TLN: Catherine is 18 and Wilfred is 19.
Administrator
In the Adventurer’s Guild, the so-called “receptionist”.
Well, men can also hold this job, but the term “receptionist” has become widely recognized by the public.
The perception remains strong that adventuring is a world dominated by rugged men, making female administrators stand out as oases and suns amidst them, or so the male administrators say with a touch of envy.
Catherine Arkwright was the administrator at the headquarters of the Adventurer’s Guild in Saktamburg, capital of the Gireshtal Federation.
As soon as she turned sixteen, the age required to take the examination, she took the administrator exam, an incredibly challenging test jokingly said to require a hundred years of adventuring to pass. She became the eleventh person in the guild’s history to achieve a perfect score.
She also set a new record as the youngest person to achieve a perfect score, surpassing the previous record by thirteen years. This is theoretically the highest record, impossible to surpass unless the system changes.
Her motivation for becoming an administrator was peculiar: “To gain the authority to view the Adventurer’s Guild’s documents on monsters.” Even at the time of the exam, her knowledge was already at a scholar’s level, particularly her understanding of undead monsters, which left everyone astonished.
Catherine stated that she hoped to begin her career as an administrator and then transition to a research position within the guild. Usually, those who wish to conduct research become university researchers, making her choice even more unique.
The Gireshtal Federation, one of the Five Great Powers, is second only to the Republic of Faraiya in terms of freedom of the press.
The developed culture of journalism fosters critical insight among the public, but it also caters to their curiosity. Consequently, Catherine’s background was thoroughly investigated and revealed.
She was the daughter of Earl Keely, a noble of the now-collapsed Kingdom of Ciel-Terra. Seven years ago, her family was killed by the “Rose Princess of Hellrage”, and her house was confiscated by the Federation. She changed her family name and, through intense self-study, became an administrator.
If the public believed that this tragic earl’s daughter, who lost her family and home, was seeking revenge and aiming to rise again, it would be a story perfectly suited to their taste.
However, Catherine remained silent on the matter, steadfastly refusing to step into the spotlight.
As a result, no one knew her true feelings, and over time, people’s interest waned.
* * *
Saktamburg’s “District Section 2-2” – Rudolf Memorial Library
The world’s largest library, which the Federation boasts of, is named after Rudolf, the great engineer and founder of the Federation, praised as the “Father of All Golems”.
A labyrinth of bookshelves stretching endlessly, with brass pipes running along the brick walls.
Humanoid librarian golems, resembling servants and maids.
Gears linked to the building’s management system, peeking through intentionally created gaps in the walls, ticking rhythmically.
The library’s interior is illuminated by warm but mechanical lighting, with few small windows.
Wilfred walked, guided by the complex map he received at the entrance.
Having undergone rigorous training as a Samurai, Wilfred was already skilled enough to be a leading figure in a rural branch when he became an adventurer.
He also had some knowledge of ninjutsu, making him not only strong but also adept at outdoor activities.
Promoted to the second rank by skipping grades, Wilfred quickly built a record of achievements and was promoted to the third rank.
However, advancing to the 4th Grade required a greater emphasis on theoretical knowledge in the promotion exams.
Wilfred preferred swinging a sword over studying, and he favored gaining knowledge directly through outdoor activities rather than quietly reading books in a room.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t neglect his studies. A Samurai must be versed in both scholarship and the arts.
Preparing for the upcoming promotion exam, Wilfred entered the library in search of study guides.
Just before reaching the section where his desired books were, he recognized a familiar figure in the reading area under the arching ceiling, where round tables were arranged.
“Hmm?”
She wore a blazer suit, the uniform of guild staff, with a slightly purplish navy color, indicating she was an administrator.
Her tangerine-colored hair, reaching about her back, was gathered with a white rose-shaped barrette, giving her a youthful appearance.
“Oh, Administrator? What are you doing here?”
“Hello, Wilfred. I’m off duty today. So, I thought I’d catch up on some research.”
Catherine had assisted Wilfred during his adventurer registration at the guild and had become his supervising administrator.
She stood up and bowed with her usual flawless smile when he greeted her. Despite being off duty, she wore her uniform, likely because the guild recommended staff to do so, even outside work hours.
This practice drew some criticism for making staff represent the guild even in their private time.
Wilfred was unaware that Catherine was quite famous not only in this city but also in the country. He had left the Federation for training, leaving his mother in the city.
Catherine Arkwright.
Catherine Margaretha Keely.
A prodigy who scored perfectly on the challenging administrator exam on her sixteenth birthday.
She was also from the same former Kingdom of Ciel-Terra as Wilfred.
However, Wilfred was just the son of a father who had become a nominal noble as a soldier serving a lord, far beneath the earl’s daughter.
“Are you here to prepare for the promotion exam?”
“Uh, yes.”
“It’s coming up soon. The study guides are around the corner to the right, then left, on shelf 20915. However, the unofficial past exam collections are in a different place… I can mark it on the map if you’d like.”
“Please.”
When he handed her the map, Catherine marked a specific shelf in a room on the third floor of the library without hesitation.
Despite the map only indicating that the room contained shelves numbered 31201 to 31300, she precisely marked one shelf.
Wilfred felt a chill run down his spine, thinking she might know the location of every book in this vast library. It was said that even an elf couldn’t read all the books here in a single lifetime, so it seemed impossible, but still.
“By the way, Wilfred, I heard you ordered new equipment.”
“Uh, yes. But how did you know?”
“If the order goes through the guild, I can check the records. The ‘Electric Sheep’ armor should suit your fighting style. It’s pricey, but many veterans use it. Also, I noticed you submitted an exploration request outside of a quest recently. Was there a reason?”
As part of his Samurai training, Wilfred preferred taking quests where he could use his sword skills. This time, he went on a treasure hunt on a whim after being invited.
“The ‘Dancing Gears’ invited me. We submitted the exploration request together. We chatted over a meal at the canteen, and it just happened… The dungeon we explored was a dud, though.”
“I see. I heard Beggs, the leader of ‘Dancing Gears,’ has been going on explorations often since he found an ancient shield in a pre-war residence last year.”
“That’s right. He told me himself. … How do you remember so much about each adventurer?”
“It’s not that difficult. I oversee fewer than twenty adventurers.”
She said it casually, without any hint of boasting. Wilfred wondered if other administrators were as attentive to each adventurer as Catherine, but arguing about it seemed pointless.
He at least thought Catherine was amazing, no matter how she felt about herself.
As he glanced at her desk, curiosity piqued by what she was researching on her day off, his eyes caught a particularly ominous term, making him lean forward.
“… ‘Rose Princess of Hellrage’? This is…”
“It’s a document I obtained from the Khenis guild.”
The “Rose Princess of Hellrage” was a figure Wilfred had a deep connection with.
The silver-haired, silver-eyed child cursed and chased out of the royal palace. The tragic former princess.
During the chaos of Prince Hilbert II’s coup, she was wrongfully executed…
Falling into darkness with resentment and humiliation, she sold her soul to the Evil God, gained power, and used that power to destroy the kingdom.
However, she was ultimately defeated by the “Ciel-Terra Liberation Army” dispatched by the Holy Kingdom of Diletta.
Wilfred had heard stories about how she fled to the far eastern edge of Pangaea and caused a stir with the Khenis Empire.
Since Catherine didn’t seem to be hiding the materials, Wilfred began to read them.
Detailed tables listing troop numbers by unit type and records of battles with the Empire’s army were laid out meticulously.
“This feels more like military intelligence than just information about named monsters.”
“For monsters that build their own forces, what matters more than individual power is the troops they command. No matter how strong an individual monster is, it can be defeated. That’s why having a force is crucial. There aren’t many monsters that can change the map, but those that can all have armies.”
Catherine explained this with the calm precision she used during guild briefing sessions.
Her words, “change the map”, struck Wilfred deeply. Both he and Catherine were directly affected by such changes, their homeland of Ciel-Terra having been divided into East and West.
The catalyst for this was the undead army led by the “Rose Princess of Hellrage”.
“The number of monsters that can build such a force is limited. Besides the Demon King, there’s… the ‘Twilight Dragon King’ who commands rogue dragons, the ‘Duchess of the Abyss,’ the only known true Nosferatu confirmed by the guild, the rampaging ‘False Machine God’ created by a failed attempt at control by the Demon King, and the leader of the ‘Nightmare Syndicate’ that plagues the Republic, the ‘Corpse Dealer.’ And then…”
“The ‘Rose Princess of Hellrage’?”
“The Gireshtal Federation Guild rated the threat level of the ‘Rose Princess of Hellrage’ at 7. Even after falling under the jurisdiction of Khenis, it was only raised to 8. Since level 10 is practically reserved for the Demon King, and level 9 for the leaders of major factions, the guild doesn’t see her as that much of a threat. But I… personally believe she should be considered on par with them.”
What Catherine described were legendary monsters that had wreaked havoc during the great war that nearly annihilated humanity and continued to threaten them.
While their threat might not equal the Demon King’s, they were formidable enemies that even the Five Great Powers struggled with.
Catherine was comparing the “Rose Princess of Hellrage” to these entities.
“Indeed, she merely destabilized a small nation like Ciel-Terra, didn’t conquer it outright, and didn’t win against major forces like Noacurio or Khenis. So, perhaps she seems less threatening. But she harbors a potential threat.”
Catherine’s voice grew slightly faster.
Her tone was calm, like when she briefed adventurers on quest details, but there was something beneath the surface. She wasn’t even looking at Wilfred anymore.
“This is current information about the Gaisenfall Great Forest, now under the ‘Rose Princess of Hellrage’, and the surrounding three countries.”
She opened a booklet of compiled materials.
Inside were newspaper clippings and summaries of academic papers from the Empire and surrounding areas, collected and organized by Catherine.
As she began to turn the pages, Wilfred felt as if a hand was tightening around his throat. The documents, neatly categorized, were reports from individuals who had ‘infiltrated’ the territory of the ‘Rose Princess of Hellrage’.
“A ‘country where monsters don’t attack humans’… ‘commercial activity thriving in the great forest’… This is happening under the ‘Rose Princess of Hellrage’?”
People were no longer threatened by monsters or bandits outside their cities, leading to increased movement of people and goods.
Political corruption was eradicated, and both the poor and the nobility were judged fairly under the law.
Elf tribal societies were dismantled, introducing economic concepts and industries based on their natural magic and forest environment, supported by public funds.
A simple yet sincere policy led to prosperity.
If taken at face value, it was a story of a happy nation under a wise ruler.
The unbelievable part was that this country was ruled by monsters, with the ‘Rose Princess of Hellrage’ at its helm.
“Normally, monsters see humans as either food, slaves, or targets to kill. But the ‘Rose Princess of Hellrage’ is different. She governs with a carrot and stick approach, creating a fair and just rule. Perhaps even better than any human kingdom we know. She even ensures that kingdoms like the Kingdom of Lugarut retain their dignity as human states.”
“For what purpose is she doing this?”
“Because she believes it will make her nation wealthier and her troops stronger… probably. Imagine if such a nation one day turned its fangs on the human world. An army of soldiers willing to die… no, willing to fight even after death for their trusted leader is now being nurtured.”
Those words, formally speaking, merely expressed concerns about uncertain future possibilities, but to Wilfred, it felt as though Catherine had seen the future.
“The Rose Princess of Hellrage” was supposed to be a story from the past, both for the old Ciel-Terra and for the Gireshtal Federation and the Holy Kingdom of Diletta.
There were even rumors that some writer from the Federation was leisurely crafting an opera based on her tragedy.
But if things were going to unfold as Catherine said, it was far from over. The battle of “The Rose Princess of Hellrage” was just beginning.
And if only Catherine and he, who had heard her story, knew about it?
Wilfred shuddered.
“Moreover, she altered the strategic maps of various countries without spilling a single drop of blood by opening a path through the Ku-Lukal Mountains. Were there any other monsters that fought in such a manner? To find a comparable example, we would have to go back to the Great Demon King Army’s invasion that nearly annihilated humanity.”
“But… wasn’t the Cadennis Principality recently liberated? In the end, the Rose Princess of Hellrage couldn’t defeat the Imperial Army. At this rate, won’t she lose her dominion and be eradicated?”
Wilfred protested, not wanting to acknowledge his unease.
Wilfred had not been actively gathering information about “The Rose Princess of Hellrage” like Catherine, but he still kept up with international news.
According to that, seven years ago, “The Rose Princess of Hellrage” took control of the Gaisenfall Great Forest and the surrounding three countries. However, the Imperial Blue Army, which had been struggling with rebellions in the conquered countries, had recently finished all their tasks and turned their swords towards “The Rose Princess of Hellrage,” resulting in the Cadennis Principality being “liberated” by the Empire.
The Khenis Empire Army was the largest and strongest in the world.
Their tyrannical methods were often spoken of with fear and disgust by other countries, but their strength was an unassailable fact, and “The Rose Princess of Hellrage” had provoked their full might.
It was hard to believe that she could defeat the Khenis Empire Army, which even suppressed the movements of the Demon King. This was a prediction tinged with a slight hope.
However, Catherine shook her head.
“It doesn’t matter whether she wins or loses there. No matter what happens, she will return. To our snow-covered homeland. The Hilbert faction nobles who drove her to death are still alive, and the Holy Kingdom of Diletta, which expelled her, still holds influence… She will never forgive them.”
Catherine’s words were filled with an uncanny certainty.
Her voice was devoid of hope or wishful thinking, nor was it tainted with fear.
There was only a wistful melancholy, like a caress of the early winter wind on her cheeks.
“I have… always been waiting for that day.”
Before he knew it, Wilfred’s throat had gone dry.
