Chapter 64

After enjoying the tea that Donovan had freshly brewed, I was grabbed by the collar and led to the training ground.

He's still holding a grudge, isn't he? He's still holding a grudge about me spitting out the tea, isn't he?

At the training ground, a few adventurers were doing their own training, but they were chased away by Donovan to clear the area.

"Alright, Kent, bring it over here."

"I understand... but everyone is watching, is it okay?"

"Even if we clear the area, rumors will spread immediately, don't worry... "

"I understand... then, Zae, please."

I extended the Dark Shield and connected it to the shadow space.

Five Undead Lizardmen dragged out the Salamander they had slain, and the adventurers who were watching around them cried out.

"Whoa... what is that huge lizard!"

"Is that a Salamander? I've never seen one before."

"Hey, those black Lizardmen, aren't they the ones who wiped out the Orcs?"

"Is Donovan controlling them?"

After Zae and the others brought out the Salamander, they lined up and saluted the knight before returning to the shadow space.

Donovan, on the other hand, was looking up at the Salamander with wide eyes.

"What is this size... it's definitely a Salamander, but... it's too big..."

"Even you, Donovan, think it's big?"

"Normally, it's about half this size, and even the larger ones don't reach this size..."

While Donovan was surprised by the size of the Salamander, he started the inspection but soon his expression darkened.

He came back to me and whispered in my ear.

"Kent, how did you defeat this thing?"

Thinking about it, I just cut through its medulla oblongata via the shadow space, so there are no external injuries, just a bit of bleeding from the nose.

Probably. I thought it would be better if no one else heard, so I whispered the method of slaying in his ear, and Donovan looked down at me with wide eyes.

"You can do that... you're something else."

"Sorry, it just happened that way..."

"Hmm, it's like you impregnated a mistress..."

"Wha... I've never done anything like that!"

"Hmm, it might just be a matter of time..."

"Wh-What are you talking about? I won't... not yet..."

Really, Donovan's strange analogies made me break out in a cold sweat.

After that, Donovan put on leather gloves and started checking the Salamander's claws and fangs.

I have no idea how to judge the quality of a Salamander, so I had to leave it up to him.

"This is an individual that has lived longer than any I've ever seen. It has many old wounds, but it's the best. It's worthy of being recorded in history."

"History? That's a bit exaggerated, isn't it?"

"Hmm, with this size, rumors will spread quickly and cause a commotion. These scales, fangs, and claws will hit the market, and the more knowledgeable people will be amazed and try to get their hands on them."

Thinking about it, that does seem likely.

"Kent, this will not only bring in a huge amount of money but might also solve your problems."

"Huh? My problems?"

"Hmm, just wait and see..."

"Ha... I understand."

Donovan's cryptic words were a bit concerning, but I decided to leave the appraisal to him and return to my work.

The tasks I need to complete today are: taking care of the committee president in the evening, contacting the teachers, and, oh, I almost forgot, making a list of the remaining classmates.

I think the girls will be back from their work soon, so I'll wait for a bit in the guild.

Leaning against the wall, I waited as people who had finished their work and those who had completed their gathering tasks returned.

Among them were Muell and Gilik.

"Good work. Muell, Gilik."

"Oh, Kent, it's rare to see you at this hour."

"Keh, brat... don't be wandering around..."

"Hmph, I've been working a lot more than a puppy."

"I came to request an appraisal, and now I'm waiting for my classmates to return from their work."

"Heh, Kent is selling materials too, huh? By the way, I need to get mine appraised... Gilik, wait here..."

Eh... Muell, are you asking me to watch the puppy?

"Keh, I won't lose..."

"Sure, sure, let's leave it at that."

"Keh... this brat..."

"What's this? You're bleeding from the nose and about to collapse, but you're not losing?"

"Hey... don't get too cocky..."

"No, no, I'm just stating the facts..."

This...

As I glared up at the puppy who was glaring down at me, someone called out from the side.

"Sorry, can I have a word?"

"Huh? What do you want?"

"No, not you, but this young man over here..."

"Oh, me? What is it?"

The man who called out was in his mid-thirties, a bit smaller than Gilik but with a well-proportioned build.

He had a slightly worn-out look, and his polite manner of speaking made him seem a bit suspicious.

"About that Salamander, did you slay it?"

"Well, it wasn't me, but my servant."

"Salamander? What are you talking about, brat?"

It seems the man had seen me bring out the Salamander at the training ground and approached out of interest, but of course, the puppy latched on.

"Well... I just happened to slay a Salamander, so I brought it here for appraisal."

"Huh? Don't spout nonsense, brat! There's no way you could slay a Salamander!"

"Sir, if you doubt it, you should go see it. It's not something you see every day."

The man pointed towards the training ground, as if to shoo Gilik away.

"Keh, it's probably just the size of a chicken... I'll go see."

Gilik walked away, sulking, and the man watched him go with a sly smile.

"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Pedel, a B-rank adventurer."

"Oh, nice to meet you, I'm Kent."

"So, Kent, did you slay that Salamander?"

"No, it was my servant."

"Servant... you mean those black Lizardmen?"

"Yes, sort of..."

"So, those Lizardmen are under your control?"

"Yes, I guess so..."

"Hmm, hmm, hmm..."

I wasn't sure how much to reveal since I didn't know Pedel's intentions.

Pedel nodded several times as I answered, as if organizing his thoughts.

"Those black Lizardmen, they were the ones who defeated the large group of Orcs, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"And the black Kobolds that were driving the Orcs, are they also your... servants?"

"Yes, I guess so."

"I see... you're a Tamer, then?"

"No, I'm not a Tamer."

Pedel, who had been nodding happily, suddenly looked puzzled.

"Then, how do you control these monsters? Can you control them properly?"

"Yes, I can, and they are all registered with the guild."

"So, how do you control them?"

Pedel had been calm when his assumptions were correct, but as soon as they were proven wrong, his tone became interrogative, and his eyes took on a suspicious look.

"Do I have to tell you everything?"

"What? You won't answer me?"

"Meeting someone for the first time and revealing everything... that's a bit..."

"Are you trying to oppose me?"

"No, I don't want to oppose you..."

"Then answer, you're not opposing me, right?"

"Umm... I don't want to, I don't trust you, Pedel."

"What, this brat..."

Yeah, not just a bit, I don't trust you at all.

"Didn't you see where the Salamander came from and where the Lizardmen went?"

"What are you talking about... huh...?"

"Remembered? My servants are invisible and not necessarily far away."

Pedel, who was about to grab me, stepped back and looked around nervously.

"Remember this, brat..."

"Why does it have to be like this?"

"Keh..."

Pedel stormed off, clearly upset.

"Malto, make sure to follow him."

"Woof!"

As I sent Malto to tail him, Muell returned after getting her materials appraised.

"Where's Gilik?"

"He went to the back training ground."

"Training ground? Is there something there?"

"Well... the Salamander..."

"Really? Let me see."

Muell, with her tail standing straight up, ran off to the training ground.

Hmm... I thought I'd finally get to talk to Muell without the puppy...

"Hey, brat, what kind of trick did you use?"

Yeah, the one who didn't need to come back came back.

"What trick... what do you mean?"

"What dirty trick did you use to slay such a huge Salamander? Answer me!"

"I don't want to."

"What, brat!"

"Because, even if I tell the truth, you won't believe me. You'll say it's a lie, there's no way, I didn't lose... or something like that."

"You bastard..."

As we glared at each other, a familiar voice called out.

"Hey! It's Riku, Tomo, Riku is here."

"Really? Oh, Giligili, it's been a while..."

The puppy turned his head sharply towards the voice and paled.

He tried to move silently, but I grabbed his belt.

By the way, is Riku and Giligili a nickname for the puppy?

"Gilik, where are you going?"

"Idiot, let go of me, brat!"

"Kobayashi, Sakurai, Gilik is trying to run away."

"Bah... what are you talking about..."

"Eee... Riku, that's mean, so cold..."

"Sure, sure, Muu-nee said to be nice to girls, right?"

I don't know what happened between the puppy and the凸凹シスターズ (uneven sisters), but I had a feeling this would work to my advantage.

Wow... his tail is trying to hide between his legs... that means the uneven sisters have an effect on him like Donovan.

Yeah, this is a good weapon to have.

About six girls who had been working with the uneven sisters also gathered around.

While I'm at it, let's get their help too.

"Um... this is Gilik, a young hope of the Volzard, and these are my classmates, so please be nice to them."

"What... what are you saying..."

"Everyone, Riku looks tough but he's actually very kind."

"Sure, sure, Giligili is very reliable."

What's going on? Muell is so close to him, but he can't handle girls, is that it? The puppy is acting like a borrowed cat.

He looks pale and is breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Wow... he's so big..."

"Amazing... his muscles are incredible..."

"Everyone, look, his tail is so fluffy..."

"Ahh... don't touch it without permission..."

Yeah, his tail is a weak spot, he's completely limp, so much fun!

Just then, Muell came back.

"Hey, Kent, Kent, is it true that you slayed that Salamander?"

"Well, it was my servant, but yes..."

"Wow, that's amazing, Kent, I'm so surprised."

Well, it's not that big of a deal... but more compliments are welcome.

"Mu-nee, what are you talking about?"

"Ah, Tomoko, go see the Salamander in the back training ground. You might never see one this big again."

"Ah, Riku is running away!"

Taking advantage of the girls' attention on Muell, Gilik ran off.

Hahaha, his tail is hiding between his legs.

The girls who missed Gilik went to the training ground to see the Salamander, and Muell sighed.

"Sigh... Gilik is such a troublemaker..."

"Is Gilik not good with women?"

"Yeah, a bit... like a childhood trauma?"

According to Muell, Gilik is the youngest of four siblings, all of whom are girls, and there were no boys his age in the neighborhood, so he grew up surrounded by girls.

"Kent, you must be envious, right?"

"Uh? No... not really... a little..."

"But, after seeing that, you wouldn't be envious at all..."

Muell has a far-off look in her eyes. I wonder what happened in Gilik's past.

"For Gilik's sake, I'll leave out the details, but basically, he's not good with friendly girls."

"But, you're fine with him, right?"

"I am... I mean, I was the only one who protected him."

"I see, you were his oasis."

"Ahaha, Kent, you're so good with words. But, it was really like that..."

From Muell's far-off look, I felt it was best not to delve too deeply into the story.

If I push too hard, it might bring out the snake.

"Um, Muell, if our girls can be of any help, please let us know."

"Hmm... Kent, you're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Uh, no, no, no..."

"You are, right?"

"Yes... quite a bit..."

"Well, you're hopeless... but, okay!"

Hyaahaaa, I got a pat from Muell, it's been a while.

"Sorry, but Gilik was acting so different from usual..."

"I understand, and actually, with the current Gilik, girls don't usually approach him, so Akemi and Tomoko's presence is valuable."

Muell crossed her arms and started thinking.

"Keento..."

"Uh? Umm... welcome back, Manon..."

I was distracted by Muell, and now Manon is glaring at me with a demon-like expression.

I'm also being glared at by Sagara, Honmi, and the other girls.

I'm in trouble, my stock is plummeting again.

"Ah, Manon, Aoi and the others are back!"

"Hey, hey, everyone, come see, it's a dinosaur, a dinosaur, a dinosaur!"

Good timing, uneven sisters.

The uneven sisters led the group that returned later to the training ground, and somehow the situation was defused.

"Hehehe, that's good, Kent."

"Umm... yes."

By the way, it's a bit awkward to hear that from Muell.

After the girls who went to see the Salamander returned, I asked them to make a list of the remaining classmates in Lastock, kissed Manon, and left the guild.

I can't rely on the boys to make the list, and I still have to take care of the committee president and contact the teachers... my day is far from over.

I have to keep going, the rescue operation is only two days away.