"Remember, you're just a servant I hired personally. If someone asks why you're dressed like that, I'll say you're a traveler from the Papal State. So keep your mouth shut. Got it?"
"Got it. What about titles? A low-ranking person can't just call you by your name in front of others."
"Hmm... don't use any unnecessary titles. Just keep it to a minimum."
After walking for a long time, we came upon a wooden building with damaged outer walls on the outskirts of the forest.
Leo furrowed his brow and illuminated the surroundings with his wand.
"Did we come to the wrong place? We should be in the right area."
"No, we're in the right place."
I remembered the protagonist harshly criticizing this as a 'completely dilapidated building.'
This building looked more like a ruin than any other I'd seen, so it had to be the one.
I knocked on the door naturally.
When there was no response for a while, Leo tilted his head.
"No reaction. Is no one here?"
"No, someone's here."
I knocked on the door with more force.
Then, a small window in the middle of the door opened irritably.
Two eyes, glaring as if annoyed, looked at me.
"What do you want?"
"We're here for the cleaning."
Bang―!
The sound of the window slamming shut made Leo flinch.
Experiencing such a brusque dismissal for the first time, Leo gaped in disbelief.
"What the...!"
"Wait a bit."
No need to be flustered. They did the same to the protagonist.
Then, the door swung wide open.
The fierce look from earlier had disappeared, replaced by a bright expression on the person's face.
The person held out a worn-out notebook.
"I didn't expect anyone to come for work at this hour. Please write your names here."
"I also brought an identity certificate. Do you need it?"
The person shrugged, looking surprised by my question.
"Do you have one? If you do, show it. But you know, if we ask for such things, no one would catch those creatures. We're just grateful if someone says they'll catch them."
Leo spoke with a sympathetic expression.
"I heard there's a severe shortage of people here. It seems to be true."
"It's not just a shortage, there's literally no one. The only people who knocked on this door all week were lost travelers. But...."
The manager looked us up and down and chuckled with a resigned expression.
"You have guts. Seems like you didn't even bring any weapons. You can use the ones here and return them tomorrow morning."
"Oh, we already have our own."
"Uh?"
The manager looked puzzled as Leo pulled out a wand from his waist and showed it.
"We're not planning to stay long, so we don't need swords."
"...A mage?"
The manager's eyes widened.
Leo answered with a puzzled look.
"Yes, we are mages. Only mages are qualified to deal with beasts...."
The manager, who seemed not to hear Leo's words, suddenly turned pale and bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry! A real mage has never come here before, so I...."
"No, it's fine. But... do non-mages come here?"
"..."
"Please tell me what's going on. I assure you, we understand the risk to your safety and won't mention it anywhere."
"Well, usually...."
Naturally, the manager couldn't continue speaking.
I leaned in and whispered to Leo.
"Do you really think they'll feel comfortable talking to a noble? Didn't you notice how their tone changed?"
"...I realized after I said it, so don't mock me."
Leo snickered and pushed me aside.
Unless the headquarters changes, there's no solving this issue. Reporting it anywhere would only cause trouble. We need to cut this conversation short.
I spoke up, seeing Leo was lost for words.
"I understand the situation. Let's leave it at that for now. We came here after reading an article about the increased frequency of beast appearances. We need permission to enter."
"Oh, yes. Are both of you mages?"
"Yes."
The manager hurriedly checked the notebook and looked at me with confused eyes.
They wouldn't turn us away now that we were here, but my all-black robed and masked appearance was suspicious to anyone.
"This person is...?"
"I am from the Papal State. Currently, I'm with...."
"My assistant. Hahaha! He said he wanted to travel the Empire!"
Leo hurriedly answered, pushing me back as if expecting what I would say.
"I see. It's an honor to have you both here. Are you planning to leave right now?"
"Yes."
"Then take this magic stone. There's a barrier, so you can't enter without it."
"Thank you."
After finishing our greetings, we left the building.
After walking for a while and entering the barrier, I snickered.
"Why did you answer so hastily? Did you think I'd say something?"
"I didn't expect you to answer properly...."
He muttered with a darkened face.
Though we hadn't even encountered a beast yet, he already seemed exhausted.
"Hold on."
I stopped walking as an unusual smell mixed with the gentle breeze.
I looked around.
"The smell of blood."
"Huh? I don't smell anything."
Without responding, I turned towards the scent.
Leo, sensing something, cast a thick barrier around us and followed.
The further we walked, the more we heard a creature frantically scratching something.
"...!"
Crunch— Crack—!
"Damn."
I stopped abruptly and looked down.
Rats, tainted with a purple hue, were gnawing at each other.
No, they were so deformed they could hardly be called rats anymore.
The mixture of pus and blood emitted an indescribable stench.
"...Shit...."
Leo, looking nauseous, covered his nose and stepped back.
"They could eat a person.... There are more than a few. Could there be a nest nearby?"
"Seems like it. And most of them look like they're about to go berserk."
"Yeah."
"They'll come at us soon."
"...Yeah, damn it...."
Leo closed his eyes tightly, let out a deep sigh, and swung his wand, transforming it into a sword of suitable length.
"Don't complain too much. If we start with these guys, it's a good welcome."
I smiled and drew my wand.
Noticing our presence, red dots gleamed all around us.