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A modest earthen wall, enough to repel creatures, enclosed the vast paddy fields. It was a standard protective wall for agricultural land, magically constructed for a fortified rural village. Even if monsters were to approach, it would provide the farmers working in the fields some time to flee… even if only a couple dozen seconds.

Setulev was in the midst of summer. Under the brilliant sun, the still green rice plants stretched with the shimmering paddies.

The sound of cicadas, burning through their short lives, echoed from somewhere.

The path between the rice paddies was uneven, with ruts left while the ground was still muddy with rain then repeatedly solidified.

One high-speed carriage raced along this path.

Soon, a much sturdier and smaller village wall compared to the protective wall for farmland, came into view. It had been constructed with wood and reinforced with metal, and it boasted a proper folding gate as the village’s entrance. On either side of the gate, there were lookout platforms resembling watchtowers, though not as impressive as the city wall gate towers of Kugutfulm.

“…If you have identification, please present it. What business do you have in the village?”

When the carriage briefly stopped at the gate, a young man with a bow in hand disembarked from the lookout platform and inquired.

His words had a sharp and cautious edge to them.

It wasn’t uncommon for villagers in places like this to be wary of outsiders, especially towards suspicious people like this who arrived in carriages that likely cost a significant sum even for a simple rental.

However, there was something more to it… the man who had disembarked from the carriage felt something he couldn’t quite put into words.

“I’m Ivar McGregor, representative of the McGregor Adventurer Support Office. We received a request from the adventurer party Golden Helmet and have come for a preliminary investigation of the quest.”

Despite feeling that something was amiss, Ivar, dressed in a dark suit even under the scorching sun, responded with a smile, not letting it show in his demeanor. He then presented his adventurer’s card.

“Golden Helmet? A girl who claims to be their manager is already in the village…”
“Yes, she sent a request for cooperation. Since this is a quest arranged through the Adventurer’s Guild, if you have any doubts, please inquire at the Kugutfulm Adventurer’s Guild branch.”

Ivar asserted himself with a smile.

The name of the Adventurer’s Guild carried credibility.

In fact, people in rural areas felt this even more strongly – that life wouldn’t function without the Adventurer’s Guild. If a powerful monster settled near the village, they would need to exterminate it; otherwise, they couldn’t even go about their daily work. The village’s youths couldn’t defend the fragile village wall, and there had probably been more than one or two instances in their lives when monsters breached the village and they had to barricade themselves in the temple, waiting for adventurer assistance.

It wasn’t just a matter of trust or mistrust; the Adventurer’s Guild was an integral part of their way of life.

“…Very well. Please, go ahead.”

The young man finally allowed Ivar to proceed.

Ivar didn’t mention the fact that the young man had no right to stop him from entering the village in the first place.

The high-speed carriage glided through the village and came to a stop in front of a combined restaurant, tavern, and inn.

“Ivar!”

Before Ivar could disembark from the carriage, a girl with striking, fiery red hair burst out of the inn.

She wore a typical rustic outfit – a simple leather vest and a one-piece dress – but her fiery red hair alone radiated an extraordinary presence. Despite her endearing appearance, which could captivate people of all ages and genders, she seemed filled with an overwhelming spirit that left a bigger lasting impression on those who saw her.

For Ivar, she was once a fellow adventurer manager, known as ■■■■■, but now she was the adopted daughter of the Red Dragon of Mount Kuguse, bearing the name Lucella.

She had summoned him.

“Sorry for calling you so suddenly.”
“Don’t worry about it. If there’s money involved, it’s a job. But why did you call me? I couldn’t make heads or tails of that short message.”
“I thought I couldn’t handle it on my own.”

Lucella had joined the adventurer party Golden Helmet as their manager. There were significant doubts about her claiming the role of manager given her current status, but at the very least, this time, she had come to fulfill her managerial duties properly. She was here for a preliminary investigation of a quest addressed to the party.

“The request is to exterminate the monster that killed the villagers.”
“Yes. According to the guild’s preliminary investigation, they suspect it might be a Named-class ‘Awakened.’”

When one spoke of ‘monsters,’ it encompassed various creatures. Intelligent beings like demons(Natzen), giants, and goblins, capable of forming societies, were uniformly called the ‘Demonkind’.

The said Demonkind had created many ‘Magic Beasts’ as living weapons for use against humans.

Many of these magic beasts have now reverted to a feral state, living freely in the wilderness. However, at times, they would remember their ingrained nature, finding pleasure in killing humans. These awakened creatures not only selectively targeted humans for their attacks but also unlocked latent abilities that were unnecessary for their daily lives, making them even more formidable threats.

“Well, you know… honestly, if it’s just a strong monster, there’s no need to call in reinforcements. You can handle it on your own, right?”
“W-Well, if we’re going to be blunt about it, then yes…”

For Lucella, who hunted even the Variants that grew strong on absorbing dragon aura, even the so-called Awakened individuals wouldn’t pose much of a challenge. She could likely defeat one effortlessly even alone.

So, whether there was a need for a preliminary investigation in the first place was a matter of doubt… in normal circumstances.

“So there’s more to it, I take?”

Ivar’s voice became lower, heavier, and more serious.

Typically, quests through the Adventurer’s Guild involved preliminary investigations conducted by guild investigators. This was especially true when the client was a high-ranking individual or when a significant threat was anticipated. Given the loss of human life in this case, it was a matter that had undergone guild scrutiny, and only then had it been assigned to the Golden Helmet party.

However, Lucella had personally conducted a preliminary investigation, going as far as to gather information with her own eyes and ears. She felt that assistance was needed, not from top-tier adventurers, but from a top-tier investigator (manager).

“That passage at the end of the investigation report, the one about ‘the residents being uncooperative’… After reading that, can’t you imagine a different picture? Perhaps related to the questioning from the temple?”

Lucella spoke with the assumption that Ivar had thoroughly examined the investigation report, and of course, Ivar hadn’t missed anything.

In the guild’s investigation report, there was something slightly out of place, like a frayed edge of clothing. Lucella had felt the same way, and she went to investigate not to fulfill the quest, but to uncover the source of this unease.

“In the first place, it’s a bit strange to call the Golden Helmet all the way to the western edge of Setulev. It’s true that rumors about their involvement in the Mount Kuguse battle have been circulating, and there has been an increase in quests. But if it’s an urgent matter, they could have called a local, powerful party, perhaps Exploding Apple Squad.”
“I see…”
“To give you a rough example, there have been cases where where lynched individuals were labeled as victims of monsters.”

Ivar didn’t dismiss Lucella’s thoughts as mere fantasies. He knew that conspiracies could be found in unexpected places, having worked as an underground information broker. Moreover, he understood that knowledge and experience-backed intuition often hit the mark.

“In that case, isn’t it the job of the adventurers who took on the quest to investigate it?”
“We can’t just ignore it. If someone is using Golden Helmet for such a cover-up operation, they need to be taught a lesson.”
“What about the situation when the villagers were killed? Did the local guards have any information?”
“I heard their side of the story, but…”

Lucella looked troubled.
She seemed to be struggling with how to explain.

“It would be faster to talk to them together. Come with me.”