[Adventurer's Guild]
...I don't know what I'm currently seeing right now.
"Careful there, little guy. You might just bite someone else's head off, and I'll be forced to chop you up for parts."
"Bree, can I ride the griffin already?"
"I'm still putting on the faceplate, so just wait a few more moments."
I glance towards my party, seeing both Megumin and Darkness looking at the griffin with excitement in their eyes. Well, for different reasons.
As for that useless goddess, we left her in the mansion, seeing that she was currently annoyed at something for whatever reason.
...Eh, I don't really care that much. In fact, I have better things to care about.
Like why is the Guildmaster putting on armor for the griffin that we caught a few days ago.
"Um...what are you doing, Guildmaster?"
The silver-haired man blinked, dodging the beak headed for his face as he turned towards us with a smile. Well, not before shooting Megumin a glare.
...It seems that he's still holding a grudge. "Ah, this? Remember the griffin that you guys caught? Well, Matsuri tamed it, and so she bugged me to make some armor for it so she could have a mount. Pretty cool, right?"
"Wait, that part-time worker?"
"Yup. She actually came here from the capital to contact me about something important." The Guildmaster swerved to avoid getting pecked off my the griffin, only for the part-time woman that saved us from the manticore to lay a hand on the griffin's feathers, instantly making it calm down.
...Now that I think about it, judging by the black hair and eyes, isn't she a Japanese as well? Is her cheat power some kind of unrealistic taming skill?
Because that griffin is looking at me like I'm its next meal.
"Who's a good boy? You are! Here's a fish for finally putting on that armor that I got for you!"
Then again, it's hard to think that it's a high-level monster given how it seems to act like a cat, of all things.
Anyway, I was getting off-track. "So...you said something about the capital?"
"Right. Capital." The Guildmaster dusted off his robes and turned to face us. "So, there's been reports that someone's casting [Explosion] on the frontlines. I don't need to tell you who they're currently suspecting."
"Do you seriously think of me as nothing more than a crazy explosion girl!?"
I could only shiver as I turned towards Megumin. Now that I thought about it, the Guildmaster was correct, wasn't he? I've been seeing Megumin go for days without casting [Explosion, even though she said it herself that she needed to cast it once a day.
Since the castle that was now Vanir's dungeon was under the care of the Guild, it meant that Megumin couldn't cast [Explosion] on it everyday. Therefore...
"K-Kazuma...? I swear I didn't do it!"
"Why are you acting all suspicious, then?"
"She's not the one who did it." The Guildmaster cut in, rummaging into his pockets and pulling out a brown staff. "If she was, then I would've stormed your mansion already."
...That was more scary than I imagined.
"In any case, that's my job to resolve. You guys are tagging along for propaganda purposes. I'm sure Kazuma knows what I'm talking about."
"You mean we're just there for show?"
"Correct. You get to parade around the Capital, go to parties with nobles, and even meet the Royals. Pretty exhausting stuff, if you ask me."
Wait. "Did you just say 'meet the Royals'? Like, the royal family?"
"Yup."
Iris...your nii-chan is here to meet you again.
"I'LL ACCEPT!"
"Well, if it's meeting Iris-sama, then it can't be helped..."
"I can blow up the one besmirching my good name, right? Right?"
"Well, sounds good for me." The Guildmaster said, shrugging and drawing a circle around us with his staff...then he stopped. "Wait, where's the other one?"
Huh? Oh, he meant Aqua. "She's probably slacking off somwehere with booze."
The Guildmaster snorted before he sighed. "Well, I'll just have to make do with you three, then. I have classes in archpriest after all. Now gather round, the lot of you. I'm pretty sure you heard this many times at the teleport shop, but keep your hands inside the circle."
Remembering what happened the last time that we teleported, I drew closer to the center of the makeshift circle that the Guildmaster made.
"Well, here goes nothing..." The Guildmaster raised his staff before slamming it to the ground.
"[Teleport]."
[Belzerg's Capital]
Well, now that I sent off the kids, I need to relax. Sure, I managed to finish the paperwork for the whole month, but that didn't do squat if I couldn't use the extra vacation time.
Ergo, hot springs. Given that those things were hard to dig up, I assume that they would most likely be the work of those who were transported here from other worlds.
...Ugh, right. I can't solve the crux of the problem if I just waltzed up to the Root and barred all kinds of transportation between this Root and others. Sure, I could, but it would most likely result in a one-man war against the entirety of gods and goddesses currently occupying Heaven.
Sounds simple, but Esta and Eris were still there. Plus, I don't want to imagine what would happen if I just went up and did that.
...I do remember what happened the last time I did so. Been the first reset of a Root in...a long time.
"That would be 1200 eris."
In any case, I paid for the overpriced experience and stepped into the mixed bath, sighing in relief as the water slowly took away the stress. Between the upkeep of Vanir's dungeon, Matsuri, paperwork, and making sure that the adventurers didn't do anything, I was getting too stressed for my liking.
"...You're early."
"Really? I thought I'd save time by teleporting here." My eyes turn towards the person beside me, a red-haired woman with cat-like eyes. "Besides, the earlier I'm here, the sooner I can get things done."
"Is that so..." The woman trailed off, heaving a soft sigh as she chuckled. "Well, have you gotten my other half?"
"Knowing that beast, if it's not here, then it's probably going to be on a warpath."
"That sounds like him." The woman paused, before turning her gaze onto me. "...Are you sure you want to help me with this? You do realize that this is going to put a larger target on you. Mostly that Regina."
"I'm not that worried", I answered airily. "If it's Regina we're talking about, then she'd be joining just for the sake of it."
"I don't know. The process of uplifting her back into a genuine goddess sounds more important than fun."
"Let her come, then. I don't care."
"I think you should." Yellow eyes bore into me, and I replied with a cold grin.
"Wolfbach, tell me which spheres I govern again?"
"Imagination, Creativity, Freedom..."
"...and Humanity." I finished, getting out of the bath as I met the fallen goddess' glare. "The mere fact that I still exist without anyone worshipping me is proof enough of my strength."
"...And if someone chooses to eliminate your source of strength?"
"Let them come." I replied, a slow anger burning through my gaze as I produced an object that seemed to shimmer in and out of existence – an object that no one can understand.
"They'll be lucky to kill them all off in the first place."