Emi and Kamasse's Triumphant Return

“Yes, over heeere! Anyone joining the presumed ‘Togodo Commander’ subjugation party, please line up here! We'll be heading out in 10 minuuutes!”

Pilitza, the receptionist at the Adventurers' Guild Yoshanka branch office, was seething inside as she raised her voice to a shout she rarely used, getting the idiot adventurers who never listened to line up.

A special individual, a red Togodo that commanded the others, had appeared.

Currently, a silver-haired boy adventurer was holding the Togodos back all by himself.

This information, brought in by a certain rank-54 adventurer, had sent shockwaves through the Yoshanka branch office!

After all, a red Togodo was undoubtedly a Togodo Commander, a creature whose high command ability earned it the designation ‘exterminate with full force on sight’.

The silver-haired boy adventurer's life was in danger, and above all, if it was left alone, it would very likely do great damage to the town of Yoshanka.

A subjugation party had to be formed immediately to hunt down and kill that red Togodo.

“A red Togodo...... a Togodo Commander, was it?”

“Heheh! Once we take that thing down, we'll make a name for ourselves too!”

“............”

Some were organizing the information and calmly making preparations.

Some were excited and ramping up their energy.

Some were shaking with anticipation.

The adventurers' reactions varied, but it was only natural that those gathering for an emergency subjugation request like this were all hot-blooded types.

What they shared was anticipation of a battle with a strong foe they had yet to see. And a feverish energy.

Right now, the lobby of the Yoshanka branch office was wrapped in the strange, feverish excitement the adventurers gave off.

Meanwhile, the heart of the receptionist Pilitza was stone cold.

(This means overtime tonight is a lock~! Ah~, what a pain!!)

For this emergency subjugation request, the client was listed as the “Adventurers' Guild Yoshanka branch office.”

The system allowed for the guild to act as the client like this when public interest or urgency was high, and in that case, every reward paid to the adventurers came out of the guild's pocket.

And in the case of a large-scale subjugation request that mobilized this many adventurers...... the administrative paperwork was an absolute nightmare!

Who contributed, how, and to what extent?

Evaluating them as accurately as possible so that the adventurers who participated in the subjugation party wouldn't feel dissatisfied, and then distributing the appropriate rewards and contribution points......

For an administrative clerk like Pilitza, a never-ending, hellish amount of work awaited.

The Yoshanka branch office was a truly tiny branch that had been run by just 3 staff members.

And yet, for some reason, Yoshanka was now full of adventurers, clearly more than such a small guild branch office could handle; nearly 30 had already gathered for this one alone.

To make matters worse, the branch chief was currently away on business.

Pilitza and her coworker would have to get through the hellish paperwork on their own, just the 2 of them, on top of their normal duties.

......Even if she weren't the fallen receptionist Pilitza, anyone would instinctively grimace at the thought.

Considering the damage to the town of Yoshanka that would result from leaving a Togodo Commander alone, this was no time to be complaining, but at this stage, almost no actual damage had occurred.

All that had happened was that the reporting adventurer's partner got hurt; it wasn't as if Pilitza had been injured.

People simply can't see a crisis for what it is until harm comes to them personally.

Anyway.

Even if her heart was overflowing with complaints, she was still a professional.

Pilitza continued to handle the adventurers without so much as a frown.

(Ah~ geez! I'm so irritated~~~!)

She managed to suppress her rising temper by counting wads of bills in her head while attending to her duties.

That cursed child would surely bring Cysh grass today, too.

The money stacked in her room would grow again. Happy, happy!

......And that was when it happened!

“Sorry! Let me through!”

A boy's voice rang out in the crowded lobby.

The noisy room went quiet bit by bit, starting from the branch office entrance where the voice had come from, and everyone turned that way to see what was going on.

And then they were astonished.

Standing there was the silver-haired boy adventurer, Kamasse.

Despite his youth, his combat power was outstanding, and his knowledge was deep.

A genius so well known that, at least among the adventurers of the Yoshanka branch office, there was no one who didn't know him.

And this time, he was the one who had made himself the decoy so the injured adventurers could escape, holding off the Togodo Commander's attacks.

The one who should have been the target of the rescue.

“Y, you! You're safe!”

The rank-54 adventurer who had been saved by Kamasse pushed through the crowd and jumped out.

“Of course I am! And...... look!”

Answering cheerfully, Kamasse at the same time hoisted the huge thing he'd been carrying in his arms above his head!

It was a severed head.

Red-plumed, incomparably bigger than any ordinary one: a Togodo's severed head.

In other words.

“Sorry for making you all gather, but as you can see! ‘We’ have already subjugated the Togodo Commander! The crisis for Yoshanka has passed!!”

For a moment, silence enveloped the room.

“““““O, oh...... OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!”””””

And immediately, it was filled with ear-splitting cheers.

“Hey, for real!?”

“Dammit! My chance to shine!”

“As expected of the child prodigy! That reputation is no lie!”

“Kamasse! Kamasse!”

“““Kamasse! Kamasse! Kamasse!”””

Voices of shock, jealousy, and praise.

And then, the Kamasse chant broke out!

“Wait, wait-wait-wait! You guys, quiet down for a second!”

Kamasse himself hurriedly shushed the adventurers.

“Don't get the wrong idea! I wasn't the main force that took down the Commander! I just provided support! ......Hey! Stop erasing your presence! Come on, get out here properly!”

And saying so, he grabbed the arm of the girl standing behind him, there “before anyone noticed,” and pulled her out in front.

Seeing the girl, the branch office fell silent once again.

But this silence had a different flavor from before.

A wave of disgust and discomfort spread among the adventurers.

That was the cause of the silence.

The girl Kamasse had pushed forward so chummily had black hair.

Her eyes were black, too.

She was that cursed child girl who was frequently spotted around Yoshanka.

Seeing how the adventurers around him were acting, Kamasse pouted, displeased.

“Hey! What's with that reaction, you lot! Well, she's a cursed child, so I get that you'd react like that at first. I was the same. But! She's an amazing person!”

Of course, Kamasse knew how much cursed children were loathed by everyone around them.

But that was exactly why he'd dragged Emi, who found the whole thing a pain, out here.

To trumpet her exploits and her strength right here, and show them just how capable she was.

And to improve Emi's standing in this town.

Kamasse's main reason for bringing the reluctant Emi along to the subjugation report was to get the adventurers to acknowledge her.

And to keep Emi from being treated unfairly, even a little.

That was the way he could repay Emi right now.

That's what Kamasse thought.

“Listen up! She's incredibly strong! Even with this Togodo Commander, it's practically like she handled the fight all by herself!”

No way!?

Despite being so young?

Despite being a cursed child!?

Unease spread through the crowd.

Sensing the mood had been set, Kamasse went on, the corners of his mouth curling up.

“Remember this well, you lot! She's the savior of this town! And the ‘future great hero’!! Her name is......!”

Baan!!

But Kamasse's speech was cut short by a group that suddenly barged into the branch office.

“Found her! It's the cursed child!”

Those who had burst in were the heavyweights of the Yoshanka Trade Association: Bakkaro of the “Togodo Skewer” stall, Harinna of the “Sea Breeze Inn,” Granny Kansen of “Kansen's General Store,” and others.

“Finally, the jig is up for you! Prepare yourself!”

And leading them triumphantly was the young guard, Yoza!