Chapter 68

The sudden visitor, A-rank adventurer Seagull, brought news that was indeed worth panicking over.

"Demons attacking!?"

"At the headquarters of the Adventurer's Guild!?"

It was no wonder the audience chamber, where everyone had gathered, was in an uproar.

"Why would such a thing happen!? Are you saying demons launched a surprise attack on the Adventurer's Guild!?"

"Yes, that's right!"

Seagull continued.

"At the headquarters, all the councilors were holding an emergency meeting! It was about Noem and the others' promotion to S-rank!"

Seagull and the others, as supervising adventurers involved in the exam, were ordered to attend.

They were also discussing the various disturbances that had occurred in the Kingdom of Rubrum. During this meeting, the demons attacked.

"This is unbelievable. Demons always give a warning before invading human territory...!?"

"What, really?"

"From their perspective, it's probably a way to toy with us inferior humans. However, thanks to this, we have been able to reduce the damage and somehow resist the demons."

The demons attacking humans is partly for fun.

That might be true. Otherwise, humans would have been destroyed by the demons long ago.

"But this time, it was a surprise attack without any warning...! It threw the headquarters into chaos!"

Still, as the central hub for adventurers scattered across the nation, the headquarters of the Adventurer's Guild has many capable A-rank and B-rank adventurers on standby. Even if they were caught off guard, it would be entirely possible to turn the tide against the attackers.

If the attackers weren't demons.

"They are putting up a desperate resistance, but the fall is only a matter of time. At least three demons have attacked!"

"Three...!? Even when attacking a country, demons never act in groups and always come alone...!?"

I remember that the demon Benyan came alone the last time we fought.

It seems this case is unprecedented. Has something happened on the demon side?

"The Adventurer's Guild Council has requested aid from neighboring countries in this emergency! I, this A-rank adventurer Seagull, have been sent as an urgent envoy to the Kingdom of Sentakilian!"

"I understand. However...!"

Hearing the grave news, the king frowned.

"Your Majesty!"

I pressed forward.

"There's no time to hesitate. We should send aid as soon as possible. ...Seagull."

"What is it?"

"You said all the councilors were in a meeting. Is Bistemario there?"

I owe a lot to Councilor Bistemario, whom I met in the Kingdom of Rubrum. He is a person of great character, and I quickly grew to like him even after just a few days of interaction.

"Of course, he's the one who initiated the emergency meeting!"

The topic was indeed about my and Noem's promotion to S-rank. It must have been proposed by him.

"Councilor Bistemario seemed to have staked his life on the success of this meeting. There are rumors that he suggested the dismissal of all Rubrum's councilors. It's a matter of utmost resolve!"

If all the councilors were dismissed, he would be included.

Bistemario, who had worked hard to resolve the situation in Rubrum, was trying to help us to such an extent.

He is at the headquarters.

In the midst of the demon attack.

"Let's send aid quickly. I don't want to leave Bistemario to die!"

"Councilor Bistemario. Losing him, who is praised as the conscience of the Adventurer's Guild Council, would indeed be a great loss. We must avoid it at all costs...!"

What's wrong, Your Majesty!?

You've been indecisive, which is unlike you!

"Demons are vicious. The appearance of even one can bring a country to its knees, and the report says there are three. It's hard to imagine the headquarters holding out for long even with all the adventurers there."

"That's... true."

"Sentakilian's capital is relatively close, but it still takes time to travel back and forth. The time it takes to move could very well result in the headquarters falling...!"

No way...!?

Could it be that at this very moment, the headquarters is being ravaged by demons and everyone is being killed...?

"Don't worry, it's fine!"

Seagull shouted.

"I didn't take that long to get here! I was teleported by Sentens!"

Sentens?

...That guy. One of the supervisors in the A-rank promotion exam.

He has a spatial skill that can connect distant points through a subspace portal.

"I used his skill, <Dejon Spot>, to escape without being detected by the demons! I gained a significant distance! After teleporting, I used my skill, <Beast Transformation>, to run as fast as I could, so the demon attack hasn't been going on for long!"

"If that's the case, we might still have time. However...!"

I told the indecisive king.

"I'll go."

"Ryuya...!?"

"If we start organizing a relief force now, it will take too long to get there. You're worried about that, right? I can head to the headquarters at maximum speed on my own!"

"That might be true. Ryuya has overturned common sense many times before..."

As I said, I owe a lot to Bistemario.

I don't want him to die.

'I'll go too.'

Abinion said.

'Wherever my master goes, I will follow. Besides, this situation seems suspicious to me...'

He glanced at the restrained Councilor Recolis.

This drew attention back to the bald man...

"Aaaah!? Councilor Recolis!? Why are you here!?"

Seagull exclaimed in surprise.

It's natural that she would know him, as he is an upper-rank adventurer who supervised the exam and is a councilor.

...Didn't you notice until now?

She was in a panic, after all.

"You were supposed to be at the meeting! But you left halfway through, saying you had a stomachache, right? I thought you were in the bathroom, but you were here!?"

"Is that what you were doing?"

Most likely, the meeting took an unfavorable turn, so he left to try to negotiate directly with me.

That plan failed, but it doesn't matter now.

"...Ah! I remember now!"

"What is it?"

Stop bombarding me with information, girl!

"Before I left the headquarters, I heard the demons' voices! They said, 'Find Soeides and Recolis!' I think!"

"Think?"

This is important, so I wish you would be more definitive.

The demons are looking for specific individuals.

And their targets are Soeides and Recolis.

What do these two have in common...?

...No, there's something more pressing to consider.

"If the demons' targets are those two, and they attacked the headquarters for that reason...!?"

If one of the two targets is here... what will happen to the people at the headquarters, which has become a battlefield?

"Seagull, you've given us valuable information."

"Wh-what!?"

"It seems we need to take this guy to the headquarters. If you hadn't told us, we would have left him behind."

This bald man is clearly just a burden.

"What!? No, wait! I don't want to go! It's demons! A battlefield with demons waiting is like a death sentence!!"

"Since they specifically requested you, there's no choice."

Besides, being called will delay your interrogation.

You're lucky.

"...I see, there's no time to hesitate."

The king regained his usual decisiveness.

"As the king of Sentakilian, I order Ryuya to proceed to the headquarters of the Adventurer's Guild at maximum speed and rescue the human comrades being attacked by the demons!"

"Understood."

Receiving a formal order from the king greatly increases my social freedom.

He understood this and gave the order.

Let's go.

To the headquarters of the Adventurer's Guild, amidst the chaos of battle.