“I am truly sorry.”
Pinch, the dispatched Adventurer Guild person in charge of Kayaya Village, bowed deeply to us, who had finally been freed.
She had reddish-brown hair tied in a side ponytail with a large pink ribbon. According to Anju’s appraisal, she was a woman of only twenty-two years old, with one experience…
“No, it’s alright. Given your position, what can you do?”
“Um, I only just arrived from Chanmio last year, so I don’t know the deeper details, but…”
“From what I heard in Shucco, it seems the senior women in this Mu Mu Empire hold a lot of sway, is that true?”
Pinch sighed deeply. She was probably usually a cheerful and energetic woman, but this time, her distress was evident.
“To the best of my knowledge, the Mu Mu Empire is truly vast, and there are many Adventurer Guilds. Therefore, seventy percent of the guild staff are locals, citizens of this Mu Mu Empire.”
“Well, that’s understandable. Conversely, with this scale, having thirty percent from outside the country is quite a lot.”
“Yes, actually, the Adventurer Guilds of the Mu Mu Empire adhere too much to the intentions of the Mu Mu Empire. What should be neutral and fair to adventurers has, in effect, become privatized.”
I guess that’s to be expected from an ‘Empire.’
“So, that’s why you have thirty percent from the outside.”
“Yes, mainly in key positions: the Guild Master, Sub-Guild Master, and even the director of simple branch offices like this one in Kayaya Village – which by the way, is me.”
“You had the others leave earlier. Are all other staff members from this village?”
“There are four of them. Three are from this village, but one was dispatched from Mamamoo in the central region. I suspect that person urgently reported this incident to the central authorities. I apologize for failing to maintain secrecy.”
She bowed her head again, looking apologetic.
“Ms. Pinch, I sympathize with you. In this case, the higher-ups are also from the Adventurer Guild.”
“Yes, I was born and raised in the Mu Mu Empire and have been a guild staff member my entire career. Furthermore, I am the Sub-Guild Master overseeing the Imperial Capital Mamamoo Adventurer Guild and everyone overall, who is favored by Empress Queen Zukki Fegotin of the Mu Mu Empire…”
“So, that’s the senior woman named Strena you mentioned earlier, whom the soldiers spoke of.”
Pinch nodded at Nina’s words. Not only her hair ribbon, but she also had pink accessories all over her guild uniform, which was cute.
“So, Ms. Nina, what did the soldiers from the central region say earlier?”
“You haven’t been informed? I see. Well, I heard a message saying to uphold the initial promise.”
“The initial promise, you say?”
At this point, Clarice smoothly stepped forward.
“Actually, I am a believer of the Church of the Goddess. When I heard that an Adventurer Party from the same Church of the Goddess here had not returned, we negotiated with the Mu Mu Empire and promised to defeat the Demon Lord in their stead.”
“Th, that’s a rather bold move.”
“Yes, I suspect that’s what they were referring to.”
That soldier, he knew an odd amount about us. We did our entry procedures here in Kayaya Village, but when I just intended to get by with a Porter license, they asked for my Gold Hero’s card, and they knew more than what an Appraisal Crystal could usually reveal. He even asked how the Dwarf Princess was doing.
(The princess is fine, but what’s a Gold Hero…?)
Apparently, that’s what they call a high-level hero in this country. It’s true, because our Adventurer Cards are golden.
“I see. So, the Nina Starlights all received pressure.”
“Ah, since the country allowed people who were not permitted to leave the country to do so, they expect commensurate work from them. And before that, they were told to do the work that needed to be done first. In essence, that’s the gist of what they were told.”
“In other words, we need to defeat two Demon Lords.”
“Considering what’s to come, it’s three. There are still 11 important individuals waiting.”
I think we’ll be fine with Helen accompanying us, though. We even entrusted her with the larger Concealment Curtain. And, there are six most important individuals and 11 important individuals, but there are still 89 other people who want to go.
“Understood. When you say Demon Lord, you don’t mean one of the Seven Great Demon Lords, right?”
“That’s right. Though, of course, we intend to defeat those as well.”
“For now, there’s one near this village, and another a reasonably far distance away.”
Pinch brought out documents and examined them. Even for a small, makeshift Adventurer Guild, if she’s in charge from the outside, she must be a capable person.
“Ahhhhhh!!”
That voice was Anju’s.
“W-what’s wrong?”
“It’s gone—they’ve been erased!”
We saw that the magic circle in the storage room had been completely wiped away, and a box of somewhat unknown luggage was placed there. The one we made in the hut behind it was probably also erased by the soldiers.
(They’re not letting us escape, are they…)
“I am so sorry. Um, what our country’s soldiers, no, what Strena-sama did, can be undone with time, no matter what.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, naturally, the Guild Master has higher authority than the Sub-Guild Master.”
“Speaking of which, you said you were dispatched from Kikaede earlier.”
Nina-san remembers well.
“Yes. The current Guild Master is a man named Izeka-sama.”
“Is he strong?”
“No, he has no adventuring or military experience. He’s a normal, serious person.”
So, people like that can also get promoted normally? I thought Guild Masters of the Adventurer Guild were former adventurers, or at least someone who looked obviously strong.
“Is he reliable, then?”
“Well, in an organization of this scale within a country, the top position requires more administrative and calculation skills than individual power.”
“But then, can he understand the feelings of adventurers?”
“I, I can’t be questioned about that…”
“Hah, s-sorry. Pinch isn’t to blame.”
But I understand Nina’s feelings too.
“The Adventurer Guild in this country is divided. At the top is Izeka-sama, the Guild Master faction from the outside, and below that is Strena-sama, the Sub-Guild Master faction made up of staff from this country, the Mu Mu Empire. Of course, not everyone is strictly divided like this.”
I wonder if there are at least some neutral factions? Or perhaps some from the outside who are on the Mu Mu Empire’s side, and vice versa.
“By the way, why did the previous Guild Master resign?”
“That would be because they lost their leadership to the imperial side, to Strena-sama. And then…”
“Did something happen?”
“Apparently, in the end, she was brought to tears by Strena-sama and fled.”
How scary!
“How weak.”
“He was a burly martial artist in his late fifties, a former adventurer.”
“So, the current Guild Master isn’t a former adventurer?”
My imagination of this “Strena-sama” is running wild, in a bad way.
“Therefore, while the soldiers’ recommendation and the country’s recommendation can be revoked later, what has already been done cannot be undone. And if an agreement has been made with the country, that’s a different matter.”
“Understood. Then, for now, let’s conquer both dungeons in this village.”
And so, we were given an explanation about the Kayaya Village dungeons.
