The tower loomed over Rhyx. The setting sun cast a long shadow over him, and Rhyx had a hard time making out the details having spent all day in sunlight. The evening gust sent a shiver down his spine. He wasn't afraid. Not really.

  Definitely not. The tower was just an ordinary guard structure, after all, and he was here on official business. He approached the front door gingerly, and went inside. The guard on duty was grubby looking and it didn't reflect well on the city.

  Did he come off some sort of punishment duty?

  "What do you want?" the guard asked sourly.

  "Oh, erm," Rhyx hesitated, then pulled himself up and said in a clear voice, "I'm Rhyx of the Isekai Task Force, here on official business."

  The guard raised one eyebrow speculatively.

  "On official business, indeed?" the guard said.

  His tone was quite mocking. Rhyx flustered, then steeled himself.

  "I'm here to report the destruction of an isekai protagonist, and the presence of a few bandits," he said.

  The guard rubbed his chin.

  "Death of an isekai protagonist?" the guard said. "Yes, that would normally go to the commander himself. And bandits? Are they dead too?"

  "No," Rhyx replied dejectedly. "We left them alive."

  The guard's eyes lit up.

  "Ah, so you do things properly, aye?" he said.

  Rhyx only nodded.

  "Follow me," the guard said and stood up.

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  Surprising Rhyx, the guard did not head upstairs, but out back into the city. Rhyx followed him in silence. The guard's grubby armor now showed marks of recent scuffles; something Rhyx has missed in the dim light inside. It was quite obvious even in the fading daylight of the city.

  Not far off, they came to a well tended private residence, and the guard knocked on the front door. A well dressed man in civilian clothes opened the door.

  "Sir, this is Rhyx of the Isekai Task Force, here to report," the guard said.

  "Ah, well." The man looked Rhyx up and down. "Well, you better come in then. See you tomorrow sergeant."

  The sergeant saluted, and went on his way. Rhyx followed the man inside, all the way into a neat home office, with military literature on the bookshelves, and maps on the walls.

  Having seated himself behind his desk, and Rhyx likewise in front, the man introduced himself.

  "I'm Commander Worth, and you are again?" he said.

  "Rhyx, here with Captain Actaion."

  The commander nodded.

  "And you defeated an isekai protagonist?" he said.

  "Yes sir," Rhyx said.

  "Tell me everything."

  "And then we hit him on the head with a trebuchet, and splattered him all over the bandits. They just ran away." Rhyx concluded.

  The sun had long since sat, and the office was now lit with candles.

  "I see," the commander said. "What can you tell me about the bandits?"

  "Well," Rhyx hesitated for a bit. "There are only five of them. They live in a cave nearby, and usually waylay travelers at the imperial highway. They have a hiding spot next to it."

  "And you know all this from scrying?" Worth said.

  "Yes, I found, and observed them for a few days once the isekai protagonist said he'd 'fix the problem.'"

  The commander raised both eyebrows quizzingly.

  "Oh," Rhyx continued, "it wasn't hard -- I just used a different scrying pool while continuing to monitor the protagonist."

  "And do you know where they are right now?" the commander asked.

  "No, but I can show you. I just need a metal bowl with some water in it."

  The commander rang for a servant. Rhyx looked around the room, trying to discern the maps and book titles in the flickering candle light.

  "Ah, you like my book collection?" Worth said.

  "I, I don't know," Rhyx said in honesty. "I'm not sure what they're about."

  "Military tactics, and history of the region, mostly," said the commander. "The other books are encyclopedias of various kinds, and who's who."

  "Erm --" Rhyx hesitated "-- I usually read books about magic, and stories of adventurers," he said.

  "Not much of that here, I'm afraid," the commander said. "Only an encyclopedia of magic, and I'm sure you know all of that."

  "Probably," Rhyx said.

  A servant girl entered the room.

  "You rang?" she said.