--You can find a number of things to consider when you're looking for a new home.

　There was no reason for me to refuse him, since that was part of my job, but I decided to make sure that I knew one thing.

"Do I have to go to the branch office to deal with this?
Yes, actually: ......

　Natalia pulled a face and whispered to me about the situation.

　...... I see. It's certainly a good idea to go there and talk to the guy in person.

　It's a bit of a rush, but we'll deal with it right away.

''Manager, what's going on at the branch?''
Simply put, it's a sales pitch. We heard that they asked us to sell our products at the White Wolf Store.

　I'll give a brief explanation to an anxious Erica.

　There are no lies mixed in. It's completely correct information.
　I'm just keeping the point about who brought the goods in.

"Erica, Alexia. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to go. Go get Garnett from the warehouse in the back.
'Hey ......!　Luke, do you need garnetting as well?　Leila's off today and Noir's not going to be able to keep her hands off of me!
Then don't worry. I've brought a replacement with me.

　Natalia said quickly and looked towards the entrance of the store.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.










...... So, why are you following me to the store?

　On the way from the main shop to the branch, Garnett twisted his eyebrows and looked back over his shoulder, glaring at Sophia who was walking behind him.

''I just need to go to Hollow Bottom Fortress to inform the Golden Fang Knights of the results of your shop's inspection. Since this is my first time on the road, I thought it would be safer for me to follow those who are familiar with the path.

　Sophia took Garnett's statement in stride.

　The Hollow Bottom branch of the White Wolf Store was run from a rented section of the Adventurer's Guild's Hollow Bottom branch, and the branch's building was half of the Golden Fang Knights' Hollow Bottom Fortress that had been lowered to the ground.

　The series of relationships in writing is complicated by the letters of 'Hollow Bottom', but in essence, the Golden Fang's outpost and our branch office are very close together, and people who have their own business to attend to take the same road.

　It's not a path that would lead one astray, but because of its location, it's understandable that people visiting for the first time would feel uneasy.

　The four of us - myself, Garnett, Natalia and Sofia - had just reached the entrance to the Sundial Forest when Sofia let out a curious mutter while looking around.

''So this is the 'Sundial Forest' ...... It really is just a forest, just a basin, and that's the atmosphere. ......
'It was thought to be just a forest until a professional survey was done, and residents were even going in there on a regular basis.

　The nearest dungeon to Green Hollow Town, the Sundial Forest, is an open basin-like structure consisting of five large levels of steps, which is far from the usual image of a dungeon.

''May I ask you a few questions to confirm the accuracy of your prior information?

　While slowly descending down the neatly maintained forest path that led to the fifth level of the lowest level, Sophia constantly waved a conversation at me.

''First of all, it all started, so to speak, when a dwarf oppressed by the Demon King's army came from the depths of the 'Thousand Year Corridor of the Abyss', an A-ranked dungeon, asking for help, right?
''That's right. They thought it was a dungeon that was just hard to traverse and had nothing to gain, so apparently both the guild and the royal palace were sleep-deprived.

　When I first met Sofia, I was trying to be as polite as possible, but now I try to speak in a normal tone of voice.

　This behavior is in response to a request from Sophia herself, who said that it is not desirable for a knight leader to be humble to his or her members.

I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to get out of it, but I'm going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to get out of it. ...... Is this perception correct?

　It was an accurate explanation, so I shook my head in affirmation.

''There's no doubt about it. All the entrances and exits to the 'Thousand Year Corridor' are blocked now, and only a few people with permission are allowed to enter, so the only regular route is to enter the 'Demon King's Castle Realm' via this 'Sundial Forest'.

　Some of the people with permission are specifically me.

　As long as I don't exceed the maximum amount set by law, I'm allowed to enter the 'Thousand Year Corridor of the Abyss' in order to collect the mithril that makes up the labyrinth's inner walls.

　I heard that there are other survey teams sent by the royal palace to dive into the area, but so far I haven't heard of any results.

''Thank you. And just a few days ago, I heard that you reached a realm even deeper than the 'Demon King's Castle Realm': .......

　Sophia cut off her words there once and tilted her head dubiously.

'Is there no formal name to sum up all of these things?　From the reports I've received, the names of Green Hollow's dungeons and castle-related dungeons were not consistent and strangely confusing.
''Ah, the official name of ...... as a whole has yet to be decided. The Demon Lord's War has just ended and the research has just begun in earnest, so there are a lot of things that are insufficient.

　Certainly, until now, there was no inconvenience in calling it 'Sundial Forest' or 'Demon King's Castle Realm', but if even more layers are being discovered deeper than now, it seems likely that a generic term that encompasses everything will be necessary.

　If we were discussing this idea with only those people who are aware of the sequence of events, including me, it might not have come up very often.

　While we were exchanging such conversations, we arrived at the Hollow Bottom Branch, which stands on the fifth level of the 'Sundial Forest'.

''This facility is divided in front and back across the underground passage, with the forest side being paid off by the Adventurer's Guild to become a branch.
'The underground side is the Golden Fang's Hollow Bottom Fortress. Thank you for your guidance.

　Sofia, who has an errand to run in the fortress, is separated here for once.

　After giving her directions to the underground passage, we said our goodbyes and were about to head to the branch office, which is housed as a shopkeeper (tenant) in the building of the branch, when a girl with a vivacious atmosphere came running up to us, waving her hand.

'Oi!　Garnett, good to see you!　How have you been doing?
Hmm?　Hey, isn't that Ezer? I heard you've been underground for a long time, but you're still alive.
Of course. You're still on the brave side, you're not going to get beaten up that easily.

　Ezell the Brave. She is a girl who was born to be the daughter of some high-ranking nobleman or something, yet she voluntarily obtained the title of a brave person.

　It's also one of the few people who know Garnett's true identity, and he seems to recognize her as a friend of the same s*x.

'...... Hey. You, what happened to your usual sword?
Ha ha ...... It's a long story.

　When Garnett pointed out that he was unarmed, Ezell gave a deceptive smile.

'You're here to meet the 'visitors' from the branch today, aren't you?　Actually, they're my introduction. I'll explain what's going on then, right? ......?