Chapter 96

In the city of Kama, the large warehouse of the Adventurer's Guild is a place where materials from monsters, gems, precious herbs, and decorations bought from adventurers are managed.

Inside the large warehouse, the receptionists bustled about, packaging the items lined up in the limited space to send them to the clients.

"Phew... This work is secretly tough every time."

"Rebecca, stop complaining."

In response to Edda's reprimand, Rebecca replied with a lackluster "Okay~" as usual. Despite the casual exchange between Rebecca and Edda, the items they handled were so valuable that selling them in the right place could support them for years without working. It was a common topic among the common people to wonder why the staff didn't embezzle the goods, but regardless of the Adventurer's Guild, most of the staff were bound by contract magic. The slave collars worn by slaves also contained contract magic, though the contract magic binding the guild staff was not as powerful. Therefore, there were loopholes.

Morphis was looking at a mountain of materials and gems brought in by an adventurer.

"Uncle—Guild Master, is something wrong?"

"Edda, were you just treating me like an old man? Never mind, let's move on.

Look at this. These are the items Yu brought back from the dungeon."

Edda, prompted by Morphis, began to examine the items laid out on the desk.

Branches of spirit trees, Yurutes herbs, Moon Drops, and Dolbora roots from plants, materials from Rank 4-5 monsters, and gems like emeralds and rubies.

The desk was filled with expensive items, but the Moon Drops and Dolbora roots, in particular, were valuable materials for potions that could not be obtained in the vicinity of Kama.

Edda noticed the absence of magic cores, but since some adventurers sold their items to the Merchant Guild or the Alchemist Guild instead of the Adventurer's Guild, she wasn't too concerned.

"These are the items Yu brought in. I would believe they were brought in by a B-rank adventurer."

"About that name, have you considered your age? It's creepy."

"Hehe, you're the one with a creepy head. You're joking, right?"

Edda's sharp tongue caused a few strands of hair to fall from Morphis's head.

"Ugh... I, my hair is not important right now.

If we release all these items to the market at once, Yu's name will spread to the capital."

"Well, what's wrong with that? Being famous is what every adventurer desires."

"Recruiters and those with ill intentions will start moving. In Kama, a few nobles are already in motion. The worst-case scenario is if a country other than the Uudon Kingdom gets involved."

"Then what should we do?"

"I'll buy them first and release them to the market gradually. Some items need to be delivered to clients."

Morphis was once an adventurer and had savings, but buying all of Yu's items would be a significant financial hit even for him. Still, he needed to buy them. If Yu were recruited by another country... The thought alone made Morphis uneasy.

"By the way, Guild Master, what's the bottle you're wearing around your neck?"

Edda noticed the bottle hanging from Morphis's neck, and he was visibly shaken.

"T-this... It's a concentrated liquid from a certain plant. No, I don't know the method of making it. Really!"

Edda's eyes narrowed at Morphis's agitation. Her intuition, honed from years of tormenting Morphis, told her something was up.

"What are its effects?"

"G... Growth..."

"What? I can't hear you."

Under Edda's pressure, sweat poured down Morphis's face like a waterfall.

"G... It promotes... plant growth."

"Hmm? Could it be that you received this from Yu? If, by any chance, the Guild Master of the Adventurer's Guild was accepting bribes, what should I do?"

Edda's cold laugh made the other receptionists leave the warehouse on some pretext. Morphis tried to stand up, claiming he remembered an important task, but Edda gently placed her hand on his shoulder, preventing him from standing.

"N-no, it's not a bribe. It's a deal... Yes! I'll prevent unnecessary leaks of Yu's information. In return, Yu will regularly provide me with... the liquid that promotes plant growth. There's no problem! No problem at all! I have to go now."

Morphis tried to stand up hurriedly but couldn't lift his buttocks an inch from the chair. This was because Edda's hand on his shoulder was pressing him down with incredible force.

"Gramps..."

"P-please forgive me."

Edda's eyes were as cold as ice as she looked at the pleading Morphis...

In the outskirts of Kama, a mansion visible beyond the West Gate. When Mus owned it, the garden was well-maintained by a gardener, but now it bore no resemblance to its former self.

Originally, Yu had brought back and cultivated plants collected from the Great Forest and the dungeon, but the influence of the squatter who arrived early had led to an abnormal proliferation of plants.

Despite the difficulty in propagating medicinal herbs and magic plants, they now grew densely around the mansion's walls. The cause of this abnormal proliferation was a lazy smile.

"Yu's hair is so smooth."

While having her hair stroked by the Dryad, Yu was reading a book.

The Dryad, who had moved from the Labyrinth of the Enchanted Forest, had rooted herself in the garden, causing the plants to proliferate.

Yu was reading a book with her back against the Dryad's tree, but the surroundings were noisy.

The Dryad would talk to Yu whenever she noticed something, and the pixies were either riding on the Black Wolf's back, getting licked and covered in drool, or chasing away the spirits gathering around Yu.

Momo quietly read a book she couldn't understand on Yu's shoulder, Nina was napping with her head on Yu's lap, and Koro, with one eye open, watched the noisy pixies, annoyed. From Suke's back, where she was lying down and reading, small snores could be heard, indicating she couldn't resist the softness of Suke's fur and was now buried in it, invisible. Marifa stood by Yu's side, ready to serve tea the moment he felt thirsty.

"Hey, you bee, are you trying to pick a fight with me? Stop it! Human, help me! Help!"

"Ahaha, this wolf's fur is so shiny~"

A pixie being chased by a Giant Bee hid in Yu's chest.

Occasionally, such a peaceful daily life wasn't bad, Yu thought while sipping the tea Marifa had served.

---

"The operation is set for tomorrow. Mus will head to the capital by noon today, likely taking his loyal adventurers and mercenaries with him. The high-ranking adventurers in Kama are also on a designated mission."

In a dimly lit room, the leader of the Holy Jardark intelligence agents spoke, and the expressions of the men around him tightened, except for one.

"Hehe, finally. I was about to kill all of you in frustration.

Ah, I can't wait to kill. Women, children, and the elderly are good too. Killing the helpless is so satisfying.

This time, I won't be able to control myself... I'll surpass the record I set in Namba Village. I counted 139 people in Namba, but I got too excited and forgot to count after a while. Haha, funny, right?"

The mad smile of Chi-Du made the men realize that the city of Kama would not be spared. Namba Village, a village of about 500 people within the territory of the Holy Jardark, had worshipped an unknown god instead of the Iligamit religion. Chi-Du was sent to convert them to the Iligamit religion.

The result was tragic.

Chi-Du massacred everyone in Namba Village who refused to convert. Literally, everyone. He killed the children in front of their pleading mothers, the wives in front of their husbands begging for their families' lives, and the elderly who prostrated themselves, begging for the lives of others.

Chi-Du, who had gone too far, was stripped of his rank as a division commander in the Holy Knights, but he didn't care. He even thought it made him more mobile.

Sleeping on the back of a Forest Panther, Chi-Du couldn't stop smiling as he thought about tomorrow.