaha!”

Two young lords who prevented the assassination of the king.

They’ve avenged their father and humbled the arrogance of the church.

From now on, let’s hope for the king’s prosperous rule and further development.

“In the end, what was that sniper all about?”

At the Elf village of Kopori, a conversation takes place with Goddess Nanotesu through digital short-range wireless communication.

“It was the summoned hero from the church, right?”

“Well, I’m aware of that.”

“The hero who tried to resurrect the Demon Lord before, got hanged.”

“What?! That’s what happened?!”

“The witch was burned at the stake, the hero who had connections with the witch was executed, and even a priest was excommunicated.”

“Oh… Wait, the priest wasn’t involved, right?”

“The Witch, hero, and priest were all involved in an illicit affair. It’s terrible for someone in holy orders to be entangled with a witch. Not being a virgin was the decisive factor.”

“The idea of a harem is scary…”

“Be cautious of getting into a harem, Nakajima-san. If anything happens, everyone will be held accountable.”

“Well… Saran alone could fill a harem for several people. I don’t need that kind of trouble.”

Personally, I have absolutely no interest in any woman other than Saran anymore.

We’re a married couple, after all.

But if something happens to me, Saran will also face the consequences. I need to be even more careful about our actions from now on…

“Oh, that hero from the Church Knights was originally from this world, but due to a scandal, they ended up without a hero. So, in a rush, the church summoned their own hero. Turns out it was a Japanese military otaku, and the cheat skill they had allowed them to summon any firearm. Quite the coveted ability for a military enthusiast.”

“That’s… kind of enviable.”

Ah, I see.

So that’s how it is.

Now it makes sense why they had access to Hollywood-style anti-materiel rifles, the Beretta M92, and long-range out-of-the-blue sniping – a lineup that surely appeals to military enthusiasts.

Though their sniping skills did seem rather amateurish.

Just reading gun magazines won’t make you an expert in everything, I guess.

“The church cleverly manipulated the hero, provided him with women, and brainwashed him into believing that overthrowing the feudal aristocracy, who monopolized power and engaged in all sorts of atrocities, was an act of justice. Since it’s not a good idea for a goddess to meddle in human conflicts, I thought of contacting you, Nakajima-san, to see if you could help somehow.”

“I see.”

“But as I watched, Nakajima-san seemed to be handling things quite interestingly on your own. So, I thought, why not let you handle it?”

“Well, you know, it would have been helpful if you had informed me about this beforehand.”

“Well, I guess that’s fine. It wouldn’t have been good if Nakajima-san knew too much. You might have ended up being suspected. The way things turned out, with Nakajima-san in the picture, everything went smoothly. In the end, both the military otaku hero and the Archbishop ended up with the same fate – a hanging. Who knows, Nakajima-san might have been in that situation too.”

… I suppose that’s true.

“However, the showdown between the military otaku and the hunter was quite entertaining!”

“Well, you know, it was a close call again this time.”

“The approach was so different: the military otaku with their pinpoint shooting based on firearm performance, and the hunter who knew the prey’s behavior inside and out, setting up traps. It was a classic match.”

“The strength of a hunter lies in their camaraderie. No matter who takes down the prey, it’s a collective effort. I was fortunate to have great comrades this time too. Our victory is thanks to them.”

Oh?

Cheers are rising from the pier.

I wonder if they’ve arrived.

“Well then, until next time. Ending communication.”

“What?! We haven’t talked in so long, let’s chat a bit more!”

Click.

Turning off the switch, I pocket the wireless device.

“Shin! We’ve arrived!” Saran exclaimed as she ran towards me.

A cargo ship bearing the Hawksburg family’s flag stood before them.

Loaded with woolen blankets for the entire Elven village.

Looking up, they saw delicate flakes gently descending from the white sky.

A timely arrival before winter settled in, a true relief.

— Military Otaku VS Hunter CHAPTERS END —