“What’s wrong? Why the blank face?”

“Are you really fine with that, Higanbana?! Aren’t you like, super evil right now?!”

“I did say that but, well, even though I’m the de facto Beast Queen, I still don’t have the full reins. Might as well enjoy some privileges while I’m at it.”

Aina was quite troubled but it’s not my problem anymore.

If one were to ask me whom I got this attitude, probably from Master Mrothgir because there are times where he will throw his reputation around.

Especially in our faces.

Now I know how good it is to slap people with a title with your ability backing it up but I should probably stop before Asagao hear of my acts and give me a chop on the head and a long scolding. She hates people who are manipulative after all.

Talk about the pot calling kettle black, huh.

“Higanbana, it seems they’ve already gathered the adventurers.”

“It seems so.”

Before I knew it, the receptionist has already pulled five adventurers. They are bowing their heads towards me. I can clearly see that they have guts for just standing here despite the display earlier.

“Your Highness Beast Queen, here are the adventurers that volunteered in such short notice. The criteria of your request are listed as A-rank so expect that these adventurers can answer to your woes. In all honesty, they are actually a party.”

“Oho, I see. I shall brief them myself. For the sake of proper etiquette, can you please officially process my request now.”

“Yes.”

The receptionist did well in her job.

All of the adventurers presented to me are all woman and as she said, they look excellent in all aspect. They are lined up in front of me and each of them is varying in what they call job classes.

Asagao and I never took any interest in the Adventurer Guild before so we only have little knowledge about their system.

They issue card together with the person’s rank and chosen class. It also has the record of the owner’s magical power so they are the only one who can use it. Like how normal identity pass works, this card can also be presented to towns and cities as long as you are still eligible to be one.

After that, they stack achievement so they can take better commissions with better pay. Basically, they are like an organized mercenary with a short-term contract.

I heard the Alstroemeria is an unknown SSS-rank, a top secret but honestly, it’s pointless to keep it a secret if she flaps around and shows her strength in the open.

Any more is just guessing so I won’t say anything.

The five girls lined up are profusely sweating like they are nervous.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, well, nothing. We didn’t know that the Beast Queen of this Kingdom is so young…and strong.”

“I won’t be one if I’m a weakling. That’s the law of our kingdom. I got the position through a legitimate duel but of course, not anyone can try it out. There are certain rules before you become eligible. For example, a beast.”

“I see, then I’m glad that we didn’t anger you. I’m Lu, an adventurer. My class is Swordmeister and the leader of the Party Reminiscence.”

The tall woman with a little bit of darkish skin who seem to be human introduces herself as Lu. She wears armor befitting of a Swordmeister and a huge shield hanging behind her back. Since her body is really covered with steel, there’s a little skin showing but I at least know that she is well built.

“I’m Eleanora, the Chanter of the group. Beast Queen, I’d like to ask you something…”

“Sure, I’m bothering all of you so it’s the least I can do for now.”

“How…did you even had so much magical power inside of you? It’s beyond a normal person…no…even the most talented chanter that I know won’t measure up to you and yet, you still have room for physical maneuver.”

“…Hmm? I don’t know. I just got like this.”

“Eh?! Surely you did some intense training or alike! You’re so young and yet, you already measure up to several chanters already!”

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Chanters…

They are like low-level magicians…

No…the magicians that I know are all absurd so I shouldn’t use them as a measurement. The name itself suggests what she does, chanting.

Whether offensive or defensive, I think it’s her job.

Compared to Miss Violetta whose magical power is like an enormous mountain, the girl in front of me, Eleanora, is like a boulder in the foot of that enormous mountain…or even smaller.

And…training?

I did train under Master Mrothgir together with Asagao but I guess that’s it. When I got separated from Asagao, I trained intensely under my mother but I don’t think it should be something exaggerated.

“Actually, we have something to measure someone’s magical power. The demons created this device which is readily available in each guild. Can we please try it on you?”

“Hmm, that’s quite interesting. Fine.”

“Thank you, I’ll go ask the staff!”

“Yeah, I’m counting on you. As for everyone, choose a weapon to your liking from my companion’s wares.”

For now, since there’s something I’d like to try, I said my words like giving them free reins for now. Per my words, the party of Reminiscence immediately skim through the weapons that Aina brought.

“Higanbana, what is this for?”

“Like I said, we’ll try to sell your weapon here. What I’m doing until now is getting favor and respect from the adventurers. If this high ranking party approves of your weapons, you’ll become famous in no time.”

“Is that so?! So it can bring me more visitor at the thicket?”

“No…if possible, set-up a store here inside the capital.”

“That’s good too! As long as people are using what my uncle and I made!”

Aina smiles faintly as she returns her attention towards the girls who are analyzing and choosing among her weapons. One of the girls, a girl with horns from the demon kin, are keenly looking at each weapon.

After a while, she set down the last weapon she was looking and directed a sight towards us.

“Excuse me, these weapons…can I ask who made them?”

“Ah, it’s me!”

Aina walks towards the girl nervously. Even the other adventurers are watching and waiting for what’s going to happen next.

“Hey, all of this…did you really made them?”

“Yes! My uncle taught me all of the techniques!”

“The quality of each of these, although the materials aren’t the best…are better than what the dwarves make!”

“Dwarves?”

Aina tilted her head.

No…wait…no!

Better than the dwarves?

“Yes, better than the dwarves. My name is Derria and I'm from the Demon Kin with a subspecies of an Oni. I’ve been to the Dwarven continent before and I’ve witnessed how they forged their metals.”

“Eehhh…”

“Please, this is serious. I have a lot of knowledge about metallurgy. I am an Enchanter and I know best what weapon to put an enchantment on. Your weapons are slightly better than the dwarves normal weapons but that’s not bad. It only means that you can easily mass produce your creations on par or better than dwarves.”

“Eehhh…”

Is it really alright to say all of that here?

Well, that’s our objective right now so I guess I’ll let her run her mouth off. The onlookers are also getting interested so if this goes well, we can endorse Aina’s weapons easily.

Ah…but if words really got out that there’s a smith who creates weapon better than the dwarves, I wonder what’s going to happen.

In the first place, who is this uncle of Aina is? How did he taught her smithing superior to the dwarves that are known to sniff powdered metal as their additive?

“Beast Queen, I got permission. Here’s the measuring device.”

“Oh, good work.”

What Eleanora showed me in a pedestal driven by a cart is a cylindrical pillar with glass marbles lined up vertically.

“Beast Queen, this is what they call Beriarin Scale, named after the creator.”

“I see. I already figured out how it's going to be used just from the structure alone.”

“Ah…really? So I can skip the long explanation then.”

“You intended to…”

“Well then, please.”

Together with the receptionist earlier, Eleanora beckons me to touch the scale. It seems Derria’s explanation to Aina will take a while so I might as well amuse myself.

I extended my hand towards the scale nonchalantly just to be stopped abruptly by Eleanora.

“What’ up?”

“Ah, well, how should I say this? I still wanted to give an explanation. Just a bit of trivia! I’m a little scared of what kind of result the scale will show!”

“…If I ask your party if you are a handful or not, how do you think they will answer?”

“I am…not…! Absolutely not! It’s not that!”

“Then, suit yourself.”

She loves explaining things apparently. Is it to appeal to people or to give her more spotlight?

“The Beriarin Scale has ten magic measurement marble. The lowest marble is the start of the device where the weakest magic can be measured. The marbles analyze the quantity of the magic and give a complex computation of your total magical energy and show it through the number of marbles you will light up. Lu, the swordmestier, measured up to two marbles so far. For me, I already measured up to five marbles and I’ve been studying magic for a decade now. A normal person, per se, a villager can measure up to one marble…”

“Finish…?”

“Yes. Please go ahead.”

With that, I swiftly move my hand before Eleanora stopped it again.

She…tried to stop me again…

As soon as I touch the scale, all ten marbles immediately lit up in succession and a bright light emerges from the scale that it gathered everyone’s attention inside the guild.

“What’s happening? Is it supposed to be like this?”

“No…actually…the scale can’t measure your magical power anymore so it’s spilling light everywhere…”

“Oh, as expected of me.”

To be honest, I actually expected it to explode or something but this is just too anticlimactic. Fair enough, the adventurers around shrugs it because they already know that I am the beast queen. As the Beast Queen, I am expected to be strong.

Hahahaha!

There’s no point acting humble because I am a genuine article. I don’t want to act shyly like Asagao always does. She doesn’t know when to act proudly and honestly, it insults a lot of people when she tried to gloss everything by saying she only got lucky or something.

Eleanora can’t do anything but knit her brows.

“I…don’t really know how to react. I think as expected?”

“I have the share of my fun now. Thanks for letting me know that there’s an amusing device like this exists.”

“It’s not a toy…it seems a new model of this scale should be made…”

Aina who got enthralled by the light earlier runs towards us. It seems she also wanted to try it since she’s eyeing on it.

“Hey, let me try it!”

“It’s not a toy! What if you broke it?”

“Eh? But Higanbana tried it.”

“She’s a special exception, okay? In the first place, even if you are an excellent smith, there’s no way you need magical power, right?”

“Higanbana!”

Aina looks at me, pleading for help.

Tyrant mode, on.

“Let her.”

“Eh?”

“It’s fine, right? Even the staffs aren’t arguing.”

“It’s not mine in the first place…so I guess I don’t have a say to this…”

Eleanora let Aina touch the scale.

The next moment, everyone got blinded by a literal bang of light filling the room.

Because of the suddenness, Aina peeled her hand off the scale in panic.

“Eh…? Does that mean…?”

Aina is grinning…

“It’s probably broken…”

“Broken it is…”

“The scale broke when the beast queen touched it…”

“Broken, I say…”

“The scale broke so now it’s malfunctioning…”

“It’s really broken now…”

“The scale is broken…”

Yup, I think so too.

The scale is broken and Aina broke it.