——Once Laiel and the others departed for Cartafus, Novem and her group completely vacated the mansion and headed for the base they used for dungeon subjugation.
On the Porter, Novem was joined by Monica and Eva, along with Clara and a guest.
Miranda and the others were making preparations at the base, and the Valkyries had been fully mobilized to push forward with development of the surrounding area.
Novem was aware, as information, that at the stage when Laiel set off for Cartafus, Baim's merchants and the Adventurer's Guild would spring into action.
Novem smiled at Innis—a gnome and Rauno's partner who, due to her race, was quite small—sitting in the Porter's cargo bed.
"Sorry to drag you along like this, Innis."
Innis shook her head and clutched her travel luggage to her chest. The bag, normal in size, looked enormous in Innis's arms.
"It's no trouble. Rauno told me to do the same. Besides..."
"Besides?"
When Novem tilted her head, Innis said "It's nothing" and deflected with an ambiguous smile. Watching this, Novem grew wary that there might be some hidden motive behind Rauno and Innis's cooperation with Laiel.
However, she couldn't understand the idea of leaving Innis at their dangerous base like a hostage, and there was no sign of information being leaked through any kind of skill.
Though Novem remained wary, the accuracy of the information Rauno had gathered made her think it was also possible he was genuinely cooperating.
But she didn't let her guard down.
"Things may be inconvenient over there, but if anything comes up, please let me know. We'll accommodate you however we can."
At Novem's words, Innis nodded.
Light streamed through the window installed in the Porter, and Novem, looking out, worried about Laiel.
(I wonder if Lord Laiel is doing well right about now.)
She was also concerned about there being no one by his side to look after him, but this time the opponent was an adventurer possessing a skill highly effective against a woman named Lark. If there was a possibility of being charmed, Laiel had said he wanted to eliminate the risk even if it meant going against the guild's calculations, so Novem had followed his judgment.
(If only there had been even one person to keep by his side...)
It wouldn't be a problem if it were someone other than herself. The strongest candidate was Monica, but Monica also had her duties overseeing the Valkyries.
The next options would be Miranda or Eva, but both of them were swamped with work at headquarters and couldn't be sent away to stay by Laiel's side.
As for the Valkyries, she still had concerns about leaving them in their care, and Shannon, May, and Aria would only get in the way if stationed near him.
She also didn't want to leave Clara behind with work to handle alone, so Laiel's judgment hadn't been wrong — at least not from Novem's perspective. It hadn't been wrong, but the worry was still real.
(Even if Professor Damian's Automaton is there, it would be low on the priority list when it comes to Laiel. I don't think anything troubling would happen, but...)
Eva noticed Novem's worried expression.
"You're worried about Laiel? It'll be fine. He's actually surprisingly dependable, you know."
As Eva tried to comfort her, Novem replied.
"You're right. Laiel has been showing real promise lately, so I'm sure he'll be fine."
She said this with a smile. Compared to when they had first set out on their journey together, the current Laiel had grown considerably.
Novem decided to believe that as well —.
—Around the time Novem and the others were getting underway.
In a small, seldom-used conference room at Baim's Guild headquarters, several executives from the various branches sat around a table in discussion.
The executive from the Southern Branch spoke.
"They've set out. They've already boarded a Trace family vessel and are heading for Cartafus. A Sweeper confirmed it, so there's no mistake. There seems to be some activity around a Dungeon that wasn't reported, but I believe the time to strike is now."
Sweepers were cleaners. The term referred to a special breed of former adventurers who worked as "adventurer cleaners," as well as the specialist Sweepers trained by the Guild.
Standing behind the Eastern Branch executive was Tahnia — Tahnia was also a Sweeper. Behind each executive stood the Sweepers belonging to their respective Guilds.
The Southern Branch executive was eager to carry out the attack on Laiel's party this time. The Northern Branch specialized in maritime matters and seemed to have little interest. Having to lend personnel had, if anything, put them in a foul mood.
"Is this really necessary? From what I hear, he's more of an adventurer with exceptional drive than actual ability. And you're dragging us into this too?"
To the clearly displeased Northern Branch executive, the Southern Branch executive replied with a slightly barbed tone.
"…And if this attack succeeds, those of the Northern Branch who profit from the use of Galleria and Rusworth's ports will claim they have no involvement? Perhaps you'd like to make that argument to the merchants?"
The Northern Branch executive fell silent. There had been a secret agreement with Gina of the Trace family — if they recognized Roland as head of the house, they would relinquish the use of the two ports. The Northern Branch was entangled in that arrangement as well; it was no one else's problem.
However, they employed adventurers who specialized in maritime escort and subjugating Monsters, which made them hesitant when it came to land-based operations.
The Western Branch executive was also in a foul mood, since a large number of personnel would need to be redeployed from their own ranks. He glared at the Southern Branch executive.
"We're putting out two first-rate adventurer parties. Several mid-tier ones on top of that. And yet the South and East aren't pulling their weight? The Southern Branch is only offering a single mercenary company, isn't it?"
Word had already spread within the Southern Branch that wars were going to dwindle drastically, and many of the mercenary companies had already begun relocating to change the home Guild they were registered with.
As a result, only one mercenary company could be spared for the attack. They still had contracts and other tasks to handle, so pulling any more away would damage the Guild's credibility.
"In terms of scale, it's a mercenary company with at least a hundred combat-ready personnel. There's no problem. Numerically, aren't we the largest contributor?"
The Western Branch executive slammed his fist on the table.
"Don't be ridiculous! We're not talking about some random rabble here! The condition for a first-rate party is clearing the sixtieth floor of the Dungeon. How many parties do you think can actually do that? Even a mid-tier party is a precious asset. Parties that die within days, or parties ranked second-rate and below — their value is completely different, completely different!"
The Western Branch executive was indignant at the notion of lumping their precious fighting force in with mere mercenaries. The Eastern Branch executive listened to this argument and found himself somewhat soothed by it.
"Well, in any case, this is the decision of headquarters. We in the Eastern Branch are truly sorry for the trouble our adventurers have caused. My sincere apologies."
As the Eastern Branch executive offered his apology, the venom drained from the room, and the discussion resumed.
—Tahnia had returned to the Eastern Branch's Guild and was questioning her superior, the executive.
The room held only two people, and the scent of the coffee her superior was drinking filled the air.
"I… don't understand. What is the Guild headquarters thinking? Assassinating Laiel, who worked so hard to form the Four-Nation Alliance, would surely be a disadvantage for Baim as well."
In response to Tahnia's question, her superior answered between sips of coffee. His manner was no different from usual, and he spoke as though gently instructing her.
"I don't have the authority to overturn the decision. It's the result of what the merchants above the Guild — and the ones above them — decided. Well, if the key figure behind the Four-Nation Alliance were to die, talk of the alliance might dissolve. Even if people suspected Baim, there's no country in this region that could survive without Baim."
That was how enormous the city of Baim truly was. The Four-Nation Alliance had been formed with the confidence that even in the event of war, they could not lose.
It wasn't just numbers — the quality of their equipment was incomparable to what the Four-Nation Alliance possessed. And how many years would it take for a newly formed alliance to amass real strength? Would any nation stay in the alliance without defecting in the meantime? The Four-Nation Alliance had no shortage of vulnerabilities.
"Tahnia, having feelings isn't a bad thing, but it's a problem in your line of work. As a receptionist, it's fine to have a certain degree of warmth toward people, but still—"
Remembering her duties, Tahnia straightened up. Her superior brought up Baim's movements.
"Baim has held tremendous power in this region. If they so desired, they could destroy entire nations — and they've actually done so before. That's probably why. The Four-Nation Alliance and Banseim both seem to believe things will work out somehow."
Tahnia decided to listen to her superior's opinion.
"And what about your own thoughts?"
Her superior answered with a smile.
"I think it's best not to pick fights with people like that, and instead keep a careful distance while maintaining a friendly relationship. But for someone who only arrived in Baim, that rate of growth is astonishing. I'd say caution is warranted. That's my mistake, really. I should have been more cautious from the very beginning. He's fundamentally different from other adventurers. There's something... he moves with a purpose. Perhaps even Baim's current situation is all in the palm of his hand."
Hearing this, Tahnia tilted her head.
"Then wouldn't he have been able to handle things more smoothly?"
If it were Rael, he could have managed better — that's what Tahnia thought, recalling her time as a receptionist dealing with him. At the same time, she also considered that the occasional inconsistencies she noticed might have led her to misjudge him because of his youth.
If only he had acted more carefully, things wouldn't have come to this. Just as she was thinking this, her superior gazed up at the ceiling.
"Hmm... I thought we had cast him aside, but perhaps we were the ones he cast aside."
He murmured those cryptic words —.
On the ship heading to Kartafus, we were caught up in conversation under the moonlight — lantern light as well.
We had experiences from Erhard and the others, who were ordinary adventurers we rarely had the chance to interact with, Maxim's stories about the knights of Banseim, and even Damian's burning passion for chests... there was no shortage of topics.
And now it was my turn.
"Eva, you see, her look and the way she shows skin — it's all part of the business. That's why she's so serious about maintaining her figure. I think that dedication is impressive, but on the other hand, it also means she doesn't really mind if you accidentally catch a glimpse of her naked. She figures she's wearing underwear, so it's fine. Clara's the same — she doesn't care about that kind of embarrassment, so she's totally unguarded about it, and even if you try to warn her, she just responds with 'And?' Living with them, there really aren't that many heart-pounding moments. Ironically, it's Novem and Miranda, who keep their guard up tight, that occasionally catch you off guard when they show up fresh out of the bath."
Hearing this, Erhard and the others nodded in agreement.
"Now that you mention it, that's exactly how the adventurers we partied with before were. On the first day, I was excited seeing them walking around with their bare upper bodies, but after a while, I started thinking they'd be better off putting on a jacket."
I said this with a laugh.
"Then how about just wearing a tank top without the jacket?"
Erhard shook his head despite being told otherwise. Erhard always wore a tank top, draping a jacket over it only in winter. And yet, he wore metal armor on his lower body. Even now, metal pieces guarded his waist, knees, and shins.
"No way. This is what I'm most comfortable with!"
That said, the other companions around him watched Erhard and his group with hesitant looks.
"Well, since we're on the topic... Erhard, you throw off your jacket when winter comes and a fight breaks out, don't you?"
"So what?"
"It's cold just watching you, and seeing you all beaten up makes me ache too. Seriously, please stop doing that. Arm up your upper body properly. It's scary to look at."
"You—you guys! Listen, this is the coolest style I can think of! Once I get famous, everyone around me will be dressing like me before you know it!"
Maxim, who had been listening to all this, brought up the earlier conversation.
"No, you should just wear proper armor normally. Besides, right now you're basically the same as a female adventurer fighting topless."
Erhard stood up, unable to agree with that opinion.
"What do you mean?! Look, I'm wearing a tank top!"
Damian sat surrounded by his Automatons, having one pour tea into a cup as he spoke.
"That one piece of cloth is no different from wearing nothing."
We carried on with this kind of silly banter, enjoying ourselves.
From within the Jewel, the Third Generation spoke up.
"Well, boys at this age are all like this. It's a time when even dumb stuff is fun."
After a brief pause, the Fifth Generation said:
"...Fair enough."
That's what he said. But he didn't seem truly convinced, more like he was hiding something. It was bugging me, but now wasn't the time to ask, so I let it go.
The Seventh Generation spoke up as though something had just occurred to him.
"Back in my day, even conversations like these were difficult."
Mireia seemed to be enjoying herself.
"Well, let's just pretend we didn't hear any of that this time. Laiel is having fun too, after all. Still... Laiel really ought to pick up on things a little more. What it means when Miranda and the others show an opening."
She said something vaguely suggestive, but I just kept enjoying my conversation with Erhard.
Erhard spoke up.
"Come to think of it, that Shannon — the cute one — what's she like?"
I pictured Shannon in my mind, then shook my head.
"There's nothing there. Nothing that gets my heart racing. That girl puts on a frail, delicate image when she's out and about, but back at the mansion she's a total slob and gets smacked around by Miranda. More importantly, it's Erhard you should be worrying about. I heard a rumor that you've been getting awfully friendly with the new staff member."
Erhard waved his left hand dismissively and flatly denied it.
"That's just a professional smile, that's all. I'm not dreaming about Guild staff anymore. Sure, I'd like a regular to go to, but somehow I keep getting sent to that girl every time. Even when I'm standing in a different line, they'll say, 'Oh, that counter over there is open.' ...Doesn't that seem weird?"
"It does seem weird."
I figured he was worried about Marianne. I debated briefly whether I should tell him about Marianne's feelings or keep quiet.
Still... why did everyone keep directing Erhard to that staff member named Ryue? It wasn't as if he was still being treated as a newcomer or anything.
Maxim looked puzzled too.
"Is that really so? Maybe you did something to get on the other staff members' bad side?"
Erhard crossed his arms and looked down.
"...When I first got here, I definitely did a bunch of stupid things, so that's possible. Damn it — I want to go back and punch my past self!"
The group sank into gloom. Having become adventurers without knowing much of anything, they were no doubt keenly aware of just how naive they had been.
Damian pushed his glasses up with a fingertip as well.
"If they're pushing everything onto one person, then that kid might be getting harassed. Something similar happened to me back in school — I was told later that it was bullying and harassment."
Hearing that, I was surprised to learn that the staff member named Ryune was going through something like that.
"...Staff members have it tough too. Erhard, when we get back, be nice to them."
Erhard seemed to think the same thing.
"Got it. I'll buy them a nice souvenir, even if it costs a little more. So that guy had been struggling too, huh?"
We regretted having seen the ugly side of the Guild as we changed the subject.
Miss Mireia spoke as though she was exasperated.
"...Not a single one of you gets it."
The Fifth Generation asked in puzzlement.
"Huh? Gets what?"
The moment those words left his mouth, things went quiet inside the Jewel. The Fifth Generation couldn't understand?
"W-what? Why are you all looking at me like that?!"
The Fifth Generation was confused. And I, too, was confused by the reaction inside the Jewel.