Black Iron Magician

Chapter 473 Bam Bam Bam

After we finished mining the magic stones, we headed to the Adventurer Guild in the castle town of Crocus at once.

「I have subjugated the black kobold in this request. Please confirm the stripped tail.」

「Understood. Please place the specified materials in this tray.」

「I want to appraise this item that I discovered in the dungeon. It’s weathered and brittle, so be careful when you carry it, okay?」

「Oh, are you done with your work? How about a drink?」

「Gahaha! I’ll have as many drinks with you as you want!」

「Now you’ve said it! I won’t lose!」

They must have finished their work for the day, just like us. Inside the guild, strong dwarf adventurers were reporting their requests and enjoying drinks with their friends. They were acting like a normal dwarf. I thought that all the dwarves in Crocus had a peaceful disposition and were a little different from the other dwarves, but I guess the ones that become adventurers are like the others. In a way, I was relieved.

It has been a while since I visited this guild, but the guild’s facilities, such as the tavern, and the request system using a huge bulletin board is almost the same. Even if you’re not used to visiting this place, you won’t have any trouble if you’re an adventurer. The only difference from Adelheit’s guild is that the interior is a little fancy, and there is no suspicious old man at the reception desk.

「Welcome. How can I help you today?」

So, the one who greeted us was a pretty receptionist. She seems to be popular that we had to wait a long time for our turn. The stress of wasting precious time on waiting is heavier for me than the comfort of being taken care of by a young lady. Damn, they should have at least put one suspicious-looking old man at the reception desk.

「I want you to confirm that the request has been fulfilled. This is the request form.」

「Let me take a look at it. The request form is for the Root of the Steel Tree―― eh? T-This is…. I’m sorry. May I ask the name of the representative?」

「It’s Deris Fahrenheit.」

「Deris-san…. Please wait a moment.」

Saying so, the receptionist leaves her reception desk and goes to the office.

「Huh? What happened?」

「Well, it’s because of the contents. I’m sure she went to check if that request was genuine or not, or something like that.」

「Come to think of it, Danna said that it was originally Nell-neesan’s job, right?」

「So it was an amazing request~」

If it were the usual me, I would have done something behind the scene so that it can proceed smoothly. However, today’s search and training were like a whim on the spot. I was in a hospital room and couldn’t go out until this morning, so it couldn’t be helped.

After waiting for about a minute, the receptionist came back to the desk while looking restless. I was impressed that it was faster than expected.

「I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Deris-sama, we will confirm the completion of your request in the other room. Please come this way.」

「Sure. Girls, let’s go.」

「Yes~」

「Okay~」

「「「「………」」」」

I can feel the gazes of the other adventurers, who are lining up at the reception desk, on my back. That’s right. It’s not every day that someone is escorted to a separate room just to confirm the completion of a request. Furthermore, the way the receptionist addressed me has changed from ‘san’ to ‘sama’. Adventurers are a creature who pays attention to such things.

「My~, those two were so cute~. I wish they were my grandchildren~」

「Das rite! I’d love to have ‘em as my grandchildren.」

「Aye~」

――――!?

「Shishō? Why did you suddenly look back?」

「…… Nothing. It just that something unexpected happened.」

「Haha, just what kind of happening that’s unexpected even for Deris-danna?」

The dwarf adventurers who were acting very dwarf-like a while ago suddenly began to talk with an accent and a gentle expression. Hmm… I guess I don’t really understand about Crocus’s dwarves. Also, they were talking normally before, right? No, let’s not think too deeply.

「This way. Please come in.」

While I was thinking about that, the receptionist guided us to a room that seemed to be an appraisal room. In the room, there was a dwarf with a very long white beard, who looked like a strong man who had fought many battles in his life, and an old man who looked like a certain receptionist in a guild somewhere.

「Gramps Gior!」

「Hm? Haruna-chan and Touko-chan were together, huh?」

「Giorgia, do you know them?」

Yes, it was Gramps Gior, everyone’s receptions. It’s the first time I met the dwarf next to him, but he’s probably the head of the guild here. Judging from his atmosphere, there’s no doubt about it.

「Yeah, to tell you the truth, he’s Deris, the one who got me involved in the turmoil of Crocus this time.」

「Hey, don’t talk about me as if I’m the main culprit. If anything, I’m the one who solved the problem, you know?」

「The girls behind him are his disciples. They may look cute, but they are far stronger than me.」

「Hou, that’s amazing. What is your level, girls?」

「I’m level 8!」

「Heh, I’m level 9.」

Kuh, this damn old man has the nerve to ignore me…!

「Level 8 and 9, huh? It’s no wonder that they could finish off the Great Eight Demons. Aren’t they as strong as Adelheit’s Knight Leader Nell?」

「No, no, it’s too ridiculous for me to be as strong as Nell-neesan! It’s impossible!」

「I’m sorry, I have never won against Nell-san yet. I’m sorry for disappointing you….」

「For you to say this much, just how strong is that Knight Leader….?」

「She’s unmistakably at the level of the Great Eight Demons. Well, this Deris is her husband and her former adventurer companion. You will understand if you hear the name 『Black Iron』, right?」

「Ooh, you’re the one Giorgia used to talk about, the one who was too black-hearted that even his iron was dyed black, right!?」

Hey, Giorgia, what kind of fake news are you spreading…!?

「Deris-dono and his disciples, I’m sorry for the late introduction. My name is Bulk, and I’m the head of this guild. I see, it’s not strange if you, whom the Knight Leader Nell took as a husband, accomplished this request.」

「Thank you…. Wait, I’m the one who took her as a wife, okay?」

「Oh, that was rude of me. She’s a great person who has many achievements, so I couldn’t help but said the opposite.」

「That’s not good, Bulk-san. Nell-san is a maiden in front of Shishō, so don’t mistake it.」

「「Please tell me the details.」」

The old men over there, calm down. If things go wrong, the flames of Nell’s wrath will fall all over this area. Even if it’s just to hide her embarrassment, the firepower is terrifying.

「We’re not here to make small talk. Can you confirm the completion of the request now?」

「Yeah, sorry about that. I’m this old after all, so I’m weak with other people’s love affairs. Also, because of the Queen’s influence, the dwarves around here are all like that. Be careful when you talk about fortune-telling and fads. It will be hard to stop them once they started.」

There’s a limit to being fancy….

「The request was about the Root of the Steel Tree, wasn’t it? With the size of this room, it won’t be a problem no matter what you take out. Then, can you show me the results of the request?」

「Okay, please appraise them fairly.」

「Hmm? What are you talking about――」

Bam! Bam! Bam!, I, Haru, and Touko each took out our magic stones.