“Let’s wait inside until Mother comes back, okay?”
With the Baby Kirin in tow, I opened the front door of the Log House.
“Whoa! This is delicious!”
“…It’s too tasty, I must say.”
“…”
To my surprise, there were unfamiliar faces in the living room. Four women were gathered around the kotatsu table, laden with food.
“Hey! You all should show a little restraint!”
One of the women, scolding the others, looked familiar.
“Oh, you’re the adventurer who fought alongside Mother Kirin…”
“Welcome back, Saintess!”
The beautiful woman smiled at me. The three other women, who seemed to be her companions, addressed me as well.
“Hey! We’re enjoying a feast here!”
“…This dinner is truly delicious, I am most grateful.”
“…”
Each of them had their own distinct characteristics: a tall woman, one speaking in a formal tone, and then… a mysterious woman wearing a hood and mask, even indoors.
“Um… who are you all?”
“I apologize for the delay. I am Rita, the leader of the S-rank adventurer party, the Twilight Dragon.”
The beautiful woman, Rita, introduced herself.
“I would like to introduce my companions: the ninja Ninshia, the tank Dekatank, and the mage Hermes.”
So, the one speaking formally is Ninshia, the tall woman is Dekatank, and the mysterious masked mage is Hermes.
“So, what brings you here?”
“The maid over there invited us.”
Rita pointed at Fubuki. I beckoned Fubuki over with a wave of my hand.
“…Why did you invite these people to our home?”
“…I’m sorry, but Rita insisted on expressing her gratitude for saving her life.”
Indeed, I had rescued these people from the brink of death.
“I thought they would just wait, but Caro-chan ended up serving them a feast.”
It seemed my familiars mistook the Twilight Dragon for my guests.
“This food is amazing! I’ve never had such tender steak before!”
Dekatank exclaimed as he devoured a Wagyu steak (purchased with KAMIZON).
“…I’ve never tasted such a delicate stew in my life. It’s absolutely divine…♡”
Ninshia murmured dreamily.
“Hey, you two, show a little restraint!”
“Rita, you were just saying how this was your first time having such delicious food too, weren’t you?”
Oh, so Rita was also enjoying the meal. Her face turned red.
“…Everyone, you’re being too careless. There could be poison in the food.”
Only one person hadn’t eaten yet: the masked mage, Hermes.
“There’s no poison in it. Come on, Hermes, just eat!”
“…I absolutely refuse.”
Hermes glared at me through her mask.
“…Controlling a Kirin and healing severe injuries in an instant, while creating such a comfortable space in the mountains. You are clearly not just an ordinary human. In fact, I question whether you are human at all.”
Correct. But I had no intention of revealing that. It would be troublesome if they found out.
“That attitude towards your savior is quite rude, Hermes. Apologize.”
Rita admonished Hermes, but Hermes ignored her.
“Saintess, I truly apologize. My companion has been rude.”
“No, no. By the way, I’m curious, how did you know I’m the Saint?”
“I’ve heard that Saints are favored by sacred beasts. The fact that the Kirin has taken a liking to you is a good sign.”
I see, so that’s why they think I’m the Saint…
“Saintess, once again, thank you for saving our lives.”
Rita and the others bowed deeply. Hermes, while looking away, still managed to say, “Thank you.”
Yeah, they really aren’t bad people after all.
“You adventurers came here to take on a quest to slay the Kirin, right? Is that still ongoing?”
The Baby Kirin hid behind me, looking up at me anxiously. I patted her head to reassure her.
“That’s right. The quest has not yet been completed.”
So, they still intend to slay the Kirin.
However, Rita smiled.
“Rest assured. We are abandoning the quest.”
Then Hermes stood up.
“W-What are you saying, Leader! If we do that, we’ll have to pay a huge penalty fee!”
Hermes tried to approach us.
“Calm down, Hermes. Just sit down for a moment.”
Dekatank grabbed Hermes by the shoulder and forced her to sit.
“…We should listen to the Leader’s opinion.”
Dekatank and Ninshia didn’t seem particularly opposed.
“Is that really okay? You’ll have to pay the penalty fee, right?”
Rita smiled and crouched down to look at the Baby Kirin.
“I can’t take a mother’s life in front of her child.”
“Are you all really okay with this?”
I glanced at Rita’s companions.
“I’ll follow the Leader’s decision. I owe her for this delicious meal.”
“…I agree. One must repay their debts. Plus, the food was amazing.”
Thanks to the delicious meal, their guard seemed to have lowered.
“…I’m against this. This is a quest from the Crown Prince, you know? If we abandon it, our credibility as S-rankers will plummet.”
Huh?
“Did you just say this is a quest from the Crown Prince?”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
Orokani Kuso wanted the Kirin. He had issued a quest to slay the Kirin to the Twilight Dragon…
If I had any questions, it was time for the Omniscient and Omnipotent (Internet) to shine.
～～～～～～
– Orokani Kuso’s Aim
→ Orokani Kuso wanted a Baby Kirin. The parent Kirin is ferocious, and putting a Slave Collar on it would be quite difficult.
He intended for the Twilight Dragon to buy time for the kidnapping of the child. If they could slay it, that would be a bonus; if the Twilight Dragon died, he would be lucky to avoid paying them.
～～～～～～
What a truly hopelessly foolish person.
I shared the information I had gathered from the Omniscient and Omnipotent (Internet) with Rita.
“So that’s what it was! Damn it!!!”
Bang! Dekatank slammed his fist on the table.
“…So that’s why they were so reluctant to pay an advance!”
Ninshia was furious as well. Well, that was to be expected.
“You believe me so easily, huh?”
“A person as pure-hearted as you, who is favored by a sacred beast, wouldn’t lie.”
I see…
Hermes remained silent. I had expected her to be the first to question my words.
“You were right, Hermes. I apologize.”
Rita said, acknowledging Hermes’s concerns about the quest.
“Everyone, listen. I will leave Geita Niiga. We’ve contributed to this country, yet we are treated so poorly by those who would become its next leaders.”
The others nodded in agreement, murmuring their support. Even Hermes said, “I agree…”
“But what will we do now, Leader?”
“Even if we leave, we’ll still incur a penalty fee for abandoning the quest.”
“…Our savings will be wiped out. We can’t afford a long journey.”
That’s unfortunate. I had a hand in causing them to abandon the quest.
“Hey, how about working for me?”
“““For the Saintess…?”””
Yes, I had been considering this.
“There’s a region at the foot of the mountain called Dead End. They are in dire need of workers. I’d like you all to work there. Of course, you’ll be compensated.”
“…Compensated with what?”
I opened a box and pulled out items from God’s Prepared Storage.
Thud, thud, thud!
“““W-What is this!?”””
The items I revealed were weapons and Magic Tomes that had been rotting away in storage.
“S-Superb! Look at this! It’s the Holy Spear Gungnir! And here’s the Aias Shield!”
“…Unbelievable. The legendary tome, the Magic Text of the Great Mage Abel, thought to be lost! And there are so many rare Magic Tomes!?”
Even Hermes’s eyes sparkled with excitement (though her face was hidden by her mask).
“I’ll give all of this to you.”
“Huh!? No way, Saintess, that’s too much…”
“Oh, is it too little? Would you prefer money instead? Sorry, but I don’t have any money.”
“It’s not that it’s too little! It’s way too much!”
Rita and the others nodded in agreement. Hermes shot me a suspicious glance.
“What’s your angle? Why would you prepare so many ultra-rare items that are worth a fortune?”
“I don’t have an angle. I just want you to work for me, and that’s your reward. If it’s not enough, just let me know. There’s still plenty more in storage.”
“You mean there’s more!?”
“Yeah, I can part with the rest too. I’m not using them anyway.”
If they’re just going to sit there as decorations, it’s better to put them to good use.
Rita looked at her companions. Dekatank, Ninshia, and… Hermes nodded.
The four of them knelt before me.
“I, the Twilight Dragon, hereby swear to become your servant.”
…Huh? This is not what I expected.
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