After watching the carriage disappear down the road, I cast a barrier over Ragi’s property, then teleported directly to the Adventurers Guild to report the completion of Alto’s quest.
Normally, the person who accepted the quest was expected to deliver the report, but I knew Alto wasn’t in the right state of mind to do that, having just lost Ragi. Facing the reality of losing someone so precious to him was already more than he could handle right now.
If my only concern was his feelings, I could’ve waited until Alto could come here himself, but there were other circumstances that didn’t make that possible.
The guild had strict procedures for when a client died. If a quest they posted on the board was still unclaimed, it was removed immediately; if it had already been accepted, it was withdrawn within three days.
It was a rule meant to protect adventurers from losing their pay when a client passed away. If the reward had already been entrusted to the guild, a portion of it could be paid out for the percentage of the job already completed. If not, then the guild would at least award the adventurer with achievement points, so their effort wasn’t for nothing.
None of that mattered to me, though. I couldn’t let Alto’s quest go down in the guild’s records as being unfinished.
That was why I strode over to the front desk to talk to the guildmaster, Drum. “Alto completed his quest today. He’ll submit the official report when he’s ready,” I said, sticking to the facts only and not bothering with pleasantries.
Drum looked at me with a somber expression. “You did well.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Setsuna, there’s something Ragi left with me for you.”
“For me? When did he do that?”
“A few days after the Founding Festival. There’s something addressed to Alto as well, but I’ll give that to him personally when he comes in. Yours was a separate commission from Ragi.”
“A commission? He paid you to hold onto a letter for me?”
“Yes. It concerns Alto’s reward.”
“Why would he go to all that trouble?”
He could’ve just told us himself. I didn’t see the reason to go through the guild for that.
“You really don’t understand, do you?”
“I don’t. Did he tell you why?”
“No, but I have a good idea. He thanked me for bringing you into his life. And I could tell he sincerely meant it. You and Alto treated him like family.”
“…”
“So in the end, he didn’t want to discuss money with members of his family. Talking about payment would have forced him to acknowledge that there was a transactional relationship between you. I think he simply wanted to remain your family until the end.”
True, it had been a quest, but Alto and I also both thought of Ragi as family.
“Thank you.” I bowed my head to Drum for sharing Ragi’s feelings with me.
“There’s no need to thank me. I’m sorry to bother you at a time like this, but I have a personal commission for you here. It’s from the kingdom of Lypaed.”
Right. That was the other reason I came to the guild…
I had already anticipated what would happen after Ragi died back when I accepted that request from the queen. After all, I’d been getting glares from a few adventurers ever since word spread that Ragi’s quest had been taken off the board.
That was why I’d arranged for the queen to take Alto into her care. Part of me had hoped nothing like that would come to pass, and that it was all just ugly speculation. But deep down, I knew better.
Reality wasn’t very kind. My enchanted birds had already discovered men lurking around Ragi’s home, scouting the place out. Now, they were also conspiring with the outsiders who’d shown up for the Founding Festival, coming up with a plan to raid the house.
That was why, in addition to taking in Alto as compensation for curing the king’s illness, I had asked the king to issue an official quest through the guild to eliminate the bandits targeting Ragi’s estate. I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving Ragi’s memory to be defiled by scavengers.
I’ll deal with them myself…
“I accept.”
“Are you sure, Setsuna? You don’t look well,” Drum said warily.
“I’m fine.”
I completed the paperwork and turned to leave the guild. I’d only walked a few steps before a group of five men blocked my path.
“Excuse me,” I said politely and tried to move around them, but one grabbed me by the shoulder.
“Hey, buddy. That beastfolk’s dead now, ain’t he? You must’ve come outta that a rich man. He rejected all of us…”
“…”
I ignored them and tried to leave, but the men grabbed my arms and spoke to me in low, menacing voices.
“Betcha earned yourself a small fortune, huh? How ’bout givin’ us a taste? Us humans gotta stick together.”
“Yeah, you only got the job ’cause he turned us away.”
“You used that beastfolk brat you’re always dragging ’round.”
They’d practically confessed. Alto and I had only come to the guild together a few times, so they must’ve been keeping a close eye on us to know that much.
“Must’ve stunk like animals, living with beastfolk.”
“Are you trying to pick a fight with me?” I asked. “Because I’m happy to oblige.”
“You’re pretty bold, thinkin’ you can take all of us on alone. Don’t come cryin’ to us when you regret it.”
The men snickered with amusement. Drum moved to step out from behind the counter, ready to intervene, but I didn’t have the patience to wait.
I summoned a small whirlwind and slammed the men against the ceiling. The next moment, I dispelled it and dropped them hard to the floor. The sound of the impact echoed through the entire guild, drawing every eye to us.
Tension hung in the air, like a wire being pulled so tight it might snap at any second.
“Don’t think you’ll get away with this!”
The man who seemed to be their leader had somehow managed to dodge the brunt of my spell. He drew his sword, and I saw from the emblem on the back of his right hand that he was red level three. He must’ve thought the gap in our ranks meant he could underestimate me.
“What are you going to do about it?” I glared at him, putting as much malice into my gaze as I could.
The seasoned adventurers in the room backed away, hands going to their weapons as they watched me warily from a safe distance. The amateurs just trembled, frozen where they stood, unable even to speak or move.
The air seemed to darken as my hostility emanated across the room. One by one, every person there held their breath and braced themselves.