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With hurried footsteps and a panicked expression, a guild employee burst into the waiting room next to the VIP suite—a small room where armed guards were stationed. After a brief exchange of words, the head of security entered the VIP suite with a courteous demeanor.

“I have a report, Deputy Guildmaster Tarki. It appears that taking advantage of the fog, water demons and certain monsters dwelling in the Eusus River have infiltrated the Holy City. We’ve just received word that passersby were attacked right near the Guild headquarters.”
“What?! And the damage? Have the monsters been repelled?!”
“Yes, sir. The guards noticed the screams and rushed to the scene, managing to protect the victims in the nick of time while eliminating the surrounding monsters. Some of them may have fled to the Eusus River, but we are currently preparing to issue rewards to available adventurers to deal with the situation.”
“Mmgh… To think that monsters would attack tonight, and so close to the Guild headquarters…”

Was it a mere coincidence? Or was someone manipulating events behind the scenes? It couldn’t possibly be some cruel trick of fate, could it?

“——”

While Deputy Guildmaster Tarki pondered deeply with a troubled expression, the head of security glanced away from him for a moment, looking at me and Eliza as if he had something to say.

““……?””

Before we could ask anything, the man suddenly spoke shocking words.

“Well, um… The victims were a man and a woman. We performed emergency treatment and brought them here. One of them, the one with particularly severe injuries and who remains unconscious, was the reporter boy of that infamous gossip paper we detained at the Guild headquarters until this evening. —Apparently, the monster that attacked them was a slime.”

“—Gah!”

Despite the grim report, Eliza opted to sip her Opera (a type of green tea scented with fruits and spices), but when she heard that Colin had been done in by a slime out of anything, she suddenly choked.

“Cough—koff koff koff!!”

It seemed the tea had gone down the wrong pipe. Eliza squirmed in pain as the shrine maiden apprentices accompanying her attempted to help her recover.

I’m the type who enjoys tea for its original flavor and aroma, so I’m not particularly fond of scented teas. But apparently, Eliza prefers this heavily spiced variety that’s currently popular among the Holy City’s upper class. Unfortunately, the spices seem to have backfired this time.

“Wha… What is this tea?! It wasn’t steeped properly, and it’s way too hot!” Eliza tried to cover up her embarrassment by grumbling irritably, her nose slightly runny.

Everyone pretended not to notice the ungraceful sight of the beautiful girl and subtly averted their gazes. I also shifted my eyes around casually while savoring the white tea served in what appeared to be an expensive teacup.

White tea, named for the silvery-white down that densely covers its young buds and leaves, is a rare and delicately flavored tea. …However, that delicacy seemed to be its downfall this time. As Eliza had pointed out, the poor preparation had blown away half of its refreshing aroma.

Most likely, it was brewed by one of the staff members who was free at the moment, not a tea expert. Such a precious tea, completely ruined.

“My apologies. I sincerely regret causing you any discomfort.”

Marina immediately sensed the mood and deeply bowed her head to us.

“It can’t be helped. Considering the time and the circumstances, it’s understandable that the maids couldn’t be kept on duty… Ah!”

Speaking of ‘maids,’ I suddenly remembered—We do have a maid in the premises. Mine.

Just as I was about to mention that, “Um… It’s not just a maid, it’s difficult to arrange for a doctor at this hour. So, if possible, I was hoping that the esteemed Shrine Maidens could provide healing.”

Before the head of security could even finish his polite request, I quickly downed the contents of my white tea cup and rose from the sofa without hesitation.

♢♦♢♦♢

“I’d heard a swordsmanship instructor who served the shoguna…err I mean, a certain country—his name was Yagyū Tajima—was said to have kept a pet monkey. And whenever a swordsman hopeful came seeking apprenticeship, he would have that monkey hold a wooden sword and spar with them. Only those who could defeat the monkey were allowed to become his disciples.”

As I shared this half-remembered bit of trivia, Kaisa tilted her head while walking.

“A monkey? You mean like those Rock Apes, the monster kind?”

I tried to visualize it. A gigantic ape, nearly two mertes tall, its body wrapped in rock-like muscle, bloodshot eyes, knife-like fangs, drooling mouth, and a thick club in hand, appearing right from the start of the admission test… That would certainly be a climax from the get-go.

“No, just an ordinary monkey… About fifty centimertes tall, weighing around ten kilogura.”
““Wait, that small?!””

Kaisa and Daniella spoke in unison, their voices a mix of shock and disbelief. Everyone else around who’d been half-listening seemed to react the same way.

After all, in this world, when people think of monkeys, even the smallest are at least the size of a chimpanzee (around thirty kilogura, with the grip strength to crush an apple between their thumb and index finger). And the largest ones are colossal beasts standing three to fifteen mertes tall, roaming around like they own the world.

A monkey as small as a Japanese macaque would be something even an F-rank adventurer-in-training could dispatch more easily than crushing a mouse—at least, that’s their understanding.

“But you see, more than half of those confident martial artists lost to this monkey. In other words, as skilled as one might be in life-or-death combat, it just shows that humans couldn’t match a wild animal in terms of pure physical ability.”