While waiting for Deanna to complete the procedures at the counter, Iris (Rene) looked at the requests that were posted around the corner.
　The request lists the reward, the content, the client, and the estimated difficulty of the request in terms of the adventurer's rank.

　Picking herbs, killing giant rats that live in the sewers, clearing out goblin settlements, collecting early bird feathers: ...... are all for low-level adventurers.

　The more difficult requests (quests) ......, such as the rare case where a tribe of ogres has taken up residence in the vicinity ......, are sent to a larger branch in the vicinity from the start. The dragon's throat.
　The "Dragon's Throat" members of the fourth grade (guard) are mid-level adventurers, but even that is valuable in a city of this size. There is no system in place to handle requests (quests) of an estimated difficulty of fifth grade (adept) or higher. And it is not in the client's best interest to be left with an unmanageable request.
　This is the reason why the request board is a mess. However, there are only a few quests in a branch of this size, so there are few requests for mid- to high-ranking adventurers.

　There was nothing in particular that caught Iris's (Rene) interest, but as she looked at the posted requests one by one, she noticed that there were some that were not requests in the middle of the list.
　Illustrations of vicious monsters wielding fangs and claws. Their battle records and characteristics are written alongside, and they have horrible names like "Bloody Fang" and "Mad Beast".
　They were probably printed by magic. It was as if they were bounty hunters' wanted list.

　Just as there are all kinds of people, from ordinary people to heroes, there are naturally individual differences among demons as well.
　The adventurer's guild will give a second name to individuals who are exceptionally brave or have abilities that are far outside the average of their race.
　This system is called "Named Monsters".

　Named monsters are feared not only by ordinary people, but even by adventurers. However, in a sense, they are also one of the romances of adventure.
　Even if you are not a battle junkie, the thought of a duel with a dragon is enough to make your heart leap. In the same way, battling a named monster is associated with heroic aspirations.
　Most of them have a bounty on their heads, and the adventurer who defeats them will be rewarded with wealth and fame.

　As she gazed at the threatening but miserably strong Named, who had "crushed a village" or "wiped out a party of Third Grade Explorers," Iris (Rene) found one illustration of a different color.

　The illustration depicts a beautiful girl with an aesthetic atmosphere.
　She is posed holding her own severed head as an offering. Her eyes are closed, and she seems to be praying quietly, almost as if she is a goddess. A beautiful, frilly dress. On the front left side of the skirt is a rose, as if her clothes were stained with blood.
　It's a very different atmosphere from the surrounding illustrations of the namesake, which are viciously drawn and have the appearance of a handbill.
　The words written like the title of a painting are: ......

"The Rose of Hell?"
"Oh, that's it. That's the one from the commotion in King's Landing the other day, that one.
I'm not sure what to make of that.

　I'm not sure what to make of that.

　--......, right?　It's me, isn't it?

　I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've.

I'm sure you'll agree.
The painter on the wanted list is always drawing monsters. The artist on the wanted list is always forced to draw monsters. In addition, this one has a narrative to match.
　I've heard that the Knights protested to the guild, saying "Don't call her a princess. ...... Who knows. The adventurer's guild even calls female orcs princesses. If she was born into the royal bloodline, there's no reason not to call her Princess.
There's a lot of easy names for named monsters.

　--Huh. She doesn't look like me, but I wonder who she is. I can't believe there was another princess who was decapitated and turned into a Dullahan.

　But that won't change anything.

　It's not often that a monster that has already been defeated is assigned a name. And they don't put up a wanted list like this.
　This means that the guild still considers the "Rose of Hell" as a target to be defeated.

But wasn't this demon defeated by the Knight Commander?
"That's what I heard, but I guess not. I was not asked by the government to designate it as named, but I heard that the government is asking for help in gathering information. So the guild thought there was something going on and notified us to designate a domestic nomad.

　--So at least the country knows I'm still alive. ...... No, I'm undead, so I'm not alive. You think you haven't been defeated yet?
　　　I'm not sure if I'm still alive or not. ...... How did you know he ran away?

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.
　The battle with Lawrence in King's Landing. Realizing that she couldn't win, Iris (Rene) abandoned her body and escaped with just her body. I was hoping that he would have thought that he had defeated her and let his guard down so that he could move freely for a while. ......

　--I'm not sure if it's a good idea to put blood on the magic sword?

　I'm not sure what to do.
　I'm not sure what to do. A spell that imbues blood with a curse and casts a curse on enemies and equipment exposed to it. I set it up as a last resort, but maybe my presence was traced or something.

　--I'd better move carefully so they don't notice where I'm moving. ......

　The kingdom probably doesn't think they've defeated Rene yet, and they're not going to leave him alone. That makes us even more cautious.

　At the same time as being cautious, Iris (Rene) was feeling a little better after seeing this wanted list.

　A named monster, "The Rose of Hell".
　Not bad, thought Iris (Rene). It's not bad to become infamous and become a synonym for fear that surpasses even the Demon King.
　If Hilbert was now trembling in the depths of the royal castle, afraid of his own existence,......, it would be amusing to imagine.

　--...... So that's a form of revenge. If you think about it, killing is just a moment of pain. It's good to make a name for yourself, scare people, and then finally attack and kill them. Let them die in slow despair. ...... After this case is over, I'll think about self-branding as a medium- to long-term policy.



But ...... they also do terrible things to girls who are not even old enough.

　The fact that there was someone else who pitied her made her heart pound in a different way.
　It seemed to warm her already shattered heart a little to know that there was someone else who felt sorry for her.

The King's brother's group didn't say anything, but they did say that they killed him after giving him a rough time. There is a story that when he went up to the execution table, his face was so beaten up that he couldn't even tell whether he was a man or a woman. You'd think he'd want to turn into one of them.

　The branch manager (master) also said sadly.
　That's a rumor that's been going around, but it's true that he was given a rough time.

　A life taken from me. A mother taken from me. A meaningless torment. Hilbert, the pretender. Lawrence, the knight-errant who betrayed the king and undermined everything Rene had been robbed of. ......

　--Yes. I'll make it right, I promise.

"...... Iris?

　I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've seen it before.

I'm afraid of your face.
"Oh, uh, that's terrible. ......
"Really?

　Deanna looked at Iris with pain.

I don't know much about politics. I don't know much about politics, but I just can't believe that people who make little girls look like that are decent.

　Iris (Rene) was silent. I know firsthand that they are not decent. Now I don't know if Iris (Rene) is decent either.

"Anger is poison for the body and the mind, Iris. Take it easy on yourself.
"It's okay to be angry at ....... Why can't I just laugh and forgive whatever happens?

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I think it's a good idea. You can't just laugh at it and forgive it.

　Then Diana shook her head as if to say, "That's not the point.

Someone has to be angry at unreason. But you can't be happy when you're angry. That's why I don't want you or any other child to look like that. I want you to smile. Leave the dirty work to the adults.
Smile. ......
Yeah, yeah. A smile, especially on a girl's face, is like magic in itself.
I don't mean to be a child.
He's got to grow some hair on his bottom before he can talk like that.
Ow!

　Deanna poked Iris lightly in the head.

　Iris (Rene) can read Deanna's emotions.
　Just as she had said, her heart was filled with warmth and love.

　Iris wondered if she could say the same thing if she were to see Rene in her true form. In any case, her words would not be enough to save her. If there is such a thing as a 'happy function' in the human heart, Iris's has already been broken.

　--What I should do is not to smile and be happy. So, for example, ......

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.
　When she had read Diana's emotions earlier, she had picked up on a reaction that concerned her.

　The range of perception expanded around Iris (Rene) in the Adventurer's Guild branch.
　Joy, anger, sorrow, fear, confusion, desire, and the sincere prayers of the clergy: ......
　We can read the various emotions of the people living in the city.
　Among them, there was "hostility". A coldly honed hostility, unmixed with anger or resentment.

　Normally, when people develop hostility toward someone, it is as a result of anger or resentment.
　To skip that process and develop hostility is ...... an example of what an assassin who wants to kill someone for work might look like.

　--Something's coming.

　I don't know where this feeling is directed, and I don't know if it's related to Night Python. But it seemed worth at least trying to find out.

　--I'm just an escort, a shadow. I'd have to be passive.
　　　If there's an opportunity for me to jump in, I can't let it pass me by. We'll get him!

　And I don't want Deanna to see it. And I don't want Deanna to see it. If she gets any more worried, she might just say she's going to cancel the quest and leave.

Deanna. I think I'll go home first. I'm going to pick up some dried fruits from Waterfowl on the way, so I might be late.
"Really?　Have a safe trip back.
Okay.

　I was about to run into the danger myself, but of course I didn't say that to her.