Free Web NovelChapter 32: Countermeasures for the Labyrinth Flood
"Alrighty, you lot, line up properly~"
"""Woof!"""
I walked at the front. Irina walked beside me. When I glanced back, Salina was stuck right up against Logan at the head of the group. The sight of her walking while half-buried in his fur was strangely surreal.
Behind Logan, the Four Heavenly Kings marched in four neat columns, followed by the rest of the Fang Wolves. It was a perfect four-column formation. The townspeople were either shocked or watching fearfully from a distance.
Well, of course people would be surprised seeing this many Fang Wolves marching together. Normally you’d see one at most inside town, never an entire army like this. Some people might even think the monsters had broken through the gates and were invading.
Suddenly I remembered one of my favorite light novels. Legend by the super popular author Shin○getsu Koudai-sensei. I had been hooked on light novels from early on and read it religiously. It was the story of the protagonist and his companion familiar. I was moved by how the familiar, feared at first, gradually became accepted by the townspeople and eventually turned into the town’s idol, doted on by everyone. Fluffy things really are justice.
...I wonder if my Logans could become the town’s mascot idols like Kot in Legend... Nah, impossible. There are way too many of them. If an entire army of them became mascots, it would probably cause the opposite kind of chaos.
Still, Logan’s fanbase was definitely going to keep growing. He was already more than twice as big as the other Fang Wolves, and his long fur was incredibly fluffy. When Salina hugged him, she practically disappeared halfway into his coat. Actually... Salina-san, you’ve been half-buried in there for a while now. Are you okay?
"I’m truly sorry, but the Fang Wolf tribe members led by Logan cannot enter the guild building. They will have to wait in the adjacent stable. I apologize deeply."
We had arrived at the guild. Salina looked genuinely apologetic as she explained.
...It’s not because you’re sad you can’t fluff them inside, right?
I instructed the Logans to wait in the stable next door, then entered the guild with Irina, following Salina.
Salina guided us to a room deeper inside.
"Excuse me, Guild Master. I report that the pendants have successfully been distributed to all 61 of Yabe-sama’s contracted beasts."
Salina knocked and immediately gave her report upon entering.
"I see. Come in for now."
With permission granted, I sat down in front of the Guild Master.
"Yoo-hoo, long time no see!"
"Long time no see my ass! How many contracted beasts did you bring this time?!"
The Guild Master was furious. Well, I figured this would happen. He had mentioned that the Contract Pendants were magic tools, and Randell had almost lost his job because of it. Time for some backup fire support.
"Hey now, don’t underestimate a Great Mage. You didn’t really think this was all of my contracted beasts, did you?"
I grinned at the Guild Master. He probably couldn’t see my smile because of the robe, though.
"You’ve gotta be kidding me! You’re saying there’s still more?!"
"You’d better prepare a ton more pendants while you can, yeah?"
"Shit... looks like we’ll have to revise the guild’s budget again... My head hurts."
Hahaha, maybe this way Randell won’t end up out of a job.
...Hm? There was a lot of food on the table in front of the Guild Master. Was he in the middle of lunch? Come to think of it, it looked kind of familiar...
"Hm? This might be your first time seeing this stuff since you’re a country bumpkin and all. This is Wild Boar Sura-style and fried Earth Bird. It’s a huge hit in town right now. It’s so popular that it’s guaranteed to catch on in the royal capital too."
Guild Master Zoria proudly explained while striking a pose.
So embarrassing! The Sura-style actually caught on~! Why did I get carried away back then?! I want to punch that version of myself.
"Isn’t this a dish that Yabe-sama came up with? The one served during the village opening festival in Caso Village," Irina casually revealed the truth. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
"Pffft—!"
Guild Master Zoria spat out his food.
"Eww! Gross!"
"Guild Master, are you alright?"
Salina wiped the table with a cloth, then poured tea for the Guild Master. She also served us some. What a good girl.
"Y-You came up with this?!"
"Well... yeah, something like that..."
I didn’t actually invent it myself, but I obviously couldn’t talk about my previous life on Earth.
"You’re really talented, huh... These dishes are super popular at the food stalls now. The Wild Boar Sura-style is the biggest hit, but the Giant Viper Sura-style is delicious too. The fried Earth Bird is popular not just at stalls but as a bar snack too—selling like crazy. The magistrate Naise, who came to inspect the stall street the other day, raved about it. Oh yeah, the merchants were spreading the word—they apparently gathered information about your cooking from Caso Village."
"Yeah, during the village opening festival a lot of people asked me about the recipes and stuff..."
"Well, thanks to that, the town’s stall street is thriving. Naise said it’s expected to have a positive economic impact too. I’m genuinely grateful for that. Especially because I’m completely addicted to this fried Earth Bird... Man, this is seriously delicious."
Zoria said as he stuffed his mouth with a piece of fried bird.
"I’m glad I could be of help."
"So? Did you come here today just to brag about your contracted beasts?"
"Oh right, I actually came to consult with you. I received information that a stampede is imminent in the labyrinth north of town."
"..."
"..."
Silence for a moment.
"...HURRY UP AND SAY THAT FIRST——————!!!!"
Ah, he erupted.
"A-A-A stampede?! Are you serious?! For real?! Is this confirmed?!"
"Yeah, calm down. I’m serious, it’s real, and it’s confirmed."
"This isn’t the time to be talking about fried chicken! Salina! Do we have any information on this?!"
"No, the guild hasn’t received anything yet..."
"How did you get your hands on this information?!"
"I have a lot of underlings besides the Fang Wolves—plenty of chicks too. They’ve been going near various towns to gather information. One of them picked this up. Apparently the labyrinth’s rumbling has intensified dramatically in a very short time."
"Ugh... This is bad! Really bad!"
"Guild Master, should we issue an emergency proclamation?"
"Not yet. We don’t have enough information. I don’t think Yabe is lying, but the guild needs its own intel. Dispatch staff to the labyrinth immediately. Then go to the guard station and instruct the labyrinth management staff to gather information when they rotate the on-site personnel. If a stampede actually happens, we have no idea how much damage it will cause."
"Understood."
"After you give the orders, go directly to the magistrate’s residence yourself. Have them arrange a meeting with Magistrate Naise and explain the situation. Tell him we’d like to hold a strategy meeting here as soon as possible. Also, control the flow of information. If it spreads strangely, it could cause a panic."
"Roger that. I’ll take care of it right away."
With that, Salina left the room. As expected of the Vice Guild Master—she was very capable.
"Yabe, I’m going to need you to tell me more details. Is that alright?"
Guild Master Zoria looked at me with sharp eyes.
Of course he would. Protecting this town wasn’t just the job of the guards hired by the authorities. The adventurers belonging to the guild that had taken root here surely loved this town deeply too.
"Yeah. I came to discuss countermeasures so that the town doesn’t suffer any damage."
Alright, time to start working out our plan against the stampede.
