"...And that’s the situation. The Kingdom is currently in a very critical state."

"I see..."

We had come to the adventurer’s guild for the first time in a while. It was a direct summons from André, the guild master. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be good news, and sure enough, what awaited us was a grim report.

—An invasion of monsters across the sea.

The Black Legion, led by the Demon King's Ten Fingers, was attacking the Kingdom’s port towns. André had received the information by express courier and, after notifying the marquis of the borderlands, had brought the news directly to us.

"Bruno, Ivy, I have an urgent quest for you. Head to the site immediately and stop the monster invasion."

"Understood."

"Mii!"

"...Wait, are you serious?"

André looked at us, dumbfounded. He seemed genuinely surprised and was visibly flustered.

"Of course. Helping those in need... it’s only natural."

The threat of the Demon King to the Kingdom—

We had already heard from both Icicle and Rey that it wasn’t far off.

The Kingdom in peril.

That would mean the people we’ve built relationships with, their families, friends—those precious to us—would be hurt.

Our reason for action has always been simple.

—It’s heartbreaking to see someone dear to us get hurt.

That’s the reason we decided to fight.

Maybe some might mock our motives. They might say the reasons for facing a harsh battlefield should be equally weighty.

But we’re well aware of that.

Ever since coming to Akupe, where we’ve been able to live peacefully and at ease, we’ve gained just a little bit of breathing room compared to before.

If that breathing room could be used to protect someone else’s peace, then that would surely be reason enough to step onto the battlefield.

"We’ll be taking Sanshita with us."

"He’s your familiar, so that’s no issue."

"And we’ll also bring Icicle. I’ve already secured the marquis’s permission."

"...Then there’s nothing more for me to say."

The fact that Icicle, a monster, was living in our house was already public knowledge. Naturally, the fact that she was one of the Demon King’s Ten Fingers was kept secret, and she was instead regarded as a rare humanoid monster with high intelligence.

Still, the people of Akupe, already worn out from being surprised by Ivy and Sanshita, accepted it with a shrug as if to say, "Well, that’s just how things are."

Thanks to that, Icicle had blended into the town far better than even he had expected.

By the way, since Rey, a hero, wasn’t an adventurer, there was no need to secure permission for her. She would act according to her will and royal orders, rushing into the battlefield as necessary.

"For now, I’ll make sure the reward for this urgent quest is generous. So... I’m counting on you."

"Leave it to us."

"Mii!"

And so, we accepted the urgent quest.

We listened to the details, the information available so far, and what areas we should focus on heading toward.

Saving the Kingdom... huh.

Up until now, we’d only been defeating monsters or solving local issues, so it felt like the scale of the task had suddenly become enormous.

But we can’t let these monsters have their way any longer. Together, we’ll work to quickly bring peace back.