The request sheets listed the reward, the description, the client, and the estimated difficulty of the request in terms of the adventurerâs rank.
Picking medicinal herbs, exterminating giant rats living in the sewers, cleaning up a goblin settlement, and collecting feathers from early birds⊠were all for low-level adventurersâŠ
So what happened to the more difficult requests âŠfor example, an ogre tribe settled in the vicinity, which is rare, ⊠what do they do? They are often sent to a larger branch in the vicinity.
The âDragonâs Throatâ members were fourth-class Guards, which meant they were mid-level adventurers, but in a city of this size, even that was precious. There was no system in place to deal with requests of estimated fifth-grade adept difficulty or higher. And it was not in the clientâs best interest to be left with unmanageable requests.
That was the reason why the requests board was so disorganized. However, the number of requests itself was small for a branch of this size, so there were very few requests for mid- to high-level adventurers.
Illustrations of vicious monsters wielding fangs and claws. Alongside, their battle records and characteristics, and horrifying names such as âBloody Fangsâ and âMad Beastâ were written below.
Printed documents probably transcribed with magic. It looked like a bounty hunterâs wanted list.
Just as there are various humans, from ordinary people to heroes, there were naturally individual differences among monsters as well.
The Adventurersâ Guild attached a nickname to those who displayed extraordinary bravery or abilities far above the average for their race.
This was the âNamed Monsterâ system.
Named monsters are an object of fear not only for ordinary people, but even for adventurers. However, in a sense, they were also one of the greatest adventurersâ dreams.
Even if you are not a battle-crazed junkie adventurer, the thought of a duel with a dragon would make your heart beat wildly. In the same way, battles with named monsters are accompanied by a heroic yearning.
Most named monsters have a bounty on them from the state or the local inhabitants, and the adventurer who defeats them will be rewarded with riches (or fame, depending on how big the bounty is).
It depicted a beautiful girl who exuded an ethereal atmosphere.
The pose in which she held her own severed head as an offering. Her eyes closed, she looked like she was silently praying, perhaps even divine. A beautiful, frilly dress. A rose on the left front part of her skirt, as though her clothes were stained with blood.
The illustration was drawn in a heinous manner, and the atmosphere was distinctly different from the illustrations of other named monsters around her, which looked like wanted posters.
Written like the title of a painting were the wordsâŠ
ââRose Princess of Hellrageâ?â
âOh, thatâs it. Thatâs the one that caused a commotion in the capital the other day, that one.â
âYou mean the one about the executed princess who turned into a Dullahan?â
âArtists working on the âwanted listâ are always forced to draw monsters. They rarely get to paint pretty girls, so they must have been enthusiastic about it. In addition, this one has a story to suit the occasion. I heard that the Knights protested to the Adventurersâ Guild, saying, âDonât call her a princess.â ⊠I wouldnât care to know⊠The Adventurers Guild even calls female orcs princesses. There is no reason not to call her a princess when she was born with royal blood.â
âNamed monster nicknames are often very simple.â
âHeh. I wonder who she is, she doesnât look like me. I canât believe there was another princess who was decapitated and turned into a Dullahan besides me.
Nothing changes even if one tries to escape from reality.
Itâs not every day that a monster that had already been defeated is later designated as a named one. And they donât put up an arrangement like this.
This meant that the Guild still considered the âRose Princess of Hellrageâ as a target to be defeated.
âBut, wasnât this monster defeated by the Commander of the Order?â
âI heard that was the story, but apparently not. The government did not ask for the designation of a named one, but it is said that a request for cooperation in gathering information has been issued by the government. So the guild thought something was going on, and for the time being, they have been informed of the domestic named designation.â
âSo at least the country thinks Iâm still aliveâŠ, or at least undead, so Iâm not alive. They think I havenât been defeated yet. AhhhhâŠ. the way they killed me like thatâŠ, at first sight, they would think I was defeated. How did they know I escaped?
âMaybe it was bad that I put blood on the magic sword?
That was about the only cause she could think of.
The Curse «Blood of Resentment». It was a spell that imbued the blood with a curse and cast it on enemies and equipment that was exposed to it. Although she set it up as a last-ditch effort, it was possible that her presence was detected by someone or something.
âIâd better move with care so they donât notice where Iâm operatingâŠ
If Hilbert was now trembling in the depths of the castle in fear of her presenceâŠ, it would be a delight for her just to imagine it.
âHmm⊠thatâs another form of revenge. If you think about it, killing is a momentary pain. It is also good to build up a bad name, have them scared to death, and then finally attack and finish them off. Let them slowly despair and then die⊠When this one is over, Iâll consider self-branding as a medium- to long-term policy.
âBut ⊠they also did terrible things to a girl who wasnât even ⊠old enough to understand.â
The fact that there was someone who felt pity for her, even though her heart should have already been shattered, seemed slightly warmer.
âThe royal brothersâ faction didnât say anything about it, but the story goes that they killed her after inflicting a great deal of pain on her. When she went up to the executionerâs platform, her face was so battered and bruised that they didnât even know if she was male or female. It would be understandable if she wanted to transform herself.â
The branch manager also lamented.
The rumors had a tail attached to them, but it was true that she had suffered a great deal.
Diana shook her head as if to say, âThatâs not what I meantâ.
âSomeone has to get angry at unreasonable things. But, you know, being angry doesnât make you happy. Thatâs why I donât want you, or any other child, to have that look on your face. I want you to smile. Leave the dirty work to adults.â
âSmileâŠâ
âYeah, thatâs right. A smile, especially from a girl, is magic in itself.â
âI donât mean to be such a child.â
âYouâŠ, you canât talk to me like that until you grow hair down there!â
Joy, anger, sorrow, fear, confusion, desire, and the sincere prayers of the clergyâŠ
She could read the various emotions of the people living in the city.
Among them, âhostilityâ was present. A coldly honed hostility with neither anger nor resentment mixed in.
Normally, people develop hostility toward someone as a result of anger or resentment.
To skip that process and harbor hostility⊠like this, perhaps an assassin who was trying to kill someone on the job.
âSomething is coming.
She didnât know where those feelings are directed, and she didnât know if they were related to the Night Pythons or not. But it seemed worth at least trying to find out.
âIâm just an escort and a double now. I have to be passive. If there is an opportunity for me to jump in, I canât let them get away. Iâll make sure I catch them!
And she didnât want Diana to see that. If she got any more worried, she might cancel the Earlâs request and leave.
âIâm going home first, after all. Iâm going to buy some dried fruit from âMizudoriâ on the way, so I may be a little late.â
âReally? Be careful on your way back.â
âGot it.
Unfortunately, she was about to jump into danger herself, but of course she didnât say anything about it.