Disaster?
The next day, we spent the morning leisurely at the inn, then wandered around stalls and shops for lunch before heading back to the Dungeon Management Headquarters.
Of course, I had sent a letter to Al-sama via the teleportation magic tool last night. Oh, with a ruby branch as a bribe, by the way. As a result, the next morning, I received a letter from Al-sama and a letter of recommendation from Tristan-sama!
I was worried about what to do if they demanded a detailed explanation, but I simply requested a letter of recommendation to enter the "Dungeon of Precious Stones," and they gave it without deep inquiry. However, there were plenty of notes regarding the ruby branch? A scolding? Basically, it said, "Don't send things like this!" Also, it mentioned that Vodka had arrived from the city of Gista, but he seemed genuinely happy about that. It's funny how he's picky about gemstones but fine with alcohol!
"Isn't it Takumi-sama!""N?"
“"Nniyu?"”
As I entered the building, I was suddenly addressed, and when I looked in that direction, I made eye contact with an unfamiliar man and woman. A man in his forties and a woman in her mid-thirties.
"Um... excuse me."
I tried to recall if I had met them somewhere, but I couldn't remember at all.
"Oh, excuse us. We are from the Fiji Trading Company."
"Fiji Trading Company! That means, in the Capital... no, maybe in Bailey. We must have met somewhere in one of those places. I apologize, I don't remember.""It's the Capital. However, we only know you one-sidedly, so you probably don't know us, Takumi-sama."
"Oh, is that so?"
Good. It seems I hadn't forgotten being introduced to them.
"When you visited the Capital store, the president usually dealt with you personally. We just watched you from a distance when you visited."
"Ah, Stefan-san usually comes flying over when we visit."
It was rare to be guided deep into the store by an employee, as Stefan-san would come out of the store right away, panting. He's the most important person in the company, you know?
"Um, did you come to this country for procurement or something?"
"The president has been focusing on gathering ingredients from dungeons, and recently, we've been dispatching people to towns located near dungeons."
"I feel like this is all because of me!? I'm really sorry!!"
I'm sure it's definitely because of me! Bringing products made from dungeon ingredients like Shoyu and Kaoka beans to the Fiji Trading Company!
"No, no, the Fiji Company originally dealt with dungeon products. We just expanded our business a bit beyond the surrounding countries."
"As long as I'm not causing trouble..."
"Absolutely not! Takumi-san is a benefactor to the Fiji Company! Not just with the ship, but you keep creating popular products one after another for us."
"Hahaha~"
Um... am I not a money tree, but maybe a goose that lays golden eggs in their eyes?
"If you're here, Takumi-sama, you are here for the Dungeon of Precious Stones, right? Did you find anything good?"
"Ah, we've only explored the first floor for now, so nothing much yet..."
"I see. That's unfortunate. The company itself doesn't have a presence in this city yet, but we have a base, so please come if you find anything!”
“Haah, well, if there's anything, we will visit. Sorry, but we have an appointment to meet someone, so we are going to have to go now…”
They were a bit pushy, so I decided to end the conversation a bit forcefully.
"... All of those feelings of apology I had were blown away."
I briefly thought that I might be the reason someone had to leave their hometown and go to a distant land, but they seemed like true merchants at heart. If it's for finding something that sells well, they might go anywhere, so I decided not to worry about it.
"Excuse me."
"”’Scuse me~””
Heading to the reception, we were immediately guided to the office of the Director of the Headquarters.
"I've been waiting, 'Setsuna'-san."
"Hey now!? Ch-Chris-san, why!!"
Chris-san was already in the office, and upon seeing me, he smiled and called out my nickname.
"I looked into it yesterday. And look what I found. You guys are quite famous in the Guardia~"
"... Ehh~"
It seems they had gathered information about us.
"I never thought even the children would have nicknames."
“”It’s cool, right?””
"Yeah, 'Blue Twin Strike' is such a cool nickname."
"”Ehehe~"”
The kids liked their nicknames, so they seemed pleased to be praised.
"”Hey, hey!””
"Chris-chan, are you a boy today?"
"Chris-chan, you look cool today."
"Oh, now that you mention it."
I didn't notice due to the shock of my nickname being raised, but Chris-san's attire today was more masculine. His choice of words also seemed a bit different from yesterday.
"I felt like going for this today. How does it look?"
“"It suits you~"”
"Thank you."
He’s a beauty, but he really gives off a strong masculine vibe today.
Seems like he just freely chooses his outfits based on his mood for the day.
"Oh, Dill-san is here too? What's going on?"
"What's going on, you ask?! The branch! Takumi, you haven't collected the branch, that's what's going on!"
"Ohh~”
The branch the kids had handed to Dill-san was still in his possession. He must have been waiting for us to come today, knowing that we wouldn't accept it as it is.
"If you just accept it, it'll be easier on you, you know?"
"It's not suitable for someone like me! Besides, I'm an adventurer without a base. Are you telling me to carry it around? That's dangerous!"
Ah, since the kids said not to sell it, he has no choice but to carry it around.
"Don't worry about what the kids say. Couldn't you have secretly sold it?"
"I can't do something like that!"
"”Ehh~ don’t sell it~””
Dill-san seemed to be an honest person, and selling it secretly didn’t seem like an option. And the kids were still against selling it.
"Allen, Elena, it seems carrying it around for Dill-san is impossible."
I don't know if Dill-san has a magic bag, but even if he does, he'd still have to consider the capacity, making it burdensome.
"”Why not?”"
"Carrying it around might be too much. How about lending it to the Adventurers’ Guild and charging a fee for exhibition? Then Dill-san can receive a loaning fee?"
"That's a possibility. But then, security would be necessary."
Chris-san reacted positively to my suggestion. Well, there should be places like museums or art galleries even outside the Adventurers’ Guild where they could exhibit it. This way, Dill-san could still retain ownership.
"So, isn't it strange?! If you take it back, everything will be solved, right!?"
"Well, I don't have a way to convince the kids."
"Don't give up so easily! You can do it!"
"Ehh~"
Today seems to be a day with various challenges before getting to the main topic.
