Chapter 27

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Albert was to be transported to the royal capital in a prison wagon, surrounded by iron bars. Normally, such matters would be judged by Viscount Hilte, the lord of this territory, but… whether by bad luck or fate, Silhasta was a royal selection party. The fact that its former leader, even if only in attempt, had committed a major crime became a national issue, and so he would stand trial at the Royal Court.

Caged like a spectacle, Albert screamed and raged, threatening everyone around him. Even though we had parted ways, it was hard to watch. He had always been a bit of a pain, but back when we were just starting out, he hadn’t been like that.

“It was only an attempt, and I’ve also written a statement. He won’t be sentenced to death.”

Saran said beside me, watching the wagon roll away.

“You’re not forgetting I was about to kill the guy, are you?”
“If you had, you’d regret it. You might not realize it yourself, but you’re a much more sentimental person than you think.”

…Am I, really? I don’t think so.

“Well then, now that we’ve knocked over one domino of the unwanted future, it’s time to play our next move.”
“Yeah. I asked Fimia and the church folks to reinforce the keystones’ protection.”
“Good. I’ll also go later to construct a magical defense. As for the rest—this.”

Saran pushed a bundle of parchment into my hands. I glanced through it—just like before, they were monster subjugation requests.

“Again?”
“It’s urgent this time. I’ve increased the reward in proportion.”

Flipping through the requests, I see Greyback Bears, Travies, and even Hardscale Worms… It’s like a parade of nasty, vicious beasts.

“Fimia recalled them. Monsters she saw during her berserk rampage.”
“…!”
“Won’t it just be different monsters next time?”
“That’s possible. But removing each threat one by one is the proper approach.”

The precognition Fimia received through Revelation can be changed. She once said that magic is more like a Consultation Center straight to God. A divine advisory service for those in trouble. In other words, it literally gives revelations on how to prepare for difficulties.

We’ve already prevented the keystone’s destruction. If we handle things well, we can disrupt Scarr’s plan.

…Plan?

“Hey, Saran. What do you think Scarr’s goal is?”
“Who knows what monsters think? They’re beasts that eat people. Maybe it’s just hunger.”

That’s possible. But if that’s the case… would it really go out of its way to manipulate Albert so roundaboutly? I understand that the barrier was in the way, but even when there was no barrier, it didn’t attack.

“The chance that the ‘One Gold’ really exists… no, that’s out. Then why is the monster front line advancing? Is there something deeper in the forest?”
“Good observation.”

Saran responded to my muttering. He knows something else too, doesn’t he…?

“Forget it. Thinking’s your job anyway. I’ll just take care of this.”
“Understood. I’ll share what I find when I have something concrete. Right now, it’s still just a hypothetical guess within another guess.”
“Got it. I’m off.”

I waved briefly to Saran and left the square of Marhas, wagon ruts still fresh on the ground. The two lines stretching out of the village looked to me like the roads where I and Albert had now completely parted ways—and I let out a small sigh.

♦

“Yulg! Perfect timing!”

At the entrance to the New District, I was greeted by Katie, the administrative head of the Marhas Branch of the Adventurer’s Guild. She does her job well, but with more and more adventurers arriving daily, she was clearly overworked.

“Yo, Katie. You’re the one with good timing. Got work for you.”
“Eek! Yulg is bullying me…!”
“Don’t say stuff that’ll get me in trouble. So, what did you need?”
“Help me!”

I brought work to her, and now I’m helping her with her work. Happens more often than I’d like—I’m used to it by now.

“Just slap the requests on the board, they’ll take care of themselves.”
“It’s way more efficient when you assign them. No one complains either!”

Clutching my sleeve and looking up at me with teary eyes, Katie plays her part well. She came all the way to this backwater, so I can’t just brush her off coldly. Besides, today’s requests are the kind even Saran called urgent. Just dumping them would feel wrong.

“Fine, fine. Get me a chair. I’ll help out until the pile’s a bit thinner.”
“Yay! That’s our Skysunder! You always understand!”

My title has nothing to do with this.
And I can’t believe you’d ask the Skysunder, someone whose job is literally to beat monsters to a pulp, to do paperwork.

“Oh, Yulg!”

Just as I sat down, a familiar face approached. It was Degaulle, leader of the mid-tier party Sapti.

“Well, if it isn’t Degaulle. Perfect timing—I’ve got a job for you.”
“Seriously? I came looking for one, so yeah, I’ll take it.”
“You guys can handle a greyback bear, right? Go deal with it. There’s a bonus this time.”
“Whoa, seriously!?”

He talks casually, but the guy’s got real skills, and his party Sapti can hold their own. Better to assign requests to solid teams—less chance of accidents and gets the job done fast.

“Alright, it’s settled.”
“Katie, take care of the paperwork.”
“Roger that!”

Kati’s cheerful smile made Degaulle blush and beam. In this sweaty, overcrowded New District, the presence of a receptionist like her is a real breath of fresh air. And she knows how to praise and encourage them just right—keeps morale high.

Maybe she’s more capable than I thought.

“Well, I’ll bring back a good report!”
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

I gave Degaulle a small wave as he left. Seeing that, other adventurers began gathering around the makeshift counter.

“Yulg! Give us something too!”
“Hook us up with a good one!”
“Alright, alright, wait your turn!”

Looking over the eager faces of the gathered adventurers, I began flipping through the stack of requests.