Chapter 99: Royal Capital Adventurers’ Guild ②
“So you say, Count-sama. But we adventurers have to make a living. The fact that we don’t know about Baumgarten Territory means it’s a territory where you can’t earn enough for it to even be talked about. You might be happy that your territory has expanded, right? But that’s no reason for us to risk our lives.”
“That’s true.”
“It’s not worth it if it’s all danger and little profit, is it?”
“A good opportunity to form a connection with the Count. But if there’s no real benefit…”
“That’s right, Ane-san.”
I expected some objections, but I didn’t think it would be you, Reiner. Reiner is a veteran adventurer, after all. He’s probably trying to prevent the younger adventurers from being swayed by my words and needlessly throwing their lives away. Despite his rugged face, Reiner is surprisingly considerate of his comrades.
“Reiner, that’s already a thing of the past.”
I approached the covered cart that Klaus had a servant prepare.
“Behold!”
I casually grabbed the cover and ripped it off. What appeared on the cart was—!
“GURURURURURURURURU…”
“Kyaaaaaaaah!?”
“That’s!?”
“It’s still alive!?”
“A dra…gon…?”
“No, that’s…”
“A Hydra!”
As the receptionist’s scream echoed, the adventurers’ gazes gathered on the Hydra’s head.
“So, some of you know it. Yes, this is the head of a Hydra that appeared in my Baumgarten Territory. Among its nine necks, this is said to be the immortal one, the central neck. I’ll show you proof of that right now. Klaus, a knife.”
“Understood.”
“To bring a Hydra’s head here…!?”
“Hydras appear in Baumgarten Territory…?”
“It’s a highly venomous dragon with a limited habitat, you know? For such a dangerous monster to appear…”
“Why did the Count bring out a Hydra’s head? Won’t this make everyone avoid Baumgarten Territory…?”
“No, the Hydra’s immortal neck is…”
As the adventurers whispered, I inserted the knife below the Hydra’s eye, around its cheek. It’s a task I’ve done many times now. There’s no way I’d make a mistake.
“KURURURURURURU…”
Wait, is this Hydra crying? Its voice lacks strength, and it sounds like it’s begging for its life.
Well, I guess it can’t be helped, huh? It’s been cut with a knife over and over again since it became just a head… Its immortality prevents it from even committing suicide. The more I think about it, the more pitiful a creature it is…
Well, it’s got nothing to do with me, though.
I swiftly ran the knife along the Hydra’s cheek and cut out a black, organ-like object. The Hydra Poison Gland.
“Klaus.”
“Yes, Danna-sama.”
After tightly tying off the end of the poison gland, I placed it on the metal tray Klaus had prepared.
“Go ahead and exchange it for cash.”
“Understood.”
Klaus took the Hydra Poison Gland on the metal tray to the Adventurers’ Guild reception counter. Then, the pale-faced receptionist forced a smile and began to assist him.
The adventurers watched the scene quietly.
“Excuse me, I’d like to exchange this for cash.”
“U-Understood. I’ll call the person in charge.”
“There’s no need for that. I’ll appraise it… though it doesn’t seem necessary, just in case. This is indeed a Hydra Poison Gland. It’s a high-quality item in excellent condition. Well, considering it was just harvested before our eyes and is still warm, that’s to be expected, I suppose. How about thirty gold coins, with a little extra added on?”
Klaus glanced back at me as if to ask. He was probably checking if this price was acceptable.
Thirty gold coins is satisfactory. I nodded in reply.
“Yes, that’s fine. Please proceed with that.”
“Thirty gold coins!?”
“Seriously? I heard it was valuable, but I never imagined it’d be that much…!”
“How many days’ worth of our salary is that…?”
“I see, so the Count’s aim is…!”
The adventurers, having witnessed the Hydra Poison Gland actually being sold for the large sum of thirty gold coins, began to stir. It seems some of them have realized my aim.
“Well, that’s how it is. But it’s too early to be surprised. The Hydra has one poison gland on each side. There’s another one. Moreover, this Hydra’s head is immortal and has regenerative abilities. By this time tomorrow, we’ll be able to get another poison gland.”
“Sixty gold coins, eternally…!?”
“Such a huge sum of money…!?”
“So Hydras are profitable, huh…”
To the adventurers’ eyes, the Hydra’s head must now look like a treasure chest or something.
“This Hydra was hunted in my Baumgarten Territory. It’s certain that Hydras reside in Baumgarten Territory, you hear? And we are about to venture into lands untrodden by humankind. There might be monsters even rarer than Hydras, monsters that can be sold for a high price, you know? The notion that you can’t make a profit in Baumgarten Territory is now a thing of the past.”
“Uooooh! I’m going to Baumgarten Territory!”
“Me too!”
“Maybe it’s worth going once?”
“Should we go too?”
The power of money sure is something. I witnessed the moment people change their minds.
However, Reinhardt-kun, who was the very first to speak up. I’m definitely not taking you, you know?