Our next stop was the Explorers’ Guild to purchase a choker for Dryad. The guild building, which I was visiting for the first time, looked surprisingly bureaucratic, like a government office.
However, stepping inside gave me the distinct feeling of entering another world. Everyone passing through wore armor and carried some form of weapon.
I’d heard that ever since the Explorer profession became widespread, the number of armed individuals had significantly increased.
Initially, this led to backlash, as it was difficult to distinguish Explorers from criminals. But once laws were passed to ensure that anyone brandishing a weapon in town would be swiftly apprehended, carrying arms, not wielding them, became the norm.
Of course, there are exceptions. If monsters spill out of a dungeon, those laws don’t apply.
In such cases, immediate action is required; otherwise, it wouldn’t be unusual for an entire nation to be wiped out.
No one knows exactly when dungeons first appeared.
Places that were once ordinary caves or ocean depths suddenly began to spawn monsters.
Even Japan’s natural World Heritage Sites—Shirakami Sanchi, Yakushima, Shiretoko, the Ogasawara Islands, and Amami Oshima—all have dungeons.
Naturally, Mount Fuji, Japan’s tallest mountain, also hosts a high-difficulty dungeon.
Perhaps these phenomena always existed, unnoticed until monsters began pouring out. Even now, the true cause remains a mystery.
Reports of destruction are common, and there are even small nations that have been wiped out entirely due to outbreaks of dungeon monsters.
With these dangers in mind, I held Dori’s hand tightly as we approached the reception desk, ensuring nothing happened to her.
「Ano, I’m looking for a choker to put on a monster.」
「A choker?」
The receptionist, a woman, pulled out several chokers for me to examine.
「We have a variety of sizes depending on the monster. Do you have any particular requirements?」
What she presented looked like collars for dogs or cats. Clearly, these weren’t suitable for a humanoid monster like Dori.
「Don’t you have anything else?」
「The chokers we manage here at the guild are limited to these, unfortunately.」
Monsters outside dungeons are required by law to wear chokers to signal that they’re not dangerous.
I had assumed that if any neckwear would suffice, a simple necklace could be used instead. However, chokers made for monsters are apparently designed with some special features.
When I spoke to someone about this recently, they explained as much.
Still, the idea of putting a collar on someone—even Dori—made me uncomfortable.
When I heard “choker,” I had imagined something cute, not these pet collars.
「I think I’ll pass for today.」
Turning to leave, I accidentally bumped into someone. The impact was so hard—likely due to their armor and solid build—that I almost stumbled backward.
「Hey, you alright there, kid?」
「Ah, sorry about that.」
Standing before me was a man with neatly trimmed black hair, looking like someone who might work in sales.
「Aren’t you the guy from those farming streams?」
「Huh!?」
「Ah, sorry about that. I noticed the dryad with you and guessed it might be you. Didn’t mean to bother you during your private time.」
Apparently, he was a viewer of my videos. I was startled to realize I had fans in such unexpected places.
It also made sense why some Explorers had been sneaking glances at us since we entered. Despite her slightly different appearance, Dori must have looked unmistakably like a dryad to them.
「You came to buy a choker, huh? Honestly, I can’t see a dryad pulling off one of those collars.」
The man seemed to share my thoughts on the matter.
「Come to think of it, I’ve heard about a workshop that makes handmade chokers. Supposedly, they craft some really cute ones, though they’re a bit pricey.」
He couldn’t recall the exact details on the spot but promised to send me the information through my streaming channel later.
Thanking him, I decided to head home.
Until I could get a proper choker for Dori, I resolved to keep an even closer eye on her.
「Fufufu, I knew papa-san was cute.」
A voice drifted from the Explorers’ Guild as I left, but I didn’t hear it.
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