Chapter 159
Sickness
Translator : PolterGlast
I took the box Guanza offered and checked the
contents. Inside was a massive amount of gemstones and rare ores.
It was packed with major gemstones I recognized, like
rubies, sapphires, and diamonds, as well as rare ores spoken of in legends,
such as Mithril, Adamantite, and Hihi'irokane. I wasn't
particularly interested in the gems, but to be honest, I did want the rare ores
like Adamantite and Hihi'irokane.
However, since I had decided just to look, I suppressed my
greed and turned my attention to the other items... finding one thing that
stood out amidst the gems and ores. It was something like a slightly rusted gold
pendant, completely different from everything else in the box.
"Guanza. What is this pendant? Is it a keepsake
or something?"
"No, that pendant is a Magic Tool. It’s an item
that glows when monsters are nearby, making it a masterpiece that is extremely useful
in dungeons."
"A detection Magic Tool, huh? Graham-san,
that Magic Tool is in high demand even among other magical items, so it
trades for a high price. It can detect monsters mimicking treasure chests or
monsters hiding inside them, after all."
"Mimicking treasure chests? I don't really get it, but
it sounds valuable."
I was intrigued by the concept of a Magic Tool, but
the detection ability didn't appeal to me much. Partly because I wasn't very
knowledgeable about dungeons and didn't really understand what the Guild Master
was talking about.
—So, this is what was inside the box he held out to me? As
expected of a former Guild Master, it contained proper treasures... but since
he seemed remorseful, I decided to return it.
"For now, I'm returning this box. If you lose this,
you'll be penniless and jobless, right? I don't want you resenting me later
because of that."
"I would never resent you! Just having my life saved
was profit enough! Please, accept it!"
"No, take it back. If you really don't need it, then
use the contents of that box to do some good deeds. I want you to repay the
debt you owe me to someone who is in trouble."
"Graham-san, you truly have a big heart. —Damn
it, to think I held such ill feelings toward a person like you..."
Still kneeling in seiza, Guanza suddenly began
to shed tears. He was crying with his raw emotions exposed, just like before;
perhaps his emotional state was still unstable.
"That's how it is, so take the box home."
"...Understood! I will use this to be of service to
people in trouble!"
"Yeah. I'm sure it'll be tough, but do your best."
With this, I think it's safe to say the whole affair with Guanza is finally settled. It had been
a series of conflicts from the start, but if that Guanza had
turned over a new leaf, then I guess all's well that ends well.
"I'm glad we wrapped this up peacefully. Graham-san,
thank you for your lenient response."
"No, actually, I imagine you had a lot more pent-up
frustration with Guanza than I did,
Guild Master. So I'd say the lenient response went both ways. With that said,
if we're done talking, do you mind if I leave now?"
Ginia and Aoi
were likely waiting outside the room, and I wanted to get back to selecting a
request. With that in mind, I was fully ready to leave, but...
"Sorry, but
can I speak to you about one more thing while you're here? It's something I
just heard from Guanza... Apparently, a major problem has arisen in the
city of Klingark, where Guanza served as Guild Master—"
"No, Dwayne-san. We don't need to discuss that!
I just decided a moment ago that I would resolve it myself."
I had intended to go on a request, but there was no way I
could leave without hearing the end of a story cut off like that. I felt bad
for the two waiting for me, but I had to hear this.
"Stopping the story there just leaves me feeling
uneasy. Guild Master, please continue."
"Alright. It seems a major problem is occurring in the
city of Klingark. And this major problem is... the spread of an illness
with an unknown cause. There haven't been any deaths yet, but apparently, the
number of infected is continuing to rise."
The spread of an unknown disease? That was certainly a major
problem, but I felt like it wasn't something I could do anything about.
"That sounds terrible, but I'm not exactly an expert in
medicine, so I don't think I can help, can I? Or... is there something I can
do?"
"Actually, Guanza believes the cause of the
sickness might be due to a monster. About half a year ago, it seems a Dragon
appeared in the mountains near Klingark. The Dragon itself was
reportedly defeated by a joint party consisting of S-Rank adventurers
dispatched from the Royal Capital and the Crimson Rose, whom you also
fought in the capital, Graham-san... but because the carcass fell to the
bottom of a valley, they were unable to recover it."
"So you think something bad is emanating from that
carcass and causing an epidemic in the city?"
"Yes, that is correct. I suspected it might have turned
into a Dragon Zombie and tried to send out an investigation immediately,
but..."
"Guanza had already been stripped of his
position as Guild Master. The successor didn't think well of Guanza to
begin with, so apparently, he won't listen to a word of Guanza's advice.
Furthermore, even if they knew the cause was a Dragon Zombie, it's
doubtful whether they could actually defeat it."
That really sounds like a difficult situation. The fact that
the new Guild Master doesn't think well of Guanza is entirely Guanza's
fault, so there's no room for sympathy there.
No matter how much he tries to turn over a new leaf, his
past actions won't be erased. However, I couldn't overlook a disease spreading
because of it. Honestly, I felt reluctant... but if there was something I could
do, I decided I would act.
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