Chapter 279

Despite leaving the inn in the morning, it was already nearing dusk by the time they finished dealing with the nest. However, since they only had one request to handle today, Tatsuro and the others checked the system to confirm the request was marked as completed and headed back to town.

The journey back was uneventful. Just as when they arrived,

Tatsuro and his group rode in the Rhinoceros Carriage pulled by Jeanne, while Aarenfrit rode a three-headed ostrich-like monster, speeding along. Near the town, Jeanne switched to Child Form, and they continued on foot, arriving at the town.

The gate guard, aware of the request that had taken them outside, asked about their results. When they reported that everything was handled without issue, the guard thanked them politely.

“We just did it for the request,” Tatsuro said.

“No, no. If a horde of monsters had surrounded the town, we wouldn’t have been able to stay uninvolved. Truly, thank you!” the guard replied.

The guard bowed so deeply that Tatsuro and Ai felt a bit embarrassed, assuming he must have been quite frightened. They were let into the town and decided to head straight to the Adventurer’s Guild to submit the completed request form.

“Well then, I’ll need to take a different route for a bit. This monster can only be kept in a place designated by the Adventurer’s Guild,” Aarenfrit said.

“Got it. Let’s meet up at the inn then. I’ll hand over your share of the reward there,” Tatsuro replied.

“I don’t need money. Keep it, sensei.”

“I don’t want your money either. I’m already in the middle of repaying a debt. How could I accept more?”

“Haha, you’re an upright man, sensei.”

“Am I? Alright, see you later.”

“Indeed, I’ll be waiting, sensei! Farewell!”

With that, Aarenfrit dramatically spread his robes with a flourish, leapt onto his three-headed ostrich, and dashed off through the town.

“Is it okay for that Gasuke-kun to be running around in town like that?” Ai asked.

“Don’t go giving other people’s monsters names. Hmm, but maybe it’s fine if you think of it like a bicycle,” Tatsuro replied.

With a minor question lingering, they shrugged it off and headed to the guild. The Adventurer’s Guild was near the entrance, so they arrived after a few minutes’ walk.

Upon entering, a sharp-eyed staff member beckoned them over, and they handed over the request form confirming completion.

The staff quickly verified it and directed them to a room on the second floor, where the guild master would personally deliver the reward.

The guild master of Holmes’ Adventurer’s Guild was a female dwarf, about the same height as Leah, with a gentle demeanor that suggested she was around forty years old. She stood from her chair, her long silver hair swaying as she expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you all so much. Even for high-ranking adventurers, I heard the nest had grown quite large, so I thought it might take longer. Truly impressive,” she said.

“The monsters themselves weren’t that strong. It was a hassle, but we managed to wrap it up quickly,” Tatsuro replied.

“We appreciate your swift response. Please, have a seat on the sofa. I’ll prepare the promised reward now.”

While the guild master opened a desk drawer to retrieve coins, Tatsuro and the others sat on the sofa as instructed, waiting.

“Here is the reward money,” the guild master, Hilde Weber, said, placing the coins on the table across from Tatsuro and his group.

Tatsuro confirmed the amount matched what was promised and took custody of it for now. After verifying the coins, Hilde held out a translucent, yellow, triangular plate.

“This is the other part of the reward,” she said.

“The other part? You mean the promise to help if we’re in trouble. What do we do with this?” Tatsuro asked.

“The representative—preferably Tatsuro-san or Ai-san, since you have ranks—should hold it.”

“Tatsuro, you should take it,” Ai urged.

“Alright, if you say so.”

Ai suggested Tatsuro hold it, thinking it better suited for him. Without hesitation, Tatsuro took the glowing yellow triangular plate, which turned into particles and was absorbed into his body.

“This should add a mark to Tatsuro-san’s guild card, indicating you hold a favor from the Adventurer’s Guild,” Hilde explained.

“A mark? Let’s see… Is this it, behind the rank number?” Tatsuro asked.

“Yes, that’s it.”

When Tatsuro displayed his guild card for Ai and the others to see, a new yellow triangular mark appeared behind his personal rank number.

“That mark can be used at any Adventurer’s Guild worldwide,” Hilde said.

“Used? It’s something you use?” Athena asked.

“Yes. Show it to an official guild staff member and say, ‘I’d like you to repay the favor,’ and unless it involves anything criminal, they’ll assist you to the best of their ability.”

“Wow. And once we use it, does it disappear?” Ai asked.

“Yes. However, the Adventurer’s Guild promises to always repay its debts. That said, if it’s something even you can’t handle, it’s unlikely we could do much either,” Hilde added with a joking tone.

But Tatsuro didn’t see it as a joke. Having cleared a level 10 dungeon, their individual combat strength was exceptional.

Most problems could likely be solved with brute force. However, in terms of organizational strength, they had none. While their ranks gave them social standing guaranteed by the Adventurer’s Guild, it was unclear how much weight individuals could carry against a large organization.

Thus, having the backing of a massive organization like the Adventurer’s Guild, with roots worldwide, served as valuable insurance.

“Well, it’s always good to have more options. We’ll gratefully accept it,” Tatsuro said.

Expressing genuine gratitude, he decided to give a brief report.

“By the way, we sank the ground a bit when destroying the nest. Is that okay?”

“The ground? That area isn’t a residential zone, so it should be fine. Nature will take care of the rest,” Hilde replied.

“I figured, but good to know for sure,” Tatsuro said, relieved to have confirmation.

They discussed the nest’s scale and engaged in some small talk before bidding Hilde farewell and leaving the guild.

By then, night had fully settled, and Tatsuro and the others hurried along the streets, lit by artistic streetlamps, to the inn.

At the inn’s lobby, they found Aarenfrit relaxing. Tatsuro tried to hand him his share of the reward, divided by the number of people. However, Aarenfrit started saying troublesome things like, “I can’t accept money from sensei,” despite it being a simple transaction. Tatsuro half-forced him to take it.

“Hmm. If sensei insists that much, I’ll accept it,” Aarenfrit said.

“Yes, please do,” Tatsuro replied.

After Aarenfrit emphasized meeting again later, they parted ways for the time being.

“Man, I just can’t deal with that guy,” Tatsuro said.

“That’s rare for you, Tatsuro, since you’re not usually shy with people,” Ai noted.

“Hmm. It’s probably because he prioritizes his own words so much that what I want to say doesn’t get through at all. I might just be bad with people who don’t listen.”

“Haha, I get that. He’s got this super strong-willed vibe, doesn’t he?” Ai said.

“Yeah, exactly… Ugh, I have to talk to him again after dinner…”

A promise was a promise, though. Ignoring a debt didn’t sit right with Tatsuro. Besides, it wouldn’t be forever

Leah wanted to create the first Magic Brain in this town, where Rudolf was nearby, in case she hit a technical snag. Tatsuro planned to stay until that was done, but it wouldn’t take months—just a week at most, once the blueprint was ready, as it would simply be a matter of following it.

“Well, let’s eat for now,” Ai said.

“Yeah,” Tatsuro agreed.

Pulled along by Ai’s arm, Tatsuro returned to his room. After resting briefly, he checked on Leah, who seemed busy, and advised her to take breaks before having dinner.

Normally, he’d spend time flirting with Ai after dinner, but for now, that was on hold. Jeanne stayed to guard the floor, while Athena returned inside Tatsuro for protection.

“Alright, I’m heading out, Ai.”

“Take care, darling. Come back soon.”

“Yeah, I know.”

At the entrance, they playfully acted like newlyweds, exchanging a “see you later” and “I’m off” kiss before Tatsuro reluctantly headed downstairs. Scanning the lobby’s open space with its chairs and round tables, he quickly spotted the man in the distinctive robes.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Tatsuro said.

“No, I wasn’t waiting at all.”

“…”

“What’s with that look, sensei?”

Pushing down the oddly awkward feeling of meeting a man like this, Tatsuro shifted his mind to make the conversation meaningful.

“So, what do you want to talk about?”

“Of course, to discuss Curse Magic all night—”

“Sorry, but before that, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask. Can I go first?”

“Of course, no problem.”

Listening to this man’s talk about Curse Magic could be useful for deflecting questions about Leah when returning to Japan, so it wasn’t a waste. But first, Tatsuro wanted to ask something that had been on his mind since they met.

“First, about Moritz Holbein. If you’ve been searching for Leah for over thirty years, you must have looked into this man to some extent. What do you know about him, Aarenfrit?”

“Moritz, huh? That’s a nostalgic name. Of course, I investigated him. Back then, I was searching for him too, thinking that poking around his surroundings might yield something.”

“As I thought. And?”

“Well, after observing him up close, I could only conclude he was utterly ordinary. I got bored and gave up quickly. I figured it’d be faster to search on my own.”

“…? But I’ve got information suggesting he’s highly likely to have completely covered up multiple crimes. Could an ordinary person do that?”

Leah had called him an ordinary man with no special skills, but from the documents Tatsuro obtained in exchange for dungeon information, Moritz struck him as exceptionally capable.

There was no way such a man was ordinary. Wondering if Aarenfrit had only looked at him from a magical perspective, Tatsuro probed indirectly.

“I wouldn’t know. That was after I stopped observing him, as I pursued my own search. But—”

“But?”

“I can’t imagine that man being capable of it. Back then, the scale of the crimes was significant, and even the country’s elite investigative agency searched for evidence but found nothing. From the few months I observed him closely, he was an average human at best—no outstanding talent, just a generic man who’d blend into a crowd. He didn’t have the brains or power to evade such skilled investigators.”

“So, it’s more natural to assume someone helped him,” Tatsuro mused.

“He paid well back then, so it’s highly likely he had someone with a knack for crime backing him.”

“That makes sense. If so, the one who helped him escape might be involved too.”

A death row inmate couldn’t just escape on execution day without external help. Tatsuro had suspected some outside force, but if someone capable of committing nearly ninety serious crimes without leaving evidence was still involved, it could be dangerous even for them. He decided to raise his guard even further.