Volume 11 Chapter 2 The Journey Home With The Boy
Due to the flow of the conversation, it was decided that Gyurvi would accompany me on the way back.
"...Why are you being so nice to someone you just met?"
"It's just a whim. Or do you not believe in kindness without a reason?"
Gyurvi said this, and I hesitated, "It's not that I can't believe it..."
After all, we are in Nilfheim. It's smart to be suspicious of convenient stories.
But the boy, Gyurvi, was grinning and said, "Don't be so cautious."
"It just looked like there was something going on. If I do a favor here, I figured it would pay off later."
Gyurvi acted like it was no big deal. I raised an eyebrow and listened halfway.
"Still, it’s pretty messed up here. I just got here, so I don’t know the situation. What happened?"
Gyurvi looked around and replied.
After that, we were walking along the debris, just avoiding the poisonous fog. Near the fog, even the Demon King’s army seemed to be scared, as we hardly saw anyone around.
"Well... It’s difficult to explain, but if I were to simplify it, I’d say there was a big disaster."
Actually, it was me that caused it, but I didn’t owe him an explanation.
"A big disaster, huh? I thought maybe a god came down or something."
"..."
Could it be that this guy saw it all from the start?
"...Hey, Gyurvi. I have a question."
I asked.
"Are you the ‘kid who’s super strong and looking for something’ that people are talking about?"
"Ah...? Well, that might be me. It’s not weird for me either."
He seemed to have a vague awareness of it, and Gyurvi nodded slowly.
...Doesn't he has anyone to hang out with? If not, there's no way he wouldn't know a rumor that even I, who has had nothing to do with him until now, have heard.
But on the other hand, if he's looking for something, he must be gathering information. The key to gathering information is the number of people involved.
Since that’s already known, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone sees value in Gyurvi's strength and offers to cooperate, even if he himself doesn’t do anything...
Thinking that far, I wonder if I'm overthinking it. It could just be a coincidence.
Rather, if he’s strong and friendly, pulling him to our side might be a good move, I suggested.
"Well, it’s kind of a thank you, but how about I help you find what you're looking for? Searching this big city by yourself must be tough."
When I said that, Gyurvi’s eyes widened. What’s with that reaction? I wondered.
"Whoa, whoa... What’s up with you? You’re a nice guy, Wade. Are you sure you won’t be tricked?"
"Sadly, I have a good eye for people. Of course, if you don’t want it, I won’t overstep."
"Oh, right... um..."
I think I might be overthinking this.
"...Looks like I was being a bother. Forget it, Gyurvi."
"No, no, it’s not that. So, uh, what I'm searching for is something I should tell you about."
After showing a bit of hesitation, Gyurvi continued.
"...I’m looking for my parents. I was abandoned when I was small, and I don’t know their faces or names. But, there’s a chance they’re in this city."
"Parents, huh."
Just those words made me feel a sense of closeness to Gyurvi. Still, I couldn’t help but think that Gyurvi must be small even now.
"Alright, let’s search together. Nice to meet you, Gyurvi."
"Hey, did you hear what I just said? Seriously, there's no leads at all. Just helping out a bit doesn’t mean you owe me anything."
Gyurvi shook his head. Then he grinned at me and said, "Well, whatever."
"Next time, take me to a good restaurant. If you want to repay me, that’ll be enough."
"Is that so? I was actually thinking I'd help if I had some free time."
"It’s fine. This is my problem. Besides, Wade, I don’t think you’ll have any free time."
I frowned a bit.
"...I guess it’s true, I am pretty busy."
As we walked, we spotted a river. It was the river that divided the regions, stretching from the Demon King’s castle.
"Look, we’re almost at the slum exit. If you want a treat, I’ll show up over there. I’ll count on you then."
Gyurvi said and left with a light step. I thought he was a strange guy as I waved and said, "Yeah, see you later."
When I returned to the inn, everyone seemed to be back safely already.
"I guess I was the last one."
When I said that, everyone spotted me and greeted me, saying, "Welcome back!"
I saw Renril and couldn’t help but smile. He was sweating and saying in a tiny voice, "S-sorry." It was funny.
But that was okay. I turned to everyone and spoke.
"You might've heard this from Renril, but Don Fen ended up being eaten by Renril. Ede Wolf was completely defeated. The slum was wiped out too. Mission accomplished. Good work, everyone!"
As I said this, everyone chimed in with, "Great job!" "Wow, that was tough!" It felt like we finally finished. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
As I sat down to share the details, Ice prepared a warm soup for me.
"Thanks, Ice. This warmth is really nice for my cold body."
I sip the soup. Clay says, "Once again, good job, leader."
"It's interesting that Renril-kun ate Don Fen, but for now, it seems we've completed the request from the merchant guild leader, the Empress Yor."
"Yeah, Clay. Besides Don Fen, the grand members are under the rubble or in the sea. We can't say this isn't a complete disaster."
When I say this, Toxy smirks and says,
"I mean, we were told to wipe out a clan of the assassination guild and ended up destroying a whole slum, right? I bet the Empress is probably shaking in her boots."
With a sly grin, Toxy says that.
I agree with this. Yor panicked just from being pushed by the Demon King’s army, so there’s no way she wouldn’t be flustered at the sight of the slum collapse.
Especially since she had insulted Clay so much. This second punch to settle the score should be more than enough.
The first punch was the series of robberies.
"Next, we just need to send the mission completion letter and wait for a reply."
When I say this, Ice responds, "Well, you see...?"
"Not long after we started making a ruckus, the innkeeper received this..."
Ice hands me a letter. The paper is the same as the last insane letter we got.
"This..."
"As you guessed, Wade-kun, it's a letter from Yor. It seems she had been watching us closely. She seemed to know quite a bit."
As Clay told me, I opened the envelope.
The contents were very polite.
It started with 'Dear Clay Store' and continued with seasonal greetings.
Then, it went on with very flattering words praising the Clay Store, but the writing was shaking overall.
And finally, it concluded like this.
'Therefore, as promised, we officially welcome the Clay Store as a senior member and great merchant of our merchant guild.
We will send an invitation for a welcome party soon, so please be looking forward to it.'
I laughed. When I looked around, everyone else seemed to be in a good mood too.
So, I decided to say something to everyone.
"Everyone, great job again. This slum raid operation was a huge success. But this is just the beginning. Let's stay focused."
"Understood."
Everyone said that in unison. I nodded and raised my voice, "Alright, let's get started on the party preparations."
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