episode_0241

As I leisurely walked into the guild, I quickly interpreted the emotions contained in the gazes pouring upon me.

Surprise, fear, nervousness, curiosity, etc. Fortunately, even though I joined the guild, no one recognized me or looked at me with suspicion.

It could be that he’s watching me without showing it on the outside, but that’s probably not the case. Although he may have lost his strength, he has not lost his eyes that have been trained through dozens of deaths.

‘Is this what you wanted to do?’

‘They say that sometimes it’s less suspicious to come forward out loud.’

Without showing it, I walked up to Hermel and lightly placed my hand on Hermel’s outstretched hand, giving him a hint. Hermel smiled, took my hand, and winked.

This is what it feels like to understand something just by looking at your eyes. I laughed and shook my head, and despite my reaction, Hermel just smiled and took my hand and headed towards the window.

There was a woman with brown hair in a bun sitting at the counter, and she greeted Hermel with a languid smile without any signs of nervousness, as if she had been doing this job for a year or two.

“Welcome. It’s an honor to meet you, hero. And, the one whom heroes serve.”

The way he stood up, smiled slightly, nodded, and greeted me lightly was very natural.

And it seemed to be a natural comfort that came from his friendship with Hermel, rather than the experience he had accumulated while working for a long time as a guild employee.

What supported my thoughts was Hermel’s reaction to receiving the employee’s greeting and the employee’s reaction to seeing Hermel.

“I told you not to call me that… .”

“Hehe. sorry. I’m a little upset that he left without any news while I was on vacation for a short while and then there was no news for over half a year.”

The woman said that and shook her head.

“Over the past 5 years, how much work has been handled under Hermel’s sole responsibility? Couldn’t you have at least said hello?”

The employee’s words said it all, whether it was confidence or not.

Well, there’s nothing strange about it. Hermel is not a beginner adventurer, but an adventurer who has built up a certain reputation.

Isn’t it natural for a person who handles work well and has achieved achievements worthy of being called a hero to have a dedicated employee?

As I was thinking about this and looking at the employee sitting quietly at the counter, Hermel opened his mouth.

“What… . There was something more important than that.”

As Hermel said that, he raised the hand he was holding and showed it to the employee.

I was a little startled because he raised his hand so confidently, and my body started to tremble and tremble, but I didn’t panic because I had expected it to some extent.

‘Don’t be so jealous.’

I blinked at the sight of Hermel looking at me with eyes that seemed to have that meaning in them.

I wasn’t particularly jealous, but it felt good to be cared for so openly.

I twitched, trying hard to suppress the corners of my mouth that were trying to move uncontrollably.

“Indeed, this person seems to be the person Hermel was looking for. Congratulations, Hermel.”

The employee looked at Hermel with a happy smile as if he was sincerely congratulating him, and Hermel responded by nodding his head.

“Hmm. Saddam was too long. So, what brought you here today? Requests are posted on the bulletin board on the side wall, and there is one nomination request.”

“It’s been a long time since I stopped taking requests. Please reject it on your own. Rather, I want to find some money and things.”

“Ah, I see. That’s too bad. Then please wait a moment.”

The employee nodded while looking at Hermel with regret, asked for understanding, and went inside the guild. When the employee disappeared, Hermel quietly came next to me.

When I tilted my head to see what was going on, Hermel, who was right in front of me, whispered softly.

“Charles… . I have no interest in anyone other than Charles.”

“Huh? Yes.”

I was wondering what to talk about, and it was something like this.

When I nodded to tell me not to worry, Hermel, who had been blinking, whispered once again.

“So let go of your anger… !”

“You’re not angry?”

If I was really angry, there’s no way I would have left that employee alone. It must have come to a terrible end one way or another. Just like until now.

But I wasn’t really angry. I don’t want to hurt anyone unless it’s something really special, and I don’t want to get angry when Hermel is next to me.

Peaceful daily life is like a balloon filled with helium, and the moment you make one mistake and let go of the string, it flies away uncontrollably.

As I was looking at Hermel with that thought in mind, Hermel looked at me and whispered again.

“I know what Charles looked like when he saw that employee just now… ?”

“Well… ? I think I just looked at him normally… ?”

“The look in his eyes was similar to the last time I saw the crown prince… . If I hadn’t covered it with my body, the employee would have been horrified and walked away… .”

… Was it that bad?

Umm… . Now that I think about it, I think it was a little annoying… .

After keeping my mouth shut for a moment, I nodded and took a slight step back.

Let’s reflect. Love should not be one-sided. Sticking to your own position and deceiving the other person by saying that you are doing it for the other person’s benefit is not love, it is coercion and is bullying the other person.

Even if you’ve lived for over 100 years, you’re still immature in this regard. I smiled bitterly and lightly patted Hermel’s hand and said.

“Yes. I guess I was a little sensitive.”

“Ugh, no, it’s okay. I liked how Charles told me how much he liked me.”

“Thank you for your understanding. Still, I’ll be careful from now on.”

“I will also try not to worry about Charles.”

I smiled slightly and nodded as I looked at Hermel, who clenched his fists and his eyes sparkled.

After finishing the story, I glanced around and fortunately, it seemed like no one had heard the conversation between me and Hermel.

After a while, the employee who had entered the guild walked back out and called out Hermel.

“Hermel, sorry for being late.”

“That’s it. This means that the work is done reliably.”

“Thank you for your understanding. Hmm. Anyway, I have disposed of most of the items that were previously entrusted to me for disposal, and the list and cost are written down here on the slip. Please check.”

“Where… .”

Hermel accepted the slip handed over by the employee and slowly checked it, and I glanced over the part of the slip visible over Hermel’s shoulder.

‘what… .’

It’s not that I didn’t believe that there was a lot of money, but the number written on the slip was definitely an amount that I couldn’t believe.

90 billion.

It’s an amount close to a year’s budget for a small kingdom. What on earth did you do to save so much money?

… ah. You said you caught a dragon. With a wyvern. I forgot.

“No problem. Oh, and saying that most of it has been disposed of seems to mean that there are still things that haven’t been disposed of yet.”

“Yes. The dragon’s skin, scales, and bones remain. We processed about 70% of the skin and scales, but the bones were so abundant and expensive that we could only sell about 50% of them.”

“That’s right… . Then, please bring me the skin (excluding the scales) and the remaining bones, both of appropriate size. And the money… . About 2,000 gold coins would be enough. This will last for a year, right?”

Hermel looked at me and asked, and I smiled and shrugged.

“Do you remember that we didn’t spend even 500 gold coins in half a year?”

“Ah. Umm… . That’s right. So what level is appropriate?”

” Since this is the money Hermel earned, I think it is right for Hermel to decide.”

Hermel, who was thinking about what I said with his arms crossed, soon nodded and looked at the employee again.

“Just give it as written.”

“Hehe. Yes, I understand.”

The employee smiled and went back into the guild. Unlike before, I came back quickly, probably because I had decided on what to bring.

Unlike when he went in just now, he brought out a tray, and on top of the tray were well-maintained and shiny reddish-brown leather, pure white bones without any stains, and a money bag the size of a human head.

“This is the skin and bones of the dragon you mentioned, and 2,000 gold coins.”

“Confirmed. Now.”

Hermel handed over what looked like a slip, and the employee who accepted it nodded and handed the leather, bone, and money bag to Hermel along with the slip.

Hermel, who took the item, nodded and turned his back.

“Let’s go!”

The emotionless voice disappeared like a lie, and a bright and lively voice turned towards me.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

I said that and held up the leather that Hermel was holding.

I thought it would be extremely heavy because it was bulky and made of dragon skin, but it was much lighter than I expected. At most, it’s a little heavier than a piece of cloth?

Hermel looked at me and smiled bitterly.

“I can listen.”

“It’s okay. It’s not heavy at all.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

Hermel literally smiled brightly, and everyone inside the guild, including the staff sitting at the counter, looked at me in shock.

quite… . It feels satisfying. I smiled and walked out of the guild building.

Contrary to my initial worries, it was a satisfactory outing with no problems.

* * *

“An unidentified shadow floating in the sky… .”

The woman who had been reading the report tied to the hawk’s leg slowly stood up.

“I don’t know what it is, but I’ll have to go there just in case.”

As she finished speaking, the stained glass sparkled.