Gatekeeper's perspective
It was really annoying.
The knights were arrogant and bossy just because the lord was behind them.
Moreover, they were so strong that we could not even complain in front of them.
How did they get that power in the first place?
Originally, they weren't that strong of a knight. A few years ago, they suddenly became stronger.
Although they didn't say it out loud, everyone thought that our mana was being used by the knights.
Everyone would think so if knights appeared became stronger after having their mana taken away.
The mana I had was so small that I couldn't use magic, but the thought of my mana being in their hands made me angry.
They looked down on us and laughed.
"I defeated the monsters in the area," they said, "I protected you."
There were some arrogant people among the adventurers, but they had gained their own power.
I didn't want the knights to say that they didn't have the power they worked hard to gain.
The biggest problem was that the lord who was giving orders to the knights had started collecting magic stones. As a result, there was a shortage of magic stones in the city, and prices were rising, disrupting life.
The commercial guilds and merchants were doing their best, but some were bad merchants, some were trying to make money, and some were selling at a high price.
But I couldn't say anything bad about those merchants either.
It was a shame for me to deceive a girl like that and get a magic stone.
It reminded me of a girl dressed as a bear.
A girl who didn't have money to enter the city and offered me a magic stone.
They probably didn't know the value of magic stones in this city.
I received four magic stones to let the two girls into the city.
Two of them were small bears that the two girls were holding.
They didn't need that many magic stones to enter the city.
I paid the money necessary to enter the official town out of my own pocket, and I pocketed the magic stone that I received from the young lady.
It was the worst.
What I was doing was the same thing as the merchants I hate.
The girl, who didn't know that I was deceiving her, didn't even suspect me. On the contrary, she was even grateful that she was able to enter the city.
He came to town for his injured father. I felt guilty for deceiving that innocent girl dressed as a cute bear.
This was also all the lord's fault.
That was what I told myself.
The next day, the guildmaster from the Adventurer's Guild came to the gatekeeper's office.
I was nervous, thinking it might be about the girl I cheated on yesterday, but it wasn't.
Some adventurers were introduced by the guildmaster.
If I remembered correctly, they were adventurers who came into town in the morning.
I was jealous of the fact that there were three beautiful women for one man, but I hated knights even more, so I remembered advising them to be careful.
To begin with, there were very few adventurers who came to this town.
While I was wondering what kind of business he was asking, he asked me to tell the knights that I didn't know about the adventurers coming and going from the city when they asked me.
Apparently, I held the fate of this city in his hands.
Originally, I didn't like the knights, and was indebted to guildmaster. So, I agreed without hearing the details.
Rosa's perspective
"Monster subjugation is over." (Rosa)
"Ah, thank you. That was helpful." (Villager)
The villagers bowed their heads in gratitude.
Based on the information he received from the guildmaster and Carla-san, we went ahead and stole requests from places where we thought the knights would come.
"No, I'm glad I happened to be passing by." (Rosa)
If we came from the adventurer's guild, it would cause trouble for the adventurer's guild, so we disguised ourselves as adventurers who happened to be passing by and subjugated monsters.
The guildmaster and Carla-san told us not to worry as they would properly post the subjugation record on the guild card at a later date, but we didn't care.
Maybe there was no need to register this time.
The village's gratitude was a small amount of money and materials for the monsters they subjugated. Then, I have asked by the adventurer's guild to report the subjugation done by adventurers who passed by.
That way, the knights wouldn't be able to complain to the adventurer's guild either.
"I heard that the knight was coming, but I was told that they didn't know when they would come, so I was grateful." (Villager)
It seemed that the knights were fickle and there was no guarantee that they would come.
Also, since we had to treat them respectfully instead of being arrogant, they thanked us for subduing the monsters.
I had never met the knights, but they seemed to have a bad reputation.
The villagers asked me to go with them to dinner as a thank you, but I politely declined as I could not stay in the village for too long.
We left the village with just our feelings.
"Let's camp around here today." ()
I got off the horse. My lower back hurt a little, so I stretched.
We used horses to get around.
Most people travel by horse-drawn carriage, so horses were not used to being ridden.
It was not that they couldn't ride, but a horse-drawn carriage was easier.
However, horses moved faster and were better at turning around. The wheels wouldn't get stuck in grooves, and you could even move around on unpaved roads.
However, the drawback was that you couldn't rest because you had to leave the operation to someone else.
This time, it was not a leisurely trip, so it couldn't be helped.
"It's a camping trip. I should have eaten in the village and stayed the night." (Ran)
Ran seemed to be bothered, so I prepared water and food for the horse.
"If you run into a knight, you'll be in trouble." (Rosa)
"But I don't think they'll come at night. In that case, I think it would be better if we left early in the morning." (Ran)
Ran's words had a point, but the guildmaster had also told us to avoid encounters with the knights. It would be better to reduce the chances of meeting them even a little.
If you ran into it, they would definitely be more troublesome than camping out.
"Anyway, I never thought I'd meet Yuna-chan in a place like this." (Rosa)
I talked to her while preparing to camp.
"It's true. She doesn't show up anywhere. I think she's more likely to be here than we are." (Ran)
"Yuna-chan has Kumayuru-chan and Kumakyu-chan." (Rosa)
"Kumakyu, Kumakyu, I’m jealous." (Ran)
"They can walk in the desert, they're strong, they can understand people's language, they're amazing bears." (Rosa)
Yuna-chan always rode around on that cute bear.
"Above all, the ride is the best. It's soft." (Ran)
"Little bear, cute." (Glimos)
Glimos, who was a person of few words, also praised Yuna-chan's bear.
Well, I agreed with what Ran and Glimos said.
"But I'm relieved just to meet someone I know in such a faraway place." (Rosa)
Meeting Yuna-chan had calmed our hearts.
My anxiety hadn't completely disappeared, but it was great that I found a way to return home.
The question was whether the fairy queen would accept us or not.
To do that, I had to find Prim-chan's older sister and brought her back.
Carla's Perspective
"Guildmaster, are you really going to involve those kids?" (Carla)
"She's bringing a fairy with her. I'm going to ask her to help me. No, that's not right. We're going to help those kids. And I'm not going to let them do anything dangerous. If it turns out to be dangerous, I'll protect them." (Guildmaster)
"But it's still dangerous." (Carla)
"I know. But if that fairy takes away the fairies in this town, we can change the current situation. I'm sure you don't think it's okay to stay like this." (Guildmaster)
"That's right, but……" (Carla)
"Besides, that bear girl’s ability is real." (Guildmaster)
Guildmaster looked at me as if looking into the distance.
Even now, I couldn't believe I saw it with my own eyes. How could such a cute girl win against Guildmaster? She had that movement, good judgment, and was not afraid even when facing Guildmaster. The strength to stand up to those with weapons.
"I've seen many adventurers, but this is the first time I've seen a girl like that." ()
The girl dressed as a bear was strong. How to take the time. The timing was right for Guildmaster. Everything was first class.
Guildmaster could not help himself. Having been with him for many years, I understood that Guildmaster was fighting without hesitation.
To begin with, even a male adventurer would be scared if he fought a Guildmaster with such a scary face.
However, Yuna fought Guildmaster without any fear.
"I don't think her talent can be summed up in one word." ()
"The number of places that Blitz was talking about." ()
"No matter how talented you are, if you don't have experience, it's scary. Even in practice." ()
People get scared when a sword was pointed at them. I would be scared if a sword was brought down in front of me. I had seen many such adventurers. However, Yuna was not afraid and did not look away, dodging and blocking Guildmaster's attacks.
No one could fight without fear from the beginning.
I didn't know how many places she had been to at that age.
"Furthermore, she can use magic. That's also at a high level. Moreover, she still has hidden powers." (Guildmaster)
"Do you think she have more power than she has now?" (Carla)
"I know because I put my hands together. She was holding back." (Guildmaster)
It looked like she had plenty of time to spare, but if Guildmaster, who was in charge, said it, it must be true.
"There's a girl like that. When I first saw her, I thought she was a girl dressed as a cute bear." (Carla)
When she first came to the guild, I thought I saw a cute girl dressed as a frail bear.
However, when I opened the lid and realized that the tone was different and that it was an act, I couldn't say anything.
I wanted to ask her to return the feelings I had back then.
"Also, there's another girl. She's not an ordinary village girl." (Guildmaster)
"Ah, I understand that. How can I put it? She's some kind of young lady. Or maybe the daughter of a well-educated merchant family." (Carla)
I had met many girls who live in ordinary villages, but she was too intelligent in conversation.
"It's the same with the magic stone, but there are many words that a village girl who lives a normal life would never say. Above all, that appearance. The posture, the way she speaks. What kind of combination is that?" (Guildmaster)
Ah, I could see it when I saw her. Many children at that age couldn't sit still. But she listened quietly, expressed her opinion, and saw the whole picture.
"I guess it’s a girl dressed as a bear who protects some young lady." (Carla)
"So, why is this town here?" (Guildmaster)
"Is it because a fairy asked them to do it?" (Carla)
I couldn't think of anything else.
"Do you want to leave a young lady like that without an escort? Normally, her parents wouldn't allow it." (Guildmaster)
"I guess her parents allowed bear girl to do that because they knew her abilities." (Carla)
"No, even so, if you're going to send someone to an unknown place, it's probably best for parents to have them be accompanied by an escort." (Guildmaster)
"Isn't that just saying that Yuna is an amazing girl? She can even beat Guildmaster." (Carla)
"Don't say that. She was really strong." (Guildmaster)
"I know. I've seen many adventurers myself." (Carla)
She was no ordinary adventurer.
I asked her to check my guild card, but she gently refused.
I couldn't say anything more strongly than that, and I couldn't confirm the guild card.
"All I can say is that there is hope." (Guildmaster)
"It's pathetic that that hope has to depend on such a small girl." (Carla)
"We'll move too." (Guildmaster)
"There's nothing to hide this time." (Carla)
"If I had been investigating the lord, I would have apologized." (Guildmaster)
"I know. I want to make sure that no harm comes. But, from here on out, it's just we're on the same boat." (Carla)
"Oh, I'm counting on you." (Guildmaster)
We moved.
Author's Note
If she changed her tone and became more mature, Yuna might look like a cute girl.
* Thank you to everyone who reports typos.
Please note that some kanji have been revised to match the book, so some may not have been revised.