“Then Hero Derus, we will definitely, definitely meet again, okay?”
“Y-yes, again, okay.”
In the morning, we see off the group of dwarves as they leave the Moonlight Hotel.
“Derus, that settles things for now.”
“Yes, uh, thank you for all your help.”
I don’t want to remember last night, but it’s a fact.
Whether the Undead Dance Dragon’s magic stone can be turned into a high-grade crystal is something they can only tell by examining the actual item.
(They said they’d get paid the same, whether they succeed or not.)
Regarding this, after consulting with the Adventurer Guild, if it becomes an official request from the Guild Master of this entire region to the Dwarf Country, Mariu’s husband himself might accept it, but…
(The condition that he wants ‘to continue a personal relationship with me’ includes far too much.)
There was intense negotiation between Nina, who wanted to put the details in writing, and Mariu, who wanted to leave it vague and open to interpretation through a verbal agreement. In the end, it was settled with “limited to what Mariu and I agree upon”…
“Still, Derus, that dwarf had a terrifying look on his face when the promise was made.”
“Yes, when I agreed, he had a triumphant look.”
Clarice hugs me tightly.
“I suspect he judged that he could exploit Derus-sama’s kindness as much as he wanted.”
“Uh, Clarice, you also helped me.”
“Well, we are engaged, after all, so this much is natural, isn’t it?”
After the negotiations, we went to bed. My head!
I don’t want to remember it at all, but since Nina, Clarice, and Anju also participated last night, the mental damage was minimized. No, let’s just stop talking about it, it’s over now, so for now.
“Derus, I’m going to the Adventurer Guild right now to sort things out.”
“Ah, yes, I think they’ll probably agree to it.”
“At worst, we might lose our share, but are you okay with that?”
Honestly, there’s nothing to gain. A magic stone from the Undead Dance Dragon, comparable to one of the Seven Great Demon Lords, processed into a high-grade appraisal crystal and then bought by the Adventurer Guild. Depending on the negotiations, it might sell for a high price, but if it becomes our request, they might treat it as a donation. If we go through all that, the only thing we’ll gain is the ability to formally expose the lies of the Evil Heroine Korome.
(I was also a victim, so I might be a little stubborn about it.)
“There is certainly the risk of losing the magic stone and failing the processing, but that cannot be helped.”
“I see. Understood.”
“Even if it fails, it won’t completely disappear, and as long as we’re alive, we can always recover.”
This is what Ric, my older sister, often told Illion, my older brother, who was frail.
“As long as you’re alive, things will work out. You can manage, and maybe someone will help you.”
At the time, I thought relying on others was a bit much, but I think it’s a good saying: don’t give up hope even if you can’t do something yourself. It’s okay to rely on Nina and the others, because, because they are already my…
“Clarice, what will you do?”
“I’ll be with Derus-sama today.”
“I’m sorry, I’m still worried, so I’ll go to the Adventurer Guild with Nina.”
After all, before entrusting it to others, I have to do everything I can myself! If I do it myself, and exhaust all my options, maybe someone will help me if it doesn’t work out. So, instead of running away by leaving the complicated negotiations to Nina, I have to help them too.
“I see, hmmm.”
“Oh, Nina, what is it?”
“No, it’s fine. If Derus wants to come, there’s no reason to refuse.”
“Then I’ll accompany you as well.”
“Clarice too, is it? Then, what about the slaves?”
The negotiations might drag on for over an hour.
“I’ll do it!”
“Anju?!”
“So, I just need to send Deru Deru Ecstasy and Masquerade Ball to the hunting grounds, right?”
“Uh, you mean the Southern Country Party and Helen’s group, right? Yes, can you do it?”
“Got it! And the Pero-chans too~”
“Pero-chans” just means Grandpa Bauer, as well.
“Here, give them their lunch money too, uhm…”
“Derus, if you’re going to be together for at least two months, wouldn’t it be better to give them the money all at once?”
“No, for the Brown Slaves, it’s absolutely better not to do that!”
They’ll probably spend the money on the princess’s hospitality immediately.
“Here you go, please.”
“Roger that! After I send them, I’m going to school~”
“Ah, have a good time.”
Anju, who took the money and vanished, I wonder if she’ll be okay. Once things calm down, I should go see her again.
“Then, let’s go.”
With Nina leading the way, we leave the high-class hotel and head to the West Adventurer Guild. After a short wait in the hero’s line, Nina speaks to the Maid-style Receptionist.
“As I mentioned yesterday, the magic stone in question is for the dwarves…”
“Excuse me, before that, regarding the ‘Collar of Sub’ brought in yesterday.”
“Ah, have you already figured it out?”
It was dropped by a large Shadow-type monster.
“We’ve identified the owner of the slave.”
“Who is it?”
“It’s Hero Korome-sama.”
Well, this is quite a situation.
“…Judging by the size of the collar, it was an adult male, right?”
Good, it wasn’t Shikada-chan! Or was it?
“That’s right. The problem is that the slave is a new one.”
“Meaning?”
“It was a slave sold at the third day of the recent auction, formerly a member of Creep Up, the Magician Alum’s slave.”
So, either the Assassin of the Assassin Party, Musashi, or Korome bought him.
“After purchasing a slave, they cannot be released for five days, right?”
“Yes. Although Korome-san has a slave trader’s license, it’s still illegal without special circumstances.”
“…We should suspect that the slave died rather than being released.”
“If a slave dies within five days of purchase, it’s also a violation, resulting in a reprimand, a fine, and a significant deduction in adventurer evaluation.”
Still, for Korome, the only thing that would hurt is the risk of a rank decrease.
“So, what will you do?”
“For now, we’ll issue a summons to Korome-sama. Since the Guild Master is absent, Ganes-sama here can handle it.”
“The Sub Guild Master? Is there anything we can do?”
“We need to reconfirm the situation at the time.”
“W-well then, I’ll explain too.”
I join the conversation. Somehow, I feel that if things continue like this, Shikada-chan will also be in danger!
