...
"Damn it…! That unruly bitch…!" Viscount Abide, back at the manor, roughly ripped off his scarf, cursing viciously.
The restaurants he was responsible for managing.
To investigate the Beast Bar, which had overstepped his authority, he confirmed Ceres's whereabouts and tracked her down… but all he received there were vague replies and Cecilia's rude behavior.
He rushed there intending to discuss things properly after arranging a venue. But Cecilia's behavior was utterly absurd.
"She's getting crazier and crazier…! I know she's a wild, headstrong girl, but this is going too far…!"
Cecilia, spoiled and pampered by the lord and his wife, lacked any noble manners.
Although she was already infamous in noble circles, at least she hadn't acted this shamelessly in public.
But Cecilia's behavior today wasn't just rude; it was tantamount to a declaration of war.
"...And that wretched mother of hers! Her daughter committed such an act of rudeness, and she even laughed...!!!" Until now, the nobles had tolerated Cecilia's rudeness only because the lord and his wife would at least apologize for her behavior.
But what about today? Cecilia's mocking smile at his fallen state was a disgusting smile that, if not for her title as lord, would have earned her a slap on the spot.
Although the monster invasion had created a power vacuum, she was, after all, a descendant of the ancient Ladia lords.
Though she had once engaged in the lowly profession of adventurer, she still considered herself a respectable noblewoman, yet she had revealed such a disgraceful side?
Celelia's seemingly determined hostility made Count Evide's blood boil with rage, leaving him gritting his teeth.
"…Tsk…! Damn it, is my bone dislocated…? What do you mean by 'wielding a sword crudely,' you madwoman…"
"Should we call a priest?"
"Thank you…but how about that matter I asked you to investigate?"
The butler, observing the count's expression, looked worriedly at the count, who was clutching his thigh.
After giving instructions to the maids around him, the middle-aged butler watched them leave the room.
Alone with his master, the butler composed himself and walked towards him.
"...That divine beast doesn't only own the shops you mentioned."
"What!? What do you mean!?"
"Although it hasn't officially opened yet, I've heard that several shops have already moved into the buildings owned by that divine beast. If you include the existing shops, there are about ten, and the registered owners of these shops are all... the divine beast..."
"What!? Even so, how could that divine beast have such wealth!? Let alone ten!? Are adventurers allowed to own properties of this scale!?"
"...It's said that the people preparing to open the shops registered the ownership as divine beasts. The types of industries are also very diverse. All of these were approved by the lord's wife... no, by the lord himself..."
"What is this!? Have they all gone mad!?" Faced with this utterly absurd report, the Baron's mouth remained agape for a long time.
Regardless of size, owning property is not something that can be done solely with wealth.
It's a special system that requires nobles to review multiple factors such as property status, original profession, and personal history before granting permission.
In Esendia, where poor transportation hinders trade, this system was established to prevent excessive concentration of power in the hands of a particular group or individual.
Adventurers were limited to owning only 2-3 properties. All nobles should have strictly adhered to this rule.
While it was absurd for many shopkeepers to transfer ownership to the divine beast, the lord's actions were tantamount to a provocation against the nobles.
"What about the other nobles!? Do they know about this!?"
"Most seem unaware. It appears the lord handled it alone."
"Has he... really gone mad...?" The lord's family had been behaving strangely lately.
Not only did they suddenly change their names, but the couple also unilaterally switched the lord's position without consulting the nobles.
Even more outrageous, the newly appointed lord, Celeste, didn't live in the lord's city, but instead resided in the divine beast's mansion?
Seeing Celeste dressed like a prostitute traveling with the divine beast, rumors even circulated in the lord's city that Albert and Celeste had divorced.
If Albert hadn't continued to work as usual and claimed nothing was amiss, this scandal would have long since caused a huge uproar among the nobility.
"A once dignified woman... now dressed in tattered clothes, her body covered in tattoos..."
No, the appearance of Ceres today was enough to confirm the rumors of her affair with that monster.
It was not uncommon for noblewomen to have affairs. She had merely become that monster's plaything.
"And with that kind of monster... how disgusting... no, Albert was so obvious, didn't she notice?"
Even though they walked on two legs, wasn't that monster quite bizarre-looking? To Earl Ebid, the idea that a human could have a relationship with such a half-human, half-monster was simply incomprehensible.
A subtle premonition that something strange was unfolding. Driven by this feeling, the Earl pressed his temples and began to trace the cause.
"…That monster. Thinking about it, the atmosphere has been off ever since that thing appeared…"
"…Indeed. Since that monster appeared, strange things have been happening to the Hero Devourer, the Saintess, and the city."
"You think so too!? That monster is certainly suspicious, isn't it!?"
"But if we take action because of this, things will get tricky with the royal family. They seem to be trying to use the divine beast…"
While cities outside the capital enjoy a degree of autonomy, they ultimately cannot defy the royal family.
Those monstrous hero knights who transcend human capabilities. If they show any sign of rebellion against the royal family, they will come knocking.
But Count Ebid smiled indifferently, turning his gaze to the butler.
"So all we need to do is let that royal family know that things like divine beasts are utterly useless."
"You mean…?"
"Adventurers may be crude, but they're not useless… By the way, didn't we sponsor a guild? I heard their guild leader is a hero?"
"Yes. They're the ones who supply us with monster materials… But how do you plan to use them?"
"If adventurers can capture the Hero Devourer before the divine beasts, the value of divine beasts will plummet. We need to go talk to them. Bring that guild leader over."
"Understood. Then…" The count waved his hand hastily, and the butler bowed, about to leave the room.
Just before the butler opened the door, a woman pushed it open and entered.
"My dear, are you there?"
"Hmm? What is it, Madam?"
"I received an invitation. Countess Andalena has opened a restaurant in the entertainment district. May I go and take a look?"
"Countess Andalena? Why the entertainment district of all places..."
"Who knows? I don't know the reason, but she only sent me an invitation. But I should at least show up for the opening ceremony..."
"Hmm... well, bringing a few attendants shouldn't be a problem. Go ahead." The Viscount, busy dealing with the monsters, didn't think much of the invitation his wife had received and casually told her to go.
Viscount Evid was completely unaware.
The beastly claws reaching for the nobles of Radia were first aimed at him.
He was also oblivious to the fact that his wife was stepping into the beast's lair.
Without considering the consequences this would bring, the Viscount simply sent his wife away.
...
"Mr. Semo…!? Who was that just now…?"
"Ah~ He was just a nobleman who came to Ceres for a favor. Don't worry about him."
"Is that so…?" Ceres, who was holding what looked like a notice board or quest list, blinked in confusion.
Anyway, there was no need to make a fuss about bullying a nobleman.
If he dared to cause trouble again, she could teach him a lesson later… Perhaps she should warm up with a quest Ceres brought her for now?
"By the way, Miss Ceres. Is there any new progress in the search for the Hero Devourer?"
"Yes, yes! Lord! That… because he uses portals to move, his tracks are difficult to follow… and the adventurers aren't very active in searching for him…"
"Hmm… I see…" That guy, really. What kind of methods did he use to wander around like that?
It seems he's lingering near Radia, trying to get rid of him before he gets too far away.
More importantly, he made my back ache, so I'd like to give him a good thrashing too? I need to stretch my muscles and go find that guy. After all, he's someone connected to annihilation.
"Hmm... let me see... here, should we try goblin hunting or something?"
"No, brother. Goblins are actually really hard to handle. This one over here..."
"It's estimated to take two weeks... well, with Master here, it should only take a day or two." Lisbeth and Cecilia looked at the list, offering various opinions all at once.
Hmm... well, estimating the time isn't really that meaningful.
At my movement speed... oh dear.
Wait.
My females, the number is one, two, three, four... ah, ah?
Four people... even with my large size, carrying four people would be a bit difficult, wouldn't it?
I didn't even think of that... what should I do?
Since we're going to wander around, I want everyone to wander around together... if we ride as close together as possible... no, that won't do.
That's too unsafe.
Hmm…
"…Let's start with what we can do around here. It'll be better if the four of us move together."
"Together… Ah. I see. Moving four people at the same time is indeed a bit difficult." Lisbeth nodded with a look of sudden realization, and the other three nodded in agreement with similar expressions.
After discussing it with my females, we chose some easy quests that could be accepted nearby and handed the quest board to Sera.
Limitations of movement. While pondering this problem that I hadn't considered before, I had completely forgotten the face of that male nobleman from earlier.