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“Here, your rank has successfully been updated to C.”

I receive my updated registration card from the guild’s receptionist.

Apparently I would’ve been able to reach B, but Akane was part of the evaluation, and since she’s gone, they had to bring me a few notches down, so now I’m in rank C, but almost B.

“And here’s the information about a monster you requested.”

The receptionist hands me a sheet of paper and I look through it.

“What’s that?”
“I requested it for Natalia. She wanted to learn more about Erika’s evolution.”

I came here mostly to receive these, but I also used the chance to update my registration card.

“She couldn’t find it in the illustrated encyclopedia at home, so she insisted on knowing more.”

I hand over the sheet to Fan Yen, who’s looking at it with curiosity next to me. “Species name Dinoduxphuros. Believed to be an evolution of Man Eaters. Extremely violent and dangerous. Behavior and habitat unknown… So basically they know nothing.”

“There have only been a handful of sightings in the wild. This is the first one ever to be domesticated, as far as we’re aware.” The receptionist tells us with an awkward look.

“At the very least, now we know what the species is called.”

Natalia will have a rough time with the Servant paperwork for the guild if she doesn’t know what species Erika is. Also, Natalia is out shopping elsewhere, since she wants to stock up on food before Miss Annabelle arrives, and it won’t be much longer until she’s here.

“Will this be all for today then?”
“Yes, that’s it. Thank you.”
“Actually, would you mind if we took some more of your time?”

Huh? I wonder why? I don’t really have any more plans for today, so I agree and the receptionist takes me to a drawing room inside of the guild. The place is furnished better than the rest of the guild, and an elegant middle aged man is sitting there.

“Oh, you must be Olivia.” The man stands up from the couch and firmly shakes my hand.

“Quite touchy for someone we’ve first met, aren’t we?”

I don’t really mind, but Fan Yen glares at him suspiciously from behind me, and he quickly lets go of my hand and steps back.

“I’m really sorry, esteemed dragonborn. I’m Henry Do Shearer. Please take a seat and get comfortable so we can talk more.”

I soon found out that he’s actually the governor of the region that includes Bamel. Henry urges me and Fan Yen to sit down facing him.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Olivia. You’re like a legendary hero, with so many names like the Black Haired Flash, the Black Lioness, Lightning Fist, and the Monster Whisperer.”
“Do they call me that?”
“Don’t look at me, I’ve never heard of that.”

I know some of the students at Ingralowe’s Magic Academy called me the Black Haired Flash, but I’ve never heard any of the other ones.

“A traveling minstrel often does, relating stories of your time at the Academy when you fought against a flock of Rufus, the tournament before your graduation, and even how you defeated the dragonborn lady.”
“Wait, how…”

That means that someone is talking about how Fan Yen was defeated. There’s no bad blood between us after that fight, but I feel like it’s really disrespectful to go singing about someone’s defeat just for the fun of it.

“Ah, I don’t mind, feel at ease. A human who single handedly bested a dragonborn is a story for the ages, wouldn’t you agree? It was a fight worth celebrating, even for me, so let the world hear about it.” Fan Yen doesn’t look bothered by it, or rather, she laughs about it happily.
“The dragonborn really are true honorable warriors as I heard.”
“Spare me the superfluous praise.”

Fan Yen glares at Henry, but he just grimaces slightly and doesn’t let that rebuke bother him. I think controlling one’s emotions is also part of being a governor.

“Either way, it makes me proud to see someone from the city I govern become so famous, as well as knowing that it’s the daughter of the late Ophelia.”
“You knew my mother?”
“Quite so…or hmm. Ophelia and Shuma were always together, so befriending one meant knowing the other as well.”

I never expected that my parents were acquainted with the governor.

Actually, now that I think about it, they were both some of the most famous adventurers, so it makes sense that they would also know nobles. I guess they just didn’t want to involve me too. There’s probably a lot more I don’t know about my parents, just like their relationship with the Gardeland family.

“You never found it strange why the mansion you live in is inside of the dangerous Valhen Woods? It was well within Shuma and Ophelia’s means to obtain a more comfortable and safe household, and yet for some reason they chose not.”

That’s true. As a child, I just assumed that’s how things were, and didn’t question it since I didn’t know any different.

“Well, I’m here to tell you everything about that now. I think it’s about time you know that story.” With that preamble, Henry starts telling me a story from the past.

The Valhen Woods were filled with dangerous monsters; some were unlucky enough to encounter protected monsters and their kin, which were usually incredibly strong and dangerous. That was why most of the forest was left untouched, with people preferring to build their settlements around the outskirts instead of venturing inside.

Itski and Dominic were currently venturing into the forest. Itski had previously gone with Leontina to defeat monsters and explore, but he was surprised to see that Dominic also knew how to navigate there.

“I know what you’re thinking, but when I was younger I actually used to work as an adventurer. I doubt I’m as strong as back then, so I’ll still need your help.”

Dominic explained things like that, but Itski did not feel like he was needed at all. He knew Dominic was familiar with magic after their discussions about teleportation, and that knowledge extended to actual combat as Dominic effortlessly blasted away at the monsters.

Strangely, Dominic still had not told Itski what their objective was. He had asked many times as they walked, but Dominic brushed it off each time.

It was easy to guess it was something more personal, considering Dominic had enlisted the help of someone unrelated to his company, but Itski still had no clue what it could be. Itski was also not curious enough to keep pressing the matter, and he knew that if anything went south, he could easily run back to Granleuche.

“Hmm, I’m sure it’s somewhere around here…”

Every now and then, Dominic would use a detection spell on their surroundings, but he had yet to find what he wanted. Itski did not know what Dominic was searching for, so he could not help even if he wanted to, and all he did was look around to kill time.

“Huh? Dominic, what’s that over there?”

As Itski glanced around the forest, he noticed something red amongst the trees. Looking at it more closely, he noticed that it was a wall of bricks.

“Where? I don’t see anything.”
“Look here, it’s pretty obvious.”

Itski said that as he walked closer to the wall, knowing he was not seeing things, and even being able to place his hands on the wall.

“You don’t see it?”
“…I do now.”

When Dominic reached out and actually touched the wall, he seemed to finally become aware of its existence.

“…Have you been here before?”
“Huh? No, this is my first time.”
“…Strange. Anyway, let’s check who’s home.”

Itski was confused by that whole exchange, but Dominic paid him little attention as he once again used that detecting spell.

“Hm? No one’s there…but I see something underground…hmm… I see, so there was a barrier all along.” Dominic mumbled at his findings, and then started walking, followed by Itski who did not really have anything to say.

After walking around for some time, they reached a set of iron gates, which they carefully passed through and went inside, where they were greeted by a nice mansion and a simple but well-taken-care-of garden.

“Why is this place all the way in the forest… Dominic, is this what you wanted to find?”
“Yeah. I have something important to do with the owner of this house.”

Dominic had already determined the place was vacant, and yet he was walking in without any hesitation, so Itski rightly assumed that whatever Dominic was planning was not legal, but did not question it.

“Itski, could you keep an eye around?”

Following Dominic’s instructions, Itski stood up and looked around, mostly at the gates they had just crossed.

The fact that the mansion was so deep into the forest but showed no signs of having been attacked by monsters was alarming in itself, especially considering that Dominic’s relationship with those living there did not seem exactly amicable.

“I’d hate having to go back empty handed after all this.” Dominic walked a distance away and then placed his hands on the garden.

Shortly after, an earth magic spell was activated, making the whole garden start to shake and tremble like a raging ocean. That spell, like a localized earthquake, was used to unearth something that was buried.

The movement became more violent, nearly triggering a primal fear humans once thought of as the rage of the earth itself.

“Dominic, do you really need to do this? It feels a bit dangerous.”
“Sorry, it’s not me doing that.”

Having been calm thus far, Dominic’s voice quivered slightly with nervousness.

Eventually, a figure shot out from the trembling ground, going up into the air. The figure looked like a person, but it was clear it belonged to something else. That purple hue would never belong to human skin, but that was barely the smallest difference. The lower half of the figure was that of a spider, or rather, it was a spider with a human torso on its head.

That was Aria, the Purple Steel Spider that lived in the caves below the mansion.

“Dominic! I see you still refuse to die!”

Around sixteen red eyes, from both Aria’s spider and human halves, glared at the pair.

“The Deadly Shadow’s pet spider, huh. What a pity that your owner died so long ago.”
“You’ll pay for thatt!!”

Anyone who knew Aria would be shocked to see her react with so much emotion.

“I’ll avenge Shuma and Opheliaa!” Aria shouted loudly, baring her fangs and controlling her unique steel silk.

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