[Trantor - Pr?ks]


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    Chapter 65


    "So you''re saying you really...pleted all these requests?"


    "If you don''t believe me, check it yourself, mister."


    "Okay."


    As I signaled, Thompson, who had stepped outside the request office, came back in dragging something.


    Thud, thud.


    The sound alone indicated a considerably heavy bundle.


    It''s even a magically enchanted bundle, so that''s only about half its actual weight...


    "Oof."


    Thompson stopped next to Lena and untied the rope fastening the bundle.


    A foul stench wafted out.


    "Ugh..."


    It was a collection of demon body parts requested in several of the requests.


    "This is quite a lot, isn''t it?"


    "Well, I got everything."


    "Hold on."


    Lena, who had initially frowned at the sudden stench, quickly regained her professionalposure.


    She immediately opened a cab and put on sanitary gloves.


    Then, without any hesitation, she began rummaging through the bundle.


    "Crow feathers, ogre fangs, giant lizard tail... Wait a minute, isn''t this a Minotaur horn? How on earth did you catch a high-ranking demon?"


    "It was a bit of a struggle."


    "Hmm, amazing. Are all mages like this?"


    Scribble, scribble.


    Muttering to herself, Lena, who had been marking her notebook with red lines, suddenly looked up.


    "Okay, I''ve confirmed that all the parts on the list are here. That''s incredible. I never dreamed you''dplete all of this... Was this even physically possible? Didn''t you run out of time?"


    It wasn''t me who answered her question, but mypanions.


    "Time... was short."


    "...Yeah, it was. Very much so."


    "But that didn''t stop us from getting it done. I finally realized that you can make time if you''re determined enough."


    Each of them had a look as if recalling a terrible nightmare.


    Lena couldn''t help but be puzzled by their reaction.


    "...What''s wrong with these people?"


    "They all went through a lot."


    "A lot? Is ''a lot'' really the right way to describe it, Mr. First ce?"


    "There you go again. And after you said you were sorry."


    "That''s..."


    Wave, wave.


    I waved my hand a few times as a sign of exasperation and asked Lena,


    "So Lena, what about the reward? Is it ready?"


    "Ah, right. Follow me this way."


    Lena gestured and headed somewhere.


    Following her, we arrived at the furthest corner of the request office.


    As she tapped the floor there, it opened with a thud!


    It felt like discovering a hidden underground bunker.


    "There was a ce like this here."


    Of course, since the request office was already located underground, there wasn''t enough space to go down another level.


    It was a space suitable for use as a storage room.


    So it seemed Lena was keeping the request rewards here.


    "Hand me some from up there."


    Creak, creak.


    Climbing down a woodendder, she took out items one by one from the secret storage.


    Starting with an old dagger, a reddish-brown leather belt, shoulder armor with pointed protrusions, an artifact with apass-like design, and so on...


    "And, this is thest one."


    Finally, she put down a pouch full of gold coins and dusted off her hands.


    "For now, this is all there is. I''ll deliver the rest as the clients send them."


    "Hmm."


    I nced over the neatly arranged items.


    Although it was about half shortpared to the requests I hadpleted, it was a wonder that I could receive this much right now.


    Usually, it wasmon to receive request rewards a few days afterpleting the request.


    There were even some items that I desperately needed.


    "We''re in luck. Did the clients leave them in advance?"


    "Well, there are cases like that, but..."


    Lena, who had trailed off, suddenly chuckled.


    "I''ve more or less figured it out now."


    "...What do you mean?"


    "I mean, I separately requested the rewards along with the requests. I had a feeling you''dplete them quickly."


    "Ah."


    In short, it meant that I was able to receive the rewards like this thanks to Lena''s intuition.


    ''When I received the Aldeon request, she seemed very suspicious...''


    Now she seemed to have some confidence that I wouldplete the requests I took on.


    "Of course, I didn''t expect you toplete them all like this."


    Adding that, Lena handed me a bundle containing the items.


    "What are you nning to do now?"


    "For now, I''m nning to stop by Sector 4. I''m interested in the volunteer soldiers, and I have some other business to attend to."


    "You mean you''re thinking of participating in the war?"


    I nodded, and Lena continued.


    "Then you won''t be able to take on requests for a while."


    "Probably."


    "That works out well. I was thinking of closing the request office for a while, too."


    "Closing?"


    "It would be difficult to run the request office during the war. There won''t be many clients visiting."


    Now that I heard it, Lena was right.


    Continuing to run the request office in the face of such a big war was, in a way, foolish.


    It would be a hundred times better to take this time to rest or strengthen the foundation of the request office.


    In fact, Lena said she even nned to relocate the Artis Request Office during this time.


    "The number of clients visiting our request office has increasedtely. We''ve also saved up enough funds. It''s time to expand."


    That''s a good idea.


    Since this ce is located on the outermost edge of Sector 6t, it''s difficult for people toe and go frequently.


    "Thank you, it''s all thanks to you."


    Lena expressed her gratitude, seeming to think this was my achievement.


    Well, to be honest, it wasn''t without my influence...


    "It''s all thanks to your hard work. You reap what you sow. Congrattions."


    Even so, it only slightly increased thepletion rate of the Artis Request Office.


    Gathering funds, promoting the request office, and ensuring quick processing so that both clients and solvers wouldn''t feel inconvenienced were all results of Lena''s efforts alone.


    "Thanks for saying that."


    Perhaps aware of this fact, Lena didn''t deny it further.


    She simply promised to meet again next time.


    "I''ll properly celebrate with you once we relocate. You''re not thinking of noting back, are you?"


    "No way. I still have a lot of money to squeeze out of you."


    Lena chuckled at the joke.


    Leaving her behind, we turned our backs.


    Because we have to run hard again for the moment we meet next time.


    ''I wonder what it will be like...''


    I suddenly became curious.


    The Artis Request Office a few years from now.


    And what Lena would be like working there.


    For some reason, I felt like she and the request office would have changed as much as I had grown.


    ***


    After leaving the request office, I said goodbye to the rest of mypanions.


    "See you all in three days then."


    "Finally free... I''m going straight home to get some sleep."


    "Get plenty of rest. Once the war starts, it could be even harder than when we were hunting."


    "Don''t say such terrible things. Harder, you say... I''ve been through a few wars, but I''ve never experienced anything that hard."


    "Even though it''s a war with me?"


    "..."


    We all decided to finish or postpone any remaining tasks and gather again.


    The meeting ce was three dayster, in front of the clock tower in the square where we had gathered before.


    "Anyway, let''s all meet there, and if you think of anything you need, write it down in advance. It will be harder to get things as time goes by."


    "Understood."


    With those words, Ca and Barundel walked away.


    I watched them go and then turned my head to the side.


    "Aren''t you leaving, mister?"


    Thompson was still there.


    He stood still, as if he had no intention of leaving...


    "Where would I go, Mr. First ce? It''s just the inn."


    "...So?"


    "Let''s go together. I don''t know where you''re going or what for, but."


    He saw right through me.


    "Well, okay."


    There was no particr reason to refuse, so I eventually epted, and we moved together.


    The first ce we stopped by was thergest stable in Sector 6t.


    "Mr. First ce, what business do you have here?"


    "There''s something I need to find."


    There''s a means tofortably get to my next destination here.


    It''s the carriage owned by the Asion Gale Academic Society, which the head of the society readily lent me.


    "You''ve arrived."


    "Yes, coachman. Is the horse doing well?"


    "Despite my appearance, I''ve been in the business of managing these guys for 30 years. It means even a dying creature would spring back to life if they saw me."


    "That''s reassuring."


    After exchanging light greetings, the coachman soon brought out the horse.


    "I''ll bring out the carriage shortly."


    While the coachman went to fetch the carriage, I stroked the horse that was standing idly.


    "How have you been?"


    Neigh!


    A ck horse with jet-ck skin and a brown mane.


    The quite elegant-looking creature was still well-maintained and unting its splendor.


    As I was admiring it, Thompson sidled up to me and asked,


    "...Mr. First ce. I''m asking this because I wonder if I''m remembering it wrong..."


    "Hmm? What is it?"


    "Are you, by any chance, a noble?"


    Apletely unexpected question.


    But thinking about it, it wasn''t a strange question either.


    No, rather, it''s me who''s strange.


    ''Whatmoner would have a carriage and a horse?''


    Since I hadn''t exined this until now, it was natural for Thompson to find it strange.


    "That''s not it, I received this as a gift from the academy."


    "Academy? Weren''t you from the streets, Mr. First ce?"


    "While following Roan, I somehow ended up getting connected."


    "By Roan, you don''t mean the Asion Academy, do you?"


    "Yes, and I''m going there now."


    "What? Really?"


    Thompson was startled by those words.


    Then he let out a sly chuckle.


    At this point, I wondered if he alwaysughed like that.


    "Hehehe, the Asion Academy. As expected, deciding to follow Mr. First ce was the best choice of my life."


    "...Is it that great?"


    "Of course! It''s the most prestigious magic academy in Asternon, what are you talking about?"


    Thompson continued to grin for a long time after saying that.


    Seeing him so happy, it seems the prestige of the Asion Academy is truly remarkable.


    ''Hmm, is that so?''


    Honestly, I didn''t feel that way.


    After all, the Asion Academy remained in my memory as an image I saw 100 years ago in the game.


    I still don''t know what''s so great about it, having only been there once.


    "The facilities are all it has."


    And to those words, Thompson said in a subdued tone,


    "Mr. First ce, you don''t recognize its true value? You have no talent for magic?"


    Thompson, with a confident face, puffed out his chest and continued,


    "This won''t do. Just follow me! I''ll show you exactly what kind of ce it is!"


    Anyone would think...


    That this mister had been there himself.


    [Trantor - Pr?ks]


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