Volume 10 Chapter 4 A Desperate Struggle
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The one who appeared was Guild Master Roswitha-san.
She was a mature woman with noticeable white hair, possessing sharp eyes and a somewhat terrifying appearance.
Furthermore, she possessed the grit to stab her own arm without a second thought if the situation ever required it.
She completely embodied the image of someone who was exceptionally strict with her work.
”I cannot overlook a blatant lie,” Roswitha said. “A Department Head does not have the authority to expel a B-Rank Adventurer. You should be well aware of that.”
”Tch… So that’s how it is,” Randolph muttered.
”Even if that authority existed, as the Guild Master, I would overturn that decision.”
”The opponent is merely a single Adventurer, though?” Randolph argued.
”His number of monster deliveries is several times that of an average B-Rank Adventurer,” Roswitha replied. “His contribution to the Guild through selling materials is on par with an A-Rank. He contributes far more than a work-hating Department Head.”
”……”
Randolph remained silent, but anyone could see that he was completely seething. It seemed he had indeed noticed that he was being targeted by her comments, having been scolded for various things on a regular basis.
”By the way, you were making quite a racket just now. I wonder what all the commotion is about,” Roswitha remarked.
”It is nothing major,” Randolph replied.
”I wonder why you were shouting so loudly if it was nothing major?” Roswitha asked.
”…I was simply confirming the misconduct of a subordinate staff member,” Randolph said. “In the process, an unrelated outsider chimed in, so I merely warned them.”
Randolph glanced over at us, attempting to exert his Intimidation Skills¹ while delivering his answer to Roswitha-san. He was clearly trying to silently tell us not to say anything unnecessary.
Of course, it didn’t have the slightest effect on me. If it had been a Surprise Attack² it might have been a different story, but since it was a Skill he had already openly used right in front of our eyes, I had already granted resistance to Dietlinde-san as well.
”I see,” Roswitha said. “Daisuke, is that the truth?”
”Uh, well…” I stammered.
”Guild Master!” Randolph interrupted. “I will handle the misconduct within my own department. I will take full responsibility and pass judgment, so please leave this place to me.”
”So you are insisting that this is a trivial matter that does not even require my involvement,” Roswitha countered.
”Precisely as you say,” Randolph answered.
Randolph interrupted my words and answered with a highly confident expression, but Roswitha-san was not that soft.
”Criminal acts such as fraud against Adventurers and clients, document forgery, fraudulent obstruction of business against colleagues, and defamation,” Roswitha listed. “Furthermore, actions that significantly degrade Guild credibility are direct violations of employment regulations. If you call these trivial matters, you are also a criminal for harboring a culprit and destroying evidence.”
”What?! You trapped me!” Randolph shouted.
I had already grasped the situation using my various perception Skills, but Roswitha-san had been nearby and listening to the conversation almost from the very beginning. Whether she was intentionally letting him run free until she secured undeniable evidence, or if she was genuinely hoping for a fair ruling on his part, I couldn’t say for sure.
”I wonder what you mean by saying I trapped you?” Roswitha asked.
”…No, despite knowing the truth, confirming it on purpose is incredibly ill-natured,” Randolph muttered. “However, the personnel authority of general staff lies strictly with the Department Head. Even if you are the Guild Master, sticking your nose into it is an abuse of authority.”
The Adventurer’s Guild seemed to operate on a job-based employment system. That meant there appeared to be no traditional human resources department. Since Civil Servants like Yuko and Zofie-san enjoyed a lifetime employment system, the workplace cultures between them seemed entirely different.
”If you are not involved in criminal acts, that is correct,” Roswitha stated.
”Guh… So, that’s how it is,” Randolph groaned.
”And the personnel authority of the Department Head lies with the Guild Master,” Roswitha reminded him. “In order to confirm that you are not a Department Head who hushes up misconduct, including crimes, I will be sitting in on this. …Unfortunately, Randolph, it seems you only choose to remember the parts that are convenient for you.”
”……”
Randolph sank back into silence. It looked like he had completely run out of arguments to throw back at her. Letting his sour attitude show the exact second things turned against him was an incredibly childish habit of his. When he was young, he might have been spoiled and forgiven for it, but he was a fully grown adult now—frankly speaking, he was just a deeply unappealing, pathetic middle-aged man. It was thoroughly embarrassing to watch.
”Now then, it appears that Henriette is our culprit,” Roswitha noted.
”Guild Master, this is a massive misunderstanding! I didn’t do it!” Henriette cried out.
”The evidence is right there, isn’t it? I fail to see what could possibly be misunderstood,” Roswitha said.
”There is absolutely no way that some incomprehensible thing like Fingerprints³ can be taken seriously as evidence!” Henriette shrieked. “This whole thing is completely fabricated! Dietlinde-senpai clearly crawled into Daisuke-san’s bed and used her body to seduce him just so she could frame me!”
Whether because she was utterly consumed by blind panic, Henriette didn’t even realize that her wild accusation was completely contradicting her previous statements. Moreover, she was aggressively using her own name to introduce her presence again.
”It is certainly true that the concept of Fingerprints is not common knowledge,” Roswitha mused.
”See?! Then it can’t possibly be used as real evidence!” Henriette agreed.
”To verify that, let us first establish the validity and reliability of Fingerprints as a legitimate investigative method,” Roswitha countered.
”Eh…?” Henriette gasped.
Henriette showed a gleeful smile for a single fraction of a second, but her joy was entirely premature. Naturally so.
”Daisuke, is that chemical solution something that cannot be used unless combined with some kind of specialized magic?” Roswitha asked.
”No,” I explained. “The way the fingerprints materialize is entirely due to the natural chemical properties of the solution itself. Absolutely anyone can use it.”
”In that case, is it possible to manipulate it so that only specific Fingerprints appear, or conversely, to intentionally hide certain prints?” Roswitha inquired.
”No, that’s impossible,” I replied. “If a print remains on the surface, every single one of them will react and show up. However, fingerprints are relatively fragile and can be wiped away quite easily if the surface is rubbed.”
”I see. Let us test each of those points experimentally, then,” Roswitha decided.
I was systematically asked various questions by Roswitha-san, which made perfect sense if she intended to officially accept this as formal proof. Randolph clearly lacked the basic intelligence for this kind of work since he hadn’t checked any of these critical points, and Henriette was far too deeply shaken for her mind to function at that level.
”Humu… It is exactly as Daisuke says,” Roswitha noted. “If a surface isn’t rubbed clean, about how long do these Fingerprints manage to persist?”
”I don’t know the exact details, but it largely depends on environmental conditions,” I answered. “On materials that naturally retain oils well, they can actually remain for decades. But even on regular paper like this, I think about a month should be fine.”
”Then, is there any possibility that Dietlinde’s Fingerprints naturally disappeared from the document this time?” Roswitha asked.
”Considering it’s been less than a week since the paperwork was handled, no. There is absolutely zero chance of that,” I confirmed.
”Could it be possible that Dietlinde’s Fingerprints disappeared because this specific page happened to be rubbed intensely by accident?” Roswitha continued.
”Given that Henriette-san’s Fingerprints are still perfectly and vividly preserved on the page, we can safely rule that out as an impossibility,” I explained.
”Is there any known method to handle or create documents without leaving a single fingerprint behind?” Roswitha questioned.
”IT’s entirely possible if you wear gloves,” I stated. “However, if someone were walking around doing paperwork in gloves when it isn’t even winter, they would stand out tremendously. Besides, that’s hardly an action someone would take when they didn’t even know fingerprints existed until a few minutes ago.”
”Is it possible for one person’s fingerprints to perfectly match another’s?” Roswitha asked.
”The mathematical probability is low, but it is theoretically possible,” I said. “I’ve heard that the false acceptance rate—the odds of mistaking an entirely different person’s prints for the actual individual—is roughly one in ten million. Since the total number of Guild staff capable of being involved in this matter is a few dozen people at most, an accidental match is practically impossible. If anyone is still skeptical, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to just collect prints from every single employee to check.”
”I see. While we can thoroughly verify the long-term residue properties at a later date, there appears to be absolutely no flaw in using this method to identify the true culprit,” Roswitha concluded.
Roswitha-san finished her meticulous cross-examination, completely satisfied that the validity of the evidence was entirely beyond reproach.
”Now then, Henriette, do you have any actual defense to offer against this?” Roswitha asked.
”I was framed by someone! Dietlinde-senpai set me up!” Henriette cried. “She’s trying to tear me down as a malicious act of revenge because of our past drama!”
”Do you possess a single shred of proof that can validate that claim?” Roswitha inquired.
”Tch… S-Some kind of mistake! I’m telling you, I didn’t do it!” Henriette stammered.
”In a situation where the physical evidence is already this absolute, your desperate denials are entirely untenable,” Roswitha stated.
”Guild Master, while this ‘Fingerprints’ business certainly indicates Henriette’s involvement, utilizing this as formal evidence is an entirely unprecedented move,” Randolph interjected. “Just as this guy… this Daisuke fellow mentioned earlier, I believe we need to proceed with extreme caution and properly lend an ear to her side of the story.”
”Certainly, that argument does carry a certain amount of logical weight,” Roswitha agreed.
As expected of Roswitha-san. She possessed the deep administrative caution required to not make a definitive judgment based strictly on a single piece of novel evidence like Fingerprints. Randolph was desperately picking a quarrel to stall for time, but it didn’t matter in the slightest.
Or rather, in her unhinged panic, Henriette had basically just openly confessed to the fact that she had been actively harassing Dietlinde-san in the past. It was exactly what I had predicted from the start.
”In that case, I have a proposal,” I said, stepping forward. “We can verify the absolute truth right here, reliably, and with barely any administrative burden at all.”
”And what would that be?” Roswitha asked.
”Daisuke-san! I knew it, you’re finally stepping up to help me!” Henriette exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.
”…Whether this ends up helping you or not is entirely dependent on you, Henriette-san,” I replied coldly.
”What… What is that supposed to mean…?” Henriette muttered.
”What I am officially proposing is an ‘Oath to the Gods⁴‘,” I announced.
”What…!” Henriette gasped.
”Are you completely out of your mind?!” Randolph roared.
Both Henriette and Randolph were left entirely speechless, frozen in pure shock. For the inhabitants of this world, a divine Oath was a profoundly terrifying concept that carried immense, literal weight; people practically never risked invoking one unless they were pushed to the absolute brink. It demanded a level of sheer, terrifying resolution that made signing your life away as a joint guarantor for a catastrophic debt look like child’s play. Well, it meant that much resolution was necessary.
”You miserable outsider! Keep your mouth shut and stay out of our affairs!” Randolph bellowed.
”An outsider, even at this late stage? Fine. In that case, as an official victim of financial fraud, I am formally accusing the culprit of a crime,” I stated. “With this, I am officially a legal party to this investigation. Since you firmly believe that it hasn’t been proven that Henriette-san is the culprit, then allowing me to file a formal complaint against an unknown perpetrator shouldn’t cause any issues for you at all, right?”
”You absolute piece of…!” Randolph growled.
Unable to forcefully remove me from the equation as he intended, Randolph’s face turned a violent, explosive shade of dark red. The thick blue stubble covering his jawline stood out vividly against his flushed skin, making him look profoundly grotesque.
”While Daisuke’s formal accusation is a legal right that we have no authority to interfere with, a divine Oath is not something to be invoked lightly,” Roswitha noted.
”Of course, I am fully aware of that, Guild Master. If we simply forced someone to swear to ‘never tell a single lie,’ it would completely ruin their ability to function in daily life. Human beings naturally rely on social white lies to keep relationships smooth, or just to crack a joke. However, if we strictly limit the parameters of the Oath to a specific location, time, and target, the collateral damage is virtually nonexistent. For example, we can phrase it as: ‘I swear to speak the absolute truth strictly in response to questions regarding the recent financial misconduct in this room,’ or ‘until the true culprit is legally verified’.”
”If formulated in that manner, it is entirely viable,” Roswitha agreed. “Henriette, if you are truly innocent, you can easily prove it to the entire room right now by simply taking the Oath.”
”Henriette… I know you won’t like it, but you should take the Oath right here,” Randolph urged.
”I refuse! Such treatment like a common criminal is completely unjust!” Henriette shrieked.
Not only Roswitha-san, but even Randolph—who seemed to genuinely, naively believe in her innocence until this exact second—was now actively pressuring Henriette to take the Oath, but Henriette naturally refused. But her pathetic, futile struggle had officially reached its absolute limit.
”Henriette-san, are you swearing to this room that you had absolutely no involvement in this financial malfeasance and criminal act, and that you were entirely framed by someone else?” I asked.
”Yes! That’s exactly what I’m saying!” Henriette asserted.
”Well, that is an absolute ‘lie’.”
”Eh? Who said that?!” Henriette cried out, spinning around.
”Who the hell are you?!” Randolph shouted. “Don’t let some random extra from the sidelines shout irresponsible nonsense in this room!”
”Nice to meet you all. I am Inquisitor Haida,” a calm voice echoed through the room. “I arrived after receiving a report that people are currently wrangling over the true culprit of a fraudulent act.”
”An… An Inquisitor… you say,” Randolph stammered.
”No… This can’t be…” Henriette whimpered.
The person I had been waiting for this entire time had finally arrived. I had secretly requested Grete ahead of time to go and fetch them the absolute moment things kicked off.
===
Meta Tsedes: “Wait, is there an actual, legitimate reason why Randolph detests Dietlinde so intensely?”
Narrator: “Oh, absolutely. Randolph previously proposed making Dietlinde his secret mistress, and she flatly rejected him on the spot.”
Meta Tsedes: “Wow, so this entire bureaucratic crusade is literally just a pathetic, petty grudge?!”
Narrator: “Exactly that.”
Meta Tsedes: “By the way, why did Dietlinde refuse?”
Narrator: “Ah, the specific reasons for that will be revealed at a later date.”
Meta Tsedes: “Ugh, a cliffhanger! Talk about milking it!”
—
Summary:
Roswitha systemically dismantles Randolph’s administrative defense before shifting the interrogation onto the forensic evidence of fingerprints. Under immense structural pressure, Daisuke ups the ante by suggesting an absolute conditional Oath to the Gods. Just as Henriette aggressively refuses, a new authority cracks open the room
—
Trivia:
- The administrative framework contrasts structural civil servants with the job-based employment structure of the Adventurer’s Guild.
- Daisuke intentionally pre-applied dynamic magical resistances to Dietlinde to buffer against Randolph’s specific Intimidation skill sets
—
Character Insight:
Randolph thoroughly sheds his bureaucratic superiority, degenerating into physical and verbal grotesque behavior when his structural authority over general staff personnel matters is blocked by formal legal challenges.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Roswitha – A stately, sharp-eyed woman in her sixties with iron-gray hair in a crown bun, the Guild Master (Royal Capital Branch Manager) commands absolute authority. Wearing high-collared, silver-embroidered crimson robes, her terrifying, strict presence silences arguments. She enforces rigid regulations against misconduct to preserve guild credibility, compromising only to avoid brawls and brooking no nonsense.
• Randolph – A short, burly bear-type Beastman with a thick fur ruff, blue beard, and permanent scowl, this middle-aged Department Head of the Guild’s Quest Mediation Division wears a tailored coat with gold epaulettes and carries a ceremonial mace. Authoritarian and arrogant toward Daisuke and subordinates, the lazy old guy refuses to work and is blackmailed by Henriette, who exploits his weaknesses.
• Dietlinde – A tall, broad-shouldered sheep-beastwoman with elegantly curved horns, straight platinum hair in a severe bun, pale gray eyes, and faint woolly patches at her collar. Stoic yet professional despite ailments, this Royal Capital guild receptionist cleared her name of a past forgery frame-up and forgave Henriette’s assault. She uses Water Magic and secretly loves Daisuke for his fatigue magic.
• Daisuke – Daisuke, a lean, cynical late-twenties Japanese reincarnate and Level 85 B-Rank adventurer, has tousled dark hair, amber eyes, and practical leather armor. Seeking to avoid standing out despite having 3,500 base ability scores, he uses Wind Magic, an Item Box, a spear, and modern forensic skills to hunt monsters and expose Guild corruption. Pragmatic yet affectionate, the former NEET manages a harem including Gerta, Elisa, Regina, Cassandra, and Dietlinde through expert cooking and care.
• Zofie – She is a calm, kind beast‑woman civil servant, about 165 cm tall with long indigo hair and a standard build. A rare friend of Mercedes, she’s recently engaged and works in an office handling monster‑damage restoration.
• Yuko – A 17-year-old female transferee, reincarnated from a 40-year-old Earth civil servant, stands 160 cm with a standard build, sporting a half-up hairstyle and thin chest armor. Once a tech-track professional, she now serves as Lady Xaveria’s apprentice, bitterly complaining about her low social status and toxic workplace, exhibiting parasitic tendencies Daisuke—her former colleague from Earth—recognizes all too well. Polite yet lethargic, with poor etiquette, she struggles with entitlement and isolation, excluded from peer groups by her elitist mindset and unresolved stress from her past life.
• Henriette – A petite, high-spirited dog-like beastman guild clerk (~160 cm) with drooping eyes, floppy ears, and bouncing chestnut curls in a frilly blouse and vest. Deeply money-loving and manipulative, she used a flirtatious facade to offload tasks onto her boss, Randolph, who favored her until cutting her loose. Now facing criminal enslavement for document forgery, client fraud, assault, and defamation, her loyalty wavered under pressure. She rejects Thomas’s advances and likes Daisuke.
• Haida – An Inquisitor who looks like an ordinary, middle-aged woman, arriving at the Guild to settle a dispute over a fraudulent act. Responsible for conducting formal interrogations and evaluating criminal intentionality, she possesses the unique ‘Insight’ ability to verify the truth of statements, defining her authoritative and investigative relationship with the suspects involved.
• Grete – Grete is a freckled, auburn-haired junior clerk and D-rank spear tank with a playful, diabolical smile. As the bright, affectionate PR specialist for the ‘Lovers’ party, she wins everyone over and lives in Daisuke’s household as an aspiring lover. She acts as his highly well-informed companion, gathering information daily and monitoring the ability scores and tier statuses of surrounding combatants.
• Meta Tsedes – A statuesque knight with raven hair, amber eyes, and polished armor, she serves as a dramatic commentator who analyzes and reacts to events involving Daisuke-sama. Her voice is honeyed yet venomous. Driven by an unshakable, highly flexible loyalty to the Order’s code, she frequently prompts conversations and questions the actions of others, filtering narrative events through her sharp perspective.
• Meta – 160 cm curvy mid‑20s priestess, straight blonde hair, warm pink aura, high‑waisted robes highlighting large breasts. Former man‑hating duchess turned divorcee, now radiates borderline‑religious devotion to Daisuke, knows his preferences, stays cold toward other men, and speaks in long, manic praise of his might. Eloquent adventurer who became his lover after he saved her and mediates the party. Meta, normally obedient, follows Daisuke’s orders, offers factual commentary on his deeds, notes Clarissa‑san’s popularity and likens her to Mercedes‑chan, enjoys intimate service like shaving play, having moved past her former husband.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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