Kousuke, guided by Sarasa, was suddenly bowed to.
“I am so sorry. This request should have been assigned directly to me…”
Sarasa being Kousuke’s assigned contact had already been communicated to those entering the reception area.
However, since there was no photo or anything similar, it was possible that they simply didn’t know Kousuke’s face. Even so, once told that a specific person was assigned to them, the proper procedure would have been to hand the matter over to that person and conclude their own responsibilities.
Despite this, Sarasa tilted her head, wondering why the receptionist had tried to process it so forcefully.
“I did mention that there was an assigned contact, but normally, wouldn’t you confirm that at that point?”
“Yes, of course. To begin with, having an assigned contact isn’t that common, so there should be no mistake in how we handle it…”
If that receptionist always dealt with people in such a manner, it would have been dismissed with a “here we go again.” However, as far as Sarasa knew, that had never happened before.
Seeing Sarasa puzzled and clearly unconvinced, Kousuke decided to mention the strange feeling he had experienced since completing the request.
“I’m not sure if this is related, but I figured I should report it.”
Kousuke intended it as a casual remark, but Sarasa didn’t take it that way and her expression turned serious.
“Yes, what is it?”
As Sarasa nodded, Kousuke relayed what he had felt during the request.
* The attitude of the assigned contact for the sender was strange (especially when Kousuke used his Item Box).
* The amount of luggage was unreasonably large for the nature of the request.
* Yet, the recipient didn’t seem to find anything odd about it and treated the adventurers as if they had simply completed a routine request.
* And lastly, the receptionist’s peculiar behavior.
As Kousuke spoke, Sarasa’s expression became blank, like a Noh mask.
If any one of these points were isolated, it could be dismissed as Kousuke’s imagination. However, with so many strange occurrences in succession, it was hard to believe it was mere coincidence.
More than that, Sarasa already seemed to be certain of something.
“…I will investigate immediately.”
Kousuke’s feeling of unease was, after all, only his personal perception. To conclude that the receptionist was colluding with the client for some illicit purpose, other corroborating evidence would need to be gathered.
Sarasa wanted to declare with confidence that Kousuke was right, but she knew Kousuke himself would dislike that. Furthermore, doing so would end her ability to help Kousuke as a Guild staff member, which she had only just managed to achieve, after just one request. To add to that, she couldn’t permit exposing Kousuke’s true identity for such a minor matter.
While Sarasa was thinking this, Kousuke, in his characteristic casual manner, said, “That’s right. I think that would be for the best.” Fortunately or unfortunately, Kousuke was completely oblivious to Mitsuki, standing behind him, letting out a small sigh upon hearing those words.
That evening.
Sarasa informed them that she wouldn’t be able to return due to Crown work. So, while eating dinner prepared by Mitsuki, Kousuke recounted the day’s events to Shurein and Sylvia, who were visiting the villa.
“I see. So that’s what happened.”
“Was it alright to leave the investigation to the Crown?”
Sylvia asked, thinking Kousuke might be concerned, but Kousuke nodded with a surprisingly serious expression.
“Well, yes. For now, I’m just an adventurer. Anything beyond that is the Crown’s job.”
“Indeed, that’s true.”
Sylvia responded cautiously, inwardly surprised by Kousuke’s uncharacteristic sensible words – he usually would charge ahead driven by his curiosity rather than leaving things to the Crown. Based on her past experiences, she knew that if she responded in a way that might provoke him, Kousuke would likely get motivated.
Fortunately (?), Kousuke wasn’t aware of Sylvia’s thoughts at the moment and was focused on something else.
“Still, it really pays to get out into the field. I’ve come up with a few ideas for magic tools.”
“Oh? That’s good. By the way, would it be alright to ask what kind of ideas they are?”
“No, they’re not that big of a deal.”
As he spoke, Kousuke’s mind pictured the narrow alley they had passed through while transporting the luggage. If there were warehouses at the back of alleys too narrow for a wagon to pass, it made sense that manual labor would be needed. Therefore, Kousuke reasoned, there should be magic tools that would make it easier for people to transport luggage.
Shurein and Sylvia nodded in unison, as if understanding the idea.
“I see. But didn’t you fail when you previously made an Item Box magic tool?”
“No, well, it wasn’t a failure, it was just too expensive to be a marketable product… no, wait!”
Brought back to a past failure, Kousuke hastily steered the conversation back.
“It’s true that the Item Box magic is convenient for carrying luggage, but it’s not something that can be made cheaply.”
Implying it wasn’t impossible to create while saying it couldn’t be easily made, Kousuke continued.
“Besides, there’s no point in making magic tools that only I can create, so this time I’ll make sure to consider versatility.”
“Oh? Do you already have an idea?”
“Well, yes.”
Seeing Kousuke smile confidently, Shurein and Sylvia, who had been listening, could tell that Kousuke had already thought of something concrete.
“Then, will you start making it now?”
That’s why Sylvia asked, but Kousuke shook his head.
“No. Since I’m here, I’ll look for other requests in town and take on some work. I might think of something else.”
For Kousuke, he hadn’t expected to so easily find hints for new magic tools just by taking on a request. He reflected that he had been shut away in management too much, so he intended to accept requests for a while.
“That might indeed be a good idea. However…”
Seeing Sylvia hesitate as she listened, Kousuke tilted his head.
“Is something wrong?”
“No. I just thought that if you were to stay here for too long, Kouhi might become sulky.”
“Ah…”
Kousuke let out an involuntary sound at Sylvia’s words, and immediately received cold stares from the three women.
“You forgot her, didn’t you?”
“That won’t do, will it?”
“Perhaps I should tell Kouhi?”
“I’m so sorry! Please forgive me. I’ll go explain the situation to Kouhi right away.”
Facing the women who spoke in unison, Kousuke hastily bowed his head.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
Having somehow gained forgiveness from the three women, Kousuke was speaking with Gazeran the next day. The content of their conversation was about the strange request from yesterday.
“…So, you’re saying the receptionist was colluding with the client and causing trouble?”
“Well, in a nutshell, yes.”
Gazeran replied with a grim expression to Kousuke’s words. From Gazeran’s perspective, he had never imagined such things would be openly happening at the Crown Headquarters reception.
“As a result, part of the Adventurer Division is still in disarray over this matter. Investigations are also underway behind the scenes to see if similar incidents have occurred.”
“I see. I hope this opportunity will lead to the eradication of corruption.”
“At least, those who are working on it probably intend to.”
Gazeran agreed without comment to Kousuke, who spoke as if it were someone else’s problem. The Crown was now operating completely independently of Kousuke’s involvement. He had no intention of interfering now, nor did he believe it was necessary. Of course, Gazeran was also acting with that in mind. The reason he was told the details of this incident was because Kousuke had initially noticed something amiss and reported it to Sarasa.
In the end, Kousuke only heard the full story of the incident from Gazeran and was hardly involved in the subsequent turmoil within the Crown. Kousuke had no intention of getting involved in the Crown’s internal affairs. More importantly, the matter of magic tools occupied his mind. Furthermore, Kousuke believed there was no point in him intervening and cleaning things up now. If an organization cannot properly handle its own issues, it will not last long.
