Vol 4 Chapter 95: “The Meeting” (Vol 4: The Otherworldly Battlefield Arc)

A meeting.

A regular discussion involving the cleric, the Holy Knights, and sometimes a mix of other participants.

Today, the meeting included the cleric, the Holy Knights, Sukui, and Horo, who attended as Sukui’s companion.

“We’ve received a proposal from the Peine Family offering full support for the restoration of Polivity. However, they’re requesting increased monetary compensation in exchange for providing land.”

“Let them know we’ll double the proposed amount.”

The cleric, issuing directives with the authority of a superior, couldn’t hide a glimmer of excitement, stealing glances at Sukui.

Sukui, dodging that gaze, looked upward and kept a nonchalant silence.

Doubling the compensation—well, if they’d secured a partnership with a major organization, it made sense to loosen the purse strings.

But there was more to it than that.

The Peine Family was about to become the first mafia officially partnered with the church.

Since other organizations were still in wait-and-see mode, the Peine Family would become the ideal test case.

Essentially, they’d be a walking advertisement: “Partner with us early, and you’ll be this well-rewarded.”

“Understood. That concludes the church-related updates.”

The knight finished the report and returned to their seat.

The cleric was skilled at management: delegating tasks, organizing schedules, and motivating people.

For Sukui, this was where his unease with the cleric’s use of sacred magic began—and where his doubts about its application by thieves took root. Yet, Sukui couldn’t help but admire the cleric’s ability to build such a functional organizational framework in a short time.

After listening to the cleric’s summary, it was now Sukui’s turn.

“I’ve prepared a report on the 13 points you instructed us on last time. Notable updates include—”

Using his materials, Sukui provided detailed data on the recent monster invasions, noting that the quality of monsters had clearly increased since the last report.

The evaluation followed the Adventurer’s Guild ranking system.

Sukui also updated the Peine Family’s activities, reporting their occupation of the garbage mountain and its current state, while touching on only the necessary points.

Horo, reviewing the materials she had seen earlier, found herself surprised at Sukui’s competence.

The gap between her impression of him as someone who could do anything if he bothered and his unexpectedly straightforward work created a strange kind of astonishment.

It was almost insulting.

“That concludes my report. Please let me know if there are any questions.”

Sukui bowed gracefully.

There were no questions. Instead, there was praise.

The negotiations with the Peine Family were understood to have been conducted under the cleric’s direction, but Sukui’s contributions had cemented his role as the cleric’s right-hand man.

The perception of Sukui as an outsider was fading, thanks to his seemingly selfless dedication and approachable demeanor.

“Thank you. Regarding the materials—”

The cleric asked Sukui, a former adventurer, a few questions about the characteristics of the monsters.

Using this information, they discussed strategies for the next steps, and the cleric outlined future plans.

Sukui had no objections to the cleric’s strategy.

“And now—”

The cleric shifted the tone slightly.

“About the search for members to join the Demon King subjugation effort—”

The atmosphere grew more tense.

Sukui, however, maintained a relaxed expression, appearing even calmer than before.

“To put it bluntly, there’s been no progress.”

At present, the only ones who could realistically face the Demon King were Sukui and the cleric—optimistically speaking.

That conclusion remained unchanged.

“In parallel with organizational partnerships, I’ve also met with various mafia groups and notable individuals from different regions. While there were some who far surpassed the Holy Knights in strength, I’d still say they fall short of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you, Cleric-sama.”

“What about support roles?”

A sharp question was thrown out.

Even if they couldn’t fight side by side, there were still those whose magic could provide valuable support.

“That would be difficult. Sacred magic users are already gifted with unparalleled physical and magical abilities. Any half-baked buff spells or supporting firepower would be wasted—at worst, it could become more of a hindrance.”

Sukui emphasized this point with a slightly dramatic tone. The cleric frowned momentarily before letting out a sigh.

“Unfortunately, based on the materials you’ve prepared, it seems your assessment isn’t wrong.”

Sukui had included profiles of a few individuals he had investigated, but none of them stood out as exceptional. Of course, living in Polivity meant that there were quite a few who could be considered strong. However, the adversary was the Demon King, and the comparison was with sacred magic users.

The cleric had been conducting recruitment from a different angle as well, but tangible results were yet to be seen. While the cleric wasn’t looking for someone of their own caliber, there was a clear disagreement: Sukui opposed bringing along anyone who would end up as dead weight.

“In that case, I have a suggestion.”

Just as the topic seemed about to be shelved with a “we’ll continue investigating,” Sukui interrupted.

“How about we abandon the idea of defeating the Demon King?”

The same suggestion as before.

It’s impossible to defeat the Demon King. Leave it to the Hero.

Yet the plan’s foundation was to achieve results in Polivity and gain recognition for the city. Sukui understood this well. Some furrowed their brows at this seemingly defeatist suggestion, and the cleric began to open their mouth, only to be stopped as Sukui continued.

“To clarify, I mean only in regard to the Demon King’s defeat.”

Only the cleric and Horo immediately understood what Sukui meant. The rest of the room was filled with doubt—how was this different from abandoning the plan altogether?

This style of intriguing others before revealing the point had become a habit of Sukui’s.

“Cleric-sama, the goal of this plan has always been to prove that Polivity, which until now has only been seen as a token participant in monster subjugations, can actually defeat monsters—and even the Demon King—showing its value to the world, hasn’t it?”

Sukui confirmed the premise.

In short, the aim was to show that Polivity wasn’t just some forgotten penal colony but a place worthy of pride on the world stage.

The most straightforward way to demonstrate that was through the Demon King’s defeat.

The cleric nodded slowly as they thought over Sukui’s words.

“If that’s the case, the Demon King’s defeat is a means, not the goal. The real goal is for Polivity to achieve something the world will acknowledge as a major accomplishment.”

If so, then defeating the Demon King wasn’t absolutely necessary.

“Of course, this is a compromise. While we may not be able to defeat the Demon King, leaving a significant contribution toward that effort and ensuring the Hero brings back those achievements to acknowledge Polivity would be almost as impactful.”

Sukui’s proposal was enough to convince everyone except the cleric. From the beginning, most had doubted the feasibility of defeating the Demon King, so the idea of a realistic compromise—one that didn’t significantly reduce the benefits—was well-received.

Everyone waited for the cleric’s response, pondering Sukui’s suggestion.

“And the content?”

Naturally, Sukui had prepared for this question.

The issue with this compromise was deciding exactly what contribution Polivity would make.

If it was something mediocre, the Demon King’s defeat would simply be credited to the Hero. Even if Polivity’s involvement was acknowledged, without a clear achievement, no one would pay attention.

In truth, Polivity could already claim to contribute just by having the cleric assist the Hero. But the cleric had rejected this idea. After all, the narrative would be “a sacred magic user helped,” not “Polivity contributed.”

“Naturally, the answer is reconnaissance of the Demon King’s castle.”

A wave of astonishment spread through the room. Even Horo, who hadn’t known the details, was convinced upon hearing the plan—this was the only viable option.

At present, the inside of the Demon King’s castle was a complete black box. Of all the heroes who had entered throughout history, not one had ever returned.

Mapping the castle’s structure, identifying the monsters within, and most importantly, gathering information about the Demon King—all of this would constitute a historic achievement, something even past heroes had failed to accomplish.

Amid the mixed reactions of approval and concern, the cleric, having likely anticipated this suggestion, covered their mouth as they deliberated.

“Depending on the circumstances, it could be considered a significant achievement.”

However, both the cleric and Sukui understood what this meant.

Ultimately, this mission would still fall on Sukui and the cleric alone. It would be labeled Polivity’s accomplishment, but in reality, it would again be the work of a sacred magic user.

Sukui knew that the cleric often fought not just alone but with knights who occasionally proved to be liabilities. Yet this was the best compromise Sukui could come up with.

Reconnaissance, unlike subjugation, would suffer from too many people slowing them down. Two was the ideal number.

Of course, the Hero would be told that the information was obtained with Polivity’s collective effort. It wouldn’t be a complete lie—sending the cleric wasn’t a passive gesture. The preparation, covering for their absence—all of it—would be a valuable contribution.

No, it would simply be framed that way.

Still, Sukui knew the cleric wouldn’t be fully satisfied. The question of how this differed fundamentally from simply accompanying the Hero was bound to weigh on them.

“This is the best option,” Sukui concluded.

The important thing wasn’t the cleric’s satisfaction but Polivity’s recognition.

The cleric wasn’t oblivious to this and nodded faintly.

“The morale of the city is also important. It’s not enough for people to simply celebrate your success in bringing back information, Cleric-sama. They must feel that they contributed to it as well.”

Sukui proposed involving the entire city in creating a support system, ensuring that the information retrieved could be claimed as Polivity’s achievement. The key point was Sukui’s involvement, ensuring it wasn’t simply the work of one sacred magic user.

Sukui presented this compromise alongside a meticulous plan and several contingencies.

Though the cleric’s face still bore traces of unease, Sukui considered this the final concern left unresolved.