Two days have passed.
It's not a long time, but several things happened in those two days.
First, on the morning of the first day, Celes had sent me a letter telling me that the people I had captured had died.
When I went to the royal castle, Cristina, along with other knights, led me to the dungeon where the stalkers were imprisoned.
But when I went inside, all I saw were rotten, almost decayed corpses, even though they had only been there for a day.
I began investigating the remains and discovered that the cause was parasitic worms modified to consume the life energy of their victims.
These guys' stomachs were full of them.
This was an oversight on my part; I should have checked more thoroughly when capturing them.
I left the dungeon and told Cristina what I discovered; she looked distressed, but she took it better than expected.
She said that this kind of thing often happens.
After that, she gave the knights several orders, and they quickly moved along with Cristina, while we stayed the rest of the day talking with Celes.
Gabriela also had fun playing with Ellis when they met.
During our chat, Celes told us that several bases had been found in the royal capital with the same magic circle that I had shown in the evidence. The knights worked all night to find them once they were given the order.
It sounds harsh, but it's their job.
We stayed a while longer chatting until nightfall, and then we had to return to the inn.
The very next day, I started investigating the contents of the drug I had.
I set up a small makeshift laboratory in the inn and analyzed the main ingredients of the drug.
This would allow the detection of merchandise trafficking and who had been buying the products.
One way to reduce the number of potential suspects was also to create an antidote that counteracts the effects of the drug.
It wasn't too difficult to discover the ingredients; the only problem would be the ingredients themselves.
Vampire fungi, hypnotizing python eyes, visca frog venom, fragrant flower, and mandrake leaves.
These are all materials that only circulate outside the capital or in the dungeons, and there is no established trade route. Investigating based on this would lead nowhere; it would be like trying to cross one labyrinth with a map of another labyrinth.
Well, anyway, I'm done with this.
It will probably take the castle alchemists a few weeks to get to where I am, so I'll show this to Celes and her mother later.
I used the rest of the day to create various antidotes, and since I had time, I made more magic potions.
After that, I went out with Maria and Gabriela to the museum we had wanted to visit earlier to kill time.
While we were visiting, I heard that there had been several disappearances and disturbances in various areas of the capital.
It's probably because of the knights' raids searching for people connected to the magical blood circles, but that had nothing to do with me, so I continued enjoying the walk with Maria and Gabriela.
It was fun until we couldn't get Maria out of the area where several paintings with a nude theme were on display.
Seeing her looking at them so seriously while occasionally glancing at me gave me chills, and wanting to prevent my bad feeling from becoming a reality, we left there quickly.
We spent a nice time in the nearby park, then returned to the inn.
And that would be all for those two days.
Today, I am currently located near an area between the upscale district and the general commercial area.
The place I'm going to is the adventurers' guild.
This will be my first time joining the adventurers' guild in the capital.
With everything that's happened, I'd forgotten that I was a mercenary, and it's necessary to be active to be recognized as such.
So I plan to place an order together with Maria and Gabriela.
Both to relieve my boredom and also to train Gabriela to learn how to use her powers correctly.
Well, she's a talented girl, so she probably already has good control of her strength and magic; this is more about putting it into practice.
"Even so, the guild seems to be quite far from where we live. I wonder if we should rent a house nearby to save time traveling back and forth?"
"Hmm, that doesn't seem like such a bad idea, but if possible, it would be better to own a property that's spacious enough to avoid problems. Our room at the inn is quite comfortable, but it still has its limitations."
"Hmm, I'll talk to Celes or her mother to see if they can help me with that. I'd also like a place where Gabriela can play more freely, wouldn't you, Gabriela?"
"Will I be able to fly however I want?!"
"As long as it's not at great heights, something could probably be done."
"Yay!"
Great! Let's do our best to find a house with the biggest space available!
While we were having our trivial conversation, we arrived at the adventurers' guild.
It was quite different from those in other cities; it was a building so large it could be called a giant fortress. At the front were displayed two large double doors, each about three meters high. Fine silver decorations with stained glass windows were placed on the sides, and the crest of the adventurers' guild could be seen gleaming in gold at the very top of the building.
"And I thought the guild itself was large; I suppose that was to be expected from an organization strong enough to fight against a great kingdom."
"They fulfill several essential functions for daily life and the safety of people in general; one could say that this is to be expected."
"It's very big!"
Blessed be my daughter's innocence!
Climbing the short stairs and passing through the enormous open doors, it seemed they left the main door open all the time, as it would be a burden to open something so big and heavy every few minutes.
The interior felt much larger than the exterior; it looked like a department store or a shopping mall.
The reception bar was so large that there appeared to be about twenty receptionists inside, with long lines of adventurers lining up behind them.
The mural where the orders are placed is huge, and there's a bar nearby where I could see many adventurers chatting with drinks in hand.
"I want a beer."
"Don't drink so early in the morning; it will be a bad influence on Mrs. Gabriela."
"I know that already… at least a glass."
"No."
"...."
I couldn't help but feel depressed by Maria's strong refusal; I'd been wanting to have some beer for a while, and although the inn's restaurant sells alcohol, most of it is super expensive wine with strange liquors.
I'm not interested in golden wine or anything like that! I want a cold beer while I eat some grilled meat!
In the midst of my useless thoughts, I had already reached the mural where the requests for mercenaries are displayed, which had nothing to envy compared to the mural of requests for adventurers.
"It seems there are more mercenaries here than in other parts."
Unlike the other cities I've visited during my trip with Celes, here there are quite a few mercenaries. It also seems there are more female mercenaries than in other places.
The only mercenaries I had seen before had equipment in poor condition, and others looked like they might die at any moment.
This doesn't seem to be the case here.
I can even see some with magical weapons that are very expensive.
"It seems you earn more here."
Having said that, I looked at the order list and was able to better understand the reason for this.
Many of the orders are from the nobility, with large sums as rewards but with even higher risk rates.
"Although many of these requests seem unreasonable, it seems no expense is spared to fulfill them. It's good to have money, isn't it? Is there one you like, Maria?"
"Hmm, how about getting lesser dragon scales? I don't think it'll be a big problem for us, and it won't be very conspicuous."
"Hmm, I'd agree with you, but even so, it takes a fairly strong group to subdue a dragon, whether it's a minor or not. It's best we skip it; it would be scandalous to do it with just two people and a child."
"So, what do you think of this one?"
Maria took one of the orders and presented it to me.
It was a request for a dungeon raid; a nobleman seemed to want a certain item that drops when defeating the boss of the twentieth floor.
It doesn't look so bad, considering the dungeon is C-rank and the boss of floor twenty is an Orc King.
"Let's take this one. We've never been in a dungeon before, so it'll also serve as a first experience."
"Very well. Since it's a raid, it seems other groups of adventurers or mercenaries will be participating, so we'll be able to maintain some margin."
"Very well, it seems this has to happen during a recession, so let's get in line."
Having made our decision, we headed toward the counter and waited in one of the lines.
I'm too lazy to wait, so I chose a line with the receptionist who worked the fastest.
After about five minutes, it was our turn.
The woman who served us was an elf; she didn't look younger than twenty, although realistically she could easily be two thousand years old. As expected, she was very beautiful, with a flawless face and long, greenish blonde hair.
Unfortunately, she's not an elf with big breasts; most elves are of slender build. Even so, you could say she has a good figure.
She has a rather cold gaze, and from what I heard in her interactions with the adventurers, she also has a somewhat gruff way of speaking, especially with men.
Strangely, no one complained, or rather, they seemed quite happy to be treated this way.
Are they those?
She looked unfriendly until I introduced myself; for some reason, her expression changed to a more respectful one, and she gave a polite bow when I approached.
"Welcome to the adventurers' guild. How may I serve you, Ancestor-sama?"
"It's… Lucia, and I'm acting as a mercenary. I came because of the dungeon request."
take the order form and present it to the receptionist
"I see Count Elton's order. Luckily, it arrived at the right time. One team of adventurers and another of mercenaries have already registered. You would be the last to meet the deadline. Is there a problem?"
"There's no problem."
"Okay. Then a message will be sent confirming your participation. Please write down the names of the members who will be attending."
The receptionist handed us a sheet of paper with instructions.
Maria and I wrote our names as instructed. I also wrote Gabriela's name, since she was too small to reach the counter.
"Very well. The meeting area is at the north exit of the city. It will be tomorrow morning. Thank you for your attention, and good luck."
"Thank you. We'll be going now."
With that said, we left the line and headed outside the guild.
"She's quite a professional girl, isn't she?"
"Although she almost immediately changed her attitude when the next person in line appeared."
"Well… you could also call that professionalism."
"Mama! There's a delicious aroma over there!"
"Hoooo! It smells like melted cheese! Very good, my daughter! We've located our enemy! Let's go!"
"Come on!"
sigh Lucia-sama, don't run so fast. If you crash into someone, you could kill them.
After that, we ate until we were full and went back home to wait for the next day. By the way, the restaurant had good beer.
Today was a happy day.
........
6 a.m.
We got up early because we weren't sure exactly what time the meeting was, as it wasn't specified.
Gabriela was on my back, a little grumpy because she doesn't like getting up early.
"I'll make you some sweets when we get back, so cheer up!"
"Hm, which ones?"
I'll apply this to myself, girl.
"I don't know, which ones do you want?"
"Stuffed buns!"
"Then they'll be buns."
"Yay!"
sigh Lucia-sama is spoiling Mrs. Gabriela too much.
"There's nothing wrong with it. Look, could you say no to these eyes?"
I placed Gabriela in front of me, who immediately began to look at Maria with the eyes of an abandoned puppy.
"…just this once."
"Yay! Thank you, Mama Maria!"
"Mom! cough cough Very well, we need to hurry! Look, there are already people at the entrance!"
"...…"
Gabriela and I were confused; this was the first time Maria seemed so upset. Was it because Gabriela called her "Mom"?
Still confused, we followed an agitated Maria toward the exit door of the capital.
There, I could see two different groups of people. One was made up of three women and two men.
The other was mostly women and one man.
I don't know you, but you can go fuck yourself, as far as I'm concerned.
Hiding my dark feelings, I raised my hand high and greeted those who would be my companions in this task.
"Today, we brats are the last ones!"
Upon hearing my call, everyone turned in our direction.
Their confused expressions changed in different ways when they saw us arrive.
"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you. You must be the mercenaries we were missing. The guild messenger already notified us. I hope to work with you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Nakiri Momoyama, a member of the Momoyama clan. It's an honor to meet an ancestor."
"Sure, likewise."
The first person who came to greet me was a girl from the Oni tribe. When she introduced herself, she bowed respectfully with a cordial greeting.
The Oni are a very peculiar race; they are one of the races that most separate themselves from humans, apart from vampires.
They have an average height similar to that of humans and are characterized by the horns that grow only on their foreheads; they are also usually red in color.
As you can see, the culture of the Oni is very similar to the Japanese one. They are a warrior race that venerates tradition and humility, respects the strong, and possesses an incredible sense of loyalty.
They also have great respect for their elders, so if they stand before an ancestor like the one I'm pretending to be, they will be humble and helpful. That is the reason for her behavior toward me.
Judging by the platinum chain around her neck, she must be an adventurer.
"Thank you, then. Allow me to introduce you to the rest of my team."
With that said, Nakiri led us to the other members of her group and introduced them one by one.
"Hello! I'm Matrona! And I'm the axe user of the group! …Sorry for introducing myself like this. I didn't know the person coming was an ancestor, and I'm a little nervous."
"You don't have to be so tense. It's just work."
"Yes, thank you for your concern."
The girl who introduced herself was a Majin woman, and as expected, her features were very similar to mine, except for a few differences.
Despite being quite large, she still reached below my head. She also had a healthy brown skin tone, in contrast to my white skin. Her language was quite gruff, similar to mine, although due to nerves she stumbled over her words in some parts.
Her horns were a little bigger than mine, Tania's and their shape was also different: a dark black tone with a bit of dark gray at the base, a sign that she is an adult Majin.
Her attire was of the type that Vikings would wear, along with a huge axe on her back.
I haven't spoken to Majin before, so it'll be good to study her behavior to better adapt to that image. Well, it's not like there's much difference.
"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Fred. I'm a healer, and I hope to work with you."
"The same."
The next to appear was a human boy with long brown hair and a priest's robe modified for easy movement. He used a golden staff that resembled some religious symbol, and at his waist was a morning star… he was also quite handsome, damn it!
"Hello! It's the first time I've ever seen an ancestor before! They're so beautiful! Ha! Of course! I'm Lala, my role is support and WOW! They're so big!"
"No! Wait! What are you doing rubbing my breasts?!"
"Flying rat who thinks she's doing something to Lucia-sama, get out of here!"
"Mmm, cheapskates!"
"I don't think that would be the expected reaction."
The strange girl who rubbed my breasts as soon as she approached me was a succubus with black hair and small horns on the sides of her head.
She still seemed to be in her teens, but her provocative figure and large breasts made you question that.
She had a pair of bat wings on her back that, at first glance, didn't seem very useful for flying. She also wore such outrageous clothes that you wouldn't think she was going to a dungeon. Did she really need to wear such a low-cut top? The heart shaped mark below her navel was visible was she trying to show it off?
"I apologize for our colleague's behavior. Let me introduce myself. I'm Guzdad, and I'm the tank of the group. Once again, it's a pleasure working with you all."
"Of course, don't worry. I was just a little surprised."
The last one to appear was a beastman bull who looked like a normal human except for the large horns and hairy ears.
He wore heavy armor along with a turret type shield and a halberd, fitting the description of a pure tank. He also appeared to be the oldest member of the group.
Well, at least he was older than Fred; the others could easily be five times his age. Beastmen only have a lifespan of about 700 years.
Even so, this team was quite well balanced: one tank, two vanguards, and two supports. Depending on the position, there wouldn't be any escape points.
"Ha! Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Lucia, and this is my daughter, Gabriela."
"Hello!"
"And I'm Maria. It will be a pleasure to work with all of you."
Having finished with the presentation of this group, I thought I would continue with the next one.
"Today—"
Or so I thought, until I heard an unpleasant voice coming from there.
"Why is a child here?! This isn't a daycare!"
The person who said that was the only man in the mercenary group who also took this order.
He was… you know what? I'm not even going to bother. Let's just call him blond dickhead.
The blond dickhead was staring in our direction while pointing at Gabriela, who was in my arms in protest.
"That's nothing but a nuisance. Get her out of here!"
"...…"
I can't deny that normally nobody would think of bringing a child on a dungeon raid.
But Gabriela isn't just any child; she's my daughter and a fallen angel, even if they don't know that.
Even so, how could a mother let a bastard speak to her daughter like that?
I'd have to put him in his place.
"Well, if you're talking about children, you're no different in my eyes. You're nothing more than a brat throwing a tantrum."
"!!!"
He was about to say something else, but before any rude word could leave his mouth, a murderous intent prevented his voice from leaving his throat.
It didn't come from me or Maria, but from Gabriela herself.
"Regardless of whether she's a child or not, she's quite strong. As her mother, I can attest to that."
With that said, I told Gabriela to stop emanating murderous intent, and everything around us returned to normal.
The blond dickhead wanted to say something else since he was now able to speak, but before he could, the dark elf in an outfit similar to that of a witch stopped him.
"Tsk, do whatever you want!"
With those last words, he turned around and left through the city gate, his group following behind.
sigh I'm sorry you had to deal with that, Lucia-san.
Nakiri said that while looking disapprovingly at the blond dickhead, who was already far away.
"Don't worry. If he had gotten too clever for his own good, I would have turned him into a pot in the ground."
"Hahaha! I would have loved to see it! That bastard Ark is always bragging about his skills when just two years ago he was rotting on the streets like a petty thief, just because he got lucky as a cargo carrier at adventurer parties. He thinks he's all that."
"Besides, he just spends his time gambling in brothels and drinking all day. Even I find it disgusting. I'm not sure how he became famous in the first place."
Matrona, followed by Lala, gave their bad impressions of the dickhead called Ark.
It seems the saying that those who are lucky and ungrateful are the most disgusting of gamblers is true.
"It's about time we left; the client has given us a deadline of three days to complete this mission."
Urged on by Fred, we moved toward the location of the dungeon.
Now I wonder if we'll find anything interesting there.
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