We entered the guild office the next morning, and the same clerk greeted us from behind the counter, this time with what seemed to be a smile.

"Ah, you two. The analysis results are out. As I said yesterday, it's an IC4 giant direwolf with heavy fire-trigram bias. What is a bit odd about this situation is that fire-trigram giant monsters have been spotted here and there by the forest for about a decade now. If you'll pardon my contorted phrasing, it is in fact quite normal, but it is not normal that it is normal."

As Natsuki said yesterday, we're weak. We're weak, and we can't make it as adventurers.

Natsuki's expression hardened as she took the document the clerk offered her. "I understand, thanks."

"As for today's commission... The Guild proper needs to deliver some letters by sundown. It's not grand work, but it would help greatly if you took it. Very greatly. And the pay is good, since it's the Guild proper making the request. Please consider it."

The clerk pulled a slip of paper through the same board again, and placed it on the counter, along with a stack of envelopes. I looked over the commission request, and it was incredibly plain. So plain that it's the kind of thing you would ask of a neighbor.

Natsuki counted through the stack of letters.

"The Guild wants these letters delivered to some townsfolk?"

"Yes, some townsfolk and some businesses."

"Well, I guess we'd like to take today a bit lightly, so... let's go with this."

"Thank you!"

The clerk bowed her head, though I can't imagine why.

---

With a map in hand, it was not particularly difficult to find our delivery targets. When noon rolled around, we did find ourselves in the troublesome position of having most of our work finished, so that we weren't sure whether we should just finish it all and then get lunch, or interrupt the work for lunch and then deliver the last few letters afterwards. It was that kind of pedestrian problem we were dealing with when a less pedestrian problem walked in front of us.

The three priests.

"Have you reconsidered our proposal?" They bowed only their heads, and only slightly, this time.

"I have, and I decided not to go along with whatever it is you want to do." Natsuki turned up her nose, and I couldn't help but feel relieved.

"You struggled so hard against merely a level 4 monster, and yet you speak with such certainty?"

Natsuki's expression frosted over. "How do you know that?"

"How do you think we found you in the first place? For all that they say, the Adventurer's Guild is not the enemy of the Church." The priests' eyes hardened. "Let me offer this advice. Keep in mind that the Church paladins are far stronger than level 4 or even 5 monsters. Once the solstice passes, they will come from Wetzlar."

I could hear Natsuki's teeth grinding, and I could smell her anger. At this rate, she might just attack them. In the middle of a town street... I should probably try to prevent that...

"Um, I'm sorry. Please leave. She said no, so this discussion is well over."

The priest in front flared his nostrils, and led the other two away. Once they disappeared from sight, Natsuki wiped what looked like tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Yuki... I shouldn't be getting angry like that..."

I reached up and patted her back. "I don't think you were wrong to get angry. They were the ones who threatened you. If the circumstances were better, I might even have covered my ears and turned around."

She giggled, and straightened out her posture. "That's right. It's just a matter of circumstances. Let them come at me outside at night next time, and I'll give them a lightshow."

We started walking again, and almost immediately I heard a voice call out from somewhere.

"Hey! Wait! You with the horns!"

I stopped. Natsuki didn't.

"Um, Natsuki, I think someone's calling you..."

"Really? I didn't hear anything..."

"The one with the horns! Please wait!" The voice called out again.

"Oh, I hear it now."

We moved to the side of the road, and waited for the person behind the voice to approach.

It took some time, but eventually, a middle-aged woman with a particularly wide-brimmed witch hat made her way, gasping and wheezing, up to us. She leaned against the wall as she tried to catch her breath. Her outfit was, strangely enough, almost entirely black. Outside of a few silver chains and buckles here and there, her hat was black, her shirt was black, her gloves were black, her particularly long skirt was black, the sheer tights exposed by that skirt's high slit over her right leg were black, and the coat she wore over her shoulders, composed of what seemed to be bird feathers, was also black. Kind of like a crow. Those clothes covered everything but her head, though even her hair was black— except, looking closer, I could see that the last twenty or so centimeters of the braid she wore down to her waist were not black, but a pure impeccable white, far clearer than my hair. Black hair doesn't easily turn white even if you bleach it, so that probably isn't a dye.

Only having caught half her breath, she began speaking.

"Are... those... horns... real... ivory?"

"Um..." Natsuki scratched her head at the strange question. "They are real, and if you are asking about the color, then you can say they are ivory, but if you're asking about the material, I don't really know much about ivory one way or another..."

The woman dressed in all black finally straightened out her breath, and her posture as well. She bowed rigidly while holding out two business cards, each containing different words on them.

"Apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Agnia, a professor at the Legorian Institute for the Advancement of Magical Study, as well as a sorcerer at the Imperial Investigation Bureau. To put it in one word, I am a public servant."

She did not correct herself to say 'two words', as one would normally do in these situations for comedic effect.

"So?" Natsuki put on an unimpressed face as she took the business cards. "What does a public servant want with me... or my horns?"

Agnia stood up straight again, and smiled professionally. "I am researching the material commonly known as ivory. Those horns of yours... whatever they are, they are similar to ivory. As such, I would like to research them."

Natsuki turned to me and whispered in my ear. "Yuki, what do you think about this person?"

"She's a researcher, so I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt. Researchers are supposed to be good people." I whispered back.

Natsuki turned back to Agnia, and answered as nonchalantly as she could. "Okay. At the least, we'll hear you out."

Agnia beamed, this time somewhat less professionally. "Thank you. Then, shall we sit down somewhere and talk? My treat."