Chapter 63

After completing the conquest of the "Centipede Mine," I returned to the adventurer's capital, Lakolina, with Luuce.

Luuce looked around warily, her eyes scanning the surroundings.

She clenched her fists tightly with both hands.

The adventurers we passed glanced at us with suspicious eyes.

"…Luuce, can't you do something about that suspicious behavior?"

"Wh-what do you expect? We made so much from the previous conquest of the 'Centipede Mine'!"

I chuckled, then looked at the adventurer's guild building ahead, squinting my eyes.

We were heading there to exchange the magic stones, but that wasn't our only purpose.

The evolution of the "Lord of Dreams" was not something to be ignored.

The "Centipede Mine" was said to be a relatively new "Dream Hole."

However, the evolution of the "Lord of Dreams" should not have occurred without many monsters and adventurers being sacrificed.

If such a major disaster had happened, it would be strange for the guild not to have shared the information.

We had to make sure the adventurer's guild was aware of this.

Luuce and I entered the adventurer's guild and called out to the receptionist behind the counter.

"We would like to exchange magic stones. Also, we need to speak with a senior adventurer on staff, preferably the guild master. Something serious might be happening."

"Hmm… Low-level adventurers from the city of Rondarume, a D-rank knight and a jester, is that correct?"

The receptionist glanced back and forth between our adventurer cards, speaking in a condescending tone.

"I'll pass the message along. Since I'm busy, please keep it brief."

"What is that supposed to mean! You don't have to talk to us like that!"

Luuce's mouth twisted in annoyance at the receptionist's attitude.

"Um… This is the adventurer's capital, Lakolina. We guild staff take pride in the famous adventurers we have produced."

The receptionist said this with a sigh.

"M-mmm…!"

Luuce puffed out her cheeks.

"No, it's fine, Luuce. Leave it to me. If we explain calmly, they should understand."

I put a hand up to stop Luuce's retort.

"If you say so, Elma…"

The people of the adventurer's capital, Lakolina, took pride in their city and had high self-esteem.

This was something I had been taught at the Edvahn Viscount's estate.

The Haulrod Marquess family, who ruled this city, was known for their high pride and bad temper, and my father, Aizas, had often complained about them.

They were a remarkable family who had skillfully managed the high-level "Dream Holes" in this territory, reaping huge profits and building their status.

"I know I'm asking a lot. If you feel offended, I apologize. However, I would like some time to persuade you. This incident is complex, and I fear it might be trivialized if explained secondhand. It could be a sign of something worse…"

"From our perspective, it's not pleasant to be casually asked to summon the guild master by adventurers from the countryside. We can't afford to be treated the same as the smaller guilds in Rondarume. The number of adventurers we handle, their quality, and the amount of money involved are far greater than you might think. It's not uncommon for parties to earn several million gold from a single magic stone exchange. The guild master is a very busy person, so we cannot accommodate your request for a meeting. This applies to other guild-affiliated adventurers as well…"

"Rondarume and the Edvahn Viscount's territory aren't that rural…! I admit this city is a bit more developed, but I don't deserve to be treated this way!"

I leaned forward on the counter, speaking with a hint of anger.

"Calm down, Elma! You don't have much attachment to that family anymore, right? Let's stay calm and proceed calmly!"

"Sorry, Luuce, you're right."

Actually, it's not about attachment to the family, but the fact is that the Edvahn Viscount's territory isn't that rural.

This isn't about local pride.

I was just stating the facts.

"I should have shown this first."

I took the Death-Armed magic stone out of the "Magic Bag" and placed it in front of the receptionist.

Her eyes widened.

"T-this size… Level 60… No, even higher…! This is a B-rank adventurer's job. Did you really obtain this? It's not something a D-rank adventurer could defeat…"

"This was obtained from the 'Lord of Dreams' during the conquest of the 'Centipede Mine.' Something strange was happening there. There might have been many casualties. I would like to meet the guild master if possible."

"O-okay, I'll talk to them. This is a terrible misunderstanding…!"

The receptionist bowed repeatedly.

Adventurers are valued differently based on their rank.

This is because the benefits they bring to the city vary greatly.

High-level adventurers can recover resources like items and magic stones from high-level "Dream Holes" and also defend against monster disasters.

Given that Lakolina has developed due to "Dream Holes," the respect for high-level adventurers is deeply rooted.

"I should have done this from the start. And… please handle the exchange of these as well."

I took out the magic stones from the Mithril Golem, the Smiles, and others, placing them on the counter one by one.

Looking at them all together, it was quite a substantial amount.

To be honest, we had been too focused on monster hunting this time.

The encounters with strong enemies were intense, but that wasn't the only reason.

Combined with the Death-Armed magic stone, the total was a little over ten million gold.

"W-what is this amount…? All from one exploration…?"

The receptionist was speechless.

She had boasted that it wasn't uncommon for parties to earn several million gold from a single magic stone exchange, but she was clearly surprised by this amount.

I had originally planned to just collect some black steel equipment and return, not to gather this much.

"I thought it might take some time to prepare the money, so I wanted to hand them over first."

"This amount can be prepared quickly! Please wait a moment!"

The receptionist's face turned red as she said this and hurriedly moved to the back.

"Wasn't that a bit of a comeback?"

Luuce glanced at my face.

"That wasn't my intention."

For us, with Luuce in tow, the profit from magic stone exchanges was secondary.

The item drops were far more valuable.

――――――――――――――――――――

<Poison Centipede Dagger>: 28 million gold

<Mithril Ingot>: 25 million gold

<Seal of Destruction>: 20 million gold

<Black Steel Hammer>: 4.6 million gold

<Black Steel Sword>: 4.5 million gold

<Black Steel Knife>: 4.3 million gold

<Black Steel Ingot>: 4 million gold

<Death-Armed Magic Stone>: 4.2 million gold

<Mithril Golem Magic Stone>: 2 million gold

<Kurai Magic Stone>: 900,000 gold

<Smile Magic Stone>: 800,000 gold × 4

――――――――――――――――――――

This was the total market value of the items we obtained.

Combined, it amounted to 107 million gold.

We planned to keep some of the items as weapons rather than selling them.

I also intended to keep the <Seal of Destruction> for now.

I planned to have a blacksmith craft a weapon and embed the seal in it.

"Sorry, there's an adventurer who wants to exchange magic stones for ten million gold immediately. Please prepare it!"

A voice from the back of the guild echoed, belonging to the receptionist.

"Ten million gold all at once!? That will require some verification, procedures, and record-keeping… Is this a famous A-rank adventurer? If so, we can expedite it…"

"A D-rank adventurer!"

"D-did you say a D-rank adventurer!? Wait, what is this adventurer's track record in this city?"

"Just hurry up! The reputation of Lakolina is at stake!"

…It seems there's some commotion, but I'm sure it will be fine.

Regardless, once the magic stone exchange is complete, we need to meet with the guild master.