—Great Sage, the Demon Knight refused to cooperate with the investigation and left, what should we do?

The Archmage, who had been conversing with White Wind in the reception room, lowered her brow slightly.

"Hmm, how did that happen?"

—We asked him what happened during the moment he was consumed by the demon...

"I figured as much. Just leave him be. Don't bother sending people to catch him."

—Understood.

As Fierce White Wind replied nonchalantly, it was the Archmage who became flustered instead. The Archmage set down the teacup she was holding.

"Is it really okay to let him go?"

"How can we hold him when he's expressing how much he hates it with his entire body?"

"But wasn't the investigation meant to create the seals? At this rate, making proper seals will be..."

"Right. It'll be impossible. I told you earlier. The kind of absolute seal... that you desire will be forever impossible. It'd be hard enough even if he was completely cooperative, but with him acting like that, it'll definitely be difficult."

"So it was for that reason? I had thought you meant we lacked the technology. In that case, I'd rather persuade him myself..."

The Demon Knight is an important resource. His combat prowess goes without saying, and his mere existence eliminates a Great Demon that we would otherwise have to face.

Therefore, the seals, which serve as an insurance policy, are also a crucial matter. It's not that she doesn't understand the Demon Knight's feelings, but she has to draw a concession out of him somehow for this matter.

"It's no use."

The Archmage thought so.

"He'd rather die than do anything more."

If Fierce White Wind, who always smiled radiantly, hadn't whispered with her expression slightly hardened, she would have actually put it into action.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I have a side like that too. You do as well, don't you?"

White Wind plopped honey into her teacup. Every time the teaspoon spun around, the honey melted into the warm tea.

"My head knows it's not right or that it's inefficient. But despite that, there are things you simply can't compromise on. Things where you'd rather choose death than reach a compromise."

That water must be sweet.

Is it sweet?

"I respect him."

One spoonful of honey, two spoonfuls, it continued to increase. Until the water in the teacup overflowed and its heat could no longer dissolve the honey.

Just as an emotional knot left in the chest cannot be dissolved and washed away by reason once it crosses a certain threshold.

"That's also why I gave him an item that can blow away his heart in a moment of crisis."

"...! Wh-What!"

"If anything, I find it quite surprising that you're acting like this. Weren't you the one who knew how to respect people better than I did? Or has your self-loathing affected that greenhorn as well?"

"...!!"

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm sure you'll handle it fine."

"... Did it look like I didn't respect him?"

"Not to that extent. Just enough to make me wonder if you're sensitive because of the Hero or for some other reason? I didn't think you'd try to push him to persuade him like this. I thought you'd at least take your time. Since this isn't a problem that can be solved right away. Giving us so little time to develop the seals is part of it too."

White Wind quickly gulped down the tea that was half honey. Despite the intense sweetness, her face remained completely expressionless, not showing a hint of it.

"Well, tight development periods are par for the course, so let's put that aside, and the former is your personal issue, so I won't tap on it any further. If you insist on trying to persuade him, I won't stop you, though."

Telling her she absolutely had to send him over if the persuasion succeeded, Fierce White Wind made a light gesture with her fingers.

"Don't worry about the rest of the problems either. How to handle demons is naturally an issue we should research, and as for ways to apply divine power, we'll fully cooperate as long as the Hero is at the Magic Tower."

Ah, and naturally we have to search for the moles too. White Wind briefly went over every issue she had requested one by one.

The Archmage's hands silently rubbed the teacup.

"... Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Although the scenery outside couldn't be projected directly, the sights of the outside filmed and recorded by a magical artifact illuminated the space around them.

"Ah! That's right, setting everything else aside, I was supposed to give the Demon Knight a request! I forgot about that!"

"A request?"

"Aah! We can't send someone to look for him now. It's all your fault! You handle it!"

"What... kind of nonsense is that."

"You handle iiiiit."

I raised my brow at the person clinging to me.

"I guess you lost your hands and feet along with your shame."

It's great for me if a side quest comes knocking on its own. I was just dealing with massive-scale quests that may or may not be main quests anyway.

But aside from that, the client is the Magic Tower? Even if I'm going to handle it myself, shouldn't I play hard to get at least once?

"Argh, I apologize for what I said earlier. Please, at least just hear me out."

Isn't the apology a bit too half-hearted... but whatever. I'll let it slide since she's young.

With the mindset of looking after a younger cousin, I took a stance that showed I was willing to listen for now. The kid's face brightened as she began to chatter away, explaining the situation.

"Snakes started appearing in the lake two weeks ago. It's not like there weren't snakes before, but this is the first time we've seen such massive ones."

The kid grumbled that the snakes were even aggressive, attacking people on the bridge like they did just now. Because of that, the number of customers visiting the Magic Tower had decreased, she added.

"Among the labs run by the Magic Tower, the smaller ones mostly survive by selling magic. If customers keep decreasing in this situation, all those labs will go out of business. We have to prevent that, at least!"

She insisted that it absolutely wasn't because her own lab was in that situation. To me, that seemed like 99% of the reason.

"So."

But... I was always curious when I saw quests like this. Passing the request to the Adventurer's Guild is one thing. That place is originally meant to handle assorted tasks like this on others' behalf anyway.

But if it's this urgent, couldn't the Magic Tower itself step up?

"Wh-What do you mean, 'so'. I'm asking you to accept the request..."

Why aren't they stepping up? Is there a reason?

"... Please, I'm begging you. The Adventurer's Guild refused this request too. The mages from the affected labs tried to step up, but they're all purely researchers, so they're incredibly frail... and the other labs with combat mages refuse to help, saying it's none of their business... even the Great Sage just told us to mind our own business..."

While I briefly guessed the background of the request, the kid rattled off her excuses with a crestfallen face. Thanks to that, I understood why she was asking me. Though it did bring up an additional question.

"... The Adventurer's Guild refused?"

"Jeez. This is all because of the Temple! They're saying we're probably the culprits and telling us to take responsibility ourselves! And the Adventurer's Guild just went along with it!"

Wait, the Temple? That's strange. Aren't they the type to love helping others enough to frequently do volunteer work? The Adventurer's Guild also generally operates for the public good, so why would they?

"Isn't it so mean? Sure, there were times when the city got covered in bugs from the aftermath of some labs' research, or a few houses collapsed because the ground shook, or the drainage holes got blocked and all the houses in the lower district got flooded. But this time, we're genuinely victims too!!"

... There was a reason, wasn't there. Anyone could tell that was the exact cause.

If situations like that repeated not just once or twice but multiple times, you guys would look like the culprits even to someone doing a backward somersault.

"Do they think providing free healing is everything? We do our own part by paying compensation for the damages!"

And free healing is fine once or twice, but if they have to clean up after you every single time, of course they'd hate it...

Realizing the reason why the two organizations acting for the public good had washed their hands of them, I let out a deep breath.

Anyway, since they claim it's not their fault and they aren't in a position to fix it, I intend to step up and try. It isn't demon-related, just snake hunting. It shouldn't take long.

"... So I just have to catch all the snakes?"

"Please... Huh?"

"I asked if I just have to catch all the snakes."

As for a contract... ah, whatever. It's not like I lack money or pride. If they pay, great, if not, I'll just let it slide.

After all, the payment for handing over the dragon scales... is still asleep in my wallet, sob. Ah, I suddenly got dust in my eye.

"Y-Yes!"

But now that I think about it, how do I catch these snakes? In a normal game, I'd just have to kill a set number of mobs roaming the field, but here... uh, wait a second.

"Do you have an item that allows underwater breathing?"

"Ah, of course! I-I'll go get it! No, wait. Let's just go together! I'll provide all the items you need!"

Come to think of it. It feels like it's been a while since I saw the quest window, hasn't it?

Huh?

I realized the quest wasn't popping up, but I had no time to ponder it deeply. It was because the eagerness of the client right in front of me was too intense for me to let my mind wander.

Furthermore... even if there was a system error preventing windows from popping up anymore, there was nothing I could do about it anyway.

Crazy bug. It would be great if it crashed like this and forced me to log out, aside from sentiments like that, there was truly nothing else I could try.

But would I let anxiety consume me and cower in fear? I couldn't do that. I caught my sinking mood and postponed finding the cause.

It wouldn't be too late to think about this later, while resting after this quest was over. If nothing else, I could think about it while exploring the lake.

Sure enough, I felt like I had spent several weeks without even realizing the quests weren't popping up, so would one or two more days really make something blow up? If it was going to, the problem would have already blown up by now, damn it.

"Our savior!"

"The light!"

"Thank you!"

Thus, faithfully carrying out my procrastination, I followed the client and visited their lab.

Receiving an item that enabled underwater breathing, medicine to prevent decompression sickness, and items like hot packs for hypothermia was a bonus. As well as a flashlight that could be used underwater.

"A-Are you really going to be okay with just that?"

Coming back outside, I took off my military boots and coat and neatly stored them in my inventory. It wasn't such an urgent situation that I couldn't take them off, so there was no reason to swim uncomfortably all bundled up.

Besides, taking off those two things wouldn't ruin my appearance anyway.

"Take this with you too. If you press the button, the compressed air will form a balloon, allowing you to surface in an instant."

More importantly, aren't they a bit too well-prepared for underwater scenarios here? I recalled a marine survival game I played in the past and looked at the item being handed to me again.

It looked like a harness with an air pouch attached to the back, so wearing it probably wouldn't look too bad. The best-case scenario would be not using it at all, though.

I did a final check on the hot packs—finger-sized stone types—I had tucked into my wrists, ankles, waist, and chest, before biting into the underwater breathing tool.

"Have a safe trip!!"

"You can do it!"

SPLASH!

The cheering shouts, slightly muffled by the sound of my dive, were subtly annoying today.

Bububble.

Feeling that the breathing tool was working properly, I swam further in.

Since the city and labs were nearby, the water was incredibly murky. Be it algae or dirt. The suspended particles were no joke.

Blub, blublub.

Still, it wasn't so bad that I couldn't see at all.

Along with the sound of popping bubbles, I swam further down. Twigs, leaves, and seaweed brushed past me in bits, and the bottom slowly began to come into view.

"...?"

Strange weeds were occupying the bottom.

Is this okay? Without even a moment to let my mind wander, I raised my knife and began to prepare myself. It would be dangerous enough with a sandy bottom, but with weeds like that around, it'd be hard to notice a snake's approach.

I swam at a moderate pace, making sure not to go below a certain depth. A few fish brushed past me, and soon a couple of snakes started approaching as well.

Perhaps it was because I had the vibe of having hunted Dragon Tooth Warriors before. And unlike then, I had plenty of mana, so hunting the giant water snakes wasn't all that difficult.

The giant water snakes approaching me were split in half and sank to the bottom of the lake.

"...??"

But then the weeds began to wrap around the corpses of those water snakes. It wasn't on the level of swaying due to the water current or fluttering from being weighed down by the water snake corpses.

They were clearly tangling around the fallen corpses and pulling them in.

Doesn't this give off the feeling that things are kind of screwed??

Bloop.

It could just be my imagination for now, so I'd better check a little more. I swam around looking for another snake. Since I was slightly too scared to go myself, I planned to test it using the guys I had to kill anyway.

Of course, I felt sorry for the snakes! Actually, calling them harmful pests that needed to be eradicated when they just came here to settle down made me feel truly sorry from the start!! I'm sorry as a humaaaaan.

SLASH!

I found a third snake and slashed it. Then I snatched the sinking corpse and gripped it by its length.

The snake's body, held in my hand like a fishing line, slowly descended.

Swish.

"...!"

They really are grabbing it!

I frowned as I watched the waterweeds starting to tangle around the snake's corpse. Then I pulled on the snake to test the waterweeds' strength.

It felt a bit tough, but they did tear off.

Should I go up now, or investigate a little more.

I gently released the snake used for the experiment and quietly looked down at the weeds. The dark blue swaying somewhat resembled a beast's maw.

Blublublub.

... Let's observe just a bit more. These things might naturally be like this, after all. If they were, the mages probably would have told me, but who knows, maybe they forgot to mention it.

On top of that, even if this was an abnormal condition, I would need to at least gather a specimen to even ask the mages about it. I also needed to check how far these weeds had spread.

So I pushed the snakes to the back of my mind and began inspecting the lakebed. I didn't need to specifically wander around looking for the snakes anyway since they attacked me on their own, so I didn't have to pay them much attention.

More importantly, the fact that the weeds were spread so widely made me a bit anxious.

I furrowed my brow as I saw that they had practically taken over the entire bottom of the lake and even covered the Magic Tower's building—or what appeared to be it.

Fortunately, they hadn't spread to the water's edge, but at this rate, it looked like that area would be filled with these waterweeds too.

Above all, there weren't many fish. I kicked my feet again, looking at the fish that were only visible in places without waterweeds.

Having caught about ten or so snakes and figured out the rough spread of the waterweeds, my intention was to just tear off a little bit of the waterweeds to take with me.

"...!"

But why are these so tough!

Thinking it'd be better to get grabbed from one side rather than from all directions, I had approached the waterweeds from the outskirts.

It was the right judgment. The things that instantly tangled around my arms and legs were incredibly stubborn.

CRACK!

My hand, having barely freed one arm, swung the knife. SCREECH. With a sound like twisting metal, the weeds were sliced away in droves.

I was now completely free too.

Blub.

Seriously, why does getting bound feel so filthy. Shuddering, I grabbed a part of the severed waterweeds and headed up. Despite being cut, the kelp-like stalks must have still been alive, as they kept twisting and tangling around my arm.

SPLASH!

"Ah, she's out!"

Whew, I feel like I searched for about two hours, but this is surprisingly exhausting. I removed the breathing tool with my unhindered hand and slowly approached the bridge. Because a section of the railing had been ripped away, climbing up wasn't very difficult.

"H-How was it. Did you catch some snakes..."

"What is this."

Never mind the snakes, let's ask about this first. Seriously, what would I have done if I had approached the weeds without thinking.

"Weeds?"

"They tried to pull me in as soon as I approached. Explain."

"Tried to pull you in, what do you mean—"

I swept back my wet, drooping hair. Having suspended particles caught in between the strands didn't feel very good.

"Hmm, about that. Would it be alright if I explained?"

Someone suddenly interrupted at that moment.

"Great Sage!"

"What brings the Great Sage here!"

It was Fierce White Wind, appearing like the wind as if living up to her name.