Prologue 序言

Beim9;s Labyrinth Subjugation.

贝姆的迷宫征服。

When we returned from that large job, the chilly air was beginning to warm up.

当我们完成那项大型工作回来时，寒冷的空气开始变暖。

My breath was still white in the mornings, but when the sun rose higher, that stopped being the case.

早上我的呼吸仍然是白色的，但当太阳升得更高时，情况就不再是这样了。

I felt that spring was on its way, as I opened the window of the inn we were making use of…

当我打开我们正在使用的旅馆的窗户时，我感到春天即将来临……

… And shut it immediately.

……然后立即将其关闭。

“It9;s still too cold for that.”

「还是太冷了。」

The one to watch and make fun of my actions, was the one staying over in the same room as me, the automaton Monica.

观看并取笑我行为的人是和我住在同一个房间的机器人莫妮卡。

She was a woman with blond twin tails, and today as well, she operated in her maid uniform, carrying out various sorts of housework around me.

她是金发双马尾的女人，今天也穿着女仆装，在我身边做各种家务。

She wouldn9;t compromise on that at all.

她根本不会在这一点上妥协。

But only her mouth was unsatisfactory.

但唯独她的嘴上不满意。

As always, her work was perfect.

最后是有毒女仆机器人莫妮卡。

「请先洗把脸。」

「你、你在做什么？还有你身上为什么带着武器？」

And finally, toxic maid automaton Monica.

She pointed towards the washroom, and smiled at me.

She motioned me to sit, so I quietly took a seat. The gun muzzle let out a warm wind, and Monica went into setting my hair.

「……洗个澡然后擦干不是有同样的效果吗？」

「你还年轻，不能用热水。冷水很快就会把你叫醒。因为你今天要去公会。」

精灵歌手和熟练的弓箭手伊娃。

But as adventurers, relying too much on such an inn was also a problem. The lodging costs weren9;t to be underestimated, after all.

一如既往，她的工作非常完美。

Having manifested a Skill recently, trap specialist Miranda.

When I retreated a step, Monica was amazed.

「怎么样？这就是这款高级工具所需要的一切，即使是最糟糕的床头也能恢复正常！」

她指着洗手间，对我微笑。

当我悄悄走向洗手间门口时，莫妮卡开口了。

自从我们第一次来到贝姆以来，我们就经常使用它。

恶魔之眼持有者，但没有其他救赎因素，香农。

“W-what are you doing? And why do you have a weapon on you?”

Me.

“… Wouldn9;t taking a shower, and drying it off accomplish the same?”

我的政党，包括我在内，有九名成员。

We9;ve been using it quite often since we first came to Beim.

“How is it? That9;s all it takes for this high-class tool to get even the worst of bedhead in order!”

I wiped my face with a towel, and looked at what sleep had done to my hair. My blue hair was ruffled, and I9;d have to set it.

I took a glance at the garments she9;d prepared, and extended a hand to them to change.

我。

With all members besides me being female, how biassed a party it must be.

我把水泼到脸上了。啊，又冷了，我想。

“You9;re young, so you can9;t be using hot water. Cold water will wake you up in a jiffy. Because you9;ll be heading to the guild today.”

大概是这样想的，当我走到外面发现莫妮卡手里拿着刷子躺在那里等待时。除了刷子之外，她还拿着一把看上去质量很差的枪。

Magician with a side ponytail Novem.

神兽化身五月。

Support specialist, bespectacled, petite Clara.

但作为冒险者，过于依赖这样的旅馆也是个问题。毕竟住宿费用不容小觑。

最近展现了一项技能，陷阱专家米兰达。

When I quietly headed towards the washroom door, Monica spoke.

Spear-wielding warrior Aria.

侧马尾魔术师 Novem。

她说这话，简直是充满了自信。

支持专家、戴着眼镜、娇小的克拉拉。

那是贝姆的一家客栈，虽然价格不菲，但设施还算齐全。看起来有不少冒险者利用过这里，但除此之外，来到这座城市的商人也经常留在这里。

It was an inn of Beim, and while it cost a pretty penny, its facilities were in order. Quite a few adventurers made use of it, it seems, but other than that, the merchants dropping by the city often stayed here as well.

Elf singer and skilled archer Eva.

“Weapon? It9;s just a dryer. Have you never seen one before? Well, we9;ve only just returned, and I haven9;t had the chance to use it. I didn9;t have one in stock, but having upgraded to Full Option Monica… there is nothing I cannot do, damn chicken!”

0;But that can wait.1;

「你试图导演一个清爽的早晨的场景，结果却从寒冷中退缩……正如我对鸡鸡的期望。我想给房间通风一下，你能把它打开吗？啊，先洗把脸吧。我已经给你准备好了衣服。」

我用毛巾擦了擦脸，看看睡眠对我的头发造成的影响。我的蓝色头发乱糟糟的，我必须把它整理好。

Or so I thought, as I walked outside to find Monica lying in wait with a brush in hand. Besides the brush, she was also holding what looked to be a badly made gun.

My party, me included, had nine members.

“You tried to direct a scene of a refreshing morning, only to reel back from the cold… as expected of my Chicken Dickwad. I9;d like to air the room, so won9;t you leave it open? Ah, wash your face first. I9;ve prepared clothing for you already.”

她示意我坐下，我就静静地坐下了。枪口吹出一股温暖的风，莫妮卡开始给我梳理头发。

Demon eye holder, but with no other redeeming factors, Shannon.

“Please wash your face first.”

当我后退一步时，莫妮卡吃了一惊。

我看了一眼她准备的衣服，伸手让她们换。

「武器？这只是一个烘干机。您以前从未见过吗？嗯，我们才刚回来，还没有机会使用它。我没有库存，但升级到全选项莫妮卡……没有什么是我做不到的，该死的鸡！」

除了我以外全都是女性，这个政党该是多么有偏见啊。

（但这可以等一下。）

I splashed water on my face. Ah, cold again, I thought.

挥舞长矛的战士阿丽亚。

She said that simply brimming with confidence.

Divine beast taking on human form May.

When I said that, Monica muttered, 9;once more, this man just doesn9;t get it,9; as she shook her head to the side.

当我这么说时，莫妮卡嘟哝道：“这个男人再一次不明白，”她一边摇着头一边说道。

The setting ended, and I changed clothes before exiting the room, and going down to the first floor. It was where the inn had its dining hall, and where one could eat breakfast.

布置结束，我换好衣服，退出房间，下到一楼。这里是客栈的餐厅，也是吃早餐的地方。

When I descended the stairs, I found I had come just as Novem was eating her meal.

当我走下楼梯时，我发现我来的时候，Novem 正在吃饭。

“Did you just get here?”

「你刚到这里吗？」

“Yes, Lyle-sama. Would you care to join me?”

「是的，莱尔大人。你愿意加入我吗？

The one inviting me over, was a member of the same party, as well as my former fiancée. I heeded Novem9;s invitation, and joined her for breakfast.

邀请我过来的是同党的成员，也是我的前未婚妻。我听从了诺维姆的邀请，和她一起吃早餐。

Bread and soup, and even salad. Quite an extravagant meal.

面包和汤，甚至还有沙拉。相当奢侈的一餐。

There were even thinly cut strips of bacon, and the place was quite delicious relative to its price.

甚至还有切成薄片的培根，相对于它的价格来说，这个地方相当美味。

I ate as I told Novem of the day9;s plan.

我边吃边告诉诺维姆当天的计划。

“Today, we9;ll go to the guild, to verify what sort of requests they have for us. We9;ve only just returned, so I hope there9;s a good amount of time to the next one.”

「今天我们要去公会，看看他们对我们有什么要求。我们刚刚回来，所以我希望下一次还有足够的时间。」

当被称为【迷宫讨伐】的有利可图的请求被发送出去时，东部公会分支被优先考虑。

当然，没有人愿意从事麻烦的工作。为了弥补这一点，东支有自己特殊的抵押品。

“It9;s important to take on normal requests as well. But perhaps a little more rest would be best. The majority of the party has only just undergone Growth, so suddenly charging into battle would present a high chance of error.”

There are loads of adventurers who9;ve failed after trying to do the impossible post-Growth.

第三个发出了声音。

听到亚莉亚的名字，我叹了口气。

She was capable, but because of the outstanding environment she was thrown into, it couldn9;t help but seem she was falling short.

这是一个主要处理外部请求的公会，经常会派遣冒险者到其他地方。

很简单。

Novem吃完饭，礼貌地用餐巾擦了擦嘴，才回应。

It was a guild that mainly dealt with outside requests, and it was quite often it would dispatch its adventurers to other lands.

但他们确实建议您不要集中精力。

Even so why choose to take Aria along?

On his tone that seemed full of hidden implications, I resisted the urge to respond.

The eastern guild branch was prioritized when the profitable requests known as 【Labyrinth Subjugations】 were sent around.

不允许清除。据说所管理的迷宫甚至可以到达一百层以下。没有人能够证实这一点，但据说到达其深处是不可能的。

Novem finished her meal, and courteously wiped her mouth with a table napkin before responding.

0;Well, we have Novem, Miranda, and Clara, and they9;re the ones who usually take up the thinking tasks.1;

It9;s not like I hated her or anything. But when it came to these sorts of dealings… no, I won9;t go that far, but when it came to confirming requests at the guild, taking her along wasn9;t much help.

在我们上次的迷宫征服中，我们的大多数成员都邀请了成长。提升身体能力的成长……之所以如此危险，是因为在突破了规格的限制后，相关人员往往会继续把自己逼得太远。

她是有能力的，但因为所处的优越环境，不免显得有些不足。

In our last Labyrinth Subjugation, most of our members had invited on Growth. A Growth that elevated one9;s physical abilities… the reason it was so dangerous, lay in how after overcoming a wall in specs, the people concerned would often then go on to push themselves too far beyond that.

我和 Novem

『她有动力，也有天赋。我不会说要慢慢来，但她确实需要训练。以各种方式。』

Novem 向我讲话。

Because with this being the city of adventurers, there were plenty of requests streaming in from foreign soil. The adventurers wishing for such requests would enroll there.

“Well, I9;ll teach her this and that. And if I keep taking everyone else but her along, I9;m pretty sure she9;ll get mad.”

我并不是讨厌她什么的。但说到这种事情……不，我不会走那么远，但在确认公会的要求时，带她去也没什么帮助。

It was simple.

I spoke to Novem

Beast girl was the common classification of her among the ancestors recorded in my Jewel.

有很多冒险家在尝试完成不可能的后成长任务后都失败了。

Hearing Aria9;s name, I let out a sigh.

（嗯，我们有Novem、Miranda和Clara，他们通常是负责思考任务的人。）

兽女是我宝玉记载的先祖们对她的共同分类。

Clearing it wasn9;t permitted. The managed Labyrinth was said to even reach a hundred floors down. No one9;s been able to confirm that one, but reaching its depths has even been said to be impossible.

她在战斗中相当可靠，但使用头脑并不是她的专长。

「我们可以以此为理由，在贝姆周围测试一下我们的能力。对了……也许我们应该去挑战贝姆自己的迷宫。即使我们没有下得太深，这也可以起到很好的热身作用。」

“We can use that as a reason to go testing out our abilities a bit around Beim. Right… maybe we should go challenge Beim9;s own Labyrinth. Even if we don9;t go down too deep, it could serve a good warmup.”

东支线的冒险者们也不是不能去挑战贝姆管理的迷宫。

But they did kindly recommend you don9;t concentrate on it.

而为了获得与他们较量的权利，东支部的冒险者们会继续处理下发来的请求。

And to earn the right to take them on, the adventurers of the east branch would continue to process the requests sent down to them.

“I9;ll leave that area to you. You planned to go with Aria-san today, right?”

其他队员都能轻松完成工作，她却忍不住显得尴尬。

从挂在我脖子上的蓝色宝石中，我听到了一个声音。

我们所属的公会是一个不受欢迎的公会，叫做东分会。

From the blue Jewel hung at my neck, I heard a voice.

『别露出这样的表情，莱尔。你必须教 Aria 有关此类工作的知识，否则有一天她会真正遇到麻烦。不能让她成为只会战斗的兽女。』

「接受正常请求也很重要。但也许多休息一下是最好的。队伍中大部分人都刚刚成长，突然投入战斗，出错的可能性很大。」

The guild we were affiliated with was an unpopular one known as the East Branch.

『She has the motivation, and she has the talent. I won9;t say to take it slowly, but she really has to be trained up. In various ways.』

Novem addressed me.

Of course, no one wanted to take on troublesome jobs. To compensate for that, the east branch had its own special collateral to be had.

And where the other party members could easily complete jobs, she couldn9;t help but look awkward.

因为这里是冒险者之都，所以来自异国的请求源源不断。有这种要求的冒险者都会在那里报名。

The Third let his voice.

She was quite reliable in battle, but using her head was not her specialty.

『Don9;t make such a face, Lyle. You have to teach Aria about jobs like these, or she9;ll be truly troubled someday. You can9;t let her become a beast girl who only knows how to fight.』

即便如此，为什么还要选择带着Aria呢？

It9;s not like the adventurers of the east branch couldn9;t go off and challenge Beim9;s managed Labyrinth.

他的语气似乎充满了隐藏的暗示，我忍住了回应的冲动。

「我会把那个区域留给你。今天你是打算和亚莉亚小姐一起去的吧？」

交谈过：“好吧，我会教她这个那个。如果我继续带着除她之外的其他人一起去，我很确定她会生气。」

Novem laughed to herself.

Novem 自己笑了起来。

“Something wrong?”

「有什么问题吗？」

“No, it9;s just… I9;m only relieved you9;re worrying for Aria-san9;s sake.”

「不，只是……你为亚莉亚小姐担心，我才放心。」

Hearing that from her…

听到她这么说…

0;I can9;t say I9;m just doing it because the ancestors told me to.1;

（我不能说我只是这样做，因为祖先告诉我这样做。）

I began to feel quite guilty.

我开始感到非常内疚。

➐

Beim9;s eastern guild branch.

贝姆的东部公会分支。

When we brought our feet to the guild we had set as our home, it was as lively as ever.

当我们踏足公会时，这里还是一如既往的热闹。

An uninterrupted line of adventurers streamed in and out, and despite how wide the lobby had been constructed, it was filled to the brim with adventurers waiting their turn.

冒险者们源源不断地进进出出，大厅虽然宽敞，但里面却挤满了等待轮到的冒险者。

Perhaps Aria was mindful of the curling tips of her red hair, as she was stroking her ends with the tips of her fingers.

轮到我们了，我们坐在玛丽安小姐对面确认请求。

So I inclined my ears to my surroundings, to pick up a rumor or two.

“Hah, there sure are a lot of them here around this time of day. If you wanted to come for work, you should9;ve come here much earlier. It takes quite a while once it gets crowded.”

I listened to the voices of the Jewel, and the surrounding voices as I waited my turn.

At most, I learned that there were many adventurers desiring for harm to come Albano-san9;s way.

“They9;ve always been glaring at one another regardless. But they have their own selection of mercs over there, so it9;s irrelevant over here. Even if they called over, only the South Branch would be getting worked up.”

（我最好对 Aria 的准备工作如何耽误我们进入高峰时段一事保持沉默。这是我最近才明白的事情。）

当我等待轮到我时，我聆听着宝石的声音和周围的声音。

“… You didn9;t hear? Flaminia-chan9;s getting married next week, it seems.”

Aria 的手指离开角质层，环顾四周。

虽然睡懒觉是她的责任，但这次我们并不着急，或者什么的。

当艾莉亚用指尖抚摸她的发尾时，也许她注意到了她红发的卷发尖端。

看来这次负责我们的是玛丽安小姐了。

I decided to let that opinion of his go in one ear, and out the other. And wait, he just plainly hated adventurers and mercs, and all his opinions on them seemed to come solely from emotion.

Marianne-san was a guild receptionist usually charged with taking care of newbie adventurers. I found it a little odd to see her handling a normal receptions desk.

「哈，这个时候这里肯定有很多人。如果你想来工作，你应该早点来这里。一旦人满为患，就需要相当长的时间。」

『Hmm, they can only develop a means of operation that invites in such hatred towards themselves. That9;s why I hate adventurers and mercenaries.』

While it was her responsibility for sleeping in, it9;s not like we were in a hurry this time, or anything.

They weren9;t all credible information sources, but just listening to them was of no loss to me.

它们都是故事，与我没有多大联系。

所以我侧耳倾听周围的环境，想听听一两个谣言。

Our turn came around, and we sat down across Marianne-san to confirm the requests.

我们来这里只是为了确认他们有什么样的要求。..

0;It9;s probably best I keep quiet about how it was Aria9;s preparations delayed us into rush hour. That9;s something I9;ve come to understand as of late.1;

From the Jewel, the Seventh let his voice.

我听到菲斯的声音更加平静。

We got in line, and had some free time until our turn came around.

「关于那个艾莱特要结婚的传闻是真的吗？” “哈哈，不可能。她只是比计划提前回国了。” “今天花店的弗拉米尼娅酱真漂亮。我想回去的时候买点花吧。”“……你没听到吗？看来弗拉米尼娅酱下周就要结婚了。”“……那……不可能……”“我刚刚听说，但看起来扎因和洛菲斯又要结婚了。”“他们一直都是这样。不顾一切地互相瞪视。但他们在那里有自己选择的雇佣兵，所以在这里无关紧要。就算他们叫过来，也只有南分部会生气。” “你就没有听说过那个阿尔巴诺混蛋受伤什么的吗？或者也许在迷宫里犯了一个错误？” “好像那个阿尔巴诺会犯这样的错误。如果他真的受伤了，你觉得现在酒吧里会有多少人庆幸呢？」

（哦？多么罕见啊。）

Inside my head.

『嗯，他们只能开发出一种招致对自己如此仇恨的操作手段。这就是我讨厌冒险家和雇佣兵的原因。』

『Even when it looks like it9;s changed, it9;s still the same in essence… that9;s a bit interesting. Is this sentiment the special privilege of us recorded souls?』

Rumors among adventurers.

They were all stories without much a connection to me.

“Haha, no way. She9;s just returning to her country earlier than planned.”

『虽然看起来变了，但本质还是一样……有点意思。这种情感是我们被记录的灵魂的特权吗？』

“… That… can9;t… be.”

第七号从宝石中发出了他的声音。

➐

冒险者之间的谣言。

“Are the talks about how that Alette is going to get married true?”

“Flaminia-chan from the flower shop sure was pretty today. I think I9;ll buy sommore flowers on the way back.”

I heard a calmer Fifth9;s voice.

在我的脑海里。

“Don9;t you have any stories of that Albano bastard getting injured or anything? Or perhaps making a slip-up in the Labyrinth?”

随着前方冒险者的减少，柜台也越来越近。

『但是无论哪一代，传闻都没有太大变化。爱情，战争，和我那个时代没有太大区别。』

柜台前有许多接待员，满足他们的需求。

『But whatever the generation, the rumors don9;t change too much. Of love, and war, it isn9;t so much different from my time at all.』

老四边说边笑。

We were only here to confirm what sort of requests they had..

A number of receptionists lined the counters, handling their needs.

0;Oh? How rare.1;

“I just heard, but it looks like Zayin and Lorphys are going to go at it again.”

Aria9;s fingers parted from her cuticles, and she looked around.

As the adventurers in front of us reduced, the counter grew closer.

我们排队，并有一些空闲时间直到轮到我们。

It seems the one in charge of us this time would be Marianne-san.

我最多知道有很多冒险者想要伤害阿尔巴诺先生。

The Fourth laughed as he spoke.

我决定让他的这种观点从一只耳朵传进，从另一只耳朵传出。等等，他只是明显地讨厌冒险者和雇佣兵，而他对他们的所有看法似乎都只是出于情感。

它们并不都是可靠的信息来源，但仅仅听听它们对我来说并没有什么损失。

玛丽安小姐是公会接待员，平时负责照顾新冒险者。看到她处理一个普通的接待台，我觉得有点奇怪。

“As if that Albano would make a mistake like that. If he really was injured, then just how many people do you think would be at the bars rejoicing right around now?”

She already knew about me, it seems.

她似乎已经了解我了。

“Good work on the Labyrinth Subjugation. And these are the sorts of requests we9;d like you to take on this time.”

「迷宫征服方面做得很好。这些就是我们希望您这次能够接受的请求。」

She passed over some documents, but there were more than usual.

她递了一些文件，但比平常多了一些。

Aria sitting beside me spoke.

坐在我旁边的 Aria 说话了。

“Hey, isn9;t that a bit much? Are you going to take up all of them?”

「嘿，是不是有点过分了？你要把他们全部都包起来吗？」

I picked one of the sheets up, and denied that statement.

我拿起其中一张纸，否认了这一说法。

“No way. It9;s from here we9;ll decide the requests we9;ll accept. If the travel distance is short, we9;ll have to accept a number of them. But too far will cost some time. So I9;d like to consult with the others after we get back, but… there sure are a lot this time.”

「不可能。我们将从这里决定我们将接受的请求。如果旅行距离短，我们就必须接受其中的一些。但太远会花费一些时间。所以回来后想和其他人商量一下，不过……这次确实有很多。」

Marianne-san shrugged her shoulders. The reason her large chest looked as if it was bouncing must be the fault of that modified uniform of her9;s.

玛丽安小姐耸了耸肩。她的大胸之所以看起来像在跳动，一定是她那件经过改造的制服的错。

When my eyes ended up wandering towards them, Aria stepped on my foot.

当我的目光最终转向他们时，阿丽亚踩到了我的脚。

“Ow! What is it?”

「噢！它是什么？」

（从最喜欢的开始就被划掉了。我想这很自然。）

呈现给我的是一份包罗万象的可用请求列表，但有整整五页。其中一些被划掉了，表明已经有一方接受了他们。

“It9;s right after a Labyrinth subjugation, and there are quite a few parties that aren9;t troubled for money at present. And there are also ones with comrades experiencing Growths, that can9;t move around as they please. On top of that, a new pioneering corps has been formed, so they9;re also seeking manpower. We have more requests than we can digest. There9;s this and that at the main branch, and receptionists are being recalled, so even I9;ve been placed on standard duty. Ah…”

“Has Erhart-kun9;s party picked a quarrel with you since them? They9;re rash children, but good at heart. Their mindset of solving things with power is too prevalent that I can9;t help but worry.”

But those here didn9;t really care about the war in itself.

「我明白了。我是在警告他，但是……那么现在你该怎么办？您现在可以接一个相对有利的请求。还是你会带着这些文件，好好考虑一下？」

所有人的目光都转向了东分部的接待人员。

艾莉亚一边说一边移开视线。我忍着脚背的疼痛，将目光重新转向文件。

The headquarters9; meeting room was too vast to even compare to the ones at the branches.

「是不是比平时长了？」

Said Aria as she averted her eyes. I endured the pain on the top of my foot as I turned my eyes back to the documents.

虽然艾莉亚没有见过他，但我在公会里见过他几次。

聚集的都是各个分公司级别较高的工作人员。

问题在于它将如何影响公会。

0;They9;ve been crossed off starting with the most favorable ones. I guess it9;s only natural.1;

每次见面，他都会做出不高兴的表情，但很快就会去别的地方。

“Isn9;t it longer than usual?”

… 公会总部。

I told her I9;d take it back, and left the counter.

玛丽安小姐想起了什么，问道。

What Alette Baillet… a knight of Lorphys got her hands on was a rare metal known as mithril.

Remembering something, Marianne-san asked me.

“At the South Branch, a number of mercenary brigades have already begun to move. Equipment and food stuffs, consumable expenditure will also increase, surely.”

The problem lay in how it would affect the guild.

「不是真的。虽然看起来他还是讨厌我。」

Marianne was smiling a bit.

「在南分部，一些佣兵大队已经开始行动了。设备、食品、消耗品支出肯定也会增加。」

我告诉她我会把它拿回来，然后离开了柜台。

清扫员 Tanya…Tahnia 作为警卫陪伴他们。

南分部的一名男子举手宣告。

「为了让大家了解当前的问题，扎音和洛菲斯边境已经爆发了小规模冲突。这种事每年都会发生，而且并不罕见，但时机不对，事情就闹得天翻地覆了。」

「从那以后，艾尔哈特君一行人还找过你吵架吗？他们是鲁莽的孩子，但心地善良。他们用权力解决问题的心态太盛行，让我不禁担心。”

“I see. I9;m cautioning him on my end, but… Now then, what shall you do? You can pick up a relatively favorable request now. Or will you take the documents with you, and deliberate?”

The ones gathered were the staff members of higher status from each branch.

Everyone9;s eyes turned towards the receptionists of the East Branch.

Whenever we met, he would make a displeased expression, but he would soon go off somewhere else.

… Guild headquarters.

旁边的艾莉亚听到男人的名字，做了个鬼脸，好像刚刚想起了他们。

Aria beside me heard the man9;s name, and made a face as if she just recalled them.

「那个拿着大剑、穿着背心的家伙？想想看，从那以后我就没再见过他了。」

While Aria hadn9;t met him, I9;d seen his face a few times at the guild.

我查看了列表，并再次向玛丽安小姐寻求确认。

I looked over the list, and sought confirmation with Marianne-san again.

Marianne-san made a bitter smile.

And that was about to become the trigger for war.

One of the top brass informed the personnel gathered of the contents of the meeting.

「你太粗鲁了，所以我警告你了。」

总部的会议室太大了，根本无法与分公司相比。

“To refresh you all on the current problem, skirmishes have already broke out on the border of Zayin and Lorphys. That happens every year, and it9;s nothing rare, but it came with bad timing, and things are blowing up sky high.”

「迷宫讨伐刚刚结束，目前不为钱而烦恼的队伍不少。还有一些同伴正在成长，不能随意走动。而且新的开拓团已经成立，所以也在寻找人手。我们的请求超出了我们的消化能力。总店里有这样那样的情况，接待员也被召回，所以连我也被安排执行标准值勤。啊……”

“You were being rude, so I cautioned you.”

但这里的人并不真正关心战争本身。

“Not really. Though it seems he still hates me.”

What was presented to me was an all-encompassing list of the available requests, but there were five full pages of them. A few of them had been crossed through to indicate there was already a party that9;d accepted them.

洛菲斯的骑士艾莉特·巴耶特……得到的是一种名为秘银的稀有金属。

玛丽安微笑着。

这即将成为战争的导火索。

➐

一位高层向聚集的人员通报了会议的内容。

Sweeper Tanya… Tahnia was to accompany them as a guard.

“That guy with the large sword, and tank top? Come to think of it, I haven9;t met him since.”

A man from the South Branch raised his hand, and declared.

玛丽安小姐苦笑道。

A female staff of the North Branch.

北分公司的女职员。

“A war in this season? How troublesome. Because we hadn9;t anticipated it, there9;ll be quite a ruckus over changing plans. So will war really break out?”

「这个季节有战争？多麻烦啊。因为我们没有预料到，改变计划会引起很大的骚动。那么战争真的会爆发吗？」

A West Branch receptionist laughed a little.

West Branch 的一位接待员笑了笑。

“It9;s true that it9;s only a rumor. But this generation9;s Holy Maiden loves her share of war. The high priests seem like they9;d be for it as well.”

「确实，这只是谣言。但这一代的圣女热爱战争。大祭司们似乎也赞成这么做。」

Tahnia9;s superior looked over the documents in his hand with displeasure.

塔尼亚的上级不满地看着他手里的文件。

In a small voice.

小声说道。

“Good grief, even when we9;ve only just gotten them from the Labyrinth, we9;re going to run through our stock of Magic Stones. Even though when the adventurers get busy with war, the price of Magic Stones rises.”

「天哪，即使我们刚刚从迷宫中拿到它们，我们也会耗尽我们的魔法石库存。虽然冒险者们忙于战争的时候，魔石的价格也会上涨。」

Even if the price of Magic Stones rose, each guild would be obligated to buy them regardless, or so he complained.

就算魔石涨价了，各个公会还是有义务购买，他是这么抱怨的。

The top brass passed down the guild9;s policy on the matter.

高层传达了公会关于此事的政策。

“As we always have, the guild will be assisting both camps. We will accept both requests, but there9;s something called balance. Without any excessive support, we9;ll be moving so as not to put the guild at a loss.”

「一如既往，公会将协助两个阵营。我们会接受这两个请求，但有一个叫做平衡的东西。如果没有过多的支持，我们就会采取行动，以免让公会陷入困境。」

塔尼亚想。

The guild anticipated Lorphys would be fighting a defensive battle.

只有几十人的战斗，他们甚至无法报告。

The top brass.

Without her expression falling apart, Tahnia quietly watched over the meeting.

规模。

If it were just some disputes with a few hundred soldiers, those normally existed everywhere without the guild intervening.

如果只是几百名士兵之间的一些争执，那么在没有公会介入的情况下，这种情况通常到处都有。

On both sides, only the skirmishes of local lords, with a scale of thousands?

西分院的接待员举手问道。

With only a few dozen fighting, they weren9;t even possible to report.

“So what9;s the scale the guild anticipates it9;ll climb up to?”

“Zayin just underwent a change in leadership, and that new head9;s sure to move some tens of thousands. According to the merchants, they9;ve already started amassing goods to that extent. In contrast, Lorphys9; movements are dull. They fall short in national power on a fundamental level. Lorphys9; land will likely become the battlefield.”

Scale.

A receptionist of the West Branch raised his hand, and asked.

塔尼亚预计这个国家将被夷为平地。

双方只是地方领主的小规模冲突，规模达数千人？

她在接待处与艾莱特交谈过很多次，她知道她不是一个坏人。

塔妮娅表情没有崩溃，静静地注视着会议。

As a single acquaintance, she didn9;t want her to die, but with reality as it was, the guild was going to use Alette9;s homeland9;s strife as a source of profit.

0;… Alette-san is going to hurry back home, isn9;t she.1;

高层。

「那么公会预计会达到什么规模？」

Tahnia thought.

（……阿莱特小姐是不是要赶紧回家了。）

或者各国会认真地尝试动员本国人民，与数万人在战场上作战吗？

（这才是最难的，走错了，国家灭亡就麻烦了。）

Tahnia anticipated the country to be laid waste to.

0;And that9;s the hard part. A wrong move, and it9;ll be troublesome when a country gets destroyed.1;

She had conversed a number of times with Alette over the receptions desk, and she knew she wasn9;t a bad person.

扎因和洛菲斯并不是唯一的国家。

公会预计洛菲斯将进行一场防御战。

「Zayin 刚刚经历了领导层的变动，新任领导肯定会感动数以万计的人。据商家透露，他们已经开始囤货到这个程度了。相比之下，洛菲斯的动作却显得迟钝。他们的国力在根本上是不足的。洛菲斯的土地很可能会成为战场。」

Or would the countries seriously try to mobilize their people, fighting with tens of thousands on the battlefield?

作为单身熟人，她不想让她死，但现实就是这样，公会打算利用艾蕾特故乡的纷争作为利润来源。

Zayin and Lorphys weren9;t the only countries out there.