Devastated?

　I can't help but raise an eyebrow at the not-so-casual words.

'What do you mean by that?　What's the localized disaster?
No ... it's artificial.
Is it possible that ... a foreign country tried to attack us?
'No, that's not true either. Or rather, my words were wrong. We know that it was the work of someone else but the identity of that person is vague.

　A hint of confusion could be seen on Natalie's face.
　The Guild doesn't seem to have any accurate information yet either.
　Still, they'll have a lot more information than me, who knows nothing about it.
　I'm going to find out what it is.

'I don't know what's going on here,' he said. Why don't you start by telling me what you're talking about?
'Yes, well I'm sorry. I guess things were just too confusing on my end.
I don't have a choice.

　One village has been destroyed.
　It's hard to stay calm after being told such things.

'It all started with a story about a merchant.

　Natalie opens her mouth quietly.
　Everyone listened intently, including me.

'The merchant was doing business with the people of Pagos. Pagos dealt in textiles as a specialty, and they had an exclusive contract with the merchant. Every month, on the same day of the month, the Pagos people would leave the village and go to the merchant to sell their textiles... but for some reason, this month, the villagers didn't seem to show up at any time.
....
'The merchant wondered, and decided to visit Pagos. Pagos was a week's walk from River End.......................and arrived without incident.

　Suddenly, the villagers have lost contact with each other.
　A devastated village.
　This alone shows that something unusual and unusual is happening.

　It's just.....

　From the look on Natalie's stiffened face, things seem more serious.
　I'm just listening to the story, but I'm naturally nervous.

'I heard that the houses were destroyed, burned down.......and the whole village was in shambles, as if a war had happened. And ... the bodies of the villagers.
Terrible....

　Kanade looked like he was about to cry as he seemed to imagine the scene.

'Fortunately ... or should I say, there were survivors. The merchant asked the survivors what had happened. The villagers all said, "The devil has risen... The Devil has risen....
Devil...?
What... what's that?　A figurative... thing?

　Nina tilts her head slightly.

''I don't know.......we, the guild, heard from the villagers, but we could only hear the same thing......they were all in a state of panic. It must have been a very frightening experience.
"...Did the Guild just listen to you?
'No, no way. I can't say it's enough yet, but we've done all the research we can. We went back through the history of Pagos to find out if there were beings called demons or not... and that part of it.
The result?
...the devil is real.

　Natalie gave a small nod with a nervous look on her face.

''After reviewing the literature in Pagos, the past records of the surrounding area... and many other things, I have come to the conclusion that demons exist.
The devil...
You don't know that guy's name or anything?　Or, I mean, if they're demons, are they demons?
'I'm sorry, we haven't figured that out yet...'

　At Kanade's question, Natalie gave him an apologetic look.

'However, I am certain that there is something called a demon. That demon, according to the people of Pagos, seems to have been sealed in the mountains. Something happened, and that seal was broken. And then.....
You attacked the Pagos?
'Yes. That will be the Guild's position.
....

　The expression on his face is naturally grim.
　A being of immense power was unleashed to be sealed away.
　The danger of this was proven by the destruction of Pagos.

　.........Maybe this is a bigger case than I thought.

''Currently, the Guild is using all of its resources to investigate the demon. As of now, we don't know anything about its appearance or purpose, but.......the demon is an opponent that seems to have destroyed an entire village and caused a large number of casualties. It would be too optimistic to think that nothing will happen at this point.
Yeah.
'The Guild has identified this one as an urgent request. If left unchecked, it could cause damage not only to Pagos, but to other cities as well. So, we will do everything in our power to deal with it. The main way we plan to do that is to form three squads to work on it.
Meow?　Three?
First, a team to investigate the identity and purpose of the demon. Secondly, a team to find out how to seal the demon. And then there's the team that will take out the demon.

　I see.
　So it's not just about defeating them, it's about attacking them from all angles.
　The reason for examining their background and purpose is to see if we can't find a compromise.
　The reason for examining the seal is for insurance in case we fail to defeat them.

　The guild seems to recognize the demon and that sort of thing as a complete 'enemy'.
　........Well, that's just as well.
　After all, it's the guy who destroyed a village.
　Although its true identity is unknown, there is no doubt that it is a harmful existence for people.

"Mr. Shroud.

　Natalie looked straight at me.

'I can't deny that this case is dangerous. On top of that, I dare to ask you. Please, could you help me?
It's...
''Mr. Shroud... no, I have a feeling that Mr. Shroud would be able to resolve this matter without incident... could I ask you to do so?

　From what I've heard, this request is dangerous.
　I'm honestly not sure I'd be comfortable involving everyone in this, if it were just me.

　But....

....

　It reminded me of home.

　This time the enemy this demon or whatever it was destroyed Pagos.
　I can see the same thing in my hometown.
　I don't feel like this is something I'll have to deal with.

　We can't just leave him there.
　But we're going to get everyone...

All right!
Kanade!

　When I'm unsure of how to answer, Kanade answers on his own.

''Leave it to us. We'll take care of it!
Hmm.... I'll do my best.

I'm sure Rain is looking out for us, but that's what I call being an afterthought.

'Yes, yes!　We're just going to help with that. Tania, Sora, Luna, Tina, all of them, we'll never complain about it.
I need you to be more... dependable.
Huh.

　I was more than a little shocked by Nina's words.

　I thought I was thinking of everyone else but....
　Maybe you didn't trust them, in fact, you didn't trust them.
　Don't just think about keeping them away from you because they're dangerous, and don't try to spoil it...
　So, we're on the same side, right?

''Well yeah, I guess. You two are right.
Well.....
'I'm going to take on this request. I can't leave it alone, and I don't know if it's going to be solved by leaving it alone... and, more importantly, I don't feel like a stranger. That's why I want to do whatever I can to solve this problem. Can you help me with that?
Yeah.

　Kanade and Nina smiled and nodded together.
　I'm sure everyone else who isn't here will respond with a smile as well.

　Really, I was able to meet some good friends.
　If this is fate, then I feel like thanking fate.

"Well then, does that mean you'll accept the job?
Yeah, I'll take care of it.

　I nodded firmly in response to Natalie's question.

'Thank you!　With the addition of Mr. Shroud and his team, I'm sure they will succeed!
You're exaggerating.
'No, no, no, I'm not exaggerating. The Shrouds are the heroes of Horizon!　With the addition of those shrouds, I'm sure we'll be able to fulfill this request successfully.

　I don't want you to be a hero.
　It's too hard to be a hero.

Besides I believe in Mr. Shroud myself.

　Smiling, Natalie smiles.
　Unlike before, it's a vaguely warm smile.

''Nyaa........''

　For some reason, Kanade gets a wary look on his face when he sees this.
　Why?

'Well let's get back to the point, what are we supposed to do?　We're going to split into three groups, right?

　An investigation team that investigates the identity and purpose of demons.
　A defeat team that fights against the demon.
　An exploration team to find a way to seal up the demon.

　Where are we going to be assigned?

It's not a real decision yet, so I'm just going to make a prediction that Mr. Shroud and his team will probably be assigned to an investigation team.
Meow?　Aren't you on a strike team?

　It seemed that he was ready to fight, and Kanade looked a little out of sync.

'I think we can take out a demon or anything else, though. And even if it's dangerous, it doesn't matter.
All the squads are just as dangerous.
'Yes, Natalie, you're right.

　The probe team will naturally approach the demon to find out about it, so there should be a certain amount of risk involved.
　The exploration team looking into how to seal it could be interfered with by the demon.
　Not to mention the defeat team.

　When I explained that, Kanade popped his palm with a satisfied look on his face.

Nyang-woo. It's hard work everywhere, isn't it?
That's what I'm talking about.
I know this request is going to be the hardest thing you've ever asked for but please do me a favor.

　Natalie said, and bowed her head deeply.