episode_0014

“The Saint ran away?”

Demon Lord Kutranux.

Demon Veraella was sitting on the throne, using spatial magic to converse with Javiel.

“Yes. But don’t worry. We have already identified the material.”

“Isn’t this actually a good thing? Since the Saint is gone, we can just choose a new one.”

Veraella seemed unconcerned.

Whether the Saint was killed or ran away, the position of the Saint would be vacant.

What was important to Veraella was finding the hero.

The reason she had ordered the Saint to be killed in the first place was because her patience had run out due to not finding the hero quickly.

“As you say… But there is a slight problem.”

“A problem?”

“It seems that the other churches who have learned of this incident will exclude the Freya diocese from the upcoming regular meeting.”

“Why is that a problem?”

“Our diocese will no longer have a chance of selecting the Saint.”

Javiel reported honestly.

The previous Saint being selected from the Freya diocese, which Javiel managed, was partly due to luck, but also due to Javiel’s reputation as a bishop.

Although the original plan was to kill the Saint and replace her with a new one according to Veraella’s orders, things had gone awry.

And that would have been a problem even if the Saint had not run away and had died as planned.

Veraella’s head was starting to ache.

In truth, she wasn’t very clever.

Initially, it was a simple task to secure the Saint and quickly find the hero.

But as the plan went awry, her mind could no longer keep up.

“What am I supposed to do then?”

“Should another church produce a Saint…”

“I don’t know! I don’t care!”

“Veraella…”

Confusion began to show on Javiel’s face.

She was inexperienced as a demon and relatively young among the demon race.

So sometimes her emotions led her judgment rather than reason.

The order to kill the Saint was also like that.

Javiel had wanted to wait until the end of the Saint’s term rather than kill her, but the demon’s orders were absolute.

She was nervous about what command Veraella would give this time.

“Find the hero by any means necessary! And eliminate them before they come to kill me!”

“Even if you say that…”

“Argh! I don’t know! You fool! Just do something!”

With Veraella’s shout, the spatial magic connecting her and Javiel was abruptly cut off.

“Ah… Demon Lord…”

In the dimly lit secret chamber where silence flowed.

Javiel sighed, missing the former Demon Lord.

***

Novice rank adventurer.

Refers to adventurers who have not yet had their abilities as adventurers verified and have not received an official rank.

I was finally done with the adventurer registration at the guild and was waiting for Tina, who worked as a receptionist, to finish her shift.

“Phew, the shift is over.”

A while later, Tina, who had changed from her receptionist uniform to her regular clothes, came out of the guild and approached me.

The reason I had specifically called Tina after her shift was because I had something to ask her.

It was about Meruru.

Since starting my life as an adventurer, I thought it would be difficult to properly take care of Meruru from now on.

I no longer thought I could make use of Meruru’s skills to gather herbs, and I wanted to earn money properly through adventuring.

Of course, I could continue to carry Meruru around and sell herbs to make a profit.

But didn’t she come here for a reason, even going so far as to stow away?

Now that I had become an adventurer, I didn’t think it was right to continue using Meruru as a means of earning money.

Furthermore, there is a risk that I might just resign myself to that reality if such profits continue to come in.

But I couldn’t just leave Meruru, who was so unaware of the world’s ways, without any plan.

So, I thought about asking Tina for help.

The kindness and acceptance she showed me when she was a saintess still seem valid.

Working in a guild where all sorts of world information gather, she might be able to find clues about my sister.

If it’s Tina, wouldn’t she know how to help Meruru?

“Meruru, say hello. This is Tina. She’s the one who helped me before.”

Meruru blinked her almond-shaped eyes and stared at Tina silently.

“Oh, what a cute young lady. Nice to meet you. I’m Tina.”

Seeing that, Tina smiled first and greeted Meruru.

Thinking that they had exchanged enough pleasantries, I explained to Tina about Meruru.

From the first time she met Meruru, to why she came to the continent.

The incident where she had to hide her ears and tail due to the distinctive appearance of the water tribe.

The time she used her skills to gather herbs and encountered a slime.

And even the reason why I was worried about leaving Meruru alone.

“…I see. A water tribe from the Helvetika Island, is it? They are indeed rare to see around here.”

Tina nodded as if she understood while looking at Meruru.

“So, I was wondering if you, Tina, might have a way to help Meruru…”

Above all, I couldn’t protect Meruru now.

Since starting the adventurer’s life, I would inevitably face dangerous situations in the future.

She had already been in danger because of me once, and I didn’t want to put her through that again.

“Meruru, could you please take off your hood for a moment?”

Tina asked Meruru, who was lost in thought.

Instead of the bewildered Meruru, I took off her hood.

As soon as her fox-like large ears popped out, she twitched them.

“Why… I feel uneasy for some reason.”

As if worried about Tina’s gaze, Meruru pressed her ears with both hands.

“It’s okay. This person is not a slave trader.”

I comforted Meruru by patting her head.

After talking about slave traders on the Arkbariho, she was afraid to show her water tribe appearance to other humans.

“Well, there are no races like Meruru in Kubele, but other different races occasionally visit.”

“Is that so? I haven’t seen them yet.”

“You can see them occasionally if you’re in the guild.”

Tina carefully observed Meruru’s face without the hood.

“Actually, I don’t think it’s a big problem for Meruru to be seen as a water tribe. Slave traders don’t bother with clean-looking or affiliated people.”

Even if I were a slave trader, I seemed more likely to target children with nowhere to go.

Like Meruru when we first met.

But now, she had a new robe, and the timid and fidgety feeling had disappeared while traveling with me.

With this appearance, people might look at her with curious eyes, but she wouldn’t be an immediate target for slave traders.

“Still, there are many reasons why I’m uneasy about leaving Meruru alone.”

I looked at Meruru with a worried expression.

“How about Meruru trying to work at the guild?”

Tina unexpectedly made a suggestion.

“Is that okay?”

Surely, if she could work at the guild, all problems would be solved at once.

She could have a stable life, and through the information gathered in the guild, she could find clues about my sister.

But could Meruru… really do it?

“Earlier, I mentioned that occasionally different races visit the guild, right? In fact, those individuals feel more comfortable when they are greeted by someone of a different race rather than a human like us.”

“Ah… that could be true.”

“In human society, they are all grouped together as the same race, even if they are of different races. When dealing with such individuals, it would be more comfortable if Meruru takes on the role of a receptionist.”

Somehow, I could understand that.

In the overwhelmingly human-centric Kubele, different races are treated as either ‘non-human races’ or ‘humans.’

Whether it’s a beastman, a lizardman, or any other race, they would all feel like alien beings here.

And because of that subtle sense of social exclusion, it might be possible for different races to form a bond with each other.

In that sense, Tina’s suggestion felt quite reasonable.

As I would be visiting the guild frequently as an adventurer, I also wanted to see Meruru in her receptionist attire.

“Yunoaaa-! Are you trying to abandon me! I don’t like it! It’s scary!”

“Wow!”

At that moment, Meruru, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, clung to me like a cicada and whined.

“Oh my.”

Tina was watching her with a hand on her cheek.

I managed to pry Meruru off me, who was clinging tightly, and calmed her down by patting her head.

“Meruru, you have things to do too. You have to find your sister, right? If you work at the guild with Tina, you won’t have to worry about going hungry every day, and the guild gathers information from all over, so you might find a clue to your sister.”

“Ugh….”

“Or have you given up on finding your sister now?”

“I have to find my sister….”

Meruru’s ears drooped on both sides.

“And if you’re at the guild, I can see you often too.”

“Uwuwu… I understand….”

After persuading Meruru, I politely spoke to Tina again.

“Then, I’ll leave Meruru in your care from now on. I keep receiving help from you every time.”

“I’ll let the guild master know. You can come to the guild first thing tomorrow morning.”

And so, thanks to Tina’s consideration, Meruru got a job as a receptionist specializing in different races at the Kubele Adventurer Guild.

I’m truly grateful to her.

If the day comes when Tina needs help, I will definitely repay her kindness.

But for that to happen, I must continue to grow as an adventurer.

“Yunoa looked at Tina with a determined gaze, a hint of curiosity rising slowly in the depths of his heart.

Now that she was no longer a saint, was she wearing underwear right now.”

No, narration.

Please understand the mood a bit, please.

She’s in the middle of building up her determination.

……

……

……I am curious though.