—–
Because I am way too curious, I ended interrogating all the bandits that we turned into servants of Eleanora. Sometimes they ended dying though, but usually three out of five became some sort of Vampiric monster. We asked them all sorts of things, but they barely knew anything that their boss didn’t. After wasting my time for two hours, they were all slain. I didn’t had the necessity to have any lackeys for the moment, even less weak vampires that can’t weaklings that can’t even compare to a Lesser Vampire, as they all ended turning into ghouls or blood wights.
“Well that was a rather useless time waster.” Eleanora sighed.
“We still got plenty of rewards for our honorable efforts…” I smirked.
With a knife, I carved the chests of all the bandits and gathered their Spirit Orbs in a pile, 13 Blood Spirit Orbs really for the taking. However, I am rather well aware that absorbing them all at once will only be detrimental as my body has to adapt to absorbing the energies with each one. At most, I’ve absorbed two at the same time.
“For now, let’s save these, I’ll absorb them over the next hours.”
When we were truly done, it was already night outside. I was already imagining my mother reprimanding me for coming late for dinner.
Packing the heads of the bandits inside a bag, we rushed to the adventurer guild and then put the bag over the table.
“Elearose! Good night! Did you hunt horned rabbits again- UWAAH!”
The receptionist lady opened the bag, looking at the heads of the bandits sticking their tongues out. All of them died rather gruesomely.
“I exterminated the bandits…” Eleanora replied.
“R-Right…” The girl sighed, taking a deep sigh and then closing the bag again while looking around.
“If you go around with the heads of people, you might bring unwanted attention…” She whispered. Simply bringing some of their belongings is enough to tell us it was them…”
“Hmph, that wouldn’t do though.” Said Eleanora.
“Sigh… A-Alright, come here please… This is big. If I am right, the head of Bandit Barbaros is inside this bag, isn’t it?” The young lady asked.
Eleanora nodded silently. She wasn’t with me this time, as I had hid in her shadows.
The girl led her upstairs, where Eleanora met… the Adventurer Guild Master himself. It was an old man on his fifties with a white and short beard, and a bald head. He had an eyepatch in his left eye, and was smoking a big cigar. There was also a fluffy creature resting over his desk, resembling something like a rabbit, but it had white angelic wings and a blue jewel on its forehead. Was this one of his Spirits?
By simply sensing his presence, he was a Rank 2 Upper Stage Spirit Master. Meaning he probably had a second spirit around elsewhere as well. He had a powerful presence was well, and his eye was filled with experience and sharpness.
“So this is her?” Asked the man, looking at Eleanora.
“Yes, Sir Musk, she’s Elearose.” Said the girl.
“Hm, I see… What’s wrong, you’re way too mute for an adventurer.” The man said, asking Eleanora to talk.
“I am merely waiting for my pay.” Said Eleanora coldly.
“Heh… Well, we brought you here for that. You see. This thing… it is rather big. You brought us the head of a bastard that the Adventurer and Mercenary Guilds had been chasing for over five years now. I can’t just give you a sack of coins and let you go as it is.” He said.
“Oh? Then what?” Asked Eleanora.
“You’ll be rewarded with a Rank Up from G to F Rank.” He said. “Alongside that, we want to ask you if you want to remain anonymous about this or to make it clear it was you. Fame comes with tons of benefits. Adventurers will come to make parties with you, and you might even be employed by nobility too, earning you a lot of cash in the process.”
“Hm… I would prefer to remain anonymous. Fame is a pain, honestly.” Eleanora said.
“Gahahahaha! Quite so! Hey, I like this lass…” Laughed the man. “You’re hot as fuck too, where did you even came from? Hey, want to come have some drinks with me tonight?” He asked with a slightly perverted gaze.
SMACK!
However, the receptionist suddenly smacked his head with a karate chop.
“Agh! I-I was just joking to lower the tensions, Anna! Don’t get so serious, geez…” The man acted childishly as he crossed his arms. He seemed to be well acquitted with the receptionist for her to just treat him like this.
“You said you wouldn’t be inviting other women for drinks!” Anna reprimanded Musk.
“Okay, honey! Don’t get angry now, I was joking! A joke!” The man implored for the young lady’s clemency.
“Hmph!” The girl said angrily, crossing her arms. “Sorry about that, Elearose. The guild master is also my husband… He’s a Casanova sometimes, but I am here to calm down his childish behaviors.” She said.
“Hm… I see. You two have a big age difference though.” Eleanora said.
“Heh! I might be old but I am quite good at seducing young ladies…” The man said with a smirk.
“And I am the last one you’ll ever seduce, right?” Anna said with a deathly stare.
“Y-Yes honey… Don’t look at me like that now…” The guild master pathetically averted his gaze from the receptionist.
What an odd yet charming duo.
However, we don’t really care about their romantic relationship, so I quickly told Eleanora to force them to continue the previous topic.
“Can we go back on topic please?” Eleanora asked.
“Y-Yes, about that… Here’s the pay, I already had it ready for some time now. I’ve been hoping and praying for someone to take down this bastard.” He sighed.
“You’re strong, why didn’t you do it yourself?” Eleanora asked.
“Ahahaha… Being a guild master has all my hands full every single day. And without my lovely Anna I would already be dead by overwork. I can’t even find a day where I am free nowadays, with monsters and demons popping out from everywhere…” The man sighed.
“Hm, I see…” Eleanora said, grabbing the sack of coins.
“That’s eighty thousand Telis for you, Rose.” The man said. “And tomorrow we’ll have your medal ready so you’re an official F Rank, impressive work as always!”
“Can I go now?” Eleanora asked
“Yes, yes, sorry for stealing so much of your time.” The guild master said.
“Alright, goodnight.” Eleanora walked away expressionlessly, closing the door behind her.
With this, we have once more secured a good amount of capital.
—–