Volume 2 Chapter 7 I've Been Called In, But...
In a rush, I hurriedly left the guild, only to realize that I hadn't accomplished my original goal at all.
So, I went back to the Mercenary Guild. And of course, Mikage followed me from behind. I didn't ask her to come along, she just tagged along on her own.
She's just silently following me. That's why I couldn't really say anything to her, even though I wanted to...
When we arrived at the guild as it was, as expected, all eyes were on us. It seemed like there were still people who had witnessed the previous exchange.
But even if that wasn't the case, having that 'Silver Flash' silently following behind a certain guy, especially when that person was carrying a 'spear', which was almost synonymous with a 'coward's weapon' in the world, it was bound to attract attention, no doubt.
Feeling the curious gazes on my skin, I approach the guild reception.
"This is Yukina-sama. What business do you have today?"
Perhaps because I've been visiting the guild multiple times for requests and settlements, some of the staff have started to recognize my face. Today's receptionist seems to be one of them.
"...I came to collect the reward for this."
I take out a large fang from the pouch on my waist and place it on the reception desk. The receptionist briefly furrows her eyebrows, but quickly widens her eyes, alternating her gaze between me and the fang.
As expected of a guild staff member, she immediately realize that the fang I took out was extracted from the corpse of the 'Kobold King'.
Knowing my face also means that she knows I am still a 5th rank mercenary. It's only natural for her to be surprised when a newcomer like me presents the 'Kobold King's fang'.
"Um, may I temporarily hold onto this?"
"Yeah, no problem."
"Well, please wait a moment then!"
The staff carefully wrapped the Kobold King's fang in a large piece of cloth and quickly retreated into the guild.
Perhaps the staff's voice caught people's attention, as their gaze turned towards me.
'Wow, partner, you've become famous in this guild in just a few hours.'
Ignoring the surrounding glances and Gram's teasing words, I silently waited for the staff to return.
Before long, the staff came back.
"I apologize for the wait. I'm sorry to trouble you, but could you please accompany us to the back room? Someone from the guild wishes to discuss the details of the subjugation with you."
"That's fine by me."
"Thank you. Also, if possible..."
The staff's gaze shifted away from me and towards Mikage, who was standing behind.
"...In the first place, I was the one who took on this task. The detailed explanation is still pending, so it's only natural for me to accompany him."
"Thank you very much. Please, this way."
We were led by a polite staff member into the depths of the guild.
The room we were guided to was a cozy space with two high-quality sofas.
Already seated in the room was an older man.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Karan-sama. I have brought these two individuals."
"Thank you for your hard work. Please return to your normal duties."
"Excuse me."
The staff member bowed and then left the room.
"Please, have a seat. It's hard to have a calm conversation while standing."
Following his lead, Mikage and I sat next to each other facing him. I removed my spear from its sheath and leaned it against the chair.
"...I had heard about this, but I didn't expect to see someone handling a spear these days."
As he gazed at the spear with his hand on his chin, his tone seemed more curious than mocking.
"Oops, sorry for not introducing myself sooner. I'm Karan. I hold a decent position within this guild."
"What do you mean by 'decent position'? Aren't you one of the ten responsible individuals under the guild leader and their assistant?"
Karan gave a friendly introduction to us, but Mikage looked at him with a cold gaze. Even in their short exchange, it was clear that the two knew each other.
"Whenever a direct request is made, we just meet face to face. We are simply acquaintances in terms of work."
"Well, that's it. Nice to meet you, Yukina-kun."
"Y-yeah..."
I shook Karan's outstretched hand. Despite being a guild staff member, his hand was surprisingly strong.
"Well, I didn't call you here for anything else. It's about the Kobold King subjugation."
When Karan brought it up, the atmosphere in the room seemed to tense up. His expression didn't change, but his eyes were sharp, not missing any of our movements.
'This man is probably a retired mercenary. At first glance, he seems like a friendly old man, but he's been through a lot. Be careful── not to the extent of being wary, but keep it in mind.'
I see. Naturally, for a guild staff, he has a lot of hands.
"This is the beginning of the matter, but... Do you know about the phenomenon called Monster Rampage (Stampede)?"
"That is, when monsters multiply abnormally and go on a rampage in search of food."
Gram had already taught me this kind of knowledge. Karan nodded at my words.
"Our guild thought there was a sign of Monster Rampage (Stampede) in the forest near the capital and entrusted the investigation to Silver Flash."
"To be more precise, I hadn't heard anything about Monster Rampage (Stampede). It was just an investigation into something unusual in the forest."
"I'm sorry. We also said that we had noticed the signs, but we didn't hear anything about Monster Rampage (Stampede). The information we received was from a "5th rank mercenary," so we still didn't have any confirmation, and at that point we wanted to avoid giving any importance to it to avoid confusion."
Mikage's words felt like a scolding, and Karan uncomfortably scratched his head.
"But, I had considered it as one of the worst possibilities. That's why I asked the skilled Silver Flash for help, just in case something like this happened."
...The '5th rank mercenary' that was mentioned just now, could it be?
'I guess it's about you, partner.'
Could it be that the story I mentioned at the reception led to Mikage being assigned here?
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