Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: All Requests Fulfilled
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“So, you’re really saying…… you cleared all these requests?”
“If you don’t believe me, check for yourself. Uncle?”
“Alright.”
At my signal, Thompson—who’d gone out of the request office—soon returned, dragging something along with a grunt.
Tsk, tsuuuuu.
Even the sound alone told you it was seriously heavy.
And this was a magically reinforced bundle, so it was only about half the actual weight……
“Ungh.”
Thompson stopped beside Lena and undid the strap tying the bundle shut.
A foul stench immediately wafted out.
“Ugh…….”
It was a collection of demon body parts requested for various jobs.
“That’s quite a haul.”
“Well, I got everything.”
“Hold on.”
Lena, who’d wrinkled her nose at the sudden stink, quickly switched back to pro mode.
She opened a cabinet right away and slipped on some sanitary gloves.
Then, without a hint of hesitation, she started rummaging through the bundle.
“Crow feathers, ogre fangs, giant lizard tail…… Wait, isn’t this a minotaur horn? How the hell did you take down an upper-rank demon?”
“It gave me a bit of trouble.”
“Hmm, impressive. Are all mages like this?”
Shwaaak, shwaaak.
Muttering to herself, Lena crossed items off her notepad one by one with red lines. Then she suddenly looked up.
“Alright, I’ve confirmed every part on the list is here. Pretty amazing. I never dreamed you’d clear them all…… Hell, is this even physically possible? Didn’t you run out of time?”
My companions answered instead of me.
“Time…… we were short on it.”
“……Yeah, we were. Big time.”
“But that’s no reason to not get it done. I finally realized time stretches if you really push it.”
Every one of them wore the face of someone reliving a nightmare.
Lena couldn’t help but look puzzled at their reactions.
“……What’s up with these guys?”
“They all went through hell.”
“Hell? You call that ‘hell,’ Number One?”
“You’re doing it again. When it suits you, I’m all precious.”
“That’s…….”
Whish, whish.
I waved my hand a few times to show I was done with it, then asked Lena.
“So, Lena, the rewards? Ready?”
“Oh, right. This way.”
Lena beckoned and headed somewhere.
Following her led to the request office’s most tucked-away corner.
She tapped the floor there a couple times, and rumble!—it slid open.
Felt like stumbling on a hidden underground bunker.
“Didn’t know there was a spot like this.”
Of course, since the request office was already underground, it didn’t go down another full level.
Just a space suited for use as a storeroom.
That’s probably why Lena kept the request rewards here.
“Grab these from up top.”
Creak, creak.
She climbed down a wooden ladder and started handing up items one by one from the secret storeroom.
A battered dagger to start, then a reddish-brown leather belt, shoulder armor studded with spikes, a compass-like artifact, and so on……
“And this is the last one.”
Finally, she set down a pouch stuffed with gold coins and dusted off her hands.
“This is everything for now. I’ll pass on the rest as clients send them.”
“Hm.”
I scanned the neatly arranged haul.
It was only about half of what we’d earned from the cleared requests, but getting this much right away was miracle enough.
Normally, you had to wait days after completion to collect rewards.
And a few of the items we’d really needed were included to boot.
“Lucky break. Clients prepaid these?”
“Well, sometimes.”
Lena trailed off mid-sentence, then let out a sudden chuckle.
“I’ve got a pretty good read on you now.”
“……What’s that mean?”
“When you took the requests, I asked them to include the rewards upfront. Figured you’d knock ’em out quick.”
“Ah.”
In short, we could collect like this thanks to Lena’s savvy.
‘She was super suspicious when I grabbed the Aldeon ones…….’
Now she trusted I’d handle whatever requests I took.
“Of course, I didn’t expect you to wipe the board clean.”
Lena added that, then handed over the bundle with the goods.
“What’s next on your agenda?”
“Heading to District 4 first. Interested in resource mercenaries, plus I’ve got business there.”
“That means you’re joining the war, right?”
I nodded, and Lena continued.
“Guess no requests from me for a while, then.”
“Probably not.”
“Perfect timing. I was planning to close up shop anyway.”
“Close?”
“Hard to run a request office during war. Barely any customers anyway.”
Made sense when she put it like that.
Keeping an illegal guild office open with a massive war looming was kinda dumb.
Better to use the time for overdue rest or shoring up the office’s foundations.
In fact, Lena said she was planning to relocate Athis Request Office while at it.
“Lately, customers have been pouring in. Got plenty of funds saved up. Time to expand.”
Solid plan.
This spot in the outermost edge of District 6 was tough for foot traffic.
“Thanks. All thanks to you.”
Lena seemed to chalk it up to my efforts, giving me her thanks.
Not that I had zero impact……
“Nah, you busted your ass. What goes around comes around. Congrats.”
All I’d done was bump Athis’s completion rate a smidge.
Amassing funds, advertising the office, handling jobs fast enough that neither clients nor hunters griped—that was all Lena’s hard work.
“Saying it like that means a lot.”
Lena knew it too, so she didn’t argue.
Just set the next meet for later.
“Save the real celebration for after the move. You’re not ditching us for good, right?”
“As if. Still plenty of your cash to squeeze outta you.”
Lena chuckled at the joke.
We turned to leave, that image at our backs.
Gotta hustle hard again for our next reunion.
‘I wonder what it’ll be like…….’
Got me curious all of a sudden.
Athis Request Office a few years from now.
And Lena working there.
For some reason, it felt like as I grew, so would she and the office.
***
After leaving the request office, we said goodbyes to the rest of the crew.
“See you all in three days, then.”
“Freedom at last……. Straight home for some shut-eye.”
“Rest up good. War might be rougher than our hunts.”
“Don’t jinx it. Rougher than this……? I’ve rolled through battlefields aplenty, but nothing like that.”
“Even with me around?”
“…….”
We’d all wrap up any unfinished or postponed business, then regroup.
Rendezvous in three days, at the clock tower in that same square as before.
“Anyway, meet there. Jot down anything you need ahead of time. Gets harder to snag the longer you wait.”
“Got it.”
With that, Kayla and Barundel headed off.
I watched their backs a moment, then turned.
“Uncle, you heading out?”
Thompson was still hanging around there.
Standing stock-still, like he had no plans to leave……
“Hey, Number One, where else would I go? Inn’s the best I got.”
“……And?”
“Let’s roll together. No clue what you’re up to, but whatever.”
Spot on.
“Sure, why not.”
No reason to refuse, so off we went.
First stop: the biggest stable in District 6.
“Hey, Number One, what’s the play here?”
“Got something to pick up.”
A ticket to our next destination in comfort awaited here.
The carriage owned by the academy, generously loaned by Asion Gail, the academy head.
“You’re here.”
“Yeah, coachman. Horses doing alright?”
“I’ve got thirty years wrangling these beasts. They perk right up just seeing me—even the ones on death’s door.”
“Good to hear.”
Light greetings exchanged, the coachman soon brought out the horses.
“Carriage coming right up.”
While he fetched it, I gave the idly standing horse a pat.
“Hey, been good?”
Hiiing!
A sleek black coat with brown mane.
The high-class steed gleamed as ever, well-kept.
As I took that in, Thompson sidled up.
“……Number One. Gotta ask—am I misremembering or something…….”
“Hm? What?”
“You a noble or what?”
Totally out of left field.
But fair question, really.
Nah, the weird part was me.
‘Who’s heard of a commoner with his own carriage and horse?’
Never explained it before, so no surprise Thompson was baffled.
“Nah, academy gift. This setup.”
“Academy? Thought you were street rat stock, Number One?”
“Ended up connected through hanging with Roan.”
“Roan…… You mean Asion Academy?”
“Yeah, heading there now.”
“What? For real?”
Thompson jumped at that.
Then he broke into a sleazy grin.
At this point, you’d think he was born smirking.
“Heh heh heh, Asion Academy, huh. Trailing you was the best call of my life.”
“……That big a deal?”
“Duh! Top magic academy in Asteron—what’s not to love?”
Thompson kept chuckling for ages after.
He was that hyped, so yeah—Asion Academy’s rep must be huge.
‘Guess so.’
Honestly, I wasn’t that wowed.
To me, it was just the image from the game, stuff from a century ago.
One visit wasn’t enough to get the hype.
“Facilities are nice, sure.”
Thompson’s tone flatlined at that.
“Number One, you’re blind to its true value? No mage talent in you.”
He thumped his chest all confident and kept going.
“This won’t do. Stick close—I’ll show you exactly why it’s the real deal!”
Who’s he kidding.
You’d think the uncle had been there himself.