Chapter 146
Skepticism
Translator : PolterGlast
After subjugating the Cruhamilion, I placed the
stripped materials inside the nest for the time being, then carried Gree
on my back and decided to return to Lightmira. Since Gree fell
asleep as soon as he got on my back, I hurried back to the city while being
careful not to shake him too much.
Partly because the subjugation went faster than expected, it
was still late at night when we arrived in Lightmira. Carrying Gree
on my back, I moved through the silent city toward the tent where Anne
was waiting.
Honestly, I was more worried about Anne being left
alone than Gree... but she seemed to be safe, curled up asleep inside
the tent. I hesitated whether to wake her up to report, but since I could just
report tomorrow, I laid Gree down next to Anne without waking
her.
After watching the two sleeping figures for a moment, I
headed to the northeast forest again. From here, I'll retrieve the stripped
materials and destroy the Cruhamilion's nest.
By the time I returned to Lightmira while carrying the materials, the sky was
already bright. In the end, I wound up pulling an all-nighter to get the work
done, but considering I was able to successfully subjugate the Cruhamilion without incident, I would
call it an excellent result.
As for my next moves: go greet Adwell, then head to
the 'Monster Hacker' who gave me the information. They said they didn't
need a reward, but I intend to give them some of the Cruhamilion's
materials. They've been chasing the Cruhamilion for years, so they'll
surely make effective use of them.
I could head straight to the Adventurer's Guild,
but... the body odor is bothering me, so I'll return to the inn once to take a
shower. Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I decided to wash off the dirt with a shower,
aiming to wake myself up as well.
After cleaning myself up, I came to the Adventurer's
Guild. The timing seemed perfect, as I coincidentally ran into Adwell
coming to work at the entrance. Exchanging light greetings, we headed to the Guild
Master's office together.
"Perfect timing. Did you come to ask for information on
the Cruhamilion again?"
"No, I subjugated the Cruhamilion last night.
So, I came thinking I'd report that."
"............Hmm? Ah, I see, I see. Fuffuffu, it's
quite a good joke, but it lacks humor!"
I intended to report the facts, but Adwell started
saying strange things. Could it be that he doesn't believe I defeated the Cruhamilion?
"No, it's not a joke at all; I really did defeat the Cruhamilion.
I have the stripped materials just in case."
"..............Did you really defeat it? I-I find it
hard to believe, but... May I see the materials?"
"Of course. I intended to negotiate for you to buy the
materials, after all."
To Adwell, who looked surprised with his eyes wide
open, I showed the Cruhamilion materials I had stripped earlier. After
touching and confirming the materials I brought one by one, Adwell
tilted his head and began to think deeply.
"What's wrong? Could it be that what I subjugated
wasn't the Cruhamilion—or something?"
"No. I've never seen such a monster, so I think it's
almost certainly the Cruhamilion. ...However, unfortunately, I
don't know the Cruhamilion."
"I-I see. It was a monster famous for not showing its
form, so... well, I guess it can't be helped."
"Anyway, let's take this immediately to the adventurers
chasing the Cruhamilion. I will come along this time."
"Yeah. I'm counting on you."
Either way, I planned to head to the 'Monster Hacker',
so this is convenient. Along with the eager Adwell, I headed to the
basement of the inn where the 'Monster Hacker' base was located.
Knocking and entering, the two familiar faces were in the
front, and an unfamiliar man was standing in the back. Is this man the leader
mentioned?
"Oh, speak of the devil. This is the person I was
talking about earlier, the adventurer trying to defeat the Cruhamilion."
"My, you hadn't departed yet? The leader is here today,
so you should listen to what he has to say."
From the way the two spoke, this man was indeed the leader.
Or rather, I've already defeated it... but they seem to think I haven't even
departed yet. Adwell's reaction was similar; there seems to be a strong
perception that it isn't a monster that can be defeated in a few days.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jacob, the leader of this
party. If you want to defeat the Cruhamilion, you're more than welcome,
and I'll tell you any information I know, so ask anything without
hesitation!"
"I appreciate the offer.... but I've already defeated
the Cruhamilion."
"Eh!? You're saying you already defeated it? ...No, no,
that's impossible!"
"I just went through this exchange with the Guild
Master of this city. I think I defeated it, but I don't know if it's really
the Cruhamilion, so I want you to judge by looking at these
materials."
To the three who looked surprised just like Adwell, I
showed the stripped Cruhamilion materials. The first to react was the
leader, Jacob, staring at the materials so closely that his face was practically touching them.
"...Leader, what do you think? It's not the Cruhamilion,
right?"
"............No, this body is undoubtedly the Cruhamilion.
I've actually examined the inside of its nest, so there's no mistake. —How,
just how on earth did you defeat it!?"
Changing completely from the gentle atmosphere earlier, Jacob
grabbed my shoulders and questioned me. Even though he just told me to ask him
anything, I ended up being the one questioned.
"Thanks to receiving various information from those
two, I was able to pinpoint the nest during the day. Then, I ambushed the Cruhamilion
when it returned at night and subjugated it just like
that."
"...I'm troubled by such a simple report, as if you
defeated a goblin! First of all, finding the nest is hard, and above all—you
cannot visually confirm the Cruhamilion unless you take measures! That
was the one thing even I couldn't do anything about!"
Even if you say that... I didn't have any grand plan; I just
distinguished it by smell. Even if I explain this, they probably won't
understand well again... so I'll dodge the question here.
"Please let that remain a secret. Anyway, there's no
mistake that what I defeated was the Cruhamilion, right?"
"Y-Yes. If Jacob-san, the leader, asserts it, I
have no room for doubt. Graham-san. Thank you very much for defeating
the Cruhamilion this time."
"I haven't done anything to be thanked for. Anyway, I
want you to buy the materials, and please give these three a generous
reward."
"Wait a minute. I'm more interested in how you
defeated it than the reward!"
"Please leave that for when I feel like it. I'll hand
over part of the materials as an information fee, so I want the three of the 'Monster
Hacker' and the Guild Master to handle that well. Well then, I have
to go back immediately, so excuse me."
The atmosphere was full of them not letting me go, but since
I really don't have time, I decided to leave as if running away. From here, I
have to go to Gree and Anne, and I also have to buy souvenirs for
Ginia, Aoi, the Guild Master, as well as Ria, Tricia,
and Maud.
"Wait a minute! Let me hear a little more!"
"Me too! We are grateful to buy them, but about what to
do with the money for the purchase... and we also need to talk about your
reward for the subjugation itself!"
" No, I want
you to handle all those details properly on your end. —If the mood strikes,
I’ll show my face around here again."
"Wait a sec! You gotta let me hear the story!"
"Running away is unfair. We told you everything we knew
without holding back, didn't we?!"
I could hear the noise from behind, but I left the inn as if
fleeing... and hurried straight to the tent where Gree and Anne
were.
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