10. Search Commission -Conclusion-
Early morning. As always, Hopkins, the branch manager of the Tronen branch of the Adventurer's Guild, had risen at dawn and diligently headed to work, handling his routine tasks just like any other day.
Knock knock.
A knock echoed from the door.
"Who is it?"
To Hopkins' question, a familiar voice replied from outside.
"It's Karen, Branch Manager."
"Karen?"
What could bring her here at this hour? He knew it was the busiest time for the guild receptionists, so Hopkins felt a twinge of curiosity. But Karen wasn't the type to slack off or cut corners—she was diligent through and through. There had to be a good reason for her to seek him out amid the rush. With that in mind, he invited her in.
"Yes, Karen. Come on in."
Karen entered the branch manager's office. She offered a crisp, professional bow to Hopkins before stepping up to his desk.
"Good morning, Branch Manager."
"What brings you here, Karen? It should be peak hours down there right now."
"Yes, about that... It's regarding the search commission we handed to Platinum-rank adventurer, the Fallen Princess, yesterday. A report arrived late last night, so I've come to deliver it."
Hopkins recalled the commission he'd assigned to Bella the day before. A search for the missing adventurers in the northern forest. Multiple Silver-badge parties had vanished, and to top it off, a party including Gold-badge adventurers had gone looking for them... only to disappear as well. Intrigued by the oddity, he'd issued a light request—just a surface skim, nothing too deep, as a precaution.
But calling it "light" didn't make it trivial; with Gold-badges among the missing, it was a matter he'd taken quite seriously. His face lit up as he took the papers from her.
"Ah, yesterday's commission. Let's have a look."
"Here you go."
The report was penned in unexpectedly elegant handwriting—concise, hitting only the key points with no extraneous fluff. It felt perfectly suited to the name: a report. Hopkins was surprised to learn the "Fallen Princess" had written it, but he read on with admiration.
Search Commission Report
Encountered a sizable orc horde.
Led by a chieftain orc.
Eliminated the chieftain; orcs fled.
The orcs fled in a single direction.
The content was straightforward. But the line after "eliminated the chieftain" was the problem: 'The orcs fled in a single direction.'
Hopkins reread the document carefully. No change.
"...Hmm."
A headache throbbed. This could be serious.
Chieftain orcs weren't unheard of. Orcs were innately selfish and greedy—not top-tier monsters in the ecosystem, so they banded together for survival. But their greed limited group sizes, usually family units of five or six.
Mutants like this chieftain sometimes appeared, commanding dozens or hundreds. Yet when the leader fell, they typically scattered to the winds, reverting to their solitary nature.
But these orcs had fled one way, and in orderly fashion? It reminded Hopkins of a certain incident from another region years back.
"There must be something above that chieftain orc," he muttered.
He turned to Karen. "Karen, what's our current available manpower in the guild?"
"...Available forces? Let me think."
She paused, calculating. "Bronze-badge and above registered in our branch: 1,700 total. Excluding those on distant commissions and recent missings, about 1,200."
"...Hmm."
1,200 wasn't bad. But recalling that incident, it felt perilously thin. He pressed on.
"Silver-badge and above?"
"Silver-badges around 300. Golds about 20. Two Platinums."
"Hojab and the Fallen Princess, right?"
Karen nodded, then added as something occurred to her. "Yes. Oh, and there's one unusual figure."
"One?"
"Yes. A young girl who's recently partied with those two Platinums. She's shown remarkable prowess."
"A girl?"
"Yes. Started adventuring with them a few days ago. Name's Dinaria... no family name listed."
"I see. Remarkable how?"
"Soloed a troll pack in the eastern forest, then cleared moss bear and iron wolf horde commissions—gold-level quests, basically."
"Hmm? A young girl? Karen, you don't mean..."
She anticipated his question. "No involvement from Hojab or the Princess—confirmed. Witnesses from nearby adventurers passing by. They said she handled it effortlessly, no struggle."
"So...?"
"Dinaria is at least Platinum-level, if not higher."
"Got it. That's... quite the blessing for our branch."
One more badge they could deploy against what might come. Hopkins smiled warmly. Then his thoughts drifted to one man.
Ian. The guy sandwiched between overwhelming talents. Yet still an Iron-badge—the guild's absolute bottom—after three years. Not even Bronze. Practically trash-tier.
"Karen, any connection between Dinaria and Ian?"
"From what I heard, she joined his party too. Linked to Ian."
"...That's something."
Hopkins pondered. What is it about this Ian guy?
Getting tangled with Ju Cheong-ah could be luck—a fluke smile from the goddess of fortune on a bottom-rung adventurer.
But twice? Thrice? That changed things. Bellatrix the Fallen Princess. Now Dinaria. Three Platinum-caliber elites orbiting him.
Coincidences repeating become fate. Was Ian really trash?
He recalled meeting Ian when assigning Cheong-ah her commission.
...Maybe more capable than I thought?
Ambitious beyond his skills. Obsessed with Hojab, knowing the value of his luck.
Hopkins decided. "Karen, do we have Ian's registration papers from when he first joined?"
"Yes, probably in reception. We keep all signup forms filed."
"Fetch them later, then. For now, issue a public notice to all Bronze-badge and above in the guild."
"A public notice?"
"Yes. Tell them the moment you head downstairs. Halt all personal commissions for now. And send cooperation requests to nearby branches."
"Uh... what kind of notice...?"
Karen tensed. Hopkins' face hardened.
"A special commission."
That day, a public notice labeled a "special commission" went out to every Bronze-badge adventurer or higher—not just in the Tronen branch, but all nearby guilds.
Approximately a decade ago, the Empire faced a catastrophic anomaly: the emergence of a Lord-rank monster.
Monsters, typically individualistic and selfish, united under its command, ravaging the Empire.
The horde grew unchecked, turning five cities and two territories to ruin in under a week.
Forces deployed: One Imperial Knight Order and five divisions.
Result: Half the Knight Order lost; two divisions annihilated, three halved—only then was the Lord-rank and its horde subdued.
This disaster underscored the need for Adventurer's Guilds across the continent, cementing their authority.
Current signs mirror that event. All eligible adventurers: Stand by for immediate mobilization.
Adventurers stopping by the guild buzzed endlessly about the Lord-rank monster notice.