The Decision

The city of Lunéville, located south of Rondéville Kingdom's royal capital.

Back when Pinéaville to the east was Akradist Kingdom territory, known then as Pinéadist, Lunéville had developed into a walled fortress city, an important base against invasion from the east.

However, the Pinéa region was unified during the king-before-last's reign. When the previous king invited Akradist's first princess to be his queen, the area lost its importance as a military base. It had also fallen off the supply transport route to the royal capital. From then on, its walls no longer suited it as it transitioned into an agricultural city.

Not that it had any specialty product to speak of, even though it was called an agricultural city. Two large thieves guilds whose reach spanned Rondéville, [Sal of the Copper Paper] and [Mabelt of the Lotus], fought one another for supremacy over its underworld.

Of course, while most citizens would leave a city like that, some couldn't for various reasons. They spent their days in fear and destitution while the guilds fought.

Then came Hector, demoted (self-proclaimed) to a troublesome posting of such low importance.

And then there was Frank, a man chosen to serve as the Guild Association's Lunéville Branch Manager at the young age of twenty-seven.

Through these two men's efforts, the two thieves guilds were driven out without a trace, transforming the city into a safe place where everyone could live free of worldly cares.

It was this place that the girl, Ilya Schultz, set her eyes on.

"I'll never forgive anyone who disturbs my peace and quiet. I-it's not like I'm doing it for the townspeople or (abridged)"

Finally finding Lunéville after her long life as a wanderer, it was her haven.

 

*

 

"An inn town?"

Ilya had met with Frank in the parlor. Haku was sleeping soundly while rolled into a ball on her apron.

"Has Ilya noticed that the number of people coming here has increased recently?"

"Yes… mostly."

She knew that the majority of arrivals came for the cooking.

The rest came sniffing out the money trail — Commerce and Industry Guild members targeting travelers and other guild members.

Ilya's read on the situation wasn't far off the mark.

"Though Lunéville has come to be regarded as safe and peaceful compared to the surrounding cities, even the royal capital has taken notice. It seems that a development plan for Lunéville came up at the budget compilation meeting the other day."

Looking over the documents Frank presented her, she did indeed see promising plans to redevelop Lunéville into an inn town. The last of those documents had even been carefully stamped with the Rondéville king's seal.

The contents concerned boundaries and road maintenance. A new road was scheduled for construction, replacing the one they had used up to that point.

"Was Hector-san at the royal capital?"

"Yeah… he was complaining about the aristocrats' tastes. He passed just the draft plan along to us ahead of time."

(My condolences.)

Was it better to call it house arrest or imprisonment? Ilya figured the other aristocrats had probably broken out in something like an allergic reaction to the rise of an upstart noble they had meant to keep shelved.

"Did Hector-san have something to say about the project?"

"No, I haven't heard. But judging from the fact that he passed it along to us, he probably isn't all that opposed. If that man seriously disliked it, he would have torn it up and thrown it away on the spot."

"I-is that so?"

She had the impression he was gentle, so that was surprising.

"Normally we'd make do within the budget the country allots us, but this time it seems we have to submit an estimate before the next budget compilation. They probably want us to calculate the expenses for the case where the work is put out as a guild commission."

"To the guild…? To begin with, how far are they planning to turn this into an inn town? I don't understand the plan."

"By how far, do you mean the scale?"

"No, the kind of people who would be staying here."

Accommodations for the upper class would be one thing, but if they were going to build lodgings where several people bedded down together on the floor, she couldn't approve.

"More people means public security deteriorates right along with them. If we attract the wrong sort of clientele and snuff out Lunéville's strengths, it would defeat the whole purpose."

"Most of them would come as guild members though. I doubt they'd spend much money on lodging."

"I take it you have no objections to maintaining our current quality of clientele?"

Frank thought for a moment, then nodded.

"The one thing I'd like to avoid is this situation continuing, after all."

"… Mmm."

Recently, most of the inns had been at max occupancy.

At its worst, the branch would even lend out its private rooms to those unable to secure lodgings.

The branch had also put out a commission for citizens who owned houses to rent out their rooms.

Fearing a sellout more than being left with a little unsold stock was, from a marketing standpoint, about as bad a state as could be.

"Gathering all the landowners and working with them to establish residence areas and inns is Hector-san's job, right? Would it be right to say that we'll budget the construction costs for inns aimed at the landowners, plus the infrastructure improvement costs to explain to Hector-san?"

"Yeah. I've sent word to Charon as well, so he should bring some Industry Guild people over."

The people being called over this time were architectural engineers belonging to the Industry Guild.

Housing construction differed from general commissions. Each party (contractors rather than groups) would gather and hold a construction commission meeting at the guild. Then each party would estimate the costs, and the one with the lowest bid among them would win the rights to the construction.

Whether they participated in the meeting was up to each party, with larger parties staying away from low-profit commissions by an unspoken agreement.

Though it was also possible for a client to send the commission directly to a party rather than through the guild, the perks like contribution credit and rank-ups disappeared in that case, so unless there was a special circumstance, such arrangements rarely happened.

Accordingly, if the Mercenary Guild's duty was to manage and unify the guild members belonging to it, the Industry Guild's role was to maintain reasonable pricing and check for moral hazards in the construction industry. It also had a role in maintaining and advancing technique, but as things stood, that had been left entirely to the individual trades.

By the way, in the case of do-it-yourselfers, they could accept commissions even without being qualified as Industry Guild members. Because there were no carpenters in Lunéville, Sullivan, who repaired and sold arms and armor, often took those orders himself.

Now back to the main subject.

The first step was to make arrangements with the Industry Guild representatives and calculate rough expenses for inns of differing scale and facilities. Then, based on those costs, they would look among the landowners for anyone willing to rebuild their property as an inn.

However, there was one point of uncertainty that had to be clarified before going any further.

"The documents only list a budget for road maintenance, but will subsidies be granted for the inn construction and the relocation that comes with it?"

"That's right… the country's spearheading it, so I don't see any problem including those as expenses too."

"… Though it sounds like Hector-san might say he'd cover the subsidies himself."

Ilya figured the country would probably want to grant favors and provide them, but plans couldn't be built on wishful thinking.

At any rate, it wasn't a waste of effort to identify the worrisome factors.

"Then we'll also need to transport the construction materials and arrange guards for them, as well as guards for the road maintenance."

"Yeah. Given the situation, the order would probably be foundation work on the construction districts first, then building the inns, then road maintenance."

"… That'll mean more people."

"That's right. Even if we assign mercenaries already in Lunéville to guard duty, a substantial number of personnel will be staying here. Could we cover it?"

By "it," he was of course referring to meals.

"If we buy up a large quantity of foodstuffs and switch to delivering it, I don't think there will be a problem… What about food and drink shops?"

"As for that, well… there's not much we can do unless someone turns up wanting to open a shop."

"Is that so…"

Though to tell the truth, something like that was inconsequential to Ilya. What she was truly worried about was an increase in monsters along with the increase in people.

Considering the source of monsters, it wasn't hard to fall into a vicious cycle, since the number of monsters grew proportional to the number of people.

More people meant more monsters. To exterminate the monsters, more people gathered.

A true vicious cycle.

For the guild's purposes, more monsters meant more commissions, so it all worked out. However, since the plan this time was essentially an invitation for more monsters to come, it produced a contradiction. The guild, which was supposed to remove the town's threats, was exposing it to greater danger for the sake of profit. So even though it went against what she truly wanted, Ilya, a mere receptionist, couldn't intervene.

More importantly though, she knew that the townspeople wanted the expansion.

(There's no way I could go against it.)

Muttering that in her mind, she settled her murky feelings.

 

*

 

After many conferences and meetings, around a month passed before the documents and commission registrations were completed in various places, plus another several weeks for transporting the materials and starting construction.

"Ilya, sorry! Please bring this to Elizah!"

Accepting the dish from the kitchen next to the counter, she headed for the temporary terrace set up outside the entrance.

Just as she was about to open the door, Elizah threw it open from the other side. Since Ilya was nimble — and so was Elizah — they passed each other without colliding, as though dancing gracefully.

"Ah, sorry Ilya! Thanks!"

"It's alright, I can bring it. Elizah, you take the rest."

"Got it!"

On the other side of the door, twelve large tables had been placed on the terrace facing the main street. They were all packed. The inside was always like that, but it had gotten so bad that there were people standing outside eating and drinking too.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, here is your yakitori."

""" Oooh～! """

"Allow me to take your empty dishes."

They were getting drunk, so she immediately retreated when she sensed danger in their gazes. Trading wry smiles with Elizah, who came out as though to swap places with her, she returned inside to find Frank standing at the counter. He had likely been covering reception in Ilya's place.

"Sorry, Frank-san."

"No, I underestimated it. Sorry to you too, Luke. You had to come in even though tonight isn't your shift."

"It's fine, I've got a lot of free time on my hands anyway."

Frank smiled wryly. That was just how Luke was.

Currently, Ria, Rachelle, and the wolf beastkin Darren were on the second floor serving tables. Elizah, Clarice, and Cynthia were moving about the first floor serving tables. Ilya and Luke were at the reception desk.

In other words, everyone was working. They were so packed that even Darren and Clarice, who mainly handled reception duties, had to take turns waiting tables.

"But this is an incredible number of people…"

Catching Frank's mutter, Ilya glanced over the dining area.

New faces were mixed in with their regulars, primarily Industry Guild workers. With the rush of inn construction and area development, Lunéville's population had temporarily swelled considerably. That they had gotten by with merely adding a terrace was thanks to the portion delivered directly to the construction site.

"Should we be worried about not hiring more waiters ahead of time?"

"Please don't forget about the kitchen."

"T-that's right."

Her stamina wouldn't be a problem thanks to her cheat, but doing it alone would be mentally stressful.

Partly at Hector's own request, the Association's Lunéville Branch was already in the middle of expanding its dining area. The building next to the branch was currently under construction, but Frank still hadn't decided on its opening staff.

The reason Frank was still racking his brains was that he remained on guard after the assassins who had infiltrated the other day.

(Even though I keep telling him I'll say so if I find any…)

When she scowled lightly at Frank with a pout, the man himself felt Ilya's gaze and turned toward her.

"Do you think the branch's functions are fine as they are?"

"Yes. For everyone's capabilities, the work up to now has been far too undemanding."

"Un. That's right."

"If the branch's operations grow, we can just remodel the second floor's dining area into an office."

"Right."

Nonetheless, the fact remained that handling both waiting tables and reception duties at the moment was a heavy burden.

Ilya decided to snap up anyone who looked like they could help the next chance she got.

 

*

 

Early the next morning, Ilya headed down to the branch's basement warehouse.

The warehouse was built so that no one could enter or leave without the key. It was currently being used as a prison to confine the two assassins.

Though they were confined, the conditions were better than a cheap inn — a provided bed and three simple meals a day.

However, the residents' gazes met Ilya opening the lock with palpable wariness.

"You've been restrained for so long, I'm sorry."

Even after hearing Ilya's apology, the two didn't let down their guard.

Judging that such roundabout methods would get her nowhere, Ilya decided to get straight down to business.

"Thieves Guild members Bard-san, Katie-san. Your sentences have been decided, so I've come to inform you."

At the sound of their names, both of their bodies jolted.

Their restraints had been undone when they were placed in the prison after interrogation. And now, Ilya had opened their only escape route. Yet their bodies wouldn't move.

It was as though they couldn't go against the girl in front of them — as if their bodies had been ordered to stay still.

"Sentences, huh. You planning to use us in negotiations with the guild or something?"

Bard fought to keep his voice from quivering, doing his best to maintain his facade.

"Well, even though I said your sentences have been decided, the final decision depends on your own actions."

"…?"

Both of them gave Ilya questioning looks at her strange phrasing.

"Let's play a game of tag."

"Huh…?"

They doubted their ears.

Although they hadn't gone through a normal, naive childhood, they knew the rules of tag.

Which made it all the harder to understand her intentions.

Ilya watched the two perplexed faces with satisfaction and continued.

"The range is the entire town of Lunéville. You run, I'll seek. If either of you manages to stay hidden until nightfall, you'll be acquitted. If you're caught, both of you will have to do what I say."

"—"

Don't underestimate us.

Though he wanted to shout that, he did his best to suppress it.

"… Any other rules?"

"The moment you leave Lunéville, or the moment you harm a resident, consider your lives forfeit."

Her expression hadn't changed at all. The girl's dangerous tone made them hold their breath.

"There are no additional rules. Any questions?"

Seeing the two respond with silence, Ilya nodded.

"Well then, I'll return to the branch. Feel free to take this time to leave."

Ilya saw them off with a bow, leaving Bard dumbfounded.

It worked in his favor that she was underestimating him. Whatever ulterior motives she had, he just needed to overcome them.

"Katie. We'll split up after leaving this warehouse. Focus on that woman, think only of staying away from her."

"Got it."

Once Ilya's presence was completely gone, Katie nodded at Bard. The two carefully but quickly distanced themselves from the warehouse.

 

*

 

Though he had expected Ilya to come after them from the start, it was just past midday before she actually left the branch.

At present, Katie was hiding some distance away, just barely able to sense Ilya's presence; she'd kept her distance to secure an escape route. Bard, meanwhile, was erasing his own presence while concealed in a spot where he could see the branch, subverting the premise that he was supposed to be running away. He was contriving to escape detection while shadowing the seeker's movements.

Since it had been early morning when Ilya came down to see them, half the time had already passed.

(Is she planning to exhaust us mentally…?)

The anxious Bard didn't look weary at all. He smiled, thinking that was unfortunate for her.

But the very next moment, Bard stopped smiling and bolted away as fast as he could.

(I-impossible!)

Ilya, who had just exited the branch's staff entrance, casually paused for a moment and stared at Bard, then began walking straight toward him.

(Didn't I erase my presence!?)

He frantically reassessed his situation, but not a single citizen paid Bard any attention.

Bard ran at full speed thinking Ilya was in pursuit, but there were no signs of her catching up.

Calming down upon realizing he wouldn't lose in a contest of leg strength, Bard began searching for another suitable spot to watch for Ilya's approach.

Meanwhile, Katie was flustered.

(Eh…? She disappeared…!?)

That mass of presence… she had felt it clearly as far as it moved away from the branch, and then she lost it.

Katie could pick up even her partner Bard's presence, faint as it was, from the waver of his breathing. Yet she couldn't feel Ilya's presence in the slightest.

That left her deeply shaken.

(What do I do…)

Bard had told her to focus on evading that presence.

She couldn't find the presence. So now she had to run.

But where?

Based on what?

Her mind unable to get past those questions, her body naturally wouldn't move.

(What do I do…—)

A chill ran through her. Thinking was hopeless. Her head began to ache as the same problem cycled around and around.

Katie couldn't suppress the sensation she had long since forgotten.

"Caught you."

Someone caught her collapsing body.

"Be at ease. Please rest for now."

She sensed the presence and heard the voice — without a doubt, Ilya's.

She was caught.

The instant she realized that, Katie lost consciousness without even seeing Ilya's face.

 

*

 

Several hours after Katie's defeat.

Bard was completely exhausted.

Even though he hid himself while running, Ilya slowly closed the distance no matter what he did.

Her stride never paused; she clearly knew where Bard was at all times.

(I can't run away…)

At least, not so long as he was inside Lunéville. The moment he thought that—

"You've obviously slowed down. Getting tired?"

Ilya, who should have been about as small as his thumb in the distance, was right in front of him.

Did I black out?

Bard wondered for a moment, but the positions of the people around him had hardly changed.

(So I can't beat her in speed either?)

Standing still in a daze from that realization, Bard felt Ilya's hand on his shoulder.

"Caught you."

Bard looked at Ilya.

The elf girl's smile was beautiful, but she was a monstrosity greater than any magic beast.

Bard, who had lost even the will to fight back, went limp.

"Allow me to guide you to the inn where Katie-san is resting. Since the inn is also the branch's lodging, please don't do anything strange there, okay?"

"… I won't."

He followed Ilya obediently.

In this way, Ilya achieved her first goal of determining how they would be treated, as well as her second goal of making them recognize the gulf in their abilities.

 

*

 

The next day.

A man and woman standing in front of Ilya were wearing the branch's uniform.

"… Hey, why do I have to wear something like this?"

"I thought it suited you nicely though? Don't you think so too, Katie-san?"

"Un. Bard, it fits you."

Praised by Katie, Bard didn't seem entirely displeased.

However, the moment he noticed Ilya looking at them, he immediately went back to scowling.

"… You really think we can do something like serve customers?"

"It's not a question of whether you can. You're going to. You lost the game, after all."

Bard held his tongue at that line.

Bard, a black panther beastkin, had black hair and tanned skin. His slim, tall figure's moderate muscles showed through the branch uniform, which looked like butler attire. Katie had soft black hair and fair skin; being a saluki-type dog beastkin, her ears hung down. Her black-based uniform contrasted beautifully with the white frills that swayed as she moved.

The only thing that dissatisfied Ilya was that Katie had been trained so her tail wouldn't react along with her emotions.

(Such a waste.)

By having offered up more information on the Thieves Guild, their punishments had been deferred. Even though they were on a sort of parole, what would eventually be done with them was still unclear.

Ilya had gotten Frank's permission to meet them, and seeing that they hadn't killed themselves or done anything strange despite having their restraints undone, she once again concluded they weren't brainwashed.

Accordingly, she had suggested a game.

As for what Ilya, the winner, told the two to do? To work as staff for the branch, of course.

"And so, you two will work here from now on. I'll give you both manuals, so Bard-san, please learn reception duties from Luke. And Katie-san, please learn waitress duties from Ria."

"Got it."

"… Tch."

She poked Bard in the forehead.

Even though her strength was suppressed by her equipment, if she put in a bit of effort it would feel like being struck by a blunt weapon.

"Owww～…!"

"Take this lightly and I'll seriously beat you up."

"O-okay…"

Training from the start was important. Although she didn't like violence — aside from love taps for her enemies — she'd assured Frank beforehand that she would take responsibility, so she wouldn't do this half-baked. One way or another, it seemed to be effective.

It was still early in the morning, so there weren't many guests coming in. You could call it the perfect time to learn their duties. They'd pick up the basics of the job as the breakfast crowd grew, learning by watching their surroundings. Nothing was to be left to chance.

… At least, nothing should have been.

 

*

 

"Bastard, say that again!"

"I'm saying, with you guys' skills, this commission is waaay too dangerous for you!"

"O-oi, Bard-kun!"

Across from Bard was a group of five guild members. Luke's attempts to restrain him weren't working either, so it had turned into a head-on confrontation.

"… Haaah."

"Pi?"

When Ilya moved with a small sigh, Haku followed her without a care in the world.

She was seized by the urge to abandon the problem and just dote on him, but she told herself she was on the clock and suppressed the desire.

"The fuck would a receptionist like you know!?"

"I'm telling you, you're in for a painful time if you take this li—"

"Are you really the one to be saying that, Bard-san?"

She addressed him with a sweet smile, but he quickly shut his mouth as though out of fear.

(That's odd～. Even though I smiled normally.)

"Monster…"

"Aah!? Who are you to call Ilya a monster, bastard!!"

Everyone blinked at Luke's sudden anger, Ilya included. Let alone showing anger, this was the first time he'd even raised his voice.

What had brought that on?

(… Wait, not that!)

Coming back to her senses, she composed her expression and asked the two.

"Could you explain what happened?"

"Ah, yes. He looked at the commission chart these gentlemen brought in and said it was dangerous."

"Oi, that's not what you said! Don't lie!"

Temporarily leaving the apology to the exasperated customer to Luke, she checked the commission charts.

There were two of them. The first was for rondélocusts. The second was—

(A laoloa boar…)

She'd seen its name in the registry relatively recently. What's more, the commission's designated area was the same place. The previous subjugation commission for the laoloa boars had been successful and their numbers should have decreased, but—

(Maybe I should check whether they're multiplying again?)

With that thought lingering in the back of her mind, she looked again at the guild members trying to accept the commission. Their formation was one swordsman, two pugilists (one of whom had a chain technique skill), one mage, and an alchemist.

"Bard-san. Please explain properly why you think it's dangerous."

"A-ah? Nah, too much trouble."

"Did you want to pick a fight? Or did you want to give them advice?"

"…"

His silence meant it was without a doubt the latter. Considering his awkward personality, his bluntness when giving advice was generally because he was embarrassed.

(… Is he a child!?)

While giving him a tsukkomi in her head, she put on another outward smile.

"If you were just picking a fight, will you accept a suitable punishment?"

"I-I get it! I'll say it, okay!? You guys… you ever fought a locust-type or a laoloa boar before?"

"Aah? 'Course we have."

"In the warrior examination."

"Then have you fought them together?"

"… No, but—"

(Bard-san, success.)

Convinced, Ilya was relieved.

"If you've fought locusts, you know they have a toxin… you know that, right? Laoloa boars have low toxin resistance — it spreads through their whole body very fast. Same with the rondélocust… get it?"

"Ah…"

The two pugilists frowned. The other three looked puzzled at first, but they too frowned the moment they understood what he meant.

"It's not a problem if you hunt 'em separately. But what if you run into them together and the boar's infected?"

At a time like that, a laoloa boar would probably go into a rage. What made the rage state terrifying was that it would keep running until it completely lost sight of its enemy or killed it (or until it died itself). It wouldn't care in the slightest that it was being eaten away by its own toxin.

Rear-guard mages would be fine. But the swordsman cutting it would spread its bodily fluids, and the pugilists would have to strike it directly. If they touched a body or blood infected by the toxin, they'd probably only hold out for a few seconds even with their resistances.

Could they fight a large number of enemies while protecting a comrade the toxin had gotten into?

Seeing them, Bard had judged it to be difficult. That was why he'd warned them it was dangerous.

"… What'll we do?"

The others were starting to worry as well.

Especially the pugilists, who had particularly high levels — their other comrades seemed to be avoiding saying anything direct about it.

Ilya decided to ask Bard a question to push the conversation along.

"Well, what does Bard-san think they should do?"

"Huh?"

"It's not advice unless you give a suggestion. You shouldn't just tell people something is impossible, alright?"

"Even if you say that…"

Bard brooded over it, but couldn't easily come to a conclusion.

Luke, who had been watching the situation unfold from the side, finally couldn't take it anymore and spoke up.

"Since you do have a Magic Guild member with you, how about making magic your main offense?"

When Luke spoke, the five just looked at each other awkwardly.

Although mages belonged to the Magic Guild, their abilities varied widely. Mages who could rack up kills even with low-class magic like Lula and York were rare, and it was unusual for excellent practitioners to join a faction to begin with.

Even without being able to assess ability like Ilya could, you could roughly predict how capable a mage travelling with a group of warriors was.

"But my magic isn't that strong."

Luke wasn't fazed by the confession. On the contrary, he smiled to put them at ease.

"Let's set aside the question of how powerful your magic is for now and prioritize safety over efficiency. Even if your magic is modest, you can take one down with a few shots, right?"

"Well, more or less."

"But if I fire, won't they come after me? And there's no guarantee others won't show up too."

"Does everyone know how the boars chase down intruders?"

"With their legs… wait, that's not it. Isn't it with their eyes?"

"Though they do ultimately confirm their enemies with their eyesight, boar-types living in forests generally have poor vision. With the field of vision peculiar to carnivores, they can't search for enemies while running about. They use their protruding snouts to track their enemy's scent, chasing after it. For that reason, I recommend everyone use a sachet or perfume."

"So we throw off their scent, huh?"

Once it had been explained that far, they apparently had enough experience to put the rest together, and the five-member group began devising a strategy on their own.

A standard party would use bags or the like soaked with an intensified version of their own scent as decoys, or attach them to a tree to opportunistically aim for damage.

However, they had an alchemist with them. Ilya knew his abilities were still developing and he could only make grass and trees grow, but by growing branches on a tree and applying scent to them, those branches could become spike-like traps; just setting up a bundle of vines coiled into the shape of a person on rocks or by the waterside should be effective enough.

Of course, she wouldn't go so far as to interrupt their conversation. Just Luke's advice was probably enough this time.

"We'll get outfitted at the tool shop. If we do that, you got no complaints about us taking the job, right?"

"… Please don't forget about the rondélocusts either."

"We get it."

With Luke's support, Bard haltingly finished registering their acceptance.

Watching the group of five leave in high spirits as though they'd already forgotten the quarrel, Bard felt relieved.

"… You… helped me out. Reception work is tough too, huh."

"That's right. Though what I just told them was second-hand information."

"It was? Did the Branch Manager tell you?"

"No no, Ilya did. Most of what I just said, she said beforehand."

He looked toward Ilya with a sour expression.

(… I wonder if he really dislikes me that much?)

She did somewhat feel that Luke needn't have gone out of his way to name her, but she also disliked the idea of awkwardly denying it and coming off as angling for credit for her modesty.

"Whether or not they'll put the information to use is up to them. Bard-san can learn various things from Luke as well."

In the end he still gave her a dubious look, but this time, without any of his usual defiance, Bard straightened his posture.

As for Katie, who was still timidly carrying trays around, Ilya simply wanted her to acquire and improve her skills.

(When the time is right, I'll have Bard-san predict the subjugation methods of those who take on hunt commissions.)

Then, when subjugations were completed, the state of the materials they brought back would serve as the answer key.

Just that much would be enough to revise his understanding, and he'd surely put in the effort to improve his skills.

As Ilya was returning to the counter while thinking that over, she locked gazes with someone who had just come into the branch.

"Morning. Is Frank in?"

The one who walked up to the counter was Hector, the lord.

"Good morning. I think he is in his room right now, should I call for him?"

"Yeah, thanks. Could we use the parlor?"

"Yes. This way, please."

Holding Haku, Ilya went up to the third floor accompanied by Hector.

"Those were the ones you mentioned at the counter?"

"Yes. I had them start helping today."

"I'm sure it'll be fine since you decided on it… but the busy waiters aside, was it really necessary for him to be at the reception desk?"

"Of course."

The reason she'd proposed hiring them wasn't just for their sake.

"I expect there will be more commissions from now on, so I'm preparing for that."

"More commissions? Because of the construction work?"

"… That's not unrelated to it, at least."

Ilya held her tongue and said nothing more.

She couldn't disclose information that no one but her knew. That was one of the bans she'd imposed on herself. She couldn't tell them the cause behind the increase in monsters. Still, knowing what the outcome would be, she would make sure to vaguely tell them to prepare.

"… Is that so. The Elves' Precepts are troublesome."

"They are… I'm sorry."

The Elves' Precepts really did exist, but of course they had nothing to do with this. She was simply using the elves' habit of not involving themselves with other races as camouflage.

The restoration magic used to treat the beastkin group Bard had attacked, as well as her knowledge of seasonings, she fudged over by passing them off as elven wisdom.

The elven race was an intelligent one, widely known for its insular personality. No one would so much as doubt her lie.

"Frank-san, good morning. Hector-sama is here to see you."

"… Morning, Ilya. Haku too."

"Pi!"

After that, she prepared black tea for them in the parlor and tried to slip away. However—

"Ah, it'd help if Ilya stayed to listen as well."

"… Certainly."

Like last time, she couldn't get away this time either. Although it was her superior's order, she still felt it was wrong for a mere receptionist like her to sit in on such an important conversation.

(Even though I'm not Frank-san's butler or secretary or anything…)

Their conversation primarily covered the construction work's progress and the cost of hiring more workers for additional construction. Another topic was guards for an investigation around Lunéville to study the monsters.

Monsters were a threat to all races, and all nations would cooperate in studying their ecologies and capabilities… be that as it may, they wouldn't release all of the information they had on those ecologies to non-allies. As for their capabilities, as things stood, the guilds that actually carried out the subjugations knew more about them than anyone.

You might think the various nations' research facilities would feel ashamed about that, but they probably didn't want to compromise their position. It was simply better that they weren't disseminating dubious information based on empty theories.

When the business talk ended, the two moved on to small talk.

Even though Hector and Frank weren't directly acquainted, their careers had things in common. A lot of places outside Rondéville came up in their conversation.

Since Hector accumulated considerable stress in the royal capital every day, he was more talkative than usual.

Ilya was doting on Haku, thinking it would be rude to interrupt their conversation, when there was a knock at the door.

She walked over and opened it. Ria came into view and bowed.

"Frank-san. Aryune's mayor is here to see you. Should I have him wait in the second floor's private room?"

"Did you hear what his business was?"

"He said it was about monster subjugation."

"… If it's alright, I'd like to sit in as well. Do you mind?"

Accepting Hector's request, Ria left to guide Aryune's village mayor to the parlor.

Ilya stayed as though it were the natural thing to do.

(Either way is fine though.)

If it was about a commission, she'd likely hear about it afterwards anyway.

Thinking that to herself, Ilya prepared black tea for the village mayor as well and moved to wait behind Frank.

Taking that as his cue, the village mayor began to speak haltingly.

"Branch Manager-dono. Are you aware of the monsters that have been appearing around my village recently?"

"Yeah. We received a subjugation commission for that, and if I recall, the acceptance was registered at our reception desk."

"… Yes. Though that's true…"

Frank and Hector both frowned at his vagueness.

However, if what he was hesitating to say was what Ilya suspected, it would be a difficult situation for the two of them. Judging so, Ilya stepped in to help.

"Did the same kind of monster reappear?"

"—! You knew?"

"No, it just seemed like something difficult for you to bring up. Should we put out an emergency commission?"

"Well, that's…"

The village mayor looked down again.

(I think I get what he wants to say.)

"I tried to put together the funds from the village to put out a commission…"

"But there are those who doubt the previous ones were hunted at all?"

"—… Yes."

There were few monsters in the Lunéville region. If the same kind of monster reappeared so soon, it might not have been hunted at all. It was reasonable that people might think so and harbor doubts.

Even though the number subjugated couldn't be falsified under the registration card system, there was still a possibility that the Guild Association could be suspected of pocketing the money.

"Then how about this time we bring proof that they were hunted, and you pay the commission reward and the intermediary fee as soon as you're satisfied?"

"Is that alright!?"

The village mayor was looking at Frank, the branch manager, rather than Ilya, who had proposed it.

Though that was natural given their positions, his reaction was something not often seen in this town — a fresh sight to relish.

"… We'll handle it as a special case."

"Thank you!"

After the village mayor signed the commission chart they drew up and left, Frank asked Ilya for an explanation.

"The problem didn't really look serious enough to go that far, did it?"

"Treat it like a kind of investment for the future. When the number of monsters increases from here on, there will be more damage if people who distrust the guild refuse to pay for commissions."

The two agreed with her.

However, Hector still hesitated.

"Still, you think there are going to be more monsters in the future?"

"… It's likely, at least. The village may have trouble bearing it. You might want to think about some countermeasures, such as raising taxes or taking out a loan."

"To go that far…"

Frank wore a serious expression.

(Ah, oops. Did I say too much?)

Without changing her demeanor or tone, she continued to explain to the two as though it weren't anything to worry about.

"There's no downside to being prepared. I think it's fine so long as you keep it in mind."

"… Understood."

Although Ilya was trying to avoid fanning the flames of anxiety as much as she could—

(It's better than making things worse.)

She decided to think positively.

 

*

 

This was the first time Katie had held a respectable job, and it was hectic enough that her head was spinning.

In the morning, she woke up before sunrise. She showered and got dressed while fighting off her drowsiness.

Walking from the inn where she was lodging on unsteady feet, she came in through the staff entrance. The office appeared in front of her.

"Ah, morning Katie."

"… Morning."

"Mornin'～… you look sleepy. Don't fall asleep on your feet and drop the dishes, okay?"

"I'm alright… I think."

Leaving the office, Katie headed into the dressing room beyond it.

Though she was confident in her stamina, she wasn't used to living a normal life among a group of people, and it had worn her out more than she'd expected.

There was also a mental source for her fatigue.

For instance, that interaction with Desiree and Claude just now.

She wondered whether they knew what she'd done.

If they didn't know, she felt guilty for deceiving them, and if they did know, she couldn't understand how they could be so accepting.

She couldn't sort out her own feelings and couldn't figure out a solution.

Even so, the reason she was reporting to work without running away was the order Ilya had given her.

Reaching the locker with her name on it in the changing room, Katie started changing into her uniform.

"Ah, Katie. Morning～"

"Morning, Ria."

Beside Katie, who was fumbling with her change of clothes, Ria briskly put on her uniform.

Katie was struggling to get the string at her lower back threaded through properly when it suddenly disappeared from her hands.

As she tried to twist around to see her back, Ria leaned forward to help.

"Hold still a second."

Probably due to her lack of sleep, her concentration had dropped so low that she hadn't even noticed Ria moving behind her.

"Alright, done."

Katie bowed to Ria, who wore a gleeful smile.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh? It's fine, it's fine. The uniform's cute, but I had trouble at first too. And at times like this, you're supposed to say thank you."

"Is that… so? Got it."

Beside Katie, who was blinking, Ria closed her locker and headed to the office.

"Nee-chan, my order?"

 

"Coming."

"Katie-chan, can you get the next one?"

"Y-yes."

"Katie, take empty plates away if you see them while taking orders."

"G-got it."

"Katie—! Take this to table three—"

Pulled this way and that, she was kept constantly busy.

So busy her head spun, she had no room to even feel drowsy.

 

 

 

 

If anything came close to relief for her, it was probably lunch and her two breaks.

Excessive fatigue dulls the appetite, but the branch's staff cooking had a magic to it that made you forget all about that the moment you tasted it.

"But you know Jimmy-san? Looks like he's trying to woo Ninonne."

"Aaa～h. My condolences…"

"And then Ninonne-san caught him bawling and begging his wife for forgiveness."

"Wooow…"

Gossip was being traded during their break in the office, but it was all talk that held no interest for Katie.

Even she didn't know what sort of conversation she would be interested in to begin with. And while she and the other waitstaff were run ragged, she couldn't help thinking that the office staff seemed to have it easy.

"Katie, good work today. Elizah should be here soon, so you can wrap up."

"Got it."

The branch's waiters worked in three time slots: morning to evening, noon to night, and evening to night. Katie still wasn't trusted with the busiest slot of evening to night.

As she changed in the dressing room, a voice called out to her from the office.

"Good work today. Ilya said she'd prepare a meal for you. Want to eat?"

"Un. I'll eat."

She agreed without hesitation — she'd eat anything Ilya made with relish.

Katie had returned to her inn having forgotten her fatigue thanks to the satisfaction of a full stomach, but it surged back the moment she entered her room. She rushed to bed without showering.

Then she realized it was the next day.

After that, she repeated a similar day all over again.

Days without trading in lives, work where she didn't have to kill her heart.

She wasn't dissatisfied. She even felt she was lucky.

Waking up early to shower.

Heading to the branch and changing into her uniform.

Waiting tables and taking her breaks.

Finishing her work and sleeping like a log.

But with every day like that, dregs accumulated in her heart and mind.

 

*

 

"Well, your training ends with today, so do your best, okay?"

"Eh…?"

What the end of her training meant was that she would lose Ria's assistance. Seeing Katie's pale face, Ria smiled wryly.

"You'll be fine, don't worry about it. I'll still be in the dining hall too, just do what you've been doing."

"G-got it…"

What she'd been doing.

Guide guests to their seats when they arrived, hand their table the menus, pass orders along to the kitchen… Katie repeated it in her head to memorize it.

"Welcome."

Snapping back to her senses at Ria's voice, her body panicked in response.

"Katie, what's today's set menu?"

(What I've been doing.)

"Sorry, could you take these plates?"

(What I've been doing.)

"Another helping sounds good."

(What I've been doing.)

"Ah, you, a moment?"

"I'd like to ooorder."

(What I've…)

"Katie—"

"Ah—"

"—"

(What I…)

"—"

"—"

There was the sound of something cracking. Katie looked down — glass had shattered at her feet.

"—ie! Katie! Are you alright!?"

"Eh…?"

In front of Katie, whose consciousness returned as she was shaken, was Ria, looking at her with worry. Then she realized everyone around her was focused on her as well.

"Are you okay? You're not… hurt, right?"

Ria exhaled in relief while Katie stared at her in a daze.

However, Ria's expression turned to a frown the next moment as Katie's body stiffened.

Although the atmosphere was quite different, Katie recognized those expressions.

They were the expressions adults wore right before unleashing angry shouts.

The ones they made when she disobeyed even slightly.

The ones they made when she couldn't do something properly.

When adults raised their voices, she would be beaten.

If she made a sound, she'd be beaten all the more.

They would beat her if she begged them to stop.

She didn't want to be beaten, she didn't want the pain, so she would frantically do as she was told.

Even after she'd stopped being beaten, just seeing others get beaten brought back the pain, and she'd freeze at the sound alone. And once she'd realized that the children who couldn't manage it no matter how many times they were told were made to have never existed, she'd been frantic.

The reason she'd managed to live thus far was that she'd had Bard and the others with her.

They had to hide it from the adults, but simply having others she could encourage and be encouraged by had saved her.

Even that had been something very small, like a single spider's thread.

Even though she'd survived and become an outstanding assassin, she couldn't easily dispel her past trauma.

She made a mistake.

She was beaten.

She didn't want the pain.

She did what she was told.

So please, don't beat her.

Don't kill her—

However, the words that came to her as she cowered were—

"Come on! If you aren't well, take a rest!"

"Eh—…?"

She hadn't expected that.

Unable to grasp what she was being told, Katie was forcibly pulled along by Ria.

Where she was taken was the break room next to the assessment room. She was sat down on the leather sofa, still in a daze.

"That's enough for today. The dining hall will be fine. Ilya's arrived."

Though it would have been hard to manage if two people left at once, with Ilya there it was no problem.

The thought of being looked after by the person she least wanted to know of her mistake darkened Katie's expression.

"Are you tired?"

Hearing Ria's question, Katie lifted her head, which had been hanging in shame, but immediately lowered her gaze again.

Sensing Katie's inner thoughts, Ria spoke cheerfully in a fluster.

"You've been pulling quite a few consecutive shifts after all. I'm sorry for not noticing how tired you were."

"N-no…"

Katie grew flustered at Ria's apology.

"I'm not being helpful. I'm sorry…"

"It's nothing like that!"

At her firm denial, Katie was at a loss for words. She didn't understand why Ria would insist so strongly.

"You coming here has helped us so much, you know? Bard too, of course."

Katie's expression said she didn't understand. Ria smiled back.

"With more people around, we can finally work rest days into the shift rotation. You've been a huge help… though even if I say that, it seems we've been overworking Katie pretty unfairly, huh?"

"My stamina… is no problem."

"Really?"

When Katie nodded while looking her in the eye, Ria nodded back.

"At any rate, you coming here has saved us."

So remember that, okay?

Closing with that, Ria spent the rest of the break shifting the topic to gossip.

Then, when Katie decided to return to the dining hall after her break, Ilya came in after swapping out with someone.

She had a porcelain cup on a saucer in one hand and a vivid red transparent glass teapot in the other.

Although Katie tried to apologize—

"… …"

"How are you feeling?"

"… … I'm fine."

She couldn't manage to speak well. In the end, Ilya spoke first.

Though Katie's face was nearly expressionless, she clearly looked uncomfortable.

"Your schedule originally had a rest day tomorrow, but how about taking the day after that off too?"

"Eh…?"

"I'm the one who put you on back-to-back shifts, after all. Though only being able to give you two consecutive days off is shameful, really."

Although Ilya was smiling wryly as if to cover up her embarrassment, Katie was surprised. Two consecutive rest days. Guessing what those words meant, she was puzzled.

"… I'm not fired…?"

"Just that much isn't enough to get someone fired."

"But… I—"

"Katie."

She cut off her pessimistic thought.

"Everyone fails. Ria, Cynthia, Elizah — we've all failed."

"… … Ilya too?"

"Of course."

Ilya answered without changing her expression.

"It might have been different at the guild you were at before, but here, if you fail you just need to try again."

She just needed to try again.

The words came out easily, but they were hard to take in.

Feeling that vacant gaze of Katie's turn toward her, Ilya set the cup and teapot down on the table and looked straight at her.

"If you fail, then think about why you failed… about what went wrong. Do that, and you won't make the same mistake next time, right?"

That certainly might be true. She had no confidence she could do it, and though she didn't agree, she didn't deny it either.

Smiling as if to say that was enough, Ilya continued.

"If failure were the end, your chances to grow would just go to waste. Even if you got fired to teach you a lesson, it would have the opposite of the intended effect by making you anxious about failing."

Even if she failed, that wasn't the end. Katie's chest tightened.

Seeing her expression, Ilya changed the subject.

"Here's the question."

"… Eh?"

She was perplexed by Ilya's somewhat cheerful tone.

"This time, why did you fail, Katie?"

"T-that's… why?"

"Let me hear it."

Her tone and expression were both gentle. Even so, Katie felt as though her escape route had been cut off.

Why?

As she thought, her back began to crawl.

She wanted to stop thinking, but then she wouldn't be able to answer.

Katie was panicking.

(At this rate, I can't answer…)

Panicking.

But she couldn't respond. The panic only grew.

Just as she'd fallen into a vicious cycle—

"Alright, stop there."

She calmed down at the sound of Ilya's voice right in front of her.

It was right at the tip of her nose. Close enough that she could see her own reflection in Ilya's blue eyes.

"How about I change the question? What work did you do today?"

"Serve tables…"

That question, she could answer. Moving away, Ilya continued.

"Was today's work tough?"

"…"

Hesitating slightly, Katie nodded.

"I see. Were you tired?"

"That's… a little, maybe…"

"It's because you've been on back-to-back shifts. I'll give the roster some thought."

"… Can I?"

Slight as it was, Katie didn't hide her surprise. Ilya laughed, "Of course."

"We'll think about that later… but if you were only a little tired, that means there was some other cause, right?"

"… I couldn't do it the way I always do…"

Katie could usually manage something if it was pointed out to her.

That much was clear from what Ria and the others supporting her had said. But they'd also said she couldn't adapt to anything she hadn't been taught.

If you couldn't figure things out by yourself, you wouldn't be able to handle unexpected situations. But there was a way to fix that problem.

"What was it that wasn't the way you always do it?"

"That's… when I get told to do so many things all at once, I don't know which to do first…"

Working in that confused state, she'd suddenly lose control.

Katie's voice was small, as though she were confessing a crime.

Still, that was enough. She'd answered properly.

"At times like that, what do Ria and the others do?"

"They'd send me to one, or have the other… wait."

As she answered, Katie hung her head even further.

She had realized on her own that was what she should have done.

"Then you'll be fine next time."

"…!"

Ilya smiled at Katie, who looked up.

"If you don't know what to do, it's not that hard to find out. Take a deep breath, then try to think of how the others handled it. If you still don't know, ask the customer to wait a moment and ask someone else."

She clasped Katie's hands.

"Do that, and you won't fail — and even if you do, you can use it next time."

"Next time…"

Katie murmured.

"Right, failure isn't the end. Just make use of the mistake and try again."

Katie looked straight at Ilya. Receiving that gaze, Ilya slowly let go of her hands.

"But you know, it's better not to fail, right?"

"… Un."

"So when you have a free moment, try looking not just at the customers, but at the other staff too."

"The other staff…?"

"Right, look at the others. Watch what they do, and learn what to do and when to do it."

This wasn't written in the manual, and Ria had forgotten to teach her this part too.

After all, what Ilya had just said was the most ordinary thing in the world: that children grow by imitating their parents and their family. For Katie, who had never even been taught that… or rather, who had been made to forget it, expecting her to pick it up on her own was asking too much.

Could she do it?

Toward Katie's uneasy expression, Ilya smiled.

"It's alright. Bard-san isn't your only friend. Everyone here will help you."

"… Un."

Her agreement was hasty, but Katie didn't take it back.

The next day, and the day after that, Katie visited the branch despite them being her days off.

Of course, her purpose was to watch how the staff worked.

Katie watched them, trying to learn. She discovered various things.

For instance, the day's break times.

Claude and Desiree spoke to each other casually.

She'd often seen the two chatting while working.

However, now that she took a closer look, their hands never stopped working despite them chatting.

Once she understood that, she felt ashamed for ever thinking the office work was easy.

To her, it was a world she'd never seen.

Having realized that anew, Katie began actively making an effort to watch others and learn from them.

That earnest, plucky figure of hers was endearing, and before long not just the staff but the guests who came in began helping her out as well.

Then she noticed it. When she looked around, her surroundings were brimming with smiling faces.

Smiles full of lust. Smiles born from sated greed. Smiles of those who tormented the weak. All the smiles she'd seen up to now had sent chills through her mind and body.

But the smiles here were different.

She felt no chill from them; they were smiles that put her at ease.

"Thank you."

The voices of leaving patrons lingering in the air, their smiling faces — Katie didn't know how to respond to them.

"Thank you, very much."

So she bowed as she always did and saw them off.

But this time, ever so slightly, the corners of her mouth… had lifted a little.

It was such a small change that not only her bustling surroundings, but even she herself, hadn't noticed.

Before long, her earlier bewilderment was drowned out by the branch's bustle.

The first proper job Katie had ever held was dizzyingly busy. Waking before dawn, she'd fight off her drowsiness as she showered and got ready.

Days without trading in lives, work where she didn't have to kill her heart.

But now, as she walked from the inn she used as lodgings toward that imposing building, her steps… were light.

One certain afternoon, Bard was in the third floor's office.

The reason his expression was so stiff as he sat on the leather chair was because Frank was sitting across from him.

 

Frank was an opponent who had thoroughly beaten him down in a situation where Bard should have had the advantage.

But the bigger reason for his heavy mood was that Frank served as the head of the Lunéville branch.

Frank set the paper he was holding down on the table.

"Do you have any justifications this time?"

"… No, none."

In terms of height, Bard was the taller one. However, right now his figure looked even smaller than Frank's.

"Bard. This mistake of yours risked making people lose confidence in not only the branch, but the association as a whole. No matter how much effort we put in, we can't recover that once it's lost. Am I understood?"

"… Yes."

The other day, Bard had committed a grave mistake.

While registering a commission when the branch was packed, Bard had rushed and misunderstood, closing out a registration before it was finished, then returning the registration cards and commission chart.

It came to light today. The commission completion request couldn't be processed by the registration book. When the problem was looked into, the mistake was discovered.

And thus the office staff fell into a panic.

If a completion wasn't registered and someone took the commission at another location, the hard work of the guild members reporting their completion would be wasted.

Thanks to their swift handling of the problem, since the commission hadn't yet been accepted at another location, they managed to avoid serious trouble. However, in cases where a commission is accepted at the same time it's registered as complete, a report summarizing the reason has to be filed to prevent fraud.

Since this was a serious matter, Frank would prepare the report himself as branch manager.

It wasn't that Bard didn't understand he was being covered for by his superior.

But that didn't sit well with him either.

Because whether or not something was registered also showed on the registration card, you couldn't say the guild member who'd accepted the commission bore no responsibility at all for his own carelessness.

So even though Bard's mistake could mostly be chalked up to his inexperience, one of the primary factors was also the expectations Ilya had placed on him.

Bard, whose concentration dulled in crowded situations, couldn't assess guild members' abilities well. Unable to predict results, he took longer than usual.

There, a guild member tired of being kept waiting said something to hurry him along.

In his haste, Bard returned the registration card and commission chart without checking them properly.

He did think that if only Ilya hadn't asked anything unnecessary of him, but putting that into words would have been the same as advertising his own immaturity. So Bard honestly admitted the failure was his own.

Seeing him like this, Frank nodded in understanding and leaned back into his chair, putting his full weight against it.

"So then, what will you make sure to do going forward?"

"… Verify them properly."

"Confirm the registration in full. And?"

"Concentrate properly on my work."

"Alright. If you can do those two things properly, you probably won't make the same mistake again. And as long as you don't forget this failure, you won't get used to the job and start doing it half-heartedly, either."

His tone was light, but his gaze was seriousness itself. It made Bard understand that he was by no means making light of what had happened, nor was he without regret over it.

But Bard had no intention of exposing such a miserable side of himself again.

Gritting his teeth, he somehow managed to bear Frank's gaze.

"… Sorry."

And bowed.

"Alright. Take care. You can go back."

"… Eh? Oh, yes."

Having answered Frank's anticlimactic attitude, Bard, who still couldn't make sense of it, timidly asked.

"… There's… no punishment?"

"You reflected on your actions properly. Of course, if you continue to make mistakes, you'll be sorry."

Even if he meant it as a joke, this wasn't the kind of situation where the other person could laugh it off.

Unable to understand not being punished for failing, Bard was puzzled.

Frank looked up from the report he was beginning to write and smiled at Bard. More than kind, his smile felt reliable.

"Clerks, receptionists, waiters and waitresses, cooks… even though the branch exists because of them, why do you think a branch manager exists?"

"… To keep them in line, right?"

Even as he said it, he realized it wasn't quite the right answer.

"Well, that's half right. The other half is to take responsibility for them."

"Responsibility?"

Bard couldn't grasp it. In the thieves guild he used to belong to, responsibility for failure always fell on the person themselves. No superior would stand in for a subordinate's failure.

If you spoke of taking responsibility there, punishing your subordinates was the closest thing to it.

However, Frank's words were implying that superiors should sacrifice themselves and take responsibility. It was the complete opposite idea.

"The thieves guild isn't all there is to the world. The reason they crave power is to obtain power itself. But normally, it's different. Power is given to you so you can shoulder responsibility. Not just for yourself — you take it on to protect someone else… though even saying that, there are plenty of people who try to cling to their authority or line their own pockets."

Although Frank spoke with a wry smile toward the end, his eyes were sharp, as though to convey his immense will.

Responsibility. For Bard, this was something he had only ever held for himself.

But what if his own actions led to Katie's death?

Recalling that incident from the other day, Bard once again realized the weight of his actions.

This was something he had absolutely never been aware of back when he was full of pride for his own abilities.

"There's no point in giving you a sermon. Just go to the office and apologize and thank them properly, alright?"

"… Got it."

With a small bow, Bard left.

"… Next is his language, huh."

Not quite catching the mumble, Bard descended to the second floor, then continued down to the first floor and quickly passed through the kitchen.

Without going to the reception desk, Bard came to a stop in front of the office door, his hand raised slightly toward it. He took a deep breath, sighed, then slowly opened it.

Gazes focused on Bard. Though he normally paid them little mind, this time it felt like he was being overwhelmed with guilt.

"Oooh? Whatever could the matter be～?"

Claude approached with a smile. Seeing that he was joking, he had most likely sensed Bard's guilt.

Although Bard almost glared back on reflex, he held back his childish irritation and bowed to not just Claude, but Desiree as well.

"… For causing you trouble, I'm sorry… And, you… saved me."

"It was nothing."

"Take care next time, okay?"

They were blaming him. Or maybe ridiculing him. That was what he thought, but the two were smiling.

Nothing about their expressions implied derision, nor was there any sarcasm.

"It was nothing this time anyway. You apologized properly and showed your gratitude, so we're even."

"You understood everything Frank-san said, right?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Then there's nothing else for us to say. Do your best."

With that, the two returned to their work. Bard was dumbstruck. Did Claude know what had been said?

"If you're still regretting it, hang out with us after this."

"… Huh?"

Claude grinned with a laugh at Bard's questioning face.

"You drink, right? Sa-ke."

 

*

 

Once it stopped functioning as a branch, the dining room's atmosphere turned completely into that of a bar.

In the second floor's private room, Claude, Bard, and Desiree had cracked open some sake.

""Cheeeeeers!""

"… Cheers."

Claude and Desiree chugged down some ice-cold beer, while Bard, drawing back a little from the pair's high spirits, tilted his own mug. Seeing the look on his face, Claude grinned.

"Nervous since it's two against one?"

"… Huh?"

"Wasn't it the same at reception? Today."

He was egging him on. Bard knew it, but he couldn't let it slide either, so he downed his mug in one gulp.

Claude let out a hearty cheer, and Desiree stood up and applauded him.

Bard slammed his mug down on the table as though to say something, feeling great. Desiree filled his mug back up.

In short order, he got hammered. It didn't take long at all.

"So, hey. You getting used to the branch?"

Claude asked while popping a snack into his mouth.

"How cood I!"

Though he definitely answered in the negative, his expression didn't look displeased.

"Anyway, yer all too sof'! Goin' an' hirin' the likes of us… you lookin' down on me!?"

"I don't think Ilya-chan's the kind of girl who'd hire someone without thinking it through～"

With a bit of red showing on her cheeks from the alcohol, Desiree spoke with a smile as she drank more fruit wine.

"Thas' wat ya all say! Always with the smilin'… I'm jus' tryin' to live!"

"Well, we're definitely easygoing."

Claude agreed.

"The people in this town are all like that."

"… Sheee?"

Smiling wryly at Bard, who was nodding along with a pout, Claude continued.

"Easygoing, gentle, warm. That's why everyone can smile. You don't like that?"

"…"

He didn't hate it. He envied it.

He couldn't get it himself. The branch's members had the thing he couldn't have, and he envied this town's citizens.

He should have been able to join them, but he just couldn't. It was painful.

"You could do it too, you know?"

"… S'no use."

Bard looked down at the table.

After all, he was a murderer.

And he was a man who wouldn't have so much as questioned that way of life if he hadn't watched Katie break.

It was thanks to Ilya that they could be at the branch — it wasn't anything they had done themselves. It wasn't as though they had been able to do anything for anyone, either.

A wall built of guilt. Before he realized it, Bard's consciousness slipped away.

"… Oh, he fell asleep."

Desiree tried pulling on Bard's ear, but there was no reaction.

Impressed that he didn't make so much as a sound of sleeping breath, Desiree turned her half-lidded eyes to Claude.

"You let him drink too much."

"Eeeh. But you've been egging him on."

"Well～, looks like he's a bit weaker than expected?"

"I thought he'd say a bit more, though～"

If he opened up, it would be an indirect improvement even if he didn't remember it because of the sake, or a plain improvement if he did.

Although that had been the two's plan, it didn't pan out so well.

"That aside, these appetizers Ilya made are just evil!"

"Cooome to think of it, they're all gone. How about getting some more?"

"I'll get some sake too! Ah, toilet first!"

"Make sure you see him home properly, alright?"

"I know."

Giving Desiree that simple response, Claude headed for the first floor.

The first floor's dining room overflowed with liveliness and smiles.

Recalling how dead the branch used to be, Claude laid that memory over Bard's expression, let a wry smile slip, and collected some sake.

He might come across as tiresome for bringing it up, but he expected Desiree of all people would feel the same, and he hurried back up to the second floor.

He returned to the second floor at a quick pace.

 

*

 

As time went on, Lunéville continued to build itself up as a new inn town.

The highway maintenance progressed as well, and people like carpenters who worked on inn construction, merchants aiming to sell off various goods, and blacksmiths from the Industry Guild came to Lunéville from every direction, one after another.

Everyone had expected the association branch's dining hall and kitchen to get even busier, but it didn't stop at just that.

"Registration is complete. Good luck."

The moment Bard finished bowing courteously, the next commission chart was thrust at him without so much as a breath to spare.

"Don'tcha look like a proper receptionist?"

"Thank you. Please present your registration cards."

Before him was the group of five whose acceptance of a commission he'd registered before. Receiving their registration cards, he began processing them. His hand movements were no longer awkward.

"But there really are a ton of commissions, huh. There's even been talk of more monsters, seriously."

"Yeah. Thanks to that, it's gotten to where a rookie like me gets hauled out with no backup."

Luke was on break, so Ilya and Bard were currently at reception.

"Pi."

Ilya noticed Haku's voice signaling the registration's completion, and passed the guild members their registration cards and the commission chart back over the counter.

"Registration is complete. Good luck."

"Yeah. Cya, Ilya-chan."

"I'll come again～"

"We'll be waiting."

Just as she bowed to see the group of mercenaries off, another commission chart was presented to her.

When commission applicants came, she would guide them to the parlor and quickly draw up a commission chart in cooperation with the office staff. After receiving signatures and completion bonuses, she would post the commission tickets onto the bulletin board. On top of all that, she would also take turns helping the waiters and kitchen staff when needed.

Lately, Ilya had been spending every day extremely busy.

"Ilya, Ellie's on break. Head back to the dining room when Luke gets back."

"Understood. Katie, hang in there a bit longer."

"Un. I'll do my best."

Although her tone was the same as ever, Katie's range of expressions had grown rich. Both of them had come a long way.

Some time later, after she had finished several acceptance registrations, Hector arrived at the branch with a strange group.

The men who walked in behind him each wore coats resembling a doctor's, with emblems sewn on their chests signifying they were a research delegation.

Even in this world where various cultures mixed, their appearances stood out. And despite standing out in such an unflattering way, they walked as though flaunting it, which left the general public with the worst impression of them.

"We've been expecting you. Regarding the matter of guards for the delegation, I've been instructed by the branch manager to guide you to the parlor."

"Yes, please."

However, at that moment, someone from the delegation raised their voice.

"Ooh! So it was true that there's a young dragon here!"

A common-human male ran up to Haku, hoisting her small body up.

"Pi?"

"Blue eyes and white skin…! I've never seen a dragon like this before!"

"Mansel-dono, right now is…"

"So fussy! There's a monster right in front of me and you don't want me to do anything — what other reason is this research delegation here for!?"

The delegation leader, Effy Mansel, talked over Hector's words forcefully.

Meanwhile, Ilya looked at Mansel coldly, having caught the other meaning behind his words.

(This guy, what did he just say?)

Knowing that this country's research institutions classified dragons as monsters, she was amazed at how unsophisticated they were.

"P-pi!"

"Such a rare specimen… how much could we learn from researching it!"

"Would you let go of her, please?"

She took Haku back from Mansel. If Haku had been left with that man and went into a rage from being mishandled, even just a swipe of her tail would certainly fracture the bone of an arm on someone so unaccustomed to physical danger. The man had no idea Ilya had just saved him, but there was no reason for him to act hostile toward her either.

However, Mansel's smile turned coarse when he looked at Ilya.

"So the dragon's owner really was an elf."

"Is something wrong with that?"

"It's nothing — I wouldn't have minded if you were a beastkin or anything. So, how much?"

"… I don't quite catch your meaning."

Bard included, several people with good sixth senses all winced. Ilya was desperately holding back her anger. Nevertheless, the incompetent man in front of her didn't notice in the slightest and proposed his offer in a very loud voice.

"Our Rondéville's research institutions will advance no less than ten years beyond other countries' if we had a young dragon. If you too are a citizen of Rondéville, surely you wouldn't refuse such an honor. Still, it would gall you to simply hand it over for nothing, would it not? So, I'll buy it at any price you name."

(This guy…)

Ilya's magical power stirred. The whole branch was wrapped in a barrier made from her magical power, so the atmosphere around them shifted in kind.

"Piii…"

(Whoops, not good. It's alright～. Don't get angry～)

Ilya quelled her anger and put on a smile to calm Haku, who she'd realized was whimpering weakly. She turned back to Mansel once more.

"I'll decline."

"Wha—… are you an idiot!? A mere receptionist like you doesn't get a say in this — I can have you executed immediately just by reporting to the king!"

The barrier shielded her, but the spittle flying from his mouth was revolting all the same. Even so, once Ilya had put on her iron mask, her expression never changed.

(The king, is it?)

She couldn't help but laugh inwardly.

"Do as you please."

Ilya had met the king several times, but she didn't remember him as having much courage.

Whether because he felt his last resort of invoking the king's name had failed, or because he felt Ilya's attitude was belittling him, Mansel's clenched fists shook in anger.

"Y-you bitch…!"

"Mansel-dono, please let it go."

"So the lord is going to interfere now!?"

Ilya, who was finding the stares from all around genuinely hard to bear by now, exchanged looks with Hector and attempted to take them up to the third floor for the time being.

"This way, please."

"Hold it right there, subhuman!"

(Ah, that's bad.)

"Pi!?"

At the rage surging across the first floor, Haku cried out in fright.

Subhumans… mock-humans. That derogatory term was taboo not only for every race other than common-humans, but for those common-humans who had friendly ties with them as well.

Just then, Luke, having finished his break, returned to the counter.

Seeing him, Mansel's expression froze.

It stood to reason. Luke had come from nobility and was an acquaintance of the king.

Although he concealed his noble status nowadays, that didn't change the fact that he was a noble.

"Luke, did you hear that remark just now?"

"Yeah. I did."

Luke nodded expressionlessly. Even though he was hiding his position, he wouldn't turn a blind eye to that. He couldn't possibly let it slide.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, but may I ask you to file a report?"

"Of course. Rondéville treats common-human supremacists as traitors to the nation, on par with inviting foreign aggression. I'm sure they'll hand down a fitting punishment."

"That's good to hear."

Few people understood the meaning behind Luke and Ilya's exchange.

Even so, the sight of Mansel shaking must have given the onlookers a bit of vicarious satisfaction, because the stagnant air filling the first floor thinned a little.

"Well then, this way."

She resumed guiding them. Then, after confirming there were no unrelated people in their surroundings—

"Oh, right."

She spoke to Mansel.

"This child isn't a dragon's child. It's the dragon god's."

"Wha—!?"

Amid the rustling delegates, Mansel's expression hardened with despair.

"I won't press you on what sort of act this 'research' of yours involves, but I feel you should have chosen your words a little more carefully."

Eye for an eye. Tooth for a tooth. Power against power. She would tell the dragon god. At least, it seemed he wasn't foolish enough to miss what that meant.

In truth, she had no intention of doing so since it was too much trouble, but if she did, it would be the equivalent of a death sentence. She had only meant to teach him a lesson, but the effect was even stronger than she had expected.

Disregarding the living corpse, Ilya knocked on the door to the parlor.

 

*

 

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

After leaving the branch, the Head of the Royal Monster Laboratory, Effy Mansel, stamped his feet against the floor of his coach repeatedly in anger.

Of course, the cause of his anger was a certain elf girl he had met at the branch.

(Those eyes of hers… every time I remember them my blood boils…!)

The eyes that constantly resurfaced in his mind were like the ones that used to look at him back at the royal capital's university.

Eyes that looked down on him as inferior, full of contempt — people who would sometimes even look at him with pity.

Although he wasn't a noble, he had studied with great effort to be accepted into the university. That didn't mean he had no talent.

However, he had lost in practical skills to beastkin, in medical science to birdkin, and again lost in pharmaceutics to beastkin.

Faced with their specialized talents, he had tasted defeat many times.

At first, Mansel had turned his losses into fuel for greater effort, but as the defeats piled up, his heart twisted and warped.

(Dammit!)

In truth, it was the other people in the dining hall whose gazes had carried real contempt, but his eyes had been fixed only on Ilya and Haku, so he hadn't noticed them. And Ilya's appearance — unforgettable once seen — was another factor that had made even trivial slights leave such a deep impression on him.

He had made two miscalculations.

There was a noble acquainted with the king, and Haku was the child of the dragon god.

(The way things are going…)

Even as his face contorted with anger, he paled at the thought of his future.

Mansel desperately tried to think of something that could change his current situation, but as his gaze darted every direction in search of some kind of hint, he finally realized that the outside scenery hadn't been moving for some time now.

He knocked on the door of his coach, calling for someone.

"What is it?"

"It seems one of the guards wants us to change our route."

"Change routes? Tell him not to say something so idiotic!"

"Y-yes!"

The driver closed the small window, then went back to relay Mansel's command to the guards.

"Every last one of them…! Nothing but hindrances…!"

A short while later, a young person who was clearly a guild member at a glance opened the door of the coach.

"It looks like some flying dragons have settled down along the route to your destination. You should change routes."

"Flying dragons…?"

"Yes. Veluun's townspeople confirmed it. There's no doubt about it."

"Nn…"

Hearing there were flying dragons, Mansel hesitated.

There was some research material that had been discovered at his destination, Dotoke Plateau — something Mansel's group had been searching for for a long time. He wanted to obtain it as quickly as possible. However—

"Oi, you said flying dragons had settled in there, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Sounds like a clan of them."

"Then there'd be eggs too, right?"

When a young man surmised what Mansel had been about to say, he furrowed his brow.

"It's impossible for us to beat them in our current state."

He had eighteen guards.

If they were declaring it impossible at their current numbers, just how much of a threat was a clan of flying dragons? Even so, the phrase "current war potential" also had another meaning — "current reward."

Whether he knew that or not, Mansel didn't back down.

Far from being intimidated, he even smiled ominously.

"You won't need to defeat any of them. I just want the eggs."

"But taking eggs without defeating any of them is a bit…"

"I'll put out an additional reward. How about three times as much?"

"…"

"Can't be helped, then. Five times."

"… … If anything happens, please follow up with the kingdom."

"Of course."

Mansel smiled. Of course. He had no intention of doing anything like that at all.

So Mansel's group temporarily changed their destination and finally reached the town of Veluun. For Veluun, no more than a small town, visitors who spent large sums of money rarely passed through.

Although the town's wallets were pleased to have been temporarily favored by them, the townsman who had spoken with the guild youth was left uneasy.

 

*

 

A little while after that, a short while after Mansel had left for the royal capital.

A man hard at work in the fields noticed his son gazing blankly up at the sky.

"Hey! Get back to work, don't just stand around!"

"Pop…"

"Eh?"

"What… are those?"

"Those…?"

Several black specks moved through the sky. Although their altitudes and distances differed, they all circled round and round above the village.

Before he realized it, his son's hand was clutching his clothes tightly. It was out of fear.

The black specks gradually grew larger, revealing themselves to be part of a species that could be considered above all other living things — a species of dragon.

"They're…"

The father muttered.

"… Flying dragons."

He was the pillar of the family, the strongest being the boy knew. And that face was stained with even more fear than his own.

 

*

 

On a certain day, some time after the delegation visited.

"Good morning, Charon-san."

"Ah, good morning Ilya-chan. Sorry about the time."

Charon, who had come in to work at first light, paid Ilya a visit. As he was in an unusually hurried mood, Ilya braced herself.

"It's an emergency. A clan of flying dragons seems to be headed to the royal capital."

"… A clan?"

"Yes. Some villages have already been attacked. The castle and association headquarters are already preparing countermeasures."

Flying dragons… they had the fewest dragon traits, a beast-like dragon that ranked below the wind dragon. However, as part of the strongest species, if a clan of them came to attack, it would be a threat at the calamity-designated level.

Like other kinds of dragons, flying dragons had a strong sense of territorial boundaries and wouldn't leave their territories unless something major had happened. Their behavior was abnormal.

"Do you know the cause?"

"… It seems to be dragon eggs."

Ilya was at a loss for words.

"It seems the delegates found them during their survey and carried them off."

"… Without… hunting the parents?"

"Yes. Although their guards proposed hunting them, it seems they wouldn't hear it."

Although Ilya had already given Mansel her worst possible evaluation when he visited the other day, it looked as though he had managed yet another nosedive. His speed was miraculous.

Since Ilya had at one point been registered with the mercenary guild under an alias, given the unstable nature of the job, she could understand the guards' decision to want to make money.

However, they should have flatly refused, or at the very least hunted the parents first.

"So, why did you come to me?"

"They say they want to hear your opinion. The king and headquarters chief nominated you directly."

"There's no need for me to go all that way. If the cause is their eggs, please return them promptly. To begin with, why did the delegation take dragon eggs in the first place?"

"Apparently the head of the delegation was in too much of a hurry for a distinction. Since Haku-chan was born from an egg, he might have thought a monster could also be born from an egg. Practically all of monster ecology is a mystery, after all. Maybe he thought he wouldn't be executed if he clarified something?"

(T-h-a-t-g-u-y…!)

That was just too stupid — the dragon species weren't monsters. Besides, if he wanted to know about dragon ecology, it would have been faster to consult with Mithledge Kingdom. Quit causing trouble for everyone around you.

Holding back her simmering anger and frustration, she calmed herself down and sighed.

Incidentally, just what was Mithledge Kingdom? It was a country whose king had been born from a common-human and the dragon god before Jean.

"If you want to prevent further damages and expenses, please tell them to return them without fail."

"Undeeerstood! So, the method of return?"

"We'll secure some people from here. I'll prepare a commission chart for it soon, so please just review it."

"Alright, got it. Well, I ran around too much, so I'm going to sleep a bit. Night～"

"Have a good rest."

After seeing off the sleepy Charon, Ilya called for two specific people: Bard and Katie.

"You two will be accepting a commission."

"So formal — what is it?"

"Please return the flying dragon eggs to their nest."

""—!!""

The two of them, who had taken on any number of dangerous, filthy orders in their time, caught their breath. Their reactions were quite natural.

Normally, sending only two people to a dragon's nest would be tantamount to telling them to die.

Even for two people with high abilities, if three or more flying dragons kept them company, they'd have no choice but to die from there.

"… Why, after all this…"

Bard muttered while clenching his fists.

"Because this is your punishment."

"Wha—"

"You'll be acquitted if you complete this commission. Both of you will be free."

Although they were half-dumbfounded by Ilya's words, they grasped what she was implying and raised their voices.

"… Ilya, are you telling us to die?"

"Innocence through death… hah. You're disgusting."

Their words resembled anger, yet they were full of sorrow.

It pained her to think they had trusted her that much, but that was a separate matter.

"You two still haven't grown up."

"What did you say…!?"

"Don't you understand why you got caught? It's because your judgment was too lax, you know?"

What Ilya could see was their abilities.

Bard held the [Observation] skill. Although it was a high-level ability that let him see through other guild members' fighting strength on first sight, he couldn't perceive the threat Ilya posed when she caught them.

Although her [Concealment] skill hid ninety percent of it, he should have been able to recognize her as a threat from just the remaining ten percent.

So why?

The answer was simple. Even if he sensed it, Bard overestimated himself and refused to acknowledge the abilities of others. If he could correctly evaluate himself and others, he should have been able to keep his composure a bit longer.

"Bard-san. The reason I had you learn reception work was because I wanted you to develop your discerning eye for people. Your art of killing your presence is first-class. If you can sense your own and others' true strength, you'll be able to carry on calmly."

"… First-class, huh — doesn't sound that credible coming from you, after you found me so easily."

He didn't seem particularly happy.

"It's not a lie. Bard-san, while erasing your presence, please take charge of transporting the eggs."

"Just… me?"

"Yes. Katie will be in charge of leading the flying dragons."

Katie just stared at Ilya.

She wasn't suited for [Presence Interception], but rather [Presence Inference].

"The reason I had Katie take on waitress duties was because I wanted you to develop your decision-making. You're nimble and have excellent agility, as well as being very sensitive to your surroundings. While reading your surroundings, what do you think you should do? The current you should be able to figure that out on your own."

"… Got it. I'll work hard."

(It suited her so well, too. Knowing this is the last I'll see of it, it really is a little lonely…)

If she said what she was thinking, it would probably be a burden on them.

Thinking about things like that, Ilya looked between the two of them with an unchanging expression.

"Honestly, there are many more things I'd like you to learn, but this commission is urgent and there's no one else suited to it but you two. So please accept this commission as your punishment. Will you?"

"Got it."

"… Can't be helped if this is the price of our freedom. So, the reward?"

At Bard's question, Ilya gave him a beaming smile. A deliberately exaggerated one.

"Of course there isn't one. No pay. It's a punishment."

"N-no way…"

"Yes. You two will certainly be able to handle this commission. It wouldn't be a punishment if there was a reward, right?"

Katie smiled along with Ilya's smile, while Bard's shoulders drooped. Even so, on his downturned face, the corners of his mouth rose.

After that, she explained the route to them, along with how to lure the flying dragons.

Finishing the commission acceptance registration, she handed the cards over to the two of them. Neither of them could hide their surprise at what was on them.

"This — this can't be mine."

"These aren't thieves guild…"

Right — these registration cards for Bard and Katie were ones Ilya had newly made for the mercenary guild.

"You were tied to the thieves guild with your previous cards. Since I think you two should be able to go and live anywhere you want now, please use these to start fresh. Ah, and don't go abusing them by working both cards, alright? Also, the wages you've earned so far have been transferred into the registration cards' accounts. Please don't lose them."

"Thank you… Ilya."

"… Tch."

And so, the two walked out of the empty dining hall. Ilya saw them off from the counter, where no one else remained.

"I sincerely wish for your safety and success."

 

*

 

Leaving Lunéville behind, Bard and Katie walked along the road south.

The two were traveling for the first time in a while, but neither of them felt like having a light-hearted conversation.

"… They were good people."

There was no answer to Katie's murmur.

However, she clearly understood that he agreed.

Recently, Bard, who had been working at the branch, had been smiling more often.

What had a smile meant to her until now? Like chills spreading through her body, it had been a mass of repulsive feelings.

But it was different now.

Lunéville was different. When she recalled all of the smiles she'd seen, her heart warmed.

Filled with good feelings, smiling before she knew it — it was a tranquil place.

"Ah…"

When she touched the something she felt running down her cheek, she realized it was her own tears.

Even though she didn't feel sick, she felt a pain in her chest.

"… No…"

It was no use saying it, she knew that.

Even so, the words just tumbled out of her mouth.

"… I don't want to…"

Each time she spoke, more tears spilled out.

It wasn't that Ilya was driving them away because she hated them. She knew that.

On the contrary, she knew Ilya always thought of them, always tried to help them.

Even though she was so happy, her chest felt tight. It hurt.

"… I want to go back…"

As if a dam had burst, her tears wouldn't stop falling.

In the end, Katie stopped walking. But just then, she felt something nostalgic. Bard's hand was lightly stroking her head.

"… Bard…?"

When she looked closer, his shoulders were trembling slightly, and he was rubbing his arm against his face.

"This commission — we're absolutely going to survive it!"

"Eh…?"

He smiled at the puzzled Katie.

His smile looked like a crook's.

"She said it. We can live wherever we want."

"… Ah…!"

Even though Katie didn't understand at first, she let out a sound the moment she realized what he meant. She wasn't crying any longer.

"Let's go."

"Got it."

It was the response she always used.

But this time, it felt quite different — fitting for the two embarking on a new stage.

 

*

 

Having entered the now-uninhabited Veluun, the two received some eggs from a guild member dispatched from the royal capital.

They were different from Haku's egg they'd seen before — about the size of a basketball, and gray.

"The flying dragons?"

In response to Bard's question, the guild member nodded.

"According to the plan, showing them the eggs has them heading straight this way. By the estimate, they should reach Veluun before dawn tomorrow."

"Understood. Leave the rest to us."

"Yeah, good luck, you two."

After nodding to the guild member who clapped his shoulder, Bard and Katie checked their equipment, then tried to get some rest to recover their stamina.

Then, in the dark of night, the two began to mobilize.

Katie went on ahead into the forest, riling up the flying dragons around the nest. After confirming with [Presence Inference] that all of the flying dragons were pursuing her, Katie took out a fire stone from her breast pocket.

The stone was produced from the crystal pillar of fire, and by using the fire elements contained within, various phenomena could be induced.

It worked as a substitute lighter, or as practical heating if it was a bit bigger.

The effect of the stone Katie held was to emit an intense light for a very short time. By throwing it into the air, it could be used as a signal flare.

(Alright…)

Seeing the signal, Bard, who was on standby in another part of the forest, began to move.

Of course, so the flying dragons and other monsters wouldn't notice him, he moved covertly using [Presence Interception].

Even monsters with keen senses wouldn't be able to find him as long as he didn't slip up.

Although he was carrying three eggs on his back, Bard pressed forward without losing his footing on the multitude of tree branches and roots. Before long, he arrived at a large nest made from many gathered broken trees. He'd finally reached the flying dragons' nest.

After placing the eggs in the center of the nest, he immediately withdrew.

Once Bard had retreated to a distance from the nest where the flying dragons wouldn't sense him even when they returned, he poured his magical power into a fire stone and threw it high into the sky, above the treetops.

(Now for the rest…)

Noticing the twinkling flash in the sky, Katie invoked a weak spell against the flying dragons.

She once again guided the flying dragons, who had been lured away from their nest, back toward it.

If she went too far ahead, the flying dragons might stop chasing her, so she couldn't lose focus.

Ever since storming into the forest, she had used [Presence Inference] to avoid areas with monsters and huge creatures, leading the flying dragons while making subtle changes to her course.

But just then, leaves fluttered down from overhead.

"—!?"

Right in front of her, one of those leaves became two.

In that instant, her [Presence Inference] immediately alerted her to the presence of monsters nearby.

(Monster butterflies!?)

To be exact, they were moths, not butterflies. A monster called the rondlith moth. The moths had the trait of lying in wait for prey while mimicking leaves using [Seclusion], a derivation of [Presence Interception]. After immobilizing their prey with the poison in their scale powder, they would turn them, still living, into seedbeds for their eggs.

The moths started flying, the poison clinging to them scattering into the air.

"Ku—…!"

Her legs, her body — they wouldn't move the way she wanted.

She felt light-headed. There was no one nearby to rely on. Even so, she thought.

What means of escape could she use to survive?

Looking around her, grasping her situation, she thought about the best route to take.

Her body felt heavy, the air so stifling it wouldn't enter her lungs no matter how hard she breathed.

Even so, she kept thinking.

(She said I can do it…)

Ilya had said that if it was her, she could do it. So Ilya had judged.

Ilya's words felt like a warmth that protected Katie.

And so a resolute light shone in the eyes of this woman who wouldn't give up hope.

Her weapons were daggers for throwing and daggers for close-quarters combat.

The rondlith moths were sheer numbers, and she didn't have enough blades to bring them all down, but opening up a route was no problem at all.

With that resolute light… in order to meet up with him, she had to open up an escape route.

"Bard!"

Katie sliced down several of them with her dagger, creating an opening through the encirclement even as she staggered.

Immediately after, fire arrows loosed by Bard rained down on the mass of moths.

Katie then spun around and invoked the low-class wind magic, "Aeropressure".

A wind welled up in the center of the swarm, carrying the flames and burning the mass of moths, blowing them away.

"Katie!"

Having rushed over to her, Bard chanted the detoxification spell "Antidote", clearing the poison affecting Katie.

However, since they were short on time, they dashed off.

As a side effect of being forced to stop by the moths, the flying dragons had caught up.

The flying dragons closed in on Bard, who was slower, and let loose breaths of compressed air.

"Shit…!"

"—…!"

Although he just barely dodged it, he was caught by the shockwave of the breath detonating against the ground.

Regaining his balance, though still staggering a little, the two had tacitly understood their respective roles and took off in separate directions.

Bard gradually strengthened his [Presence Interception] while devoting himself to running. Conversely, Katie steadily widened the distance from Bard while firing magic at the flying dragons to draw their attention.

By the time Katie's magical power was almost entirely exhausted, all of the flying dragons were focused on her.

Convinced his [Presence Interception] was working perfectly, Bard changed direction in one motion and broke away.

Katie also picked up her speed, and while staying outside the dragons' attack range, led them straight back toward their nest.

(Alright…!)

Then the flying dragons, having discovered the eggs in the nest, lost sight of Katie, who was running at top speed. With their focus shifted entirely to the safety of the eggs, she was able to successfully break away from them.

"… Haah, thank goodness."

 

*

 

"Pi?"

Having seen the whole thing, Ilya let out a sigh of relief.

Cutting off [Clairvoyance], she patted Haku's head.

The two were free from now on. It was uncouth to keep an eye on them any longer.

To say nothing of their wages from working at the branch, in truth she had also transferred this commission's reward into their accounts. They'd likely be astonished by the numbers in their accounts, but this was one last lesson: legitimate action earns legitimate reward.

(… I wonder if they'll be upset that I tricked them?)

Katie aside, Bard's angry face floated in her mind.

 

*

 

Several days later.

The lunch rush had ended, and the association branch had recovered a little composure.

Of course, Katie was no longer in the dining hall, and Bard was no longer at the counter.

If she was honest, she had wanted to raise their [Speech Skill] and other skills.

To Ilya's contemplative expression—

"Pi… pi!"

Haku licked her to try to comfort her.

Ilya couldn't judge whether Haku's growth was proceeding smoothly since she didn't know how long it took for dragons to reach maturity, but it felt like the small wings on her back weren't that far from being able to fly.

(So that she can fly properly, maybe I should fly together with her?)

As she was thinking about that, Ria, who had just arrived, came in.

"Ilya, Hector-san's calling for you. He said he wants you to come to his mansion."

"Understood. I'll wait for you to change into uniform."

"Thanks!"

When Hector called for her without Frank, it was usually something commission-related. Thinking about it, she wondered if it was because the number of monsters wasn't decreasing at all.

The registration cards she'd made for Bard and Katie were no problem, since she properly held the [Referee] qualification, and it shouldn't have anything to do with her ignoring the dragon god, who periodically tried to get in touch with her.

While she was wondering what else it could be, if not a commission, Ria came back, changed into her uniform.

"Thanks for waiting～. What about Haku?"

"Haku, do you want to stay here?"

"Pii～!"

She clung onto her and wouldn't let go.

"Ahaha, it looks like that's a definite no. See you soon."

"Un. I'm off."

Ilya and Haku left the branch. Gazing at the townscape's progressing construction, she headed toward the lord's mansion.

It seemed completely forgotten now that they were used to her, but at first many of the people who'd come for the construction had feared Haku. Now, though, they were completely used to her.

It was already winter. While walking outside, the dry wind blowing down from the Loa Mountain Range would snatch away one's body heat.

Although that was irrelevant to Ilya, who defended herself with a barrier, Haku wasn't yet capable of manipulating air and had no means of defending herself.

"Pi～…"

"Come here."

"Pi."

She picked up Haku, who was stirring as if she was a bit cold.

The lord's mansion looked the same as ever. Although there had been talks of rebuilding it as part of the redevelopment, Hector rejected the idea, saying it was unnecessary.

Although she would usually ask one of the gatekeeper soldiers whether Hector was in, this time a maid was standing in front of the gate.

"We've been expecting you, Ilya-sama."

"Good afternoon, Sibyl-san."

Her hair was both light brown and black, and her skin was dark brown. She was a German shepherd-type beastkin with erect, tapered ears. Guided by Sibyl, Ilya walked through the mansion's hallway.

Many of the furnishings were gorgeous. The reason they didn't quite match Hector's dependable image was because they were to the previous lord's tastes. It seemed he'd decided to keep them around to sell in case of emergencies. Hearing such a story, one could easily attribute it to Hector's benevolence.

"Good of you to come, Ilya."

"It was nothing."

She was guided into the mansion's parlor. The moment she entered the room, Ilya guessed the reason she'd been called for. There was another man waiting inside.

"Long time no see, Ilya."

"It's been a while. I didn't think I'd be meeting the country's prime minister here. Surely you didn't come alone?"

While making the sarcastic remark with Haku still in her arms, the man gave a deeply wry smile.

"If I took my knights out for a walk, that would just put my position on display, wouldn't it?"

This man was the Prime Minister of Rondéville Kingdom, Luciano Conti. As a half-elf who had been managing the country's government for two generations, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Rondéville had prospered as a nation of many races thanks to him.

"Honestly though, I wish the king could have been here as well. But as expected, the throne can't be left empty."

"Ilya, why are you standing around talking? Take a seat."

Hesitant to refuse him, Ilya sat down obediently and listened to what the prime minister had to say.

"First, the report. The eggs were safely returned to the nest, and it appears the flying dragons have successfully returned as well."

"Thank goodness. I can finally relax."

Contradicting Ilya, who looked relieved, the prime minister's expression was dull.

"Although we were relieved as well, an unrelated matter has come up immediately after."

Pausing his words there, he leaned back against the chair. This was characteristic of him — it meant he felt helpless.

"… An ice dragon appears to be headed for Rondéville."

"—…"

Hector put a hand to his mouth and fell silent. With a natural disaster for an opponent, simply accepting the fact was likely all he could manage.

"Has Akradist not considered any countermeasures?"

"As expected of Ilya, you're well informed. As long as there's no direct damage to them, they seem to be leaving it alone."

Just because it had drifted toward Rondéville, that didn't mean Akradist's response could be blamed. Handling it poorly risked turning its attention on them, sending out the army promised too little in return, and putting a subjugation commission through the guild meant the brokerage fee would be taken even if the attempt failed. Sometimes you just had to endure things like this.

"In light of that, are we to stand by and watch as well?"

"It helps that you're quick on the uptake. It wouldn't go like this with a noble who cares only about appearances. It's a small mercy, if you can call it that, but the harvest season is long since over. Even if it approaches settlements to some degree, people should be able to take refuge. Each of the major cities should prepare to accept evacuees."

"Yes. We'll see to it."

Even though it wasn't yet complete, Lunéville was already shaping up as an inn town. It was also a former military foothold, which should add to its sense of security.

However, setting that aside, there was something off about Luciano's story.

"In the event that the ice dragon attacks a major city, what do you plan to do?"

"Yes. That's what I'm here to talk to you about, Ilya."

The prime minister straightened his posture, turning fully toward Ilya.

"Ilya, do you know why the ice dragon is coming to Rondéville?"

His question was certainly reasonable.

"… Before, you said the number of commissions would increase. Was this matter included in that?"

"Is that true, Ilya?"

In response to Hector's words, the prime minister grew interested as well.

But even as the man leaned forward, Ilya's expression didn't change.

"No, that's different. I expected the number of monster subjugation commissions would increase due to the construction work. Although I'd heard talk of an ice dragon, I never thought it would come here."

Although the prime minister wasn't convinced, he was interested in something else.

"Why did you expect there to be more monsters? Lunéville's construction plans aren't provoking any monster-inhabited regions. Is there some kind of rule for that?"

His eyes were as questioning as a youth's. Half-elves, who combined an elf's wisdom with a common-human's thirst for knowledge, mostly reacted the way he did toward anything that caught their interest.

"The number of monsters increases along with the number of people. That's all."

"I-is that so? Even so, I can't ignore that… uuumu…"

Although the prime minister was lost in thought, Ilya wasn't about to speak about the details.

There were three world trees, their roots spread throughout the world.

Ejected from these world trees were three primary sources: the magic source, the spirit source, and the light source. It was the light source that brought forth daylight to illuminate the world.

When flora and fauna absorbed the light source through respiration, the primary source would transform into shadow source inside them. This shadow source would then be exhaled, growing active in the night, when there was no light source. The shadow source would be breathed in by the world trees and accumulate inside them.

That shadow source, together with the constituent matter and factors of the plants and animals that had returned to the earth and been absorbed by the world trees' roots, gathered and formed living things. Those were monsters.

The reason the light source turned into shadow source was that the light source absorbed negative emotions held by flora and fauna.

Thanks to the light source absorbing negative feelings, living creatures could be cheerful during the day. But during the night, when there was no light source, negative thoughts accumulated into masses of negativity, gathering into monsters.

It was easy for people to hold negative feelings toward others.

Since monsters were born already harboring negative feelings toward people, they were more aggressive toward people than ordinary creatures were.

That's why places and regions where many people gathered emitted a large amount of shadow source. It increased the number of monsters drawn there to attack people.

(… There's no way I could say something like that though.)

With her eyes cast down, Ilya sighed inwardly.

Every last fact she knew was unthinkable in Rondéville, where the followers of the Lottévester Faith, which revered the world trees, were many.

"At any rate, the only uncertainty is why the ice dragon is coming."

"Well, don't you think it's because there are a lot of people here?"

"Dragons are not monsters."

Because creatures that attacked people were generally called monsters, it was a common misconception in countries that had few chances of coming into contact with them. Of course, it was also true that they had to judge whether or not it was a threat. However, if there was a way to end it without a fight, they shouldn't go out of their way to destroy it.

"… Is that so? However, if any cities are attacked, we'll have to subjugate it."

"… Yes."

"While keeping an eye on the ice dragon's movements, please don't neglect the transport of goods."

""Certainly.""

 

*

 

Ilya and Hector formally responded to the prime minister.

After seeing everyone off, Hector summarized information on the matter in a document.

Considering, noting, and observing.

Even if the truth was hard to understand, by improving one's understanding through those steps, one might gain a flash of insight. From his experience, this was a custom Hector had practiced for many years.

"I brought tea."

The one who said that, presenting a cup, was the maid, Sibyl.

"Oh, thanks."

Taking the cup, Hector leaned back in his chair and took a break.

"What's the matter?"

"…"

There was no response from her, but with a wry smile, Hector named her discontent for her.

"Is it what Ilya said?"

"… Yes."

She gave him an affirmative this time. However, Hector wasn't perturbed. This was an exchange he himself had been through several times before now.

"… It wasn't anything personal."

"I understand."

"However, she has too many mysteries!"

When Hector had been a knight, he saved the life of Sibyl, who had also been a knight. She firmly believed it was her duty to support Hector in order to repay his kindness, so she now served as his maid.

For that reason, Ilya, whose depths she couldn't fathom, made her anxious — and frightened.

"She… didn't tell you everything she knew, even now."

"Probably."

His calm response left Sibyl at a loss for words.

"Then why do you think she gives advice but doesn't say everything?"

"That's… so that she can put herself in a superior position… I suppose?"

As she said it, something felt off to her, and her voice trailed off by the end.

Thus far, Sibyl hadn't seen any indication that Ilya was trying to improve her own standing.

Although she followed Hector's instructions due to him being the lord and Frank being the branch manager, she didn't act outside of branch-related affairs. She would only move when there was a commission or a demand for it.

Because that was how Sibyl had viewed Ilya, no one knew better than she did that her own earlier remark had been wrong.

"In my opinion…"

Sensing Sibyl's unease, Hector didn't refute her, but rather began to share his own view.

"Isn't Ilya pacing herself with our growth?"

"Our… growth?"

To Sibyl, who repeated it involuntarily, Hector nodded.

"When someone progresses too fast, one wrong turn can give birth to arrogance. Ilya gives us information matched to our growth, warning us… guiding us along the right path."

"Guiding… does she intend to pose as a god?"

Hector laughed at Sibyl's dangerous tone.

"She walks the streets, laughs together with the people, shares their pain. Isn't that an endearing god?"

It was a stance that could be called soft for a ruler.

But that was precisely the kind of lord he himself wished to be.

 

*

 

Rondéville Kingdom had little precipitation throughout the year and was a land of relatively mild weather.

Rivers flowing from the Loa Mountain Range in the north and the caldera lake in the southwest crossed its territory. In addition, abundant groundwater with substantial reserves and slow turnover could be found throughout the land, so water shortages never occurred.

As an agricultural nation that made use of that, in the metropolitan royal capital especially, ornamental horticulture grown for upper-class elites like the nobility flourished year-round.

As their culture developed, it reached the point where other countries that saw them cultivating plants built their own greenhouses heated by fire stones. However, likely due to differences in soil nutrients, they could only grow things that paled in color and size compared to Rondéville's.

And so Rondéville's royal capital, having secured an unshakable position in horticulture, came to be called the City of Blossoms, with flowers blooming year-round.

Besides being shipped to nobles in other countries, the cultivated flowers were also used in seasonal competitions and were so popular among noble women that even royalty from other countries would cross oceans expressly to visit.

With the winter competition approaching, a certain flower-cultivating farmer eager to earn Rondéville's royal seal of approval woke up earlier than usual from sheer nerves.

"… Today's even colder."

The man warmed himself by rubbing his trembling body. Because he couldn't use heating, due to the needs of the flowers, he wore a great many layers of clothes.

The man went out to his farm and encouraged the flowers that endured the cold and were trying to bloom, inspecting each one carefully.

Just then, something landed on his exposed nose. When he reached up and touched it, his glove came away slightly damp.

Although the man initially thought it was morning dew, his eyes widened in amazement when small white specks came into view.

"This is… snow…!?"

It had been decades since he had last seen it.

The fantastic scene drifted down from the sky. Snapping back to reality, the man ran around carrying poles and sticking them into the ground to set up snow defenses, and as a result ended up peeling off, one by one, every layer he had bundled into.

Nobles were enchanted by the spectacle, children running around excitedly at seeing snow for the first time.

The patrolling knights, bearing the cold and setting fallen children back on their feet, watched the snow with a somehow leisurely air.

Then, several days later.

Rondéville Kingdom's royal capital, where flowers of all colors should have been blooming everywhere, was transformed into a world of silvery snow by the snow brought down upon it by the ice dragon.

 

*

 

In a corner of the private room on the branch's second floor.

"Well then, any representative who consents to serve under the command of the mercenary guild [Blue Sword], please present your members' registration cards."

The eight assembled representatives nodded and presented their registration cards in unison. Ilya passed the cards she'd collected to Cynthia and left their registration to her.

"Are there any questions or comments?"

It was a representative from the commerce guild [Dawn's Furrow] who raised a hand.

"Any word on how our comrades who left earlier are doing? They went to the royal capital as the second group."

"That would be Beaulieu-sama's group. We received a report that they departed the royal capital the other day."

"R-really? What's the situation? How many people are being transferred?"

"One hundred and fifty people. Several citizens were injured, though all from snow-related accidents."

"One hundred and fifty… then, don't they need more blankets and food?"

"The transport of supplies has been completed by the trailing group. As I mentioned earlier, all of you will be focused on evacuating the royal capital's residents, so nothing beyond travel consumables is needed."

Don't try to make a profit this late in the game.

With that implication in her words, even the merchants quieted down once they sensed the mood.

The others wearing discontented expressions were new-face mercenary guild members who'd come after hearing about the situation. When Ilya turned to face them, one of them spoke up as if resigned to it.

"Who are you? You speak awfully clearly, but is your information accurate?"

"Yes. Being well-informed isn't limited to just the commerce and thieves guilds."

At the mention of the thieves guild, the person's eyes shifted slightly.

(Your occupation being listed in the status column came in handy this time, didn't it, [Wind of Falling Tears]' spy-san?)

Whether or not she applied pressure or took countermeasures could greatly alter how things played out afterward.

While Ilya would make the best use of her eyes to keep things moving in her favor, on the other hand it was hard for her to explain how she knew information she shouldn't know. That was a drawback.

Although the latter half seemed to stir up a bit of distrust—

"Ilya's information is accurate. We guarantee it."

The testimony of [Blue Sword] and the A-ranked mercenary guilds under it dispelled their complaints.

Just as Ilya was glancing around to see if anyone else wanted to speak up, Cynthia returned, registration finished.

"Is there anything else?"

A silent affirmation.

"Then we shall return your registration cards. As soon as the seventh caravan group is organized, please extricate the royal capital's citizens… I sincerely wish everyone success."

Among the representatives leaving the private room after receiving their registration cards, Ilya called two aside.

The mercenary guild [Scarlet Twin Blades]' public-facing representative Grace, and [Blue Sword]'s representative Fidel. Although [Scarlet Twin Blades] was full of powerful members not inferior to those in [Blue Sword], Grace wasn't suited for command due to her excessive personality.

However, exactly because Grace was the way she was, this could be entrusted to her.

"Please have everyone in [Scarlet Twin Blades] be on guard against [Wind of Falling Tears]."

"… Arrest them?"

"No, if they look to do you harm, feel free to cut them down. They'd just be a nuisance."

"Merciless as ever, Ilya."

At Fidel's bitter smile, Grace laughed merrily.

"It can't be helped if they're enemies."

"Yeah."

Although the subject was dangerous, neither of their responses wavered. It was an exchange that gave off the dependable air unique to two people who had piled up all manner of experience.

"My best regards."

""Leave it to us.""

While the two were being seen out of the private room, Fidel paused and turned around.

"We only decided to join the rescue groups because you're here."

"Haah…"

"I wonder why you aren't joining that meeting?"

By "that other meeting," he was probably referring to the subjugation group's formation being held in the third floor's parlor.

"Of course, if you ask which is more urgent it'd be the rescue, but I was just a bit curious. Sorry."

"It's nothing. I'll pray for your safety."

"Un."

After Fidel left the room, the only ones remaining were Ilya, Haku, and Cynthia.

"I was a little surprised there too."

Cynthia spoke while sliding a chair back to its table.

"When you process commission acceptances, Ilya, don't you sometimes give advice? Even when they don't ask. You only say something to people who'd be in danger if they took on a monster head-on."

"… Un. Well."

Cynthia was a common-human.

Although their upper limits were on the lower side, many common-humans had latent aptitude for a wide variety of skills. As one might expect from such a race, she had honed her [Observation] skill as a receptionist and could see through commission-takers' abilities to some extent.

Given that, it wasn't surprising that she'd seen through Ilya, but coming at this particular moment, Ilya was thrown off and stuck for a reply.

"That's why a lot of people are thinking, 'Will Ilya advise this subjugation group too?', you know? People you've given advice to, and the staff."

"It's not as though they can't succeed without advice. Even if they don't realize that."

"Un. That's right, isn't it."

However, Cynthia looked up into the air.

"I just feel a little anxious. Like, I wonder if we'd be alright without Ilya～, or something like that."

"Because I'm not the one defeating it."

"Right? Ahaha."

She knew Cynthia's laugh had no ill will in it. Even so, Ilya still felt like it had hit the bullseye. She didn't want to participate in the ice dragon's subjugation.

It was because the ice dragon wasn't a monster.

"Pi…?"

It wasn't because she was looking after Haku, who was distantly related to it.

In this world where survival of the fittest reigned, she had no objection to people clashing with those they couldn't coexist with. She wasn't saying that killing was wrong.

To begin with, she, who had killed many species, had no right to say so.

—Just, it felt wrong for her to join in and tip the balance of power so far from where it naturally stood.

As Cynthia had said, Ilya would limit herself to giving advice when monsters were the opponents. For subjugation commissions that weren't against monsters, she wouldn't stop them unless there was such a power difference that they would certainly die.

They did nothing but kill, and their being killed lessened the world's pent-up gloom… she wouldn't hesitate to give advice if the opponents were monsters or demons, the world's own distortion given form. On the other hand, when it came to wars between humans, she would ignore them without hesitation.

She wouldn't give advice, because it wasn't a monster. But what if it came to this town?

Unable to reach a decision just by thinking about that question, Ilya let out a sigh without realizing it.

 

*

 

The ice dragon, which had perched at the top of the Loa Mountain Range a little ways off the royal capital, magnified the damage to the royal capital by sending snow down on the wind.

The king didn't rein in the nobles who tried to be the first to escape, so the knights who should have been protecting the people became escorts for the nobles. With the knights serving as escorts for the city's upper echelons, who were scrambling to flee first, their fighting potential against the ice dragon became insignificant. In the end, even the royal family fled.

The current situation was that the knights couldn't venture far from Greizeville because they were babysitting them.

Accordingly, it was decided the guild would be used to hunt it.

They went so far as to label the rescue commission a "caravan," and the subjugation commission practically said, "We'll provide the money, so you handle the rest."

 

"—Then we shall return your registration cards. As soon as the thirteenth caravan group is organized, please extricate the royal capital's citizens… I sincerely wish everyone success."

Seeing off the representatives as they left the room, Cynthia let out a great sigh.

"Finally done～"

"Thank you for your work. Though we finished a little early, shall we stop for the day?"

"No way! We get paid by the hour, it'd just go to waste if we stopped now!"

"It's alright. Today's work comes with a special allowance anyway, and I'll log you as having worked the full shift."

"… No no no! No! I hate that kind of fudging-the-numbers!"

Even as she said she hated it, Cynthia seemed a little tempted.

"How about a break for now, then? Wait a moment. I'll bring some tea."

"It's fine, I'll do it! You take a rest, Ilya!"

As soon as she said that, she practically flew out of the room.

The substance of Ilya's duties was certainly more demanding, but her stamina wasn't exhausted at all thanks to her cheat.

Taking Cynthia up on her offer for the moment, she sat down in the chair, and Haku leapt onto her apron as though she had been waiting for just that.

Incidentally, this reminded her of the cat that would hop onto her keyboard when she was using the computer in her previous life.

(Haku gives off that same feeling, doesn't she?)

Pushing the problem of the ice dragon to a corner of her mind, she passed the time calmly petting Haku's head.

However, it couldn't last long in this time of emergency.

"Ilya, you were here?"

The one who poked their head in through the door was Frank, not Cynthia.

"Did the meeting end?"

"Yeah, though only the troop ranks and formation. Concrete plans haven't been made yet… at the very least, it would have been nice to know what kind of techniques the other side uses."

"I take it there wasn't anyone who's fought an ice dragon before?"

Frank smiled wryly at Ilya's words.

"Such veterans aren't readily available."

"Is the departure tomorrow?"

"No, we're waiting for Charon's report. We're coordinating with other branches."

Since they had to climb the snowy mountain as well as engage the ice dragon in battle, she thought it was a natural decision.

"Thanks for waiting～… Oh, huh, Frank-san… Did I interrupt something?"

"It's nothing like that."

"Cynthia should rest too. You're worn out, right?"

"I-I'll accept your offer, then…"

They exchanged small talk while taking a break with some of Cynthia's favorite green tea.

Though really, most of it was Ilya and Frank keeping Cynthia company while she grumbled her complaints. When Ilya escaped to tend to Haku, Frank shot her a glance as though pleading for rescue, but—

(I'm sorry, I think it's a superior's job to give emotional care to their subordinates.)

Making that excuse, she avoided meeting his eyes.

And so the first day's affairs ended like that.

However, from the day after they sent the caravan off and onward, they stayed just as busy as ever. Miraculously, the final stretch of highway development had been completed only the other day. Although all of the large-scale construction was complete, the completion festival that had been scheduled afterward was, naturally, postponed.

Then, two days after the caravans had finished evacuating all the residents to the various cities.

Ilya, who had been distributing supplies to various inns, went to the lord's mansion after receiving a summons from Hector.

Both Hector and Frank were waiting for her in the parlor with pensive expressions.

The subject the two were discussing? The failure of the ice dragon's subjugation.

As well as the fact that the ice dragon had descended the mountain as if to chase the subjugation corps — heading toward Lunéville, it was now confirmed to be moving south.

"The ice dragon… is coming here?"

Hector's expression was stiff as he nodded in silence. Frank, unable to just sit by, continued.

"Given their exhaustion, the decision to withdraw wasn't a mistake. However, no one thought it would pursue the subjugation group."

"Right. Dragons as a whole are a species with a strong territorial instinct, but unless something quite out of the ordinary happened, it shouldn't have left its territory to eliminate an enemy."

"Yeah… It's currently being held back by guild members from Harville rotating in and out, but it looks like it'll immediately push toward Lunéville the moment it can."

Ilya regretted not paying proper attention and avoiding reality. There was no guarantee she could understand its inexplicable behavior just by observing it now. If she had wanted to be absolutely sure, she should have been watching the subjugation team with [Clairvoyance], not just the rescue team.

"By the way, it's been said, but this isn't like the time before, when the flying dragon eggs were taken."

"Is… that so."

Frankly, if there was a comprehensible reason like its eggs being taken, that would have been preferable.

Even if the ice dragon had no ill will, it was true that it had brought harm to people. It was equally true that people had been the ones to strike at it directly first. Responsibility lay with both sides, and with neither.

The parlor was wrapped in a heavy atmosphere.

A knock broke the silence, resounding through the room. It was the common-human butler, Fabio.

"Hector-sama. The evacuation advisories sent out to the various places have been delivered."

"Thank you… how did it go?"

In response to his master's question, Fabio lowered his eyes with a stiff expression.

"… It didn't go well."

It didn't go well. In other words, they hadn't tried to evacuate. Unable to guess the reason, Ilya asked.

"Are those who came from the royal capital complaining?"

"No, Ilya-sama. They're actively seeking refuge. However, Lunéville's citizens don't seem to be turning their eyes from the ice dragon's danger either."

She understood even less now.

Even if it pained them to let go of the Lunéville that had been reborn, life had to come first. However, assuming they hadn't truly lost their sense of danger, they might be able to be persuaded by the people who had seen the ice dragon firsthand.

"Where are the injured currently?"

"Since the transport group left from Willville, they should arrive by tomorrow."

"I see… Have the messengers already headed to other cities?"

"Yeah."

Hector nodded.

"They went to Veluun, where the liaison to the king is stationed, but they should be back at the branch tomorrow."

"They're people you know well, too."

"?"

A lot of people came to mind, so she couldn't figure out who he was talking about, but it would be easier to ask them if she was acquainted.

The supply situation, drawing the final line for initiating the forced evacuation, and securing guild members as guards.

By the time Ilya had finally finished all of these discussions and was returning to the branch, the sky had started to darken.

On the roadside, Ilya ran into Cecilita and Lydia. Although it was natural for the two who worked in the branch's kitchen to be leaving from the branch, from what Ilya recalled, they didn't have shifts today.

As Fabio had said, she couldn't sense anything like fear or impatience from the two of them.

Although she wasn't entirely satisfied with that, she put on a pleasant smile so as not to worry them.

"Ilya-chan, you went to Lord-sama's place?"

"Yes. Have you two finished your evacuation preparations?"

For a brief moment, the two blinked in puzzlement. Lydia put on a cheerful smile.

"No way, Ilya-chan. If I ran away, who'd make the boss's food?"

"Is that… so?"

"… Fufu. You don't need to worry so much. If it really gets dangerous, we'll run away at top speed."

With the skills Ilya had, she could read the credibility of anyone's words. But even without that, anyone who looked at these two's faces would have seen through their lie.

To Ilya, who couldn't quite respond, the two smiled and went on.

"A while ago, everyone in town gathered at the branch to discuss what to do."

"And we all pooled our money to put out an additional commission."

"A commission?"

""Un.""

The two nodded. Then, with unwavering expressions—

""For the ice dragon's subjugation.""

They said.

"Umm… why would you go that far?"

Subjugating a divine beast at the calamity-designated level was something that should be discussed between nations and guild headquarters.

Before coming to Lunéville, Ilya had seen victims who had experienced disasters. There were people who didn't even try to escape, saying that since this was their homeland, they would go down with it.

Stubbornness and resignation dwelled in their eyes.

But now, in the eyes of the two girls before her, there was something that looked like hope.

Unable to understand why, Ilya unconsciously asked the two. Both answered with unchanging smiles.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"It's because everyone loves it here."

(—Ah, that's right, isn't it.)

She had forgotten. Or rather, she realized that feeling once again.

Between herself, who had just blended into the place, and these two, the words "I love this town" carried different weight.

I love this town.

Because their families had lived on this land for generations. Because they were born and raised in this town. An answer that had nothing to do with origins or stubbornness — a simple answer, plain and pure.

"There's no helping it, then."

The weight of love was different.

The depth of emotional attachment was different.

That's why it was unreasonable for her to say what she'd been thinking to everyone's determination.

"Un. We absolutely won't stop this time, even for Ilya-chan."

"Sorry."

This wasn't rejection — it was a resolve made after accepting reality. Because she could see it that way, Ilya shook her head.

"I won't stop you."

"Eh? Really?"

"Yes. I won't stop it if everyone in town wants it."

If it was the citizens' will, she wouldn't deny them.

"Because… I also love this town, and everyone in it."

—So I'm sorry, ice dragon whose name I don't know.

The ice dragon's subjugation.

—Because this time, it's a commission that everyone in town has put out to the branch.

Ilya decided to support the commission.

 

*

 

The next day.

When Ilya came down the stairs to check on the people who had gathered, there were some unexpected faces.

"Ilya!"

A woman whose fluffy long tail wagged so hard it looked ready to fly off threw her arms around Ilya. Since the person Ilya knew wasn't someone who would do that kind of thing, she was indeed surprised.

"Katie… how?"

"I came back from Veluun a little while ago."

Veluun. Hector's words from the previous day crossed Ilya's mind.

"Perhaps you were the one who sent the report?"

"Right. Bard too. Come!"

She forcefully pulled Ilya along and brought her to the second floor's private room. Inside, Bard sat on a chair in a bad mood.

"It's been a while, Bard-san. I'm glad you two are safe."

"… It was nothing."

(Even surlier than before.)

While Ilya wondered about that, Katie smiled wryly and explained.

"Really, we wanted to come back with the ice dragon's subjugation as a present. But he's embarrassed because it failed."

"Stupi—, don't say something unnecessary! T-that's just… I was just trying to get some travel money! It's a misunderstanding!"

Although she thought it indiscreet, she couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Present or whatever, I'm really glad you two are safe."

"Ilya…"

Katie stared at her while Bard turned his face away. Their favorability toward her seemed to have grown even more extreme, but if she let that bother her, she'd lose.

"So, what will you two be doing after this?"

"Another subjugation commission was put out, right? We'll join in."

"We'd be in trouble if Lunéville disappeared."

"In trouble… huh?"

Although Ilya thought they planned to use it as their base, her guess was immediately denied.

"Un. We want to work here again."

"… You need more helping hands, yeah?"

"Bard isn't being honest with himself."

"Shaddup."

They certainly didn't have enough hands, and things would only get more hectic from here.

But they were getting too comfortable — Ilya turned to the two with a smile.

"Hmm, this time I'll have you two properly take the examination."

"Geh…"

"… Can we pull some strings?"

If it was these two, they could probably pass it. Even so, spoiling them wouldn't help them at all.

"Please win a place of your own by your own strength."

If they could do that, they wouldn't have to feel inferior or like they were being shown sympathy anymore.

Since Ilya had an inferiority complex due to her cheat, she prayed that the two would want to build equal relations with everyone.

 

*

 

When Ilya headed back to the branch's dining hall with Katie and Bard, it was packed full of guild members who had volunteered as the second subjugation group.

Including [Blue Sword] and [Scarlet Twin Blades], who had returned from the rescue commission, quite a few considerably powerful people had gathered together, though they were fewer in number than before.

Guild members who normally drank themselves silly as the branch's regulars were now tense and serious-faced.

(If only they'd always carry themselves like this…)

She swallowed those words back before they left her mouth.

"First, I thank everyone who has gathered here."

"Pi."

Standing on the counter, Haku bowed her head in imitation of Ilya. The tension in the dining hall eased slightly.

"For this subjugation, unworthy as I am, I will propose the measures to take. I'm sorry, but I would ask that only those who have no objection to the plan join the second subjugation group. Those who would rather go with a plan of their own, the third—"

"Don't go saying that at this point, Ilya!"

"Right, right! Ilya-chan is too cold!"

A few people raised their voices. Everyone looked toward Ilya with similar expressions.

(Nooo… I'll be in trouble if you put so much faith in me… I guess I have no choice but to brace myself, huh?)

Steeling her resolve, Ilya looked over the dining hall once again.

"Thank you. For this plan, forget about organizing by parties. Everyone will form groups based on their roles."

Everyone stared at her with rather surprised expressions.

In this world, although separate parties did coordinate with one another in combat, no one waged organized battle with roles divided up by class.

"First, please separate yourselves according to the roles written here."

The bulletin board that usually displayed commission charts had been moved in front of the counter, and two sheets of paper were posted on it.

One sheet had the organization plan.

People who use fire magic. People who use intermediate-level or higher defensive magic. People who use shields. People who take charge of direct attacking. People confident in their speed.

These were assigned to A, B, C, D, and E respectively. By the way, when Ilya wrote things down, even if she wrote in Japanese, everything was converted into this world's characters, so there was no problem.

"Next, I'll explain everyone's roles and how to coordinate."

The second sheet had a simplified ice dragon sketched on it.

"First, we'll stand by outside the ice dragon's range, spreading out across the front. If it's attacked by fire magic, it won't just damage it efficiently — it'll also cause the exhausted ice dragon, which dislikes disturbed air currents, to descend to the ground. From there, approach while keeping formation. Once you do, the ice dragon will use its breath attack to sweep everyone away at once. However, since the breath will be spread over a wide range, it can be sufficiently defended against using intermediate-level defensive magic. So I'll have group B, who are in charge of defensive magic, take the vanguard of that deployed formation."

Among the few making noise, one raised their hand.

"What do we do if it uses an attack that isn't its breath?"

"The formation is designed to limit its attack options. If you spread out in all directions, it'll use 'Blizzard', and if you bunch up too tightly, it'll skewer you with 'Glacial Lance'. We can't do the former because it would force everyone to maintain rigid defenses while also restricting their vision. As for the latter, we could counter it the same way with high-class magic, but the reason we're focusing on luring out its breath is that there's a long cooldown after that attack."

Without hesitation, Ilya continued the explanation.

"Since 'Blizzard' and 'Glacial Lance' are spells that use natural elements, the ice dragon itself can transition to its next action right away. Its breath, on the other hand, spits out ice made by combining magic source with elements inside its body. To use it again, it has to raise its neck and recombine them internally — which takes a few seconds, however brief. I'd like everyone to close the distance during that opening."

"But that guy doesn't just have those three things."

Agreeing with the comment, Ilya pointed at the figure once again.

"That's where groups B and C come in. While group A attacks from long range, groups B and C will fortify the flanks while group D charges straight in. For its tail sweeps and the claws of its forelegs, whichever side of B and C is being attacked will defend, and during that opening close the distance to attack — everyone who can, aim for the horns. Ah, those of you with shields, please focus on deflecting upward rather than receiving the hit directly. If you take it head-on, you could get blown away entirely."

Several people smiled wryly at her remark.

Taking the impact head-on and getting hurt was practically the fate of anyone equipped with a shield — they were probably recalling their own experiences.

"Aim at its horn? Not the eyes?"

"Yes. Although the basics of subjugation is to aim at the eyes, pay that no mind and forget it this time. I'll explain that reason later, so first let me explain why to aim at the horns. An ice dragon's horn acts like a mage's staff."

At that fact from Ilya, the dining room became noisy with mutters.

A staff made invoking magic easier and more efficient, as well as increasing its strength. As that was common sense for those here belonging to the guild, she omitted explaining it.

"If you can break its two horns, you can markedly hinder its attacks by magic."

"So, what about the last group?"

"Group E's role is disruption and decoy. This brings us back to the question of its eyes from earlier — do you know how the ice dragon tracks its enemies inside the blizzard it conjures itself? Yes, Bard-san."

"Ah!? Uh, err… smell, or something?"

"Wrong."

To Bard, who looked frustrated, Ilya thanked him in her mind for answering as she had expected.

"The reason ice dragons can pinpoint their enemies even when visibility is poor is because they sense body heat. So I'll have group E use decoys made with fire stones to hold the ice dragon's movements in check, or else lead it where we want."

Then the ice dragon would be thrown off.

The people gathered weren't amateurs who needed everything explained from start to finish. She omitted that explanation as well.

"I'll determine the formations for after the horns are broken, as well as a contingency formation in case we can't break them, after seeing the head count for each role. With all that in mind, please forget about your parties and split into the role you think you'd be best suited for. If you can't decide, I'll assign you."

She bowed as she finished saying that. Taking it as their cue, everyone began to shuffle around.

"Piii…"

When Haku licked the hand that was holding her, Ilya thanked her and patted her head.

(It's alright, I don't regret it. Besides, I will absolutely protect you.)

For people who consulted her about their role, she assigned them based on their status using [God's Eyes]. She would have assigned them based on their potential if there had been time to improve their skills, but it would be unreasonable to demand that from guild members, who weren't soldiers, so she decided to be businesslike instead.

Then she decided the overall commander, along with the squad leaders for each formation — both for after the horns were broken and in case they couldn't be broken — and once everyone agreed, she finished the commission acceptance registration.

"Well then, I'll return your registration cards. Since [Pastoral Wheel] will be accompanying you to transport supplies when you set out, please join up with them at the north gate… Good luck."

 

 

 

 

"Let's go!"

"""""Yeeeeeeaaaaaahhh!"""""

In this way, the second ice dragon subjugation group departed.

 

*

 

When the subjugation group had left Lunéville and walked for a while, they noticed snow falling from the sky.

It was obviously the ice dragon's doing. Although they were surprised it was closer than they'd thought, none of them trembled.

The subjugation group sent out scouts and advanced, waiting for their report.

They decided to make their battlefield on a plain, waiting for the ice dragon at a spot not far from their camp.

The fluffy snow gradually turned into something heavier and rougher.

Since there was little wind and the temperature was low that day, the falling snow piled up and slowed the subjugation group's march. However, considering that the first subjugation group had had to fight on a snowy mountain, these could be called exceptional conditions.

Before long, a black object appeared in the sky above the quiet plain.

"Mage group, prepare yourselves!"

The guild members in charge of blasting it out of the air with fire magic began to move.

"Katia, I'll leave it to you!"

"Un!"

Receiving Elivia's encouragement, Katia responded with a reassuring nod.

An ice dragon.

When she had heard about the invasion, she hadn't thought about leaving town. That didn't mean she didn't feel afraid, though.

The king of Mithledge, where the headquarters of the magic guild she'd attended was located, was a dragonkin. And because she had witnessed firsthand the dragon form and power of a dragonkin from the king's collateral line, her fear of dragons ran stronger than most people's.

In fact, back when she had heard the dragon's name in Akradist, she'd made certain to keep her distance as much as possible.

When someone like her heard about the ice dragon's invasion, she'd spoken with her partner, Elivia.

Elivia hadn't intended to passively flee either.

She wanted to defend this town.

Equivalent to when Elivia had said she wanted to leave her hometown — or perhaps even greater than that — the strength in the woman's gaze said as much.

Katia was a noble's daughter from the Windia Chieftain Federation.

Looking up to a mage named Marinera who belonged to the federation army's magic unit, she had joined the magic guild and studied magic, following in Marinera's footsteps.

After developing her natural talent through hard work, she returned to the federation full of confidence and tried to join the army's magic unit, but her wish was not granted.

Rather than let her leave to earn achievements in the army, the girl's family wanted to strengthen the house by marrying her into a distinguished family.

That was the raison d'être Katia's parents had placed on her life. Katia's wishes were wholly crushed by her house's influence.

—I've decided to leave home… Because there's no place here where the real me belongs.

Hearing Katia say that, Elivia invited her along on her own journey.

Elivia hadn't found meaning in belonging to the federation army, where male-dominated culture ran deep, and was setting out on a journey to find a place where her own strength could be acknowledged and put to use.

(You found a place to belong, didn't you?)

Lowering her eyes to suppress the rising sentiment, Elivia opened them again and put on a challenging smile.

As for Elivia's answer to the question in Katia's gaze, it had already been decided before being asked.

"—Fast is the wind of swift sleep. Clad yourself in the flames of hell, bringing extinction to those before you."

"—Accumulate, boil, seethe. Progenitor, the flame that issues forth from a fire dragon's wrath. Burn everything."

"—Destroy and warp that specific location. Extinguish all living things. Send them death and corrupt their very shelter of life."

"—Lights Out!"

"—Flame Breath!"

"—Blazing Destruction!"

Speed, range, power.

Changing the magic they used to suit the situation, such as distance and the dragon's movements, the mages toyed with the ice dragon.

However, dragons could be called rulers of the sky, and only a handful of the spells were direct hits.

Even so, it was enough for the ice dragon to let out a roar in irritation. It glided down from the air and landed on the ground.

The accumulated snow seemed to fly straight up from the vibrations, creating what looked like a wall of pure white.

The ice dragon was at a distance where it could be seen perfectly. One of its eyes and one of its arms were injured. It was clear from the way the cuts looked that they had not been caused by magic.

It was a fortunate miscalculation for the subjugation group; some of them even smiled.

However, the real fight began from there.

"Begin the strategy! Don't fall out of ranks!!"

The guild members' expressions tightened at the order from Fidel, the [Blue Sword] representative appointed as commander, who was filled with tension. All at once, everyone released their war cries and began their advance.

As for the mages who had shot the dragon with fire magic and were now repositioning, they waited for the other groups to pass.

Katia exchanged glances with her partner as she ran past her toward the ice dragon.

—Good work. Next it's our turn.

—I'll be expecting you.

With their intentions conveyed in that instant, there was no uneasiness in Katia as she watched Elivia's back growing ever farther away.

Even though it was down to one eye, they knew it could perceive enemies through heat as well as sight, so they didn't make the mistake of concentrating on just one side.

The subjugation group advanced toward the front of the ice dragon. Just as Ilya had said, everyone saw it raise its head.

"Defensive magic! Deploy!!"

The mages in charge invoked defensive magic to shield the trailing troops from its breath.

"Offensive magic group!"

"A little longer… now!!"

They began to chant.

"Defensive group, assault group, take formation and stand by!"

"Mage group, invoke when the breath ends!"

The blue-and-white pressure covering the defensive wall vanished. In the next moment, as Ilya had said, although the ice dragon roared, its attacks stopped.

"Shoot!!"

"Charge!!"

Letting out voices like the rumbling of the earth, the subjugation group dashed toward the ice dragon.

To the mobile group's birdkin observing from overhead, it looked like three spears being thrown toward the dragon.

Right, left, and center.

Realizing enemies were rushing at it, the ice dragon lashed out with its tail to mow them all down.

However, the moment the tail connected with the first target, its trajectory got deflected, and all it managed was to barely halt the group on its right.

Its breath had been blocked. Recognizing as much, after ending its breath the ice dragon shifted its element manipulation from inside its body to outside, and that conversion was about to finish now.

It roared at the front line.

Magic that could fire numerous ice spears as though to skewer everything — this was the ice dragon invoking "Glacial Lance".

It was an unexpected move. However—

"I won't let you!"

A certain tiger beastkin charged toward the ice dragon as it lifted its head.

"Dropping Phoenix Rotation!!"

A vertically spinning kick technique, delivered in the manner of an axe kick. The blades fitted over the claws of her feet bared their fangs.

Glinka-style claw technique, "Dropping Phoenix Rotation".

Although it certainly made contact with the horn, it was far from destroying it. But even so, it wasn't over yet.

"Paaaired Faaangs!!"

"Dropping Phoenix Rotation, Paired Fangs".

Rotating once again without losing any of the rotational energy, she attacked with the claws of both of her hands crossed over each other.

The slash, with built-up momentum, cut three grooves into its right horn.

"Tch—!"

A little more.

Even though she was irritated at the horn's strength, she didn't try to just attack it haphazardly. She withdrew by kicking off the dragon's face.

Elivia was vigilant, expecting an attack from the ice dragon, but there were no signs of one.

However, her eyes went wide as she caught sight of a figure slipping past her flank to pounce on the dragon.

With their violet hair and red armor, there was no mistaking this person for anyone but [Scarlet Twin Blades]' Grace. However, she wasn't holding her usual short sword — it was a hammer with a quadrangular pyramid for a head on one side.

A black-haired woman followed behind her, also from [Scarlet Twin Blades]. Olga. She was using the same type of hammer as Grace.

(What do they intend to do?)

The moment she thought that, Grace's voice slammed against Elivia's ears.

"Barrage!!"

Beating against the horn with the pointed tip of the hammer's head—

"Breeeak!!"

Before the recoil could bounce it away, Olga slammed the flat side of her hammer down on Grace's previous hammer.

The grooves Elivia had gouged carried the impact through the whole horn without wasting any of it, and a crack ran through it with a shrill noise.

"Olga!!"

Grace tossed away the hammer in her hand and reached for the sword at her waist.

Olga caught the thrown hammer and swung both at Grace, as one would with dual katanas.

Not to attack her comrade.

Grace had lost her momentum and should have just dropped from the air, but this would forcibly send her charging at the enemy one more time.

"Crescent Moon! Upper Arc!"

The upward arc slash struck the crack in the horn directly—

"—!!"

At last, the horn broke.

The ice dragon's shriek shook the air and assaulted the surrounding subjugation groups.

There was no way the girls suspended in midair could deflect that shockwave. In front of the three who barely managed to land while losing their balance, comrades equipped with shields cut in to stand between them and the ice dragon.

"You guys went too far ahead."

"Sorry, sorry."

While the girls aimed at destroying the horn, the other groups focused on attacking it directly hadn't just been twiddling their thumbs.

Rather, so that the girls could concentrate on their own attacks, they had been striking parts like its arms and legs to keep the ice dragon's attacks from turning toward them.

"But you did a good job."

Being able to limit the objective counted for a great deal.

All the more so when facing an opponent of an entirely different caliber as an individual.

"People aiming at the remaining horn, be proactive! Magic support group, hinder its movements! Focus on its legs and bring it down!"

Fidel's voice resounded across the plains.

Because of the wind that intensified independently of the ice dragon, the snow drained even more stamina and clarity of thought from the subjugation group.

In that situation, the young man named Fidel was a presence who served as a huge support to the subjugation group.

Watching for the right moment, he pointed his sword in a direction other than the true one, ordering a diversion.

Taking a hint from Ilya's plan, he deliberately opened a gap to limit the dragon's methods of attack, then defended against it.

Attack, defend, feign, evade.

"Haha!"

Fidel laughed.

It wasn't a sadistic smile — it was a smile born from being excited to the point of trembling.

For him, who believed in freedom, being named the leader and entrusted with the resulting obligations had been painful.

However, it was different now.

In the name of freedom, the subjugation group stood up to defend their freedom.

Everyone moved as one, and a feeling of omnipotence stirred within him.

Although it could possibly be a dangerous mental state where one might develop a desire to rule, for all that, because of his purpose, he simply concentrated on defeating the enemy before him.

—With everyone's strength, let's defend our town!

One more strike and the other horn would break too.

 

Just as he made that judgment—

(A signal!?)

Fidel and several others noticed a light blinking in an entirely unrelated direction.

After a moment, they realized it was a magic light.

Before long, fire spells came flying in and swarmed the ice dragon all at once, burning its wings.

However, it wasn't only the ice dragon that couldn't react to the unexpected attack — the subjugation group was the same.

Their movements fell into disorder, and the confusion hampered their split-second decisions. Because they had been so well-coordinated up until then, the backlash was that much greater.

The one who clearly understood the situation was the birdkin throwing fire stones from the sky as feints.

What he caught through the obstructing snow was a wave of people coming to attack from another direction.

They might have been a subjugation group sent by another town.

The moment he considered that.

(Oh no!)

Having reached the point of being surrounded, the ice dragon began to invoke a spell that would attack everyone around it.

Although he tried in a panic to disrupt its concentration with the stones, he didn't make it in time.

With even the mobilization of the forces on the ground delayed, they couldn't disrupt its magic — looking up at the sky, the ice dragon roared.

The high-ranked spell spread out like a wall of raging ice and snow in all directions — "Blizzard" was invoked.

Top to bottom, left to right, front to back. They were attacked from every direction. There was no way to defend completely against it.

"Defensive magic users, form groups of four! Anyone nearby, stay in the center for cover!!"

Sustaining injuries, the subjugation group's stamina dropped even further.

The ice dragon attacked some groups with its forelimbs and tail, reducing their fighting potential each time.

It was a small relief that no one was rendered combat-ineffective, thanks to the strenuous efforts of the defense group.

(((End soon…!)))

Unlike the reinforcements thrown into confusion by the attack that hit right after their arrival, Lunéville's subjugation group sharpened their concentration so as not to miss their chance for a counterattack.

Before long, the wall of white formed by the "Blizzard" began to break apart.

"Skirmishers!"

A single word.

With that one word from Fidel, the group in charge of diversions and feints charged out from inside the defensive walls.

To people who knew how powerful "Blizzard" was, taking formation around the dragon would look like suicide.

However, they had the knowledge.

[In the unlikely event it invokes 'Blizzard', please move before the effect fully wears off. The ice dragon's 'Blizzard' is astounding in both power and range, but it can't be invoked multiple times. It depends on how exhausted it is, but once it uses 'Blizzard', charge in all at once before the effect ends.]

That was what Ilya had said. They had no reason to doubt her.

Thrown off balance by the movement of the scattering subjugation group, the ice dragon couldn't make its next move.

Those who had continued sharpening their fangs in wait wouldn't possibly miss this chance.

First was its horn.

"Mage group!"

Together with the chants beginning, agile people dashed out from within the defensive magic.

Magic was invoked.

With a spell that served as a blindfold against it, the ice dragon couldn't land a decisive blow even as the enemy closed in.

Then the subjugation group's blades finally broke the horn.

Afterward, having lost its horns, the ice dragon could no longer land accurate attacks. In the end, it collapsed in a flurry of snow and perished. Its enormous form unmoving, the snow-strewn plain fell so silent it was as if the earlier uproar had been a lie.

"…—id it."

"""We wooooooooon!"""

The subjugation group exchanged looks with each other in half-amazement, their hands quivering from various emotions, and gave triumphant shouts toward the sky.

People smiled, people wept, and people fell to the ground.

There were many injuries, but miraculously none were fatal.

The subjugation was complete.

The reason Ilya didn't share what she'd seen through [Clairvoyance] — the ice dragon's exhausted state and the injuries to one of its eyes and one of its arms — was because she wanted to avoid them growing complacent.

 

It worked, and the subjugation group started the battle with good tension. They were able to complete the commission. Although there were some surprises, the battle itself unfolded roughly as Ilya had planned.

But as for Ilya, she couldn't help thinking how much she'd hate it if she ended up getting saddled with another job like this in the future.

"Pi…?"

"No, it's nothing."

"Pi!"

Even if she grumbled about it, there was no helping it. It was something she had decided.

So Ilya shook it off.

If she broke down here, she would even lose the right to be resented by the ice dragon.

Although it was a selfish thing to think, that was the one thing she would absolutely never allow.

"Ilya-chan, I'd like to accept this commission."

"Certainly. Please present your registration card."

And so, she continued her duties as a receptionist today as well.