At the Academy, we were greeted with enthusiastic cheers. To return unharmed from such a serious undertaking and bring back such an impressive trophy - not many could boast of such achievements.
In the crowd, I saw Alfred, watching the carriage with the trophy, his face as stony as ever. But it seemed to me that he was about to burst with envy. How delightful - it was!
Asura and her comrades were also among the welcoming party. The twins' faces wore a touch of sadness, but I thought I glimpsed a satisfied smile on the snow queen's face. She was genuinely happy for us.
However, an unpleasant surprise awaited us at home.
"Katrina, what are you going to do with this head??" "Of course, make a trophy out of it and hang it on the wall. That's what all self-respecting hunters do!" The princess proudly puffed out her chest.
"Are you absolutely sure about that?!" I deliberately drew out the vowels.
In front of us were the guild gates, but no matter how we tried, the royal hydra's head was simply too massive! It couldn't even fit through the gates, let alone reach the roof of our modest house.
"WHERE WILL YOU FIND A WALL BIG ENOUGH FOR SUCH A TROPHY??" Her naivety was starting to annoy me.
"Well, for now, it will lie next to the house, and then we'll save up some money and rebuild the house into a more significant structure, and then we can hang it on the wall," Katrina timidly clasped her index fingers together.
"Do you really think that half a year under the sun, or even longer, will have a positive effect on the condition of a trophy? The skin will dry up and peel off, the eyes will fade. Soon, no one will even recognize what it is."
"Well, what else am I supposed to do with it?"
"You can sell it to traders!" our treasurer chimed in. "Remember the monster hunters' guild? They buy good trophies for a good price, and for information about the royal hydra, I'm sure they'll pay even more!"
"Well, no! This is our trophy, and I don't want to give it to some merchants!" Katrina hugged the grotesque head and began to stroke it as if it were her beloved stuffed bear.
"Don't worry, we can tell them to include the names of the people who obtained the trophy on the plaque. We might get slightly less money, but everyone who visits their main office will know that it was us who achieved this."
"Okay, only if it's like that, but they must absolutely include us in it."
For the information about the hydra and the trophy, we were paid three thousand gold coins. To be honest, I was hoping for more. Now, we had to divide the reward among the participants.
"Let's divide it equally," Katrina unexpectedly proposed.
"But I heard that the guild master usually takes half of the money for the needs of the guild or simply pockets it," Algo spoke up.
"I don't want everyone to think that our guild is like a band of robbers! Each of us made a significant contribution to this battle, and everyone will receive an equal share," the princess displayed a commendable side after all.
But I noticed something in Algo's attire.
"Katrina, if you allow, I would like to allocate part of the money for equipment repair, and then distribute the rest among everyone."
"What equipment?" she hadn't noticed it yet.
"Algo, can I take your sword?"
I took his broad mithril blade. It was covered with traces of melting, and in some places, fairly large chunks were chipped off.
"Algo, your sword!" There was a hint of sadness in Leira's eyes. "When you protected me?"
"Um, I'm sorry, madam, it seems I've ruined your father's sword."
But there was something more between them than just a master-servant relationship.
"Of course, you can take the money for a new blade."
Algo hesitated.
"I don't want a new one, but don't worry, I'll save up and restore this sword."
It was foolish, as restoring the original blade would cost more than buying a new one, but it was dear to him as a memory.
"It's alright; consider it a travel expense, so I'll cover it all," she caught a dissatisfied look from Seleria. "Um, well, if no one objects."
"No, everything's fine."
"Well, since he jumped to protect the girl, why shouldn't we help him?"
"Ha! Well, if you all agree, then count me in too."
We allocated funds for equipment repair, not only fixing Algo's sword but also mending everyone else's gear. The remaining money was divided equally among us. Luckily, I remembered about the mace I had left with a weapons merchant, and finding the required material was not a problem.
In the end, a thousand gold coins were spent on repairs, leaving us each with five hundred gold coins as our first reward. However, the fame and public recognition meant much more to us than the gold.