Chapter 55

The Luminous territory is quite vast. It would be impossible to thoroughly visit all the villages by walking from one to another.

However---

"Wow, Albert! The grassland is so beautiful!"

"Yeah."

We were looking down at the vast green land from the 'sky.'

While flying through the sky with my Magic Arrow.

My Magic Arrow flight is much faster than walking, and it can ignore large rivers and rough roads. It's not impossible to visit all the villages in one summer.

Lola and I visited the villages in the order specified in the request letter.

"Magic Arrow"

"Guu!?"

We defeated a goblin that was causing trouble for the villagers.

"Magic Arrow"

"Geh!?"

We defeated a lizardman that was causing trouble for the villagers.

"Magic Arrow"

"Voo!?"

We defeated an orc—a sub-human with a pig's head—that was causing trouble for the villagers.

"Magic Arrow"

"Koon!?"

We defeated a kobold—a sub-human with a dog's head—that was causing trouble for the villagers.

"Magic Arrow"

"Magic Arrow"

"Magic Arrow"

We defeated the monsters that were threatening the people one by one.

We were thanked profusely in every village.

"Thank you! You are the village's savior! Are you an adventurer?"

"No, I'm not. I don't need any reward, so please cancel the request to the guild."

"R-really!? Truly!?"

"Yes."

"Could you at least tell us your name!?"

"I'm Albert."

"I'm Lola."

Just like when we dealt with the landslide, we only gave our names.

...Well, I won't be inheriting the marquisate for a long time, so it's not a big deal if people remember my face or name.

Lola's presence was very helpful in communicating with the villagers.

If it was just me, I would be a mysterious and suspicious man who suddenly appeared. But with the young and friendly Lola, the villagers' guard was lowered. Additionally, Lola understood the villagers' subtleties and acted as a buffer between me and the villagers.

By defeating the monsters that were troubling the villages, the villagers completely trusted us.

"Albert! At least have a meal with us!"

We were treated warmly and told about various problems the villages were facing.

This was exactly what I wanted to hear. It would surely be useful for my future. I nodded and listened carefully.

There were also complaints about the lord...

"The nobles just don't understand, really!"

...I feel guilty for hiding my true identity.

...It feels like I'm ambushing them.

Of course, I have no intention of reporting the complaints to my father. I decided to only keep the constructive opinions and forget the rest by the end of the day.

My father is a noble who thinks about the people, but there is still a gap in the hierarchy. The lower class must have thoughts like, "Why can't they do this for us?"

I want to gather as many of these voices as possible while I can move freely.

This accumulation will surely be beneficial for my future—

and the future of the Luminous territory.

We processed the request letters one by one in this manner.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

By the end of summer, in the capital of Luminous—

The receptionist at the adventurer's guild received a letter. It came from a village that occasionally requests jobs from the guild.

The receptionist knew the contents without even looking.

(...Probably a job cancellation...)

She opened the envelope, and sure enough, it was a cancellation.

This had been happening for several weeks.

"We no longer need the request. It has been taken care of."

"A person defeated the goblins!"

"It's been resolved. Please stop the request."

Such letters kept arriving.

It was impossible for the monsters to suddenly disappear. Someone must be defeating them at an incredible pace.

Who could it be—

"I'll take this request!"

A man who looked like a warrior stood in front of the receptionist.

He was the same middle-aged drunk who had bothered the unusual duo—a quiet man and a white-haired girl—when they came here some time ago. The man's face was sullen and anxious.

"Sorry, but that request was just canceled."

She snatched the paper from the man's hand and tore it up, throwing it in the trash.

"What the hell! There are no more monster-hunting jobs! What's going on!?"

"I don't know."

The receptionist dismissed him coldly. Her job was to mediate requests smoothly. The men who tried to sabotage by inflating rewards were frankly annoying. She had tolerated it because there was no employment relationship.

"If you're upset, you should have taken the job earlier."

"Damn it, any other job will do! As long as it pays—!"

"You'd better not."

She kindly stopped the man who was about to rush back to the bulletin board.

"The requests for monster hunting posted there are no longer reliable. They might be canceled at any time. If that happens, it will be a waste of time to go to the village."

The man's face turned red as he ground his teeth.

The receptionist continued calmly.

"Why not do escort jobs like before?"

"That's not enough! Such a petty job! You know that! I need to earn a lot from monster hunting to pay off my debts!"

"Right, you can't pay it back. The money you borrowed from the guild."

She said it in a storm of words.

This man had borrowed money to drink and play, relying on the inflated rewards for monster hunting every day.

"Do you really intend to pay it back—do you think that's okay?"

"O-of course! It's a given!"

The man looked away as he said it.

(...Don't run... I can see it.)

The receptionist, with her professional experience, could tell.

But she said nothing. She quietly watched the man leave.

Her job was to mediate requests, not to collect debts.

For that, there were more suitable—hound-like staff who would chase debtors to the ends of the earth.

(...Still, could it be those two...?)

The receptionist tilted her head.

She had a hunch about the duo who hunted monsters.

In some cases, the villagers came directly to the guild to cancel the requests.

"What did the people who came to the village look like?"

When the receptionist asked, she received this response.

"They were named Albert and Lola. A quiet, kind brother and a girl with white hair."

The quiet man and the white-haired girl.

They were the duo who visited the guild at the beginning of summer. She remembered the girl's white hair.

(...If it's them—what are they...?)

The number of settlements canceling requests was too high. Considering the time, it was impossible for them to travel on foot.

It was an extraordinary amount of travel.

(...Should I report the duo and this situation to the guild headquarters?)

It would surely be useful—she thought.

It's interesting!

I want to read more!

Please keep it up!

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