Chapter 36: A Fleeting Connection…?

Chapter 36: A Fleeting Connection…?

And so, I successfully got Melini to bring the wolf’s corpse to the guild.

Though I felt a little bad, a fleeting connection with Melini was enough, so I just ignored it.

…Honestly, it was convenient for me too.

“By the way, what’s its real name?”

“Oh, right, you said you didn’t know the names of monsters well, didn’t you? This one’s called a Karma Wolf.”

“…Who the hell named these monsters? Why are all their names such a mess?”

It was a genuine question.

If they had put a little more thought into naming, they probably would have come up with much more plausible names, but all of them were terrible.

…Of course, the intuitiveness was beyond excessive, though.

“I heard there was an adventurer who was solely in charge of recording monster information. At first, they meticulously wrote down names, but later, when there were too many, they just named them roughly….”

“So that’s why lizard monsters all have different names based on their colors…?”

“Well, something like that. Still, it’s a naming system that’s still used because it maintains intuitiveness.”

As we talked, the guild building slowly came into view.

…Although the people around were looking at the almost melted monster corpse with strange eyes.

“…Hey, Melini? Can’t you go a little faster? It’s almost completely melted now, so it shouldn’t be heavy, right?”

“Then are you going to carry it? Do you think I have infinite stamina?”

“Well, if you insist, my…”

“I’d recommend it if you want to drop it on the ground the moment you pick it up and ruin the quality of the spoils you can get from the monster.

 What are you going to do with those delicate-looking arms? Speaking of which, you managed to throw potions all the way to where we were fighting earlier.”

…Actually, I wasn’t delicate at all, but I just shut my mouth at this point.

I wasn’t kind enough to carry the burden for someone who was willingly suffering.

Of course, if the person in front of me had been Christie, it would have been a different story. …Because she’s a friend.

But unfortunately, Melini was Melini, so we just walked to the guild, chatting idly.

…With Melini still carrying the monster’s corpse.

***

“Hey! Charles! Come here for a second!”

“…Is this something to brag about?”

“Huh? Dealing with a grade 5 monster without serious injury is quite impressive, you know?”

“Oh, now that you mention it, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone who seems like a high-grade adventurer. Where are they all?”

At those words, Melini’s expression darkened for a moment.

…This time, I genuinely asked out of curiosity.

But soon, Melini spoke as if it were nothing.

“This is the Imperial Capital, you know. Adventurers of grade 3 or higher have a separate guild branch in the Imperial Palace.”

“…They provide that much support?”

“The Empire has always been very interested in adventurers in many ways. That’s why most of the adventurers here are between grade 6 and 5.

 Occasionally, rich young masters drop by at around grade 8. Or people who just got to grade 4 come.”

……It was a setting I hadn’t known about.

It was also a part that couldn’t be known because it was never properly dealt with in the novel.

No wonder I thought, why are there only such mediocre-looking adventurers in such a grand place as the Imperial Capital? It turns out the stronger adventurers were all at the Imperial Palace branch.

As I was recording this newly learned fact in my mind, Charles, the guild master, approached us.

“My ears are going to fall off. You’re still fine, so you can speak softly.”

“Alright, just proceed with dismantling this guy.”

“…A Karma Wolf? To have caught it without seeing its berserk state… you alone wouldn’t have been enough, would you?”

“Right? I beat all its subordinates and then fought it one-on-one in its berserk state, didn’t I?”

At those words, Charles’s eyes widened for a moment.

As if he had heard something incredible.

“I knew your skill was outstanding for a grade 5… but you fought this one in its berserk state and only got such minor scorches?”

“Excuse me, am I invisible? Are the potions I sell non-existent?”

“……Is the effect that strong? Strong enough to be fine even after taking all of this bastard’s flames head-on?”

“To be precise, the mana with fire-resisting properties provided by this potion was excellent, and my skill in handling it was also excellent.”

As Melini explained the principle to Charles, Charles quietly nodded.

…As expected, Melini had the setting of being quick-witted in combat, even if not in other areas.

Of course? I, the actual creator, didn’t understand it at all, though.

*…Since you look bored, I have good news: your reward is ready.*

‘Another gacha?’

*……Yes. It seems the reward team got burned once, so I barely managed to stop them from trying to mess with the probabilities again.*

“No, if that’s the case, why don’t you just give a fixed reward…?”

*It’s similar to the logic of casinos hating customers who only profit and leave, and wanting to somehow make them lose again, I guess.

 For these guys, giving the worst possible reward is their performance metric.*

‘No, why the hell is that a performance metric…?’

As I was questioning the reward team’s performance metric that the system had told me about, Melini and Charles seemed to have finished their conversation.

…Unfortunately, the reward seemed like it would have to be postponed a little longer.

“So, the spoils you need are…”

“Its fangs. Other parts would be good too. Of course, I plan to give Melini priority for everything except the fangs.”

“Oh, then give me some of its hide and claws. They’re included in the materials the blacksmith bastard told me to get.”

“……You’re saying you’ll only give me the fangs in a very elegant way, Melini.”

“Oh, come on! Still, I’m thinking of giving the bounty for catching a grade 5 monster to this kid, you know?”

At Melini’s words, Charles glanced at me, but I just nodded.

I didn’t need any parts other than the fangs anyway, and I hadn’t expected to get them.

Since a grade 5 monster is treated as a fairly useful material, I naturally thought Melini would take it.

Rather, I hadn’t even thought that there would be a bounty for catching a grade 5 monster.

“Write down your address. I’ll send it as soon as it’s ready. If I give it to Melini, she’ll handle it herself.”

Charles, who had calmly spoken and handed me a piece of paper, disappeared, saying he had work to do and would be going now…

For some reason, Melini, with an ominous smile, opened her mouth.

…It was somehow like the look I occasionally saw in Elena’s eyes, and my body trembled slightly.

Should I say I had a premonition that I was about to gain a regular, troublesome customer…?

“Hey, that was pretty fun, kid? It was my first time raising my firepower that much, you know.”

“…You knew that if the potion’s effect wore off, you’d be committing self-immolation, right? Why don’t you fight a little less dangerously?”

“Nah! That’s how you grow, by enjoying that kind of thrill! More importantly, you… don’t you want to formally take a request from me?”

“A request? I don’t belong anywhere and I don’t have a license, so I can’t take those.”

Naturally, I didn’t belong to the Blacksmiths’ Guild, which was a union of blacksmiths who made weapons,

Nor did I belong to the Magic Tower, which made items imbued with magic.

I wasn’t even part of the (self-proclaimed) Artisans’ Guild, which included all sorts of miscellaneous production professions.

…Of course, I wasn’t an adventurer either.

Therefore, formally requesting something from me was wrong from the start.

I wasn’t even running a formal business.

‘…Looking at it this way, it looks very illegal and like a scam street vendor…?’

Still, I had an ID card proving I wasn’t a suspicious person, and even more certainly, the Defense Force Commander who could prove I was harmless, so wasn’t that enough?

Thinking that, I summarized my recent thoughts and replied to Melini.

“Since I don’t belong anywhere, formally taking a request isn’t valid.”

“What? Not even a business registration?”

“I didn’t do it. To be precise, I couldn’t. It’s only been a few days since I got my ID card, what registration are you talking about?”

“…I thought you would have done at least that much registration for something of this quality….”

Saying that, Melini let out a small groan.

…It seemed she liked the potion I made this time.

Indeed, if I had a consumable that allowed me to raise my firepower beyond my control for a considerable amount of time, I’d probably be tempted too.

Unfortunately, I had no intention of selling Melini custom-made potions every time.

Of course, I plan to come to the Adventurers’ Guild regularly to sell potions in the future, but I won’t be making potions specifically for Melini every time.

…Still, rather than completely severing the connection like this, leaving a slight connection wouldn’t be bad.

Just, at the level of customer and owner.

“If you really want to buy some, come to the address I wrote down later. Of course, entry is forbidden.”

“Where is this place?”

“My workshop.”

“What, then it’s fine to enter…”

“And it also doubles as my home.”

I deliberately put a stop to Melini, who kept showing interest in me for some reason.

Actually, I could have just said it was my home from the beginning, but I deliberately said workshop because I wanted to put a stop to it like this.

…Getting involved with all three main characters probably wouldn’t be very good for my mental health.

“…Hmm, right, privacy is important. Still, we hunted together today, so if I visit, you’ll sell me potions, right?”

“……I don’t refuse customers who come all the way to me. But potions aren’t something that can be made instantly on the spot, so please tell me in advance.

 Oh, and for your information, mass production isn’t possible, so even if you try to buy more than 3 at once, I can’t give them to you, okay? Got it?”

“Alright, alright. Then I’ll see you again.”

Saying that, Melini took the paper I handed her and disappeared.

The time was awkward, so I could have promoted my potions at the guild a little longer…

But the reward I was going to receive from the system was too highly anticipated for that.

“Alright, let’s gacha!”

*…You sounded a bit like an addict just now. I thought people usually didn’t get addicted if they had good luck because there wasn’t much to do?*

“Didn’t you know? You get addicted even if your gacha luck is bad, but you also get addicted if it’s good.”

Saying that, I quickly walked home.

The reward was one thing, but… I wanted to rest comfortably.

Physically I was fine, but I was acutely feeling what it meant to be mentally tired.