Ryo's life after returning from the Royal Capital was relatively routine.
In the morning, he spent all his time in alchemy and magic, in the afternoon he had mock battles with Sera at the Knights Training Ground, and after taking a bath in the evening and having a meal, he spent time in alchemy and magic until he went to bed.
Or sometimes, Sera would come by in the morning and read a book in the living room. In the afternoon, they ate together at a restaurant such as Houshoku-tei and went straight to the Knights Training Ground.
Such days continued.
As a result of asking the genius alchemist Kenneth to teach him in the Royal Capital and earnestly working on his proficiency with alchemy even after returning to the City of Rune …
"Fufufu, I finally got it!"
Ryo unintentionally leaked a dubious laugh.
"What happened, Ryo?"
Hearing that, Sera looked at him suspiciously.
"Sera, come outside and take a look."
Ryo said and invited Sera to the courtyard.
"
When Ryo chanted that, about 30 meters ahead, eight 'beings' that looked like Ryo emerged.
"Oh! There are eight Ryo!"
"I used water vapor and ice particles in the air to project an image of me. Anyway, that's not what I wanted to show you …"
While saying that, Ryo formed an image in his head.
"
Then, around Ryo, eight magic circles emerged perpendicular to the ground facing the afterimages.
"
Then, an icicle lance was fired from each magic circle and penetrated the afterimages.
"Oh!"
The scene was very magical.
Sera was surprised at the sight she saw for the first time and Ryo was satisfied with the result of his efforts.
"Ryo, that's beautiful magic!"
"Right? Eh …? Magic? It was Alchemy …"
"Alchemy? It was alchemy …? Hmm, I don't know. But it was amazing."
Sera praised Ryo's efforts with a wide smile.
He wasn't sure if it was considered alchemy or magic, but … either way, Sera's praise with a smile was enough.
Ryo was that kind of guy.
In any case, he could finally form floating magic circles but … he could only form floating magic circles that fire an icicle lance.
Of course, even if he didn't have magic circles, it was something he has been able to do until now … it didn't improve his combat ability at all.
Yes, not even a millimeter.
However, being cool or beautiful was very important.
Ryo was heading to the Adventurer's Guild that evening for the first time in a while.
On the day he returned to the City of Rune, he popped by with Abel, so it had been about a month since then.
Unfortunately, there were no food stalls along the way.
It seemed that they left before he returned to Rune. That was a shame.
"There's no other reason for me to ask Ryo to come here but this."
As Nina brewed tea and left, Hugh immediately cut to the chase.
"All the magic stones have been sold."
Hugh said in a quieter voice than usual.
There was an eerie smile on his face … It was eerie even though Ryo was familiar with it.
"It took a while because I sold it so that the source would not be revealed, but this is the final amount to be transferred to Ryo."
Then Hugh handed him a piece of paper.
The amount written there …
"E-eleven digits …"
The amount of money that lightly exceeded 10 billion was written.
"Yeah. Of course, I deducted all the taxes and labor costs, and of course, I omitted the amount for Abel too. That's the final amount. It's a good amount, right?"
Hugh said that, with a grin on his face as he sat back in the chair deeply.
"I didn't expect this much … I guess I can play around all I want for about a year."
"No, just how extravagant do you spend your life?"
Hugh retorted to Ryo's joke.
"Well … unless I build a ship, I guess I will be able to live comfortably."
"Ship?"
"The one I saw in Whitnash …"
"That … will need another digit more."
Hugh sighed and shook his head.
"Eh..."
"That construction cost is 370 billion Florin …"
"That's expensive …"
"Well, that's expected …"
The two sighed at the same time.
Such a ship was not made by an individual.
Ryo decided to go for luxury because he came to the guild and got some money.
Yup. It was a meal at the guild cafeteria.
The peak hour for reporting results to the guild had passed and there were some people in the dining room for dinner.
While he was looking for a place to sit, there was a person who saw Ryo from a distance and waved his hand.
It was Amon from 『Room No. 10』.
Of course, Niels and Etho were also at the same table.
"It's pretty crowded, isn't it?"
Ryo said while sitting in a chair.
"Ryo, it's rare to see you in the guild."
Niels said while eating a daily set meal.
"It's kind of amazing that an adventurer doesn't show up in the Adventurer's Guild very much, isn't it?"
Etho said with a smile.
He was eating something like a yakitori set.
"I was summoned today so …"
Ryo ordered a daily set meal.
"Ryo, you're always staying at home tinkering with alchemy."
Amon seemed to be having a pizza, which was a new menu.
"Pizza?"
Ryo doubled back to look at it twice.
In front of Amon was undoubtedly a pizza … it looked like a Margherita.
"Yes, it seems to be a new menu item, but it's delicious. It was apparently popular in the Empire and it finally spread to the City of Rune."
Amon cut out one-eighth and handed it to Ryo.
Ryo thanked him and took a bite.
It was unmistakably a Margherita pizza!
And …
"Delicious!"
"Right!? This is popular throughout the city."
Ryo instinctively said and Amon nodded and agreed.
"We will be leaving the city for a request for a few days from tomorrow."
So it seemed that was why they were having dinner at the guild cafeteria, which boasted cheap and delicious meals.
What did they do for meals normally …
"Cook our own food."
After saying that, Etho laughed.
Well, if you live in a rented house with three people, that may be the cheapest option.
"We will be going to a village called 'Kona', which is about a day from Rune."
"Kona …"
Ryo reacted to Amon's explanation.
Yes, when he said 'Kona', he thought of Hawaiian Kona coffee …
When he was on earth, Ryo didn't have anything he could call a hobby, but he loved coffee and used to drink different blends depending on his mood or the day.
As a result, he became particular with his coffee but 'Hawaii Kona' was one of his favorite top three.
It was Ryo's father who introduced a coffee machine with a name similar to 'Adventurer Delong' to the company, which may have influenced Ryo's love for coffee.
Because it brewed really good coffee … and was fully automatic!
"Yes. It's a village that grows beans, which are used to create coffee, a drink."
"Coffee!"
Ryo reacted to Amon's continued explanation in a way that is incomparable to the previous one.
And when he saw that, the Swordsman leader looked a little troubled.
"Ryo, unfamiliar insects have recently started to infest the coffee trees and there seemed to be a monstrosity in the village. That's why we received the request as we want to move up to D-rank or E-rank requests. … But …"
"But?"
The Swordsman Niels looked a little bitter as he trailed off.
"The village has made requests not only to Rune but also to the City of Kyradea, and it seems that a D-rank party has accepted the request there too …"
"Hmm? Then the guild would ask the village to withdraw the acceptance of one party, right?"
Ryo answered while remembering the request rules.
"Yes, but they said they wanted it to be solved as soon as possible and will pay both parties the agreed amount. And since it was a request from 'Kona', which is becoming a famous coffee brand, a special allowance was granted."
"What political power."
Ryo was astounded by Niels' explanation.
Somehow, he had a preconceived notion that it was a village with an idyllic and laid-back atmosphere, but it may be different.
They negotiated with two adventurer guilds and made them acknowledge their claim.
"So, it seems that it became a battle between guilds before we know it …"
"When I received the request, it wasn't like that at all. It took just a day to change completely."
Niels's words were supplemented by Etho's troubled face.
"Somehow … it seems to be a battle we can't afford to lose."
"I understand! Sometimes there are battles that you can't lose!"
Ryo sympathized with them.
Yes, a battle that defeat was not an option … it was a battle that they must not lose.
"The coffee they have sounds to be exceptionally delicious."
Niels presented information as insurance.
"Seems to be the case~"
Ryo imagined the taste, the scent, and the scene itself, and made a happy expression.
"How about it? Would you like to come too, Ryo?"
And the decisive strike was sent.
"Yes, I'm going."
At that moment, Ryo didn't know that Niels's, Etho's, and Amon's hands were all clenched under the desk.
All three knew from experience that most requests would be a breeze if Ryo was with them.
Moreover, this time, for some reason, it was a guild competition.
Failure was unacceptable.
They succeeded in obtaining an unexpected and powerful helper, and the three people from 『Room No. 10』 were relieved.
-x-X-x-
"We will obtain Kona in our grasps!"
"Why are you singing the song of invaders?"
Niels disagreed with the lyrics that Ryo sang.
"Recently, I feel like Niels has become more like Abel …"
"Abel isn't so half-hearted."
Niels reacted to the name 'Abel' that Ryo said.
While listening to such conversations, Etho and Amon followed with laughter.
On the way from the City of Rune to the village of Kona.
They left the City of Rune at dawn and would arrive at Kona in the evening.
"Apart from the unknown insects, I'm worried about the monstrosity."
Amon raised the question to nobody in particular.
"That's right. They didn't indicate the name of the monster but called it a monstrosity. What the hell is there?"
Etho answers while tilting his head.
"No matter what, I'll slice it in half!"
Niels vomited a muscle-brain line.
He was the party leader.
Ryo was convinced that the ability required for a party leader was not intelligence, but the ability to keep members motivated. While glancing at Niels.
"Ryo, you're thinking about something very rude right now."
"Wha-what-are-you-talking-about."
Ryo replied incoherently to Niels' sharp catch.
Still, Niels looked at Ryo with a keen gaze.
"I just felt that Niels' have amazing qualities as a party leader."
Ryo said proudly.
He was not lying.
"O-oh. If that's the case, well …"
Niels was simple-minded.
Etho and Amon were watching the scene with slightly troubled faces.
"Ryo was …"
"He was having rude thoughts."
The two whispered softly.
That was how the four people arrived at the village.
It was about 2 pm.
They were able to arrive a little earlier than planned.
It was a village … it was a village but it looked quite populous.
Houses lined up facing the road. And in the back, there was a vast coffee plantation.
"I heard but this is …"
Niels muttered.
"The population is over 5,000 … so it's almost a city."
Etho muttered.
"Why is it still a village?"
Amon said in a normal loud voice.
"That's because this is under the direct control of the royal family."
The three were surprised and looked back.
Ryo wasn't surprised because he knew someone was approaching, but he was surprised that the village was under the direct control of the royal family.
(Does His Majesty also like coffee?)
The person who spoke from behind was a man in his mid-40s.
A tall man with, a graceful way of walking, brown skin, black eyes, and chestnut-colored hair.
Ryo felt that he didn't have the air of a farmer which may be related to the clothes he was wearing.
A thin but very well-tailored shirt, three-quarter length trousers, and sandals on his feet.
"Oops, excuse me. My name is Goro Ganda, dispatched to this village of Kona as a local magistrate. Please call me Goro."
(Goro? It's a Japanese name, but … his face is Latin? His features are deep)
"Sorry for the late introductions. We're from the adventurer party 『Room No. 10』 from the City of Rune. I'm Niels, and this is Etho, Amon, and Ryo. We accepted the request from this village sent to the City of Rune."
When Niels said so, Etho took out the request acceptance form from his bag and handed it to Goro.
Goro verified it.
"Yes, it is accurate. First of all, let's go to the magistrate building. I will explain there. Accommodation has also been readied so you will be staying there."
Then Goro took the lead and started walking.
"As you know, this request was also made to the Adventurer's Guild in Kyradea. There are also adventurers coming from there, but they will arrive by the evening. So I'm sorry but let me explain further once they arrive."
"Okay, please don't worry about it."
Niels politely answered Goro's request.
So he could properly converse with clients in such a manner.
(He's doing good even for a muscle-brain)
For some reason, Ryo nodded with a condescending attitude.
It was pretty rude.
"This is the accommodation where you will be staying, and due to the nature of this village, bureaucrats and aristocrats often come from the Royal Capital and other cities. This is the place used for accommodation in such cases."
"Is it okay for us to stay in such a place?"
Niels answered Goro's explanation in a hurry.
"Of course, it's possible because I decide as the magistrate. It's a waste to not use it when we have it, right?"
Goro explained that with a chuckle.
Ryo, who had the image of magistrates being overbearing toward adventurers and commoners, liked Goro, who did not take such an attitude.
Of course, the image of an overbearing magistrate was also Ryo's selfish imagination and he had never actually met such a magistrate.
The meeting room in the magistrate building. It was the room next to the magistrate's office.
There was a fairly large round table in the room where the magistrate held meetings and received reports from each department.
"Please take a seat over there."
Goro said and sat in the front seat in the center.
The four of them sat on his right-hand side.
The Kyradea group who will come later would sit in the vacant left-hand seats.
When the four sat down, drinks were brought in without delay.
Of course, it was 'Kona coffee'.
"Because you came to Kona, you have to drink Kona coffee first. The talk will start after that."
Goro recommended the coffee with a nice smile.
The room was instantly filled with the aroma of coffee.
Not only for four people but of course for Goro as well.
When Goro picked it up, he brought it in front of his face and inhaled the scent.
By that time, each of the four had picked up a cup, inhaled the scent, and drank a little.
(It's different from 'Hawaii Kona' on Earth after all … It's different, but it's very delicious. The fact that there is almost no miscellaneous taste is evidence that it was roasted after carefully removing the defective beans. There are people sincere toward coffee … and the extraction was not by a drip type … but a press type. Did she mention French press … when mom was still alive …)
Ryo was drinking coffee while soaking in nostalgic memories.
Goro looked at him with interest.
That was because he was a lot more natural compared to the other three drinking nervously.
It was normal that Goro's eyes were attracted to him.
But he didn't ask questions there. Goro wouldn't do such inelegant acts.
Goro knew that foods, drinks, and their tastes and aromas can bring back memories of the past.
Sometimes there are memories that others shouldn't step into.
That's why he didn't ask such a boorish question.
The man named Goro Ganda was a very talented man.
After talking for about an hour, he was informed that the adventurers from Kyradea had arrived.
"Then I will be picking them up, so please wait here."
Then Goro left the room.
The remaining four talked in whispers.
"The magistrate is a decent person."
"Yes, he's really nice."
"The rest that remains to be seen are the Kyradea adventurers."
Etho and Amon praised Goro, while Niels worried about Kyradea's adventurers.
"This village is under the direct control of the royal family. No wonder they can ask two adventurer guilds."
"Yeah..."
When Ryo conveyed his thoughts, Niels couldn't say anything.
"Niels … Did you forget to tell Ryo?"
Etho pointed out the reason with a bitter smile.
"You're terrible..."
Ryo sank to the round table.
While doing that, Goro came back with the Kyradea adventurers.
"These are the Kyradea's adventurers, 『Dragon Agito』, and those are Rune's adventurers, 『Room No. 10』."
『Dragon Agito』 consisted of three men and two women, for a total of five members.
『Room No. 10』 consisted of four men.
Each introduced themselves and sat at the round table.
And, of course, coffee was brought in.
The four people from Room 10 enjoyed themselves again.
Ryo enjoyed its aroma and tasted it again.
The three people from Room 10 were desperately showing a feeling of being more accustomed to it than before.
But … none of the five members of Kyradea's 『Dragon Agito』 drank.
As expected, Goro also noticed the situation.
"Do you not like Kona coffee?"
Goro asked the five people serenely, neither intimidating nor bad.
The Swordsman who seemed to be the leader answered.
"No, it's not an issue with the coffee. I just don't want to drink or eat in the same place as these guys."
When he heard that, Ryo almost spat out his coffee.
He had coffee in his mouth, so he was glad he didn't spit it out.
Instead, he looked sideways worried that Niels would snap, but Niels was holding back.
In front of the client, it was third-class to be unable to suppress your emotions.
In fact, Abel had drilled that into Niels thoroughly.
Ryo was surprised that Niels didn't explode because he didn't know that, but Etho and Amon nodded a little.
Niels was definitely growing.
When the leader of Dragon Agito said that, only Etho noticed that Goro's eyes narrowed slightly.
And he sighed in his heart.
(Why would you make the client feel unpleasant from the beginning? This may be a very troublesome party.)
"Okay, so let's start explaining this request. I will accept questions at the end."
Then Goro began to explain the request.
"Insects that we have never seen before have damaged the coffee trees. Currently, about 5% of the total tree has been affected. It is difficult to identify the insects … Previously, we called an expert from the Royal Capital to take a look but they couldn't identify their characteristics. Currently, we use the method of looking for each insect by sight and crushing them by hand. Please let us know if there is a better method. That is the first part. The other part is to solve the continued disappearance of people."
Speaking until there, Goro spread a map of the village on the round table.
"This is a map of the village. We know that the last place we saw the disappeared people were near the entrance to the eastern forest. However, the eastern forest is very deep and has many monsters. No monsters have ever come near the village, so we don't know if the reason for their disappearance is a monster or something else. If it was a monster, subjugate the monster. If it's another reason, I'd like you to investigate the reason."
After taking a breath, Goro continued.
"If you have any questions, please go ahead."
When Goro asked, the leader Swordsman of 『Dragon Agito』 raised his hand and asked.
"I don't feel like cooperating with these guys. It's more efficient if we investigate the people's disappearance and have them investigate the insects."
(So there really are people who are hostile from the beginning. I want to know the intention of the Kyradea Adventurer's Guild for sending such people.)
Ryo was thinking in his heart, being careful not to show his expression.
"It doesn't matter how you proceed. However, please do not disturb the lives of the village and the villagers. This is under the direct control of the royal family. The villagers are the direct vassals of His Majesty the King. Please be aware."
Goro said the last sentence very seriously and in a strict tone for the first time since they met.
As expected, the facial expressions of the members of Dragon Agito also stiffened.
"So, are the members from Room No. 10 agreeable to the work distribution?"
Goro returned to his original mild atmosphere and asked Niels.
Niels confirmed with Etho at a glance. He replied when he saw Etho nod slightly.
"Yes, we are okay with that arrangement."
The members from Dragon Agito were surprised at that answer.
On the contrary, they thought they would flare-up.
Investigation of insects that was known to be impossible … was not the job for D-rank adventurers.
However, as long as Room No. 10 accepted it, the division of tasks was decided.
-x-X-x-
After the explanation, Goro once again recommended having some Kona coffee.
Of course, the four people from Room No. 10 gladly took his offer.
The members of Dragon Agito refused to drink again so Goro called a secretary and requested to show the members their accommodations.
After the Dragon Agito members left, coffee arrived, and the four people including Goro slowly started drinking.
The original plan was to take them to the accommodations together after the explanation in this room.
That was the best option considering efficiency.
That was why the explanation was done in this room together with both parties.
However, the compatibility of the parties was the worst …
Mainly, it was a one-sided repulsion from the Dragon Agito side…
That was why, if he recommended coffee again, Room No. 10 would remain, and Dragon Agito would exit first.
It was a smart way to split them up.
Ryo was thinking about such things while drinking Kona coffee.
"I'll amend future plans that include both parties together."
Goro, with a cup of coffee in one hand, said with a bitter smile.
The four people who heard it replied with bitter smiles.
They felt sorry, but it was a little strange to apologize … They were the ones at fault! But it was also somewhat wrong to talk bad about them after they left.
So they had no choice but to just relay their feelings with bitter smiles.
The five people slowly drank coffee for about fifteen minutes.
After that, Goro guided them to their accommodations and the dining room and gave some precautions when using it.
"It's true that some villagers are disappearing and anxiety is spreading. Fortunately or unfortunately, the large population is alleviating it. If this were to be a small, ordinary village, all the villagers would have been feeling anxious."
Goro said and paused.
"I think this request is full of difficult issues, but I look forward to working with all of you."
He bowed to the four people.
"Well then, it is 4 pm. It's less than three hours before sunset. What should we do?"
Niels said after looking at his favorite pocket watch.
"Why don't we take a look at the farm? We might be able to gather some information from the people working."
Etho suggested and the other three agreed.
The farm was a vast coffee plantation that they saw when they entered the village, at the back of the village.
Although Ryo loves coffee, he had never entered a coffee plantation.
There, coffee trees about the height of a person were lined up to the point where they could see, with a space of about one to one and a half meters between the trees.
It was an impressive sight.
"Amazing..."
Ryo murmured unintentionally.
Farmers were manually collecting ripe fruits from the coffee trees.
In the distance, a Wind-Attribute Magician was mowing the grass between trees with Air Slash … what a fantasy scene!
"Okay, let's go?"
It seemed that the three other than Ryo were not as impressed.
Ryo was a little dejected …
After some discussions with the farmers, they asked to show them the insects.
That said, they would crush one as soon as they found one, so they had to look for a new one.
It was a young man named Tucker who had just come of age who guided the four.
Tucker looked around the trees where the insects were commonly found.
Three minutes later, the four were called by Tucker.
"This is the insect."
At the tip of Tucker's finger, there was a black bug about half the size of a pinky fingernail, or the size of the pinky fingernail if its legs were included.
"That's a strange insect."
Ryo whispered.
"Ryo?"
Niels heard the mutter and asked Ryo.
"It has ten legs."
"You're right."
Amon also looked closer and muttered.
"By the way, do insects usually have six legs? But spiders have eight legs, right?"
Niels thought of insects he knew and ended up with spiders.
"Yes. I learned that spiders are related to horseshoe crabs and scorpions."
"Scorpions are those found in the desert with a venomous tail and big pincers, right? A long time ago, my grandpa showed me one that he soaked in alcohol. Spiders are related to those … "
Amon trembled a little, remembering the old days. It seemed that he was scared.
(There are many cultures that soak venomous creatures in alcohol.)
That's what Ryo thought.
While the three were talking about that, Etho stared at the insect and remained silent.
"Etho?"
Ryo called out to Etho.
"Eh? Oh, Ryo. It's a little too small … I wish it was a little bigger …"
Etho squinted and said while looking closer at the insect.
"There is just the right magic in Water-Attribute Magic."
(
When he chanted it in his head, a palm-sized ice convex lens was created.
When he was first reincarnated on 『Phi』, it took more than 15 minutes to generate an ice lens, but now he could do it almost instantly.
Ryo was reflecting on his growth.
"It will look bigger when you look through this."
"This is..."
Etho only commented that and began to take a closer look at the black insect.
After about five minutes, Etho raised his face.
After returning the ice lens to Ryo, he nodded once and told the three.
"I might know the true identity of the insect."
"I think it's likely to be a Majin insect."
Etho returned to the magistrate's office and told the magistrate Goro.
"Majin insect? That's the first time I've heard of it. What are they …"
Goro was confused by the name of an insect he had never heard of and prompted for more details.
"When a sealed Majin is resurrecting, it is one of their kin that begins to move to gather power for them."
"Majin..."
(Majin!)
It was Goro who said it out loud and there were feelings of dread in those words.
Ryo repeated it internally and there were feelings of delight in those words.
(Devil, Demon Lord … or more specifically Devil Princes? Those kinds of beings came out, but they were very weak and disappointing … I guess the true foe on 『Phi』 are these Majins!)
(TLN: Majins are 'Demonic People' in raw translation. There is a distinction from the Devils/Demons so I kept them as Majin)
Demon Lords and Majins were classics for reincarnated in another world stories!
However, one would be strong and the other weak.
Or most of the time, only one of them appears.
Finally, with the appearance of the Majins, Ryo's tension rose at once.
"But I only learned about them at the temple, so I think it's a good idea to have an expert look at it."
"That's right. The expert I called previously was an insect expert. I didn't think I would need a Majin-related expert …"
Goro sighed deeply. Then something flashed in his mind and he raised his head.
"Etho. Do you think a 『Folklore Officer』 from the Sanctum, who would be familiar with the folklore of Majins, would know about this Majin insect?"
"Yes, I think they will be the ones most knowledgeable about this in the temple."
"That's great. A Folklore Officer should be staying in the City of Kyradea, so they can come right away. I know them so they would try their best to come over."
Then, Goro wrote a letter in a hurry and gave it to his secretary to send it to Kyradea by bird mail as soon as possible.
"For now, we can only wait for a reply."
Then Goro continued to breathe deeply.
"Even so, I didn't expect the insect issue to be cleared up so quickly. I'm glad you guys are a party with a priest."
Goro smiled.
"Not at all..."
Etho was a little shy.
"In any case, the work was forcibly divided between the two parties earlier, but I am very happy with this division in the end. The Dragon Agito party did not have a priest."
The Dragon Agito party had a male Swordsman, a female Scout, a male Axe-user, a male Magician, and a female Archer, with no priests.
"Because there are not many adventurer priests."
Etho replied, nodding.
The four people played a role for the time being.
In less than two hours after arriving, he could see a tentative solution … If only that was considered, it could be said that the result was very excellent.
Of course, after tomorrow, they had to get confirmation from the 『Folklore Officer』 and complete the extermination of the insects themselves, but for the time being, work was over for today.
"First of all, a bath!"
"Ooo!"
Three people responded to Niels' command with the same shout.
The accommodation was meant for aristocrats and bureaucrats so it was fully equipped with a large communal bath.
It seemed that it was open to villagers on weekends too.
(That's the best way to maintain a facility. If you don't use it, it often breaks down when it is needed.)
Goro's reputation within Ryo was raised even higher.
And after the bath, it was dinner.
The expectations of the four people who heard from Goro that the chef here also handles meals for the officers too went up.
And…
"Delicious!"
"Delicious!"
"It is amazing!"
"I like both the meat and fish!"
Niels, Etho, Amon, and Ryo were all offered a satisfying dinner.
The chef looked on from the kitchen and nodded.
As expected of four adventurers.
There was quite a lot of food but it was gobbled up in no time.
The priest Etho, who usually has the image of a small eater, ate everything, possible because they walked from the City of Rune and had to settle with dried meat during the day.
After meals, of course, they ended it with Kona coffee.
Five adventurers came in as the four relaxedly enjoyed the coffee after their meal.
The members of Dragon Agito, the adventurers of Kyradea.
"Tch."
The Swordsman clicked his tongue loudly.
Of course, it was heard by the four people from Room No. 10.
Ryo was worried about Niels.
During the explanation, he didn't snap because it was in front of the client Goro, but now it was not the case.
There was a possibility of him snapping.
Thinking so, he looked at Niels.
But Niels was drinking coffee as if nothing had happened.
The same was true for the other two.
(So mature!)
Ryo was impressed by the growth of the three.
Only for the first ten seconds.
"Do you know Ryo? The weaker the dog, the louder it barks. The more incompetent the adventurer, the more they click their tongue."
(No, I do not know! You definitely made up the second half just now!)
Ryo retorted internally to Niels' excessive lines.
"What did you say!"
Of course, the Dragon Agito members wouldn't stay silent.
Five people displayed their anger at once.
The two women felt like they were as belligerent as the men … I guess people are formed by their surroundings?
Ryo shook his head a little.
"Well, let's go back to our room. Chef, thank you for the meal."
"Thank you for the meal."
Behaving well, the people from Room No. 10 stood up, thanking the chef.
The four people from Room No. 10 left the dining room, completely ignoring the five livid people.
"Hey, wait right there."
With that, the Dragon Agito's Swordsman tried to grab the shoulder of Ryo who was at the rear.
At that moment …
Rattle rattle crash!
The Swordsman fell with a loud noise.
No one noticed that his feet were frozen momentarily.
When the Swordsman fell, he knocked a chair and table nearby and caused a vase on the table to come crashing down, leaving him in a wretched state.
"Are you okay? Slipping is dangerous."
Ryo left with those words and the four from Room No. 10 left the dining room.
After that, there were five people whose anger had no outlet and scowled at the cooks staring at the dining room from the kitchen.
For the time being, as professionals, the cooks offered dinner to the five but later testified to the steward.
That they had dissatisfied faces from beginning to end.
The next morning, the four from Room No. 10 got up leisurely.
When the steward told them that Dragon Agito had breakfast early in the morning and left for the eastern forest, the four people looked at each other and nodded.
The troublesome seeds were gone.
The four of them ate a very luxurious breakfast, slowly spent their luxurious time, and after having coffee after the meal, headed to the magistrate building.
They were told last night to come around 10 o'clock.
When they entered the conference room, there was Goro and another person.
(It's not a white priest's robe, but a priest's clothes … but that's the first time I've seen that cloak's coat of arms. So that is a Folklore Officer?)
Ryo thought in his head.
Visually, he was about the same age as Goro, not very tall, and had a slender body.
He was not a lean muscular person like Ryo and didn't appear to have much muscle … in a sense, he was similar to Etho.
"Oh, you're here. Rashata, these are the adventurers from the City of Rune 『Room No. 10』 who I talked about earlier."
Goro introduced the four to a man called Rashata.
"Everyone, this is Viscount Rashata Debuo, the Folklore Officer from the Sanctum."
"… Viscount?"
Etho muttered softly.
"Hello, nice to meet you. Yes, it's weird to have a title even though I belong to the temple. There are various reasons for that. I'll talk about it if the time comes. But, regarding the issue with the insects …"
"Yes, this is it."
Ryo said and placed the icebox he was holding beside him.
It contained the black insects they caught yesterday.
"Hoho, look at this. The insect is interesting, but honestly, this icebox is even more so …. Are you a Water-Attribute Magician?"
"Yes."
Rashata asked Ryo, and Ryo replied.
"Looking at this box, I remember the folklore of 『The Goddess of Ice and the Emperor of Ice and Snow』 … a story more than 10,000 years ago …"
"Sorry, Rashata, before that, please look at the insect."
Goro blocked Rashata from starting his story and turned his attention to the black insect.
"Oops, that's right. I'm sorry."
Rashata replied and laughed.
Then he looked at the insect and began to check something while muttering.
About three minutes passed, and Rashata looked at Ryo and said.
"Can you open this icebox?"
"Yes."
Ryo removed the lid of the box.
Then Rashata reached into the box, grabbed the insect, and squeezed it in his palm.
And then opened his hand.
"Hmm … as according to folklore, red body fluid …"
In his open hand were a crushed remain and a red body fluid reminiscent of blood leaking from it.
"According to folklore meaning…"
"Yes, I'm sure it's a Majin insect."
Rashata nodded and answered Goro's question.
"Maybe it's the 『Majin sealed in the south』 in folklore. It's probably regenerating and gathering the power to wake up."
Rashata said, thinking about something.
"I understand. First, I will report to the Royal Capital. As for the name of the identifier, I will write your and Etho's name, if that's okay."
"Sure."
"Yes, I don't mind."
-x-X-x-
"Etho, are Majins strong?"
"Eh..."
Ryo asked Etho, who was next to him, quietly.
The question may have been unexpected as Etho returned a surprised reaction.
"I think they are strong … but it is unknown how strong they truly are. There has not been any record of them appearing in the last few hundred years …"
Etho said and turned to the Folklore Officer Rashata.
"Yeah. You were … Etho-kun, right? As Etho-kun said, the record of the last subjugation was 950 years ago. Of course, other subjugations might have been carried out but not recorded. Likely due to vested interests. This Majin is probably the one from 950 years ago."
"This Majin?"
"Yes. In the folklore passed down in the Kingdom, there are two sealed Majins. One is the 'Majin sealed in the South' that we are dealing with now. The other is the 'Majin sealed in the east'. There are quite a lot of folklore on how terrifyingly strong the eastern Majin was. Not only the eastern part of the Kingdom but also the region of the current Handal Union was devastated."
Rashata placed his hand on his chin, thought a little, and then continued.
"Given that, this case … there is a possibility that additional forces will be dispatched."
"Knight's Order …?"
"Magic Corps …?"
"High-ranking adventurers …?"
"The Hero …?"
Niels, Etho, and Amon said the possible 'additional forces', and Ryo added at the end, causing the three from Room No. 10 to look at Ryo with tremendous momentum.
It was Niels who opened his mouth.
"Ryo, the Hero of this generation is in the Western Countries. They won't come all the way here just for this."
Niels denied the possibility confidently.
"Fufufu, Niels, your information is old. In fact, the Hero Roman and his party were in the Royal Capital until recently, you know?"
Ryo asserted with even more confidence.
He was naturally confident since they fought.
"Seriously?!"
Niels asked with wide eyes.
"I heard that in the last Royal Capital chaos, the Hero also cooperated in the defense of the basement of the Sanctum. I'm surprised Ryo knows about it."
Folklore Officer Rashata nodded and said.
"But … it's been a long time since they left the Royal Capital … so I don't think they will be coming this time."
"Ah, that's a shame."
Ryo replied with words that he didn't actually mean.
The Hero Roman challenged Ryo many times after the chaos in the Royal Capital, so he was tired of dealing with him after a while.
He tried to avoid the mock battles with the Hero, even though he had many mock battles with Sera.
Ryo was that kind of guy.
When the five of them were talking about that, Goro, the Magistrate, returned to the office.
"I have arranged to send a brief report to the Royal Capital, Rune, and Kyradea."
(In that short time?!)
Ryo was surprised.
It was pretty amazing that he finished reporting that much, even though it had only been about 30 minutes.
"Yesterday, Etho told me that it was a Majin insect. I finished writing most of the report then. I filled in the confirmed details today, had it
He said nonchalantly and smiled.
"Unlike me, who can't get work done, you're still excellent, Goro. Do you still not have the intention of returning to the Royal Capital?"
Rashata turned to Goro and asked.
"I'm not going back yet. I love this village, and above all, I love Kona coffee."
At the same moment as Goro said those words, the door opened and six Kona coffees were brought into the office.
Drinking coffee after meetings and reports.
It was bliss.
"Well, I'll be returning to Kyradea."
When the blissful time was over, Rashata said.
"Did you …"
Goro trailed off.
"Yes, I threw aside my half-completed tasks."
Rashata burst into laughter.
"Sorry about that."
"That's okay. Thanks to that, I was able to see Majin insects. After this, I definitely want to see how they deal with the Majin … so I'll finish my work and return immediately."
Then, Rashata said that there was no need to see him off and left the office.
"He said he's bad at paperwork, but that's a lie."
With a faint smile, Goro began to explain.
"He once returned to secular life, that is, he resigned from priesthood to succeed the Viscount family. However, his 'Folklore Officer' qualities were hard to replace, so the royal family and the temple gave special permission to reinstate him as a 'Folklore Officer' even while remaining in secular life."
"That's … so amazing that it's unimaginable …"
After receiving Goro's explanation, the most surprised one was the priest Etho.
"Is that so great?"
"Yes. It's usually not possible. Can you imagine? That special permission is rarely given even for saints."
"Oh … then I can understand that it's truly unimaginable."
It seemed that Niels also understood that it was rare.
Rashata's qualities as a 'Folklore Officer' may be rarer than saints.
In the Central Nations, it was originally not possible to become a priest with a title.
"For now, the problem of the insects is shelved. Since the report has been made, the Royal Capital will decide on future actions. Then, the remaining problem is the disappearance case …"
Goro had a distinctly bitter look after reaching that point.
"The Dragon Agito party is hostile towards you …"
He sighed deeply.
"Yes … I'm sorry."
Etho bowed his head.
"No, your party is not responsible … right? Was there a dispute with the Dragon Agito in the past or …"
"No. We met them for the first time here."
Niels answered Goro's query.
"In the first place, meeting adventurers from Kyradea …"
After saying that, Niels stopped.
"Niels?"
Ryo asked Niels who had a strange expression on.
"Well, the only time we may have interacted with adventurers from Kyradea was when we … received the request from my village. Maybe it's related to that?"
"Yes, I was thinking about that. It could be the party that was seriously injured and withdrew or the party that was chased away …"
"Oh."
Amon and Ryo nodded in the same manner when Etho presented the possibilities.
Etho then gave a brief explanation to Goro, who was listening.
Simply put, it was unjustified resentment.
"I see. Dragon Agito might have been the party. Well, even if that is the case, you all are not to blame … Personally, I would like your party to investigate the disappearances as well but it would be a problem if something happened in the woods … For the time being, please be on standby. We have also reported to the City of Rune so they may get in touch with further instructions."
As such, the four people from Room No. 10 got a fleeting rest, officially recognized by the Magistrate.
Two days later, the Magistrate's Office received correspondence.
Both Room No. 10 and Dragon Agito were called into the large conference room.
The 'Folklore Officer' Rashata was already seated next to Goro, having returned from Kyradea.
"I have been contacted by the Royal Capital. At present, no force will be sent from the Royal Capital. Instead, the Kingdom government has put up an order for a dispatch from the adventurer guilds of Rune and Kyradea. In other words, additional adventurers will be dispatched from Rune and Kyradea."
In other words, 'High-ranked adventurers' were coming.
Amon's prediction was correct.
Amon nodded many times.
Looking sideways, Niels looked a little bitter.
However, there was a person who was not convinced.
Of course, it was not anyone from Room No. 10, but the leader of Dragon Agito.
"I cannot accept this! This is our request. For adventurers to come later and take the credit … moreover adventurers from another city … that's bullshit!"
(I understand your feelings, but that's not something you say in front of the client.)
Even Ryo, who had little experience taking on requests, thought so.
The thoughts of the other three from Room No. 10 could be guessed.
"Mr. Dogon. Please control yourself. This is the decision of the Kingdom. The decision of individuals even higher up than us, your client. As long as this village is under the direct control of the royal family, it equates to the decision of the royal family. Do you understand that going against the royal family is high treason?"
Goro chided the Swordsman Dogon in a very low voice, a low voice that even the four from Room No. 10 had never heard before.
The mention of high treason naturally caused the Swordsman Dogon to look daunted.
And after that, his complexion paled.
But he had to say something. Driven to a corner, he judged that the situation was not good.
However, the problem was that the result of his judgment was not 'silence' but 'clumsy counterargument'.
"In the first place, isn't it a lie that the insects on the trees are called 'Majin insects'? It's possible that the Rune guys there said it to raise their achievements. How can you believe what they say!"
Upon hearing that unreasonable remark, the first thought of the four people from Room No. 10 was 'Oh shit~'.
They were not angered or tried to argue …
Their reaction was 'Oh shit~' because …
"I identified the bug as a 'Majin Insect'. I have been assigned the role of 'Folklore Officer' at the Sanctum."
"Then, you colluded with them to say they are Majin insects!"
(Illogical, unreasonable, Swordsman Dogon … Well, I wonder if he couldn't help it since he lost his composure.)
Ryo prayed for the Swordsman Dogon in his heart.
"I'm a priest … but my name is Viscount Rashata Debuo. Are you aware? As a Viscount, I am part of the nobility. I recommend you do not use those words."
"Wha … nobility …"
Not only the Swordsman Dogon, but the other four from Dragon Agito were surprised and unable to speak.
Silence occupied the conference room.
"We will maintain the status quo until additional forces arrive from Rune and Kyradea. Our plan of action after that will vary depending on the people who arrive, so let's decide then. Both parties please spend your time in the village until then. The contract period will be extended so we will provide additional rewards accordingly."
Hearing the last sentence, the four from Room No. 10 secretly made small guts poses … in their hearts.
With that, the meeting was over and as usual, Goro invited everyone for coffee … and, as usual, the five members from Dragon Agito refused and left the meeting room.
The four from Room No. 10, Goro, and Rashata remained.
When the coffee arrived, Rashata opened his mouth.
"Goro, what's with those Dragon Agito adventurers. Well, I'm not asking them to be as friendly as the Room No. 10 guys, but I've never met such terrible adventurers."
The four people from Room No. 10 were apparently friendly.
The four looked at each other and smiled wryly.
"Yeah … Honestly, the reputation of the Kyradea Adventurer's Guild is declining every day … I was worried when I made the request and I got it right. They sent adventurers like that over."
Goro shook his head many times and replied.
"Is the Kyradea Adventurer's Guild that hopeless?"
"The person we corresponded with when we stopped by was decent, but … the deputy guildmaster …"
"Mr. Landenvia."
When Ryo whispered his question, Niels answered halfway, and Etho supplemented.
However, it seemed that their whispers could be heard when it was just this number of people in the room, and Goro said with a bitter smile.
"Deputy guildmaster Landenvia was like the conscience of Kyradea, but … six months ago, he was assigned to the guild in the City of Acre as guildmaster. From then, Kyradea's Adventurer's Guild visibly deteriorated …"
There, he sighed deeply.
Acre was the largest city in the south and the territory of Marquis Heinlein.
Becoming a guildmaster there could be said to be a great promotion.
However, the organization where an excellent individual left was left in a sad state.
"Well, that's why I made this request to both Kyradea and Rune. From this village, Kyradea is a little closer, but for the reason mentioned … I pretended it to be a slipup and sent the request to the City of Rune as well."
Magistrate Goro was a capable man.
-x-X-x-
Two days later.
Time passed quietly in Kona village without any issues.
The villagers found the occasional 'Majin Insects' and eradicated them … by removing them from the trees and crushing them.
The four from Room 10 helped, trained occasionally, had coffee once in a while, and helped the villagers again.
For some reason, the five from Dragon Agito went into the eastern forest every day.
"Hey, those five people, the intention of the client …"
"Shh!"
Ryo raised a finger in front of his mouth and stopped Niels from saying something.
"Wh-what is it?"
"Don't say any more. Whatever Niels says could turn into a flag."
"What is 'flag' …?"
"The terrifying phenomenon where words become reality. For example, Niels gets rejected by Nina …"
"Hey, what!"
Niels got angry at Ryo's words.
"It's not pleasant, right? That's how words are very powerful. Don't spit out strange words unnecessarily."
"I don't get it but … I'll stop."
Although his explanation of a flag was very lacking, Ryo had a bad premonition.
If Niels said more than that, he had a feeling that something might happen …
Of course, it was Ryo's arbitrary belief.
But beliefs sometimes come true.
That afternoon, the first supplementary force arrived from Kyradea.
As if waiting for that, the five from Dragon Agito appeared in front of Ryo and his friends.
With the newly arrived five people.
The four people from Room 10 all had unpleasant expressions.
They could only feel an unpleasant premonition in such a situation.
The first to open his mouth was the Swordsman Dogon.
"This is everyone from Kyradea's C-rank party 『Five Binary Stars』. They are the best veteran party in Kyradea."
(Being a veteran in rank C means that you don't have the ability to move up to rank B …)
Ryo cursed in his heart.
It was a party of five men, all in their mid-thirties.
(All five look like villains.)
While Ryo was having rude thoughts, the Spearman from 『Five Binary Stars』 opened his mouth.
"You guys seem to be a D-rank party. That means that our, the high-ranking C-rank party, words are absolute."
"Is that so?"
Ryo asked Etho next to him.
"It's not a rule, but it's a custom. If you get an escort request together, the leader of the higher-ranking party will be in charge. That kind of thing."
Etho answered with annoyance.
It was very rare for Etho to speak that way.
Most of the time, his speech was matter-of-fact and easygoing.
"That's right."
Upon hearing Etho's answer, the Spearman said with a grin.
"So, we're tired from traveling. Can you guys massage our legs for a moment?"
Then, the other four members and the five from Dragon Agito laughed out loud.
"Piece of shit."
Niels squeezed out a small voice.
"Ah? Did you say something?"
The Spearman threatened.
Ryo stood in front of Niels and said.
"Well, I understand."
"Hey, Ryo!"
Niels was surprised and grabbed Ryo's arm from behind.
Ryo ignored him and continued.
"But I don't know if you really are C-rank …"
"Huh, what are you getting at!"
"So, could you show me your guild card?"
"Oh, so you'll massage us once you confirm it."
"Yes, I'll massage you if I can confirm it."
Ryo nodded.
The Spearman walked up to Ryo while taking out his guild card … and fell.
"Guuh"
And in an extremely flashy manner …
Of course, it was Ryo's
It might even be the magic that he used most in interpersonal situations …
"Are you okay?"
Ryo pretended to be worried and called out.
Of course, he just called out and didn't run up to him.
"Damn, why is it suddenly slippery? What the heck."
While saying that, the Spearman placed his weight on his leg to get up … and fell again.
"Guha"
"A-are you okay?"
Ryo pretended to be worried again and called out.
By the second time, the three from Room 10 begin to understand.
'It was Ryo.'
In addition, a third fall occurred and the three were convinced.
They didn't know how, but it was Ryo's doing.
So they decided to ride on the situation.
"Are you okay?"
Three people other than Ryo also called out to the Spearman who slipped.
Of course, appearing to be really worried.
What they required here was not the words that tell the truth, but the acting ability to deceived the viewer.
"Damn … what the heck …"
The spearman could not stand up.
It was unusually more slippery than natural ice … the ice that instantly formed on the soles of the Spearman's feet.
Roll a large number of marbles on the floor and walk on them with shoes … you would surely slip … the Spearman was in a similar situation.
To be clear, it was hell.
As expected, all nine from Kyradea were beginning to realize that the situation was unusual.
They didn't understand what was going on, but at least it was not normal.
Yes, something like a curse …
"Hey, Ryo. How are you aiming to settle this?"
Niels whispered to Ryo.
All the while, every time the Spearman tried to stand up, he would slip, and the nine from Kyradea watched on in fear without touching him, as if they were looking at something terrifying. They couldn't tell what would happen next.
Of course, Ryo wasn't thinking about the future.
That's why,
"We'll remain this way until the supplementary forces arrive from Rune …?"
"Seriously …?"
Even Niels felt that was reckless.
No one knew when they would arrive.
In the first place, there was no guarantee that they will arrive by the end of the day.
In the meantime, this was … even though he was an irritating person, he was beginning to feel pity for the Spearman.
"Anyway …"
Ryo whispered.
Niels leaned in and listened.
"Who's coming from the City of Rune?"
"Is that really what we should talk about now?"
Niels sighed at the out-of-place topic.
But …
"I wonder if 『Crimson Sword』 will come… since there is a possibility of subjugating Majin. Will they send the guild's greatest strength?"
Amon joined the topic.
Amon, who was the youngest in Room 10 but always made the most common sense for some reason, suddenly changed when it came to this topic.
It was a shock to Niels.
(Was Amon poisoned by Ryo …)
Niels' thoughts were pretty rude.
But …
"The 『Crimson Sword』 has a request from the West … they might come if they are back but there's no way to know?"
Even Etho joined the topic.
As the party leader, Niels sighed deeply, really deeply.
And he thought.
(I wonder if there is no choice but to ride this big wave …)
And he joined.
"For the long shot, there is also Sera of the Wind."
"That's impossible."
Niels was completely denied by the three.
Kyradea Spearman's savior arrived thirty minutes later.
Two carriages bearing the coat of arms of the Rune Adventurer's Guild arrived at the Magistrate building.
Right next to the ground where the Spearman was slipping.
From the first carriage, a fierce-looking giant man exited.
"Hugh?"
"Guildmaster …?"
Ryo and Amon muttered in a whispering voice.
A young Swordsman exited behind him.
"Roman..."
From the second carriage, people from the Western Countries who Ryo had seen came down.
A total of eight people.
Guildmaster Hugh McGrath, Hero Roman and his party.
That was the supplementary force sent by Rune's Adventurer's Guild.
"Oh, Niels and party? Thank you for coming out to greet us … but I don't think that's the case here."
Hugh saw the Spearman on the ground alone who gave up trying to stand halfway.
"What are you doing?"
"He's in the midst of getting up."
Ryo answered Hugh's words accurately.
"O-oh … I don't know what's going on, but there are various training methods. Don't worry about us and continue."
After he said so, he tried to leave.
"W-wait."
Kyradea's Spearman had given up on trying to stand but was feeling gloomy.
"We are Kyradea's C-rank party 『Five Binary Stars』. This request will be managed by us Kyradea Adventurer's Guild. Don't butt in."
By all means, the fierce-looking giant Hugh McGrath seemed to be a high-ranking adventurer, but the Spearman who kept slipping was deprived of even such a calm judgment.
"Oh really? So you lot are Kyradea adventurers? I'm Hugh McGrath, the Guildmaster at Rune's Adventurer's Guild. Unfortunately, I'll be in charge of this request. Don't feel bad."
"Guildmaster …?"
"McGrath … that Hero McGrath?"
"Master McGrath … the real person?"
Whispers spread like ripples among the adventurers of Kyradea.
"He sure is famous, the Guildmaster."
Niels whispered to Ryo quietly.
"Because he is a hero of the war."
Ryo replied in the same quiet whisper.
"Also, this is the party of the current generation's Hero, Roman. They happened to be staying in the City of Rune, so I asked him to cooperate. I hope you will work together."
Hugh dropped more bombs.
However, it seemed that it had exceeded the processing capacity of the adventurers of Kyradea and did not elicit a good reaction.
"...Ha?"
That was it.
Rather, the three from Room 10 responded.
"The Hero … really?"
"Joint front with the Hero."
"Since he's a Swordsman, it seems that I can learn a lot."
Niels, Etho, and Amon expressed their surprise in their own words.
Then, Hero Roman approached the four people from Room 10.
"Ryo, it's been a long time."
"Oh, yes, it's been a long time …"
Roman bowed in front of Ryo and greeted him politely.
Ryo bowed his head and responded with perfunctory words.
"Ryo is acquainted with the Hero."
"I guess it's possible if it's Ryo."
"It's the usual thought of how Ryo knows such a person. I'm not surprised anymore."
Amon was frankly surprised, Etho nodded with a convinced expression, and Niels shook his head many times, firing 'I'm not surprised anymore'.
"To think that Master McGrath would join us. No other supplementary force would be this encouraging! And for the Hero party to join too … I'm truly grateful."
Magistrate Goro looked really happy when he greeted the supplementary forces from Rune.
"The Kyradea bunch is like that so it's a little too much."
Ryo muttered softly to himself.
However, the person next to him heard it.
"Like that?"
Guildmaster Hugh McGrath was next to him.
There, Hugh suddenly noticed.
"Ryo, you're not in a clash with the adventurer from Kyradea, right?"
"No way. What do you think of me?"
Ryo shook his head with an expression that it was unthinkable.
It was a secret that the other three people from Room 10 glanced at each other when they saw that.
"I see, it's fine if there's nothing."
Hugh replied and nodded many times.
"Do you have an idea about where the Majin sleeps?"
After having a cup of coffee and taking a break, Hugh asked Rashata.
"Yes. As a result of analyzing past materials in the Sanctum, it seems certain that it sleeps in the forest that extends from the east of this village. There are about three candidate locations."
"I see … But … honestly, as the Magistrate, don't you want to leave it alone?"
Rashata replied and Hugh addressed Goro, the Magistrate with deliberate words.
"That's exactly right. We do not have a grudge against the Majin. Well, if the 'Majin insects' didn't adhere to the trees, I would want to leave it alone. In the sense that we should not wake the sleeping dragon."
Goro answered with a deep nod.
"One more thing. How much have you discovered about the disappearance of the villagers?"
"The members of Kyradea's Dragon Agito are working on that, but it seems that there are no new discoveries."
Hugh pondered Goro's answer with his hand on his chin.
(Twelve missing people. In the second half, a search was conducted by all the villagers, but the report said that not only did they not find the missing people, their corpses were not found too. It is a forest where monsters live? How was it that even their corpses were not found? I don't want to imagine it, but if they were attacked by a monster, part of their bodies would remain? In the end, something other than a monster, or someone, must have taken them away.)
Hugh thought of several possibilities from the report that came up.
Hugh McGrath looked like a fierce-looking giant, a muscle brain, but in reality, he was not bad at mental work.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be an A-rank adventurer.
As with any field, you can reach first-class without being smart.
However, you cannot reach top-class unless you are smart.
Sports, entertainment, and adventuring.
"Honestly, the disappearance case feels troublesome. Let's get back on track a bit. Could you please contact the Kyradea adventurers that I wish to discuss with them tomorrow morning?"
"Okay, so … at 9 am tomorrow, there's a bigger conference room on this floor, so we can meet there. I'll inform them too."
But the next day. No Kyradea adventurers appeared in the conference room.
-x-X-x-
"Why isn't anyone coming?"
With a frown, Hugh roamed the large conference room.
It was just before 10 am.
The four members of Room 10 and the seven Hero Roman party had been waiting for almost an hour.
Goro, the Magistrate, rushed into the room, out of breath.
"Master McGrath, it seemed that they dived into the woods early in the morning."
"What …"
Hugh was speechless from the unexpected information.
"I'm sorry. Yesterday, I called them directly to the office and told them about the meeting at 9 o'clock … Why did they do this?"
Goro sighed, shaking his head many times.
"Well … they did exclaim that they would solve this problem … it can't be helped if they have left. I'll yell at them when they are back."
Hugh also sighed. And he turned to Room 10 and the Hero Party.
"Sorry for wasting your time. We'll dismiss the meeting for today."
Hugh said and sat down on a nearby seat.
"This must be God's will to allow a mock battle with Ryo."
"You're mistaken."
Hero Roman challenged Ryo to a mock battle and Ryo refused.
"Why..."
"Didn't I put up with enough mock battles in the Royal Capital …"
Roman opened his eyes wide and asked why.
Ryo answered with a matter-of-course look.
"A mock battle between Ryo and Roman … You guys, don't destroy the village okay?"
Hugh said to them with a surprised expression.
"Hey, destroying the village in a mock battle … what do you think we are?"
"Yeah. It's just a sword fight, isn't it?"
Ryo looked at Hugh with the expression that he heard something unbelievable and Roman affirmed it with a bitter smile.
However, after that, he added a few words.
"If Ryo used magic for the mock battle, the village would be gone."
"Oi!"
Ryo and Hugh replied with the same sound.
Ryo meant 'That's not true.'
Hugh meant 'Really?'
The three people from Room 10, who were listening next to them, were thinking about the same thing.
(Never ask Ryo for a mock battle)
It was just past noon.
"Kyaaaa-"
A woman's scream entered the ears of the four from Room 10, who were helping to remove the insects.
"Where did that come from?"
"East. Towards the forest."
The four picked up the weapons they have set aside and ran in the direction of the scream.
Along the way, they were joined by the Hero party who also heard the scream.
At the place where they arrived, a woman from the village was sitting on the ground.
Beyond her line of sight were bloodied humans.
"For the time being, please check everyone's pulse."
The priest Graham from the Hero's party called to his party members and the four from Room 10.
"There is a pulse."
"Here too."
"It's very weak, but it seems there is."
"...No pulse."
The bloodied humans were the Kyradea adventurers.
There should have been ten people, five from Dragon Agito and five from Five Binary Stars, but there were only seven there.
Moreover, of the seven who returned, two of them didn't have a pulse.
"He's in the most danger. And this one. I will cure these two people. Etho, please treat the person who seems to be third in danger. The other two are not in danger of losing their lives so somebody please give them potions."
As expected, Priest Graham conducted magnificent triage.
Ryo was honestly impressed.
He had probably experienced many deadly encounters … and was equipped with various know-how, which were excellent assets as an adventurer.
With that in mind, Ryo took out a homemade potion from his usual bag.
"This …, I'll give the Swordsman Dogon a potion."
Ryo announced and poured the potion into Dogon's mouth.
Although his life was not in danger, he visibly suffered considerable damage.
The wounds healed the moment he drank the potion.
Ryo always thought it was a mysterious sight.
"I'm sorry … thank you for saving me."
Dogon, the leader of Dragon Agito, thanked him without his arrogant and hostile attitude from yesterday.
"You're welcome."
With the proper triage and Priest Graham's Extra Heal, and the consecutive Heals from Priest Etho, the five survived.
By that time, Hugh and Magistrate Goro also arrived at the scene and a first-aid station was established.
The three seriously injured were made to sleep in the first aid room because their lives were saved but the amount of blood loss was so great that they needed complete bed rest for a while.
The two others, including Swordsman Dogon, who were relatively lightly injured, were immediately brought to the large conference room to report.
Of course, the four from Room 10 and the Hero party followed.
What happened was something everyone was curious about.
"We fell into a trap."
Hugh wasn't the only one who frowned at Swordsman Dogon's words.
The older adventurers, such as Priest Graham and the Earth-Attribute Magician Bellrock, also frowned.
Of course, that didn't mean that the villagers set up a trap.
As expected, leaving aside F-rank adventurers, D-rank and C-rank adventurers won't fall for such traps.
In other words, falling for a trap meant that there was 'something intelligent enough to set a trap and lead humans there'.
(Speaking of monsters that make traps, first of all, would be the spider types. There are many troublesome ones … Most troublesome of all, is their poison. Other than that, ant hell? But they only live in the desert so it's impossible to find them in a forest. Anything else … a forest would fit the Centaur's habitat. But they would be completely out of their usual habitat in the southern part of the Kingdom … but it is possible. Otherwise, it could be the lesser-known Shadow Stalker. It seems that the forest is dense, so there is a possibility … but I don't want to deal with that. It's too troublesome. Thinking this far, there's been nothing but troublesome foes.)
One after another, Hugh listed the monsters that set up traps in his head.
As expected of a former A-rank adventurer.
"So what kind of trap was it?"
"It was a pitfall."
The answer caused damage to the three individuals mentioned earlier.
"No way …"
Was it Hugh or Graham who muttered that …?
'Pitfall'
It was the most rudimentary and relatively easy-to-install trap among human-made traps.
Many of the traps are set up to restrain the opponent or to deprive them of their ability to move.
Therefore, it is necessary to procure and install tools to restrain or weapons that deprive the target's ability to move.
However, pitfalls are effective even without such things.
That was because the 'hole' itself inhibited movement.
However, there were some difficulties.
It was the 'concealment of the trap'.
For the pitfall to be effective, it must be dug wide and deep.
And the hole had to be hidden so it was unnoticeable.
It was no exaggeration to say that the trap with the highest hurdle to 'conceal' was the pitfall.
On TV and video on modern Earth, a thin urethane or sponge mat is laid to hide the pitfall and camouflage is applied to it, but on 『Phi』, the forest would not have such materials.
Camouflage by combining thin branches and laying fallen leaves on them.
It requires a great deal of detailed work, and it also requires a great deal of thought to combine the branches so that they do not fall into the holes before the subject steps on them.
Would a monster do that?
The more experienced members experienced in fighting many different types of monsters could not believe it.
That the trap that was set up was a pitfall.
They had some doubts.
"In the first place, your party and the Five Binary Stars would have had Scouts, right? Why didn't they notice the trap?"
Hugh's question was answered by the Swordsman Dogon, who shook his head.
"I don't know. We maintained an exploration formation with Scouts at the front and the rear, and a Magician in the center … but the three people in front fell into the pit, including the Scout …"
When he answered that, Dogon bit his lips and looked down.
Memories of the scene must have come to mind.
(Something that confounds the senses … was something magical or poisonous set up? But I've never heard of a monster that sets up traps and uses magic or poison to confound the senses …)
Hugh thought while expressing as little as possible on his face.
"Dogon. It may be hard to remember, but you're also an adventurer. You understand the importance of reporting and the need for more information to avenge your companions? Explain what happened after they fell into the hole."
Keeping calm as much as possible, Hugh said to Dogon.
Some adventurers become stubborn when they feel strangely empathized with. Hugh, a Swordsman, knew that it was especially common among the vanguard classes.
"After the three fell into the hole, the remaining seven gathered around the hole to rescue them. Now that I think back, from the time it happened until the rescue attempt, there was no attack because they were aiming for an opening. The hole was about twice as deep as a person's height, so we started preparing to rescue them by pulling out ropes. We were attacked at that moment. We were preparing for the rescue but, of course, we still kept vigilant. But … the enemy was strong …"
"So what was that enemy?"
Hugh asked with a quieter, more subdued voice than ever before.
"It looked … like a human. But it could leap onto a tree with a single jump, its physical strength was a different league … it didn't have any weapons. It attacked with outstretched claws … those eyes, those red … eyes dyed bright red … that was …"
Speaking to that point, Dogon covered his face and crouched.
"Red eyes and extended claws …"
The Priest Graham muttered with a frown.
Perhaps that little mutter prompted the Swordsman Dogon to look up and say.
"Five Binary Star leader Joe said it was a Vampire."
Vampire.
It was a word that surprised both the inexperienced four from Room 10 and the younger ones from the Hero party.