The voices of Kalia and Held Stanley slowly faded from my ears as if they were going somewhere far away. I stroked my neck, sighed lightly and refreshed my lungs for a change.

I'm not sure what to do.

I'm not sure what to make of that." "...... You seem pretty carefree and unconcerned about it. Are all adventurers like that?

　It's fine," muttered Fialaat La Borgograd, looking at me with a chewed cigarette in his mouth, in a hushed voice next to me. I wonder if it's the quality of his voice that makes it so strangely memorable, even though it's almost muffled.

　As for me, I'm fed up with her maintaining her composure even though she was separated from her friends by a trap as soon as she stepped into the entrance of the underground temple.

　Not that I'm a drinker, but when I need to calm down, I like to chew tobacco. The burning, yet refreshing smell that passes through your nose is a pleasant sensation. I used to do this in times of crisis on my previous trips. In any case, since I was often the only one sent out to scout or to see if there was a trap, the danger was always on my back.

So, what are you going to do? Do we stay here and wait for help?　Or do we make our own move?

　I rolled my eyes at those words. I almost swallowed the spit that had accumulated in my mouth. The black-haired sorceress was looking at me with a somewhat anxious look, as if to say, "What's wrong?

　I wanted to tell him that I was surprised.

　Fiorato La Volgograd, who had never even considered my existence, had asked me for my opinion. Of course, it's not that this girl did that, but there is still a certain overlap. I am amazed, or rather, my cheeks are drawn together in an unpleasant way.

　I tuck the chewing tobacco into my chest and light a simple candlestick filled with hexenbiest fat.

Let's move, shall we? Don't fall, Mr. Employer. I'll take the lead. Take the light and follow me.

It's dark out there. I wonder if adventurers can see in the dark.

　I said I'm used to it," he says, shrugging and waving his hand behind his back. Yeah, yeah, I'm used to it. After all, this is only my second time here and in this trap.

　I'll be back.

　The underground temple, built of ancient stone and clay, was far from austere.

　There were no valuables, and not even a hint of the religion that once existed here. But still, Master Sorcerer. Fyarados has a reason to be here. That's why he hired me. I had to hire you.

　Ruins and places like this where magical beasts have come to live. It's a state-sanctioned guild compound. Rather than just leave them to fall into disrepair, the guilds use adventurers to manage and sometimes excavate them. The guilds get the profits, and the state gets the money from the guilds. The guilds get the profits, and the state gets the money from the guilds. Money will never stay in the pockets of the weak, no matter how far it goes.

　That's why you can't just walk into a guild-controlled facility without permission. Whether it is to bring something back from there or to conduct an excavation, it must be formalized in the form of permission from the guild or a request to the guild. Otherwise, Fialat wouldn't have been so desperate to hire me.

　Of course, there are some idiots, like the former apprentice knight who must have a stone in his brain instead, who go into guild-controlled areas and even off-limits areas on their own.

　The sound of his footsteps on the cobblestones as he followed behind me with the candlestick showed that he was unsure of what to expect.

　I stopped and glanced back at him to make sure he was okay, and he looked at me with a pout on his lips and a strong look on his face. If he can talk like that, he's probably still okay.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. I thought hexenbiests came from the dark.

"Hey, it's not mold or disease. It's a living thing. Some of them have lost their fight-or-flight instinct, but they're scared to death, too. There's no such thing as a head-on assault.

　I dare you to set a second trap. Of course, there's a reason why I took the one near the entrance. It's not like I made the same mistake.

　One, yes, to separate Fialat from Held Stanley, even temporarily.

But you're a curious man, aren't you? The Temple of the Old Ones is not a place to be seen.

　Inevitably, if we proceed with that party, Herd Stanley will always come between us and her. Because of his abhorrent sense of justice and his childish statement about being a gentleman.

　I wouldn't be talking to her if I could help it.

　But I can't have Fialaert standing beside Held Stanley, as he once did. That's the one thing I have to stop, no matter what. Just thinking about it makes my heart stop beating as if it were made of stone. The bitterness of the journey to salvation, the hatred that he, Held Stanley, would get anything, the fear that if I let the world go back to the way it was before, it would end up the same way again.

　All kinds of emotions are raging as if their guts were turned inside out.

　Therefore, I must search for him, for her. We must seek something to separate them.

"...... Shut up. We have our reasons, we have our reasons.

Well, as a sorcerer, I mean.

　Well, yes. Fialat nodded. It was obvious, but he nodded as if he was interested.



　Of course. Because she had visited here before for that purpose. But that time, it was not this early in her life, but a stopover in her journey.

　However, she was not yet old enough to be called a woman. She was still at an age when she could be called a girl.

　Perhaps she failed to make the request in the past. She failed to reach this place, was forced to give up, and became obsessed with her research in the city. If that's the case, she should be grateful to me for bringing her here so early. Of course, she doesn't know that.

You'll be fine. It's the study of magic. How could I not?

　I can picture her on her journey to salvation. The confident Fialaat la Volgograd who was convinced that magic could change everything. I couldn't believe that she was capable of anything when it came to magic.

"Don't be so selfish.

　But what came back to me was a strange, hard and perverted word. I widened my eyes and turned around.

You don't even know me, and you're telling me I'm fine?　You're so casual about it!　This is why unthinking, uneducated people are ...... so unimportant.

　The words were firm, yet heated. You can see a faint glimmer in his dark eyes. It was a strange sight to see her so calm and collected, always with a bit of reserve in her.

"It's true you're not educated. I know. I know. I do a certain amount of research on my clients beforehand. A student from the Borvat dynasty, further east from here. He's studying ancient and modern magic at the academy.

　I'm not sure what you're talking about," Fialaert said, taking a chew of tobacco in his mouth as he walked on.

　Of course, I hadn't bothered to look her up. But from what I've heard during my travels, she's been working hard on her research here in Garou Amalia and has quickly risen to prominence. If that's the case, then I guess there are some problems that only a genius can have. This is beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

"...... Oh, you know that. You knew and you accepted the request. Well, go ahead and make fun of me. A little girl from out of town making a ridiculous fool of herself.

　You're full of surprises today. What's that word? Is it self-deprecation? Or is it a new joke of hers? It's not funny at all.

"Oh, come on. The condescension of a talented person is like spitting in the sky. It'll come back to you.

"Talented?　"Talented?" ...... mockery. So, can you ride me? Do you have any idea what I'm capable of?

Of course. Yeah, that's why I took the job and came here.

　I don't know. I've heard she's a brilliant person from an early age. Then of course everyone's gonna put their money on her future, on her glory. Not to a rat like me.

　For a moment, a voice from behind me stifles me. Oh, that's convenient too. We're just getting here.

　Another reason why I dared to walk into a trap.

"Well, here we are, my client. This is your destination, isn't it?

　I hear Fialat gasp. I hear Fialaert gasp. He looks surprised, happy, and somewhat unsettled. Well, it's okay to be a little proud about this.

　After trudging through the narrow, dark passages, we came out in a large cathedral. Yes, this is the main hall of the underground temple. The destination of Fialat and the repository of knowledge protected by the heralds.