'Well, Leon. Before we hear from the guild leader, I'd like to ask you about those adventurers from earlier?
No, they're... well...

　I was ushered into the noble room at the back of the guild, and as everyone sat down in their chairs, I asked Rion a question about what I had just said. Rion didn't seem to be able to answer, as if he was wondering how he should answer.

'The adventurers you just mentioned are the ones who were staring at Tenma-sama and the others when they were in the reception area, right?　They are all related to the soldiers who were punished for the Kukri village. They're not close immediate family members, but they're more like distant relatives or best friends.

Hey!

''Master Rion, I don't mind. The Frontier Count family is completely responsible for that incident. The Borderland Earlords only punished the culprits responsible for their actions. If you have a grudge against the Borderline Earl, it's not right to have a grudge against the victim, Lady Tenma. If those people wanted to harm Master Tenma for that, as the head of Shellhide's Adventurer's Guild, I would cut their heads off. Not in a metaphorical sense, but in the true sense of the word.

　And yet, when the guild leader said that he would easily cut off the adventurers, Rion stood up with a surprised look on his face for a moment, but he quickly sat back down in his chair.

''Have you forgotten, Master Rion?　Because of those people's relatives and best friends, this guild was on the verge of bankruptcy, right?　Honestly, it's a wonder we were able to rebuild. And yet, if you're going to let this guild go down the path of bankruptcy once again, it's only natural to take steps beforehand.

　That mindset would be normal for a head of a guild. This guild chief isn't siding with me, it's just that he chooses the one that ends up being good for this guild.

''So, the reason you had a part of the wyvern out there is because you needed to advertise it to the other adventurers who were there? Maybe you expected me to show my head?

'Yes. It could have been wings or a torso, but I knew that the head was almost the only thing I could think of for the ease and appearance of getting it out. Anyone who saw the head of a wyvern in that place would talk about it in various places when they went to other guilds. Because it would be more believable if they heard it from a third party than if we advertised it.

That's what the real client wants, isn't it?　

Yeah.

　This guild leader seems to think more like a merchant than an adventurer.

''Just so you know, I don't think you'll be using this guild much, right?

Still, Master Temma's 'one time' and their 'number of accomplishments so far and in the future' cannot be compared.

　I don't know if I should say that much to the adventurers in my place, but for me, I'd be grateful for that, as it seems to be easier to understand and less likely to be followed. Well, I don't want to use it again and again.

''Then, now that we've finished talking, this is the reward for this time. Two million Gs for the achievement and eighteen million Gs for the delivery of the other parts, for a total of twenty million Gs. Please confirm.

　The guild leader had them bring two bags of rewards and placed them in front of me as he explained.

''That's quite a bit higher than the market rate.

We do include the use of publicity.

　I was convinced by that answer, and when I put them in my magic bag without counting the number of copies, the guild leader let out a voice that sounded impressed for a moment.


''Hey, Temma. What is the difference between Temma's 'once' and those people's 'number of future achievements'?　And what's the cost of using the publicity?

　As soon as I walked out and left for a bit after being sent off by the guild leader, Jeanne immediately asked me about that.

I think that my one time was such that other adventurers would think that I had reconciled with the Frontier Count family, and their 'past and future accomplishments' are the possibility that the adventurers who were there in the past would return to the Frontier Count territory that I had reconciled with in the future. Even if they were to leave the frontier county in the future because they were dissatisfied with the frontier county family that had reconciled with me, they probably think that as long as the veterans come back, it won't be a problem. Maybe they've already done enough to pass my coming on to their old friends.　I think I'm going to tell the other guilds that the cost of using the publicity is that I mentioned my name then, and that I received a request in the frontier county territory to deliver the wyvern in its entirety.

Well, I suppose that's true. And I'm sure there's also the 'Close your eyes for any information that might be of some use to the Countess of the Frontier or the Guild.

It's kind of unassuming, but more like a merchant than the head of an adventurer's guild.

It's very clever.
Mmm!

　After listening to me and grandpa, Jeanne seemed to have roughly the same impression as me, but I think Aura and Amour are just saying it appropriately. Because before I knew it, there was a skewer in their hands, and the oil from the skewer was on their mouths.
　It's a good idea to buy them as soon as you get out of the guild and eat them as if nothing had happened.

I think it's time for us to split up.

　Grandpa is going to go separately after the Adventurer's Guild, as planned.

''All right. Make sure you're back in time for dinner.
Hmm. And Temma doesn't want you to take Jeanne and the others to the weirdest places.

I'm good to go.

　I pretended I didn't hear something Amur said, but I pretended I didn't hear it and glared at my grandpa for saying something unnecessary. Grandpa didn't care that I was glaring at him, he laughed and dizzyingly walked away from me, peeking at the storefronts around him.

'Well then, let's go.

No, I'm not taking you to that place.

'Yes, Temma. If you were to go to a store like that in Shellhide, you'd be in Edilia-san's ear. No matter how insecure Rion is about the quality of his head, he's not that much of a stone... right?　It's okay, right, Leon?

I'm not stupid enough to be that stupid!
''Well, Rion's main battleground is the royal capital. Now, how about we start by wandering around the main street and having a meal at a restaurant we like?

　We agreed with the proposal (except for Rion and Cain), and we walked down the main street with Albert, the proponent, leading the way. Rion, who was disrupted by Cain's pace, mumbled something like, "It's my hometown.......", but since he couldn't produce anything better than Albert's proposal, he followed behind quietly.

　Although 'Shellhide' is the largest city in the frontier county territory, the bustle of activity was the same as or slightly above Gunjo City. It's not a bad thing, but it's still only half as busy as it was in its heyday, according to Leon.

The only question is how much activity can be brought back by the Wyvern of Temma.

　Right now, when they try to send out requests and jobs with a high degree of difficulty to adventurers in the Haust Frontier Count territory, there are often not enough adventurers to meet that level of difficulty, so they often have to send out requests to adventurers who are active in the King's Capital or elsewhere.

''Like me this time?''

'Yes. Well, it's rare that you're dealing with a group of wyverns, but there are a few times a year when they show up near the city by themselves or in pairs. We can't afford to send out an army each time, but we can't leave them alone either. That's why we need adventurers who can deal with those times, but...

Every time, conveniently, there aren't always adventurers available who can handle the situation....

Yeah. So, we need a veteran who used to work in the frontier county and is familiar with geography and is able to guide the next generation. Well, it won't be that convenient, so I'd like to see more adventurers who can at least handle a few of them against the wyvern.

I don't know if it's possible for me to return once I leave, since adventurers are basically free. I also moved from the Haust Frontier Count (Kukri Village) to the Sanga Duke's territory (Gunjo City), even if it wasn't official, and now I'm mainly active in the vicinity of the King's Capital and Seigen.

　Some of the adventurers who moved from the frontier county territory would come back, nostalgic for the old days, but there would also be those who moved elsewhere and took root in that place, unable to move from the vicinity.

If that's the case, it might be quicker to invite new adventurers to come back and take root rather than having the adventurers who were there before come back.

But if you're good enough to want a frontier county, of course they won't want to give it up either, so it's a difficult question.

　Albert and Cain have joined me and Leon's conversation. The two of them will eventually have to run their family's territory, and in the future they may have the same problems as Leon, so I guess they can't afford to be someone else's problem.

''Why don't we try a preferential treatment for adventurers in the entire frontier county?　If you're going to operate in a frontier county, maybe exempt yourself from taxes for a certain period of time?

'Then you'll be out at the end of that period, won't you?

They come to the frontier counties and rent out and sell the buildings they use as their base of operations at a discount to make it easier for them to settle in.

Well, I guess I'll have to give my dad a little advice.

　The story I just told Rion was an amateur's idea, so I don't think it would work that easily. Rion thinks so too, so it would be hard to cut his teeth, but since it's free to say it, and the frontier count is the one who makes the final decision, it was like he was just going to say it.

'Temma, Rion-sama. I'm sorry to interrupt you while you're talking but everyone is doing whatever they want.

What?

　I looked back at Jeanne's words, and before I knew it, everyone except me, Rion and Jeanne were moving as they pleased.

''Even those guys.....

'Well, it was our fault for talking to each other. It's almost lunchtime, so we should get to dinner. Hey, Amour, Aura. If you eat that much, you won't be able to stomach it, even though Leon has offered to buy you a drink!

Hey, wait!

I'm fine!　I'm still hungry!
I can still go, too!

I'm ready to go!
My belly is ready to go, too!

　Albert and Cain got on board with Amour and Aura's spiritedness. As Rion rebelled against those four.

Well, that's no use, I'll buy it for you.
'Ah!　I'll put mine out.

Yo!　Fatty!　The popular man!
''That's great, the next Duke and the Marquis!　Wrong vessel!

　The four of them started doing something together. Albert and Cain were a bit of a stickler, and Amour and Aura were exaggerating and praising them, occasionally glancing at Rion. Even Rion, the quintessential Rion, wouldn't fall for such a small play, he thought.

All right!　I'll pay for it!

　And I was hooked to the best of my ability. And the next thing I knew.

""I'm going to be a gothic!"

　And all four of them had their heads down.
　Rion was in a completely framed form, but he couldn't retract it once it was out of his mouth, or maybe he couldn't retract it once it was out of his mouth, so he checked the position and thickness of the wallet and started walking with his shoulders slumped.


''Phew ... I'm satisfied!

It was a cheap price overall, but it tasted good.
'Well, I suppose the low cost of living has something to do with it, but you still seem to be doing pretty well considering the cost of labor.

'It's fun to be here because you can ask for so many different kinds!　Hey!　Jeanne!
'Aura should be a little more reserved I don't know what will happen if this time the story gets into Aina's ears.
Ugh!

　Led by Amur, who said he was very satisfied, each of them started walking down the main street again, talking about their impressions of the shops. The five of them peeked into the fruit and sweetness stalls that had been selling fruit and sweetness since a while ago, perhaps intending to have dessert after dinner, and bought and ate several times.

''Feel free to eat...''
Thanks for the meal.

　Contrary to the lead group walking around contentedly, Rion was grumbling as he clutched his flimsy wallet.
　The wallet that had been there until he entered the cafeteria was only almost as thick as the wallet itself after payment, and now Rion was glaring at Albert and Cain, as if he couldn't even have a little sweet treat at the stall........

'That's it, Rion. Have you noticed?
For what?

　I asked if Rion had noticed the people who have been following us since a while ago, but he didn't seem to notice at all.

He said, "There are people following us since we left the cafeteria a while ago. Well, it's not much of a problem because they're just following us, but they're pretty good at it.

'Oh, my God!　Ow!

　Rion tried to look around in a hurry, so I made him stop with an elbow strike so that he wouldn't notice the other guy.

'I'm sure they'll notice you but Rion, just keep going and join the others. I take a side street a little further on and manage to get behind them. Don't tell everyone that you're following someone (...).

　If this is Albert or Cain, "Why don't you keep it to yourself? But Rion nodded without thinking that far, and started walking towards where everyone was.
　I pretended to pass Rion at the intended side street and went into the side street, hiding behind Rion's body. Then I quickly moved over the roof and got behind those who had been following me. Then.

Don't move. If it makes any suspicious movements or tries to turn toward you, its head will fall off.

　He added a wooden stick he had picked up on the roof to their (...) necks as he threatened them. However.

I wish you'd stay where you are.

　Furthermore, a man appeared from behind me and pointed his sword at me.

''Before that sword reaches you, I can definitely get these two heads off... but what do you want to do?

　I've been stuck in that state for a while.

Then I give up. But you can't cut off both their heads with that thing.

　The man threw away his sword and held up his hands. In response, I said.

Yes. It's just the head of a ranitan.

　He returned it and threw down the stick.

'So it's Lani Tintin!　No more games, Master Temma!　I mean, I thought you didn't realize it was me, because I was really scared!

　Following us were Lani, the raccoon beastman, and a man and woman who were also raccoon beastmen.

'Leni is so surprised, she's been frozen for a while now. Even my father has been gone for some time now.

'That's just immature of you two. I sensed beforehand that Master Temma was about to head this way, so I sneaked away.

　Sure, I was surprised to see that he was gone before I knew it, but I dared to ignore the man who was called my father, thinking he would be nearby. Mr. Lani and the woman called Leni seemed terribly surprised to be taken behind me because they hadn't noticed my approach and the man's departure.

'First of all, it's your fault for being jaw-dropping when you were said to be one of the most skilled clandestines in the south and not paying attention to your surroundings when you were on your tail. Because of your negligence, poor Leni was sacrificed as well... By the way, Leni isn't dead, is she?

　There wasn't much movement, so the man pecked the woman on the cheek to make sure she was okay. As I recall, Leni was the name of a sister who was more skilled than Lani... but I can only wonder at the moment if she was really more skilled than Lani.

''Ha!　I was so surprised, I thought my heart had stopped...

　As the man poked and prodded, Leni seemed to regain consciousness, and when she saw the man, Lani, and me, she understood what had happened.

'Be careful, brother, please be careful. I'm not very good at that sort of thing, and you have to be careful, brother!　Mr. Temma that's right, isn't it?　Please don't surprise the frail lady, Temma!

　He was protesting to me and Ms. Lani.
　As it was, we introduced ourselves to each other, and Leni was definitely Lani's sister, as Amour had mentioned earlier, and the man was their father, Doni.

'Feel free to call me 'Doni Tan'!
I'm fine with 'Renitan,' too.

　These two, unlike Rani, seemed to like the nickname that Amur had given them.

'So, why were the three of you following us?

'About that, sir, it was the young lady we were following. Well, the young lady was working with you all, so I'm sure she was following you all.

　According to Leni-san's explanation, the reason why she originally came to the Haust Frontier Count Territory was because Hana-san had received information from a certain source (...) that Amur was going to the Frontier Count Territory, so she was ordered to go and check on Amur while obtaining information about the Frontier Count Territory.

''Well, my father and brother are mainly tasked with gathering information, but I'm a bit different...''

　Normally Reni-san doesn't participate in this kind of information gathering in other territories, but she had a favor to ask Hana-san about Amur, so she followed them.

I'm going to join Amur and the others for the time being.　There's nothing wrong with that, is there?

'Master Temma has found out, and I've already got the information I want about your daughter, so there's no problem!

　And with Doni-san's approval, the four of us all headed to Amour and the others, who were moving quite a ways ahead of us. By the way, I've heard that Doni-san's tone of voice is normal when used by people other than her family, but when it's just her family, she has a more firm tone of voice.


'Ooh, Jouke-sama~!

M.....Renitan!

　As soon as Leni caught Amour in sight, she ran out with a glance. When Amur also checked on Leni-san, he ran up to her. Then he hugged her.

''Miss, after not seeing you for a while.......you've become ugly.
!!!

　Amur is surprised at Leni who spits out the poison so easily. We, who were looking at the two of them, were also surprised at Leni-san who suddenly spat out poison.

''Miss.......I couldn't believe it very much after hearing so many things from Hana-sama, but seeing the young lady now with my own eyes directly, I understand that it was the truth.

　Amur felt like he didn't understand what Leni-san was saying when he heard her words. It wasn't clear to Doni and Lani, who were working together, or even to us.

'No, Leni. I don't think the young lady has changed from what she used to be, do you?
'You can't blame them for not changing in appearance. Growth is different for each individual. But on the inside I've become very ugly!　It wasn't always like this!

　Leni kicked off Lani's statement and held Amour's face between her hands.



Leni-nihilating, yee-nihilating...

　Leni-san then began to pull on Amour's cheek, tears streaming down her face. Leni-san's pull seems to be quite strong, and Amur is trying to dislodge his fingers from his cheeks while he's half crying. However, there was no sign of being able to remove it at all, on the contrary, the force seemed to be getting stronger and Amour's body gradually began to float.

''That's it!''

　It was about time, when Amour's cheeks were in serious trouble, when Doni clapped her hands in front of Leni's eyes, bringing her back to her senses.

'Leni, you've gone too far. Master Amur, I'm sorry.

　The moment Doni-san apologized to Amur, Leni-san's gaze was off Amur for a moment and went to Doni-san. And not wanting to miss the opportunity, Amur tried to run towards me like a de-rabbit, but

'Miss. I'm not done talking to you yet!
Pfft!

　Leni-san grabbed us by our clothes and captured us, making strange noises.
　Amur still looked at us for help, but we were somehow afraid of Leni-san, and we all looked away from her. It was the same with Doni-san and Lani-san who had just stopped us and who had been kicked out.
　Amur has no allies. Just when it seemed so, that forgotten man came in.

'Ah, there you are. It wasn't easy to find you, so I thought you'd gone back in a different direction.'

　It was Chris who showed up. Chris had gotten a good night's sleep and was in much better spirits than this morning.

'Chris, help!'
Um ... what's the situation now?

　Three more strangers, and one of them has Amur in custody, but when Chris sees that none of us are trying to help, he tries to understand the situation first.
　So, I'm going to explain on behalf of him.

'Hmm you must be Leni. Hannah's told me all about you.
That's the kind of person you are, Chris. I've heard from Lady Hannah, too.

　The two men often stared at each other, seeming to know only each other's existence. Seeing the situation, Amour looked at Chris with a look of hope that he might be able to help. And then.

Nice to meet you!
Let's go for it!

　They shook hands tightly.
　We were almost zapped by the scene. It was the same for Doni and Lani, and they looked like they didn't understand what was happening. Only Amur noticed that the moment they shook hands with each other, the number of enemies had increased, and he struggled to get away from Leni again.

''Amur, I'm not going to riot!''
'Miss. It's not safe for you to be here, please be quiet.

　In addition to Leni-san, even Chris-san took Amour's arm and blocked his movements, and then they started to take him somewhere else.

'Hey, Chris-san. Where are you taking Amur?

Speaking of which, where are they taking him?

'I think I will take the young lady to the inn where I am staying. There I will re-educate her as a lady.

　Chris seemed to just walk off in a flutter, and my question was answered by Leni.

'Then I'll keep your daughter with me for a while. The young lady will also be forced to be taken to the south if she runs away, so don't think anything strange.

　With that, Leni-san took out a letter and spread it in front of Amur. When Amur read the letter, he stopped all resistance and didn't try to run away even though Leni-san and Chris-san let go of his hand.
　I was curious about what it said, so I asked Amur and Leni-san's permission to read the letter. The letter that made Amur give up was, simply put, 'The Viscount's Head (Hana-san) Order'. In content, it was 'Ask Leni-san to teach you how to be a lady', and if you run away or refuse, you will be forcibly deported to the south. We will send Blanca and other high ranking people in the south at the same time to pick her up........ The letter conveyed Hana-san's seriousness when it said that not only Blanca but also the other high ranking people would be sent out.
　It's a good idea to have all of the high ranking people come together, they must have given up on the idea that there's nothing they can do. Amur went quietly, and Leni and Chris donned him.

''Amour's affairs are a matter for the southern baronial family, so it's not for me to interfere, but.......In the first place, I came here to gather information, but is it okay for me to appear in front of the next head of the frontier county family (Rion)?''

I don't have a problem with that. I'm not planning to do anything bad, and I have nothing to be sorry about!　Well, while I was gathering information, I thought I'd make some money and go home... but as long as I don't overdo it, I'll be fine!　Maybe.

　After gathering information in "Shellhide", Doni and Lani are planning to head to the fort near the border line and do a little business there.

''So, if possible, we'd like to ask the permission of the frontier county family, so here we are!

　That's what he thought when he appeared in front of Rion. In other words, it seems that he thinks that he can get permission from Leon easily.

Well, if you're Leon, you can at least ask him if he's an acquaintance of Tenma and Amur, and he'll be able to talk to you.
And with a little coaxing, it's going to be easy to give him permission.

　Cain and Albert were right, Rion might be able to give them permission easily.
　If you don't have any business problems, you can apply to the deputy commander at the fort for permission, but if you're going to do it anyway, getting it directly from the frontier earl family will certainly be more valuable because it will set you apart from your other business enemies.

''Well, it's like a no-no and originally.

　Rani said, but he seems to think he has a good enough chance of winning.

'Well, if you know Temma and Amur, I'd like to hear about it but now that I've heard about it, I'll take the matter to my father.

　But that would be too much for the two of them," said Rion.
　Then Rion asked Doni and the others where they were staying, and promised that as soon as he heard the frontier count's answer, he would send someone in the house to inform them.
　A short distance away from Rion.　

''That's where it would have been better to ask what business those two are planning to do first, and then let the frontier lord know.
'Right. That's going to make it a double or triple whammy... I'm not going to tell you because it sounds like fun.

　And then Albert and Cain were ruining it.