It took a full week to gather the hundred proof of subjugation parts. Even so, that averages out to fourteen or fifteen per day. It likely wouldn’t have been possible without being accustomed to subjugating Lynx. After all, it was only because the scout role performed their duties properly and found pack after pack of Lynx that they could achieve such numbers.
However, the scout mentioned that it wasn’t nearly as easy to find them within Amamiya Tower. Judging by the hundred subjugation requests posted, it seems the Lynx population was indeed high in this area. In fact, as the hunt progressed into the latter half, the frequency with which packs were found began to decline. This was likely due to Roman and the others’ hunting over several days, which had brought the population down to some extent.
After taking a rest day in the village, they returned to the Royal Capital the very next day.
***
“Oh? Is this an interim report?”
The receptionist, who had assisted them on the first day, called out to Roman and his party as they entered the branch. They were taking advantage of the quiet period to renew their requests. The receptionist knew exactly which requests Roman and his party had accepted. After all, she was the one who processed them, and the requests they had chosen were ones that had become a problem for the branch on how to handle. She had been surprised internally when they chose those particular requests. His next words would surprise her even more.
“No. This is a final report on the subjugation requests.”
After Roman said that, the receptionist remained frozen with her professional smile for a moment.
“Eh?! Eeh…?! You’re already finished?”
Her surprised reaction caused Roman to flinch back slightly. His companions also recoiled a little.
“Is it that surprising?”
As far as Roman was concerned, he hadn’t done anything extraordinary. In fact, even if he told other adventurers in the tower about their achievements, they might be surprised by the number of Lynx, but not by the subjugation itself. For adventurers operating within the tower, it was a perfectly ordinary level of accomplishment.
“You’re asking if it’s that surprising…”
After muttering to herself, the receptionist realized she was drawing the attention of those around her and quickly lowered her voice.
“A-anyway, please come to the reception desk. I’ll confirm it immediately.”
“Ah, ah.”
Roman felt like cursing Mōshikashite, thinking he had messed up with his approach based on the receptionist’s reaction, but there was nothing he could do about it now. This was their first time undertaking subjugations at this branch. He had heard rumors about the difference in actual rank, but he was finally experiencing it firsthand. It was a careless mistake on their part, but the same could be said for Arisa. In fact, Arisa, standing behind the party, felt they had made a mistake. Of course, she didn’t show it on her face.
Meanwhile, Riku tilted his head internally as he watched Roman and the others. He understood they were having a problem with something, but he couldn’t quite grasp what it was. However, the fact that he didn’t show his confusion on his face was what made Riku seem like an exceptional child.
Ignoring everyone’s inner thoughts, the receptionist began checking the subjugation parts Roman had brought in, one by one. However, given the sheer number, she couldn’t check them all immediately. She picked a few at random, confirmed they were legitimate, and then turned her gaze back to Roman.
“They all appear to be genuine. …I apologize, but it will take some time to check them all. Is that alright?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Even Roman hadn’t expected to get the results immediately. In some cases, it could take until the next day, but it seemed that wouldn’t be the case here.
“Ah, and is it alright to accept requests for monsters we encountered along the way now?”
“Along the way…? Of course, it’s fine as long as you have the request items… Surely, you don’t have them with you?”
For the first time, Roman couldn’t hide his surprised expression at the receptionist’s reaction.
“You don’t bring back anything other than what’s on the request?”
As was the case this time, it was quite common to encounter other monsters while pursuing a request. If any of them matched an active request, it was natural to bring them back. At least, that’s what adventurers operating in the tower, or rather, across the Central Continent, did. That’s why they had checked the posted requests beforehand.
“Y-yes. After all, if we bring back unnecessary items, it just adds to our luggage…”
Roman thought the reasoning was flawed, but he decided not to voice it. It could potentially provoke other adventurers who were eavesdropping.
“I see. Well, we were able to rent a wagon in the village this time. So, we were able to bring back more luggage because of that.”
While inwardly he was at a loss, Roman gave a noncommittal reply.
“I see.”
The receptionist, sensing this, also returned a professional smile. She was beginning to understand that Roman and his party were acting differently from the adventurers here.
“Well then, we’ll go look for requests.”
“Understood.”
Perhaps sensing the unusual behavior of Roman, who acted differently from the typical adventurers she encountered, the receptionist bowed respectfully and said so.
***
“Did you find any suitable requests?”
As Roman and his party searched for requests matching the items they had brought back, the Branch Manager, for some reason, approached them. This caused the surrounding adventurers to become even more agitated. It was rare for the Branch Manager to personally speak to a single adventurer.
“Yes. We found a few.”
Perceiving the reaction of those around them, Roman ignored it and replied to Tamara.
“Oh? Which ones?”
“Right now, we have these, these, and about this many.”
While they had brought back other parts, unfortunately, there were no posted requests for them. Perhaps someone had already accepted the requests, or they had expired and been taken down. These things happened often, so Roman and his party didn’t mind. It was an unspoken rule among adventurers that requests were first-come, first-served.
“…Hmm.”
Tamara took the requests Roman pointed out and unceremoniously peeled them off.
“You have these materials with you now, don’t you? Let’s process them in a separate room.”
“Understood.”
Roman sensed a hidden implication but nodded without saying anything. It was common to handle a large volume of materials in a separate room. However, that seemed to apply within the Central Continent. It appeared that at this branch, they rarely brought back anything other than the subjugation parts from accepted requests. Roman and his party couldn’t determine if this was limited to the branch or prevalent throughout the country. Roman decided it was best to simply go along with what the Branch Manager said.
He cast a brief glance at Arisa, who could no longer hide her exasperated expression. It seemed even Arisa hadn’t anticipated this situation. Roman also wanted to ask what was going on immediately, but the person who might have answered him had already hurried ahead. Thus, Roman and his party followed Tamara as if being led away.
The difference is too stark. I’ll explain why this situation occurred in the next chapter.
