Chapter 12

Kena stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from her mother.

As cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

With the increase in characters, I'm considering whether to make a list or not.

With 125,000 views and 14,000 unique visitors, these aren't numbers a beginner should have, right!?

Thank you, thank you. I'm sorry for my clumsy writing and awkward phrasing every time.

It has been ten days since Kena arrived in the capital.

She stayed on long-term guild quests, and according to others, she mainly cleared "troublesome ones."

One of the randomly chosen quests was "Capturing a Special Plant."

The content apparently involved using extracts from the plant as dye. The word "capture" gave her a bad feeling, so she headed to the wetlands upstream of the capital with the client.

There, she saw a carnivorous plant, like a sundew, standing about five meters tall.

It was too disgusting to touch directly, so she created three stone golems and had them pull it out. Afterward, the golems tied it up with ropes and handed it over to the client, but how they extracted it was very questionable.

Next, she was directly approached by Aguide, who was waiting in front of the guild.

"Actually, I am the prime minister of this country."

"Hmm, interesting."

"You showed absolutely no interest..."

"Such a sports-minded prime minister doesn't exist in any world. You're not some retired old man from Mito, are you?"

"Sports-minded? Old man from Mito? You use some strange words sometimes."

"So, what's your request?"

Apparently, he wanted to redevelop an area but lacked the national budget, so he was at a loss.

If left alone, it would attract people like Denzo and affect public safety, so he asked for help.

"By the way, why me?"

"I heard that you are the mother of the headmaster of the royal academy and the high priest of Skalgo. Plus, you used ancient techniques at the academy. I've received various reports."

"I won't delve into it, but if you use it for political purposes, I'll be angry."

"Regarding that, I'm currently facing strong opposition from the high priest. He's a well-behaved son."

"I haven't met him yet..."

Anyway, she accepted the request and thought about what to do.

She remembered hearing news about building a village and a castle in a hospital, so she decided to use that as a reference.

Using the materials from dismantling all the abandoned houses, she executed the skill [Technical Skill: Construction: Castle]. Overnight, an eight-meter-tall Japanese-style castle was built in the slum area, which had become a vacant lot without anyone knowing.

In fact, when she built the castle once, she thought, "If it's going to be a tourist attraction, it can be hollow inside," and removed the pillars without thinking, causing it to collapse. This destroyed the usable materials, and the current castle is smaller due to the lack of materials.

The next day, it caused a huge commotion in the capital.

After an investigation by knights and officials, it was determined to be non-threatening.

By then, spectators and food stalls had gathered, and the mysterious building was being sold as manju, grilled food, and miniatures, turning it into a fake tourist attraction. It continued to be a daily attraction, which is a side note.

The client was delighted and paid Kena twenty silver coins as a reward.

Recently, she has been recognized by tough adventurers as "a girl with immeasurable strength but naive and absent-minded," and she often receives advice and is included in conversations, actively engaging with them.

Of course, there are always people who say nasty things or are jealous, but she tries not to pay attention to them.

Occasionally, she gets interesting information or learns about delicious food stalls, so she usually visits the guild when she has free time.

"Huh?"

"Hey, what's up, girl?"

One day, while spending time, she tilted her head looking at the request board and was asked by familiar adventurers. She pointed to a request posted at the bottom and asked.

"Didn't someone take this one before?"

The large man she addressed called his companions over to look at the paper Kena pointed to. Information was exchanged with other idle adventurers.

"Turns out they failed and had to pay a penalty."

"They were a group of four I hadn't seen before, so I thought they were from outside."

"They probably got into trouble by choosing based on the reward alone."

The request read, "Please deal with the ghost. Coliseum Management Committee. Eight silver coins."

"Hmm..."

Kena thought it sounded interesting and picked it up.

"Hey, are you going to take it, girl?"

"Wow, if you see a ghost, say hello for us."

"Be careful, though."

"Thanks."

With the request in hand, she called out, "Almana!" (the red-haired receptionist), and the tough men watched her go with a smile.

The next day, Kena visited the coliseum.

It wasn't in the town but was located beyond the hill where the royal castle stood.

She crossed a large river (direct access from the river to the town is prohibited) and showed the request to the guards at the eastern wall gate of the noble district to leave the town. From there, she walked around the hill for twenty minutes and arrived at the coliseum.

According to what she heard at the guild, the coliseum hosts a tournament once a year. Warriors from all over the continent gather, and during that period, security requests increase.

It is also used for knight training, college exams, and circus performances.

When she showed the request to the guard at the entrance, he looked very unreliable and then led her inside.

Well, anyone would react the same way to a young girl taking on a quest that groups of four or five had failed. The responsible person, a thin young man named Max, had a similar reaction but, with a sense of desperation, bowed deeply and said, "Please deal with it. I sincerely request your help."

The ghost had been appearing unexpectedly in the corridors and on the stage for about ten days. Some people felt it following them, causing discomfort and leading to resignations, affecting their work.

The ghost appeared in various forms, from old men to children, with no consistency.

However, all forms were faint, which induced fear in everyone. After receiving this information, Kena got permission to stay for two to three days to prepare for the ghost.

First, she walked around the coliseum to understand its structure.

It looked very similar to the Roman Colosseum she had seen on TV. It was a building completely restored with white marble. According to the story, it existed before the capital was built, and no one knows who built it.

'Isn't it strange to use such a suspicious facility as it is?'

"I have a bad feeling about it..."

Kena agreed with Key's question.

For this mission against the undead (if it is), she equipped her usual gear and a long sword with a red gemstone in the hilt.

The sword, named Eternal Flame, houses a salamander and can transform into a lizard to fight enemies, similar to a special hero's item.

It's one of the gag weapons with an unclear necessity for its sword form.

She activated all her detection-related [Active Skills] and slowly walked down the corridors.

The people managing the coliseum were too scared to enter, so Kena was alone inside.

Before noon, she finished her rounds and took out ingredients from her item box, starting a fire in the center of the coliseum. The firewood was unusable scrap from building the castle, and the ingredients were things like Kolto birds and root vegetables from the market.

The reason she was cooking here was to lure someone who had been following her in a clumsy manner. (Key found them) She set up a few traps and thought they would be caught if left alone.

Soon, a scream of "Aaaaah!" was heard, and a three-headed dog the size of a horse came in through the coliseum's entrance, carrying an intruder in its mouth and wagging its tail. The intruder, held by the central head, was Denzo, dressed in shabby clothes and disguised as a civilian.

"Hey, what's this guy doing here!?"

"It's just a summoning spell, though?"

"I've never heard of such a spell."

"You really don't know much. Oh, you don't have any education, right?"

Regarding Denzo, it was agreed with Aguide to treat him as a regular child and not a royal. If found, he could be handled roughly and handed over to the guards.

A growling sound came from Denzo's stomach.

Feeling sorry for him, she offered him a bird's leg, which he snatched and started eating. His appearance as a malnourished child made her doubt if he was really a royal.

When asked why he was there, he replied that he saw Kena.

"Like a cat drawn to yarn...," she thought, but couldn't let the guards leave their posts, so she decided to take care of him for a while.

When she tried to command the dog to guard Denzo, he insisted on coming along. Reluctantly, she had to take him with her.

She admired his bravery, but wasn't sure if it was reckless or just bold. She didn't want to delve into his background.

The Colosseum was already filled with various summoned beasts, so she was worried they might attack if she lost sight of him.

"Still, what are these beasts..."

She commanded the dogs to prioritize Denzo's safety, and they followed her in a trio, growling. Their black bodies, glowing red eyes, warm breath, and visible sharp teeth made her chuckle at Denzo's trembling.

Among the summoning spells, the summoning of beasts is probably the most diverse in Riedale. Once you learn [Summoning Magic: Beast], you can register any beast-type monster you defeat.

The only limitation is that you can only summon the monster at the highest level it was when defeated. Cerberus, captured at level 480 in the demon realm, is an example. She has tested this and found that, unlike in the game where she could only command "attack" or "return," she can now give detailed commands, making it very convenient.

There is also [Summoning Magic: Dragon], which allows you to summon a dragon of the same color as the country from levels one to nine when you acquire the skill.

Some collectors visit the skill master to summon all nine types. It's a hobby that makes her shake her head.

The level of the summoned dragon is determined by the summoning strength level × the caster's level × 10%. For Kena, the minimum is level 110, and the maximum is level 990.

─── Meanwhile, the prince of this country...

Despite being new to the capital, he was very suspicious of Kena, the adventurer often mentioned by the prime minister and the high priest.

He heard from the old, physically fit prime minister that "that girl is interesting."

He remembered being caught in a terrible way once.

When he said something nasty, the high priest scolded him and gave a three-hour lecture on "the greatness of a mother's love," which made his resentment grow.

He wanted to expose her true nature and followed her, investigating her background, but the more he investigated, the more confused he became.

First, she was a High Elf, a pure lineage said to be the highest among elves. Why was she an adventurer in such a place?

Second, she apparently had three children.

The high priest, the headmaster of the academy, and a famous dwarf from the port workshop were her children. This meant that half of the country's important positions were in her family.

Furthermore, her reputation as a skilled warrior, despite her appearance, and her friend Ronti's unusual respect for her, which surpassed her own royal status, were unbearable.

For personal reasons, he followed her, but when he sneaked in and felt hungry, he moved toward a good smell and was caught by a giant three-headed dog. He screamed in terror.

Grrr

Woof

Behind him, a sense of dread and the sound of a conversation between a monster and something else could be heard.

Denzo, telling himself