A large number of the Empire’s residents were gathered in the open-air concert hall on the central square.
There were people as far as the eye could see, and there were probably close to 10,000 people. The members of Lorelei were in charge of guiding and policing them. Even if a riot occurred, it would undoubtedly be suppressed in an instant.
Johann, the clan master of Lorelei, had held a press conference on the pretext that he had an urgent announcement. However, rather than targeting only some reporters, he chose the open-air concert hall as the venue so that anyone could listen to it.
Thus, despite the fact that it was an unexpected announcement, many of the Empire’s residents had gathered in the open-air concert hall. As could be expected from the Regalia, the amount of attention people paid to them was overwhelming.
「――With regards to the economic benefits that the railway will bring about, it’s obvious when you look at the neighboring Republic of Rhodania. With a locomotive powered by a magic engine made from Beast materials, it’ll be possible to transport large amounts of people and resources anywhere inside the country with astonishing speed. As a matter of fact, the Republic of Rhodania, which opened its railway four years ago, has achieved dramatic economic growth」
Standing on the stage with a microphone in his hand, Johann continued to speak eloquently in front of the audience. His dignified demeanor increased the persuasiveness of what he was saying.
「On the other hand, although our country――the Werunant Empire does indeed have the technological prowess to open a railway, it’s difficult to ensure the safety of the railway because it’s a land where Abysses formed easily, resulting in the current situation where we have no choice but to still be reliant on the power of horses」
However, said Johann with a triumphant smile on his face.
「As I’ve said earlier, through our clan’s partnership with Volcan Heavy Industries, we’ve found a way to solve this problem. Therefore, we’re thinking that we would like to open a railway inside the Empire and share its benefits with all of the citizens of the Empire. In addition, because this plan has obtained strong support from the feudal lords of the regions that the railway will be passing through as well as from the second prince, His Highness Prince Caius, even the Central Council has already approved it. Consequently, if things go smoothly, we’re currently able to start construction at the beginning of next week」
In response to Johann's declaration, questions were raised from the press box that had been set up on the stage.
「Can you tell us what the method of solving the problem is?」
「Of course」
Nodding in a proud manner, Johann turned towards the side of the stage. When he did, a woman who seemed to be a member of Lorelei appeared on the stage. At that moment, in unison, the audience raised their voices in surprise――and then fear.
What had startled the audience was not the woman. It was the 『aberration』 that accompanied her.
The aberration was similar to a wolf. It was about as tall as an adult male, and it was clear that it had well-developed muscles. It looked so strongly built that it seemed like it could send a cow’s head flying with just one kick from its front legs. It did indeed have a terrifying appearance, but it had an obedient disposition and didn’t make a single sound even when in front of an audience of 10,000. It had stayed close to the woman standing beside it the entire time. The extent of its obedience made it all the more eerie.
「Let me introduce it to all of you. He’s a Demi・Beast, a general-purpose quadrupedal combatant that we invented」
The audience was even more shocked by word "Beast". But Johann had an unconcerned smile on his face.
「It's only natural for everyone to be surprised. But please don't worry. Certainly, he’s a biological weapon that’s born using Beasts as a base, but he obeys our orders unconditionally. Also, he’s usually in safe mode, and he’s only able to show off his original strength inside an Abyss. When he’s in safe mode, he only has as much strength as a large dog」
When Johann signaled with his eyes, the female member patted Demi・Beast's head. When she did, the Demi・Beast narrowed its eyes, seemingly in pleasure.
「As you can see, he’s very friendly. He’s also highly intelligent and will never do anything that causes harm to people. However, his fighting ability is extremely outstanding. Once he has entered an Abyss and gone into battle mode, he shows off strength that’s comparable to a B Rank with a combat type Job」
Johann turned from Demi・Beast and faced the audience.
「As a result of the test that we ran in an Abyss, we proved that he’s capable of dealing with Beasts up to depth 8 even by himself. The setup to mass-produce him is already in place, and we plan to deploy them at each station when the railway is opened. With that, even if an Abyss forms, it can be cleansed quickly, so the safety of the locomotives and railways won’t be threatened」
At Johann’s explanation, most of the audience exclaimed in admiration while a portion of them raised a stir.
The ones who had raised a stir were the Seekers. It appeared that when they were told that biological weapons with fighting ability comparable to B Ranks would be mass-produced in the future, they had felt a sense of crisis about whether or not their own livelihoods would be threatened.
And they were most likely right. It seemed that Johann had also noticed, and he continued speaking with a loaded smile.
「It appears that the Seekers present are wondering if they’ll be replaced by the Demi・Beasts. With regards to that, I won’t deny it. They are really outstanding. Enough that an average Seeker is no match for them. However, my true intention is not to deprive my peers of their livelihood. For that very reason, I’m currently considering renting them out as well」
Johann's words were a big shock to all the audience. The Demi・Beasts were Lorelei's trump card. There was probably no one who had predicted that he would do something like rent them out to other Seekers.
「In the first place, I’ve questioned the need for Seekers to shoulder the burden of subjugating Beasts for quite a while now. Certainly, Seekers are Beast hunting professionals. I also feel pride in being a Seeker. But is it really necessary for everyone involved to be Seekers? In order to safely and efficiently hunt Beasts, shouldn't we also rely on the powers of something other than people? That's what I came up with when I searched for an answer. And that answer is him」
Using his hand, Johann gestured towards the Demi・Beast.
「With his strength, it'll become much easier than ever before to subjugate Beasts. The benefits brought about by him shouldn’t be monopolized by me alone. His power is something that everyone should have access to. Of course, it'll be difficult to rent the Demi・Beasts out for free, but I’ve absolutely no intention of demanding outrageous amounts. So that everyone can make use of them, I intend to adjust the price until we’re almost in the red」
Johann, who had been explaining so far, raised his voice to a shout.
「I’m a Seeker. But before that, I'm a citizen of the Empire. Consequently, I don’t think, even for a second, that only one person should profit. Not to mention that now is the time when the crossing over of the Variant is close at hand. Everyone must throw away their desires to act in their own self-interests, join forces, and take on the threat. And I’m in the position where I must take the lead on that. In order to repay His Majesty the Emperor for having bestowed the brilliance of Regalia upon us as well, every fiber of my being from the tip of my hair to the tip of my toes, I intend to devote it all to the future and glory of the Empire」
For that very reason, said Johann as he raised his fist powerfully.
「The railway and the Demi・Beasts, these two wings are the very proof of my resolve! With the power of these two wings, I promise right here to definitely bring further development to the Empire!!!」
In a blink of an eye, thunderous applause and cheers rose from the audience. The 10,000-member audience was completely united, and everyone was praising Johann to the skies.
It was truly a wonderful and brilliant publicity strategy. Starting from today’s event, voices praising Johann would probably reverberate throughout the imperial capital――and then the Empire in a blink of an eye. Considering only the influence it would have on the nation, there would no longer be anyone who could call themselves his equal. Even the Emperor would be no exception. Having mixed in among the unknowing audience, I applauded him in my mind.
「Demi・Beast, huh…... To think that he would really go so far……」
If possible, it’s information that I would have liked to have obtained before I set out today, but engaging in “what-if”s won’t help me right now. A person must conduct himself as if he’s always on a battlefield. It’s not always possible to fight in ideal conditions. Even if the enemy surpasses my expectations, it's never a reason to retreat. I'm concerned about not hearing anything from Loki, who was supposed to send me information, but that's also something that isn’t relevant right now.
After Johann's speech, the reporters continued to ask harmless and inoffensive questions. Because they were all reporters who had been assembled by Johann, it was natural for the contents of the questions to geared towards pleasing him.
For that very reason, that reporter’s words should be like a bolt out of the blue to Johann.
「Mr. Eisfeld, that was a wonderful speech. With regards to it, I would like to call an expert here, but is that alright with you?」
「What? ……An expert, you said?」
When the reporter said that in a slightly trembling voice, Johann was clearly confused. He was undoubtedly thinking that it was different from what he had arranged beforehand.
In the midst of Johann’s confusion, I pushed my way through the audience and made my way on stage.
「Sorry, it’s my stage from here on out」
I’ll mention that all the “Variant”s up till now that are referring to the depth 13 being crossing over in a few months have all been spelled out phonetically using Japanese, so no doubt on that one. But in this chapter, the word used to describe the Demi-Beasts is the Japanese word that means “variant”… To prevent confusion, I’ve used “aberration”, but I hope that’s it’s not meant to be linked. But I can’t do much about lords and Lords, though I hope the caps and my putting feudal in front of lords helps prevents confusion… Btw, safe-mode and battle-mode are terms set by the author, so even if it sounds weird, I'll follow it for now.
Short chapter to start the press conference. With the introduction of Demi-Beasts, the scale of things seem to be getting even bigger in this Part…… Looks like Noel is going to try to use his verbal skills to upstage Johann again. But what happened to Loki, and will Noel be able to do it without any information from him? Find out in the next chapter, “Talker vs …...
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