Chapter 21: The Exiled Marquise Takes Responsibility 1
Hearing me say the request was a failure, Erica-san looked blankly for a few moments, then, for some reason, she lowered her face slightly and started acting embarrassed.
I was bewildered by her unexpected reaction—it was just too cute.
“Um, well, yes, that’s right. I am aware that I got a little too carried away.”
She spoke while glancing over at me.
“I do understand that in these situations, it’s proper for a lady to defer somewhat to the gentleman, but I suppose I just got caught up in the excitement…”
Her eyes met mine.
“I’m sorry. I was having so much fun that I completely forgot to leave any for you.”
Erica-san bowed her head.
“No, that’s not what I meant by failure, it’s not about there being none left for me, you know?”
“Is that so?”
“Monster hunting isn’t the same as a noble’s hunt.”
Though, admittedly, with her abilities, a swarm of about a hundred Bonbos probably isn’t much different from the deer hunts nobles undertake for sport.
“It’s my fault for not explaining, but honestly, I underestimated your abilities.”
I bowed my head.
“I never imagined you could cast that many spells simultaneously and consecutively with such precision against multiple moving targets. If I had known, I would have explained beforehand. I’m truly sorry.”
Erica-san looked perplexed at my apology.
It was probably because she still didn’t understand why the request had failed.
From her perspective, the Monsters targeted for Subjugation had already been turned to cinders.
“I’ll explain, Erica-san. About an adventurer’s job.”
Gesturing for her to follow, I started walking towards the place where the Bonbos had likely been.
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A neat circle of scorched grass marked the plains.
Judging by the size of the circle, two or three Bonbos must have been here.
No corpses remained, only a small amount of ash.
Honestly, I thought something more would be left, but I hadn’t expected this much power.
Or rather, the fact that she did this to multiple targets simultaneously really highlighted how extraordinary Erica-san was.
If the Royal Family and the high nobles wanted to keep her away from the academy, they should have just let her graduate early under special circumstances instead of trying to eliminate her.
The academy’s founding purpose is to cultivate talent that can stand up to adventurers.
This was her ability after three years; no one would have complained if they had let her graduate.
I thought this, marveling at the absurd power of the magic and the astonishing precision that kept it from affecting anything outside the circle.
“What do you see?”
Erica-san tilted her head at my question.
“Ash, is it not?”
“Yeah, there’s nothing but ash.”
It’s understandable that even she, known as a talented woman, wouldn’t know, having only lived as a noble.
In fact, her way of fighting would probably be praised among nobility.
But for an adventurer, it’s problematic.
“Do you remember what happens when Monsters die?”
“The core Magic Stone and Magic Stone Fragments, and sometimes, parts of the body might remain without turning into Magic Stone Fragments.”
Erica-san answered, looking somewhat confused, unable to grasp the intent of my question.
“That’s right. And we adventurers use those Magic Stones to prove we completed the Subjugation.”
As I said that, Erica-san immediately understood.
“Then… I see. Indeed, this means the request is a failure, doesn’t it?”
“Sorry, I should have explained from the start. It’s my fault.”
I apologized to Erica-san. This wasn’t just about trying to keep her from feeling down; it was the natural thing for an adventurer to do.
Sharing information and ensuring mutual understanding is the absolute basic principle for adventurers.
This time, I neglected that. If my master found out, I’d get a lecture.
“But the real problem isn’t that the request failed.”
To be blunt, our life as adventurers is just a cover, so failing a request isn’t a huge problem for us.
However, there are people who will definitely be troubled by this failure.
“It means we have to tell the client we subjugated the Monsters, but we can’t show any proof of the Subjugation.”
The people from the farming village that issued this request will be forced into an inconvenient choice.
Do they believe the adventurers who claim Subjugation but have no way to prove it, or not? That’s the question.
If one or two Magic Stones had remained, things might have been different, but everything turned to ash.
Besides, even if they were just Bonbo Magic Stones, turning them instantly to ash requires ridiculous power.
Continuing to issue requests to the Adventurers Guild costs money, and even if they believe the story about the Subjugation, they’ll likely still feel uneasy.
After my explanation, Erica-san thought for a moment and then said:
“Let’s go take responsibility.”
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Erica-san said she would take responsibility.
She said that since they failed, they had an obligation to explain.
I told her it wouldn’t make a difference if they had the Adventurers Guild explain, but Erica-san insisted on explaining to the Villagers herself.
That’s very like her, I thought.
The farming village was a short run away from the plains where they subjugated the Bonbos, using Physical Enhancement.
Although called a farming village, it was one that supported Hecate’s food supply.
It was well-maintained and quite large in scale.
As expected, it didn’t have a Barrier Generator, but it was surrounded by a fence, and Monster Repellent Magic Tools stood everywhere—incidentally, they looked like scarecrows.
At the village entrance, having deactivated our Physical Enhancement, we approached an elderly guard who was waiting warily, spear ready, wondering about us.
“We’re adventurers from Hecate. We came about the request submitted to the Guild. Could you take us to the person in charge?”
I said this, showing our Guild Certificates.
The man looked back and forth between my Guild Certificate and Erica-san’s with a suspicious expression.
Well, we’re both Rank 1 right now, so I get it.
He was probably thinking, ‘What business do two Rank 1 adventurers have here?’
Although suspicious of us, the man must have trusted the Guild Certificates; he permitted us entry into the village and told us where the village chief’s house was.
Well now, how will this turn out?