At present, the monster outbreak has momentarily calmed down.

Monsters don't seem to spawn in an endless, literal stream; instead, they appear at certain intervals. A large group rushes out at once, and once you've finished them off, there's a short break before the next wave.

Come to think of it, it was like that in Shamash-san's tunnel too.

"Phew, you really saved us, kid!"

"You've got skills."

"Not bad at all for taking on monsters."

Mistakenly thinking that all the monsters had been wiped out, the slum-dwelling old-timers who had been watching from a distance without evacuating began to gather. To me, who used to make a living visiting flea markets, these men gave off a nostalgic, socially maladjusted odor.

They wore things that were more "scraps of cloth" than clothes. For some reason, they all wore hats, yet despite the morning and evening chills, every single one of them was barefoot.

Ignoring the seven local warriors who had actually been fighting alongside me, they suddenly swarmed the area and began picking up magic crystals scattered around me.

The stones lying here came from the goblins I had defeated. The right of ownership should belong to me... or so I thought.

"Um... those are mine, though..."

The atmosphere made it incredibly hard to speak up, but I gathered my courage to protest. Even if the opponents were just weak goblins, I had put my life on the line to fight. I couldn't stand the thought of people just casually snatching the loot.

However, the middle-aged men were aggressive.

"HAH!? Everything found in Lucraella belongs to the folks livin' here!"

I had a sneaking suspicion they would react like this.

With an intensity that brooked no argument, they continued to collect the crystals.

"Are you serious..."

I didn't have the heart to get into a physical brawl with a group of old men just to get the stones back. I had technically declared to the local warriors that I'd "help but keep the crystals," but that seemingly meant nothing. Without a formal contract, it was just the chaos of a battlefield.

Besides, more monsters would likely spawn eventually. Losing a few goblin-tier crystals wasn't the end of the world. It wasn't a huge loss. But still, it felt unfair. I just plain didn't like it. Grandma used to say, "Those who laugh at one yen will cry over one yen"...

Then again, maybe it was unavoidable.

Magic crystals can be exchanged for cash. While not as valuable as Spirit Stones, they still fetch a decent price. The crystal I bought at the Guild to decurse my rusty sword cost me a whole gold coin.

Granted, the Guild is an official institution, so their rates are likely high, but even so, they aren't cheap. A crystal worth one gold coin is usually about the size of a fist—roughly the same size as a Spirit Stone.

The reason they are so expensive is that magic crystals, like Spirit Stones, possess special power. Strictly speaking, just as Spirit Stones are clumps of "Spirit Power," magic crystals are likely clumps of "Magic Power."

The crystals from goblins are even smaller than those from skeletons—mere pebbles, really—so their value wouldn't be much. Still, they'd probably go for about 10 El. And with 10 El, you can eat for several days. In this slum, three of those crystals could probably feed someone for a month.

In fact, even the seven local warriors were desperately scavenging for crystals. In a situation like this, they probably weren't counting exactly how many goblins they killed. Since everyone knew that, it was "finders keepers." Maybe I was the one in the wrong for just standing there blankly. This, too, was a "tuition fee" for learning how this world works.

『Static... Beep.』

A signal from the walkie-talkie.

"This is Alpha Leader. This is Alpha Leader. Bravo Leader, respond."

『Boss! Can you hear me? This is Etowa. We'll be arriving soon, how's your situation?』

"Oh! Good to hear, Bravo Leader! We've already arrived on our end."

『The neesans are drawing a bit of attention, but no problems so far!』

"Roger. Let's regroup regardless. DO YOU COPY?"

『COPY THAT!』

"She understood English!?"

Etowa contacted me via walkie-talkie. They'd be arriving soon. What should we do once they got here?

For now, what we needed was to maintain the site, but if the local fighters and old men could handle things, maybe we didn't need to step in.

The crystals had already been stolen, and working for free didn't sound appealing. Fighting as a knightly order was fine, but I wasn't motivated enough to risk my life while being looked down on. My willpower fueled purely by ideals had been completely drained.

...Also, when I jokingly used an English walkie-talkie phrase, she responded in English without hesitation. Does that mean the auto-translation function switches languages depending on what you speak?

I'm speaking Japanese... I hadn't thought deeply about the fact that it automatically translates my Japanese to their tongue, but does this mean that whether I speak English or Swahili, the translation works perfectly? It must. It would be weirder if it only worked for Japanese.

Well, whatever. I had no way to test it anyway, and I'm not bilingual. If anything, the fact that it translates through a walkie-talkie is the most impressive part.

Well, translation aside—

The real issue was the magic crystals.

Rebecca and the others would be arriving soon, but I honestly didn't feel like fighting here anymore. I was half tempted to shout, "Do whatever you want!" and head home.

"...Um. If you guys are just going to steal my crystals, I'm not fighting even if more monsters show up. Is that okay? A lot of people might die."

I asked the old men who had finished scavenging most of the crystals.

"Monsters? That many already came out. Ain't gonna be any more, right? Look at the sky. It's not even a Hitotsuzuki, let alone an Awasezuki."

"I asked if it's okay if I don't fight. Not whether they'll show up or not. Seriously, this is just the beginning."

I even gave them the courtesy of warning them. In their experience, it was probably unheard of for monsters to spawn continuously without warning. But the men insisted no more would appear and showed no intention of returning the crystals.

I left the men, who were looking quite smug with their haul, and returned to where Oyakata and Ion-san were waiting.

Oyakata had tried to explain the situation to the locals, but his words didn't seem to sink in. Led by the group I'd just spoken to, a significant number of people were still loitering around instead of fleeing.

"How are things looking?"

"No good. You tell 'em, but they don't listen."

"No good, huh?"

"Might have to punch 'em into listening, or wait until they're actually being chased by monsters. Won't happen otherwise."

"They even stole the magic crystals from the ones I defeated..."

I knew from the start it wouldn't be easy. This was a slum, after all. A literal dead end for society. That's exactly why I had originally wanted Diana to handle the persuasion. But to think even the master—a local "tough guy"—couldn't get through to them.

Maybe they thought if they left, they'd miss out on some profit? After all, a lot of crystals had dropped, and plenty of guys had just made a quick buck... Well, if they want to get killed by monsters, that's their business.

While I watched with faint hope that they'd eventually evacuate on their own, the remaining residents suddenly began to cluster. An argument broke out, quickly escalating into shouting, and finally, a full-blown fist fight.

Apparently, they were fighting over the crystals they'd just picked up. Since they were "found items," ownership was murky. It had turned into a "might makes right" situation.

"I found it first!" "No, it's mine!" Their voices echoed.

A classic struggle over scraps.

...Yeah. This place was beyond saving.

"Ah! Master-dono spotted, de-arimasu! Marina has good eyes, de-arimasu!"

A strangely soothing voice reached my ears. Ahh... I could feel my frayed nerves being cleansed.

Turning toward the sound, I saw everyone climbing up the slope. Diana, Marina, Rebecca-san, Elepipi, and Etowa were all there, safe and sound.

Just as promised, the current master of the smithy was acting as their guide. A group led by a Dwarf climbing a slum slope was quite a sight. I could see why Etowa said they were standing out. Even the residents in the middle of their brawl stopped to look.

"Good job, everyone. It's a lull for now. The locals seem to be handling the monsters well enough, so there might not even be a job for us."

We had grouped up to kill monsters and evacuate residents. The evacuation was a bit of a failure, but since no monsters were coming out right now, it seemed fine.

"Goshujin-sama, I'm glad you're safe nodesu. I never imagined monsters would spawn in such numbers..." Diana said.

"Yeah. That surprised me too."

If the monsters had been zombies instead, we could've filmed a perfectly realistic zombie-panic movie.

"Marina should have stuck with Master-dono after all, de-arimasu! A bodyguard must not leave their charge, de-arimasu!"

"I asked you to guard Diana, though?"

"B-But... Marina wants to protect Master-dono, de-arimasu..."

"I appreciate the sentiment."

Marina probably felt guilty for leaving me in potential danger. But I can fight a bit myself; I don't need excessive protection. Maybe I should find a better role for her than just "bodyguard." Her identity as a slave seemed tied to "protecting her master," though.

"So, Jirou. What's the plan?" Rebecca-san asked.

She was equipped with a two-handed sword and a shield that strapped to her arm—gear she'd borrowed from the forge. She clearly felt it would be a waste to just stand around after getting geared up.

"Yeah. I think more monsters will come, so for now, we secure this area. The Demon I met earlier uses magic to seal entrances, and she's currently heading to the other mines. We just need to buy time until she gets here."

All we could do was maintain the site and respond to sudden threats. The uncooperative local men were annoying, but Shamash-san was coming to seal this place eventually, so we couldn't just leave.

Besides... if monsters did pour out, our group would be the only ones capable of handling it. I wasn't cold-hearted enough to stand by and watch those guys get slaughtered just because they had it coming. And it's not like I came here for the money in the first place.

I wish those local warriors were more reliable, but based on their fighting earlier, I couldn't expect much. The slum dwellers kept glancing at us, clearly curious, but they didn't approach—likely because they'd stolen my crystals. We stood out quite a bit, being fully armed.

As we waited and chatted, Oyakata tapped my shoulder.

"Hm? What's wrong, Oyakata?"

"O-Oi, Danna. How about introducing Ion-san soon? She's been looking restless for a while; it's pitiful."

"......"

Behind him, Ion-san stood small and hunched over, hiding her face.

Whether due to shyness or being a branded criminal, her hood was pulled deep, and her expression was unreadable.

Yeah... I probably should introduce her properly—

"M-Move! Let me through!"

Just as I was about to introduce Ion-san, a boy pushed through the crowd and came running up the slope. He was drenched in sweat and didn't spare us a glance as he bolted toward the mine entrance.

Oh. That's the boy from this morning. Marco, was it?

White shirt, cropped pants, a fluttering cloth belt. The boy who sells souvenirs. I see; he must live in this slum. He was stopped by the warriors at the mine entrance. He clearly wanted to go inside, but that was reckless. There were still plenty of monsters in there. Going in alone was suicide.

Wait? But didn't those guys think the monsters weren't coming out anymore? If so, they might actually let Marco through.

I should go stop him...

"Where's my sister!? Is Lyn safe!? Dag! You brought her out, right!?"

Marco was screaming, grabbing one of the local warriors.

He had a sister? Come to think of it, the Guild employee mentioned he was 'a good kid who cared about his family.'

The scene grew chaotic as it became clear Marco's sister wasn't there. Marco's face was pale with desperation. From his panic, it was clear he'd heard somewhere that monsters were spawning in droves. He seemed much more aware of the danger than the men who had stolen the crystals.

"M-My sister can't walk! I told you to look after her if anything happened while I was gone, didn't I!?"

Marco screamed, clutching the warrior's collar.

Ah... I see.

Monsters were already pouring out of this tunnel. By nature, monsters gravitate toward the nearest large source of magic or life.

—Marco's house must be inside the mine.

Cayantau is an abandoned mine with a wide interior used as a slum—there was no mistake. If monsters were coming out of that mine, it likely meant any "life sources" they encountered along the way had already been... dealt with.

"Sorry, Marco. It happened so fast, your sister didn't even cross our minds. A massive horde of monsters hit us all at once. We barely made it out ourselves. You weren't even here; you've got no right to complain to us."

"B-But...!"

"Then why don't you go save her yourself? Maybe no more will spawn... I'm not going in there, though."

The cold declaration hit Marco, and his knees buckled. Then, after a moment of agonizing hesitation, he stood up and ran into the mine.

Oh, for heaven's sake.

"...Master-dono, aren't we going to help him?"

Marina whispered. She had a soft spot for kids.

"A knight's duty is to protect the people, de-arimasu. It's not certain that boy's little sister is dead yet, de-arimasu. That boy is also in danger if left alone."

She was right.

Looking back, not only Marina but Rebecca-san and Elepipi looked fully ready for battle.

...Maybe this situation really was what they called a knight's true calling.

Elepipi, despite being weak, looked especially fired up.

It's true that only goblins have come out so far. If Marco's sister hid well, she might still be alive. Conversely, if we don't hurry, she might not make it. Her life could be a flickering candle right this second. Marco might manage to save her and come back on his own.

...Well, those old men annoyed me, but Marco still had that strange ore, and earning his goodwill wouldn't hurt. And with this lineup, monsters wouldn't stand a chance.

"Alright. Let's do this. But listen... don't die on me, okay!?"

* * *

The members going inside were Marina, Rebecca-san, Elepipi, and myself.

Diana and Etowa remained on standby. Diana was the healer, and Etowa wasn't a combatant.

"I want to go retrieve that boy we saw earlier. Is that okay? You're not planning to seal this place immediately, right?"

I spoke to the local warrior who had been arguing with the boy. I think he was called Dag-san.

"You're the one from earlier... I thought that whole 'knight order' thing was a joke... and those girls are the knights?"

Dag-san stared intently at Marina and the others.

Well, yeah. If you see a group of girls and hear "Knight Order," that's usually the reaction.

"Hahaha. If you're going to fetch Marco, that's perfect. But my gut says monsters will still spawn. The way they appear is the same as during Awasezuki."

"Exactly. That's why we're going to help. And he's someone I have a bit of a connection with, too."

"Is that so... Based on that fight earlier, you must have confidence in your skills. We're wasting time standing here. You don't need anyone's permission—just go... I'm counting on you."

Talking to him, he didn't seem like such a bad guy. He wanted to go help himself, but he didn't have confidence in his own strength. He said he used to be an adventurer, but then "he took an arrow to the knee". Nothing to be done about that, then.

With that, we entered the mine.

Carrying weapons and entering a dungeon—it felt just like exploring an RPG dungeon.

Marco had already gone ahead. Since we needed a guide to find his sister anyway, we'd catch up to him and have him guide us.

"Master-dono! Marina wishes to fight the first monster, de-arimasu!"

"Why?"

"It is my Guidance, de-arimasu. I wish to achieve it before the battle becomes chaotic, de-arimasu."

Come to think of it, Marina mentioned having a Guidance like "Defeat a monster" or something.

"Sure. Just keep in mind, when monsters appear, they come all at once. We'll be backing you up. Rebecca-san, please. Elepipi... I brought you along, but are you okay?"

Everyone had borrowed weapons from the smithy for this. Marina was fine with her original halberd, but Rebecca-san and Elepipi were both carrying swords and shields.

"...I'm not very confident, but I'm with my seniors. It's okay—I never miss a cue on stage."

"Don't overdo it. Just handle the ones that slip past us."

"...Understood, Young Master," Elepipi replied.

It hadn't been long since Elepipi started training. She hadn't spent much time doing combat drills since receiving the "Knight" Vocation, so she was essentially an amateur. She did say she ran every day for her acting rehearsals, so it's not like she's completely unathletic, but...

We ran down an incredibly wide, single-path tunnel... More than a mine, this place looked more like a slum.

Shacks lined both sides of the tunnel, and trash was scattered everywhere. It smelled foul. It was lucky that all the residents had evacuated; under normal circumstances, I wouldn't want to step foot in here.

"Ah! Found him, de-arimasu! He's being attacked, de-arimasu yo!"

The keen-eyed Marina found him.

A new wave of monsters had already spawned.

"Hey, Jirou. Would it be alright if I took command from here?"

Rebecca-san suggested.

"Sure. You are the Captain of the Knight Order, after all. Please do."

Well, I'm the Owner. Regardless, it's better to leave actual combat to Rebecca-san. If I tried to lead, I'd probably end up causing friendly fire.

"Then this will be the Knight Order's first official job... Marina, that monster swarming the boy—go and defeat it all by yourself."

Captain Rebecca's order rang out.

"Understood, de-arimasu!"

Marina shouted, raising her halberd in an overhead stance and charging forward.

"Wait, what?! Marina is doing this alone?!"

I panicked. We had a whole group here; weren't we going to do this together? Sure, the monsters were just Goblins, and I figured she could handle it, but still—

"Jirou, you're too soft. That's why I'm taking command. A commander who can't tell their subordinates to face death will always fail in the grand scheme of things... I don't know if I can say it perfectly myself, but I'm better at it than you."

"Eh. Then Marina is..."

"Don't look like that! For these monsters, it's better she handles them alone. Her weapon isn't suited for fighting in tight formation!"

For a second there, I was horrified, thinking she was using Marina as a sacrificial pawn.

It seemed to be just Goblins for now, but there were a lot of them. There was no guarantee something wouldn't go wrong. There is no such thing as "absolute" in combat.

Boy Marco was somehow fending off the goblins with a dagger. But he was completely on the defensive. There were just too many, and a dagger was far too unreliable a weapon.

That's when Marina arrived.

Some of the Goblins shifted their target from the boy to her.

However, such things were trivial. The deep-purple halberd that had been by Marina's side for nearly half a year now began to howl. With a single horizontal sweep, it flashed through the air.

It was doubtful the Goblins in its path even had time to realize they were dead. In an instant, they were converted into magic crystals. At the same time, it seemed she had achieved her Guidance. Marina's eyes focused on something in the air, and a fist-sized stone appeared in her hand.

Marina immediately stuffed the stone into her pocket and resumed the fight. She must have been happy to complete the quest, but first, she had to wipe out the Goblins.

Marina's movements were fluid and powerful. She wielded the heavy halberd with such skill that she became a whirlwind, sweeping the Goblins away.

It wasn't even a fight. It was as if the Goblins had encountered a natural disaster, their bodies shattering into black stones. Finally, she used the spearhead of the halberd to impale the Goblins that had been crowding around Marco. It was a complete, effortless victory.

"...I didn't know Marina was that strong."

"She's gotten strong. Driven by her desire to protect Jirou. Isn't that sweet?"

"It makes me happy, but also... a little conflicted."

Being protected by a girl... well, Marina is Diana's guard too, so her being strong is a good thing. Of course, Rebecca-san's training must have played a huge role as well.

I ran over to Marco. The boy was sitting on the ground, staring up at Marina in a daze. Well, she did just save his life.

Don't go falling in love with our Marina, okay?

"Hey, kid. You got lucky. ...Look, I could stand here and act cool, but your sister might be in danger, right? Is she at the house? Where is it? Move it!"

No time to waste; let's speed this up.

"E-Eh, right. T-That house over there!"

Marco pointed ahead. About 20 meters away was a small stone hut where several Goblins were currently swarming.

"I'll go take a look."

I approached the hut and cut down the Goblins hanging around it.

"Hey! Are you alive in there?!" I called out.

The fact that Goblins were still swarming the outside meant the person inside was likely still safe.

It was lucky the hut was made of stone. The door was wooden and had been battered and holed by Goblin hand-axes, but hopefully, the person inside was okay.

"Ah, yes! I'm okay! Please help me!"

She was safe.