A free trading city, the commercial center of the kingdom, is a trading city where all discrimination between races is erased.
　In the north, there are villages of ethnic minorities living in the mountains and dwarves, who specialize in blacksmithing. Although they are part of the kingdom's territory, they are relatively harmoniously integrated, and in some places they are allowed to govern themselves as long as they can pay a certain amount of tax. This would give the same impression as the feudal aristocracy in many places.

　To the east, the only diplomatic relations with the island nations of the Far East are at the port of Kerebel. The Free Trade City is also a marketplace to sell off the unique trade goods coming in from there.

　To the south is the Jorno Forest, where a variety of resources and demons are mixed. It is a perfect place for adventurers to gather materials for demons and the blessings of the forest.
In the depths of the forest, known as the depths, are said to lie powerful demons and a sealed spring where ancient demons are said to lie in the depths of the water, but unless you are a seasoned adventurer, you will not be able to enter these depths. Most of the people who gathered enough medicinal herbs and hunted demons to survive day to day, and then sent them to market.

　To the west, there is a national road that leads to the royal capital, and merchants who use the well-maintained road to trade with the royal capital come and go every day.

　The trading city, which trades with various cities and villages, is the most heavily trafficked place for people, and there are many different races of people in the city. The idea of human supremacy remains strong in the royal capital, but weighing such discrimination here had the potential to stop trade. That's why such inequalities, such as changing the amount of taxes or increasing tariffs between races, were almost non-existent in the trading city.
　The city has a history of attracting people from all walks of life since it was a small commercial city, and the personalities of its inhabitants are not closed off or discriminatory, and the city has a tradition of accepting many races.

　Nacht was walking down one of the main streets of such a city.
　Naturally, people's attention was drawn to Nacht.
　Everyone stopped, stopped talking, and gently looked at him, as if they were looking at an elaborate doll.
　The hustle and bustle of the crowd was increasing, some with hair-covered ears, some with muscle-covered dwarfs, and even a scaled man (lizardman) who was clearly a carnivore, mixed in with the crowd.

''Nacht-sama.......you're attracting a lot of attention.......''

Ha, my Aisha is a pretty girl. It's a crowd pleaser.
　Nacht is not the only one who is special.
　With her blood color restored, her skin glowing better, and even more so with her maid's clothes on, Aisha was young, but there was no doubt that she was outstandingly pretty. It was only natural that the eyes that had been turned to Nacht would then turn to Aisha.

''It's a strange sight--''
　Nacht couldn't help but spill that out.

'What is it?'
　Aisha asks, tilting her head.

'No, what, I just thought it was a better city than I thought. I'm surprised at the current state of affairs that we live in such a decent way despite being of a different race.'
　We all have different values and a different sense of justice depending on where we live.
　Whether we remember the small country of Japan or the world of the earth, people of the same species have always bickered with each other, worrying about small differences. They couldn't accept differences in the way they dressed, the color of their skin, or where they lived. He almost laughed when he remembered Aikawa Tohru, who had never accepted that even the people near him were irrelevant to him as a non-Ria.
　They are even of different races, yet they are able to live in one place like this.

The world as we see it is small. We are not even close to a single game. Sadly, it's so small--'

　The words of Nacht, and the words of the companion Toru trusted the most, went into his head as a wooden spirit.
　I'm sure it's not the peace that makes it possible, but the harshness of this world that makes it so, but I thought that if I, as Tohru, had been able to see this scene, I would have found a slightly different way to live - to think there. I stopped.

It's no big deal.

　Nacht muttered to himself, so that no one would hear him.

　The Adventurer's Guild is a large building near the center of the city.
　The Adventurer's Guild is a place where people can take refuge in times of emergency. Hence, it was located in the Central District. A glance at the building was enough to reveal its robust construction. The entrance is quite large, partly because it accepts large demonic materials.

　He had thought that once Nacht would enter, the hustle and bustle would immediately spread, but for once, Nacht didn't attract any attention.

'Krista!　You're safe!

Mr. Krista!　Welcome home, thank goodness you're safe!

All the ice thorns are safe.

Ha, of course not. It's a party of two-name adventurers.
　Christa proceeded to the reception desk, unperturbed by the cheers of the adventurers who were expressing joy and relief in their mouths.

'Can you tell the guild leader?　I have a report,
　The receptionist girl panicked under Krista's sharp gaze.

''Ha, yes. I'll take care of it right away. Ah, um, is the person with you a rescuer........
　A woman at the reception desk looked at Nacht and said that with a nervous look on her face.
　But Krista shook her head and denied it.

''No, this is Nacht-dono, where I failed in my request, I was saved by accident. This time, I was one of the rescuers, and it was Nacht-dono who accomplished the request. I'll report the details to the guild leader, keep this guy.
　As he said that, Eisen, who was wrapped in a fish tank and had a cloth bitten into his mouth, was thrown away by Krista's friends.

''Eh, that's a lie...''
　With the receptionist's words, the hustle and bustle of the surrounding area erupted.
'What's going on?' The Ice Emperor?　It's not possible to be unaware of the bandits' presence. You're just a little girl, aren't you?
　The adventurers were arguing amongst themselves.
　But there was something that subdued the clamor.
　It wasn't a voice, but a silent killing spirit.
　An icy, freezing, terrifyingly cold blade was unleashed on most of the people present here.

''Do you guys want to say that I am lying to you?　Are you suggesting that I'm making a false report?　Will you take that as an insult to me?
　Krista is usually feared for her expressionlessness, but it is rare for her to show her emotions so openly.
　The reason for this is to avoid offending Nacht's mood.
　If this Gentleman gets out of control, who on earth is going to be able to stop him?
　At the very least, Krista would think of three options: run away, apologize, or get him to join her.
　The place was instantly quiet.

.....
　The voice of the odious receptionist echoed.
　Nacht only smiled happily throughout.




◇



　Nacht and the others were led to a large room at the far end of the second floor.
　A cursory glance at the room revealed a size of about 20 tatami mats, and it was furnished with high quality-looking furniture. There were numerous reports and documents on the desk used for office work. The desk and sofa in the foreground were probably for visitors or reports.
　What is curious is that there are two desks for office use. One of them is neat and tidy and can be identified as the guild leader's from the fact that it is placed in the center. But the other one is awfully small, and the chair seems to be adjusted in height with cushions. It was as if a child was sitting in it.
　The large, elderly man standing in front of Nacht, first of all, was undoubtedly the head of the guild.

　He has pure white hair and another pure white beard. There is a large scar on his left eye, or rather, not only on his left eye, but in many other places. As he unites those who use the power of adventurers as a tool of business, I could tell at a glance that he was a powerful man. There is no doubt that he is a strong old man, but there is one part of him that makes me feel uncomfortable.
　It was the eyes.
　They were dull, a true circle and sparkling. They were terribly kind eyes.
　Nacht's first impression was only one.

'He looks like a polar bear--'

"Boo!
　Aisha and Sasha gushed.
　Apparently the two of them were thinking the same thing.

''Wait..... pupu, excuse me, guild chief...''
　Sasha says with a laugh, but Nacht thinks that you're probably the rudest person in the room.

'Hahahahahahaha, you're a very articulate young lady. So, Krista, how are you doing over here?
　Nigrud smiled vigorously and asked Krista without seeming to be bothered by it.
　It was the intuition of a long-time warrior.
　At a glance, he understood that Nacht was no ordinary person.

'This is Nacht-dono, we owe you a debt of gratitude for saving us from a dangerous place.

"Mmmmmm--
　The bespectacled girl shuts down the head of the guild, who growls low and pretends to think about something. That attitude would not be directed at the boss. Or rather, the girl had the appearance of a child. She was short and her hair was cropped evenly, making her look somewhat childlike. The only thing that caught my attention were the two fruit that were not childlike, swinging in the air.

I'm sorry, Irina, what are you doing--

Can you give us a briefing first?　We're in a bit of a jam right now, too.
　Irina asked calmly, and Sasha explained what happened instead of the poorly spoken Krista.

'Hahahahaha, you've met the war demon Duran!　Well, that's bad luck for you!

'The request failed, but the bandits were destroyed. Under those circumstances, it's no problem for Lord Nacht to receive the reward.
　Irina says.　
　As for Nacht, he didn't need any rewards, but he was aware of the fact that he would take what he could get.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. I'm sure you'll find that Krista and her friends are safe even without my help.

'Still, it's true that Nacht-san helped us. Also, the nobleman of the Eleonora faction who brought us the request for appointment, seems to have been in touch with the bandits behind the scenes. We've just been able to capture the chieftain alive, so I think we can get the backstory.
　But Sasha's face doesn't float somewhat.
　It's probably because they can't get to the source of the instructions.
　It's just like cutting a lizard's tail.

I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to do something troublesome.
　Of course, as a guild, we were responsible for lowering our authorization.
　But it was up to the adventurers to decide whether or not to accept it, and as an A-class, it was also part of their job to find out the truth of the request. If that was the case, Sasha and the others couldn't and wouldn't blame the guild too strongly.

''No--''

We will do everything we can. But this is an emergency...

There's a chance he's going to get smoked. I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to move the Order--
　Irina adds to Nigrud's words.

'A state of emergency?'
　Sasha asked.

''Yes, there is currently a demonic activation occurring in Jorno Forest. We are having several adventurers investigate now to determine the cause, but this is a matter that the guild should do its best to deal with. Did you feel any abnormality when you returned?

　But Krista and Sasha twisted their heads.
　Of course, Krista and the others had returned to the trading city after passing through the Jorno Forest, so they should have been able to feel the demon's activity.
　However, on the way back, Nacht was wary of his surroundings the entire time and emitted intimidation around him.
　Because of this, not even a single insect, let alone a demon, came close to Krista and the others in the forest.
　It was no surprise that the girls hadn't been able to think of anything unusual when asked if there was anything unusual about them.

''The cause could be the appearance of a powerful individual or the activation of demons by the demon pool (manacrene).
　Irina said.
　Both of these phenomena occurred over a period of time in the demon's habitat.
　As the demons ate each other within their territory and the territory of the powerful demons that had become so powerful expanded, the deeper, more powerful demons could come out.

　For a moment, Nacht wondered if it was his fault. Because it was no surprise that the emergence of a powerful individual represented Nacht.
　But at least Nacht didn't do anything to intimidate people and take away their place of life, and he didn't hunt demons at all. At the very least, he is proud to say that he is not the cause.
　But--

Hahahahahaha, maybe it's a sign that the fountain is about to be opened.
　The guild leader opened his mouth as a joke.

　Sasha, Krista, Irina and Aisha all smiled bitterly and took it as a joke.
　But--

Boo!
　Nacht erupted in a grand gush.

''That can't be true, that place is a danger zone even within the depths and no one will come near it. To begin with, the seal that sucks the magic of the twin moons won't be broken unless it is subjected to a heavy load from the outside.
　Sasha's words were dumbfounding. But Nacht almost broke out in a cold sweat.
　An empty place.
　Two moons.
　A mighty load.
　The scene that came to Nacht's mind was himself, who had activated his magic in a fit of pique.

''Or rather, the existence of the seal itself is something that raises eyebrows. We should think a little more realistically.''
　Krista says calmly.

'Geez, geez...'
　Coincidence, so it must be a coincidence. Nacht muttered to himself.

'Isn't that such a funny joke?　Assuming the worst is the basis of being an adventurer.

'Yes, no, it was nothing. Haha, that was a pretty funny joke.
　Nacht said to himself that it was his imagination.
　There are plenty of fountains in a forest that large. It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to get your hands on it.
　You will be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.
　But Aisha, who had been attached to Nacht, felt something tugging at her.

'Nacht-sama?'

'Yes, no, it's nothing. It's nothing...
　Now, for now, Nacht was pondering whether or not he should plead his case to Aisha alone.