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

Until yesterday, I had been enjoying my time sightseeing, but today, I've finally come to visit the Association in Sevarya. I only brought Noru and Estel with me; Freesia and the others stayed behind. Just in case, I handed the Dimension Bracelet to Sisya, so if Freesia goes on a rampage, she can be easily captured.

"Ugh, our peaceful, hunt-free days are coming to an end..."

"We don't have a choice, do we? We came here at the request of the Association, so we can't just keep sightseeing forever."

"True, but… ugh..."

Noru let out a gloomy sigh and walked with her shoulders slumped, like someone lamenting the end of a Sunday or a long holiday.

"Don't worry, we'll get back to gathering magic stones soon enough."

"Why should I feel reassured by that?! I've been so relieved lately that Ookura-dono hasn't been talking about gacha, but now it's all coming back with a vengeance..."

"Well, you'll have to brace yourself for the backlash, won't you?"

"Nooo… I want to go home..."

"Big brother, don't tease Noru for fun."

"Haha, sorry, sorry."

Watching Noru's dejected state, I can't help but feel like teasing her. But in reality, since summoning Freesia, we haven't been gathering magic stones seriously, so it's time to restart. With one more person in the damage-dealing role, I think our efficiency will improve! Though… I do have a bit of a dilemma. Freesia, being an archer, where would be the best place for her to shine? The trees might get in the way in the Goblin Forest, and her attacks wouldn't be effective in the northern caves. Compared to Runa, who specializes in small fry, Freesia doesn't seem well-suited for efficient hunting. If it's against something like Lapis, which uses camouflage, she might be more useful… well, I guess we'll figure it out once we start hunting.

We asked around to find out where the Adventurers' Association was, and after walking from the entrance toward the center of town, we eventually spotted a familiar sign and arrived at the Adventurers' Association. It's bigger than the one in Brune, but it's a small, two-story building compared to the Association in the Capital. It's about the same size as the one in Queres, so I guess this is the standard for major towns. We promptly entered and approached the receptionist.

"Um, this is our first time visiting this branch…"

"Have you already registered as adventurers?"

"Yes, I need to hand over my plate and fill out some forms, right?"

"That's correct. I'll take your plate, and in the meantime, please fill this out."

I handed over the plate, and while the receptionist went to the back, I filled out the usual paperwork. This is my fourth time doing this, so I'm pretty used to it by now. After finishing the paperwork and waiting a bit, the receptionist returned and handed back the plate...

"You're Ookura-sama, correct? Are you, by any chance, visiting from Schting…?"

"Yes, I came to this town at the request of the Association in the Capital."

"So, you really are *that* Ookura-sama. There's something I'd like to discuss, so please wait for a moment."

As soon as she checked the documents, she left us and headed upstairs.

"We just got here, so what's this about?"

"It's probably about Diabolos, isn't it? We came to this town because of the report of that monster."

"Oh, right, I forgot all about that while sightseeing, eheh."

"As soon as you heard it was a port town, all you could think about was food, right?"

"Th-that's not true! How rude!"

Noru angrily waved her arms up and down. Come on, anyone would think that after seeing how she acted and what she's done since we got here…

Soon after, the receptionist returned and led us to a room on the second floor. Inside, there was an older man with a bit of a belly. He had a wide smile on his face, looking extremely welcoming.

"Ah, ah, you're Ookura-kun! I've heard all about you from Christoph-san! Solving a grand subjugation, conquering a labyrinth, and reaching B-Rank in record time—an up-and-coming adventurer party! I've been so curious about you since I heard you'd be coming to this town that I couldn't even focus on work… Oh, don't just stand there, have a seat, have a seat!"

"Y-yes."

"He sure talks a lot."

"There wasn't even a chance to cut in."

His rapid-fire speech left no room for an introduction… But he seemed approachable, which was nice. At his urging, we took our seats across from him.

"Ahem, sorry for rambling on right after we met. I’m Bens, the branch manager of this Association."

"Thank you for the introduction. As you probably already know, I’m Ookura Heiha."

I had guessed, but as expected, he’s someone important here. I’ve never met a branch manager outside the Capital before, but it seems like each Association has its own head. I wonder if there’s someone like that at the Brune branch as well.

"So, you mentioned you had something to discuss with us… Is this about the matter that the Association head in the Capital mentioned?"

"Yes, that's right. But since I don't know exactly what Christoph-san told you, I'd like to confirm a few things with you."

"Do you know any details about the monster?"

"You're talking about the black, flying monster, right? I reported it after hearing a discovery report from an adventurer because it sounded similar to the monster Christoph-san mentioned earlier. It's scary to think that a demon might be involved. I never thought I'd hear about demons at my age. When I was younger, I used to hear about demons in old stories—"

"Um, excuse me, but could we talk about the investigation?"

I figured he was a talkative person from the start, but he might be even more so than I expected. If we don't interrupt, this conversation might keep veering off course. I feel a bit bad because he seems like a nice person, but we need to get to the point.

"Oh, sorry, sorry. Well, I've heard all the basics about the monster from Christoph-san. So, you’re here in Sevarya to investigate that monster, correct?"

"Yes, so we'd like to hear more details about where the monster was sighted."

"It seems we're on the same page. That's exactly why I wanted to meet with you."

After nodding a few times, Bens stood up, took out a piece of paper from a cabinet in the room, and spread it out on the desk. It looked like a map, with several red circles marked on it.

"This is a map of the Sevarya area, and these red circles are the current reported sighting locations."

"There are ten of them! Has that monster been sighted this many times?"

"I didn’t hear there were this many sightings."

"Even after reporting it to the Capital Association, the sightings kept increasing. However, there's a chance that some of these could be mistaken for similar-looking monsters, so they might not all be the ones you're looking for. But we did have a C-rank adventurer party report an encounter with what seemed to be the monster and had to flee. We’ve also warned the adventurers in Sevarya not to engage with the black monster."

Whoa, I never imagined there would be this many sightings. Judging by the marks, they're spread throughout the entire Sevarya area. I didn’t expect to hear about adventurers encountering it directly, either. Does this mean it’s that active? But with no major incidents or damage reported, it's kind of creepy. However, as Bens mentioned, there's a possibility of mistaken identity, so we'll need to investigate thoroughly.

"We’ve also asked a B-rank adventurer party to investigate, but even though reports of sightings are increasing, it seems they haven't been able to find it."

"Since it’s a flying monster, searching just this area would be quite a challenge."

"Yes, and searching for a single monster moving around by itself would be tough. Considering how strong that monster is, encountering it in the wrong place could end in a massacre."

Unlike the monsters in hunting grounds, the Diabolos seems to be flying around freely… Trying to find it pinpoint like that would be tough without fast travel methods like beacons or magic carpets.

"But since you’re here, and you’ve already defeated one of those monsters, it’s really reassuring. I’ll let the adventurers currently exploring know you’re here. If the investigation hits a dead end, it would be helpful if you could exchange information with each other. Of course, the Association will also share any new information we get, so please report back if you find anything."

"Understood."

Given how strong that thing is, it would be dangerous for C-rank adventurers to get involved, so the number of people who can investigate is limited. We'll probably have to share information with the B-rank adventurers already investigating. I'm a bit worried about how well we'll cooperate with other adventurers… It would be so much easier if it were just dealing with people like Deus and the others.

…Oh, speaking of information, I was also planning to ask about the Skyfish. That might also be an unidentified monster, so I should provide some information.

"Ah, there's one more thing I'd like to ask. On our way here, we encountered a small, slender creature that flew through the air at high speed, like a stick. Do you know anything about that?"

"Hmm, a flying, stick-like creature… I haven’t heard of any monsters like that. I’ll look into it later

, but could you give me more details about its characteristics? I’ll put up a notice at the Association and ask the other adventurers, too."

No information from the Association either… As expected of a UMA. The Skyfish remains an unidentified creature even in this world. After providing a detailed explanation of the Skyfish's abilities, we learned more about the Diabolos sightings and left the Association. It seems that there are many marine-type monsters, such as Cancer, Primo, and humanoid Merfolk, in the hunting grounds around Sevarya. There are also caves that appear when the tide goes out on the cape, and many adventurers in Sevarya explore such places. It sounds adventurous, but I wouldn't want to enter a cave that's only accessible during low tide.

"The branch manager sure left a stronger impression than the head of the Association."

"Indeed. He seemed like an interesting guy. I wouldn’t mind chatting with him when we have some free time."

He certainly seemed like someone who could tell fascinating stories, but if we stuck around, who knows how long he’d keep talking. Still, he seemed like a good person, so I think it’ll be easy to consult with him if we need anything in the future.

"Still, I didn't expect so many reports of sightings. When we were in Queres, they were operating in secrecy, but here they’re showing themselves in public quite a bit."

"Maybe they’re planning something big and bold… who knows?"

"What could that monster be up to, moving around such a wide area? If it’s spread out this much, maybe there’s more than one."

Ah, that's an interesting thought. If there really is a Diabolos, this would be the second one we've encountered, including the one in Queres. I’d assumed it was just one moving around, but considering how many sightings there have been, it wouldn't be surprising if there were multiple. …Oh man, even one of those was tough enough. If there are more, that's going to be a real headache.