8 Award Ceremony

"If you have a gift, I will put it to use!"

Those words rung through the entire country, from large towns to small villages, and every citizen was looking at what was a receiver of the broadcasting jewel projecting what was in the broadcasting room over a plume of water from fountains by refracting the light to project an image. Among them was a beautiful young woman with short hair who didn't look older than 25. She was wearing a simple white tank top covered by a faded light gray overcoat with three buttons. Completing her attire were worn black pants and shoes, giving her the appearance of someone who was on the road for a long period of time.

Hinata was among one of the many who saw Souma's inspirational speech and thought the same as many of the other people who were beside her.

*Man, this guy's young.*

While she heard from Rimuru a basic description of the man, this was technically her first time seeing him. Although the quality was a little grainy, it got the job done, and more importantly, got his message out by being able to use the water and air spirits in the receiver to transmit sound.

This was one of the things that she marveled at during her brief travels in the country. She was able to find a legal entrance to the country on the first day, and due to the sheer amount of refugees combined with being very lax when it came to vetting incoming immigrants, she was able to get entrance to the country on the same day. After she got in, she travelled from village to village, eventually coming to a town on the second day.

One of the things she noticed was how the people of this world adapted to their environment. Since magic was a regular phenomenon that they could consistently manipulate, many of the issues surrounding logistics such as a proper water system were solved through magic. Some of the other things she noticed were that they made use of air travel with wyverns and mainly used fire magic to light a fireplace or wax candles that they used.

*Is this how a country with magic would normally evolve?*

She was impressed at some of the more complicated aspects of how the people lived, but she saw that it created a fundamental problem: It would be very difficult to grow.

In Tempest, Rimuru, being an other-worlder, had his old knowledge and common sense of infrastructure being a general contractor, and therefore used that to build his city and country. Yes, there were magical elements, but as for the very infrastructure of the city, most of it was physical with magically imbued strength for things like pipes and bridges. The reason for this is that, while it would cost more in the short term, anyone could maintain it, rather than relying on someone with a specific skill to do so.

A perfect example would be how the Labyrinth operates. Due to the sheer magical power necessary to maintain it, it required either Rimuru or Veldora to unleash the full brunt of their aura in the Labyrinth about twice a month for it to continue generating monsters and allow practical combat experience for anyone who is willing to pay for it. As this was just about magical power, even the combined power of the patrons wasn't enough to fully sustain it at its most optimal level.

Granted, at least in Tempest, specific skills could be learned if one dedicated their craft enough, as is the case with blacksmiths, and to be able to supply weapons to the labyrinth for adventurers to discover and recirculate, one needed the aptly named skill, Blacksmithing.

To her knowledge, it wasn't like that in the world of Io. If, for example, they wanted to grow to the level of Tempest, the amount of gas and water required would heavily value people born with aptitudes for heat and fire, and she was pretty sure the government would all but require those people to work in those fields, or else. Of course, they could always invent a device using something like coal power or realize the potential of electricity, but that was far in the future, and quite frankly not her concern.

Right now, her main concern was going to the venue where Souma said they would be gathering people with gifts, which was the capital city of Parnam. If she went by foot or horse, she'd probably never make it. After all, the competition was scheduled in three days, and she was still near the outskirts of the country.

Choosing to just teleport to areas that were not being watched, she quickly made it near the capital. Now all she had to do was wait the next three days. As for her sleeping arrangements, her time spent as the leader of the Saints and constantly traveling had well prepared her for making camp outside. Though she had no sleeping bag or tent, she was also more than capable of defending herself both from the elements and more malicious people.

As the days went and came, it was quickly time for the recruitment competition to begin. Souma promised either a reward or servitude and both were of equal value to the people. If they got a hefty cash reward, they could actually pay for the food until they were able to get out of the famine, from which they would still have plenty of savings left over. If they chose servitude, they would not only have a stable life working in the capital but could also build some powerful connections.

Souma, however, failed to specify what would be tested. As such, when she went into the capital, she was flooded with a plethora of people calling out and moving around from merchants to recruiters to people joining different areas of the competition left and right. The place was completely packed to the brim with people, which made it hard to get around. She initially was going to choose the fighting arena and demolish the competition, but expanding her perception to find it, she realized that it was on the opposite side of the castle where the barracks were.

Instead, after walking around a bit, she chose the thing that she was confident in and would guarantee her an audience with the king, and more importantly, Rimuru and Testa. This wound up being magic theory and practical applications. She couldn't afford to show off too much in this field, as that would practically be blowing away her cover story of a young woman whose village was destroyed by the rampaging monsters.

Learning the rundown from Rimuru about how magic works before she set off initially from the castle, she had more than a few options to choose from. Light magic was what she was best at, but it seemed that light magic was mainly used for healing, and there was no telling how they would view holy magic, if they could use it at all.

Though she initially wanted to go with the space element, according to Rimuru, no one in this world seemed to possess such an element, therefore she eventually settled for the lightning element. It was an uncommon element, sure, but common enough to the point that people wouldn't question it. Next, all she had to do was show her "prowess" and be the best. Tempest led their world in magic development and theory, especially with the addition of the new magic cards. As she is a teacher of practical combat in the capital of Tempest, she is very literate and up to date on the latest magic theory. Being Rimuru's wife also really helps.

Borrowing one of the ideas from Tempest, which involves engraving magical conduit runes throughout a weapon and a gem-like hole where a magically imbued stone can reside and change the elemental properties of such weapon, she easily won her part of the competition. While magic imbued weaponry was quite common in the world, the idea that its elemental property could be changed was novel. It might not be very powerful right now, but with the idea discovered, all that remained was the ability to refine it.

Unfortunately, thanks to the sheer amount of people there, the competition lasted for three days, and she had to spend an extra two nights in the city. Fortunately, thanks to winning her section of the competition, she was awarded a medium cash prize, and so she rented a room at a local tavern for a couple of nights, albeit at a heavily marked-up price.

While the living arrangements of Souma, Rimuru, and Testa were better than Hinata, between the time Souma announced the competition and the actual start of it, they were swamped with work. On Rimuru and Testa's side, wanting to actually do something physical for a change, they opted to help set up whatever was necessary for the people to compete. This involved setting up stages for a beauty contest, setting out training weapons for a contest of combat prowess, and many more venues.

Again, thanks to the huge surge of people showing up, the number of people that were admitted and processed translated into more work for them in the form of who to accept and deny. Souma, Rimuru, Testa, and Liscia were in a separate room deciding who they wanted to keep around. After all, with all the people here, it would be a waste not to get every hand they could get. Eventually, the people who stood out as the best of the best were selected to receive an audience from the king himself. Of them, there were five people who stood head and shoulders above the rest, along with one wild card.

Hinata was among one of the very few selected and was asked to be present at the castle gates. Surprisingly enough, instead of being brought to a waiting room of some sorts and given a presentation about how to act in front of the king, she was guided by a maid right to the audience chamber. There she saw the other people who had been granted an audience, and the number was surprisingly few. She also saw a large jewel in the chamber that was hovered in the center. Detecting the air and water spirits surrounding it, she correctly assumed that device to be the transmitter for what the king used to call them in the first place.

Among the contestants, she noted a dark-skinned elf with purple eyes and silver hair in a ponytail wearing a suit of armor that looked to be more for mobility with it mainly covering her torso and coming down on her backside. She had greaves covering the extremities of her body, and most annoyingly, could briefly discern Rimuru checking her out. It was quite annoying to her that he had somewhat of a fetish for elves. Though she would be remiss to not notice her beauty that was surely honed by her muscles. If she had to guess, she was the one who showed exceptional combat skill.

Next was a man wearing black robes, had black hair and eyes, and had a thin figure. While he wasn't unhealthily skinny, she pegged him for a shut-in. The only thing she could guess about why the man was here was either someone had some very high connections in the palace, or his intellect was sharp.

After was a young girl with foxlike features. She had purple-pink eyes and incredibly light purple hair. She was wearing simple raggedy village clothing which made Hinata look like she was wearing posh noble clothes. She clearly seemed to be nervous, and probably had some sort of special one-of-a-kind gift. Otherwise, there would be no reason why someone who couldn't be older than ten would be in the room.

Next was a bombshell of a woman with blue hair and eyes. She was wearing a blouse that extended to her mid-thighs which didn't rise above her chest and had laces starting from her breasts down to her navel. She was also wearing a transparent type of leggings similar to that of Indian belly dancers. While she was certainly beautiful, Hinata could see past her beauty and notice the clear outlines of a fighter.

*So maybe she was selected outside of just her beauty?*

Finally, was a fat man who she really had no idea what the hell he was doing there. His clothes didn't indicate that he was of any special standing, though his simple village clothing was far better maintained than hers. His facial features also weren't anything to write home about, having the same black hair and eyes as herself and the skinny man. Somewhat annoyingly, the oldest out of all of them seemed to be her.

Before she could continue analyzing the situation, an elven man stepped forward and declared, "Your Majesty, these are the six people who have shown exceptional talent in their respective fields."

Four of them bowed after he said this, with Hinata quickly following suit. The only one left standing of them was the dark elf.

"You are before the king. Will you not bend the knee?" Asked what she assumed to be the head knight in a tone that was more of a demand than anything.

"I ask for your leniency, as is the custom of my tribe. Warriors from our tribe do not bow our heads before any but our master. Women do not bow their heads to any but their husbands."

The dark elf seemed adamant about keeping her ground, and the head knight looked more annoyed at this.

"This is not your tribe. You are in the audience of the-" He was interrupted by Souma.

"I don't mind. We are the ones asking for help, so there is no need for excessive formality."

"...As you wish, your highness."

Souma then rose from his throne. "Please, do not prostrate yourselves before me. I am the one asking for a favor. Discard normal ceremony and please be at ease."

With that, the other five of them rose, and the king signaled the prime minister to continue.

"We will now announce the gifts held by these special individuals and award the prizes as follows. Madam Aisha Udgard, dark elf from the God-Protected Forest, step forward!"

"Yes, sir!" The woman stepped forward.

"This one has shown remarkable talent in combat. She is the winner of the Best in the Kingdom Martial Arts Tournament. She truly is fit to be called the greatest fighter in this kingdom, and for this, we praise her!"

Hinata held back a scoff at the title of "best fighter in the kingdom," but as she wasn't here to prove herself, she continued to wait until the prime minister called on her.

Souma wondered why a dark elf even participated in the fight, as apparently, they were only loyal towards their own kind. Aisha responded by saying that she is a maverick and that she understands that if the country falls, the forest that the elves hold dear will be threatened. The dark elves currently have an agreement with the kingdom, and if Amidonia prevails in the inevitable war, there is no chance that they will continue to honor the agreement.

After Aisha's explanation, she then makes her request. "I wish to address your highness directly."

Hinata's eyes widened as both the princess and the knights surrounding the king pointed their weapons at the dark elf.

*What the hell is this?! For just a direct request, are they seriously going to fight her in a place like this?!*

Her confusion was understandable. Being a person who fell through to Rimuru's world before she could even finish middle school, she never learned about Japanese history, and the somewhat ridiculous rules and customs that occurred during the Sengoku period. One such custom that was adopted was that if someone not affiliated with the current feudal lord made a direct request to that feudal lord, it was entirely possible to be beheaded on the spot.

Fortunately, Souma also agreed that this was ridiculous. "Stand down!" I will allow it, Aisha of the dark elves. Say what you will."

The princess wasn't having it. "Souma! She can't just-"

"She fought her way to say this to me. I should hear it out."

The dark elf seemed relieved. "Thank you. Then I shall speak."

Aisha described that due to the recent food shortages the country was experiencing, poachers would come into the forest in search of food. While the dark elves could understand their plight, they knew that it was only a matter of time before they themselves would be the ones joining them in starvation. In response to this, they have begun to take up arms against the poachers.

Souma, in response, struck at the root of the problem and promised to give aid to those surrounding the forest. As there were already laws against poaching, there wasn't much more he could do to deter it but increase the vigilance surrounding the forest, which he also promised to do.

Sensing an opportunity, Souma also asked if the dark elves would be willing to do trade with the kingdom. Aisha was confused as to what good they would trade, as they make use of everything in the forest.

Souma, in response, said that they could trade the excess wood that would be left from periodic thinning, but Aisha just looked at him with a confused look. Souma then explained what periodic thinning was, but outside of her and the other summoned ones, everyone just looked at him as if he needed to explain more.

Souma then went in-depth on his explanation of what periodic thinning was, explaining that this was necessary to ensure that people could safely live and walk in forests, otherwise there was a heavily increased risk of landslides whenever rainfall would occur thanks to the soil being very dry due to a lack of vegetation on the ground.

This is when things got weird.

Aisha widened her eyes as if she had an epiphany and looked at Souma as if he were a god. She then immediately pledged eternal loyalty and said that everything that Souma described was currently happening in the forest. It was actually even worse since the trees in the forest are an incredibly long-lived species, so despite the land existing for thousands of years, these issues have only been popping up in the past couple decades.

Taking her vow of loyalty and promising to take a trip to the forest to teach them how to periodically trim trees, the prime minister, to his credit, continued to act in stride and didn't let the... whatever that was phase him.

"Next, Sir Hakuya Kwonmin, step forward."

"Yes, sir." The robed man lazily strolled forward. To those watching, it was pretty clear that this guy, while going through the motions, didn't seem particularly interested in the competition at all.

"This man has been recommended by another and has spectacularly demonstrated his intellect and wisdom by memorizing the laws of this country!"

Isn't that just having a good memory?

Interrupting Hinata's thoughts, Souma congratulated the man. "Your gift is splendid. I can grant you a bureaucratic position in the Ministry of Law. Do you accept?"

"No, the prize will be enough. I only came here because my uncle was pestering me about needing to 'do something useful to society at my age' and to 'stop sitting around books all day.'"

"... I see. Are these books just related to law?"

"No. As long as they are interesting, I will read them. Anything from mechanics to magic to law."

Souma looked like he was thinking, most likely about how to retain a man like him.

"In that case, will you accept a position to be a librarian for the archives in the royal palace? I'm sure there are more books than you could ever hope for there."

The robed man looked quite pleased. "That offer sounds quite splendid. I accept."

With Hakuya's matter settled, the prime minister moved on to the next person.

"Madam Juna Doma, step forward."

"Yes, sir." The bluenette's steps seemed to entrance the men who viewed her. She truly was an amazing beauty. So much so that she saw the princess lightly scolding Souma for looking like a kid who just saw his first crush. From the way Rimuru was watching this interaction, she was quite certain he would never let him live it down.

The prime minister, once again showing his competence, continued forth and explained, "This one has shown she is gifted with a rare beauty and singing ability. With a combination of such gifts, she took the trophy at both the Elfrieden Pretty Girl Grand Prix with her beauty and at the Kingdom of Talent with her singing. The title of most beautiful songstress should go to none other than her."

Though it seemed the prime minister wanted to make a comment about her having some competition for beauty in the form of a certain couple being summoned, now was neither the time nor the place. More importantly, this broadcast marked the first time the public saw Rimuru and Testa, and for the most part, the country's eyes were at a three-way lock between who should be given more attention between the two summoned ones and Juna.

"Thank you for your kind words. The Doma family are descended from sirens. Singing is in my blood."

Souma, perhaps acting in the interest of everyone, made a request: "I'd very much like to hear you sing."

"As you wish. Do you have a specific song in mind?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you could sing a song from my home country," Souma said as he started walking towards her. What he pulled out from his pocket caused a questionable look from most of the people, an interested look from Rimuru, and Hinata quickly put away her look of recognition of the device in lieu of a more questionable one.

Souma played the piece for her to listen to and replicate, and when she did, it took everything Hinata had to not to show any sign of recognition.

For what he chose was a Japanese-style pop song with some rap elements mixed in. Specifically, it was a remix of Masashi Sada's Ganbaranba, though Hinata did not know that.

While everyone else was enjoying the performance by Juna, save for Rimuru and Testa who understood the lyrics, Hinata was closing her eyes and focusing on a multitude of things to make sure she didn't let her identity slip in front of Souma.

When she finished, Souma congratulated her and offered to teach her more of the songs from his world and wanted her to occasionally perform with the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

When the applause in the room faded, the prime minister resumed the roll call and continued.

"Madam Tomoe Inui of the mystic wolf race, step forward."

The young wolf-girl, not fox girl, Hinata reminded herself, stepped forward with a slight waver in her response.

"Though she is young, this one possesses the incredibly rare gift of talking to animals. She proved this by being able to speak to the horses and confirming their state of health, along with their history when we brought her to the stables."

A few whispers were shared between Souma and the princess, before Souma declared, "If they have a gift, I will put it to use. It matters not whether they are foreigners or refugees. Now is not the time to be particular of such things."

When Souma said those words, Tomoe hesitantly spoke up. While Hinata heard it quite well, it appeared that the king did not share her superior senses when it came to hearing, so he went up and placed his head next to her, allowing her to whisper what she wanted, much to the chagrin of the head knight. Though she might regret it, Hinata chose not to eavesdrop on the secrets of such a young girl and retracted her senses.

It seemed that whatever she said was quite something, however, as she noticed Souma ever so slightly tense up, before declaring a thirty-minute recess. What followed was him asking Juna to perform songs for the people while the others were simply waiting around as him, the head knight, the princess, Aisha, Tomoe, Rimuru, and Testa walked away, presumably to discuss whatever she told the king.

Once he returned, he announced that she would be given a cash prize. Whether that was because she possessed something greater than just talking to animals or because of her being a child was up to public debate. However, many people's opinions were on the former. Once that matter was settled, the prime minister moved on.

"Next, Madam Hinata of the human race, step forward!"

"Yes, sir." Hinata stepped forward, a militaristic rhythm to her stride.

A refugee from the Demon Lord's domain, her prowess in magic theory and practical applications quickly earned her a winning spot among the competition, with a revolutionary invention to change the elemental quality of a weapon. Additionally, she possesses the lightning elemental trait, one that is quite uncommon."

"Yes, sir." Hinata stepped forward, a militaristic rhythm to her stride.

Souma had his eye on this woman ever since he saw her. While she obviously looked Japanese and had the name to suit, logic would state that she must be a native of this world. After all, Tomoe is a Japanese name, and it originated from this world. He was a little suspicious of her but decided to hold off on asking if she was Japanese, at least until he gathered more information on her. After all, the translation magic that allows him to speak to others is a two-way street, so even if he tries conversing with her in Japanese, it will simply come out in this world's language.

"Your gift in magic theory and applications is truly an unparalleled one. With this, I offer you a position in our research and blacksmithing department. What say you?"

Hinata acted as if she was considering taking the action before responding. "I humbly decline that position, your highness, in favor of a position in the military. I believe that I will be of much better use in the frontlines than in a laboratory."

"Oh? And may I ask why you prefer the frontlines over a safer job in a workshop?"

Hinata steeled herself before answering, "As you know, sire, I am a refugee. I can distinctly remember my village being pillaged and burned by those demons, and I wish for nothing more than to slay each and every last one of them."

Hatred practically dripped with every single word that she spoke, and even to the untrained eye, it was quite clear that there was no lie to her words. Even Aisha and the knights were taken aback by how much she seemed to hate the demons.

After all, during her time as the leader of the Saints, she was often dispatched to deal with monster attacks. Many times, she saved the villages. And, to her, many times she didn't. She was simply drawing on the times that she was too slow to save the people who were brutally slaughtered by the monsters, and by doing so, was able to give a very good reason as to why she wanted to be in the military.

Souma, hearing this, discarded any thought that she was Japanese. While she could be much like Rimuru in the sense that she may have reincarnated or been summoned from Earth, that wouldn't explain how she came to Io. While anyone could deliver lines like that, even with such emotion, that was mainly acting. To him, her words were truth.

"I see... I will have our head knight do a mock battle with you to determine your talent before accepting you into the military. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes, your highness."

Finally, it was time for the last person. The prime minister read from his scroll and said, "Next, Poncho Panacotta of Potte Village, step forward!"

"Yes, I'll do that!" A fat man walked forward, and in his rush, tripped over himself and fell over. The only people who didn't even crack a smile were Hinata, Souma, and the prime minister. Everyone else had some sort of reaction, ranging from a smirk to a light laugh. This time, the prime minister didn't wait for the laughter to die down before continuing.

"This one's gift, as you may have guessed, is eating. None could defeat him in the eating contest held. Furthermore, he has devoted his life purpose towards traveling to different countries and trying the cuisine there. In his words, 'If I could eat it, I ate it.' Nonetheless, he does have a unique gift in this country."

Souma's eyes grew wider, and his smile grew to match at the prime minister's words. In fact, it was to the point where he prepared to get up from his seat and greet the man. However, he was beaten by a blue blur.

In a motion faster than anyone expected from the woman, Rimuru was immediately in front of Poncho, demanding to know every single recipe he had, and shocking the poor man to the point that he skipped the blushing portion and went straight to showing a bit of fear.

*What the hell is this idiot doing?*

Fortunately, Souma seemed to have enough sense to do something about this. "Rimuru! We still need to properly reward him! Let the man go!"

The woman looked back at the king, and promptly declared, "We are keeping him! Besides, surely you know the value he possesses!"

In truth, Rimuru just wanted to learn new recipes for food. He wasn't a glutton for no reason. Souma, however, wanted to keep the man for entirely different reasons.

"Yes, he is incredibly valuable. All the more reason for you not to scare him off!"

Rimuru finally gave the man a proper look and realized that grabbing his shoulders, shaking him, and demanding recipes from him may have come off as a bit forceful. Heaving a sigh, he let go of the man and walked back to behind the throne. Poncho just looked incredibly confused at the new attention he was receiving from the woman and the king.

"Sorry about that. He can be a little much sometimes. But it's as he says: You have an incredibly valuable gift, and it is key to saving this country."

While Poncho's focus was on whether or not to believe his ears, the people watching the broadcasting jewel were shocked for two reasons. First, it was the reason that the king was so enthusiastic about this man whose only talent seemed to be eating. Second, was how Souma referred to the one known as Rimuru.

Him? They heard that correct right? Him. He even put emphasis on it.

Bringing them all back, the king continued to address Poncho, who was now holding back tears realizing that the words of the king were not fake.

"I would like to personally have you as my retainer. Should you accept, I wish to grant you the name Ishizuka. In my world, this was the name of a seeker of knowledge of food. How do you respond?"

Poncho didn't even have to think twice. Now, with actual tears running down his face, he gladly accepted. "Yes! I accept the name and the position, yes!"

"Wonderful! Then with all parties satisfied, I declare this award ceremony over!"

Not even fifteen minutes after, Hakuya requested an audience with the king. Apparently, if Souma didn't accept Poncho, he would not have done this, as he also knew the value of a man who was very creative with food. After all, in a food shortage, one needed to be creative with what they ate to not starve to death. Hakuya requested to serve directly under Souma, as with his vast accumulated knowledge, he petitioned that he would be able to properly serve the young king.

Shortly after, Hakuya went to learn under the current prime minister, Marx, and Hinata was in one of the barracks training rooms with Ludwin, Aisha, Rimuru, and Testarossa.