The next day.
"…"
I'm a little fidgety.
This is central Hydrangea. The fountain plaza with the war-hero statue.
Behind it stands a four-story building that looks like a massive wall.
It has the look of some old-fashioned European luxury hotel.
That's the Delvers' Guild, Hydrangea Branch. The second-largest branch in this frontier region.
Looking at it again, it really is huge. It's not like this is my first time here or anything.
When the dungeon anomaly purge was over, I did come out from underground beneath this building.
Come to think of it, I still haven't been called in about the dungeon anomaly.
I guess the dungeon investigation team is still doing their work, so maybe it'll be after that's done.
Not that I actually know what happened back then.
Apparently I played a big role, but it's all a new world to me.
"…Come to think of it."
In the end, I never did find out what the Monoceros mithril-collection request was all about.
It's been rough since then.
The whole business with pulling Dagaa off Pakira's behind and tail was something else.
To think things turned out like that… I really am powerless. I can't believe it ended up that way.
"Wof."
"P-Pakira. Good morning."
"Mm."
Pakira came hurrying over in her black robe.
Yesterday... things had turned out like that, but she was every bit the beautiful girl again today.
Yesterday's white robe had three slits. Today's had four.
Her white tails of varying length poked out from the two slits in the back.
"Is Juicy not here yet?"
"Not yet."
"Na!"
"Hm. You... were there, were you."
Pakira looked put out. Well, yeah, that's about the reaction you'd expect.
"Y-yes. Um, today Mineha is out on a commission."
"Come to think of it, Bidd's been teaming up with you a lot lately."
"And she's apparently formed a trio with one more person too."
"Oh, that's news to me."
"So I couldn't exactly leave her at home..."
I couldn't very well leave Dagaa to watch the place.
"Can't be helped, I suppose. But if you pull something like yesterday again, even I won't forgive you. Understood?"
"Y-yes."
Her cat ears shot straight up and she let out a small growl, but above all, her eyes were dead serious. Cat eyes are scary.
"Na?"
"Don't move. Stay right there as a knife."
"Na!"
Did it really understand? I was worried.
"U-um, Lord Wof! Pakira. Woof! Good morning!"
An energetic dog came running over. It was Juicy.
She was dressed similarly to yesterday, wearing a red cape.
"G-good morning."
"What an energetic dog."
From a cat's perspective, a dog's energy was exhausting. Well, that was only natural from a cat's point of view.
I remembered a cat at my parents' house who would watch the running dog from atop the wall with icy eyes.
"Na!"
"Um, woof woof. Dagaa says good morning too!"
Juicy crouched down to look at my waist area and greeted it.
"Na!"
"Don't let the knife make so much noise."
"Na?"
"You..."
"Um, um, woof. Dagaa. Shh, be quiet."
She held up one finger to her lips. Cute.
"Woof?"
"Oh, enough already. That's settled. The two of you and one pet — you'll behave inside, got it?"
"Yes. Understood."
"Um, um, yes! We understand! We'll be on our best behavior!"
"Woof!"
"You — shut up and hold onto your knife."
"Woof?"
"...We'll make sure to keep him quiet."
"You've got your hands full, don't you."
"Woof!"
They really did have their hands full. Either way, we headed into the Delvers' Guild.
The Delvers' Guild. The first floor was nothing short of spectacular.
Rows upon rows of reception counters, each manned by a receptionist.
The entire wall, all the way up to the ceiling, plastered with request forms.
And in front of the counters, a long bench for those waiting their turn.
Even this early in the morning, there were delvers milling about. Some studied the request forms covering every inch of the walls.
Some sat on the bench drinking. Some leaned against the wall drinking. Some sat right on the floor drinking.
They were just drinking nonstop.
This wasn't one of those combo tavern-and-guild places, but apparently drinking inside the Guild itself wasn't prohibited.
Still. There was something about the atmosphere — the vibe of this place, its outward appearance, its aura...
I know something like this. In my memories from my past life... that distinctive atmosphere.
Hmm. I was just on the verge of remembering when—
The Guild receptionist standing at the counter nearby rang a bell with a sharp ting and spoke up.
"Ticket number 35, 'Sake-Soaked Force.' 'Sake-Soaked Force,' please."
"Oh. That's us."
A bunch of intimidating-looking guys near me stood up from the bench and headed for the counter.
Quite the party name. And their outfits were no different from bandits.
Those spiky pauldrons. I wonder where they sell those.
"Thank you for waiting. 'Sake-Soaked Force,' here is your payment for the tarantula-tara subjugation and the tarantula-tara silk collection request."
"Oh. Looks right."
"Then everyone, please submit your delver tags."
"Oh."
"Here. I've added this round's rank-up points to your tags."
"Oh. Almost there, huh."
"Yes. Thank you for your hard work. We look forward to serving you again."
"Oh. See ya."
It ended rather anticlimactically. For their appearance and getup, 'Sake-Soaked Force' was treated surprisingly courteously.
"That said, this place is remarkably systematic. Oh!"
Oh, I remembered! Right. This is like a hospital or a bank or a government office — that kind of atmosphere.
Numbered tickets, waiting benches — exactly that vibe.
And even when they were drinking and looked intimidating, the delvers waited quietly and patiently.
There was something nostalgic about that too. Suddenly, I remembered Axe and the others. Thunder Fang's guild request.
That dungeon request, and everything related to me, had all been properly handled through official procedures.
Otherwise, money from the guild wouldn't have reached me.
"What are you doing, Wof? Over here, please."
"Oh, right."
"Um, um, Lord Wof. This is the Delvers' Guild, isn't it? It's my first time, I'm so excited!"
"Yes, it is..."
It had suddenly become a place that felt remarkably familiar and nostalgic to me.
I went to the third reception desk from the left. What was written above it was 'Special Request Reception'...?
"Hello there."
"Welcome~, how may I help you~?"
The receptionist responded in a languid, drawn-out manner. She was a rare fairial.
Dressed in a receptionist uniform, she floated with a somewhat languid air, supported by four transparent wings.
Her hair was a two-tone black and gold, tied up in a side ponytail with a white scrunchie.
Her red-painted lips stood out, and unlike Mineha, she had a mature allure despite her small stature.
"I'm Pakira from Torquetam. There's a designated request from the blacksmith in Welent to collect magic silver from Monoceros, you see."
"A designated request~, I see~. Ticket number 04, please~. If you could wait just a moment~~"
The receptionist fluttered lazily towards the back of the counter. Pakira received ticket number 04.
"Well then, let's wait."
"Pakira, could you explain?"
"Um, um, what exactly is a special request?"
"Hmm. Well then."
Pakira sat down on a nearby waiting bench. We sat down too.
"There's a dungeon monster called Monoceros. About mid-rank in the copper tier, I'd say. Looks like a horse with a thick horn. Always moves in herds."
"And how does that relate to magic silver?"
"In every herd, there are a very few individuals whose thick horns are made of magic silver. Magic silver has a wide range of uses, and it's an essential mineral for repairing OOPArts. Given its rarity and all that... they generally trade for about 300,000 to 500,000 oro per horn."
"Per horn?!"
"Um, um, if they're worth that much, they'll... they'll be hunted to extinction."
Even dungeon monsters can go extinct.
The exact mechanism is unclear, but if a species is overhunted, that particular type stops appearing.
Before, there were silver slimes that generated pure silver ingots inside their bodies, and they were overhunted because of that.
Since then, silver slimes stopped appearing in dungeons. And yet, the overhunting still doesn't stop.
"That's nothing to worry about. Monoceros inhabit a dedicated dungeon, and that dungeon requires permission from a blacksmith affiliated with the Hydrangea Blacksmiths' Guild. It's absolutely impossible to enter without that."
"Um, um, then there's nothing to worry about."
"Well, there are still people who try to get in, but it's futile."
"But not every Monoceros has a magic silver horn, right?"
"That's right. I hear that even in a herd of a hundred, it wouldn't be rare for only five to have magic silver horns."
"...That's quite rare then."
300,000 to 500,000 oro per horn made sense.
"H-hold on, is it really okay to take the horns? Won't the Monoceros die or anything?"
"Hm?"
"No need to worry. They grow back, so it's fine even if you take the horns."
"Oh, uh, good. That's a relief."
"But you're going to take a lot of them, right?"
If the rarity was that high, then even without killing them, you'd still need to harvest a massive number of horns.
Copper rank, mid-tier. About the same as a goblin? What a pain.
"That's nothing to worry about either. You understand by now, yes? We are heading to the Monoceros dungeon on a commission from Verent to harvest their magic silver. And we'll be paid proportional to how much we gather."
"Got it. How much magic silver are we talking about?"
Why would Verent even commission something like this to Pakira in the first place?
That's when Juicy's chestnut eyes lit up with a sparkle.
"H-hold on, Lord Wof. It's probably one million oro worth."
"That's... don't tell me, for the gauntlets?!"
"That's right."
"...Pakira. Why is Verent doing this?"
We'd only just met. We'd barely even exchanged a few words.
So why go this far? Pakira looked at me and gave a wry smile.
"Same reason as you, dear. He's just a soft touch. Though he probably also wants Mazan's materials. He's been grumbling about nothing but OOPArt repairs lately. As a blacksmith, he wants to make something new."
"Still, this is way too good a deal for me."
"Yes, it is. But that's fine. That's what I think, at least."
"Um, um, I think that's fine! Wof-sama getting a good deal makes me happy too!"
"Na!"
It felt like it might be all right, but it wasn't a bad thing, so I'd accept it gratefully.
But I wished the dagger knife would be quiet. I only just noticed when it rang out.
A female explorer with rabbit ears who was passing behind me flinched and stared at me intently.
"Number ticket 04 — Pakira-sama of Torquetam — please proceed to the special request counter~~"
"We've been called."
When I went to the counter, the fairial receptionist had gotten bigger.