"Thank you three for retrieving Will back to us safely. You have no idea how much of a burden this has lightened on my heart. Whatever you may desire I shall fulfill it to the extent of my ability as guild master of the Fuhren branch."
After checking the condition of their workshop Ivan, Yue, and Tio headed towards Fuhren to pick up their reward. Well, Tio tagging along despite the two's many refusals. Yue eventually chimed in saying that it'd be best to have someone man the workshop while they were gone. Who is someone strong enough to protect it from the greed of humanity, what better than to hire a dragon for that job?
Though Ivan had his idea for 'staff' it'd take a while to implement it. So for now he acquiesced with Yue's request. The three stared at the man in his late thirties that stood before them with slick back blonde hair and a discerning look in his eyes he looked no different to a conniving fox to Ivan. The wrinkles on his face did not clash with the professional amicable smile he showed. This was the master of the adventurer's guild branch of Fuhren, Ilwa Chang.
The one to give them their reward. The moment the three entered the room he opened up with that. Never did any of them explain to the receptionist that they were the ones to complete the job and yet he already expected them. It was likely Will had woken up and threw his complaints about the two to Ilwa Wang. That or he gave that speech to everyone that entered the room in hopes he wouldn't make a fool of himself, which sounded pretty funny to Ivan.
Without a word, Ivan and Yue took a seat on the couch opposite Ilwa's desk, while Tio stood expressionless behind the two with her hands on her lap. Ilwa nodded to their actions before taking a seat at his desk himself. With this, they were ready to speak.
"To start this discussion, I'm aware that you can speak Paracelsus. Which was quite a conflicting find as those that evacuated from Ur to here testified that they overheard your condition explained by your partner. And yet Will insisted that you spoke to him before knocking him unconscious."
Ivan wasn't surprised with this development, though this did mean that there was a chance Will told Aiko he could speak as they did leave him to the hero's group. So long as they didn't run into her again it shouldn't be a problem. With that, he decided to speak as his cover had been blown.
"Ah, you see, guild master Ilwa, the area where we found him was littered with monsters roaming around looking for their next meal. Will, who was having a mental crisis would have alerted a pack to us with his murmuring and fidgeting. Rather than risk his life in fights we didn't need to take, we decided it'd be best for his mental wellbeing to rest until he got to Ur. Unfortunately, one thing after another the town of Ur was evacuated from the upcoming disaster."
"... I see, if you say it was for his well being then so be it. You got him back here with no other injuries than the ones he sustained from before meeting you two. Though he did say something that caught my attention… Mr. Paracelsus, did you by chance encounter a dragon when you found him?" It was a question that turned the room silent. Not even breathing was audible to those present. Ivan's body shook as his expression was invisible due to the mask.
"HAHAHA! That's the funniest thing I ever heard! Aiya, it must've been that mental crisis of his from seeing his friends slain. Like I said there were only monsters littering the area, no five-hundred-year-old dragon that's supposed to be extinct. But there was something indeed odd about the area, large prints of a beast, ashes and melted metal, even some of the trees were slightly cinder. I wouldn't be surprised if he assumed that stuff was attributed to a dragon he's heard of from an ancient tale."
Ivan busted out laughing as he refuted that claim, an action that only made Ilwa narrow his eyes before joining along.
"Then so be it, Mr. Paracelsus. Once again I'd like to thank you for saving my dear friend. If there's any request I can fulfill as guild master of this branch then don't be afraid of asking. Though be aware that you cannot request something that goes against the law or my morals… Please understand that the guild would not want to be associated with illegal activities."
With that crisis over, Ivan thought about how to word his decision. In the back of his mind, he was a bit afraid of this Ilwa sending adventurers to investigate Ur and then reporting the same large prints and flames that appeared there matched the scene of where they found Will. All should be fine as long as no one knows about Tio's transformation.
"Very well, Ilwa Wang. The three of us would like to request two status plates. As my companions lost theirs along our journey. Adding onto that I'd appreciate it if you kept what you see on the plates a secret. If you cannot promise me that… Well, let's just say someone's going to have a bad day. Oh, and please throw in some cash if you can."
Ilwa Wang contemplated the first request, as the second was something he could do without hesitation. But to be requested to keep the intel a secret, that means these three were hiding something pretty important. This greatly piqued his curiosity as someone who just liked to know things. As for the threat at the end, well it wasn't a rare thing to the guild master so he brushed it aside. All that mattered is that if these three were truly hiding a grand secret then it'd probably be best to not get on their bad sides.
"I accept both of these requests as the master of the Fuhren adventurer's guild branch. I, Ilwa Wang, shall bestow upon these two their status plates and keep the contents a secret lest I suffer for eternity. As for the cash reward, one million Luta to the adventurer Paracelsus. Now, is that satisfactory?"
Though the theatrics were a bit over the top, Ivan appreciated the performance. Reaching out his hand to meet him. A deal was sealed between that union. After that Ilwa only reached for a drawer at the bottom of his desk before pulling out two silver plates, these were the status plates. He handed one to Yue and the other to Tio. Allowing them to prick their finger onto each plate before taking them back.
One plate shone with a golden color (Yue) and the other pitch black (Tio) All was going smoothly until Ilwa noticeably stiffened his body. Under the skeptical gaze of the three, he reformed his composure almost instantly. Ivan could only assume he saw the skills attributes displayed.
Ivan snatched the plates out of his hand before sitting back down. Ilwa displayed a loud cough as focus returned to his eyes.
"I-I hereby promote you three to Gold Rank adventurers… I promise word of this transaction will not spill to the outside world. The two beside you have also been registered as adventurers, don't worry about the paperwork. Ah, and before you go please allow an attendant of mine to escort you. Allow me a few minutes and I can assign you three the best suite this town has to offer."
Ivan held in his laughter as Ilwa's sudden shift from an astute leader turned into an extremely respectful servant. Whatever he saw on the plates spooked him to the point of attempting to please them with his acts of kindness. Though it was clear to them that his acts to garner favor were just to assure the future of the adventurer's guild.
Seeing no point in declining the free services Ivan took his bag of money and walked out along with Tio and Yue, leaving Ilwa alone in the room. He slumped back in his chair as he heaved a sigh of relief.
"...What monsters have I gotten myself involved with…" He mutters to himself
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With that, the three took to the city. After being given the location of their new suite by the attendant they decided to take a stroll in the city. There was still a week until the builders completed their job. A week until the workshop of their dreams would be complete. Though of course he wouldn't just move in and be done with it, an alchemist's atelier is their child. He planned on giving it many modifications in its defense, maybe a few hidden rooms, perhaps a buff to whoever enters.
Nevertheless, he had a ton of ideas he wanted to try out once it was finished. Changing it up wouldn't hurt either as there was a chance the builders would either sell copies of his schematics home or try to rob the place themselves. In the end, his goal was to make it the safest place on Tortus.
"Nee~ Where should we head first? This is the first time I have had the opportunity to enjoy a human town so I can't wait to see what pleasures it holds, fufufu~!" The guard dragon spoke excitedly as she held a map of the area in her hands. Though Ivan would never call her that to her face as he was sure she'd just derive pleasure from it instead.
If there was one thing he couldn't understand it was why she was so open with them despite not even knowing what they look like. Eventually, Yue would have to take off the mask since she just dislikes having it on her face after a long duration, Ivan on other hand was debating whether she should know what he looked like. If her original intention to come to humanity was to gain info on the heroes then her finding out he matches the description of a fallen hero would likely uncover his identity.
Then again he has her secret identity as a dragonmen so it was probably fairer if she knew his. If she was going to be working in his atelier then it'd be best if they could learn to trust each other.
"Hm~? Let's just stroll around the area. The night will approach soon anyways so everything will be closed by the time we get anywhere. Though it'd be best if we headed towards our suite as it will be difficult to find it in the dark."
With that goal in mind, they crowded around Tio's map and picked a direction. That's when they realized that all three of them were pretty bad at navigation. If not for some kind old man on the side of the street then they wouldn't have ever found their destination. The three walked into the luxurious suite and talked with the receptionist.
Who called over someone to lead them to their room. That's right 'room.' As expected of a guild master, Ilwa was quite shrewd with the money he spent.
"Well, at least there are two beds." That and the clean and beautiful room was the only saving grace in this situation. Yue headed for the bathroom first, coming out with a bath towel that wrapped her body. Tio stared back at her as she no longer adorned the white mask.
After their first meeting in the mountains, the two marveled at each other. After all, both of them were a part of races that were said to have been extinct. It seemed as Tio even knew the princess vampire's name as it was one famous before the collapse of their civilization. A name Yue asked Tio to never even mutter as she held the current one given by Ivan with more importance.
A request Tio accept without any trouble seeing as how it didn't matter to her. Though it was quite funny for Ivan to see Yue moping around depressedly as the princess of the race her kingdom idolized was a masochistic pervert.
It was then that Ivan came to a realization, 'Aren't I the only one in this room not older than three hundred years…?' He asked Tio if she was born before the dragonmen's collapse, in which she nodded curtly. Ivan wasn't sure how to feel about this fact, he just knew better than to bring it up lest he wants the two to be annoyed with him for a whole day.
In any case, it was quite the pleasant idle chatter to have before going to bed. Then, it was finally time for Ivan's turn in the bath. After drying off and putting on some clothes that'd be comfortable to sleep in, he stepped out of the bathroom. Without a mask to cover his face.
Tio stared in silence at his face as he stood there awkwardly. Somehow not wearing a mask in front of someone other than Yue made him embarrassed. A sentiment that had been seen clearly by Yue, who was laughing softly while lying on a bed. Ivan decided to ignore her stare before laying down next to Yue. It was finally when Tio's stare was broken off that she came back to her senses.
"You… You match a description of one of the heroes… Though that hero was said to have passed in an assassination." Tio muttered aloud, clear enough for both Yue and Ivan to hear. Ivan sat upright on the bed as he stared back at her. Seeing him stare at her Tio returned it, making sure his face matched the one she had seen in a photo.
"Ahh, you caught me I suppose… Well, since you agreed to work for us I thought maybe it'd be fine to show you who I am. And just like I guessed you identified me instantly. So, what is your plan now? Ivan sighed before admitting it. He hoped there wouldn't be much trouble that came from this.
"What will I do now? My mission remains the same, 'investigate the heroes.' And now one stands before me. If this isn't fate then I don't know what is. This makes me all the more glad to have accepted Yue's proposal. If you shall agree to this one's request, then I'd like to continue forth with serving you, my master~!"
Though Ivan was quite relieved with the first half of her statement it was the last part that threw him off. Now he could understand Yue's sentiment of disappointment, the dragons he learned of were supposed to be fierce and noble. But now the only one he's seen so far was shameless and perverted.
"Ahn~! Your eyes… the way they glare at me like filth! Yes, yes, continue to look at me like trash, my master~ Nmn, fufufu~" Tio seductively writhed around on the bed as she saw the contempt Ivan held in his eyes. Rather than stopping her activities it only further exuberated them. Ivan sighed before laying back down, letting Yue coddle him in her embrace as she comforted him from the same pain she's been feeling since she met Tio.
They continued their talks for a bit, not too long after they turned off the lights in the room. And soon the chatting descended to peaceful breathing.
Tomorrow is another day!
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Well, I gotta buy the fourth volume now. I think the main series is only up to the eighth volume. Not too sure though, going to have to find out once I read them. Also I got an air fryer yesterday, that thing is a beast. Really quick and I barely have to do anything. Great for a lazy neet like me.
Anyways, thanks for reading today's chapter. Have a great evening and I wish you all well~! See you next time.
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