"Alright, everyone, let's record your statuses. Could you please place your hands on the recording crystal?"
"Recording crystal?"
Riza smoothly answered Shinomiya's question.
"Yes, we'll first check everyone's condition and then come up with the best position and training methods for each of you. The Ashut Kingdom has summoned heroes many times, so we have plenty of experience in training and strategy."
"...Got it. I'll go first then."
"Great. ...Please bring the recording crystal here."
As Riza clapped her hands, the men standing in the back brought over a simple table with a machine that had a crystal attached to it. Some of the girls were captivated by the glowing blue crystal.
When Shinomiya approached the crystal, he was asked to touch it. He placed his hand on it as requested, and the crystal's light intensified.
"You're all set now."
"Did you figure it out just from that?"
"Yes, your status power has been recorded in the crystal, and a specialized mage will read and transcribe it—ah, it seems to be done. Shinomiya Ren-sama...! This is—!"
Riza's eyes widened in shock, and a murmur ran through the surrounding men.
"What's wrong?"
"S-Shinomiya-sama, you are a Platinum Rank Hero!"
"P-Platinum?"
"Yes, I apologize to the summoned heroes, but there are ranks: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and the highest is Platinum. It's very rare for a Platinum to be summoned... truly a legendary existence! This means that you, Shinomiya-sama, have become one of the greatest powers at this very moment!"
Her words caused a stir among the classmates. The girls seemed a bit confused, but they understood that the handsome guy was really impressive.
"Way to go, Shinomiya-kun!"
"You're so cool!"
Even the otaku were reacting ambiguously, saying things like, "W-well, it's typical for the class leader to be the strongest. But he might just be a side character."
Next, students nearby began to place their hands on the recording crystal one after another.
"Gold...! It's not Platinum, but that's an incredible ability! And this job, 'Messenger of the Sun Agni'...! This was a highly active role in the last Demon King subjugation!"
"Silver! Overall high standards, so it's versatile and amazing!"
"Even a Copper rank with these stats!? As expected of a hero!"
While casting a glance at Riza, who had switched from princess to hostess, Chishi pondered what to do.
This was because the recording crystal recorded not just ability values, but also 'jobs' and 'skills.'
In such a situation, Chishi wasn't foolish enough to raise his hand enthusiastically and say, "I'll go too!" After thinking for a moment, he decided to approach one of the students who had been labeled as Copper rank.
As he chatted with a few people, only Chishi and a student named Tanaka Taro remained. When he glanced at Tanaka, they made eye contact, and Chishi gestured for him to go ahead. Tanaka nodded and headed toward the recording crystal.
And then...
"Another Platinum rank!? Even though there have already been two, a third one!?"
"No way, Tanaka!"
"You did it, Tanaka!"
"That's amazing, Tanaka!"
Receiving cheers from his classmates, Tanaka walked away with a dazed expression, simply saying, "Yeah." He was a student whose personality was hard to pin down.
Finally, it was Chishi's turn.
As he approached, he suddenly noticed Riza staring sharply at him.
It was only natural for her to focus on the last person, but it was more than that. Chishi didn't miss the 'suspicion' in her gaze, which was different from the 'expectation' directed at his classmates.
Feeling all eyes on him, Chishi began to think.
Throughout our conversations, Reiza has mentioned the "past heroes" multiple times. She also said that hero summoning has been done repeatedly. There's even a machine that analyzes statuses.
From this, it's reasonable to think she has some understanding of the "job breakdown."
In short, she probably knows about the existence of the "traitor" job as well.
Given that her country has summoned heroes many times and has actually defeated the Demon King, there's no way they would leave the significant concern of a "traitor" unaddressed.
Considering this and the gaze directed at me, I suspected that the use of this recording crystal, while officially labeled as a status recording, was actually aimed at identifying any "traitors."
And until it was Chishi's turn, no "traitor" had appeared.
(They're suspicious, obviously.)
Chishi licked her dry lips to moisten them and wiped the sweat running down her neck with her sleeve due to nerves. However, she acted as if she was calm in her gaze, demeanor, stride, and breathing. The dryness of her lips and sweat were just natural reactions.
She reached the crystal. Just then, the princess approached quickly, cutting off her escape route.
"What kind of abilities do you have?"
"Who knows? You didn't seem that strong."
She said this while placing her hand over the crystal. A pale blue light burst forth, which the specialist mage read and recorded. He handed the completed paper to the princess.
Reiza took the paper and peered at it.
"A copper-level hero... your job is 'swordsman'?"
"See? Not that strong, right?"
In response to Chishi's question, Reiza took a deep breath and answered, trying to appear calm.
"...That's not true. Sure, your defense stats are a bit lower than other 'swordsmen,' but your intelligence and skill stats are outstanding. I expect remarkable achievements from you."
"I see, I'll do my best to meet those expectations."
Chishi smiled gently, turned her back on Reiza, and walked away.
After clearing her throat, Reiza clapped her hands to gather attention.
"Now, everyone, I will guide you to your rooms. We've prepared individual rooms for each of you, so please take a moment to rest there. Afterward, we have a welcoming banquet planned in the grand hall. So, please follow me."
Saying this, Reiza turned on her heel with the men following her.
Her classmates seemed excited by the words "individual rooms" and "welcoming banquet," eagerly following her. Chishi, following their lead, let out a relieved sigh.
(I managed to pull it off somehow. Still, this 'disguise' skill seems more versatile than I thought.)
As she considered experimenting with various things once they checked the rooms, she recalled earlier events.
Knowing that her job would be revealed by the recording crystal, Chishi approached a few classmates who were said to be copper-level and asked about their status numbers. Although usually a loner, Chishi wasn't socially awkward; she just lacked an ethical sense.
"I want to know what my status is before it's recorded."
Normally, this would elicit a "Why?" in response, but this wasn't a normal situation. Suddenly summoned to another world, she was overwhelmed with information about statuses and other details.
Thus, when she asked, they quickly responded.
In particular, Japanese people are the only ones who can tolerate self-deprecating humor. Therefore, she judged that they would easily spill the beans if they were the lowest-ranked heroes.
The plan worked, and Chishi used the "Disguise" skill to mask his own status.
(I can't get caught. This is too interesting... Oh right, my life is on the line here.)
Chishi shoved his hands into his pockets and left the summoned space at the back.
Just before the door closed, a draft whistled through the gap.
It was as if it was mourning the birth of the "worst" possible outcome.
(Still, I can't believe there's such a huge difference in status between heroes. How am I going to kill him...)
Recalling Shinoomiya's status that he had just learned, Chishi followed his classmates.
—————
Shinoomiya Ren
Lv.1
Class: Artilleryman
Attack: 560
Defense: 500
Magic Power: 660
Intelligence: 480
Skill: 530
Skills: Barrage
Status: +200 boost to all stats.
—————