"To tell you the truth. It's been nearly 20 years since the Great Incursion, so I'm sending a team to the Devil's Forest to investigate.


　The words 'The Great Raid' that came from Rebecca were words of fear to all who lived in the kingdom.


　Twenty years ago, the year right after I was born, it happened.

　The Abyssal Walkers, a horde of abyssal walkers that can't be called demons or humans, multiplied in the forest of the demon world and struck the entire kingdom in an unprecedented disaster.

　Three hundred thousand people died, the number of wounded was uncountable, and more than fifty cities were destroyed, which was the result of the "Great Raid".



　The Abyss Walkers had killed many people in our village as well as on the frontier, and Alfine's parents and I were among the victims.

　So we don't know our parents' faces.

　And we don't know what happened in the village during the Great Raid except what we heard from the surviving adults.


　After we lost our parents, we lived in a poor orphanage the lord had set up in the village for similarly-situated children until they came of age.

　The director of the orphanage and his wife were very nice people, and they were our parents, so to speak.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future.


　So ...... it's already been 20 years since the 'great attack' that took away our faceless parents ...... The months have gone by fast.


'Is that ............ an investigation into whether the Abyssal Walkers (Abyss Walkers) are back?'


　I listened with my voice hidden, and Rebecca nodded aloud to me.

　In this country, since the great attack, there is a tendency to feel hesitant to speak of 'Abyssal Walkers' as a taboo subject.


　It is the same among the adventurers.

　The Abyssal Walkers have proliferated, and the Royal Army and the Knights of the Abyssal Guard were not enough to protect the city and its people from the Abyssal Walkers, and many adventurers were mobilized to defend the city and its people.

　The 'Great Raid' that caused unprecedented deaths had caused the kingdom's human resources to fall to the bottom, and the number of people, including the Knights of the Kingsguard, who have long been said to be weak, had been reduced to the point where we, who were in our teens, could be promoted to the highest level of adventurers, the platinum grade.


''Moreover, since the Count of the Frontier is joining the survey team this time, the Adventurer's Guild has been talking about recommending Flick-sama to accompany them.


　Rebecca is looking up at me as if to check on me.


　The Earl of the Frontier is Noelia's father and a great nobleman, right? .......

　I'm not sure why I'm being recommended as the bodyguard for a survey team that includes such a great person.


Hmm?　I'm going to be part of this investigation?　It's a bronze grade, even though it's been promoted, but ......

To tell you the truth, the other party has requested that we conduct a small-scale investigation with a small number of people so as not to provoke the demons in the Fiendish Forest.

But isn't that kind of request from a great lord a platinum-grade adventurer?


　Guarding a great nobleman was a very lucrative job, and only those whose identities could be guaranteed would be introduced.

　Such important requests were usually given to adventurers of the platinum grade who were recognized by the Adventurer's Guild as someone who could take full responsibility for the job.


''The adventurers in our adventurers' guild with a platinum grade are usually those who have large parties of dozens of people who are not engaged in solo activities.


　Indeed, just as Rebecca said, there don't seem to be many adventurers working solo in this Yuguhanotes.

　Many of the fledgling adventurers were also in parties of four to five people, and many of the veterans were also in parties of ten or more people and receiving requests.

　The King's City was not exactly full of solo adventurers either, but it was rare to see a party as large as the Yuguhanotes.


''I knew this Yuguhanotes had a lot of multiplayer parties, but ......

The lesson of 'The Great Raid'. I heard that many veteran, skilled adventurers who were working solo at that time died because they couldn't get proper support......, so our adventurer's guild didn't really encourage solo activities. If Flick-sama hadn't been approached by anyone, I would have thought to introduce him to you from the adventurer's guild side.


　That's going to get you in quite a bit of trouble.

I'm feared by veteran adventurers, and I don't make enough money to feed myself by working with new adventurers.

　For the time being, I'd like to accumulate funds while building up my track record as a soloist.


'I see, but I'm going to focus on my solo activities for a while.

''That's right. I thought you would say that, and since Flick-sama is outstanding in both sword and magic skills among those who are working solo, I've made this recommendation. The problem was the guarantee of identity, but that was no problem since Miss Noelia bought the underwriter for me. What do you think?　Mr. Fricke, do you accept this offer?　The estimated number of days of investigation is seven, with meals and a daily allowance of 100,000 ounces.


　Rebecca slips the request form in front of me.


　The client is a great nobleman, the Earl of Huguenots frontier, and there is no possibility of non-payment, and 100,000 ounces per day is very tempting, but .......

　The request is to escort a survey team or .......

　You're supposed to protect the people in the survey team led by the frontier count.

　You can use magic now, and even if you encounter the 'Abyssal Walkers' (Abyssal Walkers), I have a feeling that a small group of guards will be able to accomplish the task.


''I understand. I'll take this request.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for, but it's not a good idea to just throw a massive spell at them just because they are attacking you. If you do that in the forest of the demon world, the demons will gather in a chain reaction.


　Rebecca was looking at me with a worried look on her face.


　There's a precedent for this, so I can't help but be concerned, but as expected, I wouldn't do something stupid like that with a request for an escort .......

　Unless you decide to use it, though, you're in danger if you don't.


'It's fine. I don't experiment with magic in my job as an escort, and I only use magic that I know how powerful it is.

''I'd like to thank you for your support. I've heard from the Count of the Frontier about Flick-sama in various ways, and there are some in the guild who think it's best not to make this recommendation either.


　I thought the whole massive magic-busting thing was causing a lot of problems: .......

　Noelia said that part of it was fine because it subsided well.

　Maybe it wasn't subsiding as well as I thought.


'Is that so?　Then you'll have Rebecca's face on the table as my personal receptionist for the troubled me, and don't worry, I'll make sure I fulfill my request.

Ta, relieve me. The survey team will be leaving from the main gate tomorrow morning, so don't oversleep. Also, I'll pay you for the cash valuation you gave me when you return.


　With that, Rebecca handed me the custody certificate.


I didn't know the survey team would be leaving tomorrow. I'd better get to bed early today. I agree with you about the exchange. I'll be away for a while from tomorrow.

Yes, be safe!　We await your safe return, sir.


　Knowing that the request started tomorrow morning, I hurriedly parted from Rebecca and went to bed early at the inn to prepare for tomorrow's investigation of the magical forest.

　And the next morning, when I arrived at the main gate, the meeting place, I stopped in my tracks.


''Good morning, Flick-sama. I would like to ask for your help in escorting the investigation team for the next seven days.


　Noelia greeted me with the same intonationless voice as usual.


　What was waiting for him was a mature man who seemed to be Noelia's father, a Yuguhanotes frontier count, who was clad in a murderous air, and Noelia herself.

　There were also five knight-like people who looked like knights on guard and about two people who looked like scholars.


''Oh, what?　Is Noelia going too?

Yes, I'm a platinum-grade adventurer who has been asked to be your father's bodyguard.


　As Noelia says this, the killing spirit from her father swells up.


'Noelia, that little boy--'

Father, now that we are all here, we are leaving. This is no longer a pleasure trip, so refrain from speaking. Come on, Master Fricke, let's go.


　Noelia stopped her father who was about to say something and walked away from me.


'Hey, hey, Noelia. I think I should at least say hello to the frontier earl who is my escort target.

No, it's nothing. Besides, your request for escort has already been initiated.


　Even his father, the Count of the Frontier, and his followers did not seem to oppose Noelia.


　Thus, together with Noelia's father and daughter, I set out on a journey to investigate the forest of the Abyssal Walkers, the place where the Abyssal Walkers originated.