Chapter 5

"Quest received."

It was the day for exploring the dungeon. The leader, who had gathered the party members including Ren, announced the start of the meeting.

"The Academy has issued a rescue quest for a certain individual. It seems a scholar, who has no combat experience, has entered the dungeon."

"Oh dear."

In response to the leader's summary of the quest, the party's front-line fighter, a calm and composed female swordsman, nodded with a look that said, "What a troublesome person."

"Today, we will be on a rescue mission for this person. We will avoid combat as much as possible and conduct a wide-ranging search. Any questions?"

The leader asked, but this was Ren's first rescue quest, and he didn't even know what he needed to know. Unlike Ren, who was looking around at the other members, someone raised their hand.

A girl with golden hair, who looked well-bred but had a sharp gaze, a female magician who had become an adventurer a year earlier than Ren.

"You said the scholar fled into the dungeon. Why did that happen? I assume they were aware of the dangers of the dungeon, so why did this person enter it?"

"Apparently, the scholar was about to be caught for corruption. In a state of panic, they fled into the dungeon, according to the other side's view."

"I see."

The female magician nodded in understanding and lowered her hand.

If the scholar was about to be caught for corruption, it couldn't be said definitively that they were a criminal. The premise was that this was a rescue mission for a person in distress, not to capture a criminal.

Following the female magician, a senior adventurer who often gave Ren advice asked the leader a question.

"What are the characteristics of this scholar? We can't rescue them if we don't know what they look like."

"We have a sketch, so I'll distribute it to everyone later. Apparently, they are a very important person in the academic community. They are a renowned alchemist at the Academy. Do you know them? You are an Academy graduate, right?"

"…Yes."

The female magician, who was asked, nodded reluctantly, looking displeased.

The leader smiled in relief at the female magician's confirmation.

"Oh, that's great! It will be a help on the rescue mission if you know the person. We can skip the identification process."

"Please correct that. I don't know that fat, bald guy at all."

"…Do you dislike him?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No, personal likes and dislikes are up to you. But this is a job, so don't slack off or abandon the person, no matter who they are."

"…Of course."

Saying that, the female magician turned away with a huff. It seemed she really disliked the person.

On the other hand, Ren, listening to the details of the case, tilted his head in confusion.

The Academy, an alchemist, corruption, the dungeon. It seemed familiar, yet not quite.

While he was deep in thought, the meeting ended, and preparations for entering the dungeon began.

As usual, Ren, who was responsible for carrying the gear, continued his preparations while searching his memory for the nagging recollection. He was glared at with a stern look.

"Hey, what are you spacing out for?"

"A, s, sorry. You're right."

Indeed, his hands were slow in gathering the gear.

Damn, she's as sharp as a mother-in-law who hates her daughter-in-law, Ren thought to himself, but he had no time to think about such things. The Academy was a world that had nothing to do with him. Without giving it much thought, he shrugged and nodded.

"By the way, you know the target of this rescue mission, right?"

"…So what?"

Just by starting a conversation, he was glared at with narrow, slanted eyes.

Why is she so confrontational? Ren thought, but he didn't have the courage to voice his true feelings.

"Ah, no, it's just that he seems to be a very important professor, and I was wondering if it would affect you, being an Academy graduate. Ha ha."

"It has nothing to do with me. I've already graduated."

The female magician, who found Ren's pathetic attempt to cover up laughable, snorted.

"Besides, there were rumors that the corrupt, bald guy used his position to sexually harass female students and plagiarize his assistant professor's papers. It's satisfying to see him fall from grace, even though I don't want to help him."

No, wasn't this the story I heard just the other day?

Ren's thoughts connected to this as the adventure ended.

The rescue mission involved searching areas in the dungeon where a layperson might wander aimlessly or where criminals often hide. They successfully found and secured the target, who appeared to have had a terrifying experience in the dungeon. He was in a state of confusion, mumbling incoherently, but the handover to the client went smoothly. After the mission was completed and the party disbanded, Ren realized something as he walked down the night street.

The details of this mission matched exactly what he had discussed with the slave girl.

"…A coincidence?"

Well, it's not impossible. The corruption story was something Ren had just happened to overhear. Perhaps the young man who was encouraged by the slave girl had the courage to report it. And the memory of the story was still fresh when the corrupt professor's corruption was discovered, and in a state of panic, he fled into the dungeon.

Yeah, it sounds like a plausible story.

It couldn't be that divine retribution had actually been meted out. But the timing seemed a bit too convenient. The discovery of the corruption was fine, but the professor's decision to flee into the dungeon seemed odd.

Perhaps because of these thoughts, Ren's feet naturally headed towards the familiar square.

He wanted to ask her. He could hand over a thousand rin and have her listen to his complaints, and laugh off his silly imagination. More than trying to get information, he wanted to clear the nagging feeling in his chest. Ren arrived at the square surrounded by trees.

A bald, muscular man was approaching the slave girl, who was holding a placard in the center of the square.

"Huh? What's this, weird outfit—oh, no, hehe. So you're a streetwalker?"

The man had a typical thug-like demeanor.

Seeing the slave girl, he looked suspicious, but then he saw her beautiful face exposed above the placard and jumped to a wrong conclusion. He leered, apparently mistaking her for a sex worker.

"Hehe. I was told not to come near this area, but what's this? Are you someone's favorite?"

"…"

"Plus, a thousand rin? That's cheap. I bet you'd have a line ten times longer."

"…"

"Whatever."

"…"

Despite the rude comments, the slave girl maintained a demure smile and remained silent.

The man pulled out his wallet from his back pocket and threw a thousand rin note at her feet.

"Here. Pick it up."

"…"

The man deliberately threw the note on the ground and laughed nastily. It was a terrible attitude that made Ren want to punch him. If he really intended to harm the slave girl, Ren would stop him. He was an adventurer learning close-combat magic and had the courage to face a thug.

Ren decided to observe the situation.

If the slave girl could drive him away, that would be fine. If not, he would intervene, even if it meant a fight.

"Once you pick that up, I'll be your master for ten minutes. Hehe."

"…"

The man licked his lips, but the slave girl's demure smile didn't waver.

She maintained her smile and silently turned the placard around.

"Total Denial Slave Girl: Unlimited Time, Free"

The placard read.

She held it out to the man, naturally revealing her beautiful lips.

The bald man looked puzzled.

"Huh? What's this—"

"What's this, you say?!!!! Talking to scum like you makes me feel so bad!!!! Spit!"

Interrupting the thug's words, a husky, powerful voice echoed through the square.