第１３０４堀：魔物のことなら冒険者ギルドへ (Part2)
“There’s as much as ever... wait, isn't there even more than usual?”
“It can’t be helped,” Kina replied with a weary shrug. “These are the employment contracts for the adventurers we’re hiring for the student exchange program. We can’t finalize these on our own.”
“Ah, I remember hearing about that. How exactly do you plan to utilize them?” Yuki asked, leaning in with interest to peer at the documents in my hands.
I flipped through the stack, searching for the summary. “Here it is. We’re hiring adventurers to serve as monitors and guards for the exchange students. After discussing it with Ratz and Eris, we realized it’s inevitable that the students will gravitate toward the commercial and adventurer districts. We decided to supplement our security with adventurers here. The goblins guarding the school and the police officers are a bit too conspicuous for casual surveillance.”
“That makes sense,” Yuki nodded. “Keeping the adventurers in the loop should help prevent unnecessary friction.”
“Exactly. Adventurers are a hot-blooded lot. It’s all too easy to imagine them getting into scraps with noble children.”
“Um... Kina-san? Even if you inform them, won’t trouble still break out?” Oriel asked, raising her hand tentatively.
I understood her doubt. Fools remain fools, and a simple briefing doesn't magically erase the potential for conflict.
“It’ll still happen, I’m sure, but the frequency will be much lower. There are plenty of level-headed adventurers among the ranks. Besides, we’ll be taking testimonies to see who was actually at fault; we won’t just blindly side with the nobility. Most adventurers aren't exactly eager to pick fights with aristocrats anyway.”
“I see.”
“Plus, we have the apprentice adventurers here—the children. This guild is much more disciplined than most.”
“Aslin and Dressa used to work here quite often,” Yuki remarked. “How have they been doing lately?”
Aslin and Dressa both had their own official duties now. It wasn't the kind of work they could just walk away from on a whim.
“Their hours have definitely dropped,” I explained. “Dressa still comes in to do cleaning jobs on her days off.”
“Yes,” Rock added, backing me up. “As Kina says, Dressa uses her holidays. Vilia and Hiiro work a few times a week as part of their duties to gather information. As for Aslin and the others... they only make it in a few times a month because of their various responsibilities.”
“Yuki-dono,” Rock said, his voice turning serious. “I’ve been meaning to mention this, but young Aslin and her friends are working themselves to the bone. Are you making sure they’re doing alright?”
“I... I’m only just realizing the extent of it now,” Yuki admitted, looking struck. “They always come home looking like they’ve had a fulfilling day, so I didn't think...”
When I stopped to think about it, their schedules were staggering. Aslin was the commander of the sea monsters, the deputy commander of Weed’s monster army, and a caretaker for the younger ones. Firia was a candidate for the deputy representative of the Blacksmith District, constantly researching cutting-edge weaponry and supporting Aslin’s command. Labyris, of course, acted as the surrogate Dungeon Master, attending various high-level meetings and drowning in paperwork. Shera had finally seen the negotiations with Gartz settle down, but she had immediately pivoted to supporting the others with their administrative burdens.
On top of all that, all four were officially enrolled in the Lancer Magic Academy, the Heiden Magic Institute, the Weed School, and the Weed Exchange School. While their tuition was waived and their attendance was flexible—a chaotic arrangement born of necessity—they still put in the effort. They provided invaluable insights into the reality of student life through their friends, seeing things from a perspective we could never reach.
Yes, they were incredibly busy.
“I’ll talk to them tonight,” Yuki said firmly.
“Aye, please do. It’d be a black mark on our reputation if those girls collapsed from exhaustion,” Rock grunted.
“Agreed.”
Exploiting children to that degree would be the work of a monster. While they never seemed unhappy when talking to us, we clearly needed to do a better job of looking out for them.
“So, back to the matter at hand?”
“Right, we got sidetracked. Actually...”
With that, the discussion turned to the investigation of the Great Forest and whether any similar phenomena had been recorded in the guild’s archives. I hoped we could find something useful.
Every man to his trade, as they say. There’s no shame in relying on experts. In a way, stories where the protagonist and their immediate circle solve every single problem themselves are the ones that are truly unbelievable.