Zig thought about Cossack, the information broker who helped arrange passage to this continent. He knew a little bit about gathering information from his interactions with him. When Cossack got drunk, he would start talking about the intricacies of information gathering, provided you knew him well enough. Zig had also been employed multiple times on Cossack’s trips of obtaining dangerous data.
“For an information broker, he sure ran his mouth.”
A smile crept onto Zig’s lips as he remembered the old days.
Cossack ran his mouth because Zig wasn’t in the same industry and was very tight-lipped. Zig was completely oblivious to this reason, however.
Things had settled down by the time Zig walked down the stairs to the first floor.
Adventurers in critical condition had already been treated and were out of the danger zone.
Although things had settled down, business as usual had yet to return.
Zig looked around for Siasha. He didn’t need to look too hard and quickly found his companion as he headed toward her. Siasha wasn’t exactly small, but she was barely visible when surrounded by other adventurers. Still, her strange aura made her easy to spot.
“Oh, Zig.”
On the other hand, Zig stood out so much that Siasha spotted him as he was looking for her.
Zig looked over to find her sitting in a chair and drinking tea. Beside her was the receptionist Aoi, as well as Norton and other members of Sibasikul.
Siasha waved at him from afar, and he responded with a wave in kind.
“Are you finished?”
“For the most part, yes. It’s much easier when people with medical knowledge are helping. They know just the right places to heal for the most effective treatment.”
Siasha looked at Aoi with admiration. Aoi, however, didn’t seem flattered by the compliment, a conflicted look on her face.
“I think you’re much more impressive, Siasha,” she said. “You don’t seem tired at all after healing all those people…”
As a witch, Siasha had greater amounts of mana compared to an ordinary human. Even Zig didn’t know by how much. She would still get exhausted if she used a bunch of her mana at once, but more often than not, she was completely fine.
“It is very impressive. Even after casting so many spells when we were being chased, you seem no worse for wear.” Norton nodded, half astonished and half exasperated. “Would you like to join us? We’ll treat you well. I’ll guarantee that.”
“Hmm… I think I’d like to take it easy for a while.”
Siasha leaned to look at Zig and he shrugged, suggesting she was free to do as she wanted. Her response was to decline, despite being invited by one of the most reputable clans in the guild.
“I see. Well, let us know if you change your mind.”
Norton didn’t push her, so they dropped the subject easily.
“Have you settled your business with the vice president?” Aoi said, looking at the papers in Zig’s hand. She was looking at his invoice, since Zig had slipped the suspect list in his pocket.
“Yeah. He was very accommodating. Even gave me a bonus for my trouble.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“Oh, that doesn’t happen every day,” she said. “The old bespectacled recluse… Excuse me. It might rain blood tomorrow since our vice president is usually quite pragmatic.”
Aoi then followed with, “Oh, I suppose it already has started raining,” to deliver the punchline to her bloody joke.
It was a rare response from her since she usually treated everyone equally. There was always some tension between superiors and their underlings, so she probably hated Kirk to some degree. Kirk did seem to deserve it, and her response showed Zig that he wasn’t far from the mark.
Zig and the others seemed rather taken aback by her behavior.
“Uhh… Can you process this when you have the time?”
Best to let sleeping dogs lie. Aoi’s professional smile returned after Zig gave her the invoice.
“I’ll get on it right away.”
“Thank you.”
He felt a chill up his spine despite seeing her smile for the first time. He diverted his eyes from the ferocious beauty and saw her leave from the corner of his eye.
With the storm now passed, Zig turned to Norton.
“I wanted to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
Like Zig, he was still a bit rattled, but he was more than happy to talk about something else.
“Have you heard of a party called the Forestfangs?”
“I have. It’s a party made up of demi-humans, and they were among the adventurers rescued in the operation. What about them?”
The Forestfangs were at the bottom of the list of suspects.
The demi-human party was mostly made up of veteran fifth-class adventurers and were well regarded by the guild and their peers for their earnest work. Their ratings were affected by the fact that they were demi-humans, but they readily participated in joint requests.
“I want to talk to them. Do you know where they are?”
“They left the guild earlier, probably for lunch. I don’t know where, though.”
“All right. Thanks.”
Zig had a hunch as to where they were. There weren’t many restaurants where demi-humans were welcome.
Even if they didn’t refuse demi-humans, ordinary eateries were usually too small for them. They were free to dine there, of course, but they probably wouldn’t eat somewhere where they couldn’t relax at the same time.
However, that was perfect for Zig. He was getting hungry after all that running. He would check the restaurant Urbas showed him last time and get lunch after taking care of business. If they weren’t there, he would get lunch first.
Aoi soon returned with Zig’s payment. “Sorry to have kept you waiting. Here is your reward for today.” Her anger had subsided, and her expressionless face brought a sigh of relief to everyone.
Zig took the bag, heavy from the coins that were fattening it. The weight felt comforting and brought a smile to his face. It warmed both his heart and his pockets.
“Thank you.”
“Why don’t you become an adventurer, Zig?” Norton said, concerned for Zig’s money bag. “Carrying all that money with you isn’t convenient. The guild can store your money for you even if you just sign up as a formality.”
Walking around with coins jingling in your pockets was not admirable in this day and age. Getting pickpocketed was the least of your concerns. Some people might just kill you on the spot.
Norton didn’t think Zig would get taken out by any thug, but he still wanted to keep him out of unnecessary trouble.
“I know there are merits to being in the guild, but it still comes with responsibilities. Like today’s assignment, for example.”
“I suppose you’re right… Excuse me for my rudeness.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll convert it to smaller coinage. I don’t want any trouble either.”
Norton quickly understood where Zig was coming from, realizing that he was the type who didn’t like belonging to a group. Despite his appearance, he was well aware of the proverb “Different strokes for different folks.” He was easy to get along with; Zig considered it an extra benefit to get to know him today.
“So, you are suggesting he abuse the guild’s account system. You’re quite bold, Norton.”
“Um…”
“Good luck.”
Zig turned away just as Aoi grabbed Norton’s shoulder. Like true veterans, his own comrades had already slipped away from the scene.
Zig and Siasha left the guild, hearing the faint sounds of Aoi lecturing Norton.
“Did you take on a new job?”
“Yeah. But I can do it while I’m guarding you. You’re going adventuring again tomorrow, right?”
“Yes! I had so many interesting experiences today. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
“It won’t be boring, I’m sure.”
The battlefield and his current job were much alike. Both required the use of his sword.