Chapter 14: Demon’s Lair 05
The next morning, I once again visited the Adventurers’ Guild.
As soon as she saw my face, the receptionist from yesterday called out to me.
“Oh, it’s you, Soushi! The Guild Master wants to hear more details about yesterday’s incident. Could you come with me to the back?”
“Understood.”
I followed the receptionist into the Guild Master’s office.
The master of the Mecalinan Royal Capital’s Adventurers’ Guild was a man in his forties. He had a rugged, intimidating presence that screamed former adventurer.
However, beneath that boisterous exterior lay an unexpected shadow. His cheeks were sunken, and it seemed odd that he would be unable to eat if he were truly supported by the kingdom.
“So, you’re Soushi. I’m Danken, the branch chief of the Mekkena division of the Adventurers’ Guild. Sorry, but I need you to tell me the details of yesterday’s story. Oh, please take a seat over there.”
As I settled into the reception set, Guild Master Danken took a seat across from me. The receptionist quickly served us water before leaving the room.
“Now, let’s hear about this ‘Demon’ again. Please provide as much detail as you can.”
“Understood. However, I must warn you that some of the details may sound unbelievable—”
I recounted the events leading up to this point, starting from the investigation of the Gate to Another World in Oz. As I spoke, I noticed Danken’s brow furrowing deeper.
Once I finished my account, the Guild Master closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and leaned back in his chair.
“I have a general understanding of this ‘Demon’ now. I’d like to investigate this ‘Gate to Another World,’ but… to be honest, I’m not sure we have the resources for that right now.”
“Is it because there are too few adventurers? It seems like there aren’t many regular adventurers in the lobby.”
“Yeah, that’s part of it. The adventurers have scattered to other territories.”
“What about that group in black clothing? Aren’t they adventurers?”
“Those are the royal family’s Special Duty Soldiers. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t pry too much into that.”
As he spoke, Danken made a face as if he had bitten into something sour. They were adventurers directly under the royal family, but if they were called Special Duty Soldiers, then they were soldiers. It was questionable whether a being that was both an adventurer and a soldier was permissible, but judging by Danken’s demeanor, I decided it was best not to delve deeper.
“However, if left unchecked, the ‘Demon’ will undoubtedly appear. It’s an opponent that will be difficult to handle unless you’re at least B-rank, so please be cautious.”
“Understood. If the ‘Demon’ does appear, we’ll coordinate with the Royal Capital’s defense forces to deal with it.”
“Thank you. I will also assist while I’m in this city.”
“Yeah, I’d appreciate that… but—”
At that moment, Danken leaned forward, looking at me with a scrutinizing gaze.
“You are the Soushi, right? The leader of ‘Soul’s Guidance,’ the Twilight Slayer, and the Dragon Slayer?”
“Uh… yes, that’s correct.”
“I’ve heard you wield some hefty weaponry. Mind showing it to me?”
“Sure, I understand.”
I retrieved my mace from the Item Box and displayed it. Danken’s eyes widened at the sight of the Aberrant Mace, and a grin spread across his face.
“I see. Looks like luck is finally on our side. Sorry for startling you, but your story has been shared through the Guild’s information network, so any Guild Master would know about you.”
“I heard that from Mariane… the guild receptionist.”
“Ah, right, she’s your dedicated staff member. Now, that brings me to a somewhat secret request for you. Given what we’ve discussed, I assume you want to return to Oz quickly, but I’d like you to hear me out.”
“What kind of request is it?”
“Well… it seems someone is coming. Ah, this is troublesome.”
As Danken said this, I sensed the approach of three individuals.
Without knocking, they opened the door and barged into the room with an air of entitlement.
The middle-aged man at the front was clearly dressed as a high-ranking noble. The two behind him were his guards.
“Ah, Count Meltone! I apologize for your trouble in coming here. Is there something you require?”
As Danken stood to greet him, the nobleman, referred to as Count Meltone, responded with a twitch of his mustache.
“Do you not know why I am here? If you truly do not know, then you must be quite incompetent.”
“Could it be regarding the Summoning Stones? I believe we have submitted the specified quantity.”
“I instructed you to increase the number just the other day. It should be obvious to anyone not a complete fool that we will soon need a large quantity of them.”
“Even so, the number of adventurers has decreased. There aren’t many who can delve into the depths of B-rank dungeons.”
Danken’s words seemed to irritate the Count, who twisted his mouth into a scornful expression.
“That is due to your incompetence as Guild Master. Instead of making excuses, gather people quickly. There are plenty of adventurers over at Lagantz.”
“It’s impossible to pull adventurers from other territories without adjusting the material purchase prices. More importantly, Count, we have received information that the aforementioned ‘Demon’ is likely to appear in this area soon, so I wanted to bring that to your attention.”
“What…? Handle that yourselves. It is not the duty of the kingdom’s soldiers.”
“If possible, I would like to request your Special Duty Soldiers, Count. Adventurers don’t always act.”
“Silence. Do you think you are in a position to speak like that? You should simply do as you are told to avoid incurring the king’s wrath. Understand? Double the number of Summoning Stones. Otherwise—”
“Understood. I will do what I can.”
Danken raised both hands in a gesture of surrender, and the Count spat, “A lowly servant who knows no gratitude,” before turning to leave. Notably, he didn’t even glance in my direction. It was as if I didn’t exist at all.
“Sorry for showing you that unpleasant scene.”
Danken resumed his seat, a sardonic smile on his face.
“No problem. However, isn’t it a problem for nobles to come to the Guild and speak like that?”
“Well, there are various circumstances surrounding that. I plan to settle things once everything is over, but… that’s not the focus right now. Let’s continue our earlier discussion.”
“About the request, right?”
Danken looked at me again with a probing gaze.
“Actually, I need you to secretly escort someone to the southern Marquis’s residence. However, this request can only be entrusted to someone with a high level of trust within the Guild, and if any trouble arises, it could become quite troublesome. To be honest, this is a gamble for me as well… but I hope you can accept it for the sake of this country.”