Kays Translations

Chapter 40

I carry the rhino's head with the skin attached back to the cart.

Keeping it on the backpack, covered with cloth, I transport it to the guild.

Hmm, the horns are hard to hide.

And when passing through the East Gate, I'm stopped by the gatekeeper... as expected.

"I'm a Tiara staff member."

Since I'm not wearing the uniform, I present my staff identification card as proof.

"What's that?"

"I've been asked to transport materials from a monster subjugation by another adventurer..."

The gatekeeper looks at the cart, and the prominent horns catch his eye.

"Can I take a look?"

"Sure."

To avoid raising suspicion, I respond obediently.

But in the next moment, the guard screams and steps back.

"Uwaaaahhhh!"

His voice attracts other gatekeepers who rush over.

"What's going on!"

I respond calmly, as I'm not doing anything wrong.

"He's just surprised by the head of the beast he subjugated."

"Subjugation? You did it!"

I deny it, waving my hands emphatically.

"I was only asked to transport it. I'm a Tiara staff member..."

At that moment, Captain Gutmill notices the commotion and arrives.

When Captain Gattmir sees me, he has a look of recognition.

It seems he remembers me from the rescue of the cat-person.

"You were working for Tiara, right?"

"Thank you for your help back then."

The captain lifts the cloth, revealing the materials, and looks at me in surprise.

"This... isn't this a Great Elasmos! What happened!?"

"I don't know what happened..."

I explain that I don't know much about the materials; I was just asked to transport them to Tiara by the adventurer who subjugated it.

It's unlikely that they would think I defeated it. The lie I told wasn't suspicious.

The captain seems to understand and lets me through without further questioning.

Having the guild staff title is indeed convenient.

It's now past 3 PM as I arrive at the back of the guild. Even though the separate building is visible, it's covered with cloth, so it should be fine.

"I'm back."

I call out to the supervisor and beckon to him.

"Mizuki-san!"

"Thanks to you, I managed to bring back only the skin and the head."

I say this while showing the items loaded on the cart.

"Wow!!"

The chief involuntarily let out a scream.

"This... is it the Elasmos?"

"That's what the East Gate captain said, 'Great Elasmos.'"

"Eh... that one!?"

"Well, I have no idea about that..."

He looks at me unintentionally.

"You defeated this, Mizuki-san!?"

"Well... it's just a few things here and there..."

Certainly, it's not the kind of enemy one can easily defeat by sheer luck.

My response becomes somewhat awkward, resembling someone with a bone stuck in their teeth.

Galand, who had come to call the chief, noticed me.

"Chief! There's a call for you in the purchasing department... What's wrong, Mizuki-san!?"

"Hm? Oh, no, it's just... "

He notices a handcart outside.

"What's that?"

"Ah, well... "

I glance at the chief, and the conversation leads to getting permission to temporarily store it in the warehouse, perhaps for tomorrow.

Honestly, I'm quite tired, so I want to go home quickly and get some sleep.

So, in a hurry, I transported it to the warehouse and returned home.

　◆ ◆ ◆

The next morning, I decided to show everyone the materials for Great Elasmos.

"Um... please don't scream or shout when you see it, okay?"

Everyone gathers around the handcart.

Even though it's covered with a cloth, their gaze is drawn to the conspicuous, pointed edges.

"Seriously, please don't scream."

The women are already repulsed, and the men have uneasy expressions.

"Well then..."

I slowly peeled off the covering.

“"“Ahhhhhh!!!”””

Everyone hesitates for a moment.

It's not a loud scream, but still, there are audible reactions.

However, perhaps out of curiosity, once the initial shock passes, some start touching the horns and skin.

Carol doesn't seem too scared.

"Did you defeat this, Mizuki-san?"

"Well... yes."

"How did you do it?"

"Well, that's a bit... I'll explain gradually."

Galand points and asks, "Is this why you took two days off?" I nod in agreement.

"What about the meat?"

"I left it all behind. It was a hassle, so..."

"What a waste!"

"Is it valuable?"

"I don't know, but somehow..."

"Hmm..."

The chief looks at me with crossed arms.

"So, Mizuki-san, what are you going to do with this?"

"I actually wanted to discuss that..."

　◆ ◆ ◆

By evening, rumors of the "subjugation of Great Elasmos" had spread throughout the Franta city streets.

Of course, the source was the guards at the East Gate.

Someone must have overheard the Tiara staff talking about it.

Since the subjugation itself is unusual, it's natural that it becomes a topic of conversation, but the crux of the rumor is—

"No one knows who defeated it."

That’s the point

Great Elasmos is the type of monster that requires multiple parties to defeat.

Considering the scale of the subjugation, it was assumed to be the regular adventurer parties who often undertake large-scale missions like this, typically led by Yomuyomu.

However, the fact that no one knows persists.

And what's even more surprising is that the materials were brought to Tiara.

Tiara has many newcomers, and they don't typically handle large-scale subjugations. So, everyone found it quite perplexing.

When the rumors reached the adventurer circles associated with Yomuyomu, some young adventurers came to Tiara to extract information.

Their attitude seemed to say, "We're the most powerful party in this town."

"Hey, there was a request to subjugate Great Elasmos, right?"

"Who did it? Come on, tell us!"

"We heard that materials were brought to Tiara. Someone definitely defeated it, right?"

"Which party is it? Aren't they from this town?"

Lily sighs.

"I'm sorry, but I can't provide any answers. I can't discuss the request either. Please understand, as it may disrupt our operations."

Even with that response, they don't seem to back down easily.

It seems they are curious about what kind of adventurers they are.

I can't let Lily-san be troubled any further...

I go to her side and decide to speak on her behalf.

"Um... it would be a problem if you don't leave soon."

"Huh? Who are you?"

"I'm a newcomer staff member who collected and transported the materials."

"Huh? A newcomer?"

"...Yeah, the one who got scolded by that elf and ended up crying."

I hear adventurers laughing softly in the background.

"Yes, I'm that newcomer."

"Hmm... so, have you seen that adventurer?"

"No, I haven't."

Lily-san looks at me with a surprised expression, as if saying, "Huh?"

"Then why did Tiara collect it?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

I cross my arms and give a wry smile.

"Because I defeated it!"

Upon hearing this statement, all the staff members turn their attention to me.

Even some customers inside the store who overheard the conversation direct their gaze toward me.

The leader-like adventurer who was shouting looked momentarily bewildered but quickly understood that he was being mocked and revealed his anger.

"Don't mess with me!"

"What's the matter?"

"You're a guild staff member, right?"

"Yes, I am. Is there a problem?"

Apparently not liking the dismissive attitude, the adventurers become even more heated.

"You're not a real adventurer!"

"Huh? I'm registered as an adventurer, you know."

I say this while showing my adventurer card.

Then they notice that there's no record of delivery requests outside the city on the back of the card.

Without that, it's evident at a glance that I'm a beginner.

"You! You haven't even done delivery requests, you amateur!"

"Oh, right, I haven't done that yet. My bad."

"What!?"

The staff member's response indicates that they're a genuine beginner, and the customers inside the store are mocking him as well.

"Just tell us! What kind of adventurer were you?"

"This."

I point to myself with my thumb.

"You!"

"Cut it out already!"

The adventurers raise their voices in frustration.

Lily also frowns, looking annoyed.

I, seeing this, teasingly provoke them with a displeased expression.

"If you have a complaint, why don't you take care of it yourselves? You're strong, aren't you?"

Glancing at the staff with a weary expression, the adventurer made an announcement.

"If you linger any longer, I'll make sure you can't find work in this town, okay?"

Though he was a newcomer, it seemed troublesome to be threatened by someone in the position of a guild staff member.

Realizing that no information could be obtained from Tiara, they reluctantly left.

After the adventurers left the guild, everyone had faces that seemed ready to burst into laughter.

"Well, that's strange... I did say the truth, though."

With those words, everyone burst into laughter as if a dam had been released.

"Hahahaha!"

"Mi... Mizuki-san!"

"That... that's true... Hahaha!"

"I see... hehehe!"

Who would believe that a guild staff member, who has never embarked on an adventure, defeated a large beast that requires a massive expedition to bring down? 

Even if it were true, no one possesses a method to make others believe it... and, of course, I don't either. 

If I spread the word that those adventurers were ridiculed, people would give up coming to us for information, assuming it's futile. 

Even if they did come, I could handle it the same way—after all, I'm just stating the truth.

Then, the chief offered a word of caution.

"Mizuki-san, please restrain yourself a bit."

"Oops, you're right."

If I provoke them out of resentment, I might end up being attacked again... I suppose I should show some restraint from now on.

As a result, information about the mysterious group of adventurers became elusive, and the matter temporarily faded away.

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