--The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you can't get rid of the problem.

　It was a horrific wounded body.
　With the corpse barely moving, it was obvious to everyone that the battle could not continue.

"Hii ...... hii ......

　It was hard to believe that he would be a threat if left unattended, but Dustin turned to Vestri on his deathbed to carefully put the finishing touches on him.

　It was right after that.

　Out of nowhere, a white-clad figure landed in front of Vestri.

　The robes were so heavy that they completely hid his body shape and yet the hood was so deeply covered that at this stage it was impossible to determine whether or not he was human, let alone his gender.

　Before Dustin could determine what it was, he accelerated with all his might to close the gap and unleash a demonic spear stab at it.

　The tip of the spear slipped through without a response.
　He immediately understood that he had received a magical illusion and reclaimed the empty space with another stab of the magic spear.

　This time the spear felt the response of tearing flesh, and blood splatters splattered, and a white robe stained with blood appeared from the void.

　Dustin firmly imprinted the face he had glimpsed under the hood of the white robe into his memory.

'Gooooooooooooooooooo ......!

　The white robed woman emitted a dazzling light while letting out anguish, and the figure of the woman and Vestri were drowned out.

　The chase that was fired as soon as possible produced only a shallow response, and after the light disappeared, only traces of bloodshed were left behind, and the figures of Vestri and the white robed woman had disappeared without a trace--










''--I meant to give him a fatal wound on both sides, but if he was a white wizard who was good enough to be chosen as a brave party member, he might have already been cured.

　Dustin let out a short breath as he finished speaking.

　This guy's emotions were hard to read anyway, but what was definitely contained in his reaction now was dismay or something close to it.

'Luke. I heard that the brave Falcon was converted into a synthetic beast with a dragon, do you think it's possible that Bran and the others were subjected to the same measures?
'Stop asking so far-fetched questions. If you're talking about possibilities, all you can say is 'yes'. All you've seen is a face, right?

　There's no chance that he doesn't understand such things.
　If he did, he would have lost his life long ago in the course of his life of hunting the Demon King.

'Aren't you asking if it's possible for Bran to turn to the Demon King even if he hasn't undergone the opposite ...... modification or mental manipulation?
Good at guessing, that's what you always did best, wasn't it?
Thank you. I'm glad you thought I was good at something other than restoration.

　As they exchanged sarcastic words with the casualness of a greeting, they considered the possibilities that Dustin presented.

　If he had been altered by the demon tribe and manipulated to his will just like the brave Falcon, that's called force majeure by anyone's standards.

　But if he was following his own will, it's a different story.

''In conclusion, I think it's quite possible.

　He didn't wait for Dustin's reaction to continue his words further.

'If Noir's testimony is accurate, Bran would have been the third person taken out of jail, including the brave men. If they showed him his already altered companions and threatened to do the same to him if he didn't obey ...... well, he'd fall over.

　In the first place, most humans would break their hearts if they received such a threat.

　Unless they had a very strong will or a sense of mission, they would choose to remain human even if it meant giving in to the Demon King.

''Alright. It's enough to hear that.''
Well, I guess I'm next in line. Honestly, I have no idea what kind of business you're in.

　Strongly urged by Travis, Dustin switched topics as he turned his face towards it.

''You know that after the recent battle, the corpse of the Demon General Norsuli and the remnants of the siege golem were brought to the Hollow Bottom Fortress.
Of course. So what?
They have been destroyed beyond investigation. Parts of the fortress have also been damaged.

　The unexpected word left both Travis and I speechless.

　Dustin didn't pay any attention to our astonishment and continued to disclose the information in a matter-of-fact manner.

'By someone - not by someone else. Multiple earthen forms were planted inside the rocks that make up the siege golem. It's not an instant substitute I fought, it's a high-performance unit that seems to have been elaborately crafted.
'Wait a minute ......, Dustin. That's not what I'm hearing, and how do you know about it in the first place?

　Travis's confusion is no surprise.
　I give him a look with the intention of asking for a detailed explanation from me.

'What is known. It's only the Knights' decision to withhold this information temporarily. It's in the name of preventing unnecessary confusion. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the next few days.

　It was a satisfying answer.
　I know very well from my own experience that the Golden Fang Knights don't like to have their military information known to the outside world.

　Whether the secrecy is good or bad, there's nothing strange about this kind of response.

''With that in mind, Travis, I hear that your party has a request from the Order.
Now we're getting to the point. What is it?
'The earthly form that escaped suppression ...... No, that should be called the Mad Golem. Anyway, I heard that it may be hiding in the dungeon and surrounding areas. So they want to ask you guys to provide secret security.
'...... a direct request that doesn't go through the guild?　We wouldn't take on something so irresponsible if it were any other party.

　Travis twisted his expression in displeasure.

　The basic policy of the Adventurer's Guild is that they do not accept requests that nominate a specific individual or party.

　The reason for the adventurer's guild's existence is to assign work appropriately, and it is useless if the work is concentrated on popular adventurers.

　There are some people who will go directly to the adventurer's guild to get around this, but most adventurers won't accept the request, because they won't go through the guild.

　It's a good thing that the guild is not the only one that can help you.

''It's not a direct request, it's a bypass request. Early tomorrow morning, there will be multiple requests posted, the contents of which will be withheld due to Knight's Privilege. All of them will be ordered by your party in the form of .......
'This is ridiculous!　I don't like the attitude of trying to cover up dangerous information in the first place!　I can't accept that request!

　I could totally agree with what Travis was spewing out in an abhorrent manner.

　It's too much at odds with the common sense of adventurers who value the sharing of dangerous information, and most importantly, it could put the residents of Green Hollow Town in danger.

''Also, now that I know, I'll share the danger information widely. I'm sorry for you, but I can't give that away--well, now you've brought this up in anticipation of my reaction, haven't you?
Of course. I was pretty sure he'd reject it. I don't want to explain the situation, but for once it's more convenient for me to let the facts spread.

　After all, Dustin also had no intention of cooperating with the Golden Fang Knights in covering up the information.

　He knew that Travis would definitely refuse and spread the message in reverse, but he dared to come and deliver the message from the Knights as it was.

　The reason why he didn't refuse to mediate the message was either because he was trying to be righteous towards the Golden Fang Knights, or maybe it was to return the favor.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.

'The business is over. You can decide for yourselves how you want to handle the information I gave you. You haven't been an adventurer for fifteen years, have you?　You can ask the Knights for help, or ask the guild to make a decision: .......

　Dustin dexterously held the two magic spears in one hand and was about to open the door to the room and walk out, but just before he stopped and turned around.

　His ghostly gaze was clearly aimed at me, not at Travis.

'So now you can no longer say that the ground is safe, too. If you're aware of your own weaknesses, it's time for you to be aware of your own defense. It's not as if you can rely on a kid who pretends to be a bodyguard who was kicked out by Norzuri, right?
"Wait, Dustin.

　He gets up from his chair and stops Dustin as he turns to leave the room.

'I don't care what you say about my weaknesses. It's a fact that I can't even bring myself to deny, and I know your character, which is the only way you can talk about it, because I'm well aware of your character.
............
''But, I won't listen to you if you're going to insult my people as well. If you don't intend to recant, I'll crush you to the point of being impossible to [repair], even with a swing of a magic spear?

　Travis floats his hips in a terribly impatient manner.
　I could feel the silent will to immediately interrupt him if anything happened.

　But our standoff was ended when Dustin easily put the contraption away.

'Okay, I take that back. I promise to refrain from mentioning it in the future. Also, I'll have to change my advice.

　Dustin turned his back on me and threw one last word at me.

'If you have feelings for a particular person, never let them die. One loss will make you mourn everything. Whatever those feelings are.
...... I'll keep that in mind.