Expectations

The arena.

This was the only place where members of the Mercenary Guild and the Magic Guild were allowed to fight one another. Becoming a High Ranker in the individual or team matches was considered one of the highest honors they could achieve.

For those dissatisfied with a guild rank that never measured their strength firsthand and only set them apart by their most notable achievements, this place was ideal as a venue to show off their power.

Moreover, it wasn't only fighters who benefited from it.

For the blacksmiths who sponsored others with armor and weapons, the Industry Guild that produced things like targets and obstacles, and the Commerce Guild that sold food and drinks to the audience, the arena was a cash cow.

It was also a good source of income for both the Lord, as the arena's owner, and the Association Guild that was entrusted with its management. And lastly, for the spectators who came to watch the blood-boiling, thrilling fights from a safe distance, it was a great form of stress relief.

On the other hand, it did cause some problems.

The main problem with the arena in Orbwight Kingdom's capital was that it was rife with fixed matches arranged by the country's nobles.

While the underground gambling that ran by unspoken agreement was a welcome source of income for Orbwight's nobility, not everyone approved of it. Thanks to whistle-blowing by spies of the opposing noble faction, the fixed matches came to light.

It wasn't publicly announced, but mouths aren't so easily silenced, and word of the fixed matches spread through the population in no time at all.

Although the number of spectators dropped dramatically because of the scandal, attendance hadn't fallen so far that the arena needed to close.

What dealt the final blow was the wave of arrests of guild members that the prosecuted nobles set in motion afterward.

The nobles behind the fixed matches were being cornered by their opposing faction, who were trying to expose their greed. However, the nobles arranging the fixes weren't fools. By collecting dirt on the fighters who participated and holding it over them, they ensured their victory was secured before the investigation even began.

In the end, the opposing faction was unable to dig up anything on the fighters they suspected of taking part in the fixed matches. The prosecuted nobles, however, were desperate to claim a win and recklessly had any fighter with a prior offense arrested, no matter how trivial the offense had been.

As a result, the nobles — and by extension the administration of Orbwight Kingdom itself — lost much of the public's confidence. With the guilds turning against them and guild members avoiding the area, Orbwight's arena was soon closed down.

Although the story of that arena wasn't irrelevant to the Association's personnel, to the Lunéville branch it was simply someone else's problem.

"The general meeting decided that an arena is to be built in Lunéville."

At least, it was until Frank said that.

 

*

 

Going back in time, only a few days had passed since the game tournaments wrapped up.

[Anything abnormal? Not really～. I mean, Miko Nee-chan, it's not like you're sensing anything right～?]

[Yeah. However, aren't you more sensitive to changes in the air than me?]

Sylph let out a high-pitched laugh.

Taking on the appearance of a normal-sized, energetic young girl, she might more accurately be called Sylphid. Even so, whether in male or female form, the Great Spirit's androgynous impression hadn't changed.

[Even if Unmotivated Nee-chan praises me…～]

[Sylph! What are you saying to Miko-sama—]

Although their discussion was cut short by Gnome's intrusion, in the end it turned out that Sylph hadn't felt any changes.

Not long after that, Nina and Elias returned to the Archipelago Countries Alliance, as if hurried along by Sylph, who hated Gnome's sermons.

Rondéville's climate had turned a bit chilly, settling back into its usual winter.

And, almost as if he were returning to swap places with them, Frank came back.

"Oh, Frank-san, did you go somewhere?"

"Claude, I don't have any souvenirs for you."

"I was so lonely, Frank-saaan!"

"There there. Cynthia, you've got a wicked side."

As expected, the mood in the branch softened now that Frank was back.

Watching the pleasant scene, Ilya noticed Frank turn towards her.

"I'm back, Ilya, Haku."

"Welcome back."

"Pi."

Petting Haku and enjoying the feel of the baby dragon's fur, Frank held out a bag.

His figure overlapped with that of her previous life's father returning home from a business trip, bringing back something to curry favor with her.

Was he afraid of being forgotten? Ilya dismissed the thought as soon as it crossed her mind. Given the scene that had played out a moment ago when he returned, he clearly understood he was cared for.

Pushing the unpleasant feeling to the back of her mind, she used [God's Eyes] and was relieved to find nothing wrong with the bag's contents.

"They're sweets made with Gilderport's special nuts and mangoes. They only recently started making them, so I don't think even you've seen them before."

"Thank you for the concern. However, what is best is that you were able to return safely."

"Y-yeah."

Seeing Frank so obviously shaken, Ilya was convinced.

He was definitely hiding something.

As if to escape her gaze, Frank turned his attention toward the shift schedule.

"You'll be at reception after this, Ilya?"

"Yes."

"I'll be going over to Hector-san's. I'll be back in the evening, please come to my room when I get back."

"Certainly."

The room he mentioned was his office, not his private quarters.

The staff all knew that, so there was no room for impure imaginations.

"I can't overlook that."

Right. All of the staff knew.

Everyone's gaze fell on the man who had suddenly appeared in the office. Even so, the only person surprised by him was Frank, who had never seen him before. The man introduced himself to Frank, who was at a loss to understand what was happening.

"I am an Elder of Fountain Village, Ilya's fiancé and—"

"You're still here? Please, hurry and return."

Cut off mid-sentence, Elder Reginald froze, unable to voice even a single complaint.

Really, hurry up and go home. You're interrupting my happy time!

Although that was Ilya's wish, it didn't come true. The Elder simply smiled back with useless elegance.

"To have me wait many more years…? Don't say something so cruel, I would die of loneliness."

It'd be great if you died. Even though she didn't say it aloud, the adult well into his years came across like a small animal pawing at her. Then again, she figured even a no-good person was entitled to have someone they liked.

That said, she didn't have time to keep focusing on the Jiji.

Ilya turned back towards Frank.

"What will you be doing for dinner?"

"Eh? I'll get some here. Right… could I have some of that curry I ate before I left?"

"Understood. I'll be preparing some for tomorrow as well, so I'll make it now."

"Ah, Frank-san's sly! Me too!"

With Rachelle chiming in, Ilya ended up with reservations for several people's worth of curry.

It might have been thanks to the publicity during the Snow Festival, but the curry was now a popular item even with its weekend-only restriction. Even when they stocked up plenty, it would sell out by noon the next day.

There were no meal-related staff incentives, so most of the staff rarely got to eat the curry.

"Got it. I'll make some for everyone, but only this once, alright?"

The amount Ilya herself made was limited, which only added to its rarity. The reason was simple: the ingredients were scarce.

She could easily increase the supply with her skills, but doing so would mean deceiving the merchants. Above all, she had a responsibility to uphold the promise she'd made to Pasha.

For now, she decided to spread awareness of how useful the necessary spices were, hoping that eventually farmers would start mass-producing them on their own.

"Now then everyone, please get back to work."

""" Okay～ """

With Frank's reminder, everyone returned to their jobs.

Still ignoring the elder who was in the corner of her vision, Ilya led Haku along and went to the reception desk.

 

 

*

 

It was around the time the lunch crowd was thinning out and things were starting to settle down.

Even now that the game tournament had ended, a few patrons were still amusing themselves with Shogi and Go at some of the tables. Truthfully, Ilya thought it was a bit poor in manners, but since they weren't doing it during mealtimes, she decided to let it slide for now.

Ilya had more important matters to figure out.

"Nadia-san, please, raise your head."

"But…"

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty raised her head only slightly. The elf who had come on her own as part of the elder's escort was someone everyone in Fountain Village knew of: Nadia of the Flaming Bow. A person of great influence.

Carrying herself nobly and elegantly, she was the kind of woman many in the village fondly addressed as Onee-sama. Ilya felt it was much like how high school girls might idolize their seniors.

And now a woman like that was bowing deeply to Ilya.

It wasn't as exaggerated as York's dogeza, but because Nadia was a woman, Ilya couldn't figure out the reason behind it as easily, which made the situation almost as troublesome.

"Elder-sama can no longer live without you. Could you not rethink the matter?"

"I refuse."

Hearing Ilya's answer, which left no room for discussion, Nadia's shoulders drooped.

Using [God's Eyes] on her, however, revealed that the slightly haggard look on her face was caused by mental stress.

"Would you like some food? I could make anything you want."

"U-umu… sorry, yeah, I'll have something."

As elves were a rather exclusive race, other races would try to snatch up either the Crystal Pillar they safeguarded or the elves themselves, which made them wary of outsiders across the board.

Although Ilya had taken that into account and provided them with lodging and a place to eat, it was hardly enough to let them live as they normally would.

With the stress of constant vigilance and unfamiliar surroundings, Nadia's food needed to be light, since she likely couldn't keep anything heavier down. To avoid burdening her stomach, Ilya prepared an egg and rice porridge along with a white stew packed with vegetables.

(… I didn't intend for this to happen, though.)

Seeing the spectacle unfold before her eyes, Ilya was half shocked and half impressed.

"… Only eating that kind of stuff, that damned Jiji won't stop complaining and complaining how bad it tastes!"

"Yeah, I lost my appetite too once Ilya-sama was gone!"

"Same here!"

Pizza, steamed buns, tofu udon, spring rolls, paella… At some point the elves had multiplied, stuffing themselves with dish after dish.

Once word got out that Ilya was cooking, the room filled up quickly. Up until the moment she had them move to a private room on the second floor, everything had been going well.

However, thinking it would be alright to offer alcohol since elves drank wine, she served them some fruit wine… that turned out to be a bad idea.

"That Jiji isn't fit for Ilya-chan!"

""" Yeah! Yeah! """

"Who would want him to be Ilya-sama's partner!? He should fulfill his responsibility first!!"

""" Yeah! Yeah! """

All through the boisterous party, one person would complain and everyone else would agree, mocking the elder.

They had probably been bottling up quite a bit of anger.

(My condolences.)

Even Ilya, someone who disliked elves, couldn't help but pity them.

Judging from their conversation, it seemed Ilya's having looked after the elder — "nursing" in name only, when it was really just caregiving — was what had set this off.

The food's bad, your performance is bad, you couldn't even beat that enemy, and so on. If it were Ilya, if it were Ilya, if it were Ilya…

She honestly thought they were impressive for not even turning their hostility on her.

The private rooms were soundproofed, so they could vent their complaints and grumbles without the elder overhearing.

(Let it all out, don't worry.)

She would take measures herself as well.

Even patience had its limits. Caught up in their drunken chatter, none of the elves noticed how Ilya's smile slowly turned cold.

 

*

 

Evening arrived, and Frank had just finished his curry. He was now starting in on the souvenir he had brought back with him, a linzer torte.

It reminded her of sachertorte, something quite similar to it, so Ilya decided to put together both a sachertorte and an improved linzer torte.

(A humble amount of sugar, topped with plenty of whipped cream…)

She started thinking about sweets to try and escape from reality.

"… Is Ilya in opposition to it?"

"Yes."

Troubled by Ilya's prompt response, Frank could only scratch his head.

According to him, the outcome of the Association's General Meeting between the Association Guild's General Managers and Branch Managers… was to construct an arena.

Apparently he had gone to Hector's that morning intending to negotiate.

"Is your reason how it will affect public order?"

"There is that, as well."

"… You have another reason?"

She nodded at Frank, whose brows were knit.

 

 

 

 

Then, she spoke a sentence aloud.

"Participants will capture monsters and fight them, but monsters attract more monsters."

"Is this the same increase in monsters you mentioned to Hector-san…?"

"No, that's different. Even if the number of monsters increases because of a larger human population, they fundamentally won't leave their habitats."

The exceptions were when humans approached them, when the magic source increased, or when they were influenced by miasma. There were also cases where they were manipulated by beings like demons or evil gods, but those could be set aside since they were already being actively guarded against.

"However, it's a completely different story if there are monsters living within human settlements."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Isotopes… that is, monsters of the same race can sense where one another are and their general condition."

The fact that they could find immature specimens born during the breeding season relied in no small part on this ability.

So then, what would the monsters do once they sensed their isotopes growing agitated and ready to attack humans?

"Calling in comrades, huh."

Just as Frank muttered, anyone experienced in fighting monsters would generally reach that conclusion.

To be precise, it would be more accurate to say that the captured monsters' agitated state would lure in other monsters, with their destructive instincts directed at humans.

"There is one more reason."

"… Oh? Tell me."

"Monsters that remain within human settlements for a sizeable amount of time will change, in both appearance and ability."

Hearing that, Frank's eyes opened wide and he stiffened.

His reaction wasn't unreasonable. The information was known among the upper echelons of countries that seized monsters for research, but she found it a little surprising that Frank hadn't already known about it.

Then again, while it was known to some, the cause was generally said to be a mystery. She decided to keep to herself the fact that it was the shadow source emitted by humans that brought about the change, raising the monsters' intelligence and giving them more human-like physiques.

"The extent of the mutation and how long it takes aren't known, so the level of danger is also unknown…"

"Huh… Sounds like something that could be handled by tightening security, though?"

In truth, it was possible to roughly predict what a monster would become based on its race, but since no country had openly announced that, she kept quiet about it as well.

She felt bad for Frank, who had fallen silent, but she was glad to have let him know how dangerous it was to keep monsters nearby.

"Even so, I am only a receptionist. If it is the guild and the country's decision, I will not raise any objections."

"… It's a big help to hear you say that."

With that, Frank slumped back against the sofa, exhausted.

He didn't look physically tired, so he was probably mentally worn out. That much was predictable. In the end, though, the only thing to do about monsters calling each other was to beat them down as they came. It wasn't something to worry about to this extent.

In that case…

"Did something happen while you were there?"

"Nn? Ah, no. It's not a big deal."

So something had happened.

Just as Ilya was thinking it was fine if he didn't want to talk about it, Frank continued.

He was looking back on the discussions that had been tossed around at the general meeting.

They had talked about where the arena should be placed and about the fixed-match problem that had broken out the last time.

However, things weren't that simple. The factional disputes between the Association's various General Managers and General Vice Managers had been stirred up by people who craved money and power, turning the conference into something more political than practical.

In the end, the major powers decided on Lunéville, which had Frank, a man who did not belong to any faction.

"Because the Lunéville branch has no conflicts with the country and is trusted by guild members… is what they said."

"… Haah. My condolences."

"Really. It would have been great if Ilya had come along too."

Ilya only answered with a smile.

She didn't say it directly to Frank, but she absolutely refused.

The reason a country's relationship deteriorated was the failure to properly manage things that were considered to be shared possessions. As for falling out with guild members, that was generally because the Association exploited people.

Playing innocent, they pushed troublesome matters onto others while envying the very things they themselves had ruined.

Ilya had no intention of getting caught up in anything like that.

 

 

*

 

Several days later.

Frank, summoned by Hector, headed to the Lord's Mansion with Ilya.

A messenger had come to report the result of the meeting, and Hector wanted him present to hear it.

"Aah, it's been a while since we last met, hasn't it."

The person who came as the messenger was Rondéville Kingdom's Prime Minister, Luciano Conti.

For the Prime Minister to leave the castle this often, was he a fool? On top of that, he hadn't brought guards again this time either. He'd be the cause of his own death, but it would be nice if he thought about his responsibilities.

On the receiving end of Ilya's glare as she thought all that, the Prime Minister smiled.

"Please don't look at me like that, Ilya. I've properly thought about what I'm doing, after all."

He was hard to deal with precisely because he kept doing things like this even after thinking them through. He was probably training a successor, but if his policy was something like "well, if this one fails I'll just raise another," she had her doubts about it… was what Ilya thought.

She held back, knowing nothing would come of bringing it up as a half-elf, a being that could easily live beyond a hundred years, so she simply held Haku in her arms and stood behind Frank, who was sitting on a sofa.

"Well then, I'll get straight to the point and tell you the meeting's decision."

"" Alright. ""

Seeing the Lord and the Branch Manager both nod, the Prime Minister unrolled the paper he had taken out of a tube and read it aloud.

The country's decision he read out began with the main item: their approval of the arena's construction.

To sum up, the construction and management of the arena would come with conditions attached.

First, residences within a set distance of the arena needed to be relocated. The town had permission to expand its walls in line with the residential area's relocation. Next, they would resume the construction of the church that had stalled. Along with a fixed tax, they would also receive limited political assistance.

Being offered such favorable conditions, the three were uneasy about it.

The guild was currently building friendly relations with the surrounding countries, but there would be costs for reinforcing and repairing deteriorating public facilities, diplomatic expenses for hiring a chivalric order, and countless other expenditures, all in support of the country.

Since this could be seen as the country giving up a chance for steady income, it wasn't unreasonable for it to raise suspicions.

Seeing Hector and Frank look so dubious, the Prime Minister gave them a wry smile.

"We've been relying on the guild a lot lately. Please, don't think too deeply about it and take it as the repayment of a favor."

There clearly was something implied behind it all, and the very act of telling them not to read into it was, in truth, telling them that there were expectations attached.

Inn towns were usually located close to tourist attractions. The idea was to draw customers in with events, an approach the recent Snow Festival had proven worked. That meant a tourist facility would be built without the country having to spend anything on it. For the country, that was an unexpected windfall.

Whether or not Hector and the others realized that, the discussion went on.

First on the agenda was, as expected, how to maintain public order. If people who had lost everything to gambling started turning up, crimes like theft and burglary would surely follow.

"How about we make a vigilance committee… no, a patrol group?"

The person to suggest that was Frank.

A patrol group… Hector and the Prime Minister both groaned at the idea of a policing force. Lunéville already had something similar in the gatekeepers and the soldiers guarding the Lord's Mansion, but since they were treated as Hector's private forces, they were technically the country's property.

The idea of protecting the city by granting a patrol group the same authority sounded fine, but whose jurisdiction would they fall under? Problems were sure to arise over that.

Since there were no small number of guild members who held antipathy toward the country's people, placing the patrols under the country's jurisdiction like a private army or chivalric order would create problems for the guild.

On the other hand, if the guild was given jurisdiction, that would be tantamount to the guild possessing its own military, which would damage their relationship with the country.

Either way, there were concerns about abuse of power or bribery.

Seeing the situation turn into a stalemate, Ilya decided to raise a question.

"Would it be possible to organize it between the country and guild jointly?"

Everyone looked towards her, their faces clearly hoping for her to say more.

"That's right. The most effective approach might simply be to have each side keep the other in check. What do you think?"

After hearing Ilya's explanation, it was the Prime Minister who said that.

He had risen to his current position not for the country, but to secure a comfortable environment for himself. So long as the results were good, he didn't care what steps were needed to get there.

In contrast to him, the two he had asked looked as though they had no answer.

"That's a hard question. Our soldiers are well liked by the guild members, but if I were to say whether or not there were any talented people that were capable enough to compete head-on against those from the guild… I'm not so sure I could point anyone out."

"It would be difficult for the guild as well. For example, the representative of [Blue Sword] is a man of great character and remarkable ability, but he values his freedom. I don't think he'd be eager to take an official position when it would bind him in various ways."

It seemed their discussion had hit another brick wall, but the two were overlooking something important.

"If you need representatives, why not serve as them yourselves? The Lord and the Branch Manager. The two of you hold the highest positions in this town, you have the ability, and your character is beyond question."

At Ilya's words, Hector and Frank both went wide-eyed in surprise. She, meanwhile, stood there as if she hadn't said anything extraordinary.

Those two wouldn't do anything to harm honest citizens, and it was hard to believe either of them would fall to corruption. The same went for those they employed, so as long as they didn't hire any shady individuals, things would be fine.

"… In that case, the issue will be public service. It would be meaningless if there were other obstacles operating in places we can't see."

Hearing Hector's opinion, Frank hesitated a little before agreeing as well.

After that, Hector and the Prime Minister, who both knew the command structure of chivalric orders, and Frank, who knew how the Guild Master ran the guild, started working out the patrol group's chain of command and its operating system. Ilya could have offered what she knew from her previous life, but since in this life she had simply grown up in a village, she decided to stand back and listen attentively.

As a result of their discussion, the group would be set up with Hector serving as the patrol group's Chief of Staff and Frank as its Chief of Forces.

The group would be organized using a blend of the guild's and a human country's styles, with the aim of preventing internal conflict and rooting it out through training.

All that was left was to settle the unit's internal rules. Anticipating that it would take some time, they decided to return to that later.

And so, next on the agenda was the gambling issue.

Since all three of them felt that the arena matches becoming a source of gambling was inevitable, they started there. Even with an arena being built in Lunéville so suddenly, and even if things turned out worse than expected, given the deep trust between the citizens and guild members, they believed that the fallout from any fixed-match scandal could be largely dampened.

That was because there were no small number of aristocrats who, rather than managing the gambling themselves, preferred to have the warriors in their employ fight.

Since the gambling was essential to the proxy wars fellow aristocrats waged through their employed warriors, banning it publicly would only earn their antipathy. On the other hand, simply allowing it again would earn the citizens' antipathy.

That said, leaving the matter alone carried the serious risk of people turning to crime after losing their livelihoods to gambling.

Since it was a heavily political problem, the three groaned as they searched not for a solution that would silence everyone but for a peaceful compromise, until Frank hit upon an idea.

"What if, rather than prohibiting it, we managed it ourselves?"

"Are you saying that the branch would manage the gambling?"

Frank nodded in response to Hector's bewilderment.

"Not the branch, the arena will manage it. All other forms would be completely banned."

"… If we do that, we could even prevent malicious betting rates and the like."

"If it's going to happen either way, this is how we can control it."

They would increase the proportion of tournament-style matches, and for payouts they would adopt the parimutuel system used in Japanese horse racing. Under parimutuel betting, all bets of a given type are pooled together. Taxes and the house's cut are taken out of that pool, and the payout odds are then calculated by sharing the remainder among all the winning bets. It was a method that always favored the operator.

Finding no glaring issues with it, they settled on a policy of publicly managing the gambling.

Watching Ilya listen in as she played with Haku, the Prime Minister was somewhat dissatisfied that she hadn't joined the conversation and steered the topic toward her.

"Ilya, is there anything you have to say from what we've talked about so far?"

"… Hmm. The topic has strayed somewhat away from talking about the patrol group, but how about setting up rewards?"

Seeing the three gesture for her to go on, Ilya swallowed her annoyance at them not figuring out the rest themselves and continued.

"In order to have participants comply with the rules, I believe it is important not only to penalize them when they break the rules, but also to reward those who follow them. Think of it as a carrot and a stick."

"It's a bit risqué for you to be saying that, isn't it. Hm? Sorry."

The Prime Minister's sexual harassment was shot down with a glare.

"Though I say 'follow them', something simple would do. However, since it isn't unlikely that some will try to claim those rewards fraudulently, I believe it would be wise to set penal regulations to prevent that from happening."

Frank and Hector aside, even the Prime Minister, someone who routinely dealt with laws and policies, appeared to be giving that serious thought. Seeing him look as though he might have overlooked something so basic, Ilya wondered whether she ought to tell the king to start preparing another successor right away.

Setting aside her sense of impending doom for the country, the agenda moved along smoothly enough and they finalized their plan for Lunéville's expansion, the arena included.

Considering that this had originally been meant to be worked out between Hector and Frank, it might have been a good thing that the Prime Minister came. While she felt that she might have only steered them in a direction that suited her, since she didn't want this town to suffer, Ilya decided to look the other way.

Then, as they were taking a short break to sip some black tea and quench their thirst, Frank spoke up.

"By the way, I have some troubling information concerning the arena's operation."

The two on the sofa turned to look at Frank, but since they were in the middle of an intermission, they weren't tense.

"We have plans for handling the discontent caused by that fixed-match scandal, but as for the monster captures… I came across information saying that monsters can sense nearby monsters and can be summoned by them."

It was the very issue that had been worrying Ilya.

Frank kept the source of his information vague, but both the Lord and the Prime Minister turned to look at Ilya.

For the two of them, it was a reflexive reaction tied back to when she had pointed out the increasing monster issue before. However, taking into account that Frank had deliberately concealed who gave him the information, they turned their gazes back to him before continuing.

"So you're saying that more monsters will begin to appear near Lunéville?"

"Yes. Before, it stopped at their numbers simply increasing. This time, however, they appear likely to gather toward the captured monsters."

This wasn't a matter of thinning them out after they multiplied.

Setting aside Lunéville, which was enclosed by walls, and setting aside the surrounding villages where the Lord's soldiers were stationed, there were places with absolutely no one who could properly wield a sword.

There was a possibility that monsters would pass through villages like those on their way to Lunéville. That left the question of whether the Lord and the country should handle it by stationing more soldiers there, or whether they should dispatch guild members.

Since the upkeep and expenses involved would be nothing to sneeze at, Hector and the Prime Minister fell silent.

Even if it would be profitable from the guild's standpoint, Frank wasn't pleased about the danger involved, so he watched over the two and gauged their reactions.

"… What if we have each town and village elect watchers?"

The Prime Minister glanced at Ilya after offering his proposal, but she didn't respond.

If it were up to her, she would have stationed watchers chosen from each town and village to call for aid from the guild or soldiers the moment they spotted any movement.

However, since that route wouldn't be able to contain the monsters, both sides would have to respond quickly, with the villagers taking refuge in the meantime.

In Ilya's view, deciding on a policy and weighing its merits and drawbacks was the duty of those who governed; they had to bear a corresponding burden of responsibility.

Catching on to the fact that Ilya didn't intend to say any more and was simply pouring tea for the three of them, they decided to continue the discussion themselves.

"We can measure the influence range of monsters we capture and station soldiers in villages that distance away beforehand."

"That's right. Let's test it in another city during its construction… Branch Manager. Do you have any more information we should consider?"

"There's one more thing. Monsters that remain within human settlements for an extended period of time begin to change. This shouldn't be a problem if we reinforce their cages and our security."

After thinking it over for a moment, the other two nodded. The meeting ended not long after that.

It looked like they would need to hire new staff for the arena's reception and management. The way that directly affected Ilya was that the branch's annex would now have a second shop. She figured it would mostly be fine since the procedures were standardized, but it was important to her that the new staff be thoroughly trained in things like hygiene.

 

*

 

And so it began: Lunéville's urban renovations along with the arena's construction.

The residents of Lunéville, already used to construction thanks to the recently built lodging, found it refreshing to see the town's walls being built anew.

"Maan, it's so awesome! Ilya-chan, have you seen it!?"

"They're gonna make it taller and denser than before, so won't it be even better than the royal capital's here soon!?"

A couple of men were going back and forth at the counter, beer mugs in hand.

"But I wonder, why do they need to make it that tall…?"

"There hasn't been much going on politically, so doesn't that mean it has to be because of monsters?"

Next to them, two women with worried looks were picking up their glasses and sipping from them.

Rather than the church or the arena's construction, most of the conversations cropping up lately were about how the wall tied into safety. There was plenty of talk about the arena as well, of course. Quite a few guild members were taking on commissions to push and train themselves before it opened.

At the moment, in addition to the new wall, a new residential area, a new commerce district, and a new industry district were being zoned. The wall was being built to enclose all of the new additions.

The old wall was being demolished as the new one went up. Canals and side lanes were being built where the old wall used to stand, and stalls were planned to open along the outsides of those paths in the future.

Construction on the church and arena had also begun, but since the arena was being pushed by the Association, it was progressing faster than the church.

With construction going smoothly, the architects — inspired by seeing the pool Ilya had made on the arena's planned construction site — ended up becoming interested in building a new pool right next to the arena.

It was accepted through a petition from Lunéville's citizens. Even though Ilya didn't think they needed to go so far as making it a flowing pool with a water slide, she did request that it be large enough to double as a skating rink.

Her goal, of course, was for it to be used for amusement in winter as well.

"Hmph, you're two hundred years too early to outwit me!"

"Geh! F-for that bad move to actually be the best one so much later…!"

"Fuwahahaha! Don't take a guardian's wisdom for granted!!"

Ignoring the elder, who'd basically opened a Go classroom in the corner—

"Ilya, there's a commission request from Quroone."

"Understood. Katie, guide them to the parlor on the third floor."

"Got it. This way, please."

The staff had grown accustomed to the rush, so they were able to keep their composure even while maintaining the quick turnover rate.

All of the residents seemed to be leading fulfilling lives in both body and mind, the staff included.

"Au～…"

Minus a certain fairy falling prostrate on a table, that is.

Pasha and Gabriel were still staying in the town.

Gabriel had been helping out with things like transporting goods for the Industry Guild, but Pasha, in the meantime, had nothing to do.

Even setting aside the commission they'd done involving Sylph, they had saved up a decent amount of funds from previous commissions and had also finished the investigation of Rondéville's outskirts that Ilya had secretly sent them on.

They were only still hanging around in hopes of catching the chance to get a hint from Ilya.

As for Ilya, she had intended to tell them outright as thanks for their service in the matter with Sylph, but they had stopped her. They didn't think they had done much.

They didn't feel right claiming they had done anything worthwhile during the Sylph incident; it was something a lot of people had accomplished together. Earning their hint off the back of that wouldn't sit well with them.

(Should I call them stoic…?)

While she admired their determination, she also wished they would just take her hint.

Lunéville was peaceful even amid all its bustle, but were there no problems in other regions and countries? Obviously not.

There were human rights issues, civil strife leading to revolutions, and natural disasters like famines, droughts, and floods. There were also cases of monsters running rampant due to the influence of magic source, miasma, or demons.

While the countries near Rondéville could be considered free of the first set of issues, they had still experienced natural and monster-related disasters.

And right now, one of those was on the verge of affecting Lunéville.

"Monsters are running rampant in Akradist?"

"Yeah."

The one asking the question this time was Frank.

And the one answering him was Hector.

The two were talking in the branch's parlor.

Ilya, who happened to have been writing up a commission that had been brought to the branch just before, was sitting in and listening to Hector — whom they had visited just the other day — and Frank.

"Seventy percent of Akradist's borders touch the ocean. You're aware of how many port cities it has, right? Huge monsters in the sea are making it so they can't go out to fish. If those monsters drew any closer, the damage to the cities would be enormous, and many people are becoming refugees… but Pinéaville can't hold everyone streaming out of Akradist. A messenger has come asking us to take some in as well."

Since they had experience with this sort of thing thanks to the ice dragon incident, the other cities in Rondéville were also generous about accepting refugees.

Of course, it was the same for Lunéville.

"There is no reason for us to oppose their acceptance."

"That's great. Then, for securing supplies—"

While listening in as the two hammered out the details of the commission, Ilya was thinking about something else… about the connection between the monsters and the Evil Gods.

Even if it had been an Evil God that manipulated the ice dragon into coming to Lunéville, the sea monsters couldn't come to Lunéville since it had no sea.

If the aim was to influence them through the refugees, there were too many uncertain variables involved. The refugees could simply head to other cities, for one. And while they received food from the waters around Akradist, that wasn't the only channel they received it from, so there was no point in stopping that.

This matter was unrelated to the recent one involving the Evil God.

Of course, if she had to assume there was a connection, then Lunéville wouldn't be the Evil God's true target.

(… Is that how it is?)

At practically the same time that Ilya concluded that, Hector and Frank moved.

"—So then, it'll be like this."

"Yeah, I'll leave it to you."

As the two straightened up and started to rise, it looked as though they had finalized the arrangements for the commission request.

Come to think of it, they still had to organize the patrol group before the arena was finished. Neither of them had been sleeping well lately.

Part of that was Ilya's fault, since she had been the one to propose it in the first place.

"Would you two at least like to drink some tea? It is tough to make calm decisions if you are too hurried."

"… Yeah, you're right."

"Ilya, sorry, but could you please prepare some?"

"Certainly."

Bowing, Ilya began preparing tea for them. She paired it with some tea-cake that Frank had brought back as a souvenir.

As she infused the tea-cakes with mana to add exhaustion recovery magic as a bonus, Haku came flying in.

"Come to think of it, you still haven't had your meal yet, have you?"

"Pi!"

As a result of feasting on Ilya's mana, Haku's status had already surpassed even a Dragon God's.

The child would grow up splendidly, enough that even Jean would be proud as a parent.

While she was idly thinking that, these days Haku usually ate fruits and vegetables and then absorbed mana afterwards.

The taste of the fruits and vegetables was, as expected, rather mild compared to Ilya's mana, so Haku would lick Ilya as though unsatisfied.

She was tempted by the urge to spoil the young dragon, but she had to hold back so that Haku wouldn't turn out exactly like her parent.

When Ilya, having fed Haku, returned to the parlor with the tea and tea-cakes, Frank and Hector were chatting with each other.

Although their cheeks went slack as they ate the tea-cakes and chatted about trivial matters related to their current situation, it was probably for the best that they had a chance to feel at ease.

While she was thinking about the two of them that way, somewhere in her mind she felt a tinge of loneliness.

 

 

*

 

Evacuees from Akradist arrived several days after that.

Drawing on their previous experience, the town had no particular trouble taking them in. Now, the only problem left to solve was the one with the monsters.

However, unexpected things happening just when everything was going smoothly was simply the way the world worked.

There were two boys standing in front of Ilya's reception counter.

They were around ten years old, each with brown eyes and blonde hair. Judging by their appearances, one could easily take them for brothers.

"You two are children from Akradist, right? Did something happen?"

The two looked at each other, nodded, and looked back at Ilya.

"We want to join the Mercenary Guild!"

"Please let us into the Mercenary Guild!"

It wasn't just Ilya.

Most of the people nearby turned to look at the two kids, speechless.

The Mercenary Guild. With that in mind, Ilya asked the two a question.

"Why do you two wish to join the Mercenary Guild?"

The contents of the exam varied depending on the occupation one wished to enter. There were also age limits in place.

The two both looked down for a moment, then, as though shaking off some internal struggle, looked back up.

"" Hunters! ""

She looked the two in the eyes.

"Have you two brought your parental consent forms?"

"Geh…"

"Aw…"

The two simply hung their heads.

If a minor's parents were still alive, a parental consent form was required to apply to a guild.

Because the Mercenary and Magic Guilds' work was so much more dangerous, those up to and including the age of ten were almost always refused entry regardless of their parents' consent. Under those rules, if these two tried to apply, there was no doubt they would be rejected.

There were exceptions to the age restriction, but those were for children abandoned by their parents, war orphans, or others whose circumstances could only be improved by joining.

The people who had come to Lunéville from Akradist were those who hadn't suffered much harm and could make the journey. Just looking at the two children, no one would think they were in any sort of dire straits.

"B-but, you could recommend us if we pass the exam, right…?"

"Y-yeah! Please recommend us, Nee-chan!"

Setting aside the silky blonde-haired child, the spiky-haired one clearly didn't understand that.

Really… who told them about that? Holding back the urge to criticize whoever had taught them something so irresponsible, she thought about how to explain it in a way these children would understand.

"Do you know what the exam is?"

"Yeah, a guild examiner person checks our ability out, right!?"

Close enough! He was still off, though.

There were two ways to earn a recommendation.

You could have a bout against a guild member qualified to serve as an examiner, or you could present your merit by demonstrating your skills.

The former was straightforward; for the latter, the Mercenary Guild, for example, could have applicants hunt monsters. It could be thought of as a way of achieving excellent results through competition.

To be more precise, recommendations could be given not only by guild staff who reviewed the exam results, but also by guild members of B-rank or higher in the corresponding guild.

However, even getting in didn't make things easy.

That was why people who belonged to a guild and knew its pains and hassles firsthand never imagined that there would be children who would willingly choose that kind of life.

Whether they knew it or not, the testing method the two children had chosen was the easier of the two.

It could be called the optimal solution, but it wouldn't be that simple.

"Shall we have you examined, then?"

"Y-yeah!"

"We did it!"

Seeing the two children look so happy, Ilya felt guilty.

"Please wait a moment, allow me to call the person who will be in charge of it."

"Eh, it won't be Nee-chan!?"

"I still have to work here at reception. Sorry."

The examiner wouldn't change the results of the examination, but the children's shoulders visibly drooped.

Even as she found that side of them cute—

(Coming from me, of all people, but on the inside I'm a heretic, you know?)

Smiling wryly, Ilya noticed someone arriving and turned around.

"Claude-san, please take care of the rest."

"Yeah. Understood. The applicant?"

When she pointed out the children to Claude, who had just come from his office, his eyes flickered.

"Let's see… these kids?"

"Yes. If you would."

"" Please!! ""

Although Claude was surprised at first, once he got a look at the two of them, his usual smile returned to his face.

"Understood. Alright, this way."

The three of them headed out to the courtyard.

Normally one would choose a wooden version of the weapon they were familiar with, but since the children didn't seem to have any particular training, the exam would be taken with wooden swords. To Ilya, who had also analyzed them with [God's Eyes], the outcome of a match between the children and the adult was obvious.

"Ilya. I'd like to register for this commission."

"Certainly. Then—"

 

*

 

After completing a few commission registrations, the three came back in from the courtyard.

After being struck a few times, the children had blood in their eyes and noses.

"How did it go?"

"They're totally useless right now."

Ilya smiled wryly at his quietly spoken words.

The two kids' statuses were below those of Lunéville's children.

Even among children around their age that Ilya knew, if the ones taking the exam had been the girl embraced by the Crystal Pillar's protective turtle hatchling or the boy raised by the jade wolf, the examiner would have been defeated rather quickly.

Setting those children aside, the fact that these two were also inferior to the children living in peaceful Lunéville pointed to the conditions of their upbringing so far as the cause.

"Uu…"

"Ugu, hgyuu…"

Seeing the two children start crying, Claude shrugged his shoulders with a troubled expression.

"Why do you two want to be hunters?"

Patting their heads, Ilya pulled a handkerchief from her apron pocket and wiped away their tears. The children raised their heads a little at Ilya's question.

"… I-I, wa—"

"We were fwustrated… hachyuu!"

The two were the sons of a peddler who'd brought supplies, Bonett's children.

The delinquent-looking spiky-haired elder brother, Karel.

The soft-spoken silky-haired younger brother, Reno.

They said that they hated being helpless and only able to run and be protected, and that they hated how their parents worked to turn a profit even at a time like this.

So after thinking it over on the way here, they had decided to become hunters from the guild, the same guild that had helped them out countless times.

"Why not be soldiers?"

"Because soldiers have to fight people right? We want to protect people!"

"We want the power to fight monsters."

It was true. If the Guild Association or Mercenary Association ordered it, you would have to fight humans, or face penalties for refusing.

Even so, since there was a way out of such an order by taking on a different commission, it wasn't as if choosing hunter or soldier made no difference at all.

That said, even though there was little practical difference between the jobs, few examiners were willing to give recommendations for the hunter occupation.

Those in the hunter occupation were usually either misanthropes or people who hated monsters. Not every hunter in Lunéville fell into one of those two categories, but it wasn't a very desirable path to aim for.

In any case, all of that was beside the point for these two, who had just failed their examination.

"Thank you, Claude-san."

"… Thank you…"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Come again."

Like a mischievous, energized elder brother, Claude returned to his office.

Left behind, the children let out sighs that seemed to ease their moods a little, but they still looked frustrated.

You could call them childish, or you could call them simple-minded.

"Would you two mind going somewhere with me later?"

"" ? ""

 

 

*

 

After Ilya finished her work at the reception desk, they all headed to the first branch dining room. Haku tagged along as well.

In its kitchen, the staff were bustling about even more frantically than in the main building.

"W-woah…"

"Yeah…"

A delivery person carrying a meal-service basket passed in front of the two rather overwhelmed children.

"Let's follow him for a bit."

"" … ""

Not understanding what Ilya was after, the blonde brothers just looked at her.

Still, she probably wanted something from them. They kept quiet and followed her as she started walking.

The place they were heading to was an area where rows of hastily built cabins stood lined up. This was the evacuee residential area.

Almost breaking into a run on reflex, the children peeked into the cabin the delivery person had entered.

Inside, an old man and woman were sitting up from their blankets, exchanging a few words with the delivery man before accepting the food he handed them.

"… You wanted to show us this?"

Turning back to Ilya, the children frowned in confusion.

They didn't know what reaction she was hoping for, but they were sure this was what Ilya had wanted to show them.

"That's right. That old couple is smiling happily, aren't they?"

"… They're awfully easygoing. Even though they have no idea when they can go back home…"

"Now, without taking such a pessimistic view, what do you think?"

At her question, the children looked up at Ilya.

The elder brother looked like he was about to repeat himself, while the younger was thinking about what she meant.

"They're easygoing, that's all there is to it."

"… Is it because the people who defeated the ice dragon are here…?"

Ilya shook her head.

"It's because here, they can shelter from the wind and rain. Here, they have proper blankets and don't have to worry about the cold, despite the season. And here, they are given meals and don't have to worry about going hungry."

"But—!"

"Have you lost anything?"

At her words, the elder brother, Karel, could only close his mouth and look away.

Their parents were wealthy merchants. Aside from their food, clothing, and housing, they had likely also been protected the whole way to Lunéville on the wagon. The same went for the fact that their statuses were even lower than those of Lunéville's children. They hadn't grown up in an environment where they had to help around the house, so they had never exercised or trained.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. It isn't possible for someone who has just realized their own powerlessness to take action right away. The two of you are actually rather amazing."

Glad to be praised yet ashamed of the blessed life they had been raised in, the brothers' conflicted feelings showed on their faces.

"Where do you think the ingredients for their food or the blankets come from?"

"That's… oh."

Reno was at a loss for words as he tried to answer, but Karel, who had been watching the couple with a strange expression, seemed to realize something.

Right. A portion of the supplies had been brought by their father's caravan.

She didn't spell it out for them. Ilya felt that hint alone was enough for these two.

So she gave them only the conclusion.

"Protecting others… isn't just about defeating enemies."

Anything with a good side had a bad side as well. If you fixated on only one of them, you'd lose yourself.

You'd be used even if you were incompetent, like the way I'd foolishly worked at that exploitative company. Mocking herself, she recalled the time when she hadn't even realized it was exploitative and felt all the more foolish.

"… But…"

She came back to her senses when Karel spoke.

"I… want to join the Mercenary Guild."

"… Why?"

Ilya asked with a gentle tone.

He looked down.

Hesitating… he slowly looked up, answering her.

"Because… it's cool."

Please return the gentleness you just wasted.

Ilya nearly smiled dryly at hearing something so similar to what she might have said herself. Next to Karel, Reno was amazed at how honest his elder brother was.

"H-hey, Reno! You betraying me!?"

"Now now."

Compared to Lunéville's children they seemed unfamiliar with the ways of the world, but it wasn't as if they had reincarnated, so she felt it was better to think of them as more childlike than she had been.

Considering the threat of monsters and thieves sent by competitors… combat skill was hardly wasted on a merchant.

"How about we head back to the branch?"

As before, the brothers didn't understand her intent. Even so, they realized she had a reason, so they followed her obediently. They wound up holding her hands, but she didn't count children as 'men', so it wasn't a problem.

Other than Haku being a little sullen, that is.

 

*

 

Having returned in a good mood, Ilya and the rest headed straight to the courtyard.

The brothers stood in front of her, staring at the wooden weapons while trying to figure out which one they wanted.

"You'll be trying them all out, there's no need to think about it too hard."

"G-got it."

"… Okay."

The elder brother took a one-handed sword, the younger brother taking a spear.

They faced off against Ilya, who also held a wooden sword.

The two stared at Ilya intently, but she didn't seem to be holding back at all. The brothers were hesitant about it being two-on-one at first, but when she said she would give them a recommendation if they could land even a single hit on her, they agreed.

It wouldn't serve its purpose if she went easy on them, so she had to do this seriously.

"Treat me well."

"" U-us too! ""

True to his personality, Karel was the first to charge in.

After his rush, he took a wide swing of his sword.

Diverting the trajectory of the sword aimed at her abdomen, she pushed the blow upward.

After deflecting the red-faced Karel, Ilya turned her gaze to Reno.

—There's no point to this two-on-one if you don't work together, you know?

Understanding what her eyes were telling him, Reno jumped in, fending off attacks so they wouldn't hit Karel.

Just as the two were starting to get used to their weapons, she had them switch to something different.

Some weapons were used similarly to others, so she had them try six kinds in total: a longsword, a whip, a one-handed sword, a spear, a one-handed axe, and fist wrappings.

Finally, she had them try a bow. She started them on a stationary target, then on something she threw in the air.

They never hit the moving target, of course. However, it was a good excuse for Ilya to gauge their aptitude with it.

"Good work, you two."

"Ueeeh～…"

"I-I'm beat…"

The elder brother was on the ground with his arms and legs stretched out. The younger brother sat on the ground using the bow he had to prop himself up.

Haku licked Karel's cheek, causing the unmoving elder brother to stir.

The brothers had done their best to land a hit on Ilya, but they were still trying to figure out why she was having them do this. Since leaving them dissatisfied wasn't her aim, she decided to reveal her reason to them once they had caught their breath a little.

"I only got a rough sense of it, but Karel-kun is good with the spear and Reno-kun with the bow."

"!"

"R-really…!?"

The brothers' smiles bloomed.

Ilya nodded, but she had already judged their suitability for the weapons via [God's Eyes] long ago. As long as someone didn't have an A-rank or higher [Genius] skill, their proficiency couldn't be determined from just a few minutes of practice. What they had been doing the whole time was just to lend her statement some credibility.

She didn't forget to give the delighted brothers a warning so they wouldn't get the wrong idea, though.

"That said, you won't become strong without proper practice with the weapon, so you need to be diligent."

"I-I know that!"

"Understood!"

Did they really understand?

Their smiles had spread all the way to their cheeks. Watching their honest smiles, her urge to deliver another blow withered away.

"Besides, you don't necessarily need to be talented in martial arts, right? You might end up even better than your father at business, so going down the route of making weapons might suit you better."

"" Kaaay～ ""

It wasn't that they didn't understand; their faces clearly said they didn't want to.

Even with talent, they might still not want to take that path. In the end, it was their own lives to decide. She wouldn't do anything more than offer advice.

After that, Ilya gave the brothers their own spear and bow and saw them off at the entrance when their father came to pick them up.

Their father might be the biggest obstacle to them joining the Mercenary Guild. She watched their backs fade into the distance as she thought about that.

"Looks like you helped them out a lot."

It was a voice she hadn't expected to hear from him, but she wasn't particularly surprised by it either.

"I wanted them to know that every job has its good and bad sides… Don't you agree, Branch Vice Manager?"

When she turned around, he gave a thin smile.

"Correct. It's as you say."

"… Is that all?"

"Yes. It seems pursuing this any further would have no effect on you."

The Branch Vice Manager nodded, speaking rather indifferently.

His tone aside, even his bearing seemed vastly different from before.

He looked more natural this way. Guessing at his intentions, she pounced on his slip.

"You said quite a bit there."

"You've already noticed, though, haven't you?"

Seeing Ilya only smile wryly in response, the Branch Vice Manager also smiled wryly.

"When I was shaken by seeing that Great Spirit-sama, you covered for me, didn't you? According to the information I had received, you should have been driven a little further into a corner there, but your reaction was as composed as ever… that covering convinced me. That I'd been noticed."

—What were her intentions?

The words he had ended up speaking weren't about her motives behind the Snow Festival, which was what she had thought he would bring up.

He was searching for Ilya Schultz's motives, goals, and intentions. On that mission, he had to avoid being found out by her at all costs, but the question he had ended up asking, which essentially meant "Why did you summon the great spirit?", had been nothing but a mistake.

It had happened during their discussion before the Snow Festival.

He had been noticed. Convinced of that, Dennis decided to take advantage of her goodwill.

"Then why did you keep playing that hated role?"

He didn't deny it; he turned away and glanced around their surroundings.

After confirming that no one else was there, he looked back at Ilya and spoke.

"Because it is my duty. If I could have just driven you a little further into a corner, I could have moved on to the next stage… but Frank-san had already returned."

"So being the Branch Vice Manager has become unnecessary?"

His only answer to that question was silence.

Then, with his expression as hard as stone—

"More pressing matters have come up… Please, be careful. The Reinhardt Empire will make its move soon."

The Sacred Reinhardt Empire.

Promoting human-supremacist ideals, it was a nation built on the principle of human superiority.

"Is that related to your current mission?"

"No. I was just passing along some information."

Wondering whether Ilya had grasped his intent, the Branch Vice Manager smiled bitterly.

"I was acting that way for my mission, but personally… I like this place. The mood here."

She'd probably figured it out already.

Seeing Ilya not look surprised in the slightest, the man's bitter smile deepened.

Things like the warnings he had given Elizah at the Snow Festival venue and at the branch were the sort of things that couldn't be said without speaking as someone's superior.

He himself hadn't expected Ilya to see through him so easily given his attitude and speech up to now, yet even though he had done everything he could to rile her from start to finish, none of it had drawn a reaction.

He had sent her to chaperone the pool outing in hopes of loosening her up, and it would be a lie to say he hadn't also wanted her to get a real breather out of it.

"That said, it seems that no matter what the human supremacists do, this place will be fine."

"I'm glad to hear you say that."

Ilya had realized he was trying to provoke her and had some sort of goal, so she had never imagined they would reach a point where they could talk calmly like this.

Since he couldn't get the information he needed, he had to leave as naturally as possible to allow for any follow-up.

With that in mind, he had decided to disclose everything.

"I won't say this to anyone else… but the Association's actions have been unusual recently as well. You're the only one I decided to tell. I will leave immediately."

"Now?"

Nodding, the Branch Vice Manager smiled wryly.

"The one upside… is that I can leave without being missed."

Ilya bowed to him as he said that, and he left. She decided to return to the branch without seeing him off.

His aptitude aside, the Branch Vice Manager was a man poorly suited to this kind of espionage work.

He was someone who never let his true thoughts show, even at the end.

Given that Pasha had recommended he change occupations, she found herself hoping he would transfer to another department.

 

*

 

"… Are you sure about letting her go?"

The former Branch Vice Manager, Dennis Galla, was stopped by a voice in a dark back alley.

Recognizing the person who seemed to step out of the shadows, he waited for them to approach while continuing to look in the direction he had been walking.

"Yeah. I said what I needed to say. Anything more would have been pointless with her."

Seeing his expression, the figure approaching him blinked.

"… This is the first time I've seen that look on you since you started this job."

"Hmm…?"

Bringing his hand to his face, he finally realized that he was smiling.

He then smiled at the figure… the woman approaching him.

"… I was thinking that it's similar here. To that place, I mean."

"… Is that so?"

Even though that place no longer existed in reality, it would forever live on in the hearts of those two.

That orphanage that didn't care whether people were human, beastkin, or birdkin. Even though it lacked much in appearance, the atmosphere and warmth it gave off truly resembled this place.

Since she hadn't been in contact with the area for long, the woman looked as though she couldn't understand him and surveyed the cityscape with a sour expression. Even so, Dennis believed that if she had seen the snow sculptures that were no longer there, she would understand.

He was the one who had told Frank about the snow sculptures in the branch's courtyard. He was also the one who had indirectly spread word of them to the townspeople.

He had been worried Frank might bring it up at the awards ceremony, but Frank hadn't revealed his source, and Dennis was simply glad that more people had come to know about them.

"Hmm…"

Dennis, who had sensed someone approaching with his magic-enhanced senses, ruffled his hair and slipped back into his coarse smile, the way he had been before.

"How is it going in Reinhardt?"

"… Huh?"

Seeing his sudden change, the woman caught on a moment later and pulled up her hood.

"… The swindling is going well, but the flow of iron and steel is on the rise. The Guild Association's radicals are responding to that with some suspicious movements, though."

"Hah, that must be entertaining. Meanwhile I've been here trying to investigate some beautiful Elf-sama who's been making quite a name for herself recently…"

"What is your report concerning her?"

"Her identity aside, she's indifferent to it all. The girl has a strangely large number of acquaintances, but she could become neither our enemy nor our ally. Even so, I can't deny what the report said: she is protective of those close to her and hates above all having harm come to them. For that reason, resorting to force would be premature — vexing as that is."

"Acknowledged."

The woman left Dennis, disappearing back into the alley.

A few seconds later, however, after she confirmed that Dennis had fixed his hair and appearance, the somewhat pouting woman returned.

"… I feel like I understand the feelings of the people you've been associating with a little."

"That Fairy-chan saw through me right away, though."

Sighing at Dennis, who seemed to be joking, the woman straightened her posture and spoke.

"I was commanded to join you, Dennis Galla, in entering the Empire."

"… You're going too?"

"Yes. As a married couple."

"Got it. Let's head there right away."

Surprised by how quickly he adapted, the woman was about to say something to Dennis but stopped herself.

Noticing that, Dennis guessed what she wanted to say and smiled.

"The only good thing about this job is that we can leave without being missed."

And just like that, the man who had introduced himself as the Branch Vice Manager vanished from Lunéville.

At around the same time.

 

*

 

Heading from the annex to the branch, Ilya came across Bard standing in front of the branch.

He noticed her as she walked over, wondering what was up.

"Ilya. I just saw that Branch Vice Manager bastard, he was meeting someone in secret."

"?"

"That guy said something about investigating you."

Ilya at first wondered if he had seen the man talking to her earlier, but once she heard what he had to say, she realized he was talking about him meeting someone else.

"… Is that so?"

This wasn't the first time someone had investigated her. In fact, that sort of thing had become commonplace, so she didn't think it was anything to fuss over.

That said, she did feel that she had laid too much on the table, starting with the tyrant spider.

Moreover, since those who knew just how much of a cheat she was would keep their mouths shut on their own, it was easy to see how, to those who didn't, she looked like a human with a mysterious background.

"I mean, he still didn't seem to know anything, though. Just that you're a beau—… a girl with a lot of acquaintances. And that their information about you being protective of your friends and hating anything happening to them wasn't wrong, so it was too soon to make a move…"

He went on to report that they hadn't found anything out and that someone had sent the Branch Vice Manager, suggesting that it was possible that an organization was making its move.

(He did say to be careful.)

Even though he probably hadn't originally intended to pass it on, she was grateful for the Branch Vice Manager telling Bard about it by passing it off as an accident, while at the same time feeling sorry for Bard for being used as a relay station.

Was he not getting out of the house enough?

The more lively expression than usual on his face only deepened Ilya's pity for him.

"What'll we do? Capture him and make him spill the beans?"

"Please stop it with that violent way of thinking. Didn't I tell you? Assess things with composure."

"Uu…"

"If they're going to underestimate us on their own, let them keep underestimating us."

"… If you say so, okay."

Bard was, surprisingly, listening to Ilya rather obediently.

Compared to how he would have previously acted on his own and gone to catch the man himself, he was growing up properly.

Watching Bard's back as he entered the branch and thinking about that, Ilya sensed someone behind her.

"Ilya-sama."

When she turned around, there stood a rather attractive blue-haired woman. According to [God's Eyes], she was a mermaid.

Catching the slight shift in Ilya, she smiled softly and bowed.

"I have a message for you from Seiren-sama. I would be thankful if you accepted it."