Chapter 27

I kept you waiting, didn't I?

This is the first time I've been so hesitant to start writing.

I took a slight detour and wrote two short stories.

They are short stories titled "The Little Demon" and "The Little Hero."

They have nothing to do with the main story, but I would be happy if you could read them when you have some free time.

It has been seven days since I started working at the guild in the capital. It still feels like I'm in the training period.

Unlike Albus, the number of requests brought in is vastly different. The people at the counter have almost no time to organize the documents.

I was placed in the back office and kept organizing documents.

I learned the basics from Luke, who specializes in information processing.

When I told Luke that the information department does everything, he replied as if it were nothing.

"Well, we somehow manage to get by."

Apparently, they used to manage with a counter person and a clerk.

After the clerk quit due to age, he started helping out.

Today, piles of documents are being brought into the back room behind the counter one after another. I quickly check the contents and further categorize the documents that have been roughly divided.

I look at the requests categorized by class, distinguish their urgency and importance, and remove those that need to be reported to the chief.

At first, I couldn't grasp the trends, but now I make judgments based on what Luke told me and the past cases left in the back room.

So far, the chief hasn't said anything, so I don't think I've made any major mistakes.

"Hello! You're working hard today, too!"

Luke burst into the back room with a loud voice and a dazzling smile.

Luke goes back and forth between the Third Ward and the Second Ward, sharing information between the guild headquarters and the branch.

"Luke, you're just in time."

"What's up?"

I handed Luke a few request forms.

"I have something I want you to investigate."

This stack of documents is from the past few days, all from a certain area in the Third Ward.

The classes and contents vary, and at first glance, they seem unrelated, but I don't think so.

"Have you noticed that the number of requests has increased significantly over the past few days?"

"True, it is a bit more. But it could be a coincidence, right?"

As Luke said, I thought so and looked back at the past records. Then I noticed that there were times when the number of requests increased significantly during a certain period.

I handed Luke a graph I had made. Luke's expression changed.

"The number of requests starts to increase roughly every hundred days. Then it calms down in about ten days."

"This chart is really easy to understand."

Luke nodded, looking at the graph I had made.

I thought he was taking it seriously, but was he not? What I wanted you to focus on wasn't that.

When I looked at him with a puzzled face, Luke laughed and said,

"Got it, got it! I'll check it out."

I watched Luke, who was holding the documents to be delivered to the Third Ward, leave the back room and returned to my work, feeling a bit anxious.

The next day, Luke visited the back room with the same high energy as yesterday.

"Hey! You're working today, too!"

"I was waiting for you, Luke."

After that, Luke went to the Third Ward and conducted interviews with the residents of the area.

He found several common points.

"Amazing, right? I'm a capable guy!"

Indeed, I don't have that kind of initiative. I praised him and thanked Luke.

"Uh-huh."

When I honestly expressed my admiration, Luke became quiet. Why are you blushing after praising yourself? You're not used to being praised or something? With that appearance and character, it's a lie, right?

When I wondered, Luke smiled wryly and said,

"The information department does a lot of behind-the-scenes work. We're also quite disliked in some ways."

People in the information department do spy-like work. Their achievements are rarely recognized publicly. That's what it seems.

To break the stagnant air, I cleared my throat lightly and asked Luke to tell me the common points.

"Sure thing!"

Luke, back to his usual smile, reported.

As a result of the interviews, many strange things have been happening in the area, including things that don't warrant a request.

For example, strange sounds, pets disappearing, and items going missing are low-risk incidents, while hearing animal voices, children disappearing, and sudden ground collapses causing injuries are more varied.

It seems that something unusual is definitely happening.

Based on the request forms I showed, Luke had already narrowed down the area to some extent and further pinpointed the center of the anomaly.

I prepared a map of the area and marked the location Luke pointed out with a red dot.

I also marked the locations where anomalies occurred based on the request forms and Luke's interviews.

It became clear that the anomalies were spreading from the location Luke pointed out.

I also marked the locations where anomalies occurred in the previous cycle with blue dots.

"Huh? The center is different from the last time."

"Yeah. It seems this anomaly is moving."

The requests during the previous anomaly were mainly about missing items. This time, even with what we know, it seems more dangerous, with children disappearing and injuries occurring.

However, if we wait a few more days, the investigation will be too late.

"I'll report to the chief!"

"Thanks. I'll look into whether something similar has happened in the past."

The chief didn't give us specific instructions.

It seems that to hire adventurers or scholars for an investigation, we need the country's permission. Even if the permission is granted, it will take time to select the right people, and the anomaly will likely be over by then.

Then, how about getting the knights to act to protect the area?

When I suggested this, I was told that it wouldn't be appropriate to have honorable knights conduct such vague and rumor-like investigations.

We can't directly ask Tristan. Without a request from the guild, using the knights like a private army would get him criticized.

It's almost quitting time.

Since I was assigned to organize documents, I stayed after work to look at past records.

Luke and I were racking our brains in the back room, but by the time night fell, we hadn't come up with any good ideas.

"I have a dinner date with Sol and the others today. Do you want to come, Luke?"

"Sure thing! I'll come!"

It's good to get out for a while.

Staying cooped up here will only make us anxious.

I waved to Sol and the others, who were waiting outside the guild.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"It's okay. How about you?"

I introduced Luke as a guild member who is being taken care of. We talked while moving to the tavern.

I think the ability to get along with anyone quickly is a great skill. Luke and Fran were already getting along well, drinking with their arms around each other.

"Hey, does the Mencis Knights patrol the Third Ward?"

"Huh? Yeah, they do. The official members patrol the Second Ward. We apprentices patrol the Third Ward."

Fran answered Luke's question.

"Well, while they say it's for maintaining order, they just want to catch some thieves and claim credit."

"The basic patrols are in the morning and evening."

"During the day, it's the off-duty guys who are just hanging around."

Fran, Sol, and finally Gerard said this.

Luke winked at me.

Huh?

"Oh... I see."

"Noah, what's up?"

What if the apprentice knights discover the cause of the anomaly during their voluntary patrols?

If they call for backup, the knights can act, and the country will have to investigate. If nothing happens, it's just a coincidence, and no one will be troubled. However, if something does happen, won't Sol and the others be in danger?

"I have something that's bothering me."

I carefully chose my words and told Sol and the others about the anomalies happening in the Third Ward.

"You go to that area a lot. It's quite a maze of alleys."

"Yeah, it's an area with many blacksmiths. It seems that iron was mined there in the past, and the underground is full of tunnels."

I see. I remember that in Luke's interviews, there were mentions of the ground collapsing and well water becoming murky.

The missing children might have wandered into the underground tunnels.

Such land can explain these incidents.

That might be why the chief isn't taking action.

However, Luke still believes it's worth investigating, even knowing the land conditions.

"I think the hundred-day cycle Noah mentioned is real, not a coincidence."

When Luke learned that Sol and the others were off-duty the next day, he told them the location of the anomaly's center.

I told Tristan about it and repeatedly instructed Sol and the others to call for backup if they found anything.

The next day, I was at the Mencis Knights' barracks.

It was my rare day off, but I decided to stay at the barracks because I was worried about Sol and the others.

I had already told Tristan everything.

Knowing that it might be a wasted effort, Tristan agreed to help.

If something happened, it would be too far to call for backup from the barracks, so Deputy Commander Bald took a few knights to patrol near the gate of the Second Ward.

While watching the training from the second floor of the barracks, my bracelet heated up.

Something must have happened in the Third Ward.

I stayed there for a while but couldn't sit still and left the barracks. As I was leaving, a horse galloped past me.

Riding into the training ground, the scout shouted to Tristan.

"Commander! Backup request!"

Tristan acted quickly.

He sent a messenger to the castle and led the knights to the Third Ward.

When they returned, Tristan and the others were covered in mud.

Their heavy cloaks and shining armor were dulled and dirty, but their expressions were bright.

"Sol!"

I spotted Sol's face among the returning knights.

"Noah! I, I did it!"

"Huh?"

Sol, who was extremely excited, grabbed my hand. He had a slight scratch on his face, but it was hard to tell because of the mud.

"What did you do?"

"I learned a skill! And, and, I might become a knight!"

I don't know what happened, but Sol seems to have learned a skill. Luke appeared behind the excited Sol and explained what had happened.

The anomaly turned out to be a demon lair, a new one that hadn't been discovered yet.

The cause of demon lairs is unknown, but new ones are still being discovered.

In this case, the demon lair was connected to old underground tunnels and was repeatedly opening and closing.

This cycle was roughly every hundred days.

The tunnels had many exits, which is why the center of the anomaly kept shifting.

While patrolling the center of the anomaly, Sol and the others peered into a tunnel entrance that had just opened. They encountered a monster from the demon lair and a battle ensued.

While Gerard ran to the Second Ward for backup, Sol and Fran worked hard to hold back the monsters spilling out of the tunnel.

Sol learned the skill "Dance of Blades" before the backup arrived.

Demon lairs are treated like tourist attractions in this world.

The spoils from demon lairs enrich the city.

Sol and the others, who discovered it, and the knights who suppressed it without causing casualties, will likely receive rewards from the country.

After learning the situation from the messenger Tristan sent to the castle, a mage was dispatched.

The mage quickly arrived and stabilized the entrance to the demon lair with a special magic circle.

I'm glad we could help the knights, but I didn't expect it to turn into such a big deal.

Tristan and I made eye contact. He was smiling slightly. It was the first time I had seen him smile.