Black Iron Magician

At the reception counter, Haruna and Chinatsu sold the materials they stripped from the monsters in the snowy mountain. The meat was mostly eaten by Haruna, but thanks to the clean processing of the fangs and furs, the amount of money on the paper is quite high. Seeing it, Chinatsu recalculated it in her head using the market price she had checked beforehand. After she’s convinced that the amount is reasonable, she gave her consent to the receptionist. Somehow, Chinatsu felt that the receptionist sighed in relief, but she decided not to think deeply about it.

「Ooh! With this much money, we can make a luxurious meal for a while, Chinatsu-chan!」

「H-Haruna, you’ve been living in Nell-shishō’s mansion for quite a while, but you’re still trying to be frugal?」

「Of course~. 『Cheap, a lot, and delicious』 is my motto after all.」

「A professional remark….」

While talking about whether to buy expensive meat on the way home or to hunt for the meat again, they moved to search for a subjugation request that can be training, which is one of the objectives today. The format is the same as in Diana’s guild, where a large number of papers describing the requests are posted on a large bulletin board.

When Haruna and Chinatsu approached the bulletin board, the people make way for them all at once. Chinatsu feels grateful since they can see the bulletin board fully, but as a girl, she feels complicated. On the other hand, Haruna just thinks that they are lucky and doesn’t care at all.

「You’re so strong, Haruna….」

「Eh? I think Chinatsu-chan is strong too, you know?」

「No, I’m talking about your mentality.」

「Hmm?」

Haruna was active in various sports and martial arts when she was in Japan, so she’s used to this kind of treatment. She’s someone with a bold personality and mentally strong, so there’s no way she would mind the gazes of the people in the surroundings. Chinatsu is wrong for comparing herself with Haruna. If Deris was here, he would have pointed out that the target of comparison was out of her league.

(I have to follow Haruna’s example…!)

Chinatsu, that’s a thorny path for sure.

「Subjugation request, let’s see~」

「I thought that it would be best if we could get a level 6 request, but I guess there’s none. The highest is level 4, huh.」

「Level 4…. It’s about the same as the previous white wolf, right? Then, it won’t even serve as a warming-up….」

Let’s review the guild’s official monster evaluation standard. Haruna and Chinatsu are looking at the bulletin board unsatisfactorily, but a level 4 monster is a ferocious enemy that should be subjugated by the best adventurer in the guild branch. Poor performance can lead to the destruction of neighboring villages, and it will need even the knights to be dispatched. According to common sense, it can be said that it is a request of such difficulty.

(Hey, a level 4 monster is just a warming-up, they said….)

(We just misheard things, right? Yeah, that’s right. I won’t think deeply.)

(Level 6 is a Demon King-class, right!? Such a terrifying request won’t come to the guild, but directly go to the country!)

Therefore, the adventurers who heard the conversation between the two were doubting their ears.

「How about this monster called White Bastard Bear? It’s level 4, but the name sounds strong.」

「I don’t think it’s a good idea to decide just by name…. Well, it looks like there aren’t any other worthwhile requests, so let’s compromise with this one and――」

「――Are you looking for a high-difficulty request?」

Suddenly, a girl’s voice came from behind them. Then, Haruna and Chinatsu looked back.

「…? Well, yes. And you are?」

A girl of about the same age with snow-white hair and white skin was standing there. She wears fur-covered armor that looks warm and fluffy, which is typical of cold climates, and her limbs are well protected by gauntlets and leg guards. Her blue eyes are as cold and beautiful as ice, and she didn’t look away from Haruna and Chinatsu when they looked at her.

While the other adventurers were avoiding Haruna and Chinatsu, the girl seems a little odd that she calmly called out to them directly. The big sword on her back also looks like a very powerful weapon, so Chinatsu naturally became more cautious.

「Ah, I’m sorry for the late introduction. My name is Zeta Myriad. I’m just a village girl from a remote region.」

(((((As if! Ordinary village girls don’t wear such armor, and they don’t carry such a heavy sword!)))))

When the girl said so with a straight face, all of the adventurers shouted in their hearts, but they managed to endure it since they didn’t have the courage to interrupt the talk.

「What a coincidence. I was like a village girl too!」

「Oh, is that so? It gives me a sense of intimacy.」

Haruna, on the other hand, shared a feeling of intimacy.

「… Huh? That white girl, when did she enter the guild?」

「Ah, now that you mention it…. Wait a minute! Did she just call herself Zeta Myriad!?」

「I did. I’m Zeta Myriad. I just came in while passing by a person who looked unwell. Ah, I’m a village girl, but I’m a full-fledged Snowtail’s adventurer, so there’s no need to test me, okay?」

‘No thanks,’ Zeta sticks out her arm.

「I-Is that so? Wait, that’s not what I’m talking about! Zeta is the name of Snowtail’s Hero nominated by the King, right!? Why is she coming to such a rural place!?」

「Really? Are you talking about the Hero who was supposed to join the alliance to defeat the Demon King?」

「Yeah, that Hero. It’s rumored that only the name was announced without her showing up and she stopped participating for some unknown reason.」

With Zeta’s appearance, the guild started to get noisy right away. Perhaps it’s not a desirable situation for Zeta, her eyebrows lift slightly.

「It became noisy, huh…. Um, if you’re willing to listen to me, why don’t we move to another place and talk there? There’s a good café over there. It’s warm and cozy, you know?」

「… Haruna, what should we do?」

「You want me to decide?」

「Yes. When the information is lacking, it’s best to leave it to Haruna’s intuition.」

「Ehehe~, I’m being relied on~. Then, we’ll go with her!」

「Okay. So, can you guide us to that warm and cozy café?」

「Sure. Then, let’s go before it gets noisier.」

――――Clang clang.

(Hmm…?)

Haruna felt something was off with the sound of Zeta’s footsteps. The sound was so small that she could hear it because she has an excellent sense of hearing. The sound of the footsteps was not something from a living thing, and Haruna tilted her head.

「What’s wrong, Haruna?」

「Hmm? Nothing, I’ll just ask her directly at the café.」

「…? Is that so?」

When they went outside, the sky was stormy than before.