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Chapter 1-59 : The Girl Is Hoping For An Answer But Ends Up With More Mysteries (part 1)
To prevent unnecessary attention, Elle asked Flamberge to hide before entering the guild.
They found the inside of the building was filled with chatter when they entered.
「Hey, have you read the recent news on your guild card?」
「About the red ogre?」
「Yeah. Seems like someone has killed it.」
「Red ogre? The one that killed the Crimson Hero?」
「That’s the one.」
「But that’s the quest from 150 years ago, right? Someone completed it?」
「A few hours ago, yeah.」
「I wonder who did it.」(adventurers)
Hearing the adventurers’ conversation, Elle and Ingrid exchanged glances awkwardly. Clearly, these people were talking about the red ogre they encountered in the cave.
Elle pressed her index finger on her lips, telling Ingrid to stay silent about it. Ingrid then nodded.
「Khu khu. I wonder how they would react if they knew it was a young girl like you who did it. Their pride would shatter into pieces. Right, Prox?」(Yoyo)
「Gyau~ (That’s my master~)」(Prox)
「Yoyo, be quiet. What if someone heard you?」(Elle)
「Woops.」(Yoyo)
Yoyo spontaneously closed his mouth with his paw. He talked quietly, but Elle still worried that someone might have heard him.
They kept walking toward the reception desk while avoiding eye contact with anyone else.
「Ah, Ingrid-san, Elle-chan, welcome back! I’ve been waiting for you! Congratulations on killing theー hmmphh!?」(receptionist lady)
The receptionist lady noticed them and congratulated them while waving her hand, but Ingrid quickly extended her arm over the counter and covered her mouth.
「Sssstt!! We don’t want anyone else to know about it!」(Ingrid)
「Mmm, mmm!」(receptionist lady)
She nodded firmly a few times.
「Pwah! …Haha, I’m sorry about that. I was so excited that that ancient quest has finally been completed.」(receptionist lady)
「Geez. Not everyone wants to publish their achievement, you know? Elle doesn’t want to stand out.」(Ingrid)
「I understand. Oh, right. Before we talk about the bounty, the guild master wants to see you.」(receptionist lady)
The guild employees had access to the record of the adventurers’ activities, so they knew that the one who killed the ogre was Elle.
Of course, the guild master knew it too. He seemed to want to ask her how she defeated the ogre.
「Guild master? What perfect timing. Elle wants to ask him something too.」(Ingrid)
「Is that so?」(receptionist lady)
「Un.」(Elle)
「Understood. Please follow me.」(receptionist lady)
The receptionist lady glanced toward the hall for a second and took Elle and the others through the back door when no one was looking.
When they entered the drawing room, the guild master was already there waiting for them.
「Yo, Miss Black Gale, Elle-kun! Congratulations on killing the red ogre!」(Guild Master)
「Thank you, Sir.」(Elle)
「I was surprised when I saw the notification. I never thought someone would finally complete that quest. Anyway, please have a seat.」(Guild Master)
Elle and Ingrid sat on the sofa facing the guild master. At the same time, the receptionist lady bowed and left the room. Meanwhile, Yoyo and Prox were sitting next to Elle, acting like normal living stuffed plushies.
「The guild had dispatched numerous adventurers to hunt that ogre for over 150 years, but none of them succeeded. Elle-kun, tell me, how did you defeat it?」(Guild Master)
「Umm… Since the ogre had a fire element, I used my strongest ice magic stone to attack it.」(Elle)
「I see. Ice magic stone… Fire-attributed monsters are indeed weak against ice and water; of course, we are aware of that too. We sent adventurers who used water- and ice-based attacks, but they couldn’t defeat it. Elle-kun, your magic stones must be extraordinarily powerful.」(Guild Master)
「That’s… Uhh…」(Elle)
Feeling the guild master’s passionate gaze, Elle awkwardly shifted her eyes and glanced at Ingrid.
Ingrid understood right away what she was thinking and nodded as if saying, “leave it to me”.
「Elle’s magic stones certainly are powerful, but that’s not the only reason why she managed to kill the ogre. It was already severely injured when we found it in the cave.」(Ingrid)
「What? The ogre was injured?」(Guild Master)
「Yes. It seems like it had been attacked by a stronger monster, a dragon, probably. I’m guessing it was hiding in that cave to recover.」(Ingrid)
「We were lucky that the ogre was already dying. I was able to kill it purely by luck.」(Elle)
Of course, what they were saying was not true. They were lying to the guild master.
They thought it would be a pain if the guild master began to have high expectations of them. He would likely ask them to hunt powerful monsters or complete troublesome quests in the future.
That’s why they came up with this idea. They tried to emphasize that they were not as strong as the guild master thought.
「I see. So that’s why you could kill it. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that you have done the guild a great favor by killing it. The guild had sacrificed so many adventurers for this quest, and I was planning to abandon it. I felt bad for the Crimson Hero’s family, the client, but I wanted to prevent further casualties. But, before I made up my mind, you killed the ogre and put an end to this long-lasting quest. Elle-kun, you have my deepest gratitude.」(Guild Master)
Saying that, the guild master lowered his head deeply.
「P, please raise your head, Sir! That ogre tried to attack us. I was just trying to survive.」(Elle)
「Haha! You’re so modest.」(Guild Master)
「I did nothing but try to survive, really. And, umm, Sir, can you keep this matter a secret?」(Elle)
「Eh? I was thinking of announcing it. “A twelve-year-old girl has defeated the red ogre who killed the Crimson Hero”. That would be hot news for sure!」(Guild Master)
「What!? No, no! Please don’t!」(Elle)
「Guild Master, don’t you dare do that!」(Ingrid)
「Hahaha! I’m just joking! Most adventurers want fame, but if you don’t want me to make it public, then I’ll keep it quiet. I promise.」(Guild Master)
「Geez…」(Ingrid)
「…..」(Elle)
Elle panicked for a second, but the guild master seemed to decide to keep it a secret. She let out a sigh of relief.
「By the way, Miss Black Gale, you said you found the ogre in a cave.」(Guild Master)
「Yes, Sance Cave.」(Ingrid)
「Why did you go there?」(Guild Master)
「We were looking for a crystal magic ore. You see. Elle loves the living stuffed animals produced by the Long Tail Factory. We needed that to fix her bunny. Right, Elle?」(Ingrid)
「Un. I love them.」(Elle)
Elle stroked Yoyo’s head as she said that.
「Haha! I see, I see. Elle-kun, you may have slain the red ogre, but you’re still just a young girl. I understand. That shop’s toys are really high quality.」(Guild Master)
Saying that, the guild master bent forward and observed Yoyo and Prox with interest.
「Your cat and tiny dragon look so real. They don’t look like living stuffed toys at all, especially your dragon.」(Guild Master)
「「ー!!」」(Elle & Ingrid)
Elle and Ingrid flinched.
They wondered if the guild master noticed Prox’s identity.
「Gyau? (What?)」(Prox)
Being stared at by the man, Prox tilted her head.
「Say, tiny dragon, are you…」(Guild Master)
「ーAh, that’s right! Guild Master, Elle has something to ask you. Right, Elle?」(Ingrid)
「Y, yes. I want to ask you something.」(Elle)
Ingrid quickly diverted the guild master’s attention before he noticed there was a dragon inside his building.
Luckily, he listened and shifted his gaze to Elle.
「Something to ask? Of course, of course. You can ask me anything.」(Guild Master)
「Thank you, Sir. Umm, I want you to investigate something. It’s about a certain man.」(Elle)
「A man?」(Guild Master)
「Yes. His name is Hugo de Neurindor.」(Elle)
「ー!!?」(Guild Master)
When he heard that name, the guild master suddenly stood up.
He looked at Elle with eyes wide open.
「Hugo… Elle-kun, you know him…?」(Guild Master)
「…Eh…?」(Elle)
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