The Adventurers’ Guild was as bustling as ever, with many adventurers and merchants visiting for negotiations filling the first-floor lobby.

As I returned from the dungeon and reported at the first-floor counter, an employee who had come out from the back stopped me.

If I recall correctly, he was one of the assistants to the branch chief.

“Vice Captain Sera, I apologize for disturbing you while you’re tired, but do you have a moment?”

“I don’t mind, but what is it?”

I do want to head home quickly and take a shower… but I suppose I should at least hear him out.

“There is something I’d like to request. Please, this way…”

Saying that, he led me towards a room in the back.

I thought I would be taken to the branch chief’s office… but apparently not.

If I remember correctly, that place was a meeting room for the staff.

I had been told what this room was before, but this is my first time entering it.

Regardless, I followed his lead and entered the room.

Inside, it was just a typical conference room with two long tables pushed together. However, apart from the door I had just entered through, there was another door in the back where staff members were busily coming and going.

A map was spread out on the table, and some older men were giving various instructions to younger staff members while holding documents in their hands.

I could hear them discussing things like tracking the whereabouts of adventurers and securing potions… Was something happening?

“Squad Leader… and Vice Captain Sera as well.”

One of the people inside looked at us and seemed somewhat relieved.

“You all seem busy… Did something happen? What about the branch chief?”

I hadn’t heard anything in particular, so what exactly was going on?

I needed to hear the details.

◇

In this city during winter, there were many things to be cautious of—securing enough supplies while intercity travel was impossible, maintaining houses, inspecting waterways… A lot of things.

However, those were issues within the city itself.

As for outside the city—what needed to be watched out for in the magical wilderness was the possibility of monster attacks, which had happened several years ago as well.

This was an issue tied to the ecosystem of the magical wilderness, so it couldn’t be eliminated completely.

The best that could be done was to conduct regular patrols to prevent human-caused incidents and to ensure that signs of attacks were not overlooked.

However, there was another method—though a large-scale one—to reduce the damage to this city, which served as the territory’s capital.

That was to establish human settlements even further beyond this city.

And in fact, such settlements had already been created for several years.

Though they hadn’t developed enough to support large-scale migration, they had grown to three locations and were functioning as solid exploration bases for adventurers.

Furthermore, efforts were made to minimize damage there by ensuring coordination with the capital’s soldiers.

Essentially, they served as frontline bases against monsters.

Reports had come in from the adventurers and hunters stationed there, indicating signs that a monster attack would likely happen soon.

This time, however, it appeared to be a naturally occurring phenomenon rather than a human-triggered event.

It was something that happened once every few years, so it couldn’t be helped.

The Adventurers’ Guild was taking the lead in handling the situation.

The branch chief had even gone to one of the bases to take command directly.

That was why he wasn’t the one who had summoned me.

As for the reason why I was called here…

“You want me to go to Arios’ city…?”

“Yes. The request for your cooperation has already been reported to the lord, and we have received approval. This is the directive for you to deliver.”

Apparently, they wanted me to make a quick trip to the neighboring city.

Since that city’s primary role was to support the capital, they were likely issuing a request for assistance.

It seemed that they had only confirmed with certainty that an attack was imminent around noon today.

They had immediately begun preparations, but at the time, I had been inside a dungeon.

Which meant that, for matters concerning Arios’ city, they had been waiting for me while handling other tasks in the meantime.

If someone were to travel there by horse, even at full speed, it would take nearly half a day for a round trip.

In that case, waiting for my return while progressing with other work in the meantime was the more efficient choice.

“I see… Alright, got it. Should I leave immediately?”

Looking over the directive, I saw that it wasn’t just Liesel’s signature on it—Seriana’s name was written as well.

If that was the case, then I had no reason to refuse… Though, perhaps I should at least file a report about finishing my dungeon exploration.

“It is indeed urgent, but since you can reach Arios’ city in no time, we leave the timing to you, Vice Captain.”

“Ugh…”

I wanted to head back to the mansion and freshen up first… but if I did that, I’d probably lose the motivation to go back out again.

All I needed to do was deliver this directive to Arios’ city.

In that case, it was better to just get it over with and return as quickly as possible.

“Alright… I’ll head out now. Could you let Lady Seriana know?”

If I hurried, even if I encountered a few delays, I should be able to return in about an hour.

“Understood. Leave it to me.”

He responded crisply, his posture straight and disciplined.

For someone working behind the scenes, he certainly had the air of a soldier…

“By the way, this is a monster-related matter, so… shouldn’t Alec or the Second Squad be involved?”

That thought crossed my mind as I recalled that the Knight Order was technically responsible for handling such situations.

The Adventurers’ Guild also fell under the jurisdiction of the Second Squad, but they mainly worked in support roles.

Wouldn’t they need personnel to handle the situation on the ground?

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

Sera・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】・25 cards

Seriana・【Area Identification】・【】・33 cards

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・9 cards