“Is this…really the slums?”
Krishna, the Vice-Commander of the Imperial Guard, had been informed by the Commander that the demi-human conflict had ended. Upon entering the slums, she couldn’t believe her eyes.
Lizardmen and werewolves were laughing with their arms around each other’s shoulders. Werewolves and orcs were forming a cheerful circle. Orcs and lizardmen were sharing drinks.
The tense atmosphere and dark, stagnant air that had enveloped the entire town seemed to have completely disappeared.
“Could it…be true?”
She gulped. The rumors of the “Mediator” who had stopped the conflict between the three races.
Before coming here, she had thought such a thing was absolutely impossible, but the scene before her eyes served as undeniable proof.
“You there. May I have a word?”
Krishna called out to a lizardman smoking a water pipe by the roadside. She was disguised as a resident, wearing a tattered cloth to avoid being recognized as a member of the Imperial Guard.
“What is it, sis?”
“Sis… Well, never mind. I haven’t been back to the slums in a while, and it seems the atmosphere has changed quite a bit.”
“Is that so?”
“You seem to be getting along quite well with the werewolves and orcs.”
“Yeah. Once you get to know them, they’re good guys.”
“I remember them being on bad terms before.”
“Maybe they were.”
“What happened?”
“Ah, that’s—”
The lizardman stopped mid-sentence. He turned his back to Krishna and started to walk away.
“Sorry. I don’t know who you are, but I’m not going to talk. We’re supposed to keep a low profile, you see.”
“Keep a low profile…?”
“See ya, sister.”
“Wait.”
Krishna circled around him, drew the magic gun from her waist, and pressed the muzzle against the man’s stomach.
“You’re going to talk.”
“Y-You… Who are you?”
“Don’t say anything unnecessary. Just answer my question. Who is the ‘Mediator’?”
She put pressure on the trigger.
“I… I won’t tell you…”
“What?”
“I owe that person a great deal. Even if you shoot me, I won’t tell you!”
“It seems this ‘Mediator’ is quite well-respected. Who is it?”
“B-Boss!”
Suddenly, the lizardman shouted, looking down the street. At the edge of Krishna’s vision, she saw a pair of lizardman siblings walking briskly.
—Zofia the Swift, and her brother, Zonde.
The next moment, Krishna was running down a narrow alley beside her. The siblings seemed to have just happened to pass by, but she was at a disadvantage fighting them in their territory.
—No, more than that…
She thought she saw, for just a moment, that their arms, which she had injured to an incurable level when their bandit gang had infiltrated the special zone, had completely healed.
“What in the world is going on…?”
Krishna pondered as she ran and turned through the alleys—and got lost.
“I feel a chill.”
In the clinic in the ruins, Zenos shivered.
It was a rare, calm afternoon with none of the three demi-humans visiting.
He was idly waiting for Lily to brew tea in the back when the entrance door slowly opened.
“…?”
Standing there was a woman wearing a tattered cloth like a cloak. However, despite her shabby appearance, her beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes had a noble air. Before he could ask if she was a customer, the woman spoke.
“Excuse me. I’m afraid I’m lost. I was in the slums, but I seem to have wandered into the ruins.”
“I see, that’s unfortunate.”
“Yes. Directional impairment is my only weakness.”
“I see…”
“I sensed someone here, so I stopped by. Could you tell me how to get to the city?”
“I understand. In that case—”
As he was about to explain, Lily came out from the back with teacups.
“Zenos, a customer?”
“No, she’s lost…”
As he was about to answer, the woman in front of him suddenly pointed a gun at him.
BOGWAN! BOGWAN!
Two powerful smoke bombs were fired at Zenos without hesitation.
“W-Waaaaah!”
Lily screamed and dropped the tea.
“Zenos! Zenos!”
“This girl is an elf, but you are human. You are not parent and child, I shall capture the kidnapper.”
“N-No! Zenos took Lily in…!”
“Human trafficking without going through the exchange is forbidden. I shall capture the criminal.”
“That’s not it! Zenos saved Lily!”
“What…?”
When Lily insisted, Krishna stared at the muzzle of her gun.
“…I see, I acted too hastily. My work is precise, but my only weakness is my short temper. I’m sorry, but he won’t wake up for a while.”
“You said directional impairment was your only weakness earlier. Are your weaknesses increasing?”
“What…?”
When the smoke cleared, Zenos appeared without a scratch.
The woman in front of him said, looking slightly surprised.
“I apologize for my hastiness. I’m glad you’re unharmed, but how…?”
“I just used protective magic.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way protective magic could stop my magic gun.”
“No, I intended it to be just ordinary protective magic.”
“What…!”
Eh, was something wrong with it? To be honest, I’m not very confident since it’s self-taught.
“Are you serious?”
Krishna narrowed her eyes and drew closer. She stared at him from a distance where he could feel her breath.
“Hm… Indeed, there isn’t a single scratch. How is this possible? So many unbelievable things are happening today.”
“I just experienced the unbelievable event of being shot at, but…?”
“I see, you must be a renowned grand mage. You’ve devoted yourself solely to protective magic since childhood, finally mastering it, and now you’re living in seclusion in the ruins.”
“That’s not it.”
“You must go by the alias of ‘The Man Who Worked Hard at Protection’.”
“That alias has no sense of style!”
“Don’t be humble. There’s no other explanation. You may be able to fool others, but you can’t fool Krishna, Vice-Commander of the Imperial Guard.”
Zenos and Lily exchanged glances.
“Vice-Commander of the Imperial Guard…?”
“Yes, also known as ‘Stone Rose’, for her rock-solid determination in carrying out her duties.”
“…Eh?”
“Yes, I’ve had a good idea. Your name was Zenos, right? Would you be willing to cooperate with my investigation? It would be a great help to have a master like you cooperate. Of course, I’ll reward you handsomely.”
Krishna said this in a very cheerful tone.
He thought he heard Camilla’s stifled laughter from the second floor. Pfft.
The two meet so soon…!