―At the same time, Yuuri and Walter encountered the Chaos Slime.

In the reception room of the Adventurers' Guild, four people were sitting on the sofa.

Each group of three people is separated into pairs, sitting across from each other at the table.

One side of them, the side of the [Four Symbols of the Fine Weather], was made up of three people, excluding the "Crimson Swordmaster" Ceres Summer, who said, "It's too much trouble," and didn't come.

At the opposite seat sat a man in his forties with a ruggedly handsome face, Levine Geonelstar, the guild master of this adventurer's guild, sitting alone.

After hearing the details of the situation, Levine was holding his head as he began to speak.

"So, what you're saying is... there's someone who defeated the Sky Dragon, which even the town's only S-rank party, the [Four Symbols of the Fine Weather] couldn't handle in an instant?"

The one who nodded in response to that question was a girl with beautiful, long, golden hair, Alicia, the party leader known as "Radiant Blade."

"Yes, probably."

"...The Sky Dragon is an S-rank monster, you know? I can't believe there's someone who could defeat it in an instant..."

"I'm sorry to hear that you're shocked, but... it might be too early to be surprised."

"What?"

Levine sent a questioning look to Alicia, wondering if there was even more shocking information.

Receiving that, Alicia looked at the blue-haired girl next to her, Monica, the "Sage of Blue."

"Actually, after the battle, I had Monica join us and examine the Sky Dragon's corpse."

"I see. Indeed, if it's the Sage, it would be possible to trace the true identity from the remnants of the remaining magical power... So, what was the result?"

"Nothing happened."

"Huh?"

"There was no trace of magic left at all. Perhaps, the Sky Dragon was defeated without using any magic."

"...W-wait, wait, wait. Is that even possible!?"

Levine had been listening to Monica's explanation as he stood up on the spot in astonishment.

To those who don't know the situation, their flustered state might seem foolish, but Alicia and the others never laugh at them.

No traces of magical power remain after battle, meaning that not using magic when fighting monsters was simply unthinkable for them.

"Of course, I know that there are combat methods in the world that do not use the magical power called fighting spirit. So, just to be sure, I asked Ceres, the only one among us who can use fighting spirit, if they could defeat the Sky Dragon using only fighting spirit..."

"Defeat an S-rank monster with just fighting spirit? No way, no way. Fighting spirit is fundamentally based on magical power, and it only reaches its full potential when the two are used together. No matter how skilled they were, they could at best reach C-rank with just fighting spirit."

When she told him that she received such a response, Levine nodded slightly.

"Of course. It's almost impossible to defeat an S-rank monster without using magic. But if that's the case, the only other possibility is... that it's due to a special skill that doesn't leak magic outside."

"...That, that's the most likely possibility, isn't it?"

The one who expressed agreement with Levine's hypothesis was Tio, the "Guardian of Jade," who had remained silent until now.

There is a reason why Tio confidently said that.

She is one of the few people in this world with multiple skills, and among them are those that do not leak magical power to the outside, as mentioned earlier.

Of course, since it is a skill, it still requires magical power when used, but it is possible to attack without leaving any traces of magical power.

Anyway, the common understanding among everyone present was that the Sky Dragon was defeated by an attack using a special skill.

However, they still don't know anything about the crucial identity or purpose with just this.

If only a well-meaning passerby with strength had taken it down... but the most troublesome scenario is when the one with the skill is a demon or a monster.

If an existence with power surpassing that of the Sky Dragon is merely wielding their power on a whim, there's nothing they can do about it.

Levine was exhausted from thinking, as he took a sip of the cold coffee he had brewed a few minutes ago to catch his breath.

Then, he suddenly remembered something.

"The without-magical-power one I just registered earlier would have made things easier if that were the case..."

"Without magical power? What do you mean?"

"Ah, actually―"

In response to Alicia's mutter, Levine began to speak while thinking it might be good to shift to a slightly different topic.

Just a few hours ago, a young man came to the guild to register as an adventurer.

However, that young man had an incredibly rare lack of magical power, making the registration process a real struggle.

In front of Levine, who spoke in a light-hearted manner that seemed to ease the atmosphere, Alicia trembled silently.

"What's wrong, Radiant Blade? Do you need to use the restroom?"

"No! Why have you kept such an important thing a secret until now!? A power that appeared at this timing without any magical power is a super important witness?!"

"No, no, didn't we just conclude that they can't win against an S-rank without magic? Plus, from what I heard when Walter was chatting with that guy like usual, it seems he doesn't have any combat experience with monsters either."

"That might just be a lie... Tio."

"...Haa, it can't be helped."

Hearing Alicia's call, Tio slightly exasperatedly runs her fingers through her hair.

Then, a long ear with a pointed tip peeked out.

She was an elf. And among them, she possessed the skill of "Truth Detection," which only a select few could use.

In front of her, they can never lie intentionally.

If she asks that person, "Did you defeat the dragon?" everything will become clear in an instant.

"But it's unusual, isn't it? For Alicia to be so desperate. Are you that curious about their true identity?"

"Y-Yes, that is true, but..."

She is aware that she is a bit ahead of herself.

Even so, if the person who helped them back then is nearby, she wants to meet them in person and express her gratitude.

That was now the main reason driving Alicia.

And then, somehow, Alicia and the others managed to get the name of that person from Levine, but―

"...Yuuri?"

―Surprisingly, the first to react to that name was Monica, who had shown little interest until now.

Chapter 15: Rumor of Without Magical Power [Four Symbols of the Fine Weather] Side