Cain has been promoted to the rank of Earl and has been busy. He had to look through the gifts that were delivered to him as a celebration of his promotion, including letters of greetings to the various nobles, and reply to them.
　In response to the attack on the saint, a letter was delivered from the Kingdom of Esfort to the Marineford Church State using a fast horse.
　It stated that the captain of the guards was reportedly being housed in the kingdom as a client involved in the attack.
　Also, due to the large number of evidence turned up in the search for the Dark Guild, some nobles were demolished and others fined. All of them requested the dark guilds to carry out their operations.
　Hinata was also going to stay in the kingdom until a new reception from the Church State.

''Master Cain, the Chamber of Commerce is here to see you. We have to make a formal dress for the unveiling.

　And they are busy preparing for Cain's engagement announcement and unveiling, which will take place in a little while.
　The announcement was suddenly made by the king, but it is Cain's body that prepares for the guidance and other preparations. It wasn't something that could be done in time unless the Silford family poured everything they had into the preparations. Of course, support was also coming from his family's home in Garum.
　As for the venue, it will be held in the royal castle, since it is the princess' engagement.

''Oh ...... I hate it already!

　Coordination with the royal family and the duke's family was also needed to be coordinated on where to send the invitations, and Corran was handling the matter. Still, the preparations were not finished.
　Cain's stress was building up from the never-ending preparations.


''No good. I'm going to de-stress a bit.''

Hey, Master Cain!

　Cain said and transitioned.
　After transitioning to Drintle's office, Cain said a few words to Dalmatia and headed to the Adventurer's Guild.
　The Adventurer's Guild, which stands in the center of the city, is deserted since it's the afternoon. Still, several parties were stoking their mugs in the tavern attached to it.
　Cain went to the reception counter in a straight line and approached the receptionist.
　The person who responded was a teenage girl who was still in her early adulthood.

''Excuse me. Do you know where the demons are gathering?''

　Even Cain, who has become an earl and is the lord of Drintle, is just a child to a stranger. The receptionist who dealt with me didn't seem to know Cain and spoke to me as if I were treating a child.

'Children shouldn't go to such a dangerous place, right?　I'd rather have a job in the city where it's safe. My Lord has a job offer for you to have children now. Go ahead and take it. The lord here has been very considerate of the commoners and adventurers, and then...

　The receptionist who goes on and on about the good things about the city has a proud look on her face.
　Cain is embarrassed by the praise being paid to him and pulls a face.

''I'd like to defeat a demon if I can .......

　Cain, who doesn't understand that he's a lord, replies with a wry smile.
　The receptionist, who still won't admit it, worries about Cain and introduces him to a different job.

''Excuse me ......, is there a guildmaster?　'Cain's here,' and I think you'll understand.

　Cain said, tired of the exchange.

'......!　Your name is Cain. It's not easy to get a guildmaster from a kid to call me a guildmaster. Do you understand?

　Cain sighs at the receptionist's words.

'So, ...... someone in charge of the position: ......

''f*ck it!　No matter how new I am, it's terrible to talk to anyone else.

　A slightly flushed and angry receptionist tapped on the desk and stood up.
　At the sound, the receptionist next to her and the staff in the back looked up.

''So, Cain-kun, kids should be kids in the city--''

　crackling

　The receptionist's head was smacked from behind.

''Yeeeeeee!　What? !

　The receptionist was suddenly knocked on the head and turned around vigorously. There was Letia, the Deputy Guild Master, who usually sat at the far end of the room, standing there.

''Deputy Guildmaster!　It's awful to hit them out of the blue!

　Leaving the angry receptionist alone, Letia bowed her head towards Cain.

''Master Cain, it's been a while. I'll go get the guild master immediately. I will prepare a reception room and show you around.''

　Letia approached the staff and told them to call the guild master.
　The neglected receptionist was surprised by Letia's response and asked in a whisper.

''...... Um, this Cain-kun is .......''

　'Mr. Cain,' the receptionist, who called him 'Mr. Cain,' was smacked further on the head.

'Ow, that hurts. ......'

　Letia, with a drawn-out face, told the teary-eyed receptionist.

''Ness, this is the Earl of Cain von Silford Drintle, the lord of this Drintle. I told you the other day. I told you that the lord-sama has been elevated from Viscount to Earl .......

　The receptionist's eyes widened when she realized the excessively shocking truth.

''What?　Isn't my lord a beautiful young man who comes to see the guild master from time to time!

　Then Letia pats me on the head again.

'That's Baron Alec, Master Cain's older brother. He is the deputy of this city ...... utterly .......

　Turning to Cain, Letia lowered her head deeply.

''I'm sorry, Master Cain. The receptionist was not well trained ...... and if you can, please just forgive me for the disrespect if you can ....... Here, you should bow your head too.

　Letia holds her head down and the receptionist, Ness, also bows her head.

''It's been a while, Letia-san. It's fine. It's a good thing that you're not a stranger, because to a stranger, I'm just a child. Ness there is also worried about me.

Thank you. Now, let me show you around, please come this way.

　Leaving the stunned receptionist (Ness) in a daze, Cain enters the reception room and sits on the sofa as he is guided.

''The guildmaster will be here soon, so please wait a little longer.

　A different staff member prepared a cup of tea and placed it in front of Cain.
　Soon after, the door was opened with great force and Letia and the guild master, Lixetu, came in.

''Oh, Master Cain, it's been a while!　I'm glad to see you're well. So what's going on today?

　Sighing at finally being able to cut to the chase, Cain announced his intentions.

'Mmm, he wants to take down a demon once in a while. ...... Letia, is there anywhere?

''Master Cain had an A-rank, right? Then it's only a dungeon. ......

　Cain's eyes lit up when he heard of the dungeon. He had heard before that there was a dungeon in the forest next to Drintle, but it had been forgotten from his memory due to his busy schedule.
　In Cain's mind, it had already become a decision to head to the dungeon.
　Cain announced that he was heading to the dungeon, Letia quickly left to prepare a map, and Lixetu and Cain enjoyed the banter.
　After receiving the prepared map, Cain left the reception room, and when Ness, who was in the reception area, found Cain's face, he stood up vigorously and politely bowed his head while shaking with trepidation.
　Cain waved back with a smile and left the guild.
　As he walked through the city, no one noticed that he was a lord, and it was full of activity.
　There were people grilling and selling spit-roasts while scattering good smells from the stalls, and others calling out in front of the shops.
　We passed through such a busy street and exited the gate.
　As expected, the guards know that Cain is the lord, and they salute vigorously, looking nervous.
　With a wave of his hand back, Cain walked out.
　The west gate is connected to a straight line from the city of Drintle to the forest, and the two kilometers or so to the forest is maintained with cobblestones. Even though the industry has developed, Drintle is still an adventurer's city. As the roads have been improved, there is also a trade association at the entrance to the forest that conducts wagons to transport demons.
　A simple fenced-in fort was set up at the entrance of the forest, and several wagons were prepared inside.
　And there is even a simple resting place and a guild liaison office for emergencies.
　This was also a policy implemented by Cain in order to attract adventurers to the city.
　In order to head into the forest or dungeon, they would first have to register at the guild before entering. This was to control the comings and goings in order to search for and manage the missing people. It was something that Cain and the guild had decided after a meeting.
　After all, not all of them come back safely, and sometimes some of them are missing or dead.
　It was inevitable if they were in the adventurer's business.
　Cain ducked through the gates of the fort and went inside. Some adventurers had gathered to carry the demons and others were eating after their exploration.
　In the midst of all this, Cain headed to the reception desk of the guild sub-branch to complete the formalities.
　After all, the receptionist, who didn't know Cain, was opposed to going to the dungeon alone, but as soon as he showed her the golden, shiny A-ranked adventurer card, she began the procedure as if she were in a hurry.
　Some of the adventurers who were eating and some of them wrinkled their brows when they heard that they were going into the dungeon alone with a child who hadn't even grown up yet, but adventurers were on their own. There was no complaining.
　The fact that Cain didn't look like he was carrying any baggage with him other than his leather armor and a sash on his waist made him look alien to those around him.
　One person from the party of adventurers came up to Cain.

'Hey kid. You're not ready for a dungeon by yourself, man.　And that's the equipment. Shouldn't you be taking requests around town?

　A young man who looked to be in his mid-twenties, with a girthy body and a longsword belt, approached Cain.

''Thank you for your concern. I'm fine, I've learned my skills in my own way.''

　Cain replied to the adventurer with a smile and proceeded into the forest.
　Even though it's a forest, the route to the dungeon is marked with signs, so you won't get lost. Moreover, it was only a beast path, but it was well maintained, so Cain didn't worry about it and proceeded on.
　Then an opening surrounded by large stones that could be the ruins appeared in front of him.

'So this is the dungeon ....... I'm looking forward to it.''

　Cain stepped into the dungeon for the first time with excitement.