Well....until the details of the tournament are finalized, I wonder what we'll do...

　As long as the date has not been set, there is only a limited amount of things that can be done, and that is only to check weapons and armor and get your body in shape, but I feel like there is something different about spending time doing just that.

It's a good idea to go to the guild then. It would be a good way to pass the time just to see what kind of requests we have.

'That's true too. I think I might have some interesting requests.

　I decided to follow Grandpa's advice and head for the guild, accompanied by Slarin and the others. Incidentally, only Slarin and his family will be accompanying me to the guild (although Gol and Jill are still stuck in their bags, as usual). Grandpa seems to be planning to enjoy the bath today as well, and he was preparing a change of clothes and other things, while Amur and Blanca are going to prepare for the tournament, respectively. In addition, Hana-san has asked me to refrain from visiting the Viscount's mansion unless I have something to do, because if she sees those two and me meeting frequently before the tournament, there is a possibility that the fairness of the tournament will be questioned.

''So, I came for the time being, but.......there are a lot of people here.

　The guild was quite crowded, with the number of adventurers nearly doubling from the last time he had been here. From the talk that could be heard, it seemed that the quick-tempered ones who had heard the rumors of the tournament were gathering in Nanao.
　Most of the adventurers in the guild were beastmen who seemed to be active in the Southern Autonomous Region, but there were some who seemed to be humanoids and elves, and some of them seemed to know me.
　I was pointed at occasionally, but no one spoke to me, so I proceeded to the bulletin board where the request form was posted. In front of the bulletin board, there was a gathering of people, but they mainly gathered at the place where the high rank requests were posted, so there were fewer than expected in front of the C-rank requests.
　Even so, it wasn't a situation where I could look at it too slowly, so I stripped off the request form that I saw at random and went to the counter. Incidentally, the request that was to be received was for you to investigate and thin out the deer demons.
　The deer demons are numerous and seem to have a voracious appetite, if left unchecked, they will come to the fields we have created near the city and devour the crops. I've heard that even a D-ranked adventurer can defeat them, but they are fast to flee, and searching for them in the forest is troublesome, so this is a C-rank request.

　After receiving the request, I immediately headed for the forest, but an unexpected thing happened when I arrived there. That is.........

I never thought Gol and Jill would be so excited.

　Goll and Jill, who had been cooped up in the bag, started to play in a big way.
　They jumped out of the bag as soon as they arrived in the forest, climbing up a tree, jumping to the next tree, or running around in the branches, but they didn't come back. Fortunately, he seemed to have enough reason left to play in a position where he wasn't too far away from me, but even so, when the rockbird almost kidnapped Gol, his liver went cold.
　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. Maybe if you don't let them play in the woods or something from time to time, they will get stressed out.
　They finally came back to me after playing around for about an hour, but they quickly retreated into their bags. I guess they are basically reclusive, after all.
　After they came back, I started searching for the deer, but I couldn't find them. I tried to look for the deer in the 'search' a few times, but all I could find was a normal deer that wasn't a monster. Well, I heard that deer are also designated as vermin, so I thinned out the deer to secure their meat, but since I was planning to deal with demons, it was not enough.
　When I was moving around while using the 'search' for the umpteenth time, I

Hmm?
Guru...

　Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks when he noticed something. At the same time, Shiroumaru let out a low roar and became ready for battle.
　I guess he had given up on it after Shiroumaru and I noticed it, and it was a huge deer that appeared.

I'm not sure if that's the target this time, but it's still huge. It's not a very good one, but it's not a monster that even a D-rank can defeat.

　Talking to myself, I kept my eyes on the deer, ready to unleash my magic at any moment.
　The deer was about a little smaller than Raiden, and it had huge, magnificent antlers on its head. It looks like a moose, but the tips of its horns are very sharp and the patterns on its body change slightly so that it assimilates into its surroundings, so it is definitely a demon.

It's like it has the skill of 'hiding'. That's why they didn't get caught in the 'search' earlier? Shiroumaru, get behind that guy. Be careful, there might be other individuals around. Slarin asks you to follow Shiroumar. Solomon, look for anyone else hiding in the air..............................Let's go!

Gow.
Cui.

　After I gave them instructions, we each sprang into action. The deer flipped on the spot to get away from us, but because of its huge body, Shiroumar had to go around it first.
　That made me ready, and the deer lowered itself and pointed its antlers at Shiroumaru. I don't know if he forgot about my presence or if he thought Shiroumaru was more dangerous, but since there were so many gaps and his back was turned, he decided to let me attack him from behind without hesitation.

'There's an opening,'

Vo....

　His neck was unprotected due to the fact that he had lowered himself and pointed his antlers towards Shiroumaru, so I cut off his head in one swipe with my halberd from behind. It looked like the deer was trying to intimidate Shiroumaru, but it ended up losing its life before it could finish its cry.

''Gaw...........................Garu?''
Cui, cui, cui!

Gaaaaaah!

　Shiroumaru, who hadn't had a chance to show up, looked disappointed, but he soon noticed Solomon raising his voice as if to let him know what was going on, and with tremendous speed he rushed to the spot Solomon had indicated.

'I knew you had other friends Slarin, let's go collect them.

　He retrieved the deer demon lying in front of him, and he and Slarin chased after Shiroumar. Then, after running for a while, there was a dead deer lying on the ground that Shiroumar had supposedly killed. When he retrieved it and looked up, he saw a dead deer lying a few meters away, and then another dead deer a few meters away... and so on. In the end, there were six deer demons that I retrieved, along with the one I defeated.
　Shiroumaru was sitting and waiting at the last one, looking very satisfied.

'Well done, Shiroumaru,'
Wah.

Is that all the deer you've got?

　Shiroumaru acted on his own and took down the deer before I gave him the order, but in that situation, he would have most likely escaped if I didn't go after him right away, so I guess it was Shiroumaru's fault this time. After a round of praise, I asked if there were any other deer in the area, but Shiroumaru reported that he wasn't there or couldn't find them through his cries and body language.
　No matter how much he had the 'Concealment' skill, he shouldn't be able to fool Shiroumaru's nose, since it doesn't have the effect of eliminating even the smell. Therefore, I believed Shiroumaru's report and decided to return to Nanao. Just to be sure, I decided to have Shiroumaru mark those trees to make him think that there was a powerful demon living around here. This would keep the deer and other vermin, as well as demons weaker than Shiroumaru, out of the area for a while.

　On the way back to Nanao, I searched the area carefully to see if there was anything hiding, but all I could find were ordinary deer, and I didn't hunt them because Shiroumaru was just a little bit threatening, and he was running away like a de-rabbit.

'Excuse me. I have a report to make regarding this request.

'Good evening. What's going on?

　As soon as I entered the guild, I headed to the receptionist, took out the request form and started reporting. Fortunately, the receptionist who was in charge when I received the request was available, and the other side seemed to remember me as well, so she immediately sensed that there was a problem.

'In the request form, there's an explanation to the effect that 'it's a demon that can be dealt with with a D-rank, but it's a C-rank because it's a search in the forest,' and I actually received such an explanation, but the deer demon in the forest that seemed to fall under this request seemed to be difficult to deal with with with a D-rank.'

　For the time being, I wanted to show the demons we defeated as proof, so I asked if there was anywhere I could take out the demons, but they said there was a dismantling place behind the guild, so I decided to invite the guild leaders to check it out as well.
　After being made to wait for a little while, we went to the dismantling place, and a slender tiger beastman man was at the dismantling place before us, and he introduced himself as the deputy head of the guild. There were a few other staff members there as well, and they seemed interested in what they were going to find.

　In the presence of the deputy guild leader, the deputy guild leader and the other staff members brought out all of the deer demons that they had just defeated, and the deputy guild leader and the other staff members said, "Ugh! He was surprised to hear a voice that sounded like this.
　After all, this deer demon was a B-ranked demon called 'Spear Elk'. Common sense dictates that it is not a demon that can deal with a D-ranked adventurer. Moreover, since they acted in packs, this is a request that would be made to multiple A-ranked adventurers or a party of B-ranked or higher.

''I'm sorry! It's completely our fault!

　The deputy guild leader looked at the contents of the request form and the spear elk in front of him and immediately bowed his head. Moreover, as an apology, the guild would dismantle the spear elk and the deer for free. Furthermore, they will buy the spear elk materials to sell to the guild at 20% more than the normal price.
　I was surprised by the sudden low stance and good conditions, am I up to something? But then the deputy guild leader read my face and said

'Actually, I work for the guild here at Hana-sama's request...'

　It seems that this deputy guild leader, who seems to be a distant relative of Hana-san's, has always been a distant relative of Hana-san, and has never been able to think highly of her (or rather, he treats her like a servant).
　I don't know if he's really afraid of Hana-san or not, but when I told him that I would accept his condition, the deputy guild leader had a look of relief on his face, but....

Hmm.

　I froze like a stone statue in response to the sudden voice I heard.

''I recommended you as deputy guild leader to prevent this kind of thing from happening, and you not only made a mistake, but you're trying to squirm away?
No, I didn't mean to cover it up in the least... I mean, why are you here?

　In response to the deputy guild leader's question, Hana smiled and smiled

Do you think it's possible for an organization like the Adventurer's Guild to send only one person from our side?

　It was a matter of time. I don't know who it is, but it means that there is someone in this guild who is like a spy sent by Hana-san. And that spy may have conveyed this matter to Hana-san.

I'll have to talk to you once, for now. This time it was Tenma who received this request, so there was no problem, but if it had been an ordinary C-ranked adventurer, it wouldn't be surprising if someone died. Oh, I've gotten permission from the guild leader for this story (spanking), so you don't have to worry about anything. Now, shall we go?

No!

　The deputy guild leader was dragged out of the demolition station by Hana-san while screaming.

''Temma-sama, if you don't mind, we can do the demolition now, but is the time okay? And do you have a preference for any part of the sale?
''Time is fine. As for the parts for sale I'll sell all but the demon core and the fur of the two cows, since the spear elk are not very tasty. And while you're at it, please dismantle the deer as well.

　The other employees who remained at the dismantling station did not get the slightest bit upset that the deputy guild leader had been taken away, and began to carry out their work in a matter-of-fact manner.
　As expected of a group of demolition professionals, the huge Spear Elk was dismantled in the blink of an eye. Since even the spear elk was like that, the deer was divided into parts and placed on the table in less than ten minutes.
　In the end, the six spear elk were dismantled in a little over an hour by a few staff members, and the ten deer were dismantled in less than thirty minutes.

'Here's the purchase price. Also, as a way of apologizing for this time, we can ask Tenma-sama to take the promotion test for a B-ranked deer, what would you like to do?

　After the deputy guild leader left, the woman who was organizing the staff approached me about a promotion exam for a B rank, but after thinking about it for a bit, I declined this time.
　The woman was surprised that I declined, and asked me why, so I briefly told her

''Since I belong to the Royalist faction, I would like to do my promotion in the Royal Capital. Probably because with this delivery request and my achievements so far, I'll be able to take the promotion test in the Royal Capital guild as well.

　I said. Normally, he would be judged as still lacking in experience, but since he's achieved more than that (winning a martial arts tournament, defeating a coup d'etat, etc.), the guilds of the royal capital would judge him. Or rather, the royal family (especially Maria-sama) would recommend him, or probably do so.
　When the woman heard the reason, she nodded as if she remembered the relationship between me and the royal family and was satisfied.
　Not that there's anything wrong with taking a promotion test outside of the royal capital just because I'm a royalist, but it's more effective to show that I'm a royalist if I report to the royal family before I'm promoted, and above all, that way I won't have to listen to them complain about it later. Mainly Mary's........

It would be a disaster.

　When I returned to the inn and told my grandpa about this request, he held back a laugh as he spoke words of sympathy. Well, if I were in my grandfather's shoes, I would have the same reaction.
　And when I told him that I had been approached about the promotion test in this case, but I refused, he turned around and said it was the right decision with a serious face this time. Apparently, Grandpa also imagined what it would be like to hear Maria and the king complain about him. It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about it.

I'm sorry to interrupt you. It's a very good idea to have a messenger from Hana-sama at the moment, may I pass through?

　They were in the middle of talking when the matchmaker approached me from behind the door. I felt a little uncomfortable when I heard it was a messenger from Hana-san, but I gave her permission to let me through.
　The messenger was not Blanca, as I expected (if it was Blanca in the first place, she would have come here directly without going through the matchmaker), but a subordinate of the Viscount who I recognized but had never spoken to, and the content was that Hana-san wanted to invite me to a dinner party that served as an apology. Originally, it was Hana-san's side that said it was best not to meet up too much until the tournament was over, but since the matter of the guild this time was known to the other adventurers and others, she wanted to take the form of an immediate apology. After hearing that, my grandfather and I agreed, told the messenger of our intentions to participate, asked him for the time, and asked him to leave.

Grandpa, what do you think Slarin and the others should do in this case?

Normally it would be safer to leave them at home, but this time Slarin and his friends are victims, so there's nothing wrong with taking them with you. However, they will have to wait in the bag until permission is given.

　So, we all decided to head there together. Well, out of the three top members of the Viscount family, Amur wouldn't be opposed to having his family members in attendance, and Hana-san seems to like Slarin, so Viscount Lobo won't have anything to say about it if he's just taking him along. In the first place, since Hana-san seems to be the host of this dinner party, she's likely to complain about not taking Slarin along.
　I heard that the Viscount's carriage would be coming to pick us up just before the hour (I said we could walk to it separately, but since we had the Viscount's countenance, the carriage was to be provided, although it was only a few minutes away), so I hurriedly took a bath (as well as Shiroumaru and Solomon), cleaned myself up, and then decided to relax until the hour.

'Temma, Lord Merlin, I apologize for coming out of the blue,'

　When I arrived at the Viscount's house after being rocked for a few minutes by the carriage that had arrived hours ago, I was apologized for my opening by Blanca, who was waiting at the entrance. To briefly explain, because this dinner party was decided on short notice, Hana-san realized that she forgot to check my schedule until after she had finished her preparations.
　Furthermore, Viscount Lobo didn't have very good feelings about me being the guest of honor like last time, and Blanca told me, "My brother might get involved in Temma, but please be as patient as possible.
　If Viscount Lobo and I were to have a fight, people might think that the southern autonomous region was fighting with the royal family.
　If this was a personal quarrel between me and Viscount Lobo, there wouldn't be any problem (although even so, Viscount Lobo would be damaged in many ways), but if this was the position of a royal emissary and the head of the Southern Autonomous Region, it might turn directly into a war between the royal family and the Viscount family.
　That's why Blanca went on to say, "Instead, me and my sister-in-law (Hana-san) will deal with my brother (Viscount Lobo). Incidentally, when they said they would be dealing with him, they also said, "My brother might die but.......it's no use. The culprit at that time would almost certainly be Hana-san.

'Well, I'll keep that in mind too. I'll keep that in mind as well, but I'll leave you in the middle of the show if you've gone too far. And then I'll just walk out of the South.

Please. I'd be more than grateful if you did. That way, at the very least, it'll only take one brother to clean up the mess.

　It's a terrible thing to say, but when you weigh the lives of Viscount Lobo and a large number of lives in the southern boroughs (Sana's weight is probably a large part of it), it was an obvious statement. I have a temper, too, so I'll be really careful.

'I'm sorry I held you back here. I'll take you to the venue and you can follow me.

　After talking for a bit, Blanca began to show us around, as if she remembered her role.
　The place we were taken to was not the room where we met with Viscount Lobo last time, but a room that was even larger than that one. It is said that this is a place used for banquets and celebrations, and although the floor is covered with tatami mats, it is said that you can also have a standing room style party, and if you remove the tatami mats, a wooden floor appears.

'Seats for Temma and Merlin-dono have been prepared for them in the upper section.

　Blanca led us to a table at the far end of the room, pointing to a table at the far end. Viscount Lobo and Hana were sitting at that table, while Sana and Amur were at a table near them. Blanca sat down next to Sana after we had taken our seats, and Viscount Lobo stood up with Hana to watch us.

''I'm sure everyone has heard about this, but due to my inadvertence this time, I have caused discomfort to the royal emissaries, Lord Temma Ootri and Lord Merlin... excuse me, Lord Merlin Ootri. That's why this dinner is my way of apologizing to you both. Normally, I would be rude at a seat like this, but for those reasons, you should enjoy it without bothering the people around you.

We are now going to have a banquet. Cheers.

""Cheers!"

　This is how the dinner party began, but the greeting was a little uncomfortable. The first time Hana-san reiterated Grandpa's name, Grandpa glared at Hana-san (he would deny it, but it was a pretty sharp look in his eyes), but in comparison to the amount of Hana-san's lines, Viscount Lobo's lines were quite small. Perhaps, though, it had something to do with the fact that Hana-san glanced at RoboCubon when he said his last line, 'Don't bother me so much' (which he would deny, but his eyes were sharp enough to give the illusion that the temperature around him had dropped a few degrees).
　In other words, Viscount Lobo had some kind of plan, but he was nailed by Hana-san first, so he ended up greeting her too easily. As far as I can tell, he was probably thinking of something not so bad.
　I still don't know what he was thinking, but he hoped that the food would continue to be good for him. At the very least, I hope that the bloodshed will stop. You may lose your appetite........because you may lose your appetite.