Chapter 28
After reporting to the little girl that the monster had been defeated, we left the village.
Normally, we would have collected the magic stone fragments, but as an apology for turning the fields into a mess of holes, we left them there.
The village chief will probably handle that part skillfully.
Though not as valuable as magic stones, magic stone fragments can still fetch a decent price. Since the Golden Ogre is a large monster, three of them should be enough to compensate for the damage to the fields.
Well, there wasn't much left of one of them, though.
"By the way, was it really okay to leave the village chief like that?"
"You mean regarding the request to the Adventurer's Guild?"
"Yes, exactly."
Once the village was out of sight, Erika asked about the village chief's lie.
"There's no proof, so even if we told the Adventurer's Guild, it wouldn't matter."
"What about the testimony of that girl's father?"
"He only said that to us. If the Guild asks, he'll play dumb."
What the village chief did was a betrayal of the Adventurer's Guild's goodwill.
When the Guild becomes aware of a dangerous monster, they proactively issue a subjugation request.
That's because it's part of the Adventurer's Guild's principles.
The ideal of subjugating monsters for the sake of the powerless, as upheld by the Adventurer's Guild, isn't just a hollow slogan.
"Besides, if we start pointing fingers, there's no end to it."
Life in a farming village isn't easy.
There are many villages and settlements doing similar things.
The Guild knows this, so even if we reported it, it would likely be brushed off.
Many adventurers and guild staff come from such farming villages themselves.
"If you say so."
Perhaps she wasn't too hung up on it, as Erika concluded the conversation with that.
*
Having unexpectedly stayed overnight in the village and failed the request, this should have been a complete disaster.
"Um... this is... well..."
At the Adventurer's Guild counter, the female guild staff member is stunned as she looks at the three Golden Ogre magic stones before her.
By the way, she's the petite female staff member who handled our adventurer registration.
According to the name tag on her chest, her name seems to be Lana.
"These are Golden Ogre magic stones, right?"
Yes, it should have been a complete failure, but we have three Golden Ogre magic stones.
The amount the Guild will pay to buy them should be more than enough as a reward.
"Aren't these from an emergency subjugation target!?"
The guild staff member, Lana, shouted.
Magic stones harvested from monsters usually indicate their strength by appearance.
Guild staff should be used to seeing them, so why is she so surprised?
"We'd like to request a buyout."
For now, I state our business.
The Adventurer's Guild handles the purchase of magic stones and materials obtained from monsters single-handedly.
The Guild profits by selling those magic stones and materials to merchants; it's their main source of income.
"Why are you so calm about this!? Three of them!? Three Golden Ogres defeated by two Rank 1 adventurers!?"
For some reason, I'm being scolded.
"N-No way..."
Lana twists her body, making a face as if she's seen something utterly evil.
"Are you planning to demand a special promotion to Rank 7 for defeating three Golden Ogres?"
"We're not saying that."
Is she still going on about that?
"More importantly, about the request we took on..."
I glance briefly at the magic stones.
"I think it'll probably be withdrawn."
With just that, Lana makes a face as if she understands.
"That must have been tough."
She offers her sympathy but doesn't pry too deeply; she seems to get it but has no intention of making it an issue.
"I have relatives in that village, so I'd like to personally thank you as well."
"In that case, add a little extra to the buyout price. My sword got ruined, you know."
"That's a different matter," Lana brushes it off smoothly.
"However, if you're looking to buy a new sword, I can introduce you to a good shop."
That's good enough as a bonus to the reward, especially since we're newcomers in this town.
A recommendation from a guild staff member should mean it's not a shady place.
"Then, let's proceed with the buyout."
"Understood."
While preparing the magic tool for appraisal and the paperwork, Lana speaks hesitantly, as if testing the waters.
"You're really not going to demand a promotion to Rank 7, right?"
I respond to that with just a shrug of my shoulders.