Chapter 36: War Preparation

Stepping into the Adventurers Guild.

I head to the huge bulletin board in the center where the mission request forms are posted.

Basic and low-difficulty assignments are occasionally mixed with high-difficulty ones.

My eyes were naturally looking for a request to subdue a certain monster.

Ancient Dragon...

It was the culprit of the burning of my beloved daughters' hometown, and the only monster I had been unable to defeat in my life as an adventurer.

I knew it..., doesn't look like there's been a requisition. No sightings either.

It's not surprising.

The Ancient Dragon is an S-ranked monster designated as a disaster.

If there were any sightings, word would naturally spread throughout the Royal Capital.

There's no way I'm not going to hear about it.

The only reason why I still visit the adventurer's guild every day to check on it is because I have a strange obsession with it.

He must be vanquished.

I don't want my daughters to face them.

(T/N: Can't really grasp the meaning but I think he's saying something about his second and third daughters. Raw: 第二第三の娘たちのような子を出さないためにも.)

「Oh my, papa. Did you come to see me today? What? Did you come to check on me because you're worried about how I'm doing?」

Anna called out to me.

「Anna's doing a great job. I'm not worried about that.」

「Fufu. Just kidding. Thank you. Monica-chan told me that you've been looking at the bulletin board every day. Is there an assignment you're looking for?」

「Well, yeah. Something like that.」

「If you tell me, I can let you know when the assignment comes in.」

「Really? Then I'll ask you for a favor. If there are any sightings of the Ancient Dragon, I want you to let me know.」

「Hmm. Ancient Dragon...」

「Is there something wrong?」

「It's nothing. I'm just thinking it was just a coincidence. Maybe we'll get to meet the Ancient Dragon soon.」

「Eh!?」 I shouted

「Actually, there is a sighting of a huge monster on the Duego volcano. I don't know if it's an Ancient Dragon or not, but I think the chances are not low. There are only a limited number of giant monsters that live in volcanoes. A team of investigators will be dispatched to investigate the sighting in the near future.」

I didn't expect to get a clue so quickly.

Is it a coincidence or is it inevitable.

Perhaps they are destined to be attracted to each other.

「Duego volcano, isn't it? I'll be on my way.」

「Papa, wait a minute」

Anna stopped me.

「If you're heading for the volcano, let me make a few conditions.」

「Conditions?」

「Don't go alone, you have to be in a party. The party should have at least two adventurers with ranks higher than B. If there really was an Ancient Dragon, I wouldn't send papa out alone.」

「B rank or higher.... The adventurer's guild is already short-staffed, and who's going to help with a project that doesn't pay?」

I'm afraid it's not going to be easy.

「And another condition... you must let me come with you.」

「Bring Anna?」

「Yeah. I'm gonna go with papa. Oh, the Guild will be fine. It's a good time for a vacation.」

「Why? It's dangerous.」

「That's why I'm here. I want to help papa, too. Besides...」

「Besides?」

「Hmmm. The other reason is a secret? ...Anyway, I can't let you go to the volcano unless you let me come with you.」

「I don't mind if you want to go that far.」

Reluctantly, I decided to allow Anna to accompany me.

If I really had to face the Ancient Dragon - Anna, who was accompanying me, might be in the line of fire.

Understanding this, Anna said that she wanted to go.

She's a splendid adult now.

I don't think I have the authority to prevent her from making her own decisions, not even as her father. The only thing I can do is to protect my beloved daughter with all my might.

「It's decided then. Thanks papa.」

Anna winked at me.

It's a cute gesture.

「Now I've achieved the condition of having Anna accompany us, but the problem is the number of adventurers of B rank and above.」

「Do you have anyone you could address?」

「In the meantime, let's talk to the Knights and those from the Magic Academy. Maybe they can lend us a hand.」

☆

「In that case, I'll go with you.」

The Knights' training ground.

When I told her what happened, Elsa offered to do so.

「Are you sure? There is no reward.」

「Being able to fight alongside my father is the best reward for me. Besides, if Anna is going to accompany, then I must also go.」

「Why?」

「Well. I heard it was an overnight survey... so I thought it would be unfair for Anna to be the only one spending time with father...」

Elsa was muttering something in a whisper while twiddling the fingers of her hands together. I couldn't hear her due to the volume of her voice like a buzzing mosquito.

(T/N: Example at Translator Corner!)

「??」

「Anyway! I'm coming with you!」

Elsa has agreed to accompany me. She's an S-rank adventurer and is known as a sword saint, so I'll be able to rely on her.

☆

「Papa! I'm going on the trip too～?」

Magic Academy.

As soon as I walked into the classroom to talk to Meryl, she cut me off, even though I hadn't said anything.

「Meryl. How do you know that?」

「I've always watching papa? If Elsa and Anna are going, of course I'm going too, because I love papa~. And if everyone goes, I won't be able to cook or do the laundry by myself, so I'll be in trouble.」

「I'm sorry to disappoint you, but... It's not a trip, you know. We're going to investigate if there are any strong monster.」

「Yes?」

Meryl raised her hand happily.

Do you really understand? Anyway, it is nice to have Meryl, a wizard who is so wise that she is called a wise woman.

This cleared the conditions that Anna had presented.

With Elsa, who is an S-rank adventurer, and Meryl, who is not an adventurer but has A to S-rank equivalent skills, we should be fine.

In the end, everyone in the party are family member.

Their strength itself is the strongest in the capital. With these members, we would be able to fight any kind of monster that appeared.