Prologue 序言

Beim9;s Labyrinth Subjugation.

貝姆的迷宮征服。

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

當我們完成那項大型工作回來時，寒冷的空氣開始變暖。

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，但當太陽昇得更高時，情況就不再是這樣了。

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

當我打開我們正在使用的旅館的窗戶時，我感到春天即將來臨……

… And shut it immediately.

……然後立即將其關閉。

“It9;s still too cold for that.”

「還是太冷了。」

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

觀看並取笑我行爲的人是和我住在同一個房間的機器人莫妮卡。

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.

她是金髮雙馬尾的女人，今天也穿着女僕裝，在我身邊做各種家務。

She wouldn9;t compromise on that at all.

她根本不會在這一點上妥協。

But only her mouth was unsatisfactory.

但唯獨她的嘴上不滿意。

As always, her work was perfect.

最後是有毒女僕機器人莫妮卡。

「請先洗把臉。」

「你、你在做什麼？還有你身上爲什麼帶着武器？」

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.

「……洗個澡然後擦乾不是有同樣的效果嗎？」

「你還年輕，不能用熱水。冷水很快就會把你叫醒。因爲你今天要去公會。」

精靈歌手和熟練的弓箭手伊娃。

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.

「怎麼樣？這就是這款高級工具所需要的一切，即使是最糟糕的牀頭也能恢復正常！」

她指着洗手間，對我微笑。

當我悄悄走向洗手間門口時，莫妮卡開口了。

自從我們第一次來到貝姆以來，我們就經常使用它。

惡魔之眼持有者，但沒有其他救贖因素，香農。

“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?”

我的政黨，包括我在內，有九名成員。

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.

我把水潑到臉上了。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.”

大概是這樣想的，當我走到外面發現莫妮卡手裏拿着刷子躺在那裏等待時。除了刷子之外，她還拿着一把看上去質量很差的槍。

Magician with a side ponytail Novem.

神獸化身五月。

Support specialist, bespectacled, petite Clara.

但作爲冒險者，過於依賴這樣的旅館也是個問題。畢竟住宿費用不容小覷。

最近展現了一項技能，陷阱專家米蘭達。

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

Spear-wielding warrior Aria.

側馬尾魔術師 Novem。

她說這話，簡直是充滿了自信。

支持專家、戴着眼鏡、嬌小的克拉拉。

那是貝姆的一家客棧，雖然價格不菲，但設施還算齊全。看起來有不少冒險者利用過這裏，但除此之外，來到這座城市的商人也經常留在這裏。

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;

「你試圖導演一個清爽的早晨的場景，結果卻從寒冷中退縮……正如我對雞雞的期望。我想給房間通風一下，你能把它打開嗎？啊，先洗把臉吧。我已經給你準備好了衣服。」

我用毛巾擦了擦臉，看看睡眠對我的頭髮造成的影響。我的藍色頭髮亂糟糟的，我必須把它整理好。

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，我就靜靜地坐下了。槍口吹出一股溫暖的風，莫妮卡開始給我梳理頭髮。

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

“Please wash your face first.”

當我後退一步時，莫妮卡喫了一驚。

我看了一眼她準備的衣服，伸手讓她們換。

「武器？這只是一個烘乾機。您以前從未見過嗎？嗯，我們纔剛回來，還沒有機會使用它。我沒有庫存，但升級到全選項莫妮卡……沒有什麼是我做不到的，該死的雞！」

除了我以外全都是女性，這個政黨該是多麼有偏見啊。

（但這可以等一下。）

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

揮舞長矛的戰士阿麗亞。

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.

當我這麼說時，莫妮卡嘟噥道：“這個男人再一次不明白，”她一邊搖着頭一邊說道。

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.

佈置結束，我換好衣服，退出房間，下到一樓。這裏是客棧的餐廳，也是喫早餐的地方。

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

當我走下樓梯時，我發現我來的時候，Novem 正在喫飯。

“Did you just get here?”

「你剛到這裏嗎？」

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

「是的，萊爾大人。你願意加入我嗎？

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.

邀請我過來的是同黨的成員，也是我的前未婚妻。我聽從了諾維姆的邀請，和她一起喫早餐。

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

麪包和湯，甚至還有沙拉。相當奢侈的一餐。

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

甚至還有切成薄片的培根，相對於它的價格來說，這個地方相當美味。

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

我邊喫邊告訴諾維姆當天的計劃。

“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.”

「今天我們要去公會，看看他們對我們有什麼要求。我們剛剛回來，所以我希望下一次還有足夠的時間。」

當被稱爲【迷宮討伐】的有利可圖的請求被髮送出去時，東部公會分支被優先考慮。

當然，沒有人願意從事麻煩的工作。爲了彌補這一點，東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.

第三個發出了聲音。

聽到亞莉亞的名字，我嘆了口氣。

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

這是一個主要處理外部請求的公會，經常會派遣冒險者到其他地方。

很簡單。

Novem喫完飯，禮貌地用餐巾擦了擦嘴，纔回應。

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

但他們確實建議您不要集中精力。

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.

不允許清除。據說所管理的迷宮甚至可以到達一百層以下。沒有人能夠證實這一點，但據說到達其深處是不可能的。

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.

在我們上次的迷宮征服中，我們的大多數成員都邀請了成長。提升身體能力的成長……之所以如此危險，是因爲在突破了規格的限制後，相關人員往往會繼續把自己逼得太遠。

她是有能力的，但因爲所處的優越環境，不免顯得有些不足。

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

『她有動力，也有天賦。我不會說要慢慢來，但她確實需要訓練。以各種方式。』

Novem 向我講話。

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.”

我並不是討厭她什麼的。但說到這種事情……不，我不會走那麼遠，但在確認公會的要求時，帶她去也沒什麼幫助。

It was simple.

I spoke to Novem

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

有很多冒險家在嘗試完成不可能的後成長任務後都失敗了。

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

（嗯，我們有Novem、Miranda和Clara，他們通常是負責思考任務的人。）

獸女是我寶玉記載的先祖們對她的共同分類。

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.

她在戰鬥中相當可靠，但使用頭腦並不是她的專長。

「我們可以以此爲理由，在貝姆周圍測試一下我們的能力。對了……也許我們應該去挑戰貝姆自己的迷宮。即使我們沒有下得太深，這也可以起到很好的熱身作用。」

“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.”

東支線的冒險者們也不是不能去挑戰貝姆管理的迷宮。

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

而爲了獲得與他們較量的權利，東支部的冒險者們會繼續處理下發來的請求。

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?”

其他隊員都能輕鬆完成工作，她卻忍不住顯得尷尬。

從掛在我脖子上的藍色寶石中，我聽到了一個聲音。

我們所屬的公會是一個不受歡迎的公會，叫做東分會。

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

『別露出這樣的表情，萊爾。你必須教 Aria 有關此類工作的知識，否則有一天她會真正遇到麻煩。不能讓她成爲只會戰鬥的獸女。』

「接受正常請求也很重要。但也許多休息一下是最好的。隊伍中大部分人都剛剛成長，突然投入戰鬥，出錯的可能性很大。」

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.

因爲這裏是冒險者之都，所以來自異國的請求源源不斷。有這種要求的冒險者都會在那裏報名。

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，爲什麼還要選擇帶着Aria呢？

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

他的語氣似乎充滿了隱藏的暗示，我忍住了回應的衝動。

「我會把那個區域留給你。今天你是打算和亞莉亞小姐一起去的吧？」

交談過：“好吧，我會教她這個那個。如果我繼續帶着除她之外的其他人一起去，我很確定她會生氣。」

Novem laughed to herself.

Novem 自己笑了起來。

“Something wrong?”

「有什麼問題嗎？」

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

「不，只是……你爲亞莉亞小姐擔心，我才放心。」

Hearing that from her…

聽到她這麼說…

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

（我不能說我只是這樣做，因爲祖先告訴我這樣做。）

I began to feel quite guilty.

我開始感到非常內疚。

➐

Beim9;s eastern guild branch.

貝姆的東部公會分支。

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

當我們踏足公會時，這裏還是一如既往的熱鬧。

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.

冒險者們源源不斷地進進出出，大廳雖然寬敞，但裏面卻擠滿了等待輪到的冒險者。

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

輪到我們了，我們坐在瑪麗安小姐對面確認請求。

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.”

（我最好對 Aria 的準備工作如何耽誤我們進入高峯時段一事保持沉默。這是我最近才明白的事情。）

當我等待輪到我時，我聆聽着寶石的聲音和周圍的聲音。

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

Aria 的手指離開角質層，環顧四周。

雖然睡懶覺是她的責任，但這次我們並不着急，或者什麼的。

當艾莉亞用指尖撫摸她的髮尾時，也許她注意到了她紅髮的捲髮尖端。

看來這次負責我們的是瑪麗安小姐了。

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，這個時候這裏肯定有很多人。如果你想來工作，你應該早點來這裏。一旦人滿爲患，就需要相當長的時間。」

『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.

它們都是故事，與我沒有多大聯繫。

所以我側耳傾聽周圍的環境，想聽聽一兩個謠言。

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

我們來這裏只是爲了確認他們有什麼樣的要求。..

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.

我聽到菲斯的聲音更加平靜。

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

「關於那個艾萊特要結婚的傳聞是真的嗎？” “哈哈，不可能。她只是比計劃提前回國了。” “今天花店的弗拉米尼婭醬真漂亮。我想回去的時候買點花吧。”“……你沒聽到嗎？看來弗拉米尼婭醬下週就要結婚了。”“……那……不可能……”“我剛剛聽說，但看起來扎因和洛菲斯又要結婚了。”“他們一直都是這樣。不顧一切地互相瞪視。但他們在那裏有自己選擇的僱傭兵，所以在這裏無關緊要。就算他們叫過來，也只有南分部會生氣。” “你就沒有聽說過那個阿爾巴諾混蛋受傷什麼的嗎？或者也許在迷宮裏犯了一個錯誤？” “好像那個阿爾巴諾會犯這樣的錯誤。如果他真的受傷了，你覺得現在酒吧裏會有多少人慶幸呢？」

（哦？多麼罕見啊。）

Inside my head.

『嗯，他們只能開發出一種招致對自己如此仇恨的操作手段。這就是我討厭冒險家和僱傭兵的原因。』

『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.”

『雖然看起來變了，但本質還是一樣……有點意思。這種情感是我們被記錄的靈魂的特權嗎？』

“… That… can9;t… be.”

第七號從寶石中發出了他的聲音。

➐

冒險者之間的謠言。

“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.

在我的腦海裏。

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

隨着前方冒險者的減少，櫃檯也越來越近。

『但是無論哪一代，傳聞都沒有太大變化。愛情，戰爭，和我那個時代沒有太大區別。』

櫃檯前有許多接待員，滿足他們的需求。

『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.』

老四邊說邊笑。

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.

我們排隊，並有一些空閒時間直到輪到我們。

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

我最多知道有很多冒險者想要傷害阿爾巴諾先生。

The Fourth laughed as he spoke.

我決定讓他的這種觀點從一隻耳朵傳進，從另一隻耳朵傳出。等等，他只是明顯地討厭冒險者和僱傭兵，而他對他們的所有看法似乎都只是出於情感。

它們並不都是可靠的信息來源，但僅僅聽聽它們對我來說並沒有什麼損失。

瑪麗安小姐是公會接待員，平時負責照顧新冒險者。看到她處理一個普通的接待臺，我覺得有點奇怪。

“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.

她似乎已經瞭解我了。

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

「迷宮征服方面做得很好。這些就是我們希望您這次能夠接受的請求。」

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

她遞了一些文件，但比平常多了一些。

Aria sitting beside me spoke.

坐在我旁邊的 Aria 說話了。

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

「嘿，是不是有點過分了？你要把他們全部都包起來嗎？」

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

我拿起其中一張紙，否認了這一說法。

“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。我們將從這裏決定我們將接受的請求。如果旅行距離短，我們就必須接受其中的一些。但太遠會花費一些時間。所以回來後想和其他人商量一下，不過……這次確實有很多。」

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.

瑪麗安小姐聳了聳肩。她的大胸之所以看起來像在跳動，一定是她那件經過改造的制服的錯。

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

當我的目光最終轉向他們時，阿麗亞踩到了我的腳。

“Ow! What is it?”

「噢！它是什麼？」

（從最喜歡的開始就被劃掉了。我想這很自然。）

呈現給我的是一份包羅萬象的可用請求列表，但有整整五頁。其中一些被劃掉了，表明已經有一方接受了他們。

“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……那麼現在你該怎麼辦？您現在可以接一個相對有利的請求。還是你會帶着這些文件，好好考慮一下？」

所有人的目光都轉向了東分部的接待人員。

艾莉亞一邊說一邊移開視線。我忍着腳背的疼痛，將目光重新轉向文件。

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

「是不是比平時長了？」

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.

雖然艾莉亞沒有見過他，但我在公會里見過他幾次。

聚集的都是各個分公司級別較高的工作人員。

問題在於它將如何影響公會。

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

每次見面，他都會做出不高興的表情，但很快就會去別的地方。

“Isn9;t it longer than usual?”

… 公會總部。

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

瑪麗安小姐想起了什麼，問道。

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。雖然看起來他還是討厭我。」

Marianne was smiling a bit.

「在南分部，一些傭兵大隊已經開始行動了。設備、食品、消耗品支出肯定也會增加。」

我告訴她我會把它拿回來，然後離開了櫃檯。

清掃員 Tanya…Tahnia 作爲警衛陪伴他們。

南分部的一名男子舉手宣告。

「爲了讓大家瞭解當前的問題，扎音和洛菲斯邊境已經爆發了小規模衝突。這種事每年都會發生，而且並不罕見，但時機不對，事情就鬧得天翻地覆了。」

「從那以後，艾爾哈特君一行人還找過你吵架嗎？他們是魯莽的孩子，但心地善良。他們用權力解決問題的心態太盛行，讓我不禁擔心。”

“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.

旁邊的艾莉亞聽到男人的名字，做了個鬼臉，好像剛剛想起了他們。

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

「那個拿着大劍、穿着背心的傢伙？想想看，從那以後我就沒再見過他了。」

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

我查看了列表，並再次向瑪麗安小姐尋求確認。

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.

「你太粗魯了，所以我警告你了。」

總部的會議室太大了，根本無法與分公司相比。

“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.”

「迷宮討伐剛剛結束，目前不爲錢而煩惱的隊伍不少。還有一些同伴正在成長，不能隨意走動。而且新的開拓團已經成立，所以也在尋找人手。我們的請求超出了我們的消化能力。總店裏有這樣那樣的情況，接待員也被召回，所以連我也被安排執行標準值勤。啊……”

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

但這裏的人並不真正關心戰爭本身。

“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.

洛菲斯的騎士艾莉特·巴耶特……得到的是一種名爲祕銀的稀有金屬。

瑪麗安微笑着。

這即將成爲戰爭的導火索。

➐

一位高層向聚集的人員通報了會議的內容。

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.

瑪麗安小姐苦笑道。

A female staff of the North Branch.

北分公司的女職員。

“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?”

「這個季節有戰爭？多麻煩啊。因爲我們沒有預料到，改變計劃會引起很大的騷動。那麼戰爭真的會爆發嗎？」

A West Branch receptionist laughed a little.

West Branch 的一位接待員笑了笑。

“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.”

「確實，這只是謠言。但這一代的聖女熱愛戰爭。大祭司們似乎也贊成這麼做。」

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

塔尼亞的上級不滿地看着他手裏的文件。

In a small voice.

小聲說道。

“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，即使我們剛剛從迷宮中拿到它們，我們也會耗盡我們的魔法石庫存。雖然冒險者們忙於戰爭的時候，魔石的價格也會上漲。」

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

就算魔石漲價了，各個公會還是有義務購買，他是這麼抱怨的。

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

高層傳達了公會關於此事的政策。

“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，公會將協助兩個陣營。我們會接受這兩個請求，但有一個叫做平衡的東西。如果沒有過多的支持，我們就會採取行動，以免讓公會陷入困境。」

塔尼亞想。

The guild anticipated Lorphys would be fighting a defensive battle.

只有幾十人的戰鬥，他們甚至無法報告。

The top brass.

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

規模。

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

如果只是幾百名士兵之間的一些爭執，那麼在沒有公會介入的情況下，這種情況通常到處都有。

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

西分院的接待員舉手問道。

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.

塔尼亞預計這個國家將被夷爲平地。

雙方只是地方領主的小規模衝突，規模達數千人？

她在接待處與艾萊特交談過很多次，她知道她不是一個壞人。

塔妮婭表情沒有崩潰，靜靜地注視着會議。

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;

高層。

「那麼公會預計會達到什麼規模？」

Tahnia thought.

（……阿萊特小姐是不是要趕緊回家了。）

或者各國會認真地嘗試動員本國人民，與數萬人在戰場上作戰嗎？

（這纔是最難的，走錯了，國家滅亡就麻煩了。）

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.

扎因和洛菲斯並不是唯一的國家。

公會預計洛菲斯將進行一場防禦戰。

「Zayin 剛剛經歷了領導層的變動，新任領導肯定會感動數以萬計的人。據商家透露，他們已經開始囤貨到這個程度了。相比之下，洛菲斯的動作卻顯得遲鈍。他們的國力在根本上是不足的。洛菲斯的土地很可能會成爲戰場。」

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

作爲單身熟人，她不想讓她死，但現實就是這樣，公會打算利用艾蕾特故鄉的紛爭作爲利潤來源。

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