"Thank you for coming, Mr. Helian. I'm sorry I had to call on you."



　Three days after the Dungeon Stampede.

　Helian visited the Count's mansion again, and was told by the Count, who was waiting for him in the guest room. The Count's beloved daughter, Zion, is sitting quietly next to him.



"I have heard from Mr. Biegel, the clan leader of <> ....... I hear that he has done as well as any high-ranking adventurer. He mentioned your names as the biggest contributors. He also said that he would like to thank you in person the next time he sees you.

"I just happened to be there and got involved. If anyone is the biggest contributor, it would be Mr. Biegel. He listened to the opinions of a young man like me, and I was helped by his openness.

"Humble. I hear you had excellent detection skills."

That's her power. I was only a message board.



　He replies, turning his gaze to Celes. Unlike the last time, Celes was free from unnecessary caution, and she bows in response. Compared to the last time, when she had been so guarded, this is a marked improvement.



　The frontier count nodded "hmmm" in response.

　Then, after a short pause, he suddenly said, "Hmmm..." as if inserting a blade,



"-I had intended to abandon the inhabitants of the Labyrinthine District.



　He made such a confession.



"When I received the news of the outbreak of the Dungeon Stampede, I ordered the Knights to lay siege to the Labyrinthine District. I strictly ordered them not to enter the labyrinthine area until the siege was completely over. It was only after the siege was over that we began organizing a rescue team, and I honestly thought that more than half of those who failed to escape from the labyrinthine area would be killed."



　Fortunately, this was not the case.

　The residents who had failed to escape were protected by those who were there with the ability to fight, and a defensive line was established at every turn, and with the help of Helian's group, they succeeded in buying time.



　As a result, the number of deaths was less than 30, a trivial figure in this area, and the damage was kept to a very small scale compared to other cases of labyrinthine outbursts, according to the publicity report. This is almost an accomplishment in light of the tragic cases in history.



　However, this is only a result of the situation.

　From the very beginning, the frontier counts have been operating based on the decision to cut down the small and make the most of the large. He immediately decided to abandon the residents of the labyrinthine district based on the first report of the labyrinthine outburst.

　That is what he is talking about.



"Aren't you angry with me for such a decision?"



　There is no change in the count's expression.

　His cheerful smile had now faded.

　Helian gives a simple answer to the frontier count who asks him a simple question.



"No. I can understand the choice of a person who governs a city.



　Yes. That's understandable enough.

　In fact, the response of the frontier count was probably the best solution.

　The nature of "Dungeon Stampede" is not a natural disaster such as a fire or an earthquake, but more like a biological disaster (biohazard).

　And when a biohazard occurs, the most important thing is to prevent the spread of damage.



　The rescue of people left behind inside is a story beyond that.

　In this sense, the response of the frontier counts is right to a great extent.



　Unlike some other person who could not stand it, he was the ruler of this city and made a calm and proper decision.

　In the first place, it is not a matter for me, a stranger, to interfere.



"I see. No, it was a trivial question. Forget it."



　As soon as the frontier count told him this, his expression changed.

　Up to this point, we were just chatting.

　Helian puts pressure on his gut, knowing that this is where he is supposed to start.



"Well, the reason I've called you here is nothing else. Now, the reason I called you here is for one thing: I want to ask for your help in the case we have just had. Specifically, I would like you to accept a request from me.



　Request (Quest). A contract between a client and an adventurer through an adventurer's guild or other organization.



　Adventurers in this world undertake almost any kind of work. In a broad sense, adventurers can be called "jack-of-all-trades," although most of their work requires military force. And while being a jack-of-all-trades, he is also a specialist.



　Typical examples are abyss seekers, who specialize in exploring the abyssal forests, and searchers, who are experts at diving into labyrinths. There are also hunters, who gather various materials in the wilderness, and soldiers, who take care of all combat-related tasks.



　However, the Herrians in this land are traveling merchants.

　They are not adventurers.



I am sorry, but we are only traveling merchants. We do not intend to trade in military force at this time. ......"

"We are aware of that. But at the moment, we have no one else to turn to but you. Just listen to what I have to say."



　The Count of the Frontier picked up a goldsmith's cup from the table and wet his tongue.



"The situation regarding the labyrinthine outburst has been settled. The city has been restored to normalcy for the time being after I have declared the situation under my name. However, the situation has not yet been brought to an end.



　The labyrinthine runaway is the end result of the destabilization of the magical elements. All the demonic beasts that overflowed outside the labyrinth have been defeated, but the labyrinth itself is still in an unstable state. Therefore, the frontier count says that it is urgent to deal with this problem.



"There are two possible ways..."



　Sitting deeply on the sofa, he held up the index finger of his right hand.



"First. The first is to seal the labyrinth itself from the outside. This one is easy. The pilgrimage to the temple has already been completed, so we can seal it right away.



　The labyrinth had been showing signs of unrest, so the rituals had been accelerated from the usual schedule, and it had paid off," said the frontier count with a wry smile.



"However, once the seal is placed, it cannot be unsealed for at least six months, and naturally, during that time, we will not be able to collect the magic stone. We have a reasonable stockpile, but it's not a very pleasant situation. I can easily imagine a future where the idiots of the peaceful kingdom will intervene for the sake of their interests.



　The index finger remains in place, and the frontier count raises an additional middle finger.



"And the second. To go into the unstable labyrinth and perform a ritual to stabilize the magical elements at the altar on the 30th level - the "tuning" ritual. If the first means is to postpone the problem, this is a radical cure. The problem is that Zion himself, who performs the attunement, has to dive into the labyrinth himself.



　In other words, we have to throw our beloved daughter into the labyrinth while the magical elements are disordered and the labyrinth is overflowing with magical beasts.

　Helian remains silent, but for the time being, he remains willing to listen to the end.



"I am inclined to take the latter course of action," he says.



　The frontier count announced in a matter-of-fact tone.



"Even though we succeeded in repelling the attackers, it was only a short time after the attack from the demon realm, and a labyrinthine outburst occurred, which has never happened in the past several hundred years. The people were more than a little upset. --But it can be treated as a minor incident now.



　Deaths have indeed occurred.

　It was an unfortunate event.




　However, the damage was very small, and this was not an incident to make a big fuss about.



　We will treat it as such.



"We can do that if we declare the situation over within three days. We need to get this thing over with. The Border City Seals must not waver."



　They were the words of a rock as a lord, as a family of heroes, as a ruler of the Boundary City of Shields.



　I know what you mean.

　The labyrinth in this world is a precious resource of magic stone.

　It is similar to how we treat mines on earth.



　Although the mining accident "Dungeon Stampede" occurred, fortunately - I would say unexpectedly - both human casualties and property damage were minor.

　The announcement of the settlement in the name of the Frontier Count has kept the confusion among the residents to a minimum.

　As long as the cleanup of the accident is completed quickly, the town will be restored to its normal state of calm.



　The only problem is that they are putting their beloved daughter (Zion) in danger to deal with the aftermath.



"......I must reiterate once again that we are nothing more than merchants. We are in the wrong field. We are not confident enough to take care of your daughter, nor can we be responsible for her."

"No problem. At least you don't have to be responsible for my daughter's safety.



　The words were so simply spoken that it took my breath away.

　The Count of the Frontier had just told him that he did not need to worry about whether Zion was alive or dead.



"I'm not going to ask you to escort me in the first place. I will have the knighthood to protect my daughter.

So, what do you need from me?

"In a nutshell, it's a clearing house. In other words, this is not a request for an escort, but a request to take down a target. However, the target is not a specific individual, but all the demons encountered in the labyrinth. Until my daughter reaches the altar, I would like you to eliminate any enemies that may stand in her way.



　In other words, division of labor.

　The knights are to escort only, and Helian is to defeat only.

　The Herrians will have no command over the knights, and the knights will have no command over the Herrians.



"You do not need to protect Master Theon?"

Yes. I will not hold you responsible for my daughter's death, even if it means she has to die a horrible death. I will also put that in the contract."



　So the knights and Zion himself are responsible for this.

　When Hellián looked at Sion, who was sitting next to the Count of the Frontier, she nodded her head in affirmation with a calm expression on her face.



"I am still a Gardiner woman. Why would she be so selfish as to stay in the house now that the SEALs are in trouble?

"I mean it, Herian."



　Of course, it seems that the matter has been discussed in private.

　It is hard to imagine from the doting way he treated Theon on the first day when he sent him home, but I guess he means that Glen Gardiner here is not his father but a lord. And Zion also seems to take it for granted.



　I wonder if it is possible to separate the two. ......

　With these thoughts, the image of Leifa and Lillifa flashed through my mind.



"Well, I've said a lot of things, but the truth is I'm not that worried. I am sure that a skilled labyrinth seeker (searcher) who is familiar with the labyrinth here can traverse the 30 or so levels without any problems. In fact, Zion has experience of having dived to the 30th level with the Knights protecting him before.

"...... what if we decline the offer?"

"In that case, we will have to give up and seal the labyrinth. The knights we currently have in the SEALS are excellent, but there are few outstanding ones with outstanding power. Even so, I do not think there will be any problem in the near future, but we just had the case of Behemoth. I don't want them to challenge "tuning" without an insurance policy just in case."



　So they are prepared to stop the supply of magic stones.

　And there seems to be no option but to wait until the main forces on standby in the border area can be recalled.

　As the frontier count himself said, this matter needs to be "settled as soon as possible".

　At least, that is the judgment of the ruler of this city.



"............"



　Helian remains silent and picks up a teacup to buy time for a response.

　The contents of the cup were losing heat as she sipped it.

　It seemed that some time had passed.

　Feeling the warmth of the swallow in her throat, Hélian considers what to say in return.



　Perhaps," she says, "the supply of magic stone will be delayed, but it will be all right.



　Although this world lags behind in the development of industrial technology, it has made some progress in the development of magical tools. No, the necessity of industrial technology is low because of the existence of magic tools. Although they are a few generations behind the Alkimyra's tools, they are certainly used to support daily life, such as water supply, light source (electricity), heat source (gas), and so on.

　And in general, those kinds of magic tools consume magic stones as fuel.



　If that is the case, it is hard to believe that this frontier count who sits in front of us does not take any measures on a daily basis. They must have emergency measures in place, such as stockpiling for emergencies, and even distribution from the kingdom, with which they do not seem to have a good relationship.



　However, as is the case with Alkymyra, which is striving to improve its food self-sufficiency due to the adverse effects of its sudden transfer, a decrease in resource self-sufficiency will lead to instability in the situation.



　For Alkimayrra, the SEALS are a planned base of operations in the human domain. They do not want the situation there to be unstable. In fact, they explained this reason to their followers up front and changed their original plan to intervene in this case.



　This completely ruined Helian's personal plan to keep a low profile and act steadily. He is now in a position where he can no longer say that he is just a traveling merchant practicing negotiations. It is unacceptable that his interests as an alkimaira should be further undermined.

　And considering the fact that he has attracted the attention of the people, there is no other choice but to modify his plan so that he can sell his favor to the frontier count and gain prestige among the local people in order to gain [control].



　He lets out a heavy sigh at the conclusion he has drawn in his mind.

　Helian puts the empty cup down on the saucer and asks a question to the Count of the Frontier.



"May I make a request regarding the reward for the accomplishment of the ...... request?"



　The frontier count nodded his head in satisfaction.









　　　　+ + +









　The matter was settled, and after exchanging detailed terms, Hélien left the house.

　As for the compensation he had requested, he felt strongly that "at least this much is non-negotiable," but surprisingly the frontier count readily agreed to his request. I thought I had made a rather brazen request, but it seems that he has deep pockets. Or perhaps he is taking the situation that seriously.



　I felt mentally exhausted after another meeting with the highest authority, but there was no time to whine about being tired. After having Ceres deploy the soundproofing technique, Hélian flips a switch in his head and tells his followers.






"--As you've heard. I'm fed up with this series of unscheduled events, but I can't complain. In order to stabilize the situation in the border city of Shields, which is the planned base of operations in the human realm and a key point in the human realm, we will participate in the labyrinth search."

"Ha."

"The frontier count said he wants to get this over with quickly, and I completely agree with him. As was the case when we dealt with the labyrinthine outburst, you can expose your abilities as long as they are up to the middle rank of C. Let's get this little matter over with.



　The three followers expressed their agreement in a single voice.



"By the way, the results of our assessment of your fighting ability from the battle the other day. How accurate do you think they are?　Ceres."

"As for the frontier counts, I don't think I have exposed all of them, but I think I have been able to detect 80% of their basic combat ability (status). As for knights and adventurers, I am 90% sure.



　Browse the in the that has been opened in your field of vision.

　The threat level (rank) of the knights and adventurers displayed there is usually D, with the occasional lower C-ranked knight or adventurer. The threat level (rank) of Glen-Gardiner, who is called the "Earl of the Holy Sword", was also ranked as low as B (minus).



　Even if there are some basic combat abilities (status) that we have not been able to detect, and some moves that have not yet been shown, even taking them into account, the highest rank of B (plus) is probably the highest limit for mankind.



　The frontier counts who have a personal combat power close to that of fairy dragons are extraordinary, but they are still B-ranked. Although his fighting power is far beyond that of humans, even the Count of the Sacred Sword, who is regarded as the greatest hero of mankind, is not a threat to the Alkimaira.



"In other words - even the humans who won the war against the elves in the past do not have the strength to threaten the Alkimaira.



　This confirms the fact that Alkymyra has an absolute military advantage. Whatever the circumstances, one of our goals has been almost accomplished.



"............"



　Just before passing through the central district, Helian turned around with only the movement of his head.

　At the end of the wide boulevard, which is wide enough for ten carriages to stand side by side, is a frontier count's mansion that rises like a castle.

　Helian closes his eyes and sees the two leaders.



　--Glenn Gardiner is the great leader of the people.

　He is a ruler with firm resolve backed by solid faith, the head of an old family that has ruled the centuries-old border city until now, and a hero who is the protector of mankind.



　--Leifa-Rim-Lattestwood is the heart and soul of the people.

　She is the symbol of Latestwood, who has an indomitable spirit that will never break no matter what situation she finds herself in, and who, at only fifteen years of age, does not curse her own misfortune, but strives to fulfill her duties as queen.



　--So, how about yourself?



　Tsukasa Misaki (Helian) has neither the conviction nor the fighting strength of Glenn Gardiner, nor the fortitude and royal pride of Leifa Lim-Lattestwood.

　What kind of leader should Helian-Edda-Elsinok aim for as a king who follows a demon who is not even human?



"Master Helian?"

"...... No, nothing."



　Helian looked forward to escape the quizzical gaze of Levee.

　With her unanswered questions, she fixes her face in front of her, trying not to look down, and walks toward her temporary lodging.



　--And then...

　And then, facing away from her, Levee opens her mouth as if to appeal for something, but gives it up with a slightly lowered brow. Hélian did not notice it until the end.







　　　　+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +







　--The next morning.

　The next morning, when the Herrians visited the labyrinth, the most important facility in the labyrinth district, they saw the knights preparing themselves in an orderly fashion. Even though they arrived 30 minutes before the scheduled time, they were ready to go at a moment's notice.



　In front of the entrance to the labyrinth, there were two men dressed differently from the knights.

　One of them, a man with a familiar bald head, greets Helian and the others with a raised arm and a "Hey.



"Thanks for the help the other day, young master.

"...... Mr. Biegel?"

Don't call me Mister, it makes my ass itch. Just Biegel will do. Good day to you, young master and the three of you."

"So, if you are the guide in the labyrinth..."

It's us. We're the ones who made it to the deepest level. Leave it to us to figure out the traps and all that other nastiness.



　His partner, standing next to him, raised his hand as if to say, "Hi.

　He has a spear in his hand, which he did not have before.

　Biegel was also wearing a long sword, and was dressed in scale armor.

　His armor, with its many scars and scars, shows that he has fought many battles.



"I would have enjoyed my vacation if I could, but I can't refuse a request from the Count of the Sacred Sword. Besides, I always repay my debts as soon as possible. I will do my job properly.



　With a thump on his chest, he and his partner grinned at each other.

　The fact that Biegel, an adventurer who is not supposed to belong to a city and a person who is a part of the community, is able to say such a line to him shows that the frontier count is well-liked.



Thank you for your kind attention, Mr. Helian.



　A path formed when the knights split to the left and right. Theon, who had just stepped out of the center of the path, called out to us. He wears a see-through veil on his head and a ceremonial costume of white and azure.



"My pleasure. Though I am a small person, I will work as hard as I can. Mr. Sion."



　He was aware of the eyes of the knights, and he renewed his tone of voice and bowed his eyes.

　It seems that all the personnel for the labyrinth attack are now in place.



　In front of the wide-opened entrance to the labyrinth, the attack team regrouped.

　Helian and his party were in the front, the two labyrinth explorers standing side by side, and Zion in the center of the knights who had formed a circle behind them.



"Well then, ladies and gentlemen. From now on, we are going to perform the "tuning" ceremony. I sincerely hope that each of you will do your part for the Seals.



　Those present returned their affirmation in their own way.

　Under the command of Zion, the daughter of the Count of the Frontier, they all entered the labyrinth.