Chapter 45

The main street, which had almost erupted into a fire panic, calmed down as the cause was neutralized, and the audience that remained felt a sense of relief.

I ended up stepping forward because Fred was involved, but I wasn't entirely confident that we could handle it. It was really fortunate that no one who stayed behind, ignoring Fred's evacuation guidance, was hurt.

Taking a deep breath, I looked down at the small body that had been tied up. It seemed to have given up on resistance, and perhaps resigned to the smell of the paint covering its nose and mouth, the animal ears were flattened, and it was sniffling and whimpering. When it became this docile, it looked like just a child, and my conscience was a bit hurt.

But it was for the best... I had some basis for it, but it turned out as expected.

“Amber caused another commotion?!”

A tall woman with a hammer that had a spear-like handle rushed out of the Adventurer's Guild. From her eye movements and the way she shifted her weight, one could tell at a glance that she was a formidable expert.

As expected, she was called the "Guild Master" by a male staff member who followed her.

“It’s me who called you! But it seems my companion calmed the situation.”

“Hmm... Oh?! ...Amber is already subdued...?!”

The woman, seeing me and the child tied up and lying on the ground, let out a voice that sounded genuinely surprised.

From her tone, I could infer that this "Amber" frequently caused such trouble, and I was speechless.

Seeing that the staff member Fred called and the Guild Master who was summoned by the staff member, it seemed that "this child is so strong that people of that level usually handle the situation."

“Are you adventurers too?”

“Yes. ...We were traveling here, but... ...My... companion was about to be caught up in the commotion, so I intervened.”

“No, thank you. If any civilians had been injured, it would have been a serious situation, so I appreciate it.”

Saying that we were a party, it still felt a bit awkward to say it out loud. My internal struggle went unnoticed as the conversation progressed.

“Sorry to trouble you, but can we talk upstairs?”

“Yes, ...but I have a friend waiting for us, so can I go get her?”

“Of course.”

Hearing my words, Fred nodded lightly and returned to the square. He would probably bring Anna. I and Fred hadn't returned for a while, so she must be worried.

“Then, I’d like to hear everyone’s account. You guys, come upstairs too.”

The four of us who were caught up in the commotion and the party members at the center of it followed the woman, who introduced herself as the Guild Master, inside. ...While watching the back of the child named Amber, who was carried by the neck like a kitten.

Seeing the child being treated like a piece of luggage, I felt a strange sadness, even though I was the one who tied her up.

“Well, let me introduce myself again... I’m Elen, the Guild Master of this town, Delur. Nice to meet you.”

“...I’m Liana, an adventurer visiting this town on a trip.”

“Rank?”

“Silver, officially.”

“Hmm... For your age, you’re quite talented, but to have overwhelmed Amber, it seems your rank doesn’t match your strength...”

Just as I was half-convinced that my silver rank was inappropriate, Fred, standing diagonally behind me, whispered, “No! They think you’re even higher!”

Is that really possible?

“What’s this?! Amber is a ‘Gold’! Gold!”

“Idiot! You’re being demoted because of this commotion!”

“What?! Why?!! Amber just did it to get back her money, and didn’t do anything wrong~!!”

In the room that resembled a reception area, Fred, I, and a representative of the party that had been in conflict, along with the Guild Master and a man who introduced himself as the Deputy Guild Master, were all present. The room felt cramped with so many people, and loud voices echoed.

I was glad that Anna and the other members of the party were waiting in another room. There were injured people among them.

After the Guild Master silenced Amber with a punch to the head, we told the guild side what had happened and what we had heard before intervening, trying to be as objective as possible. The representative of the party, while somewhat bitter about Amber, did not deviate from the truth.

Listening to how much trouble Amber had caused over the past few days, I was inwardly amazed. ...This child is a real troublemaker.

“So, Amber, you were counting on the highest reward if everything went well. But because you acted recklessly without considering teamwork, you lost that chance, and you don’t even understand that...?!”

That’s the gist of it. The representative of the party, Urag, described in detail what kind of "performance" Amber had given as a temporary member.

The worst part, in my opinion, was that she recklessly used large-scale attack magic (technically not magic) without properly checking on her companions.

He claimed she was deliberately targeting them... Well, I can’t judge if it was intentional or not, but the fact that "friendly fire was quite frequent" alone is enough to show that Amber was in the wrong.

The way she brought down the value of the materials, cutting the buyback price in half, was also not good. If she had prioritized not causing injuries, it could have been seen as cautious.

Trying to get a higher buyback price by cleanly defeating monsters... The result is that adventurers who should have been able to win are killed by monsters, and that never goes to zero.

But watching Urag, who was speaking passionately with gestures, I thought, “He must have been holding it in for a long time.”

“Hmph...! It’s your fault for being so weak that you couldn’t avoid it!! Amber just did what you asked and defeated the monsters!!”

I thought it was necessary to hear her side of the story, so I removed the paint from her face. Seeing her pout and turn away in a huff, I wondered if I should have kept her quiet a bit longer.

She had been half-crying and whining about the smell, but as soon as the paint was removed, she was lively and spouting complaints.

“She’s famous for being ‘very strong but stupid’ and always causing trouble.”

“Hmm...”

I looked down at Amber, who was writhing silently in her chair. It seemed that the cause of this commotion was that Amber couldn’t calculate the reward. They were honestly dividing the (reduced) reward, but Amber, not understanding the concept of splitting the reward, caused the trouble.

“Worse than I expected. Attacking civilians... This isn’t just a demotion, it’s a suspension of membership.”

“Eh, eh...?!! Then how will Amber earn money for food...”

“It’s your fault for not listening to the warnings and repeatedly violating the rules.”

Seeing her stunned face, I felt a pang of sympathy. But... I’m unharmed, and there are people who were injured...

“...No, it’s better not to sympathize. She’s a full adult, despite her appearance.”

“Is this child...?”

“I don’t know her exact age, but she’s been in this town for three years and was an adventurer before that.”

She looks like a 12 or 13-year-old human...

Then, she must be over 15. I’ve heard that some children register as adventurers for a living, but monster hunting is generally not allowed for children under 15. If she’s been an adventurer for three years, she can’t be under 15.

...It seems they think Amber is a small-statured beastkin, like a Pygmy Cat.

“But wow, Liana. The Guild Master has trouble with a rampaging Amber, but you subdued her so quickly. And the fire you used to extinguish Amber’s fire... How did you do that?”

“Yeah, I’d like to know that too. And I’ve never seen a rope that even Amber’s strength can’t break... Could you tell me where you got it?”

Asked about something they consider trivial, I was at a loss for words.

This child is probably not a beastkin. She might be a child of a spirit from the Imperial Capital. The golden eyes, the powerful magic (technically not magic), the fact that it couldn’t be nullified by elemental magic, and the ease with which she was captured by a consecrated rope all support this.

It’s a technical system involving “Yang” and “Yin,” and this child is likely to belong to “Yin.” ...Not magic, but rather, in the old definition of magic and spiritual power, it wouldn’t be wrong...

I stopped myself from getting into complicated thoughts. No, this isn’t the time to discuss such things.

That’s right. The “Foxfire” attack that looked like fire is “Yin,” and it couldn’t be nullified by water, which is also “Yin.” Their technical system is different from what we call “magic,” though there are many similarities.

For example, purification magic is “Yang” in their system, and fire itself is also “Yang.” That’s why it worked to nullify it, and the consecrated rope easily subdued her because she is likely a spirit with “Yin” energy.

“...I just happened to have a paint that this child’s race is sensitive to. As for the rope... well...”

To explain this correctly, I would have to start with a different technical system from the Imperial Capital’s magic.

It’s also a private matter how this child perceives her own race. The Imperial Capital is far from here, and there must be reasons why a child is living alone as an adventurer.

“No! ...You see... As adventurers, we have techniques we don’t want to make public.”

Hmm, what should I do... As I was pondering, Fred naturally interjected.

His intervention, where he only answered what he was asked and smiled, made Urag and the Guild Master, Elen, who had been leaning forward, return to their senses. The Deputy Guild Master also made a deliberate cough to show agreement.

“We were just caught up in this. I think we’ve said everything we can. Is there anything else we need to help with? It seems fine, right?”

“No... I don’t think so...”

“Then, can we go back to sightseeing? I mean, there are so many places I want to see~”

Fred’s cheerful words made everyone in the room look deflated.

“Right... It’s not right to keep outsiders who were just caught up in this for a long time. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“No, no, thank you for your hard work. We’ll take our leave then.”

Fred stood up with a smile that felt unyielding despite being friendly. Indeed, I think I’ve said everything I could as someone who was just caught up in this...

“Sorry. You looked like you were having trouble, so I just stepped in.”

“No, I was... hesitating, so I’m glad you helped.”

“Then it’s good. It must have been tough to get caught up in trouble so soon after arriving~”

Anna, who had been waiting in another room, greeted us with “Thank you for your hard work” when she saw our faces. We were heading to the inn at a good time, so I decided to give up on the fruits we missed earlier. I put them in my magic bag to chill and eat after the bath.

I tried to shift my mood to look forward to the evening, but I kept thinking about the stunned face of the child named Amber that I saw earlier.