It was about a week after Cecilia's departure from our home.

　On that day, my three students and I were visiting the heroes' guild for a quest to conquer the Demon King.

　As we were looking for the quest to conquer the demon king in front of the bulletin board, one of the female staff members of the guild saw me and ran up to me.

　The woman made a slight hesitant gesture and asked me something like this.

You know, Brett, ......, you know Cecilia, right?

"Yes, well. What's wrong with Cecilia?　Huh!　I don't think she's finally done something. ......!　Where is she now?　As soon as I find her, I'll beat her up, restrain her, and lock her up!　I'm really sorry about my Cecilia!

　I bowed my head reflexively as I said that.
　I had been living with her for a while now, so I had developed a sense of kinship.

　But the female staff member smiled as if troubled.

No, it's not like that. I mean, 'our Cecilia' is .......

"Oh, no, I mean, Cecilia, she's been living with us lately.

"What?　Brett, you've been living with Cecilia?

No, it's nothing like that. I'm also living with my students. I'm also living with my students, and I asked Cecilia-san to live with my students.

"With my students?　All four of you together?　I'm sure you're not the only one who has a problem with that.

　The female staff member who was biting at me was slapped on the back of the head by another female staff member who was walking up behind her.

　The one who was out of control said, "Ouch! ......" and became teary-eyed. When prompted to "get to the point," the one who made the comment said, "Oh, right," and stuck out her tongue.

　And then the first female employee turned to me and said.

Mr. Brett, Cecilia went on a quest and hasn't come back. She must have gone to a village about half a day from here, but it's been almost a week and we haven't heard anything. ......

　The female employee tells me with a worried expression.
　The staff member who had told her also looked worried, though in a cool manner.

　It's certainly a bit worrisome that she left for a village half a day's drive away and hasn't returned in a week, and that she hasn't contacted us.

　The content of the quest - the extermination of the Demon Lord itself is usually completed within a day, and even if it takes longer due to some irregularity, it is usually completed within a few days.

　Also, once the Demon Lord Hunter receives a quest, the relationship between the Hero's Guild and the Demon Lord Hunter becomes that of a job orderer and a job recipient.

　So if it is going to take much longer than expected, it is common sense to inform the hero's guild using a magic calling tool as soon as it is known.

　It's hard to imagine that Cecilia would neglect to contact the guild, because she's the type of person who is always on top of things.

You've tried contacting the brave men's guild as well, right?

Yes. I tried calling Cecilia's registered number several times, but I couldn't get through. ......".

　Hmm .......
　I'm sure you can understand why I would want to suspect that something unusual is going on.

"What kind of demon king did Cecilia-san go to exterminate?

　I asked, and the staff member waved his hand in the air.

"Oh, no. The quest you received, Cecilia-san, was not a quest to defeat a demon king. It's a 'general quest', and you're asked to investigate the disappearance of a number of boys and girls in the village. ......

Oh, so it's a general quest. ...... No, not really, anyway.

Yes. It's strange that we haven't heard from you one way or the other. ......

　I'm sure you'll agree with me.

The "general quests" are the quests other than the one to kill the Demon King.

　A part of the country's defense budget is allocated to the brave men's guild and the Demon Lord hunters who receive quests from the guild are expected to maintain the country's security in general, including this and that in addition to exterminating the Demon Lord.

　In the case of incidents that occur in various parts of the country and are expected to be dangerous if handled by ordinary people, the nearby heroes guild may be asked to take over.

　And certainly, if there are a number of boys and girls missing in the village, even if you don't know what the cause is, you can predict in advance the possibility that a certain amount of danger will befall the place you are investigating.

　If you're not sure what you're looking for, you might want to check out this website: .......

You can find a lot of people who are interested in this kind of thing. I'm not sure what to make of it.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.　I can't stay like this. I'll go right now! I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one.

"Ah, .......

　I can imagine that scene very clearly.

　That's true, that person would go.
　I'm sure she'd go for it, hoping for some kind of romance to start there.

　But in any case, a brave person like Cecilia would probably be able to handle a few irregularities on her own and come back, and it's still strange that she hasn't contacted me for almost a week.

　The other side of the coin also popped into my mind for a moment, but I want to believe that she has enough sense not to actually commit a crime.
　But I want to believe that he is sensible enough not to actually commit a crime, let alone a joke like the one he made with me, where he attacked me with a plan to resist and make a joke.

　Incidentally, I also tried to call Cecilia's number that I knew, using my magic calling tool, but I couldn't get through.

"Still no connection? ......

"Yeah, no luck. What am I going to do now?

　I put my hand on my chin and thought.

　As an acquaintance, I'm curious about Cecilia.
　If she's half a day away from here, I can go check on her directly.

　However, even if she's missing, it's possible that there's been some kind of mistake and she'll just come back without a hitch after a while.

　There is no way to say that the lack of communication is not also caused by the accidental loss of a magical communication device somewhere.

　But...



　Somewhere inside of me, a gut feeling was ringing a warning bell.

　I feared that if I didn't go look for Cecilia here and now, I would regret it for the rest of my life.

"Hey brother, Cecilia, what's wrong with ......?

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.

　This is a great way to make sure you are getting the most out of your time and money.

　...... That's right.

　They're not strangers to Cecilia anymore.
　If they heard she was missing, they would be worried.

　Okay...

All right. So, you three, I'm sorry, but can we not do the Demon Lord slaying exercise today?　I'm going to go check on the village. You know the way back to the village, right?　You guys wait at home for a while, okay?

　I tell my three students.

　And they nodded their heads.
I don't know what he's talking about," they said.

　Is that ......?
　Did I say something funny?

"Um, sir ......?　Why are we staying at home?　I think we should go with the teacher to look for Cecilia-san.

"Hmm ......?

　It was my turn to nod my head.

No, because this is not an exercise.　I don't know what's going to happen, and I don't know if I can protect you guys if something does happen. There's too much uncertainty to involve you guys.

　I replied, and this time Maifa grabbed my hand.

I'm not a big fan of ......, brother. I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure you'll understand. ...... We want to help you. We want to help you. ...... And we're worried about your sister Cecilia, too. I want to go with you to find her.

I don't know what to say. I have a responsibility as a teacher. ......

I'm sure you're not the only one. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this. ...... And you, brother, have no business protecting us when the three of us are losing.

　I'll be back.
　I'm not sure what to do.

I'm sure you're not the only one who has a problem with this.

It's not different, sir!　We can already protect ourselves!　And if we need someone to protect us, then the other Demon Lord hunters won't be able to operate in the first place. Isn't that right?

"Mmm. ......

　I'm sure you'll agree with Iris's assertion.

　Rio, Iris, and Maifa are all more than capable of being full-fledged Demon Lord hunters.
　They are no longer poor apprentices who cannot get around properly without my protection.

　In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a number of things you can do.

　I'm not sure what to make of this.

　I chuckle when I realize that.

　I hope that they will be able to stand on their own, but I can't help it if I can't keep my hands off them.

"...... Okay. Then the four of us should go look for Cecilia-san.

"Yes!

　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

　So, I took Rio, Iris, and Maifa to the village where Cecilia had disappeared.