On the way to Akau Village

Arrived at a small room suitable for a small meeting.

Graham begins speaking.

"Let's hear your report, Marie."

"Why are you in charge? Taku, I heard you've been free to act as you please since leaving the trading company. Is that true?"

"Yes, it's true. Right now, I'm taking on various jobs without any particular preference."

"I see. Then I'd like to assign you a job as a trading company."

Me? A trading company should have excellent adventurers on hand, shouldn't it?

"May I ask about the job details?"

"Of course. The job involves the Entshi Mountain Range, located west of here, and at its base lies Akau Village. This village is a major production site for a certain type of magical stone. Do you know what it is?"

"The water crystal, right? I've read several references about it in the magical stone records. It's said to be of extremely high purity."

"That's right—the water crystal is a crucial mineral capable of controlling water flow. The higher its purity, the more water it can manipulate, but it deteriorates rapidly once removed from water. Despite this, the production of water crystals has suddenly dropped drastically."

"So, you're referring to that investigation?"

"No, I did conduct an investigation, but... well..."

What's wrong? He's hesitating.

That kind of expression doesn't suit him at all...

I did investigate, but I couldn't figure it out. More accurately, there isn't just one issue.

Graham, who had been quietly listening, suddenly butted in. But how could you not know the cause?

One reason is that the output of the magic stones themselves is gradually decreasing.

The cause of the emergence of spirit stones remains unknown.

"Well, this issue isn't new. More pressing are two suddenly appearing problems. The first is a health concern. Some strange illness is spreading, something I've never heard of before. It's completely beyond understanding. Apparently, people's bodies are turning to crystal—just like magical beasts."

! Human Monster Transformation Indeed, if wild animals can transform into monsters, humans might too... I'd completely forgotten about that possibility. After hearing the details, it seems there's no risk of rampage.

Marie continues.

"One other issue is that locals have stopped working due to their fear of this strange illness, and adventurers or guards have stopped coming here. Honestly, we have no choice but to leave it to the medical experts..."

Even though the number of beastmen sightings has increased, adventurers and guards have dwindled, making movement impossible. The requests are clear—eliminate the growing number of beastmen, investigate the cause, and if possible, restore the production of magical stones. How about it? Think you can handle it?"

"Ah, so that’s why Graham-san stepped in here."

"Sharp intuition, lad. Or should I say, conjurer Taro?"

"Conjurer!? What’s that supposed to mean?"

I blurted out in surprise, unable to help myself.

Marie answers.

"Didn't you know? You should get a better sense of your own reputation. You wield magic like lightning, use a strange staff, and apparently that staff can sense enemies' locations. Not to mention the odd cloth projectiles from your crossbow. Honestly, it's surprising you're not more noticeable."

"An apt nickname—illusionist. And beyond that, you're fairly strong at long range."

Graham continues.

"We'd like to offer additional support—not just a reward. Sending someone with raw power alone wouldn't solve much. We're counting on your creativity and unpredictability."

Marie showed me the reward amount.

It was enough to buy a large quantity of high-purity magic stones.

"Of course, it comes with a secure storage vault. What do you say?"

Honestly, I could really use something tangible right now. Frankly, there's no real choice.

"I'll take the job."

Marie smiled warmly and pulled out the contract.

"Mr. Graham, what exactly does support entail?"

"Ah, that would be... "

...

"Nice to meet you. I'm Alex, a Level 3 adventurer from the Guild. I can usually handle most weapons, but I'm particularly skilled with battle axes."

That's right—the support Graham prepared was an adventurer themselves. They're said to have exceptional combat ability. They have long, silky blonde hair and wear glasses. They're equipped with quite heavy armor.

They look incredibly intelligent.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Sato Taro. Guild rank one. I'm at the lowest rank, but due to various circumstances, I've been assigned this mission. I can use magic, at least to some extent."

Introducing themselves while carefully gauging the situation

"Yeah, I'm listening carefully. You're a magician, right? I've heard of you."

Again? Apparently, I'm more well-known than I thought.

"This case has a lot of unclear elements, so we need to prepare thoroughly. I've made a list. Items marked with a check have already been prepared."

Good to have someone reliable—

Indeed, most of the items were already ready.

All that's left is to gather my own things.

As I reviewed the list, I spotted something I wanted to add.

"I'd like to add a bit more to what I'm bringing—clean water."

"Adding more will make it heavier and harder to move around."

"I understand that, but I've heard there's an outbreak of illness. So, at the very least, we should keep our water clean to improve hygiene. Otherwise, if we get sick ourselves, it'll be pointless."

"I understand. Let's do that then."

While heading toward Akau Village, I had a conversation with Alex. He was quite friendly and we quickly got on well.

"So, without a staff adorned with many of those magic stone lamps, we can't determine the enemy's position, is that right? Having one hand occupied is more inconvenient than I expected."

"That's correct. And extra inconvenience is the last thing we need."

Right now, we were exchanging information about our fighting styles.

"Alex, using a battle axe to take them all out at once—your style is completely different from what I imagined."

"People always say that. For some reason, everyone seems to think I'm intelligent."

Saying that, he removed the equipment from his arm and began servicing it. The forearms visible beneath the armor were astonishingly thick—something not apparent from just looking at the armor itself.

"What do you like doing, Alex?" "Working out."

It was a classic case.

This guy was a textbook musclehead.

"Still, is that staff actually usable? If it is, it'd be incredibly valuable strategically."

"Still doubtful? Fine, I'll show you. There's no one else here but us—anyone else would glow white. If it were a monster, it'd turn red."

I deliberately thrust the staff forward and activated the detection spell (I'd just made up the name myself).

The staff glowed.

Alex's end turned white, while the top glowed red.

"Red means a monster, right?"

As I said that, the two of us looked up at the sky.