As I changed into my Silver outfit, I was looking at the monster nest from a distance with Sebastian.
The rank of the monsters that appeared in the Duke Kleinert's territory is AA.
Among the ranks from F to SS, it is the fourth highest. It is a level of monster that requires a party of four to five A-rank or higher adventurers to handle, and it is a level of monster that the adventurer guilds in the empire find a bit too much to handle.
In fact, Duke Kleinert has already requested the adventurer guild, and a party of six, consisting of four B-rank adventurers and two A-rank adventurers, has been dispatched, but the problem has not been resolved.
"It's no use when the opponent is a Mother Slime."
A mountain a little away from the capital.
There, countless slimes were spawning. Each one is a common slime, but their numbers are overwhelming. They go on expeditions all over the place, ravaging crops, which is why the Duke has been busy dealing with them with his knights.
The reason why so many slimes have appeared is due to a rare monster called a Mother Slime, which is said to be lurking in the mountain.
As its name suggests, the Mother Slime is a monster that can give birth to child slimes. It absorbs everything and turns it into nutrients to continuously produce child slimes. It is such a troublesome monster that it has even caused the downfall of countries.
The way to deal with it is to defeat the Mother Slime before it establishes a nest and increases the number of child slimes, but by the time the Duke requested the adventurer guild, it was already too late.
According to the records, the child slimes spawned by the Mother Slime are already an army.
"We have to defeat the Mother Slime as soon as possible, or it will never end."
"That's true, but how do you plan to explain it to the adventurers who have already accepted the request?"
"That's the problem."
Adventurers are basically outlaws.
They don't lower themselves to those of higher rank like in the noble society. They put all their effort into the requests they have accepted, for their own sake and to maintain their credibility.
Such adventurers, even if they are SS-rank, do not allow interruptions. It would be different if there was an official letter from the guild, but I am currently accepting a request through a different channel.
"I like the way adventurers are, but it's a source of worry right now."
"It might take time depending on their actions."
"To be honest, we don't have that kind of time. I hope the local adventurers understand this. I'll go ahead and return. I'll take care of it."
"Good luck."
With that, I parted ways with Sebastian and headed to the camp of the adventurers near the mountain.
I couldn't bring Sebastian because it would raise suspicions and get too close to my true identity.
"Look, look. An SS-rank adventurer has come all the way here, everyone."
A young man with red hair, who was on guard outside, said this, and the adventurers in the tent slowly showed their faces.
Five were men and one was a woman.
All of them had a stern look in their eyes.
"I'm Abel, the leader of this party. My rank is A. You might think I'm a small fry, but I'm an SS-rank adventurer named Silver."
I shook the hand that Abel extended.
In response to my light grip, Abel squeezed hard, as if trying to break it.
It seems he doesn't like me.
"I heard from the Duke that you're coming as reinforcements. But if I just hand over the request, I can't be an adventurer. You understand, right?"
"Yes, I understand."
"Interrupting a request is a violation of adventurer etiquette. Do you understand that too?"
"Yes, of course."
I lowered my hand and shifted my gaze to the remaining five.
From their behavior, the other A-rank adventurer is probably the woman.
She has short brown hair in a ponytail, and her face is mostly hidden by a hat, but I think she is definitely a woman.
Her outfit is completely that of a boy, and she is often mistaken for one.
The female adventurer is probably here to assist Abel's party. She is standing back and doesn't seem to have any intention of speaking to Abel.
If that's the case, maybe I can persuade Abel.
"Of course, right? If you understand, why did you come to interrupt the request? Using your connections with the nobility! As an adventurer of your caliber, you shouldn't have any trouble getting requests!"
"You have a point. I understand your frustration. So, feel free to shout at me or hit me. I have no intention of complaining."
"What?"
"Just... as an adventurer, I want to ask you if you can handle this situation."
"..."
Abel doesn't answer.
Neither do the others. Saying you can handle a request you can't is a matter of life and death for an adventurer. The six people here are the highest-level adventurers in the area. They were probably chosen by the guild branch, not by themselves.
However, the situation is much worse than they were told. The Mother Slime is a monster whose strength fluctuates. It gets stronger the more nutrients it takes from the nest. It produces child slimes, which weaken it, but the child slimes bring more nutrients, making it eventually untouchable.
If the situation deteriorates to this point, the Mother Slime must be dealt with quickly to ensure the safety of the area.
"The Mother Slime is much larger than we were told. We've tried several times, but we couldn't deal a fatal blow and had to retreat. We clearly lack firepower."
The female adventurer, who had been silent until now, spoke.
Abel clicked his tongue in response. He seems to understand the situation.
"If you absolutely don't want me to get involved in the request, I won't. However, for the safety of this area, I will report the current situation directly to the guild headquarters and request an emergency quest. I will come back here after accepting it, but it will take a few days. If you can defeat the Mother Slime in that time, I won't stop you. But... this area will be greatly threatened during those few days."
"...I get it. A top-notch adventurer like you wouldn't come here just for the money... I understand that much..."
"You can take all the rewards. Please let me handle the Mother Slime. As an adventurer, I can't stand by and let the damage expand any further."
"...I understand. I admit we lack the power... Do as you please."
Abel slumped and sat down.
Adventurers rise by their own strength. For an adventurer to admit they can't complete a request is a matter of great shame.
Some adventurers even die from continuing reckless requests out of pride. In that sense, Abel is wise and can see the bigger picture.
"I'm sorry, everyone..."
Abel apologized to his party. If it were just him, he might have pushed through, but he considered his party members. He's a good leader.
"Because you attacked the Mother Slime, the situation is this manageable. Without you, this area would already be overrun with slimes. This is a request that should be handled by a party of A-rank or higher adventurers. You did well. The guild will be grateful to you."
"Huh... I never thought I'd be praised by an SS-rank adventurer."
"Please don't take it as sarcasm. I genuinely appreciate it and feel indebted to you. If you need anything, visit the imperial branch. I'll help you."
With that, I reached out my hand toward the mountain.
Ignoring the six people who were looking at me with puzzled expressions, I began to chant.
"I am the one who acts on the will of heaven. I am the one who knows the laws of heaven and earth. The time of judgment has come. The guilty shall tremble, and the innocent shall rejoice. My words are the words of the gods. My strike is the strike of the gods. The fire that gathers in my hand is the fire that scorches the heavens. O heavenly flames, turn the guilty into ashesâExecution Prominence."
An eight-line incantation. A huge magic circle unfolded at the tip of my extended hand.
There is no modern magic with such a long incantation. The longest is seven lines. An eight-line incantation means it is a magic that has not been passed down to modern times.
It is magic from the time when magic was more prosperous than it is now. This is ancient magic.
Only those with talent could use it, and it was eventually forgotten and lost.
To revive it, one can only decipher it from the valuable books that remain. Therefore, there are only a handful of people on the continent who can use ancient magic.
Naturally, there are few people who can witness it.
In that sense, the six people here have had a valuable experience.
The magic circle is filled with magical power. Then, six smaller magic circles appear around the large magic circle.
These smaller magic circles revolve around the large magic circle.
When the magical power reaches the point of collapse, a shining flame of light is fired from the magic circle.
It instantly burns the trees on the mountain and the slimes nesting there. It doesn't stop there; it completely burns the mountain itself.
What remains is only scorched, blackened ground.
"Now, the slimes won't increase anymore."
"Are you serious..."
"...This is the ancient magic used by an SS-rank adventurer..."
Abel and the female adventurer murmured.
The others were speechless, trying to understand what had just happened.
A magic that can blow away a mountain. It is a level of magic that is almost legendary.
It's understandable that they can't grasp what just happened right in front of them.
"Can you report it for me?"
"...You should go. We didn't do anything. You saved the Duke's territory. You're a hero."
"I'm not interested. I have other things to do. I'll leave the rest to you."
With that, I left the scene using a teleportation spell.
The place I teleported to was a room in Duke Kleinert's mansion. It is the room assigned to me.
Prince Arnold is still supposed to be staying in the Duke's territory. After reporting to the Duke that Silver has defeated the Mother Slime and obtaining a promise of assistance from the Duke, my work will finally be over.
Until then, I can't let my guard down.
While thinking about this, I took off my silver mask.
I realized it was a fatal mistake when I heard a voice.
"Huh...?"
It was a voice of surprise.
Recognizing the familiar voice, I first regretted it.
I thought no one was in the room. It was a room assigned to the prince, and I didn't think anyone would enter without the prince's permission.
Turning around and seeing the face, I regretted it even more.
"...Fiene"
"...Prince Arnold...?"
There, standing was a beauty of the world and the Duke's daughter.
A girl who can't be easily silenced, Fiene, was there.