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The job of an Adventurer requires versatility in many ways.

While a mercenary only needs to be good at fighting, that’s not enough for an Adventurer. They must deal with various tasks such as monster extermination, dungeon exploration, material collection, escorting important personnel, and delivery of items. Solving a wide range of requests is the very job of an Adventurer.

Of course, most Adventurer teams cannot handle all these tasks alone, so they usually form parties with specialized members like warriors, wizards, thieves, and priests. Moreover, it’s common to see parties with specific focuses like monster-hunting or exploration.

However, once you hire an Adventurer for a request, it is generally expected that they will solve it, making them, in essence, all-purpose errand runners.

Thus, it’s no surprise that the price of hiring an Adventurer is high.

The higher the reputation and rank of the Adventurer, the more their fees skyrocket. And that money does not simply drop from the sky.

So, when the city was attacked by the Undead, the Mayor decided to slash the hiring costs for the Adventurers.

Naturally, the Adventurers responded immediately.

Instructor Rilya’s expression momentarily went blank.

“Adventurers wanting payment first in the midst of an attack, and a Mayor trying to undercut prices… they both sound like they’re on the same level.”

Her point had a certain validity. After all, from a third-party perspective, it might not look good at all.

But the Adventurers had their own stance.

“It’s because of the Adventurer’s rules.”

“The rules of Adventurers?”

People often admire Adventurers from a distance, focusing only on the glamorous side of the profession, but in reality, being an Adventurer is a very tough job.

If you lack abilities, you’ll receive no requests, and you must venture into dangerous and filthy places without hesitation. Sometimes, you have to risk your life battling monsters, and after all that hardship, there are instances where clients refuse to pay.

Naturally, the number of Adventurers who fail to return and lose their lives is countless.

“Therefore, Adventurers never work for free. If rumors spread about an Adventurer working without compensation, it would harm other regular Adventurers.”

If someone knows how to fight and offers to work for free, while you, with lesser skills, still expect to get paid, that creates an environment where Adventurers struggle to make a living. Thus, the guild imposes strict penalties against unpaid labor.

As Instructor Rilya quietly listened to the explanation, she tilted her head slightly and asked.

“You’re being quite detailed. Did Instructor Graham used to be an Adventurer?”

“…Not me, but I once had a colleague who was an Adventurer.”

He was quite the talkative one. He blabbered on about his past as an Adventurer, which no one really cared about, to the point where I had to forcibly silence him later.

But anyway, that wasn’t the important matter at hand.

Having glanced around the city for a moment, it seemed the Adventurers weren’t completely devoid of conscience. Faced with the imminent fall of the city, they were willing to fight if the Mayor simply promised them adequate compensation.

However, Mayor Roman had no intention of providing even that minimal payment. He insisted that during such a crisis, it was only natural for Adventurers to step up and fight voluntarily, and when that didn’t happen, he even hinted at forced conscription.

Naturally, the atmosphere turned hostile, and negotiations fell apart instantly.

Instructor Rilya frowned and said.

“It’s a case of self-inflicted wounds. To provoke danger upon the city oneself. Knowing this situation, we can no longer stay here for even a day longer. This place is too dangerous for the students.”

“I agree that the students’ safety comes first.”

Instructor Rilya’s expression brightened.

“I knew you would say that, Instructor Graham! Then let’s find a way to safely exit the city as quickly as possible—”

“No.”

I felt sorry to betray Instructor Rilya’s expectations, but I shook my head lightly.

“The students have to stay here.”

“What? Why? You already know this place is dangerous, right?”

“Outside is likely even more dangerous.”

Whether on horseback, walking, or sailing, it all meant nothing.

The Undead march relentlessly, and specter or ghost types fly freely in the sky. It’s nearly impossible to shake off the relentless pursuit of the Undead while leading over 200 students.

Of course, I can fight. But no matter how strong I am, I have only one body, and while I might manage to kill all the Undead, it would be difficult to perfectly protect 200 students in a chaotic battlefield.

So, during past wars, I always chose to fight alone.

I have no confidence in fighting to protect someone.

“I understand your desire to quickly secure the students in a safe place, Instructor Rilya. But right now, the best option is to wait for reinforcements or the airship to be repaired.”

“But… there might still be other options, right? If we put our heads together and think—”

“The enemies won’t wait for that time.”

In a battlefield where situations change rapidly, decisions made in the moment can affect everything. Thus, prompt decision-making is a fundamental quality for a soldier.

Having already experienced a battle against the Undead army, I felt that this was certainly not the last battle.

After much contemplation, Instructor Rilya finally nodded with difficulty.

“Alright. I’ll trust Instructor Graham’s judgment. So what do we do now?”

“Please stay by the students. They’ve likely never faced such situations before, so they’ll need someone familiar and reliable with them.”

“I will do that. What are you planning to do, Instructor Graham?”

“I’m going to make this city a little safer. So that the students can remain here without worry.”

“What? Is there a way to do that?”

“Yes.”

I nodded briefly.

“From now on, I’m going to deal with the Mayor.”

Instructor Rilya’s expression momentarily went blank.

“…How did you come to that conclusion?”

“Schwarzheim has strong city walls and plenty of fighters, but it’s not functioning properly due to the Mayor’s presence. So the first step is to get to the Mayor.”

Instructor Rilya looked at me with a contemplative gaze and then sighed deeply.

“It seems you’re planning something dangerous again. Does this mean you will be leaving the students? The Opal Black students must be feeling quite anxious right now. Don’t they need Instructor Graham?”

I firmly shook my head at those words.

“They’re my students. They’ll be fine with this much.”

I personally trained them in physical endurance and survival skills.

It’s only been a month, but all of them possess outstanding potential. They’ve grown a lot during that time, so I believe they can contribute wherever they go.

After pondering for a moment, I finally spoke.

“Now that I think about it, I might need at least one person.”

*

A gentle-looking young man, Schurz, could hardly hide his astonishment as he said.

“Instructor. Why exactly was I dragged here?”

“Because your abilities are needed for what’s coming next.”

“My abilities?”

According to my instinct, there must be some shady dealings with the Mayor.

However, most corruption doesn’t easily reveal itself. The Mayor isn’t a fool; he surely hides his weaknesses in a place he deems safe.

While things like human trafficking or dark magic can be caught red-handed, subtle manipulation of accounting books is something I wouldn’t easily uncover. I wouldn’t even understand it if I saw it.

That’s why I needed Schurz’s help. Being the son of a Chancellor, he would undoubtedly be better at scrutinizing documents than anyone else.

After hearing my explanation, Schurz nodded as if he understood.

“I see what you mean. But is it really okay? No matter how much of a Chancellor’s son I am, I’m just an ordinary student with no official position. There might be issues later.”

“That’s alright.”

I gave Schurz’s shoulder a couple of light taps. It was a simple appointment.

“By the decree of the Imperial Army’s Special Operations Commander, you are now an honorary special operations member.”

This was truly a rare exception. It had almost been ten years since I last appointed a new special operations member.

But for the sake of the safety of those I needed to protect, now was not the time to be picky.

Schurz looked momentarily shocked, then adjusted his glasses with a delighted smile.

“Haha, so I’m part of the special ops that I’ve only heard about… that sounds nice.”

We headed towards the Mayor’s office. As expected, a guard was stationed in front of the office.

Upon seeing us approach, he threateningly blocked the entrance.

“Stop! No one is allowed to enter except the Mayor—Gah!?”

Instead of answering, I grabbed his shoulder and lightly shoved him. The heavily armored guard tumbled to the ground like a toy.

Pausing momentarily before the office door, I took a short breath.

Then I kicked the thick wooden door down in one swift movement.

Bang! Crash!!

Pieces of the broken door flew into the office, and the people inside wore expressions of shock as they stared at the shattered door.

Mayor Roman jumped up in surprise at the noise.

“Y-You! Who are you!? What’s going on all of a sudden…!”

“We’re the Imperial Army’s Special Operations unit.”

I looked at him coldly as I spoke.

“Don’t move.”

 

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