NOVEL WEB Chapter 729: The Statue of Humanity's Hope
A statue, of Allen himself, was gradually being erected at the plaza by golems prudently. It appeared to be made of mithril, as the gleam on its front reflected sunshine.
It was a common thing that mithril or more robust ores were impossible to be handled by anyone who hadn't talent for 'sculptor' or 'blacksmith.'
The statue featured an exact resemblance to Allen, with its right hand gently stretched outward, showing a magnanimousity to accept all the races, and to protect them.
From the expression on the statue, one could feel both deep compassion and a strong conviction.
"Allen-sama, this is truly a magnificent statue."
Sophie remarked in awe.
"…Yeah."
(What the heck happened? I sure as heck didn't request all this fanfare!)
Allen offered an ad-lib to genuinely impressed Sophie, and briskly walked toward the worker group. Zaurele, the general of Golem Corps., immediately noticed him.
Following the shout, the subordinate dwarves promptly lined up next to Zaurele—apparently, they'd come up with this style on their own—and gave a salute to Allen..
Perhaps, it was their way to respect the hierarchy as Allen was named 'Supreme Commander' of Allen's Army which boasted as much 20,000 soldiers.
"No, please, there's no need for that. So, what is this? It looks like a statue of me..."
"Ah! This is the 'The Statue of Humanity's Hope'! I have an excellent dwarf artisan in my contacts. I requested that they create a statue to honor you, Allen-sama, for your great contributions to humanity..."
And, General Zaurele began recounting how much he had begged the talented artisan to create this statue.
Apparently, the artisan was quite a moodist, that not even the request of the Emperor of the Bawkis Empire would make him budge if the artisan wasn't in the mood, alluding to his undeniable talent, but also a stubborn nature.
It had taken the general Zaurele and others three days and nights, and as much as three barrels of sake, over which they explained Allen's activities, his philosophy, and the future he was striving for to finally receive the artisan's commitment.
And true to his reputation, the statue was incredibly life-like, as if Allen himself had been turned into the statue while being alive. It was also probably the reason Sophie had appeared so impressed, placing her hand on her cheeks.
Albeit, the person himself felt appalled by all the fanfare. Instantly, Allen started to pour his effort into stopping the situation from proceeding anymore.
"I really appreciate your effort, but I do not seek any such honor. Could you please remove it?"
(Has the statue already been named? If the plaza needs a statue, we might as well make one of Dogora. That would help increase the Fire God's power, after all.)
Allen decisively put an end to General Zaurele's lengthy tale, which was delivered in the manner of a typical Pierre-style monologue.
"What, but, look at the beauty of this statue. It's all but ready to be erected..."
General Zaurele began, looking to Sophie for support.
"This kind of statue is unnecessary. It couldn't have been a problem if I won against the Demon King, but I have yet to achieve any of such monumental achievements to be deified."
The situation started to attract the gazes of dwarves that had begun to secure the statue on its pedestal.
As Allen calmly explained the lack of need for the statue, Sophie spoke up.
"Allen-sama, may I say something?"
"Huh? What may it be?"
Allen replied, the pressure in her voice making him instinctively respond more politely.
"After more than fifty years of fighting the Demon King's army, I believe this is a pivotal year where we begin our counteroffensive. Against overwhelming power, humanity—who is weak—needs something to cling to, a savior to lend a hand. The miracles you've performed, and your acceptance by all races, make you the one who is most worthy of this honor."
"If you speak of hope for humanity, then surely the Hero would be..."
"Indeed, Hero Helmios is the symbol of hope for humanity. However it was you, and no one else, who had pushed for a reformation. You'd been the frontrunner whether it was in your proposal to finance the reformation. It couldn't have been possible without your support."
At the end, Sophie concluded her point saying Hero Helmios's statue would be outrageous after all this.
"But, that doesn't mean..."
"Hey, Allen. Just give it up already."
Soon, Luck also chimed in, cutting his objection.
(Sigh, I guess I can't argue further. It would be strange to push this any longer. Let's just forget about it. No, wait—I was supposed to do something more important.)
As Sophie watched with satisfaction as Allen's statue was fixed onto its pedestal, Allen suddenly recalled their original purpose of visiting Zaurele. It appeared he must have been quite shocked to see the statue.
"Excuse me, General Zaurele. Do you have any other important tasks to handle, aside from the statue?"
"No, I don't have anything particularly pressing, but is something the matter?"
"Thank you for your leadership in the city's construction. Actually, there is something else. In the divine realm, we need a golem master to assist with ore collection in the Earth Labyrinth. Would you happen to know anyone who could help?"
Allen explained the purpose of his visit and the need for about ten 4-star golem masters, including General Zaurele.
"So, it is? At last, my time has arrived to step into the divine realm, huh. Of course, I will promptly begin with my selection!! —Hm? What's that? It seems someone is approaching. Do you know them, Allen-sama?"
"I don't think so, but perhaps they are students or adventurers."
As Zaurele cheerfully agreed to help, a high-pitched voice of a girl could be heard from the distance, filled with energy.
They shifted their gaze in that direction, and spotted a group of nearly ten people approaching them. Perhaps it was the lack of any crowd—saving Allen's group and dwarves—the group's chattering was quiet clear to hear.
Allen had Bird E size up the group.
"Hey, you know we have already walked for so long, Rybuck. I really hope our destination is just here!!"
*Clang!*
(Huh? Isn't that voice...?)
"Your Highness, it's just ahead, down this path. Please stop banging your shield like that. The sound echoes too much."
One of them was constantly clanging their halberd against the giant shield they carried on their back. Another immediately turned to stop the former.
"Are you sure it's okay for us to enter? I thought they said the area was off-limits until next month."
(Oh, it's Thomas-san!)
The figure with a flute-like instrument at their waist—Thomas, Cecile's big brother, spoke, clearly concerned.
"Ugh! How many times I have told you, Ryback, Thomas. Here, I am Reina! Can you just stop with the princess title!! My homeroom teacher might really chew me out if he heard of it, you know!!"
"But we haven't been to academy, and what about rules—"
"Thomas, I forbid you to speak anymore!"
"Huh!? What!?" Thomas responded, startled.
"Ugh, you really are such a pessimist and a bag of complaints. Don't you think so, Mash? Wait, you're the leader, why are you being so quiet?"
(Ooh, there's Mash. And next to him is Lily.)
"But, Reina, most complaints come from you... You're also the loudest among us."
"Shh! Lily!!"
"What? I am just stating a fact."
Thomas, flustered by devil-may-care Lily's blunt remark, tried to stop her.
"Hey, Mash. How long are you going to stay silent?"
"...Brother Allen."
"Ah, it's true. It's Allen brother."
(Who the heck is Allen brother?)
Lily responded back to Mash words
The noise from Princess Reylana's commotion caused the group to realize a bit late that Allen and the others were standing by the statue.
(Count Granvelle's words were truly right, huh. It's great Cecile isn't here, or...)
Having acquired his talent after the appearance of last year's Job Transfer Dungeon, Thomas was now acting as the bodyguard of Reylana, the princess of Latash kingdom.
Initially, Thomas was to gain experience at the royal castle as the to-be-successor of Granvelle family, and build up the connections and authority over time. However, after receiving the order from King Inbuel, he was now with Princess Reylana to support her in academic endeavour. And for a nobel of the Latash Kingdom, this was a worth-to-die sort of offer for Thomas.
Since they were using Allen Army's base as a headquarters, Thomas would regularly send updates to Count Granvelle through letters. And by extension, Allen occasionally received news about the situation in Latash Kingdom's royal castle, or the Five Continental Alliance meetings via Count Gravelle.
Meanwhile, Reylana, who also had enrolled in the academy in the same year, formed a party called «Blooming White Flower» with Mash. Lily, Kurena's little sister, also had a knack for fist-fighting and had been attending the academy since the 4th month of this year. She was a junior for the rest.
Apparently, Mash, the spearman, was the party leader.
(Hmm, so the party has Ryback the shielder, the mid-range attacker Reylana, Mash, and close-combatant Lily. The other seems to be for buff and healings etc. They've been keeping a balanced composition huh. Ryback values his bond with the princess more than his loyalty to the Allen Army, though. It's really a lifesaver that he's also helping out Thomas-san in his job transfer order. But in his case, he's probably just doing it for the princess.)
«Mash's Party Blooming White Flower - Star Count»
Shielder Ryback (☆☆☆☆)
Great Performer Thomas (☆☆☆)
Halberd Saint Reylana (☆☆☆)
Spearman Mash (☆)
Fist Fighter Lily (☆)
A few other students
Recalling back on his memories, this actually was a solid party.
The 8th, and 9th month was the summer vacation season for the academy. With Ryback and Thomas in party—albeit they're not formally students—they appeared to be enjoying their fun adventurer life.
Apparently, as the information goes, they also had been on lookout for their own base. The base Allen Army had been using was now appearing a bit too cramped for them with the increase in members.
"Allen-dono, I apologize. I did not give permission for this, but Princess Reylana asked me about the new district of the academy's new city. She said she wanted to see your statue..."
The 50 year old Ryback, who had been assigned by the King to guard Princess Reylana while also serving as the Captain of the Royal Guard of Latash Kingdom—and also a general in Allen Army—revealed his inner thoughts unlike his usual silent demeanor.
Much like Zaurele, Ryback got a heads up in priority list as the general of Allen Army and changed to a 4 star job, consuming the transfer point.
"Oh, please, this is just a trivial thing. Sure, it might be a bit of a headache if Allen Army's Human Race General left the scene for a while, but the adjutant is also quite capable. You don't have to worry much."
It appeared Princess Reylana heard about the new district of the Academy City, that is under development under leadership of Allen Army, and immediately decided to make a visit regardless of the appointment.
"So this is the statue of eldest brother... 'the hope of humanity'."
Mash read aloud the title and the name of the statue engraved on the pedestal.
(So, no more calling me 'bro,' huh?)
Allen murmured, keenly sensing the growth of Mash who had now embarked on his own path with his group of comrades.
"Unfortunately. I tried to stop them, but... I'm just embarrassed now."
"Really? Even our homeroom teacher, Karoroba-sensei, says you were amazing."
"Oh? Your homeroom teacher is Karoroba-sensei? Is he still sporting those tight clothes?"
(Was he perhaps cautious when he found out my younger brother would be coming to the academy? Wait, then he probably wouldn't have any chance to return to the Adventurer's Guild in Royal Capital as a result.)
After all, one academy had 20 classrooms, and while there were also 3rd years attending them, Karoroa explicitly chosen to be his class's homeroom teacher.
The last he had heard, it was the presence of Sword Saint Kurena that Karoroba had arrived from the royal capital, and took command of classes. Though she may no longer be there, Karoroba remained in the academy instead of returning back.
Recalling that, Allen couldn't help but remark on the typical alumni like line over teacher.
"Pfft!? Tight!?"
"Pff—! He indeed hasn't changed. I am thoroughly flabbergasted that those clothes actually didn't burst apart. Just what are his clothes made of!?"
Reylana immediately burst out in laughter, and Mash barely controlled his smile.
"He hadn't? Hmm, and considering the reaction, I presume Princess Reylana is also in the same class?"
"Yup!"
"Oh? How was your assignment over the academy's dungeon exploration?"
"It was too easy. Frankly, I find the boars we hunted in our village more challenging than them."
"No way! We nearly got into trouble ourselves due to a teleportation trap. The traps are nothing to scoff off since each jump in the dungeon's rank makes them more aggravating."
"I see. Well, Blooming White Flower has thief too, but we will keep an eye out."
It seemed like they had learned from the mishap of Cecile and Dogora after they'd ended up falling in trap.
As the siblings caught up with each other, their companions silently watched, until Ryback spoke up.
"Since you've been out for so long, Allen-dono, how about you relax and enjoy yourself?"
Ryback suggested, more of a proposal to the whole team than just the two. But—
*Boom*
Suddenly, the sky lit up, causing Allen and others to quickly shield their eyes.
In the corner of his vision, Allen saw countless wings.
"Allen, there you are. I've been looking for you."
"W-w-w-whhhhaaat?! L-Lupto-sama!?"
Thomas fell on his butt when Lupto suddenly appeared in the air, at a position even high above Allen's statue. Mash and Reylana share the same dumbfoundment.