CH 40

“…Report. After saying goodbye to the others in the Relay City Physis, the target stayed there for a few days, and it seems he is headed to the Southern Gate City Epica.”

“…What did he do while in Physis?”

“It seems he accepted quests to collect medicinal herbs.”

“…And the difficulty of those quests?”

“It seems it would be difficult for normal adventurers to gather many of them.”

“…Aren’t there many who deliver useless weeds? They are just adventurers after all…”

“…Yes. Thinking about it that way, one must probably need to be very sharp to be able to do it.”

“…Hm. And what about the tigerwolf?”

“It seems the investigation led to the discovery of a lair deep within the forest.”

“…That’s a problem. Can adventurers deal with it on their own?”

“They are A ranked adventurers, but several parties seem to be staying there. I believe we can leave it to them.”

“The distance means it can’t be helped. What about the heroes’ equipment?”

“…It is currently a work in progress, as we are setting up a discussion with a blacksmith.”

“…Send them on a trial run as soon as the weapons are complete. If there aren’t any problems, send them to the dark forest.”

“The dark forest? Are you sure?”

“…It doesn’t have to be the deeper parts. Have them camp on the outer edges and see how they do.”

“…Should we intervene?”

“…Only if the situation calls for it. Continue observing until the very last minute, but don’t lose them. Make sure to remember that.”

“…Understood. What instructions should I give to the commander of the chivalric order?”

“…Mobilize the third order this time. They have been getting soft lately, and could use the stimulus.”

◇ ◇ ◇

“…We have a report from the South Gate City.”

“…Is it about the orc hunt? Did it end without issue?”

“…”

“What is the matter?”

“…It seems the orc hunt is over, and it seems there were superior species among them.”

“…Is that how big their scale was? So? Did something else happen?”

“…Yes. There are reports of a demon attack during the hunt.”

“Demon?”

“…Yes.”

“…Did they get it?”

“…It seems the demon got away, and we suffered considerable losses.”

“…I see. We finally confirmed the presence of a demon…”

“The damage was so severe, that rumors are already circulating in the South Gate City.”

“…I don’t care. In fact, send word to the guilds to contact other countries. That should make them start paying attention.”

“…Understood.”

“…Do you think the heroes can stand up to a demon as they are now?”

“That seems unlikely, according to the reports we received.”

“…They had no problem fighting in the dark forest, did they? Would it be impossible even if they accepted it?”

“…I believe they wouldn’t stand a chance. It has also been reported that the aforementioned fighting didn’t raise their levels.”

“…So they have to go deeper if they are to raise their levels…”

“…The deeper parts are demon king territory. I believe there is a good chance they will encounter demons there.”

“I know. But then where?”

“…Should we send them to a dungeon?”

“…Dungeon?”

“Yes. It’s possible to acquire not yet known magic items and weapons in dungeons. I believe it will increase their strength, and fighting various kinds of monsters will be good for them as well.”

“…And demons won’t appear in dungeons? Look into what dungeon would be best to send them into.”

“…Our connection to Number Thirteen has been cut.”

“…Was it watching that other one?”

“…Yes.”

“Is it possible that other one realized he was being watched and fought it?”

“I don’t believe that to be the case. It seems all he can do in terms of hunting quests is hunt wolves. I can’t expect him to get the upper hand in a fight.”

“…Is that your unbiased opinion?”

“…Yes.”

“Where is he?”

“…About that. He heard about damage caused by orcs in the village that put out the quest to hunt wolves, and it seems he fought said orcs.”

“It seems?”

“…No one actually saw him fighting orcs. But we sent adventurers to bring him back, since we waited for days and he never returned, and they found a damaged sword used by him, his guild card, and his blood-stained robe. There were also orc corpses.”

“…Are you saying he defeated them?”

“I do not know. According to the villagers, there were five orcs, and we found only three. We also found a broken mask.”

“Are you saying Number Thirteen intervened because that other one was about to be killed?”

“…That is possible.”

“Did Number Thirteen defeat the orcs?”

“…I believe she has the ability to do so, but it would be a bad match. And according to one of the villagers, who is a former adventurer, it’s possible that one of the orcs was a superior species.”

“…Could you confirm their deaths?”

“…We did not find their corpses. Orcs eat human meat, so…”

“…So it’s possible that they took them along as food…”

“Yes.”

“…Investigate that area. It’s dangerous to leave a superior species alive anyway. Also… Don’t forget to make sure this information doesn’t reach the ears of the other heroes.”