Sheryl Tusin Ogatorf
Sheryl Tusin Ogatorf
Only two of the three carriages returned to the capital. The fact that there was still plenty of empty space in them wasn't pleasant to think about.
It was true that the incident was wrapped up quickly thanks to us, but when adventurers lacking in ability had to face private soldiers lying in ambush and aiming to strike, that was simply the inevitable result.
Even then, had it not been for us, they wouldn't have escaped annihilation. Even Sheryl had been in danger. Even if they'd somehow managed to catch all the bastards hiding in the forest, they could've been stabbed in the back by the private soldiers at the encampment they'd believed were allies.
It was already in the past, but that fact was extremely important, and that was why we'd stressed it so strongly when we reported to the guild.
No matter how much I worked for the Ogatorf family on a salary that left nothing to be desired, and no matter that Sheryl was a noble, unpaid labor was a separate issue entirely. It didn't suit our temperaments either.
By unanimous agreement based on the obvious gap in ability, Sheryl and I ended up acting as the expedition's representatives. We pressed the guild so hard over its responsibility for what had happened that the receptionist broke into a cold sweat. The other adventurers did their part perfectly just by standing behind us looking murderous.
Truth be told, this wasn't solely the adventurer guild's problem, but that was naturally none of our business.
"We are deeply sorry, but we would like the higher-ups to hear the detailed account. We ask for your cooperation."
Thanks to that, we found ourselves in the extremely cumbersome and irritating situation of having a direct meeting with the guild master.
Our greed had been excessive...!
"We've compiled the accounts of the other adventurers as well, but we felt a separate discussion would be necessary with the two of you who played such pivotal roles, which is why we've brought you here."
It was an entirely friendly meeting, with no suspicion or interrogation, but that didn't make it comfortable. We'd spent the whole day riding in a carriage and cutting people down with aura, and we were exhausted. The only reason we didn't get irritated at being dragged upstairs for something that could easily have waited until tomorrow was that the guild had taken responsibility and treated us properly from the start.
"We apologize for imposing on you when you must be tired after such an ordeal. Though it's modest, we've prepared tea and refreshments that help with fatigue recovery, so please help yourselves."
The refreshments included top-quality chocolate. I'd had no idea exactly how expensive it was until I saw Sheryl's reaction. She didn't merely look interested—she looked genuinely shocked as she muttered under her breath.
"To think I'd see this here...?"
"It seems you take an interest in chocolate. It's something our guild keeps stocked in small quantities for distinguished guests. As your reaction suggests... it's rather difficult to obtain."
The guild master, whose solid muscular frame wasn't fully concealed by his formal attire, informed us with a benevolent smile. There was even a hint of pride in it, and I couldn't stop myself from whispering into Sheryl's ear.
"Expensive?"
"One box costs about one merchant-trade gold coin."
H-holy shit.
The price was so dizzyingly obscene that I immediately picked up another piece and put it in my mouth. A box that looked like it held barely thirty chocolates cost one trade gold coin?
Roughly, that meant one piece of chocolate was two silver coins. I couldn't resist that.
The instant it touched my tongue, a blast of sweetness unlike anything I'd tasted since reincarnating hit me so hard I nearly went blank. I'd never had a chance to try truly expensive chocolate even in my previous life, and somehow I was finally making up for that old regret here. Even my completely untrained palate could tell the sweetness was refined. It was that good.
But Sheryl, born a noble, kept her cool and maintained an expressionless face as she stared at the guild master despite the bait placed right in front of her.
That atmosphere didn't easily change even while we recounted the clean, speculation-free full account of the incident.
The Guildmaster introduced himself as Engrim, and even at a glance there was nothing ordinary about him. More than his warrior's build or the spectacles that gave him an oddly scholarly air, what bothered me was his gaze.
His eyes and mouth were smiling, but his gaze was systematically examining whoever sat before him from head to toe and calculating their value. There was neither hostility nor warmth in it—only cold professionalism.
Eyes I'd occasionally had the chance to see in my past life, too. A gaze I'd sometimes seen from bosses whose work involved handling people.
Being sized up like that for an entire conversation was bound to get irritating.
"I like the chocolate, but I don't much care for being appraised with every glance. Haven't we already proven our worth?"
A mechanical gaze that analyzed just how much value the subject before it could offer in action was never pleasant. Even when you felt goodwill toward the other person, it made your skin crawl once you noticed it. When it bored into you from a first meeting, it made you want to slug them.
I couldn't exactly hit him, so I settled for hitting him with words. Apparently neither Sheryl nor Engrim had expected me to react that way; both looked briefly taken aback.
"Eldmia?"
"......My apologies."
Engrim I could understand, but I couldn't figure out why she was flustered. When I looked at her with a dubious eye, she quickly managed her expression and turned her gaze back to Engrim. In the meantime, Engrim, who'd briefly bowed his head in apology, spoke with an embarrassed smile.
"Your abilities appear to be far beyond what I expected. I apologize for scrutinizing you so rudely."
"I understand. I do know there's no malice in it—it's just personally a bit unsettling for me, so don't dwell on it too much."
We weren't the ones who'd done anything wrong. If anything, we'd corrected the guild's mistake and saved most of a group that should've been wiped out. Even if we'd made a bit of a scene, we hadn't demanded anything excessive.
By any measure, with capable adventurers suddenly appearing like comets, the only proper response was to welcome them with open arms, not subject them to that sort of gaze.
"It would be discourteous to drag this out, so I'll be brief. I'd like to request a commission connected to today's events."
Unlike his probing gaze, Engrim's willingness to get straight to the point was refreshing. Still, I wasn't sure the proposal justified bringing out chocolate worth a gold coin.
"Is this really the kind of conversation that needs gold-coin chocolate?"
"I'm skeptical about that myself."
Engrim, noticing the doubt that sprang up just as briskly as the main point he'd brought up, waved both hands and quickly continued.
"First, it's our thanks for resolving a serious incident that could've killed sixty adventurers while keeping casualties to a minimum. Considering the lives of roughly forty people and the guild's reputation, this chocolate is cheap. It's simply a gesture of goodwill, entirely separate from the additional compensation you'll receive."
The explanation was so perfectly reasonable from the outset that I decided to just pick up chocolate and listen attentively.
As I put a second piece of chocolate into my mouth, Sheryl also glanced around briefly before quickly popping chocolate into her own mouth.
"I can't explain the details yet because this matter involves more than the guild and requires strict security. Even if you decide to accept, you'll only get the specifics after completing a somewhat troublesome security procedure. I want to make that clear in advance. Naturally, refusing won't carry any penalty at all."
But unlike me, eating my third piece of chocolate, Sheryl's expression and hand stiffened slightly as she listened to Engrim.
It didn't take very long for her, who'd been silently deliberating, to open her mouth.
"Is this matter related to the kingdom's welfare? Or is it a private matter?"
Having somehow completely switched into Noble Sheryl mode, she asked without taking her emotionless eyes off Engrim. Whether she'd read something I hadn't, or whether the question was based simply on guesswork, I couldn't tell—but I could tell that her attitude was infinitely more serious than just moments ago.
No matter how much she did adventuring as a hobby, Sheryl gave her all to the commissions themselves. And that was only natural, since adventurer commissions weren't mere amusement to her.
Work that helped the kingdom while building skill and experience. Work for the safety of the people. Astonishingly, this noble young lady evaluated adventurer commissions that way. If Engrim were making a personal request, she'd clearly have scarfed down the chocolate and walked out without a second thought.
"As far as we can anticipate, it is closer to the former."
Engrim said without hesitation that the matter threatened the kingdom's security. It wasn't lost on me that a man who looked at least twice our age was sitting two fifteen-year-olds down and discussing threats to the realm.
But this was also a world where famous adventurers only a year or two older than us could already stand two ranks higher. 'Two ranks' sounded small, but some people at those levels undertook adventures that genuinely bordered on saving the world.
For people who killed, survived, thought desperately to keep surviving, and matured through it all, age wasn't what mattered. Skill was.
That was why Engrim didn't judge us only by how young we looked and instead wanted to know what we could actually do. It was also why Sheryl didn't find it strange that he'd seriously make this offer to two people who hadn't yet come of age.
She knew perfectly well that her own ability was high enough for a request like this to make sense.
"And so we are working to secure as much help as possible."
With Engrim concluding his words with a hardened face, Sheryl began to deliberate in earnest.