The Druid Who Swallowed Mother Nature - Chapter 18



Only Noblemtl

Episode 18. I want to buy information.

“What a day I almost had no luck with. If I had known that I was up against a warlock and not a corrupted one, I would not have taken on this request.”

On the way back after finishing the request.

Hela, who had crossed the line with me, seemed to feel a great inner closeness to me as she continued to drop cubes without stopping.

“A day that almost didn’t happen?”

“It worked out well in the end. It was risky, but since we took down the warlock, we’ll get a reward. If someone’s identity has been confirmed and a bounty is placed on them, it’ll be pretty lucrative, right?”

The position of the warlock is contradictory.

Although he enjoys the protection of the higher-ups and lives a glamorous life, he is also put on the city’s public death list for conducting unethical experiments and disrupting public order.

There are even bounty hunter organizations that specialize in hunting only warlocks.

Although the reward was not huge, it was more than enough for extra income.

I could understand Hela’s feelings as her steps became lighter.

“Thanks to you, I made a fortune. Damn old man, you’re probably waiting for me to come back with a sad face. I can’t wait to see what your expression will be like when I go and tell you about the money I made.”

Hela’s hand slowly began to move up to my shoulder.

I struck it down firmly.

It wasn’t just because physical contact with a rough mercenary was burdensome.

“You said you could handle it all by yourself if you just let it go. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“You still have it? I apologize if it offends you, but I really meant it well… … .”

“And the math has to be done right.”

“huh?”

Where are you trying to sneak away to?

Although my celebrity-like appearance may seem naive by the standards of an industry where fierceness is a virtue, my experience is more than that of a veteran.

“I was the one who discovered the warlock and killed him. Surely you wouldn’t be making the unscrupulous claim that we should distribute it in equal proportions?”

“Ahem.”

Hela coughed awkwardly.

Then he opened his eyes and looked at me.

“… …Wouldn’t that work?”

“Then I guess I won’t be working with any mercenaries belonging to Draxia from now on.”

If you insist on fighting, I will reluctantly listen to you, but you will remember your relationship with her as a bad one.

The ultimate goal of people in the industry is money, but ironically, if you are blindly obsessed with money, you have a lot to lose.

A representative example is credibility as a colleague.

I could not be with those who were blinded by momentary gain.

This is especially true for me since money isn’t my ultimate goal.

“Hey, I was just joking. Of course I was going to give you 80% of it.”

“It’s a bit too thin to be a joke.”

“There’s no harm in poking me. I didn’t threaten you or anything, and if you do it, it’s better for me.”

I shook my head at Hela, who was laughing heartily.

Pretending to be cool, but secretly being clever.

It was unusual because it didn’t seem all that unpleasant.

“Well, it’s a shame, but let’s part ways here.”

At the fork in the road leading to the office, Hela said.

I expressed my doubts.

“You don’t want to go together?”

“Our mercenary group will report back first when they return. The agency’s agent will contact the broker.”

I was speechless at the sight of her shoulders straightening in pride, saying, “Doesn’t it look comfortable?”

‘Aren’t the pros and cons of handling business through an agent clear?’

It certainly seems convenient in that there’s no need to bother arguing, but it didn’t really appeal to me.

‘Because I have to contact the broker and find out and take care of a lot of things myself.’

When I passed it over indifferently, Hela stuck out her lips.

“What a disgustingly useless person you are. If it weren’t for your face, you wouldn’t be popular.”

“Are you arguing?”

“I complimented him by saying he was a charming man who covered up his shortcomings.”

He is a good chatterbox and his reflexes are quick.

Hela smiled faintly at me as I frowned.

“You must be tired, so finish up your business quickly and get some rest. By the way, I really want to talk to our boss, so please stop by sometime. Let’s have a drink together then. Okay?”

“Go quickly.”

“Don’t forget. I’m really waiting.”

After seeing off the noisy Hela to the end, I headed to the brokerage office.

***

“You’re early. I thought you’d be back tomorrow at the earliest.”

Cromwell, the broker, stood in the same spot as before he took the commission and left, as if he were a machine.

A repetitive gesture of absentmindedly wiping glasses to be used in the downstairs bar.

It was a characteristic of NPCs in the game.

Now that it has become a reality, isn’t this a cross-section that shows his sincerity?

It was a scene that somehow calmed my heart, as if I had become accustomed to it after only going in and out a few times.

“The mercenary you introduced me to was good. When we worked together, we were able to move quickly and didn’t get tired easily.”

“Drexior’s mercenaries have quite a reputation.”

“I guess he’s famous?”

“There are quite a few contractors who want to work together.”

“That’s amazing.”

If the prickly and self-centered contractors had admitted it, it would have said everything.

Every time I started working in earnest, the Draxia Mercenary Corps had just disintegrated, so I didn’t know their exact reputation at the time.

I thought that Hela’s offer to come to the mercenary group might have been a greater favor than I thought.

“I’ve dealt with all the corrupted ones.”

“Okay, I’ll make sure you get your payment as quickly as possible. Since it’s a matter of public security, the city government organization will handle it right away.”

“And I have one more thing to report.”

I sat down on a chair in front of the bar table.

Unlike before, this time it was Cromwell who handed over the cup.

It wasn’t alcohol, but cold water, but it was impressive in its own way because it expressed that he was no longer treated as an ignorant child.

“There was a warlock in the lab.”

“… … A warlock. You are amazing at every request you take on.”

Cromwell shook his head.

First a rampaging goblin, then a warlock.

It wasn’t easy to experience unexpected situations outside of the scope of the request so often.

I even had the illusion of sympathy mixed in his eyes.

“What happened?”

“There’s no way we can negotiate with those crazy bastards. We killed them.”

Cromwell answered as if he had known that would happen.

“Warlocks are tricky to deal with. The curse is more of a problem than skill. It can cause permanent disabilities and even take your life. There are countless people who have ruined their lives because they failed to respond in time. Are you okay?”

“As you can see.”

“It seems like you’re better than I thought.”

It’s hard to avoid being affected by a curse while fighting a warlock.

Cromwell’s eyebrows quirked, as if he was genuinely surprised by my answer.

Then, he quickly calmed his expression and calmly calculated the amount.

“First of all, I get what you’re trying to say. But like last time, raising the salary won’t work. The client is an organization under the city government.”

“I didn’t expect it either. The reward is enough.”

Whether or not the city government knew about the existence of the warlock, it was up to them to stop him.

Although the rules of the underworld were firm, they were meaningless in front of the city government, which was the ruling class.

“If I may be more greedy, if there is a bounty on him, make sure he doesn’t get eaten.”

“Notice. How should the reward money be distributed?”

“I’m 80%, Draxia’s mercenaries are 20%.”

“Drexior’s mercenary bravely gave in.”

“It was divided according to contribution.”

“Since it’s just your claim, I’ll ask Draxia’s representative as well.”

“Do as you wish. It’s better to handle things properly so that there are no complaints.”

Since it was something that had been agreed upon with Hela, it was unlikely that they would suddenly change their words, but the circumstances of the mercenary group could have been different.

“Lastly, I want to ask you something.”

Now, here’s the main point.

I emptied my glass of cold water and stood up.

“Tell me.”

“I want to buy information about Hynax.”

“Are you talking about the company that established the research lab for this request?”

“Yeah, brokers also act as information agents, right?”

There is no job that is as close to information as brokerage.

Brokers basically gathered a lot of information through their numerous connections, and some went a step further and operated their own information gathering lines.

The latter was more likely given Cromwell’s ability.

“I want the identity and whereabouts of anyone directly connected, such as the director of the research institute or an administrator.”

Cromwell looked at me blankly, as if trying to see through my intentions.

“You don’t want to take out your anger on the warlock, do you? Why?”

“I wonder who sponsored the warlock I met at the lab.”

“hmm.”

There must be someone who showed or provided the original copy of the magic used by the warlock.

He would know the clues to the spirit’s shards and the circuits engraved on their surface.

‘In the latter case, it could be the direct culprit.’

Whatever it was, it was something that had to be pursued.

“Find out about the company itself, and if possible, why it closed down its research lab.”

Judging from the black magician’s magic, it was a research that showed some results.

But why did they suddenly withdraw?

It was something I could have just let go of, but it bothered me.

‘If money was tight, I would have compromised appropriately, but… … .’

Luckily, you’ve just received some unexpected income.

I intended to thoroughly investigate any suspicious parts.

I asked Cromwell, who was scratching his beard as if calculating the estimate in his head.

“Will it work?”

“It won’t be difficult. The key is how much money you can prepare.”

“Pay my share of the reward instead.”

“That would be more than enough.”

Since it was income outside of the calculation anyway, I didn’t feel bad about spending it all.

It was a cheap price to pay if it meant I could uncover the secret I was chasing through him.

“I’ll have everything sorted out by the time you come back for your next paycheck.”

“Please.”

Even if you take it long, a week will be enough.

I didn’t plan on receiving another commission right away, so I thought I could come back after a proper rest.

‘I hope Greenwood will be accepting requests by then.’

If so, it would be the icing on the cake.

Tracing the origins of black magic is the top choice for this ranking.

The first choice for uncovering the secrets related to the spirits was Greenwood’s request.

‘Anyway, for now, all we can do is wait.’

My steps back to the hotel were light.

About a week from now.

Instead of a meaningless waste of time, a sweet break awaited me for the next schedule.

***

“… … A warlock?”

A low-pitched voice was heard in the large room.

It was a powerful sound that was automatically lodged in the eardrums even without listening.

Hela chattered in front of the muscular giant who made the sofa he was buried in look small.

“Yes, I am so shocked. What is this black magician talking about when he goes to kill the Corrupted? If I had done one wrong thing, I would have died. Don’t you have anything to say to me, Master? I suffered all this because you told me to do what you said was my punishment?”

Hela stared straight ahead with her arms crossed.

Draxia snorted at the sharp gesture demanding an apology.

“Don’t joke around when you look perfectly fine.”

“Wow, you don’t believe what other people say.”

“Anyway, you returned safely after cutting the warlock’s head, didn’t you? It’s all experience. Be thankful for the rare experience it gave you.”

“Experience is a plague. If it weren’t for my partner who went with me, I would have already gone to the other world.”

My subordinate’s rude speech habit of swearing at my boss was not something that happened just a day or two ago, and it was annoying to point it out.

Draxia instead focused on something else.

“Was he stronger than you?”

“I don’t know about that, but he caught the warlock. So when the reward comes out, he gets 80% and I get the remaining 20%, so you can talk to the broker yourself.”

“… … Hmm.”

“Why are you dissatisfied because you don’t have enough money?”

“No, it’s your decision, we won’t interfere.”

Actually, I didn’t regret the money at all.

Rather, I was interested in the opponent that the mercenary group’s promising rookie praised.

“How did you deal with the warlock?”

“That’s it, when you just stretch out your hand, black magic burns brightly?”

“……what?”

Draxia asked back at the completely unexpected explanation.

“Seriously. He pulled out some strange stem from his arm and it was burning magic. It was so gorgeous that I was completely lost in thought and just stared at it.”

“… … I think you’d better get back to studying before it’s too late.”

“No, what’s wrong with my explanation?”

“Such a simple description doesn’t register in my head.”

The ignorant mercenary was the problem.

Anyway, Draxia understood that his abilities were unique.

“Do you think he’s worth recruiting?”

“I already brought it up. Come by our office sometime.”

“Well done.”

The Draxia Mercenary Corps, which selects members by considering many conditions, was suffering from a chronic shortage of personnel.

If the prickly Hela likes it, then her personality must not be bad.

Any new recruits with skills were always welcome.

“Let’s talk about the details later. You must be tired, so go and rest.”

“Yes, I’m going to rest for a while and recover, so don’t call me.”

“You must come back in a week.”

“why?”

“It’s a request. He said he wanted escort to go back to District 7.”

“ah.”

A mysterious client who always wanders around the wilderness.

Now, Hela was almost like a mercenary to him.

‘… … Now that I think about it, the light that burned the warlock’s fog is similar to the light I saw from the client last time.’

I couldn’t really pay attention because the inside of the hat that covered her face was visible, but it was definitely a halo of light that was dazzling around her hand.

I can’t be sure, but it felt similar.

‘Do you two know each other?’

Hela quickly denied the speculation that crossed her mind.

‘No way.’

How could that be?

The client, who is presumed to be a noble lady, and Allen, the contractor.

It would be safe to say that there was no connection between the two.

‘If you really care, just ask later.’

Actually, it was none of her business.