Volume 4 Chapter 8 The Villainous Guildmaster, Making Money Off the Hero Party
It had been about half a month since I kicked out Shawn, one day.
I called the Hero Party's spear user, Ulgar, to my Guild, Gem of Heavenly Gift.
"Hey, Guildmaster! Is it true you developed something to deal with the miasma!?"
The silver-haired handsome guy's eyes widened in surprise in front of me.
The Demon King's territory is covered in a poisonous gas called miasma.
Even a hero can't stay in that air for long.
So, I had received a request from him to find a way to act in the miasma.
"Yeah. It's true."
I took out a red potion from my pocket.
"Is that the antidote potion? If I drink it, I can resist the miasma?"
"Hmph. FOOL! Do you think I would do something so LOW-LEVEL?"
"? What do you mean?"
I gave a glance to Frederica, who was standing nearby.
Nodding, she created an ice octahedron in the air.
"This barrier was made by her. First, we put the miasma sample you gave me inside."
I took out another bottle and threw it into the barrier.
With a crack, the inside of the barrier filled with thick purple gas.
"And then, we put the Shawn potion inside."
"Sh-Shawn Potion...? Isn't that a bit too simple for a name...?"
"Shut up. As long as it's EASY TO UNDERSTAND, it's fine."
When the potion Shawn made broke, red gas filled the inside.
Mixing with the miasma... the gas inside completely vanished.
"Wha!? N-No way... is that an antidote potion!?"
Ulgar shouted with wide eyes.
"Why are you surprised? It's what you ordered."
"No, no, no! What I asked for was a potion that gave resistance to the miasma, like an antidote potion would have worked!"
What...?
Oh, I see...
"But still, it's amazing. How did you make this?"
I glanced at Frederica, and she began to explain.
"It's Shawn. He became the Guildmaster of the alchemy guild, Jewel of Honor. He called in all his subordinates and finished this Shawn Potion."
"I see... So you found talented kids, raised them, and made them do research, huh? As expected... or maybe just complicated..."
Ulgar chuckled softly, smiling.
"That's the kind of person the master is."
"Yeah, I finally understand it too, recently."
He thinks he understands me...
Well, that's just ARROGANCE at its best.
"Now then, let's get into the business talk."
"Business?"
"Pay up. It's obvious. You ordered this, after all."
"Y-Yes... So, how much should I pay?"
Ulgar casually brushes his hair aside and says.
"I developed a way to neutralize poisons that even heroes struggle with. Naturally, I will charge a HEFTY PRICE for it."
"Huh... Specifically?"
This guy, even when talking about a huge price, shows no fear or nervousness at all.
What's going on...?
Well, whatever.
"First, the labor cost. Then the money spent to overhaul Jewel of Honor's equipment for this. Material costs and other expenses included... Frederica, hand over the invoice."
"Understood."
Frederica takes the scroll with the invoice and hands it to Ulgar.
"Ugh... This is seriously a huge amount of money..."
"Yeah. It's probably an amount you, even if you spent years, couldn't pay."
Ulgar rolls it up and puts it in his pocket with a "roll roll."
"So, how do I pay you?"
I smile slyly and say,
"Of course, a full cash payment. Nothing else accepted."
"Th-that's way too much... Paying this all at once is impossible..."
Finally, I see Ulgar's shaken.
"Don't be stupid. I didn't say you have to pay now."
"......Huh? What do you mean, Guildmaster?"
"It's simple. Pay with the treasure──gold, silver, and jewels──that you obtained when you defeated the Demon King. Use that."
"Ah... I see. Okay. Yeah, I get it now... So that's what you mean..."
Ulgar mumbled to himself, then smiled as he spoke.
"Thank you, Guildmaster. You really believe in us, don't you?"
Ulgar was smiling softly.
Why does he look like that?
"I have faith that our Hero and the party members you chose will surely defeat the Demon King. That's why... it's okay to take risks. If we didn't have the confidence to pay back this debt, we couldn't do this, right?"
Ulgar seemed to have tears in his eyes.
Sigh, what is he misunderstanding?
"I just want the treasure you'll get. That's all I meant. There's no deeper meaning."
"Heh heh, let's keep it at that."
Ulgar put the Shawn potion in his pocket and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, the BEST Guildmaster. This Ulgar will surely defeat the Demon King... and then, I'll come to repay your kindness."
It was rare for this brat to bow his head to someone else.
Hmph, even at a place like this, he's growing up...
"Alright. I'm looking forward to it."
"Yes! Then, see you, Guildmaster!"
With that, Ulgar left with the potion.
After that, it was just me and Frederica left.
"As expected of the Master. You saved Shawn and Bakuman, and motivated Ulgar's hero party. You've saved many hearts with just one quest. Amazing."
"Hmph... you're misunderstanding too. I just wanted the money, so I did it for that."
"Again, I understand, Master. I'm... just me, right?"
And so, I completed Ulgar's request.
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