So, why am I being carried in Shinki's arms?
Eh? Walking is too slow? The sun will set?
Aren't you being overprotective!? Being overprotected by papa is already enough!
Well, leaving that aside. On our way back, we talked about many things.
About how I met Sol, about Dee and Nox. My family, the servants, the children in the dragon house and beast house, and the people in the royal palace.
During this time, Shinki also told me a bit about his own life.
I was really surprised when he told he had a big brother. He died in a battle with a human, though. I asked him if monsters have some kind of kinship.
He said it depends on the monster. Some monster groups take good care of their children, while others weed out the weak ones.
It seems that there are kinds of monsters that cherish their families, so they aren't much different from humans.
The lonely expression Shinki had when talking about his brother weighted on my mind. I hope he can tell me what happened to him someday.
The next day, there was a fancy carriage parked in the village square, for some reason.
It was more fancy than the carriage we used to get here, but not as much as the one from the royal palace.
The carriage at the palace is more elegant than fancy, though.
Whose carriage is this? I was wondering, but it seems it came to pick up Pino and Nino.
I guess I'll have to say goodbye to the angel twins.
They didn't treated me differently, even after they found out I was the daughter of a duke.
Honestly speaking, I consider them my first friends.
[You have to promise you will visit me.]
[We are defintely going!]
Pino held my hand tightly and promised.
[In return, when we go to the royal capital, Nema will be our guide, right?]
Yes, sir!
When that time comes, I will use all the power of the Osphe family to research the royal capital and fulfill your request.
They kept looking behind until the carriage was out of sight.
Pino leaned out of the window and waved to me until the end.
What a good child!
Well now. Since we already said goodbye to the twins, next, it's our time to go.
It looks like we're going back to Arcenta.
We will get ready for the trip there before heading for our next inspection site.
On the way back, of course, I played in the snow to my heart's content. I had a snowball fight with Shinki and a knight who made friends with us.
It was so much fun!
Since we were going to the next inspection site soon, preparations were being made in a hurry at Arcenta's mansion.
I was told the schedule was messed up due to the time we took at the Needle Frost1 forest.
Papa's schedule only allows for 15 days, and they're planning to visit five places within this time.
That is the first time I'm hearing that! I said so, and papa scolded me saying he explained all of that before we left.
...I don't remember...
We will leave early in the morning again tomorrow, so after I ate my dinner, I was immediately pushed into bed.
I said I would sleep with Shinki, but papa rejected the idea in less than a second.
Shoot. I guess I'll have to try when we are camping outside.
We boarded a carriage and went towards a town called Kass in the region of Parses.
It's about three hours southwest of Arcenta.
There was nothing of note along the way, only forests and rocky mountains. I got bored very quickly, so I decided to get some information from Shinki.
Papa pulled out a map out of nowhere and unfolded it.
The Gashe Kingdom is located in the northwest of the continent of Larshia. The upper left wing of a butterfly.
Papa's map only covered the Gashe Kingdom. The kingdom's territory was drawn like a diamond. Within the diamond, there were four smaller diamonds, like an argyle pattern. Those were the east, west, south, and north territories.
That said, the royal capital looks so small on the map!! When you live in it, it seems really big, though.
When I asked Shinki where he used to live, I was told that they lived in the frontier between the Dilta and Wise territories. A Mine and a forest stretches along the border of those territorires.
The area is a hunting ground with many animals and mineral resources, so, it is known as the "mining quarry".
For that reason, there are many monsters living there, but most of them don't seem to attack humans. This is because they don't need to take the risk. They can live just by hunting animals in the forest.
However, fighting prone monsters such as ogres2 and orcs can be found in the mines of the Wise territory, and they can end up attacking humans when encountered.
I asked Shinki to mark on the map the route they took to escape.
On top of that, I asked papa to fill in all the information on monster sightings he could get.
Papa collected the information about all the sightings from all over the Gashe Kingdom in just one night and stuffed them into his brain... That brain. Why didn't I inherit it?
He even managed to get information from the Adventurer's Guild!
[I can't use the subordinates I brought with me, so the amount of information is small...]
Small? Almost the entire map has been filled in though!?
That means, if he could use his subordinates, they would have completed the map!
It's a little terrifying, but more importantly, this distribution...
Information from about a year ago is marked in blue, six months ago in green, and a month ago in red, but there is clearly something wrong.
The distribution in blue is a little more in Dilta, the southern territory and a little less in Osphe, the northern territory, and they are cleanly scattered all over the kingdom.
The types of monsters spotted were also consistent with the territory Shinki told us about.
As for the green, there were fewer in the Dilta territory, while the Wise territory in the east and the Myuga territory in the west saw a large increase.
And red... The entire Osphe territory and the adjacent areas were painted in red. As for the Dilta territory, there were three reports of monster sightings, but they were all rabas, which look like fire rats and only live in volcanoes.
In other words, it can be said that most of the monster that can adapt and don't have a special ecology were gathered in the Osphe territory.
Papa, isn't someone holding a grudge against you?
[Whenever we were on the move, we always encontered humans when we headed south, with no exception. And they would always attack us, regardless of what we did.]
Papa has a bitter expression. That is to say, whoever the mastermind behind this is, they are mobilizing a huge amount of personnel in a large-scale operation, right?
[Is there someone who can mobilize such amount of people?]
[Well. You would need an battalion of the Knight's order to do something like this...]
Hum. Let's see. A battalion is the largest group within the order... So, a thousant people!?
[However, if we had 10 mages who can use search magic, we could get away with half of that.]
Search magic is amazing. That is a huge labor cost reduction!
There are two types of search magic: wind-based and non-attribute based. At the basic level, all you do is release pure magic power around yourself to search. But it is not easy to use in the beginning. In any case, you can only tell if the person is imbued with magical power or not, so you can't tell if they are a monster or a person with magical power.
In addition, at papa's level, the attribute affinity is so strong, it is difficult to generate pure magic power.
It was mama who told me that. Because of that, she created her own method of searching using water magic!
She said she can use the water attribute to create a fog and permeate it with magic. I'm not sure how it works, but it can also be used as a smoke screen! Mama was shocked when I told her that. Didn't she notice?
Wind magic is more common and it is easier to use as well!
Wind magic is used like ultrasonic waves. Looks like by doing this, it is possible to tell the quality of the magic power? It can also tell the difference between monsters and humans, beastmen and elves. Well, the mechanics of how this works is also unknown, so there are researchers all over the world studying it. Maybe it is because mages are also scientists, but they always want to study what they don't understand.
So, in short, if the opponent has about 10 wind mages on their side that means they have at least 500 troops.
But, even if they are an enemy, what is the purpose? Are they targeting the Osphe terriory, or is there another reason...? Hum. I don't get it.
[I was also skeptical about this monster riot being man-made until we gathered the data... I've reported the matter to His Majesty already. I apologize Nema, but I will return to the royal capital after Kass's inspection.]
[Eh? What about shoosing the place for the plan?]
Since things escalated, I think papa decided it is more important to act as the prime minister rather than as a lord... I want to choose the place for the plan as soon as possible though!
[Yes! That is why I called Ralph. He will join us in Kass.]
[Oni-shama3 is going to travel with me?]
[Correct. Ralph is at a good age to start getting experience as the next head of the family. He is going to go to the others inspection sites as the lord's representative.]
I'm at ease if brother is coming. Even I can tell he is very capable and a good brother.
Will he be surprised when he sees Shinki?
While I was imagining my brother's surprised face, the carriage arrived at Kass.
Now then, what kind of town do we have here? Let's go on an adventure!
Papa is busy dealing with the higher-ups greetings assault.
It is now or never.
I take Shinki and enter what seems to be the main street. It's only a two-lane street, though.
It was like a shopping district, with stores lined up at the sides.
There were grocery stores, grain stores, clothing stores, and general stores. There was also a tavern-esque restaurant and a tea house.
At the tea house, they roast the seeds of a plant called Kana, that resembles Physalis4.
They are very small, but essential for the northern region where crops are hard to grow. That is because they can be eaten either roasted or dried, and are rich in nutrients.
I was attracted by the fragrant smell of kana beans, but I found my target building, so I let it go.
The sign on the building next to the tavern says Adventurers' Guild.
Excelent. All according to plan!
The royal capital has a guild, but I couldn't visit it because it is located in the industrial district.
Towns of this size usually have adventurers' and merchants' guilds, so it was the perfect chance!
Then, let's go in! Is what I would like to say, but there is no door knob!
It looks like a normal wood door. I was wondering if I should just push it.
[Won't you go in?]
Then, Shinki casually pushed the door.
Ye... yes. I'm going in, I'm going in.
The Adventurer's Guild that I entered, escorted by Shinki, was different from what I had imagined.
What I had in mind was something similar to what often appears in games or novels.
A counter-style reception area, requests in a bolletin-board on the wall and adventurers hanging out in the back.
What was in front of me were many booths, separated by partitions.
Somehow, it resembles more a cram school or Hello Work5. I never went to those places, so, they might be different though.
[Hello. How can we be of service?]
A beautiful red-haired woman with a ponytail spoke to me.
It looks like she is glancing at Shinki. Did she find out he is a monster?
[Also, since beastmen are rare in this town, you might consider not staying for long...]
Thank goodness! She thought he was a beastman. But, why a beastman? Because of the horns?
Or rather, miss. Your face is bright red... Wait, Shinki?
I didn't pay much attention because there were too many handsome guys around me, but Shinki is also good looking.
I'm more for the cute types, like my brother, but I guess he will become a prince-like handsome man when he grows up. That is unfortunate.
[I'm my lord's escort.]
[Eh!?]
I'm sorry. I'm the one in charge... And I'm double sorry, I didn't even had an important reason to enter here. I just wanted to see how it was.
[I'm sorry for interrupting your work.]
I bow courteously.
[I just wanted to see what kind of place the guild was.]
I confess honestly. It is best for children to be honest.
[Isn't there a guild where you live, little lady?]
[The guild at the royal capital is too far away.]
The industrial district is too far away. I'm afraid I won't get permission if I ask to visit.
[You came from the royal capital? Indeed, it is a long way from the residential area.]
Oh? She had been to the royal capital before? I don't live in a residential area, but in a high-class noble area instead, though. But that is fine.
[Is it possible for me to look around a little?]
[Yes, it is fine. I will show you around. I'm Ariabell. You can call me Bell.]
[Thank you very much. I'm Nema. And his name is Shinki.]
Shinki, who was watching the entire situation, bowed lightly when his name was called.
[Nice to meet you. So, Nema-chan, Shinki-san, this way please.]
While being guided by the kind sister Bell, I looked around the guild.
The Hello Work-like booths were reception desks for individuals!
Soundproofing magic is applied to each one, so the conversation doesn't leak. On the second floor, there are several large and small rooms for parties, and you can use the one that best suits the size of your group. Of course, these rooms are also soundproofed.
Requests are given according to the rank of the individual or the party, with priority given to urgent or time-sensitive requests. But the guild staff will provide you with something that meets your needs.
Before anything, why? I asked why they decided to separate individuals and parties. And why go to such lenghts to ensure privacy.
[When the guild was first established, the embezzlement of rewards were a big problem.]
[Embezuliment?]
[Yes. If they are subjugation or gathering requests, anyone can take them. So, after someone completed one, they would be attacked and the proof or materials would be stolen and used to complete another person's request. ]
So, if I undertood correctly, someone could listen to what requests another person has received and take the same one. Then, after the target gets the job done, steal the proof of completion and get the rewards. By doing so, they also rack up poins to rank up with no effort. That is nasty.
[Some say the guild only does that to protect its own reputation. But we can't let wicked people like that call thelselves adventures, can we? That is why the adventure's guild is so strict against frauds.]
So, that is an adventure's pride!
For them, who put their lives on the line to fulfill their requests, people like that are just criminals. There were even stories about adventures who were murdered during the attacks. Even if it was rare, it is still terrible.
I also asked about adventurers.
The ranks of adventurers are determined by color.
The lowest rank is white. Meaning that they haven't been tainted in any way.
The colors gradually become darker: yellow, green, blue, red, and purple.
And the highest rank is black. This means there is nothing left to be tainted.
By the way, the black rank is a legendary status. Since the guild's inception, there have been less than ten black rankers.
The most famous one in our country is the first king.
There's really no shortage of topics involving the first king, is there? Maybe I'll read his autobiography next time.
And then, the content of requests can be to subjugate monsters or bandits. Collect medicinal herbs or magic stones. Escort caravans. Investigate ruins, gather information, mapping. Searching for ore deposits and sources of water and so on.
I was receiving the explanation from sister Bell, who was showing me an actual request form, when suddenly.
[Will the aventure's guild let a obvious fraud go unchecked!?]
A man's yelling echoed. I was wondering where the soundproof magic went, but when I looked at the sound's origin, the man was outside the booth and was making a fuss.
The guild's staff rushed to try and calm him down, but it didn't work very well.
[There is no concrete evidence, so...]
[Evidence? It is just a small goblin pack, but the reward is almost 3 times the market price. And the mayor's son is the one who receives the reward? Clearly, it is all going to the mayor's pockets.]
[But the mayor and his son are doing a lot for the town...]
[It is just a cover up. Originally, we could have taken care of the monster riot on our own. But the problem was over-reported by taking advantage of the turmoil, in order to get emergency funds6. This is just to prevent the lord from finding out.]
[...Emergency funds!!]
Oh! They are talking about something interesting!
[Sister Bell, who is that man?]
[Ah! His name is Hearan Duto. He is a government official from the town. But he doesn't get along with the mayor.]
[If the guild know it ish a shcheme, why can't they deal with it?]
[I think it is because it benefits the town. Most of the guild employees are from this town, so, they just turn a blind eye.]
They say they are strict agains frauds, but in a small community, they will prioritize the well being of their own people.
[Hearan used to work for the royal palace. Maybe that is why he can't tolerate this kind of thing.]
Eh? If he used to work for the royal palace, why is he in such a rural area?
Given his personality, I don't think he was doing anything illegal. To begin with, if he was caught doing something like that, he wouldn't be able to work as a government official. Maybe he was demoted by his boss because of his personality? It is possible!
That aside, I'd like to hear more about that interesting story. Let's go ask him.
[Mister. This story, tell me more details, please!]
[Why? This is no child's business!]
Uwa, he is annoying.
It is fine. Calm yourself, me. That is the first time we met. I have to act like an adult.
[Is that so? And I was thinking about helping you... Well, I guess it can't be helped.]
My ability to act like an adult... is non existent.
No, my mounth is the culprid... It acted on its own. Right, I couldn't help it.
[Wait. What do you mean?]
Oh? He took the bait.
It is good that he took the bait, but his face is scary. The sanpaku eyes are too powerful!
Shinki, who sensed the unsettling atmosphere, stood between us, as if shielding me.
With that, everything is fine... probably.
Well, I don't want anything to happen, so, I will move Shinki a little to the side.
[I have the means to contact the lord.]
I suppress my fear by tightening my stomach. Of course, without forgetting to smile.
[Sure you do.]
It is written on his face that he don't believe me.
Hmm. It's okay, I'm just a little kid, it can't be helped.
But you're going to spill out exactly what I need to know!
[I should introduce myself. Healan Duto, my name is Nefertima Osphe. Depending on the contents of your story, I can act as an intermediary between you and my father. What do you think?]
Ah.... I ended up putting on a smug face. What a mistake. I have to act like a duke's daughter.
[The lord's!?]
Not only Healan but all the guild staff around us, inculding sister Bell were surprised.
I'm sorry. I know I don't look at all like a noble.
[Then, miss Bell. May I use a room?]
What exactly was going on in this town?
For once, I think I will do a little work for papa.
I'm only going to listen to him though.
Translator's Notes:
1. The previous translator used Pinfrost Forest, but I like Needle Frost more. What do you guys thing?
2. The author uses the literal word Ogre here, written in Katakana. So, I will change Shinki's "race" to Oni.
3. Since I'm using Otou-sama anyway, I decided to be consistent and use Japanese here as well.
4. I had no idea this thing was edible. They used to grow everywhere where I live. This author has so much knowlege about plants and animals. I have to research a lot each chapter.
5. Japanese government's Employment Service Center. A public institution that helps you get a job.
6. Not sure what is the right term for that. The money received by a province/state from the country, because of an emergency/crisis.
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