Before the B-rank exam, I went to the dungeon every day to challenge some monsters, and I spent most of my time making maps. I also went to the orphanage twice a week to see how the kids were doing at work. I brought some sweet ingredients for the younger children and made cookies with them.
About two weeks later, when we reached the 23rd floor------
"Chise-san, Teto-san. The date of the B-rank examination has been set."
"Really?"
"Yes. Two weeks later, you will be exploring the dungeon's 21st floor and above for overnight camping spots with Arsus-san's party [Sword of the Dawn]. The period of time will be 3 days."
"Understood. So you'll see our planning through the dungeon's camping spots."
From then on, I went into the dungeon less often for the B-rank promotion test and spent more time getting ready for the dungeon stay.
Well, the preparation could be done with [Creation Magic] and if I bought it in town and stored it in a magic bag then, everything would be finished immediately so I spent most of my extra time in the orphanage.
Going to the guild on the day of the B-rank promotion test, the party of Arsus-san, who was serving as an examiner, was waiting.
"Arsus-san. Please look after us for the next three days so we can pass the B-rank promotion test."
"Please nodesu!"
"Oh, then let's talk about it right away."
Then, Arsus's party asked about the contents of the promotion exam. We spent three days exploring the dungeon and slept there to get a better idea of what was going on.
People were more likely to go crazy in a dungeon, especially if it was small and closed off, like a cave. So, it was meant to test more than just one's individual skills, like how you deal with fatigue, how you take breaks, how you search in the dungeon, and so on.
While the two groups talked about possible problems, a familiar child ran into the guild from the front door.
"Nee-chan, Chise-neechan! Help!"
"You are...an orphan? What's the matter, what happened?"
"Someone took my brother Dan!"
I did my best to stay calm so I could hear what the boy had to say.
Some of the groups of potion makers who went shopping for daily necessities were taken by adults to a back alley and was then kidnapped. Several people, including Dan, fought back, which gave the younger boy a chance to get away. He seems to have come to the guild to ask for help.
I asked the guild and the lord to keep an eye on the kids, but it seems like that was still not enough.
"I understand. Leave it to me"
"Jou-chan, are you going? What should be done about the test to move up to B-rank?"
Arsus-san was asking about the exam.
The test to move up to B-rank wasn't done very often because both A-rank and B-rank adventurers took it. If I missed this one, the next one might not happen for another two or three months.
Even then, I let a laugh out through my nose.
"That kind of thing doesn't matter. The most important thing is to make sure the children are safe as soon as possible."
It didn't matter if the promotion exam was delayed or if we gave up on getting promoted to B-rank.
Thinking that, when I looked back at Arsus-san, he suddenly laughed as if amused.
"Oi, Rafilia! Can't you find the children with your magic?"
"Good grief, what a slave driver------[Spirit, follow the children's path and lead us]!"
It looked like the elf, Rafilia-san was asking the wind spirit to find out where the kidnapped children were taken.
"If there's a flow of wind, it will search for us. We should be able to find them soon in this town."
"Thank you. But is this okay?"
Arsus-san gave me a big smile, even though I had turned down the B-rank promotion test.
"Our monk is from the church's orphanage. It's not just someone else's problem."
The priest-like man in Arsus-san's group pointed at himself with his thumb, while looking expressionless, as always.
"Besides, I'll be giving a favor to the jou-chans (Chise and Teto) with future prospects."
"I see, then... I'll do my best to pay you back as soon as possible."
We quickly came to an understanding, and it seemed like Rafilia-san's spirit magic soon found the place where the children had been taken.
The child from the orphanage who ran into the guild was seen by the staff, so they asked some other adventurers to send him away to stop other children from being taken.
"If you need expenses to move the adventurers, you can use this as you like."
"Wai-, Chise-san! Are you leaving your guild card! How much have you saved up to pull it out as you like!"
I told the guild staff to pay the request fee from my guild card in case of an emergency, and left the guild to help the children.
The speed at which Arsus-san, his company and Teto ran was hard even in my child's stride. Even with physical strength, it was hard to keep up, so I used flying magic to follow them through the town.
"So, where are the kids?"
"Maybe, there!"
The location to which the elf Rafilia was chasing, lead us to a warehouse district on the outskirts of town.
"The kids are here! At this distance, I can see Dan's mana!"
If I got close to the warehouse district, I could find the whereabouts of anyone I knew by sensing their mana. I looked around and found a very big warehouse. From the basement, I could feel the children's mana, including Dan's.
"There!"
"Majo-sama, it's dangerous to advance nodesu!"
"Oi, Jou-chan!"
I dove into the warehouse from a low height while still flying with magic.
"What the heck, are you---!
"You're in the way! --- [Stun]!"
"""Arghhh!"""
When I landed in the warehouse, the bad guys were holding onto their weapons. I used lightning magic that had been weakened to stop people in a large area, and the men screamed and fell to the ground.
"Where are the children? Spit it out!"
I grabbed one of the fallen men with my strength that had been increased with [Physical Strengthening].
"......I, I dun nohw"
(T/N: Translated it like this for readability, but he not only talks like a gangster, but he's also slurring, because lightning magic)
I stopped his body from moving but didn't stop him from talking, but he still didn't answer.
"B-But isn't it just that..."
For the guy who complained about my stale threat, I released mana to intimidate him this time.
"I'll say it again! Where are the children!"
The men trembled at the intimidation overwhelmingly released by a human with a mana of over 10,000
"J-just spare our lives. W-we're just hired hands."
Right as I was trying to get information from the rogues who were begging for their lives under my coercion, Teto and Arsus-san's party caught up.
"Jou-chan, don't get too far ahead!...is what I'd like to say, but you've already suppressed these guys"
"Oi, these guys are a gang!"
"[Sword of the Dawn] came over too...it's over"
When the rogues saw that Arsus-san and his group had caught up, their hearts trembled from fear and they quickly surrendered.
As expected, was that the brand name of an A-rank party?
"......So, then, where are the children?"
"The children are in the basement. But we don't have the key to open the door of the magic tool. The boss manages everything! We just give them food and water through the window so they don't starve."
When Arsus-san and the others tied the men up with ropes and asked where the children were, those words came back. And from such a close distance, you could hear the voices of children with the wind magic [Whisper].
Sobs were heard from the closed door, as if trying to suppress their anxiety and fear and encouraging voices could be heard. I felt a strong anger at the ones who drove those bright and kind children into such a situation.
"Ah, Majo-sama, you look pretty mad, nodesu."
"Yeah, I'm so angry right now that I want to burn these guys to ashes."
The detained men were frightened once again by the mana I released, and as soon as I saw such an appearance I lost interest.
"If the entrance from the basement isn't open, just make another one---[Whisper]"
If the children's voices were carried by the wind, I could also send my voice back.
"Ah, mic test, mic test. Can you hear me, Dan?"
'Chise-nee!? Where? Where are you?'
"I'm right above the basement where you guys are. I'll help you guys right away, so could you move to the corner of the room?"
"O-okay!"
With [Earth Sonar], a spell that sent waves of magic to the basement, I could see how the basement was built and how people moved around in it. Since the kids were huddled in one corner, this should be fine.
(T/N: Author didn't actually put it in the usual skill brackets, 《《》》, but I'm guessing it's a skill. Probably.)
"Then, Teto. Let's go"
"Yes nanodesu!"
"Oi, Jou-chans, what are you------[Hole]!"
Teto and I both put our hands on the floor of the warehouse at the same time to change its shape. A strange sound of bogon happened, and Teto and I created a large hole that allowed us to get directly into the room where the children were.
"Well, then, let's go. Nice meeting you guys!"
"Going together~ nodesu!"
"Wai-, for real?!"
I told Arsus-san and the others to take care of those bad group of people, and then jumped straight down the hole I had just made while holding hands with Teto.
Using flying magic to descend slowly to the point it became dim, it looked to be a well-equipped prison cell.
"Dan, we've come to help."
"We've come to pick you up nodesu! Let's return before everyone worries nodesu!"
"Chise-nee, Teto-nee......"
The ceiling to the dark room suddenly opened, and as the light shined from the sky, the children gathered towards my direction in the corner of the room.
And as they realized that the person who came down from the hole was me, perhaps the children's tensions disappeared as they ran up to us.
The children who had been sobbing to suppress their fear until now started crying from relief when Teto and I, their unmistakable guardians, appeared.
Five of the children who were taken were the kids who knows how to concoct and how to make paper, and three of them were younger.
Teto and I gave each of them a hug to make them feel better.
I healed the wounds of those children who were injured by those rough people while resisting during the kidnapping with recovery magic.
And after a while, when they had calmed down, I suggested escaping.
"Then, let's head back to the orphanage."
"Chinese-nee, hold on. It looks like there are other people who were also caught besides us. Please, help them."
I was a little worried when Dan told me that.
The kids are already safe, and Arsus-san and his group were also in charge of the top. Among them, soldiers and other adventurers who like to take risks would join them to help and bring the kidnapping case under control.
But------
"Alright. But absolutely do not leave my side."
Having said that, I confirmed the structure of the room again.
The magic door couldn't be opened from the inside and the basement walls were thick, but not thick enough for it to not be broken.
"--- [Hole]!"
I ignored the basement doors one after another and made holes in the wall.
And it looked like various people were kidnapped in each cell, from children to adults, so I released them all.
"Then, let's go up."
With a total of 20 kidnapped people, I went back to the surface, where the guards, the guild master of the adventurer guild, and a few other people were gathered. I left the guards and the adventurer guild master to deal with the rest of the kidnapping case and took the children back from the orphanage.
