Ch 90 — Sorry We're Late, We Stopped To Eat.
When we got back to the Adventurer's Guild we found the Guild Master and his staff, many Adventurers and even the leader of the city's Knights Order wearing full plate armour waiting for us.
"Oh, you're back. We were starting to worry about you. Are you all right?" The Guild Master said, hurrying over to me as we entered.
"Yes, we're all fine." I reassured him. "All the Wyverns have been dealt with too. Isn't that right Fer?"
"Yeah. There's no sign of any Wyverns anywhere nearby so we got all of them." Fer agreed.
"So there-" I began but I was drowned out by a great cry from the crowd standing nearby.
"Hurray! We're saved!" The Adventurers were cheering and slapping each other on the back in relief. Some of them were even crying. Okay, I understand you're all happy the crisis is over but was it really that big a deal?
"Well, we weren't sure you'd return safely." The Guild master explained. "A few of the Adventurers here said that even a Fenrir couldn't face up to a flock of Wyverns and they were seriously worried. I didn't think that myself, but as time went on and you hadn't returned I was getting worried myself."
Well, of course subjugating the entire flock of Wyverns didn't take THAT long. The meal afterwards, with all the cooking and such… I couldn't tell them we were taking our time eating before we came back. It would be-
"Dealing with the Wyverns was easy." Fer said bluntly. "We were late back as I was eating dinner." I face-palmed. Fer, you shouldn't have said that.
"You stopped to eat dinner afterwards…?" came questioning voices from the crowd around us. Well, no, that is yes, just a snack, um… Well, you guys, don't look at me like that…
Sui jumped out of the bag and bounced around me. "Today's dinner was really really tasty ~" she proclaimed.
"Yeah, today's meal was delicious." Fer agreed.
No, no, let's read the atmosphere you two. Of course Sui's comment was just a telepathic thought between us three but Fer spoke out loud which didn't help. The pressure of the accusing eyes on us increased.
"Uh, you know, we were hungry and…" Luckily for me the Guild Master stepped in.
"Well, you're back now safe and sound." He gestured to the stairs. "Let's go up to my office and discuss the rest of the business regarding the subjugation, shall we?" I nodded and we followed him and the Knights Order's leader, silently thanking him for his timely intervention as the celebrations behind us grew even louder.
* * * * *
In the office I sat down beside the Knights Order's leader, across the table from the the Guild Master.
"First of all, thank you for saving this city." The Guild Master bowed deeply to me.
"I also thank you," the Knights Order's leader said as he also bowed his head. "You succeeded in a task the Knights Order and the Adventurers Guild together should have dealt with. I really appreciate it."
"No no," I waved my hands, "It wasn't me, it was Fer and Sui that did all the work."
"I understand Fer's power, but a Slime…" the Guild Master said, staring at Sui who was sitting on my knee. "It seems that Slime has a strength that you can not imagine from its appearance."
"Yeah…" I said somewhat smugly. "That's because Sui is a special individual, she's quite strong." I'm proud of my Sui-chan.
"As you say. Thank you for dealing with the Wyverns." The Guild Master bowed to Fer who was lying on the floor next to me and then to Sui on my knee. Fer didn't say anything but Sui trembled.
"So, how many Wyverns were there?" The Guild Master asked, moving on to business.
"There were 13 in all." I replied.
"Th-, thirteen you say…" The Guild Master and the Knights Order's leader looked at each other as I answered.
"If there were thirteen Wyverns then," the Guild Master said, white-faced, "if the Adventurers and all the city's Knights worked together to deal with them, half of us would have been killed."
"Guild Master, I do not think it's just half, it's entirely possible all of us would be dead by now." the Knights Order's leader said shakily.
"I see…" Hey, was it really such a big deal? Fer and Sui cut the heads of the Wyverns so easily, I sorta thought it wasn't a big problem like these guys did. Of course when I was attacked personally at the end I was truly a bit scared. A bit. Just a bit. Really.
"It seems we were fortunate." the Guild Master said, glancing at Fer and Sui.
"That may be so, Guild Master." The Knights Order's leader commented. "But we can't rely on luck from now on because we don't know when something like this might happen again."
"Certainly." the Guild Master agreed, his face hardening.
"Most of the time this city is peaceful and the Order of Knights can usually take it easy." The Knights Order's leader went on, his own expression matching the Guild Master's. "When news of the Wyverns reached us some of my subordinates were, ah, reluctant to step forward and volunteer. When they heard that Mukouda-sama had gone off to deal with the Wyverns to kill them they apparently felt relieved…"
"That was the same for the Adventurers who are members of the Guild." The Guild Master said in a dark voice.
"I have decided," the Knight's Order leader said firmly, " that I am going to beat my Order's members into shape." His gauntleted fist smote the table loudly. "I will turn them into a force that can deal with any threat to this city, even one that might appear without warning like these Wyverns."
"That sounds like a fine idea." The Guild Master agreed, nodding. "For myself, I think I need to review just what the Adventurers Guild stands for. I have come to the belief that being an Adventurer isn't just to earn points and increases in rank. A good Adventurer is one who has endured some hardship and perhaps it's time for them all to do so, ha ha ha…" The expression on their faces frightened me even though I knew I wasn't the focus of their displeasure. As for the Knights and Adventurers, uhhh sorry guys, it looks like you're in for a hard time. Good luck and I hope you survive. Me, I just want to go back to the inn soon…
The Guild Master turned back to me. "My apologies, Mukouda-sama, I was distracted for a moment. So you collected all the Wyverns you subjugated?"
"Yes, of course I collected them all." I was relieved they had changed the subject.
"How badly are they damaged?" the Guild Master enquired. I thought for a moment before answering. The Wyverns in my Item Box weren't really beat up as both Fer and Sui had beheaded them cleanly to finish them off.
"The heads were all cut off at the neck," I explained, "so I don't think they're damaged much…"
"T- the Wyvern heads, to cut them off just like that… that's astounding." the Knights Order's leader said.
"Well, Wyverns are magically resistant so doing something like that is a tough job, even with a Mithril sword." the Guild Master added. Fer and Sui hadn't had any problems cutting the Wyvern necks though, I thought to myself but I wasn't going to say anything about THAT.
"So, will you wholesale the Wyvern materials to us?" the Guild Master asked, all business again.
"Yes," I nodded, "Everything except the meat as usual."
"Ok, then then shall we move to the warehouse?" the Guild Master stood up headed for the door.
"Excuse my rudeness," the Knights Order leader said as he stood up, a harsh gleam in his eyes, "but I have to go discuss some, ah, matters with my subordinates and the sooner I get started the better." He shook my hand. "Thank you again, Mukouda-san." I watched the broad armoured back of the Knights Order leader disappear down the stairs in front of me, heading back to the barracks. Please don't kill all of them, Leader-dono, I prayed as the Guild Master and I headed towards the Guild's warehouse, a place I was becoming more than familiar with.
