Sōzoku Shita Sofu no Ie no Urayama ni Danjon ga Dekimashita

The Branch Manager Assigns Takuya

I had already submitted the report and was now waiting for instructions from headquarters.

The explorers at our branch just couldn’t handle the workload.

We did have one explorer with a record of defeating a lich—but he was only fifteen and still a minor.

I wanted to keep Takuya away from dangerous situations as much as possible.

So, I wrote the report carefully to keep his name out of it.

That’s when Takuya showed up, with Misuzu in tow.

They said they had been exploring the third basement floor and wanted to report their findings.

“What now?” I thought.

I listened as Takuya explained about the water spirit.

After hearing him out, I made up my mind.

Ordinary people can’t see spirits.

So I’d leave all spirit-related matters to Takuya.

If anything happened, I knew he’d come to me with a report.

We’d deal with it then.

To be honest, I had enough on my plate already.

Sorry, Takuya.

Then I got a call from the district headquarters.

It was an order from above.

They wanted us to send the explorer who defeated the lich to investigate the right-side wall on the second basement floor.

So, this is how it’s going to be.

Takuya was an explorer now.

By choosing that path, he accepted the dangers.

He couldn’t just refuse without a good reason.

And as the branch manager, I had no choice but to assign him.

I waited until the time I thought he would be done with school and home, then called him.

When he answered, I explained the situation and asked for his help.

He agreed immediately, saying, “Saturday, when school’s off, would be perfect!”

From the sound of it, he didn’t see this as dangerous at all.

He said the spirits were like family to him.

That must be why he trusted them so much.

I thanked him and ended the call.

Translator’s Notes:

Lich (リッチ): A powerful undead magic user, often a high-level dungeon boss or significant threat.
Spirit-related abilities: Ordinary humans can’t perceive or interact with spirits, which limits who can handle spirit-related dangers.
Takuya’s trust in spirits: Shows his unique affinity and confidence, setting him apart from other explorers.
Branch manager’s dilemma: Balancing orders from above with the safety of a young, valuable explorer.