CHAPTER 108: BEGINNINGS ARE ALWAYS SUDDEN 1

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On the second floor of the Adventurer’s Guild, in the middle of the corridor that leads to the library, there is a room that I don’t know what it’s used for.
In one of the rooms, a receptionist from the Adventurer’s Guild named Miril, and I was sitting across a table.
Near the entrance to the room, a man in his forties, with the air of a skilled warrior, stood with his arms folded and his back against the wall.

 

 

“Let me get right to the point.” (Receptionist => Miril)

 

 

　When I briefly reply “yes” to her words, she continues.

 

 

“We, the Adventurer’s Guild, are gathering information about dungeons and monsters in the area every day and night to support our members in their adventuring activities.” (Miril)

 

 

　While listening to her words saying that she will get straight to the point but she did not, instead she glances at the man standing near the entrance.

 

　His black hair, mixed with gray, is trimmed and slicked back and he has a full beard.
Deep wrinkles on his face show the life he lived.
He was not wearing armor, but he had a short sword at his waist, and he had the air of a man who would be ready to… if anything happened.

 

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　It’s certainly not a good idea to leave a young adventurer and a young receptionist alone in a locked room.
There should be at least one other person present.

 

　However–

 

 

　Isn’t it a little too intimidating…?

 

 

“I’m sure you’ll agree that the Adventurers Guild should always have information on the monsters that appear in dungeons, as well as the items they produce.”

 

 

　I could only reply with a “huh” to her long-winded preamble that didn’t really get to the heart of the matter.

 

　However, the bad premonition that I had felt from the beginning was slowly growing.

 

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“If an adventurer were to conceal the information he discovered for his own benefit, we at the Adventurer’s Guild would not be able to blame him for it.
However.
If the adventurer is unable to continue as an adventurer for some reason or moves to another town, and the valuable information is lost forever without anyone knowing about it, don’t you think that would be a shame?” (Miril)

 

 

　To Miril’s question, I kept my reply to a safe one, “Um, that’s true…”.

 

　As if she took my words as an affirmation, she continued to talk.

 

“Rook-san.
We would like you to provide us with such information.
Of course, we don’t want it for free.
Valuable information requires a certain price.” (Miril)

 

 

　Then Miril took out a bulging cloth bag from under the desk and placed it on the desk.

 

　I heard the sound of the cloth bag colliding with the desk and the metal colliding with each other.

 

 

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“I have prepared 200 gold coins for you.” (Miril)

 

 

　The words “200 gold coins” made me twitch.

 

　The magnitude of the conversation was getting increasingly grave, and I can feel it in my skin, and my heart starts to beat a little faster.

 

　Miril stared into my eyes to see my reaction and continued her words.

 

 

“Rook-san, with these 200 gold coins—can you tell me how you got the Light Magic Crystal?” (Miril)

 

 

　The moment I heard her say that, I closed my eyes before my body could react in any way.

 

　It might look suspicious, but it’s better than realizing something.

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　I consciously suppressed my naturally rapid breathing, calmed my mind, and opened my eyes.

 

 

　I was thinking about the possibility of this happening.

 

　No, to be more precise, I just realized the possibility the other day that there might be some problems with the Light Magic Crystal.
I had not yet predicted what kind of problem it would be, and I was still in the process of verifying whether it would actually happen or not.

 

　The beginning of it all – the first thing that made me feel uncomfortable was when the Holy Fire grimoire came out of the skeleton.
At that time, I thought it was strange that a skeleton, which seemed to be a creature of darkness, would produce a grimoire of Sacred Magic.
However, I convinced myself that it was possible, because, in dungeons, you can find misplaced items that have nothing to do with monsters.

 

　The next time I had a strange feeling was after I got the Light Magic Crystal from the ghost and sold it to the adventurer’s guild.
Even at that time, I thought it was strange that a dark ghost could produce Light Magic Crystals, and after thinking, worrying, and remembering, I arrived at a possibility.

 

 

 

　The drop items of the monsters I defeated with Sacred Magic had been altered by the spell.