I Said Make My Abilities Average!

I Said Make My Abilities Average! 248

‘Crimson Vow’, to the East

‘Is ‘Crimson Vow’ here?”

“Who are you?”

“Those of the ‘Crimson Vow.’”

“No, I am asking who you are.”

There was no one employed at the inn who would easily give up information about female guests to a strange man who had appeared out of nowhere. Of course, this included Reni.

“…I am the guild master of the local hunter’s guild. Now, the ‘Crimson Vow’…”

“Do you have any proof that you are the guild master? I cannot give a strange man some information about young women so light-heartedly…”

Yes, perhaps all of the hunters knew his face, but it was not as if a young girl who helped at the inn would also recognize him.

“Uh…”

The guild master frowned at this, but what she was saying did make sense to him. There was no way that all of the children of the town knew him, and given their profession, what she was saying was correct. If anything, he thought that the other young hunters and guild workers could learn something from her.

“You, go on.”

The guild master said, and the man who was standing behind him stepped forward.

“I am the sub-master of the hunter’s guild. This man is indeed the guild master of the hunters guild in the Tyre Kingdom. I guarantee it.”

The guild master looked at her as if the matter was settled. But Reni replied with a smile.

“And where is the proof that this man is the sub-master?”

“What…”

“What…”

Of course. Why would the sub-master’s face be recognized, when most people didn’t even recognize the guild master?

“The-then, we’ll have a hunter who is staying here vouch for us…”

“So, who will you call? Of course, you cannot say ‘anyone’ because I will not be releasing the names of any of our customers. And even if you can prove that you are from the guild, I cannot tell you the locations or plans of female guests that you happened to have met through your occupation. Do you really think I could tell that to someone unrelated to them without their permission?”

“Oh…”

This too was correct.

They could not exactly shout at a ten-year-old girl and make her give them the information.

That would ruin the reputation of the guild. On top of that, she was very clearly in the right. As long as those concerned had not requested it, no one in the inn would leak any information about them. And if this was how this young girl was going to behave, there was no way that they could ask her parents.

However, they did find out that ‘Crimson Vow’ was absent. Judging by what the girl was saying, she would relay messages for people. As she had not done so yet, that meant that the ‘Crimson Vow’ was absent.

“…Can we leave a message with you?”

“Spoken words can lead to mistakes. If it is important, you better leave it as a written note.”

“We will do that. Let us borrow these chairs.”

So saying, the men sat down at one of the dining tables and began to write a letter.

They were allowed to borrow the writing tools for free but were charged for the paper. Paper was not free. Paper was not as expensive as parchment, but it was not cheap either.

“Alright then, please give this letter to them when they return.”

“Yes, understood. I will give this to ‘Crimson Vow’ if they return to this inn.”

…She did not add, that she did not know how many months that may take.

And so the guild master left.

If they were taking a break after a long expedition, then they were not likely to return to work any time soon.

And when the time did come, they would probably take a job that allowed them to stay close by, instead of going out on an expedition, as it had been a while since they were last in the capital. Thinking this, the guild master had not checked, when in fact, ‘Crimson Vow’ had visited the guild a number of times as they wandered in the capital and that they had taken a job as an escort.

The girl who was at reception did not know what the guild master was thinking, and although they were a famous party, she did not feel like she had to make a report to the guild master every time a C rank party took a job. And the result was…

“Why don’t ‘Crimson Vow’ come!”

The guild master appeared at the inn once again on the evening of the following day. He seemed to be alone this time.

“Don’t ask me… I am quite busy with the meals right now…”

Reni gave him a troubled expression, and the other guests looked at him with puzzlement.

The guild master seemed to be in a terrible mood, and he continued without any regard for the looks he was getting.

“Did you really hand them that letter!? If that’s the reason they haven’t come…”

“But I didn’t hand it to them.”

“What?”

For a moment, it was as if he could not comprehend what she had said. He looked dumbly at her. However, the meaning of the words quickly came to him, and his face went red.

“You what! You said that you would give it to them!”

“Ah, yes. But that was only if ‘Crimson Vow’ came to this inn, was it not? And so I have yet to give it to them.”

“Huh?”

“Is there a problem?”

“WHHHHAT? So, they…”

“Yes, they have not returned yet.”

The guild master became frantic.

“Whe-when will they return!?”

“I do not know. And even if I did, I would not leak such private information about our guests. If you tried torturing me, I would bite my tongue off before talking!”

“WOOAAHHH!!”

“WOOAAHHH!!”

“WOOAAHHH!!”

Reni’s defiance against the frightening guild master who loomed over her, caused the spectators to shout. Furthermore, the master seemed to have heard his daughter’s worrying proclamation, and he came running out of the kitchen. There was a butcher’s knife firmly gripped in one of his hands.

This was bad.

The guild master was not so stupid as to be blind to the fact that he was in a terrible position.

He had not meant any malice, but he was now being seen as a villain. And in front of hunters, travelers and merchants, no less. …This was very bad. So very bad.

“…Excuse me.”

He said and scrambled out of the building.

After the guild master had left, the excited guests began to order food and drinks in a flurry. They were thrilled to have seen the usually proud guild master look dejected in the face of a brave young girl, who wanted nothing but to protect her guests.

“Reni, come over here! I’ll buy you some food for being such an admirable child!”

“No, come over here! I’ll get you the most expensive juice!”

It was the one that she was never allowed to have. She was torn.

“Over here. Come and sit on my lap…gaah!”

Someone had been punched by a female guest and went flying into the air.

“You can leave the counter for now. Go and enjoy their treats for a while.”

Her mother had come out now, and she encouraged her to go. And then she whispered into her ear.

“Order as many expensive things as you can. We will make that much more money.”

That was Reni’s mother…

“Hey, have ‘Crimson Vow’ accepted any requests?”

The guild master had returned to the guild and was now shouting at the employees. The guild worker frantically looked through the documents.

“Yes, they accepted a request to guard a merchant caravan to the Murrain Kingdom. They have already departed.”

“They what… Damn, then it was all for nothing! That little girl, she should have told me that from the beginning!”

Guarding a merchant caravan to the Murrain Kingdom was a common job here. He only needed to wait. They would accept a request from a merchant caravan that’s headed for Tyre and quickly return. He had embarrassed himself for nothing.

And he could have avoided it all if he had checked here before going to the inn. He had assumed that they were still ‘resting’ and had not bothered to confirm it. He had brought it all on himself, and so he could not complain.

“Damn…”

He looked like he had eaten something very bitter, as he went up to his room on the second floor.

And like that, the day that the guild master and king would know the truth was pushed further back.

＊　　　　　＊

“Where is ‘Crimson Vow’!”

Several days later, a certain girl came to the inn.

(Here we go again…)

By now, Reni had become rather annoyed by all of this.