Using Gacha to Increase My Companions and to Create the Strongest Girls' Army Corps

A few days after we encountered Dorf-san's carriage, we finally arrived at the Capital. We entered the city before sunset and stopped the carriage in front of the Adventurers' Guild to bid farewell to Adelbert-san and his group.

"Ookura-kun, thank you again for your protection this time."

"No, thank you for choosing us for the job."

Adelbert-san handed me a certificate proving the completion of our escort mission as he descended from the carriage. This time, there were no battles, making the escort mission quite easy. It would be wonderful if all our missions ended this smoothly.

"My daughter seemed to enjoy herself a lot thanks to you all. Although I can't promise it'll be soon, I would be delighted if you could visit our main residence whenever you have the opportunity."

Adelbert-san handed me a map of the Capital, with a red circle marking what I assumed was his house. He then invited us to visit whenever we could.

"Thank you! If we get the chance, we will definitely visit!"

Getting invited to their main residence? It seems like we've earned a lot of trust, mainly thanks to Estel getting along so well with Anneli-chan. Looking over at them, I saw Anneli-chan clinging to Estel, pouting with a furrowed brow.

"Ugh, I don't want to say goodbye to Estel here."

Anneli-chan seemed reluctant to part ways. Estel smiled as she comforted her.

"It can't be helped. I'll visit you whenever I have free time, so cheer up."

"Really? You promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

Estel patted Anneli-chan's head, and she finally let go of her. It seems Estel has gotten used to being hugged and no longer gets flustered.

"Anneli, it's time to leave. Get in the carriage."

"Oh... okay. It's a pity, but we have to say goodbye for now. See you again, Estel!"

"Yes, let's meet again."

Anneli-chan gave Estel's hand a firm squeeze before boarding the carriage. As Egon-san started the carriage, Anneli-chan waved from the rear window. Estel waved back until the carriage was out of sight.

"Phew, the escort mission is finally over."

"Yes, it went smoothly this time. I'm glad nothing happened."

Apart from the accident with the other adventurers' carriage, nothing problematic occurred. The other group should reach the Capital in a few days.

Now, we need to take care of our own tasks. Reporting the completion of the escort mission comes first. We can deal with finding a house and other matters later. Just before entering the guild, I turned to Sisya.

"We're heading to the guild to report, but do you want to head home first, Sisya?"

"Really? Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's just a report. Go home and show your face to Runa."

Sisya had been fidgeting, eager to go home. Since it's just a report, I can handle it alone. Runa must be lonely, or maybe she's just sleeping.

"You're so thoughtful, Ookura-san! So manly! Oh, this-this!"

"Stop poking me with your elbow!"

Sisya was so happy that she started poking me with her elbow. This girl usually says I'm not manly, but she calls me manly only when it suits her.

●

We sent Sisya home, and I headed into the guild with Noru and Estel. Immediately, a familiar voice called out.

"Oh! Ookura-san!"

Wiggy-chan, the receptionist, spotted us and shouted across the counter, only to be lightly scolded by another receptionist.

"Ouch... welcome back. You're back from Queres, right?"

"Yes, we returned from an escort mission in Queres."

"Long time no see, Wiggy."

We approached the counter, and Wiggy-chan, slightly deflated from being scolded, greeted us. It felt right to be back at the guild with her as the receptionist. I hadn't seen her in a while since our last visit to the Capital.

"You're as energetic as always."

"Being energetic is my specialty. So, are you here to report a mission?"

"Yes."

I handed over the certificate from Adelbert-san. Wiggy-chan quickly reviewed it and handed us the 600,000G reward. Even though it was only six gold coins, receiving the reward always felt exhilarating. Afterward, Wiggy-chan spoke up again.

"I've heard about your exploits in Queres... oh!"

She gasped, covering her mouth, as if she had said something she shouldn't have.

"What's wrong?"

"The guild master asked to be notified when you returned! Please wait a moment!"

"Eh?"

She made a gesture for us to wait and dashed off to the second floor of the guild. That level of urgency... could it be bad news?

"Did we do something wrong?"

"I don't think so."

"Maybe it's about the black magic stone."

"Oh, right, the receptionist in Queres said they reported it."

We hadn't been in the Capital, and nothing significant happened in Queres. The only thing that came to mind was the black magic stone. Soon, Wiggy-chan returned, running hurriedly.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! The guild master wants to talk to you. Do you have time?"

"Yes, we do."

We followed Wiggy-chan to Christoph-san's office.

"Sorry to call you here."

"No problem at all. Long time no see."

We sat down on the sofas, facing Christoph-san for a discussion.

"I heard about your exploits in Queres. Defeating two Grandis, no less."

"Yes, we encountered them while hunting. They seemed dangerous, so we took them down."

"Achieving such feats right after your B-rank promotion is impressive. I'm proud of recommending you."

The time from our B-rank promotion to escorting Adelbert-san and defeating the two Grandis felt both long and short. Taking down Grandis, a high-level monster, should be considered a significant achievement.

"Those monsters were quite formidable."

"Yes, my magic wasn't very effective, so I couldn't do much."

"Haha, calling Grandis 'formidable' is an understatement. You have some capable comrades."

"Indeed, they are very reliable."

Noru's casual mention of the difficulty of fighting Grandis made Christoph-san's expression stiffen a bit. During the battle with Diabolos, Noru took on both a Grandis and a group of Trents simultaneously, with ease. Truly reliable.

"Now, let's get to the main topic. You probably guessed it, but it's about the black magic stone you found."

As expected, it's about the black magic stone.

"Frankly, I still don't know what it is. But from the reports, it's clear it's connected to the appearance of Grandis."

"We have similar suspicions."

We had reported in detail about the Grandis encounters and Diabolos holding the stone. Since Queres's guild had reported this information, Christoph-san should be fully aware.

"And the problematic part is the monster that had the stone. Queres had no records, so the items were brought here for investigation."

"They investigated it here in the Capital?"

"Then they must know what it is now."

The horns and spear from Diabolos were sent to the Capital guild for investigation. With the Capital being the guild's main base, they should have information, as Estel suggested.

But... Christoph-san shook his head silently at Estel's words. No way.

"Could it be... the Capital guild also has no information?"

Christoph-san nodded. Seriously? Even the Capital guild?

"We have records of all monsters defeated by adventurers. But this one... was a first."

"So, we were the first to defeat it?"

"It seems so."

I don't know how long the guild has been around, but it must be a while. Yet, no information on this monster... where did Diabolos come from?

"The guild currently cannot provide accurate information."

"Even the Capital guild doesn't know..."

"That makes it even more complicated."

Wow, even the Capital guild doesn't know. This is entirely uncharted territory. I'd hoped we could resolve this quickly, but it seems beyond us. Christoph-san continued, though.

"While I can't provide accurate information, I have a story that might be related. It's an old story from some documents I read."

"Really?"

"Yes, but it's just a story. It might not be true."

"Anything is better than nothing."

"Right. Please tell us."

Oh! Christoph-san is indeed reliable! Even if it's just a lead, we need all the information we can get. His next words were shocking.

"Have you heard of the Demon?"

Demon? The Demon mentioned by Wiggy-chan, who were said to be extinct?

"Demon... you mean the ones who disappeared in the war 200 years ago?"

"Yes, they were said to be warlike and went extinct."

Christoph-san nodded at our words. Wow, it's really about those Demons.

"According to old records, the Demons experimented with using monsters during the war."

"Using monsters? Isn't that something done here too? I've heard of mages riding wyverns."

Using monsters? That concept is already practiced here. There are monster tamers, after all.

"Indeed. Typically, 'using monsters' refers to what monster tamers do."

My assumption wasn't wrong. But if Christoph-san still mentioned it, it must be different from monster taming. What else could it be?

"The Demons experiments were different. They tried creating monsters artificially and enhancing existing ones. Although no records of the experiments exist, we don't know exactly what they did."

Artificially creating monsters, enhancing existing ones. Both are related to

 the black magic stone's effects that Estel hypothesized. The Grandis we encountered fits the latter.

"Based on your reports, I suspect the sudden appearance of Grandis involved such experiments."

"So... does that mean the Demons are still alive somewhere?"

Could it be that the Demons survived and hid from humans? It would be natural to think so. Just because they lost a war doesn't mean they went extinct. Survivors could exist. Damn, if the Demons are as strong as those in GC, we'd lose people in a fight. Their strength varies with difficulty in GC, but in this world, it's unknown. We should avoid fighting them if possible.

"I don't know. It could be surviving Demons, someone with their experiment records, or another cause."

"So, we can't be sure."

"This is getting complicated..."

It seems we're not sure the enemy is the Demons. Either way, it's troublesome. Hopefully, it's just someone using their records. With insufficient information, we're left to speculate, but Christoph-san's story sheds light on the mystery.

"In any case, this can't be ignored. We'll involve A-rank adventurers to gather information. We might ask for your help. Please lend us your strength then."

"Of course, we'll help however we can."

Christoph-san bowed, asking for our cooperation, concluding our discussion. We can't refuse a direct request from the guild master. With A-rank adventurers involved, gathering information should be easier. As we left the guild, Noru looked puzzled, scratching her head.

"This is getting epic."

"Demons, huh? Hard to believe they might still exist."

"Yeah... we can only wait for more information now."

There's not much we can do alone. All we can do is prepare for a possible encounter with Demons by strengthening ourselves further.