Chapter 79

Scritch, scritch. The rhythmic sound of a knife scraping against wood echoed through the room.

I was sitting in a chair in the office, focused on carving a block of wood. I was DIY-ing something I hadn’t been able to find while out shopping yesterday. It was tedious work, but it was the perfect way to kill time while waiting for Snow Walker.

As I concentrated on my woodcarving, Snow entered the office. She was clutching a stack of documents, which she handed to me as she spoke.

“…Kanami, we’ve got guard duty for ‘Epic Seeker’ today.”

“Wait, guard duty?”

“…The ‘Martial Arts Tournament’ is starting soon in the northern nation of Ertrallue. Because of that, a bunch of idiots from abroad are pouring into the country. Public order is probably going to take a hit. They said since it’s perfect timing, we should lend a hand.”

“I see. They’ve assigned us some steady work. How long is the shift?”

“…Apparently, each guild is taking turns with the patrols. Our shift is only from this afternoon until tonight.”

“Is that all? Alright, we need to call everyone in right away. Snow, if you would.”

“…Got it.”

Snow channeled her mana and began to mutter under her breath. With that, the message should have reached all our members.

“That really is convenient.”

“…I told them to gather by noon for now.”

“That’s plenty of time. Let’s decide on the sector assignments before they get here.”

“…Good luck, Kanami.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Snow took a seat in a chair by the window. She showed absolutely no intention of helping.

I knew she hated this kind of meticulous desk work, so I didn’t say anything and continued the task alone. To be honest, it was easier to do it myself than to have someone help half-heartedly. My thought processing speed had reached a point where it was far beyond that of an average person anyway.

“…The weather’s nice today, too.”

Snow looked up at the sky. She looked quite content, savoring this moment where she didn’t have to do anything at all.

Watching her out of the corner of my eye, I kept my hands moving, mapping out the assigned sectors for our members.

After a short while, Seri-chan was the first to arrive, having rushed to the office at full speed. I immediately gave her her sector assignment and sent her to her post. I wasn’t just trying to get rid of her. Following her, the other members who had received the message trickled into the office one after another. It wasn’t everyone, but a decent number had gathered.

I gave everyone a polite explanation and told them to be at their posts starting from noon.

And so, today’s guild activities began.

Just like on the first day, I expanded my “Dimension” across the city from the office. However, unlike that day, the workload was different.

There wasn’t a single document left on the desk. Since the members were patrolling without any specific complex objectives, there was no need for me to issue detailed instructions. I was bored out of my mind.

Snow was lounging around, occasionally humming to herself. This was likely her ideal situation. She seemed to be in an excellent mood.

Unable to endure just woodcarving any longer, I spoke up to Snow.

“Hey, Snow. If it’s just patrolling the city, there’s no real need for me to stay here and watch. Want to head to the Labyrinth?”

“…Ehh—? My, my new weapon isn’t even finished yet, you know?”

“I have a spare weapon. It’ll be fine.”

“…I think it’s better to wait for the new one to be completed rather than needlessly wearing down your gear.”

“No, even if you say that—wait, what?”

In the middle of our back-and-forth, I caught a commotion within my “Dimension.”

In the center of the main road, a man had drawn his sword and was shouting with a look of pure rage. Opposing him, people who appeared to be citizens of Lauravia had formed a wall to protect a single girl.

I couldn’t quite grasp the situation, so I focused my “Dimension” further. By doing so, I was able to pick up fragments of the conversation.

The word “slave” was mixed into the man’s shouting, and I realized he was accosting the girl being protected. Looking closer, I saw a slave’s crest around the girl’s neck.

I slowly began to piece together the flow of events. Most likely, this man wasn’t from Lauravia… and after some kind of accident occurred, he was trying to harm a Lauravian slave. It seemed the citizens of Lauravia had judged his actions to be unjust and were trying to protect the girl.

“There’s trouble. It’s an issue between a local slave and a man from abroad.”

I can give precise instructions when it comes to combat, but I’m weak when it comes to these kinds of disputes. A solution didn’t immediately come to mind.

As I hesitated, Snow chimed in.

“…If it’s that kind of problem, Vorzak is the best. Is he close by?”

She recommended a member who was strong in handling such matters. She was right. I didn’t need to solve everything myself. It was best to rely on a more experienced member.

I immediately searched for Vorzak Aldo. Luckily, he was patrolling nearby.

“Yeah, Vorzak is close.”

“…Then, let’s ask him to settle it.”

Snow began explaining the situation into her magic stone. Simultaneously, I provided clear directions to the scene.

In less than a minute, Vorzak arrived at the site. Raising his voice, he stepped between them and tried to settle the commotion. It seemed the slave girl and the Lauravian citizens recognized Vorzak’s face. Seeing that someone reliable had arrived, expressions of relief spread across their faces.

The raging man and Vorzak ended up in a scuffle. I watched the scene with a sense of security. I had checked their stats beforehand; the man’s stats didn’t even come close to Vorzak’s.

However, Vorzak didn’t try to use his strength to simply restrain the man by force. He sought a discussion, trying to settle things peacefully. He had the composure to do so.

But in the end, the man let his rage take over and turned to violence, so he was simply restrained and that was that.

The rest was just the usual routine. While being showered with words of gratitude from the people, Vorzak led the man away from the scene. Once I confirmed the situation had been resolved, I let out a sigh and leaned back into my chair.

“Whew, thank goodness…”

Through my “Dimension,” I saw the slave girl waving at Vorzak with a smile.

However, I couldn’t bring myself to smile like her. As long as she remained a slave, just thinking about how this sort of thing would happen again and again made me feel gloomy.

“…Is it over?”

Snow checked the situation, noticing my overcast expression.

“It’s over. But I just can’t get used to this whole slave issue. I never know what the right thing to do is.”

“…Mm, you just have to get used to it. Or rather, you know Vorzak is a slave too, right?”

“Wait, Vorzak is a slave…?”

I nearly jumped out of my seat at the shocking revelation.

“…If I remember right, he was a slave Palinchron bought a long time ago. He was an expensive gladiator slave, and I think he’s still technically considered Palinchron’s property.”

Being told so bluntly that he was “property” made me flinch. However, remembering Vorzak’s behavior, I realized he was far from the image of a slave I had in my head.

“R-really? He’s nothing like the slaves I imagined.”

“…Even if you just say ‘slave,’ they’re all different. An expensive slave with deep knowledge can sometimes have a higher standing than a mediocre noble. Besides, in Lauravia, there’s a social trend of eliminating wasted talent and putting the right people in the right places. That’s why there are fewer people who discriminate compared to other countries. You can tell just by looking at Vorzak and everyone around him, right?”

“Huh……”

“……So, if you see another pitiful slave, it would be a big help if you didn’t just go charging in. This place is actually one of the better ones.”

“Another? Wait, I wouldn’t just charge in like that anyway.”

“…Fine, whatever.”

Snow looked like she didn’t believe a word I said.

I had just left things to Vorzak and led the situation to a successful resolution, so I had no idea what part of me she found suspicious.

Our conversation ended there, and the office was once again enveloped in silence. I had wanted to head to the Labyrinth, but now that I knew incidents like that could break out, I couldn’t exactly leave my post.

Still, boredom was boredom.

Even while woodcarving and keeping “Dimension” active, I still had room in my Parallel Thinking capacity. After several minutes of silence, I finally spoke up.

“I’m bored, Snow.”

“……Boredom is wonderful. Also, I hate the Labyrinth.”

She shut me down before I could even suggest it. However, I had something else in mind this time.

“No, I’ll pass on the Labyrinth. Instead, can I ask you some things to kill time? You don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to.”

“…Mm, I don’t mind. Talking isn’t too much of a hassle.”

I thought she’d turn me down, but she was surprisingly receptive. I figured I’d use this downtime to build a smoother cooperative relationship with her. As a start, I asked something that had been on my mind for a while.

“Snow, you have an incredible older brother, right? Can you tell me about him?”

Snow Walker’s brother—the strongest explorer in human history, Glen Walker. Regardless of his relation to Snow, that title alone made him a person of great interest.

“…He’s not incredible. He’s pretty—no, he’s a total loser. Anyway, I don’t really know much because we aren’t that close.”

The sister’s evaluation was harsh.

“The fact that you can call the man known as the strongest human a ‘loser’ makes it sound like you’re actually pretty close, though?”

“…Hmm, I wonder. We talk, but it’s not like we’re particularly tight. When we do talk, it’s usually just me lecturing him about his failings.”

“As a fellow older brother, I’m starting to feel a little sorry for him. Glen Walker…”

“We aren’t even blood-related, so I really don’t think we’re that close.”

“Oh, so you aren’t related by blood?”

“…Both my brother and I are adopted. The Walker family has a tradition of mixing in talented bloodlines, and we were brought in as part of that.”

“Is that so? Uh, the Walker family is a high-ranking noble house in Lauravia, right?”

“Yeah. A real pain of a family. Thanks to Palinchron and my brother, the social pressure has lessened a bit, but they’re basically just loud.”

“Loud? What do they say to you?”

“They tell me to make the Walker name known to the world, just like my brother. They openly admit that’s why they take in orphans.”

“That’s one greedy family…”

“Recently, they’ve given up on my martial prowess, but now they’re loud about me getting married instead. Before I knew it, they’d engaged me to some guy I don’t even know.”

“Ah, a political marriage. This is the first time I’ve met someone actually going through one.”

I felt a slight sense of curiosity, seeing the reality of a political marriage—something I’d only ever known from history lessons—right in front of me.

“If I make a name for myself as the Sub-Master of ‘Epic Seeker,’ maybe they’ll forgive me…… No, they probably won’t…”

In contrast to my curiosity, Snow’s face darkened.

“What, you don’t want to get married? Knowing you, Snow, I thought you’d think marrying a rich guy would let you live an easy life.”

“I need money… but marrying a noble won’t make life easy. It’s too much of a hassle…”

Snow let out a sigh, her expression filled with gloom.

“If you hate it, you should clearly refuse. If you don’t put it into words, don’t you think you’ll regret it?”

“…Refusing would just lead to more trouble. Either way, it’s a hassle. So I’ll do nothing. It can’t be helped anyway.”

“It can’t be helped? You…”

“…Even if I try, it’ll just be in vain anyway.”

It was a moment where I truly felt the distortion in Snow’s way of life. She seemed to have given up even on her own marriage—no, it looked like she had given up on life itself. My heart ached. Something inside me screamed that I shouldn’t allow this resignation.

“Hey. Why are you so listless? Did something happen in your past?”

“…You really go for the jugular, don’t you, Kanami?”

After looking surprised, Snow gave a small chuckle.

“Sorry, I know I’m overstepping. But as your partner, I wanted to get to know you better sooner rather than later. I feel like if I don’t, I’ll end up regretting it deeply……”

An unidentified sense of urgency was driving my words.

“…Well, I don’t really mind. Since it’s you, Kanami.”

“I heard you were a Sub-Master for ‘Epic Seeker’ when you were a kid, right? Did something happen back then?”

“…In the past, I was still a somewhat cute girl. I was full of motivation for guild work, and every day was fun. I was chasing a dream back then.”

“Huh, a highly motivated Snow? I can’t quite picture that.”

“…Back then, I had only failed once, so I still had hope. But as I failed over and over again, I realized it was stupid to try. That’s how I ended up like this. Really, that’s all there is to it.”

“You failed that many times…?”

Snow’s face was contorted when she said the word “failed.” It was the first time I had seen a genuine expression of intensity from the usually detached Snow. I felt like I could understand her feelings, just a little.

“…Right. I just can’t get motivated anymore. The more desperate you are, the more of a fool you look like. When you fail at something you’re serious about, it hurts for real. I’m done with that.”

Snow plastered on a dry smile as she declared she would never be serious again. My head understood that I had to deny that, but my emotions wouldn’t let me. As a fellow human being, I understood exactly what she was talking about. Above all, I hesitated to throw words of criticism at her after she had spoken so honestly.

“That’s a bit surprising. You actually tell me things when I ask, Snow.”

“…Hmm, I think it’s a sense of kinship. Because I know you’ve had a massive failure too, Kanami.”

“I had a massive failure…? What do you mean by—!?”

Just as I was about to delve deeper, I felt an anomaly within my “Dimension,” and the words cut off.

“…What’s wrong, Kanami?”

At the very edge of my “Dimension’s” range, I had found people on the verge of a dispute with members of “Epic Seeker.” There were two girls cornering and berating our guild members.

“Someone’s picking a fight with our members.”

“…Wait, not a citizen, but a guild member?”

I used “Dimension: Multiple” to get a better grasp of the situation.

The two girls were abnormal. Before any other description could come to mind, the word “abnormal” stood out. They were simply that far removed from the ordinary.

The two girls swayed their long, thin hair, which looked like dancing gold dust. One had her long hair in a braid hanging down her back. Looking closely, her hair wasn’t just gold; it was mixed with strands that looked like silver. Shimmering gold and silver hair intertwined. Her body, too, was not normal. Her facial features were too perfect, far beyond human, and her golden eyes were so beautiful they seemed otherworldly. Her proportions were flawless, without a single waste. She was the embodiment of beauty that transcended the peak of womanhood, bordering on something monstrous.

“S-someone… someone terrifyingly beautiful is there…”

“…Terrifyingly beautiful?”

The other girl was also far from normal. This girl had her solid gold hair cut short. Her hair was tied in a tail at the back, giving her the appearance of a beautiful boy depending on how you looked at her. She, too, was scary beautiful just like the first girl. While she might lose out to the other in terms of feminine beauty, she possessed a neutral, androgynous charm. She was shorter, so perhaps the two were sisters.

“Yeah, they’re beautiful, but terrifying… Two girls like that.”

“…Does that mean, perhaps—”

I didn’t wait for Snow to finish and cried out.

“—What the hell are these two!? Their stats are insane!!”

I couldn’t help but shout. The status screens of the two girls were just that abnormal.

Out-of-spec aptitude and skills, with numbers in a different league. The fact that these two, Lastiara and Diablo, were cornering our members filled me with dread. If they got serious, our members would be taken out without being able to do a thing. Judging by the look of things, there was a high possibility of violence.

“Snow, we’re heading out right now! They’re so strong that only we can stand a chance against them!!”

“……I-I guess we have to go, then.”

Sensing that this was no ordinary situation, Snow stood up without any grumbling. Confirming that she was following, I leaped out of the window.

Running across the rooftops of Lauravia, I shouted instructions to Snow behind me. I had her use the magic stone to contact other nearby members and have them gather as well. I didn’t intend for them to participate in the fight, but their presence in surrounding the area would certainly act as a deterrent. For the sake of the members currently being cornered, I pushed my brain to its limits, issuing orders.

I sprinted at full speed, praying that things wouldn’t turn violent before I arrived.