“Sorry for calling out to you so suddenly. I’m Ryugu, and this is my younger sister, Tina.”
The tall boy with dark brown hair and deep green eyes introduced himself first, then introduced the girl next to him to us. She’s wearing light clothing similar to the other adventurers around here instead of a uniform, so she doesn’t seem to be a student at the Royal Academy.
“Heeey, nice to meet you!”
The girl named Tina reached out as if to shake hands, closing the distance between us. When I responded with my right hand, Tina grasped my right hand with both of hers and brought her face close to mine with a zoom.
Her white-blue hair, tied in half-twins, gleamed with a sparkling luster. Her features were meticulously arranged, like a statue modeled after a goddess. The girl somehow reminded me of someone I knew, with a similar beauty. Her large, purple eyes peered intently into mine.
“Umm…?”
“Do your eyes hurt?”
“My eyes? No, not particularly…?”
“I see! That’s good!”
She seemed satisfied with my answer. Tina flashed a cheerful smile, released my hand, and stepped away from me. What was that all about…?
“Hey, don’t cause trouble, Tina. I apologize, my sister can be a bit sudden.”
“Ehehe, sorry~”
“No, it’s not that I mind, but…”
Idiot and I were captivated by the Adventurer Tags hanging from their necks. The tags were silver. According to the receptionist’s explanation, silver is three ranks above our blue, meaning they are B-rank adventurers.
Why would B-rank adventurers approach us? …Oh, right, I haven’t introduced myself yet.
“I’m Hugh. Hugh Pnosis. And this is,”
“Idiot Hortness. Pleased to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, Hugh-san, Idiot-san.”
“Nice to meet you~”
The two of them didn’t react at all to the Hortness family name. I wonder if they don’t know the Hortness family, or if they knew from the start and that’s why they approached us. They don’t seem like bad people, but I don’t quite understand their purpose.
“We shouldn’t just stand here to talk, how about we sit down somewhere?”
At Ryugu’s suggestion, Idiot and I decided to go along with it for now. We moved to a cafe near the guild and sat down facing each other at a table for four. Ryugu ordered iced tea for everyone from the waiter who came to take our order.
“The Royal Capital is nice, isn’t it? The Adventurers Guild is quiet and clean, and there’s even a stylish cafe nearby. You wouldn’t find that at a guild in the countryside.”
“Hmm. So, you two have only just arrived in the Royal Capital from the countryside?”
“Yes. We’re here to take on a request from the Royal Academy. You two will be participating in the off-campus training exercise starting the week after next, right? Every year, the Royal Academy recruits adventurers to accompany them on the off-campus training exercise through the guild.”
“So that’s why you called out to us?”
“Ah, no, that’s not the only reason.”
Ryugu took out a piece of paper from his pocket. It was an order confirmation issued by the guild to adventurers who had accepted a request.
Glancing through it, it stated that the B-rank request was to investigate the cause of monsters appearing in the forest near the Royal Capital and to exterminate them.
“About two weeks ago, just as the Royal Academy’s Inter-Class Tournament was taking place, monsters suddenly appeared. We thought we might be able to get some useful information from you two Royal Academy students, so we decided to approach you.”
“I see, so that’s why you talked to us…”
“Yes, do you know anything about it?”
Asked by Ryugu, Idiot and I exchanged glances. We know something about it, we were the closest to the monster outbreak. To be precise, I joined the forest later, but Idiot was the first to encounter and fight the monsters in the forest.
If I remember correctly, the Royal Knights Order should also be investigating the forest. I don’t know the details because I haven’t been able to meet with Prince Lucas, but the request Ryugu and Tina received is probably separate from the Royal Knights Order.
The client name listed on the order confirmation is “Kingdom of Reese”. I don’t know who in the Kingdom made the request… I should be careful about what information I share.
“We actually fought the monsters in the forest. I don’t know the cause of the outbreak, but I can tell you about the characteristics of the monsters.”
“Really? That would be a great help, please tell us.”
Together with Idiot, I told Ryugu and Tina about the characteristics of the monsters we encountered in the forest. When I think back on it, the monsters we fought were all different kinds, such as bears, rabbits, and foxes, and each had the characteristics of wild animals that live in the forest.
After listening to everything, Ryugu crossed his arms and put his fist to his lips, deep in thought.
“There are various kinds of monsters living in dungeons, but it’s rare to see so many different kinds like this… What do you think, Tina?”
“Hmm, I guess we won’t know until we actually go to the site~. If they overflowed from the dungeon, then a big shot might have been born in the depths.”
“A big shot?”
“That’s what you call a dungeon boss~. Dungeons have their own complete ecosystems inside, so monsters rarely come out. Buuut, sometimes a super strong one is born from among the monsters living in the dungeon. If that one throws off the balance of the ecosystem, it can cause a mass outbreak of monsters or a mass migration of monsters that have been driven out.”
“I see. So that’s why monsters come out of the dungeon.”
“Yup, yup! Tina thinks that’s what’s happening this time!”
“The purpose of this request is to investigate the cause of the monster outbreak, so it would be reassuring if the two of you, who actually fought the monsters at the site, could accompany us. We promise a reward equal to or greater than a D-rank request. What do you say?”
“Hmm… Do you mind, Idiot?”
“Yes, very well. This Idiot Hortness shall cooperate with you!”
“Ahaha. Thank you, Idiot-san.”
Ryugu laughed off Idiot’s arrogant attitude. Tina was also smiling for some reason. They’re both very magnanimous…
Anyway, getting the same reward as a D-rank request just for accompanying the investigation is huge. With that much, I should be able to pick out a decent birthday present for Rouge.
Speaking of which, I wonder what Rouge is doing right now. I thought she would want to come with us, but she easily sent us off, saying, “Sorry, I have plans with Lily and the others!”
If she’s with Lily and the others, then Lecty must be with them too. I asked Alissa-san to take over as their guard, and if Lily and Lecty are by her side, then there’s nothing to worry about.
…Or so it should be, but I have a strange feeling, or something.
I hope nothing happens…