SWNOVELXO Volume 1 Chapter 21 - Everyone Loves Money
I’m listening to a subordinate’s report while wiping my glasses.
“Say that again, please.”
I decided to have it repeated because I couldn’t quite understand the report I was just given.
“50 recovery potions, all Level 1, have been delivered to the Ikebukuro branch.”
The female subordinate reported again, her expression as unchanging and matter-of-fact as before.
“Really?”
“I’m not so idle as to lie.”
An excellent subordinate, but always one to talk back.
“Ha… Are you kidding me? I’ve never heard of 50 recovery potions!”
I found myself yelling, unbecoming of my age.
“I’m only stating the facts. And please stop with the power harassment.”
Ugh… I must look like an old nuisance.
“I apologize. But let me ask once more: is this true?”
“It’s true. I thought it might be a lie, so I had someone else go to Ikebukuro to confirm. Their appraisal confirmed that they were indeed recovery potions.”
“I see…”
So it must be true.
But 50 potions…
“How were they obtained?”
“It seems they dropped from defeating slimes. The person said they were just lucky.”
“That’s impossible! …Cough, sorry.”
I almost yelled again but managed to stop myself.
“No, I understand how you feel. I feel the same way.”
Well, that makes sense.
There have been confirmed cases of recovery potions dropping from slimes, so it’s not impossible.
But 50 is unheard of.
“What about the possibility of theft?”
“50 recovery potions?”
Unlikely…
If there had been a theft like that, it would have caused a huge uproar. And there are only a few places that would have 50 recovery potions in the first place.
“Who delivered them?”
“That woman.”
“…Eleanora Ocean.”
I muttered, and my subordinate slowly nodded.
“That woman who sold five recovery potions last time, now it’s 50… What’s next, 500?”
Hahaha.
“It’s possible.”
…
“Who is that woman?”
“We are investigating. But we know that all the information, like her name and address, is false.”
“Can we just leave her be? What about reporting her to the police?”
“A person who has supplied 55 recovery potions? The government is already aware, and some politicians are involved.”
I understand.
We can’t let such a valuable adventurer be poached by foreign interests.
“If her adventurer’s license is revoked, I’ll be fired…”
“I’ll be in trouble too. I still have student loans, and my younger brother is in college. I don’t want to end up on the streets.”
She’s struggling quite a bit.
“I have to support my grandchildren as they enter private school. I have to help my daughter and her husband.”
“So, we’ll just leave her alone?”
“What does the Ikebukuro branch chief say?”
“He was questioned, but nothing suspicious was found.”
That’s impossible!
“Tch! They’ve secured her!”
It’s common for guild branches to secure talented adventurers.
And once secured, they never let them go.
They’re probably doing something behind the scenes.
“Probably. Someone who would let go of an adventurer of that level couldn’t be a branch chief.”
“Tch! Even if it’s an unpopular guild, a branch chief is still a branch chief…”
That vixen!
“Stop clicking your tongue. It’s power harassment.”
Power harassment, huh…
Things have really tightened up lately.
I can’t even invite my subordinates out for a drink.
“What’s the word from above?”
“Who is that woman? Investigate. But do not do anything that would lead to her being poached.”
Do the investigation yourself.
No, they probably are…
“It’s difficult. There’s too little information.”
“She’s keeping a low profile. But some media have started sniffing around.”
“They’re quick…”
“I reported earlier that some politicians are involved. I can’t say more.”
You’ve already said it all.
“They really are good at sniffing out money.”
“I can’t agree.”
You’re lying.
“Is Eleanora Ocean really Japanese?”
“I don’t know, but from the photos, she appears to be Asian, perhaps Japanese. Here.”
My subordinate handed me a photo.
It was a picture of her holding a wallet in some store.
“What’s this?”
“It seems a civilian took a candid photo of her trying to buy a wallet. It was posted on the internet.”
“The internet?”
“It was captioned ‘Cosplayer spotted!’ We had it removed right away.”
Well, you don’t often see such long blonde hair, and the all-black clothing is conspicuous.
It’s understandable to mistake her for a cosplayer.
“Hmm, she looks Japanese, but it’s hard to say… Can’t we summon her to headquarters?”
“The Ikebukuro branch chief will refuse. It’s the usual ‘The guild has a duty to protect adventurers’ spiel.”
There are times when the headquarters calls in adventurers from various branches for questioning when there’s a problem.
But when it comes to talented adventurers, every guild gives the same response.
And they have the authority to do so.
“This is the guild too, you know.”
The guild’s main office.
And I’m the head of it.
“Each branch chief thinks they’re a king.”
“Probably… Can’t we approach her privately?”
“It’s impossible. In fact, we don’t even know where she lives. We’ve hired detectives and all, but we couldn’t trace her steps at all. She seems to vanish suddenly.”
…
“Eh? Is she really human?”
“55 potions delivered, identity unknown, appearance vague.”
“A ghost, then.”
“More like a witch, I’d say.”
Certainly, from her appearance, she looks like a witch.
“Sigh… Any other information?”
Is there none left?
“There’s information from the Shibuya branch.”
There is?
“What is it?”
“An adventurer from the Shibuya branch seems to have encountered the witch at the Coonar Ruins.”
Eleanora Ocean is now confirmed as a witch.
“Any trouble?”
“Something like that. Apparently, the adventurer left some high school students to answer the call of nature. During that time, the students were attacked by skeletons, and things were looking grim. That’s when they were saved by…”
“The witch?”
“Yes. The witch killed five skeletons with incredible swordsmanship and shared a potion with an injured female student.”
Swordsmanship?
Even though she’s a witch?
“It’s a nice story, isn’t it? Adventurers must be like that. Helping each other is important.”
Reality often abandons people with the words ‘personal responsibility.’
Well, it’s dangerous, and there are many troubles, so I understand the sentiment, but it’s a sad thing.
“Despite being saved and having a potion used on them, the students claimed ownership of the dropped items and hurled abuse.”
… I take back what I said.
That was the worst story.
“Who did you hear that from?”
“The female student who was saved reported it to the guide. The guide immediately reported it to the Shibuya branch chief, who started looking for the woman. He wants to apologize.”
So the Shibuya branch chief knows the witch too.
No, probably all the branch chiefs know by now.
So, is it a competition?
Hmm, well, that vixen wouldn’t make a mistake that would allow another adventurer to steal her.
“Revoke the qualifications of the student who abused her.”
“Are you sure?”
“He’s a nuisance. Just say it’s because he engaged in extremely dangerous behavior in the frontier or something like that.”
He really made an unnecessary mess.
“What about the guide?”
“One-month suspension.”
It’s a bit harsh, but it can’t be helped.
“Understood.”
“Sigh… Nothing but unpleasant reports today.”
“I apologize, chief.”
My subordinate, unusually, apologized.
What’s this?
She’s not usually so earnest.
…Hmm?
“What’s that document?”
I was curious about the documents my subordinate was holding.
“It’s an application form from the Ikebukuro branch chief.”
My subordinate bowed deeply and handed over the so-called application form.
“I don’t need it.”
I refused to accept it since I only had a bad feeling about it.
“Then, I’ll explain. This is an application to hold an auction.”
The worst…
It’s just too awful.
“What are the items?”
“Item bags.”
“… The capacity?”
“Exactly 5 kilograms, 10 kilograms, 50 kilograms, 100 kilograms.”
Exactly, huh…
“Four of them?”
“Two of each.”
“… Who’s the seller?”
“Eleanora Ocean.”
That witch!
She’s definitely not human.
She’s a monster.
A monster called a witch.
“I don’t even feel like yelling anymore…”
“Should we reject the application?”
“If we reject it, it will go to the private sector. We can’t do that.”
Absolutely not.
That would certainly cost me my job.
“Then, sign here.”
“If I sign this, there will be an uproar, you know?”
The media and the internet will be in a frenzy.
“It’s only a matter of time. I don’t think this will end here. This is just the beginning.”
“I think so too. Give it here. I’ll sign it. We have no choice but to consider the guild’s interests now.”
“Here you go.”
I sign the application form handed to me by my subordinate.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
I hand back the application, and my subordinate takes it.
“Tell them to respond urgently.”
“What for?”
“If things continue this way, it won’t end in this country. Foreign countries will come too.”
“… Will they come?”
My subordinate swallows hard.
“America, China, Russia… And the countries that broke the treaty with the Frontier and had their gates closed will act to secure the witch… This woman is gold.”
I hold the photo with my finger and flutter it.
“Gold… The Golden Witch, indeed.”
“You, too, make contact. It’s the Coonar Ruins. Get back to work, A-rank.”
“Understood. I will do as instructed.”
My subordinate bows and leaves the room.
It’s not just the branch chiefs who have capable adventurers.
I have them too.
I have A-rank adventurer, Yoshino Saneda.
… It was incredibly expensive, though.
But still, the Golden Witch, Eleanora Ocean…
This witch is undoubtedly a holder of a unique skill.
The problem is that ability…
Is it something like a guaranteed drop?
Having Yoshino check the status card would be best, but she’ll never allow that.
… Well, it’s fine.
There’s no doubt she’s beneficial.
She should do her best and earn as much as possible.
5 percent of the auction revenue will come here, after all!
Ha ha ha…
Ugh…!
I should have insisted and made it 7 percent…!