Meeting

Eight men and women were gathered in the Adventurer Guild’s meeting room the following morning.

"Oh, Welanna? Your party got called in too?"

"Jeff? You’re here as well... Any idea why we were summoned today?"

"No clue. The others don't know either. We’ve got different ranks, ages, and races; there's no obvious common thread. We were just talking about what the selection criteria could have been. You guys have no leads? You’re the only ones here as a full party."

"I’m stumped. If there’s anything connecting us, it’s just that we’re all female beast-kin, but that shouldn't have anything to do with it, right?"

"Probably not. I’m a human man. We’ve also got two other humans, a dwarf, and a dragonewt. I don't think race or gender are the factors here."

Just then, another beast-kin woman entered the room.

"Good morning-nya! Oh? Welanna, Mizeria, and Silia? You were called too-nya?"

"Miya? You were summoned as well?"

"Yes-nya. When I got back from work yesterday evening, the receptionist told me to be here this morning. I didn't expect to see the three of you here-nya."

"Us neither... Wait. Your smell has improved significantly, hasn't it? Did you finally move out of that trash heap?"

"No matter how many times we told you to find a new place, you wouldn't listen."

"Did you finally reach your breaking point?"

"No-nya, I still live there. I bought that house with my own hard-earned money-nya. It would be a waste not to use it."

"Then why does the stench barely linger?"

"Actually, the day before yesterday, a kid finally accepted the cleaning request I’ve been putting out-nya. He cleaned the place up beautifully-nya."

"That bottomless hell-pit of filth? Someone actually finished it?"

"I was shocked too-nya. He finished the basement in less than two hours and even patched the holes in the walls-nya. Apparently, he used magic; the whole place was sparkling-nya."

"That’s impressive. What was he like?"

"A newcomer, I think-nya. Probably thirteen or younger. He was carrying a large basket woven from wood and vines on his back-nya."

The man called Jeff perked up at the description.

"Huh? Thirteen or younger with a big basket? You talkin' about Ryoma?"

"That’s the one-nya! He definitely called himself Ryoma-nya."

"What, you know him, Jeff?"

"The old man called him in after work the day before yesterday. The kid looked like he had no idea why he was being summoned, so I told him it was just the Guildmaster being a busybody. He was a brat with a hell of a polite way of speaking, that one."

"He certainly was well-mannered-nya."

At that moment, someone else stepped into the room. It was Ryoma. Upon seeing him, Miya shouted.

"Excuse me. I—"

"Ah! It’s him-nya!"

"Miya-san? And Jeff-san, you’re here as well."

"Yeah, been a couple days. You were called in too? We were just talking about you."

"About me?"

Welanna stepped forward to stand in front of Ryoma.

"Nice to meet you. You’re Ryoma, right? I’m Welanna of the Dog-kin. I’m an old friend of Miya’s and her former party leader. I was stunned to hear someone actually cleaned Miya’s house. How did you pull that off?"

"She bought the place, but the walls were falling apart and the inside was a disaster, as you probably saw. The smell was unbearable for us beast-kin with our noses, and though we tried to get her to move, she refused to listen... Oh, I’m Mizeria of the Tiger-kin. Good to meet you."

"I am Silia of the Rabbit-kin. It is a pleasure."

"I am Ryoma Takebayashi. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

"These three were in my old party-nya. The smell of that house started to sink into my skin, and I knew it was hard on them—especially Welanna-nya—but I couldn't give up on the house, so I left the party-nya. I caused them a lot of trouble in other ways too-nya..."

"Miya has always been stubborn..."

"She wouldn't listen to anyone once she'd set her mind on living there..."

"Honestly, I can't believe she survived in that place for five years."

"Five years in those conditions... That sounds... difficult."

Ryoma's expression was complicated. Jeff then gestured toward Ryoma’s back.

"By the way, you had that basket with you the other day, too. What’s in it?"

"My tamed monsters. I am a Tamer, after all."

"Heh, a Tamer? What do you keep?"

"Various types of slimes. I’m still an apprentice. Since slimes move slowly, it’s much faster to carry them in the basket when I need to hurry. It also prevents them from startling the townspeople."

"Makes sense."

Just then, the Guildmaster walked into the room.

"Alright, looks like everyone’s here. Grab a seat."

The adventurers moved to their chairs.

"Now, I’m going to explain why I called you here today... but before that, you have to swear not to leak any information discussed in this room to anyone outside. If you can’t make that oath, leave now. To be clear, hearing this doesn't mean you’re forced to take the job. You can hear the details and decline as long as you keep your mouth shut afterward. There are no penalties for walking away."

The group nodded without hesitation.

"Good. Then I’ll start. First, the criteria for your selection: Number one, you’re all reliable and know how to keep a secret. Number two, you all possess the Disease Resistance skill. You have it, don't you?"

"Disease Resistance? Yeah, I’ve got it. You know my history, old man—I’m from the slums. If you survive there, everyone picks up level one or two. I’m at level five, though."

"Our party caught a plague in a town during a quest years ago."

"Luckily, it was a mild strain. We all survived and gained the skill from it."

"I think we’re all at level three."

"I’ve gone up to level four-nya. I hate to admit it, but it’s because of that trash house-nya."

A dwarf adventurer, a seasoned veteran, narrowed his eyes as he pieced the information together. Beside him, a younger adventurer began to look nervous.

"Disease Resistance? Are we talking about a plague?"

"Has an outbreak started!?"

"Calm down, Cher. As Gordon guessed, this is about a plague, but it hasn't spread yet."

"It hasn't... yet? Does that mean there are a few cases?"

"No. We’ve simply discovered a high-risk location where a plague could breed. Ryoma here is the one who found it, and so far, there are no reported patients."

Every eye in the room fixed on Ryoma. Wogan took over the explanation, detailing the nature of the Scavenger Slimes and why the current situation pointed toward a plague.

"...And that’s the gist of it. Given that the Scavenger Slimes' Disease Resistance rose from level five to seven, we have to assume there is a pathogen in the town's public cesspools that even level six resistance can't fully handle. Our mission is to stop this before it spreads. If this gets out, the city will fall into a total panic. Consequently, this operation must remain strictly confidential."

"Is our job to dispose of the pathogen? You want us cleaning the cesspools?"

"No. I won't have the nine of you doing that. The only one entering the cesspools for the cleanup will be Ryoma."

"Hold on! You're letting a kid handle that alone? That’s insane. Children catch diseases easily; it’s too dangerous."

"Besides, one person cleaning every cesspool in town is impossible."

"I’ve weighed the risks, and this is the best path. First, Ryoma already successfully cleaned one cesspool yesterday. Second, the highest Disease Resistance among you is Jeff at level five. Entering an area where level six isn't enough is too high a risk for you. Ryoma, however, has level seven in his Health skill. He has the lowest risk of infection here. Furthermore, he possesses Life Strengthening level three, Super Regeneration level three, and Endurance Strengthening level six. Even if he does get infected, Ryoma has the best chance of survival out of anyone in this room."

Stunned, the nine adventurers stared at Ryoma. Silia was the first to regain her composure and address Wogan.

"...I understand why he is the best fit. But if he is handling the entire cleanup, what is our role?"

"While Ryoma is working, you will rotate shifts to guard the entrances and ensure no one enters. The doors have to remain unlocked while he’s inside. I called those with Disease Resistance as a safety precaution. Also, anyone who can use the neutral magic 'Appraisal' will check Ryoma whenever he finishes a shift to make sure he isn't carrying anything out with him."

"Do you really need nine of us just for guard duty?"

"...According to Ryoma, he can work for two or three days straight without sleep. His 'Health' skill is a composite of resistance to disease, exhaustion, and poison. I’ve verified this myself on his Status Board."

"I see. So that’s why we need shifts. Ryoma, was it? Are you really going to be okay?"

"It won't be a problem. Working for two or three days straight was a daily occurrence for me in the past. Compared to that, working by my own choice feels almost easy."

"If you say so."

"Well, if you take the job, I’ll expect you to keep an eye on him and make sure he isn't pushing himself too far. I’ll give you ten minutes to decide. In some ways, this is more dangerous than hunting monsters. I won't force you, and there’s no penalty. Think it over."

Wogan and Ryoma left the room to give them space. Once they were gone, Jeff broke the silence.

"Phew... So, what’s the verdict?"

The dwarf, Gordon, spoke up immediately.

"I’m in. I was born and raised in this town. I’ve got too many friends and family here to run away."

The dragonewt adventurer nodded in agreement.

"I shall also accept. A plague is a dire threat; it is better to strike it down before it takes root."

"A plague in this town... It’s terrifying, but we can't just dump the whole burden on that kid’s shoulders."

"Exactly. Besides, our job is just standing guard. He’s the one doing the heavy lifting in the danger zone. We can’t exactly tuck tail and run after hearing that."

Ten minutes proved to be more than enough. When Wogan and Ryoma returned, every adventurer declared their participation. Wogan then relayed the specialized knowledge Ryoma had provided—framed as wisdom he’d learned from his grandmother—regarding how plagues spread, and the guard rotations were quickly finalized.