Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Volume 5 Chapter 15   Bureau of Supernatural Affairs

“So, um, how far are we going?”

I followed behind the man, but for some reason, the others closed in behind me, surrounding me. Maybe they were making sure I wouldn’t escape, but I couldn’t help feeling on guard, worried they might attack from behind. It was getting tiring.

“…You don’t need to change your way of speaking. When we met before, you didn’t have this creepy way of talking, did you?”

I wanted to ask how much longer until we reach our destination, but the response I got wasn’t a straightforward answer.

“…Couldn’t you understand my words?”

“I couldn’t. I couldn’t understand, but I can still sense the atmosphere.”

Admittedly, last time when I was running away from them, I remember cursing them extensively. Since they couldn’t understand my words anyway, I tried to make my feelings clear through the atmosphere, or at least that’s how it felt.

“So, what’s the plan? How far are we going?”

I feel like I’ve already walked enough following this guy. Are they planning to keep me walking forever?

In the first place, where are they trying to go? If they just want to talk, they could have rented a room and be done with it. Considering how influential they are to have arrangements with schools in other countries, it shouldn’t be a big deal to rent a room at their own airport.

The possibilities that come to mind are either someone is waiting for them, or they’re planning retaliation in a place where they won’t be easily spotted.

If it’s the former, then that’s fine, but if it’s the latter, dealing with this number of people might be quite challenging.

“What if I say, ‘I’ll go to hell’?”

“You mean retaliation for what happened last time? That couldn’t be helped. It’s your fault for surrounding me without even trying to listen to what I had to say… So, I’m not to blame.”

“Indeed, we might have gone too far that time, I’ll admit that. But what about you? Weren’t you a bit excessive? And I believe there could have been other ways to handle it?”

“From my perspective, among the options I could think of at that time, that was the best course of action.”

When I came to this country last time, there was an incident where monsters came out from the gate. I happened to be there at the time and had to deal with a dragon that came out.

However, after a while of fighting, reinforcements seemed to have arrived, and these guys showed up. The adventurers I was fighting with at the time retreated.

But from a distance, it seemed like they were struggling a bit.

I was contemplating whether to intervene or not when Sieg, who wasn’t yet called the “Dragon Slayer” back then, joined the battle.

However, at that time, with his limited experience, Sieg couldn’t defeat the dragon, which was considered one of the most powerful monster species, and he seemed to be on the verge of losing.

I intervened because it seemed like we would lose. I couldn’t just stand by. I threw spices I found in the wreckage of a nearby convenience store into the dragon’s mouth, made it swallow salt into its eyes, and threw adhesive into its nostrils to provide support.

I also did various things, like pouring compressed water into gaps in its scales and then expanding it to peel off the scales, or filling its wounds with sand and scraping it away.

As a result, while it didn’t deal a massive blow, it created opportunities, and Sieg eventually cut off the dragon’s head, putting an end to it, and he gained fame as the “Dragon Slayer.”

“I see. So you’re always thinking about such despicable things.”

“To survive, you have to consider various strategies. Giving up on survival just because it involves using cunning and deceit would be an insult to life, don’t you think?”

But the story doesn’t end there. If it were just that, there wouldn’t be a reason for me to dislike them so much.

After defeating the dragon, I was inexplicably surrounded by a group of arrogant full-body armored individuals.

At first, I thought they wanted to discuss the dragon’s defeat, but the atmosphere felt tense and intimidating.

So, I tried to escape from that situation, but they didn’t let me go easily. I did everything I could to escape.

“Even so, a little consideration wouldn’t hurt, don’t you think?”

“I can consider that after I’ve survived safely and settled down.”

“But if you only think about surviving without any consideration for others, it sounds like you’re saying you’re willing to resort to evil deeds.”

“I won’t do anything that breaks the law, though.”

I may have used slightly… well, quite cunning tactics at that time, but I don’t think surrounding someone with a hostile atmosphere right off the bat is the right approach.

“But in the end, justice prevails. In other words, the winner is considered just, and regarding the dispute between me and you last time, I am the winner.”

Well, that might be true to some extent, but from my perspective, I didn’t even know why they tried to stop me, and I had completely forgotten about it over the years.

And now they’re bringing it up after all this time? Give me a break.

While they might feel like saying, “Don’t mess with us,” considering I outwitted them, that’s just how I honestly feel.

“Stop nitpicking and nagging now!”

Feeling a bit irritated, I boldly said to the man whose name I didn’t even know.

—But right after saying that, I remembered that I was currently surrounded by them.

Even if they didn’t understand Japanese, they could probably sense the tension from the atmosphere. The anger emanating from the people around me was intense.

“Indeed, that’s more like you,” the man replied, seemingly unfazed by his comrades’ reactions, chuckling.

Upon observing his demeanor, I realized that the prickly exchange we had earlier was likely intentional, which made me furrow my brow in response.

“So, why did you come all the way here? If you have something to discuss, can’t we just do it in any nearby room?”

Despite his attitude and the discomfort I felt, I decided to ignore them both and asked again.

I was tired of walking this far, and I wanted to end our interaction and be done with them.

“Or is it something else? Are there higher-ups or important figures here, and you’re going to share some top-secret information that can’t be told to just anyone?”

“You catch on quick. That’s exactly right.”

“…Tch, seriously?”

As I asked, I hoped it wouldn’t be true, but it turned out to be just as I feared. Not only did I not want to fight these guys, but I also didn’t want to get involved with higher-ups. I knew I would inevitably get entangled in something.

“I’ve already told you our purpose. Just follow quietly.”

I briefly glanced behind, hoping I could find a way to escape. However, the men were closing in, and the only path available was a single straight corridor with no other escape routes.

There was no other choice. I had to go along with them.

In truth, there was never really a chance to escape. Since we were participating in a school event, they would have eventually found me no matter what.

But there’s a difference in mentality between being in a situation where you can escape and one where you can’t.

With a sigh, I had no option but to follow the man.

“We’re here.”

A few more minutes of walking through a featureless, straight corridor, and several rooms came into view once again.

And then, following the man, we entered one of those rooms.

“This individual is the director of the Supernatural Affairs Bureau, responsible for handling incidents caused by awakened beings, aberrations, and monsters in London.”

As we entered the room, we saw an older woman sitting on a sofa at the center, surrounded by two women in suits.

The person the man referred to as the bureau director must be this woman.

The older woman smiled at us as we entered the room.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Sharon Bell. As introduced, I’m in charge of handling supernatural disturbances in this city. And I’m also Carter’s supervisor. I’ve heard your story. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Carter must be the guy who led us here. But to think they’ve been listening to our conversation… This is bound to be an uncomfortable conversation.

“Ah, nice to meet you too. I-I’m Koosuke Igami. Um, I don’t think there’s anything worth hearing from me, but it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She seemed important, but her demeanor was surprisingly humble.

Well, most people in her position would put on an act. Otherwise, in these times, it’d be tough to stay in a powerful position like hers.

“Hehe, no need to be so modest. From what I’ve learned, you usually speak differently, don’t you? Feel free to relax. Please, have a seat.”

“Ah, thank you.”

I sat across from Sharon and as soon as I settled down, a drink was placed in front of me.

I don’t think there’s poison in it… Well, I’ll take a sip. If it’s a mild poison, I should be able to handle it. Besides, if there is poison, I’d like to see how they’d respond.

However, it turned out there was no poison. At least, it wasn’t the kind that would take immediate effect. It was just a genuinely delicious cup of coffee.

As I sipped the coffee offered to me, Sharon smiled kindly and cheerfully.

I couldn’t help but think that her friendly demeanor was an act, but compared to the menacing guys behind me and the intimidating old man from the start, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity or reassurance around her.

“I apologize for summoning you out of the blue. It must have been surprising for you.”

“Well… Yes, well, it was to some extent.”

“I apologize for the abruptness. However, there was a reason I wanted to speak with you. Regarding the incident with the knight order, Sieg’s intervention and Carter’s mistake have resolved the matter, so there’s no need to punish him. Would you be willing to hear us out?”

So, he got disciplined, huh?… That’s pretty amusing. Ah, don’t look at me; I haven’t said anything.

But well, I don’t mind hearing what they have to say. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have come all the way here with me.

In fact, I’ve already forgotten about the incident from back then. I don’t know why it happened, and I don’t hold any grudges.

“Even if you call it an incident… I don’t particularly care because I don’t even know why it happened in the first place. So, if you’re okay with someone like me, I don’t mind listening to what you have to say.”

As soon as I said that, Carter twitched and grimaced, probably thinking, “Did you forget while we remember?” or something like that.

But well, I can’t help what I’ve forgotten, and I can’t know what I don’t know.

“Oh, is that so? Carter has been talking a lot about what happened back then…”

Sharon looked surprised and turned her gaze to Carter, who was now looking displeased at me.

Then, she turned back to me and started explaining what happened and why we ended up surrounded by such an aggressive atmosphere back then.

“The reason they tried to capture you back then was that the gate suddenly opened without any interval, and monsters started pouring out.”