Leave a comment

Elves were a friendly race known for their longevity, about three times that of humans, and their love for nature. As a species, they all had a high aptitude for magecraft but were physically weaker. Though they were excellent wizards, they rarely appeared in human civilization.

“My apologies for the late introduction. I am Edouard Tzolkin, the branch head of the Elnato Adventurers’ Guild.”
“I’m surprised. Times really are changing.”

Given his title as branch head, it was clear that Edouard’s abilities were formidable. His demeanor was impeccable; even if a group of ten thieves attacked, they wouldn’t last five seconds against him. Now, if I were to fight him, how would I approach it…

“Err, you must be Miss Laika Galactica. Is there something on my face…?”
“Oh, sorry. It’s just rare to see an elf. But for even the branch head to come out, this must be a significant matter.”
“Indeed. The incident caused by Orcus followers ten years ago is still fresh in our minds.”

It seemed there was something I didn’t know about, so I nodded vaguely.

“…So, what’s the plan from here?”
“First, we’ll conduct inquiries around the mansion and work with the church to purify the area immediately. We’ll also issue a guild-wide quest tomorrow.”
“Yes, I’ll take it!”
“Be quiet, you shouldn’t interfere.”

Momo, who had been quietly observing, suddenly volunteered. Did she forget what she went through? Or perhaps she genuinely did forget…

“But Master, you said that Orcus is a dangerous god, right? So we need to capture the culprit quickly!”
“That’s not your job. Besides, you can’t even touch a specter.”
“That’s why I need your help, Master. Please! Your apprentice is in trouble!”
“Who’s whose apprentice? I never acknowledged you as my apprentice!”
“What!? But you called me your apprentice when I was attacked!”
“Huh? I never said that! What year, month, day, hour, minute, and revolution of this planet did I say that…?”
“Hey, you two, the guild master is looking troubled. Let’s get back to the topic.”

Stella stepped in to mediate as the conversation was heating up. Indeed, we had been ignoring the guild master too much. He was smiling awkwardly, unable to interject.

“Well… participation in the quest is voluntary. The more people we have, the better, and even providing information will earn you a reward.”
“Master, Edouard is saying this too!”
“…Just don’t get ahead of yourself. You got lucky this time. Next time, I won’t save you.”
“Yes, thank you very much!”

She wouldn’t listen anyway, so it was better to let her blow off some steam while keeping a tight leash on her. Besides, the odds were higher that more experienced adventurers would uncover the mastermind before Momo. We could just earn some money while waiting for the situation to be resolved.

“And about the mansion cleaning quest you initially accepted, we’ll have to put that on hold as the site needs to be preserved.”
“Fair enough, but we’ll still get paid for the work we’ve done so far, right?”
“Yes, of course. Here, please accept this.”
“…This seems more than the original reward.”

Edouard placed a leather pouch full of coins on the table. The open mouth of the bag revealed gold and silver coins, easily ten times the amount listed in the quest.

“Thanks to your early discovery, the damage was minimal. Consider this a token of our gratitude.”
“…Understood. We’ll accept it.”

Ideally, I’d like to refuse, but this amount likely carried an expectation. Refusing would undermine the guild master’s authority, and it’s never wise to alienate the leader of a valuable source of income.

“Is that all? Momo is at her limit, so we’ll be taking our leave.”
“Yes, thank you for your time. Please take care on your way back.”
“Your kindness is appreciated. Momo, it’s over. Let’s grab dinner and head back to the inn.”

I led the already hungry Momo out of the private room. But even as the door closed and we disappeared from view, the guild master’s eyes remained fixed on our backs.

――――――――…………
――――……
――…

“……Haaah.”

Confirming that the two had left, I downed my untouched tea in one gulp. My throat was dry from cold sweat and tension. Although our face-to-face meeting had been brief, it felt incredibly long.

“Tired, guild master? What do you think of those two?”
“Have them promoted to three-star by tomorrow. They are far beyond the scope of two stars…!”
“That’s significant. Normally, it takes several months to go from two stars to three.”
“To put it bluntly, that younger one is a monster.”

I was confident I had concealed both my presence and magical power, yet she sensed me before I even entered the room. And the enormous magical power she harbored within her was beyond anything an elf could possess. Her calm and mature way of speaking only added to her unfathomable nature.

“Is it an instinct as a wizard? As soon as I sat across from her, she sized me up. I didn’t feel alive at all!”
“Come on, don’t cry now. You weren’t really killed, after all.”
“Of course I’m crying! Her magical power filled the room so thinly, it was like having knives pointed at me from all directions!”

If I tried to ambush her 100 times, I’d die 99 times. At best, I might manage to take her down with me once by sheer miracle. The difference in our abilities was that vast.

As an elf and as the head of the guild, my confidence was shattered. Her level as a wizard was on another plane entirely. To call it mere talent at her age was an understatement—it was otherworldly.

“It’s as if she has spent all the years surpassing an elf’s lifespan solely devoted to magecraft… Just who is she?”
“Who knows? Her background is spotless. But she’s not a bad kid; my instincts tell me so.”
“Sigh… If it’s my beloved wife’s intuition, I’ll trust it. You’ve helped me countless times with your skills.”
“Hahaha, you say the nicest things, darling! So, shall I proceed with arranging the cooperation with the church?”
“Yes, that’s fine. She should be visiting soon as well.”

Checking the mental schedule I had laid out in my mind, I marked a double circle on tomorrow’s plans.

Ironically, magic was the most effective against the necromancy employed by Orcus’ sorcerer followers. With the power of a devout person, one who could be called a saint, the destruction of this town could undoubtedly be averted.

“…Roche Hill. Having the Saint of Aldebaran visit us is as if it were orchestrated by the gods themselves.”