Combat Cat Maid !! Nicole

Chapter 28: The Black viper

Arrived at the guild so I could look for an interesting request. When I entered the guild, my eyes met Elena’s. I tried to go to the request board without stopping, but…

"Miss Nicole!"

Elena shouted.

I would like it if you didn’t suddenly shout out when you saw people. Aren’t the adventurers in the room looking over here now?

"What is it?"

"What did you do this time? I was told to tell you that the guild master wishes to see you whenever you arrive."

What was this lady saying, as soon as I walked in?

"Why? I didn’t do anything this time."

"Is that really true?"

Even if you look at me with suspecting eyes, I don’t remember anything.

I haven’t even accepted any requests these past few days. Regardless of my feelings on the matter, I was taken to the guild master’s room again.

"Guild master! Miss Nicole arrived, so I’ve brought her here."

A voice from inside called “come in”.

I entered reluctantly.

"For now, please sit down."

I sat down in the chair that was closest to the entrance.

"It seems like I was called, but for what?"

"It’s about Louie. I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?"

"You cured Mira’s illness and also made Louie get married, it seems?"

"That’s true, but why would the guild master be thanking me for that?”

"First, because I heard that Mira’s illness was cured by a rare medicine from your hometown."

Louie was keeping quiet about how she was cured by magic. If it was spread carelessly and people who wanted their illnesses cured came to me, it would become troublesome.

For that reason, we pretended that the illness had been cured by a rare medicine.

"Mira was a former adventurer here, so I wanted to check up on her when she fell sick."

"Was it for Marie’s sake, since she was working at the guild?"

"That’s right. I thought about how to help, even if it was just a little. However, it wasn’t possible to openly employ her, so we could only do it when there was a lot of work. That’s why I was grateful when you brought the wolves. You’re employing her even now, right?"

"I’m just doing as I like."

"It’s not just that. That fellow Louie still hadn’t gotten married despite his age. I knew that he had feelings for Mira, but she was sick, and even though her husband was gone, she still had two kids. Then, suddenly, you came along, healed Mira’s illness, and supported Louie’s feelings. That was why I wanted to express my gratitude. Thank you."

"You don’t have to worry about it. I intimidated them into getting married for Marie’s sake."

"And that wasn’t because you were worried about her, but because you wanted her to be able to concentrate on work, right?"

He said it cheerfully.

Could it be that the relationship between Mister Louie and the guild master wasn’t as simple as one between a subordinate and a superior?

However, that is unrelated to me, so I’m going to go home.

"Then, I’m leaving."

I was about to stand up, when someone knocked on the door.

"Guild master has arrived. Shall I show him in?"

"I don’t mind."

The door opened and the guild master entered the room.

"Pardon me for imposing on you so early in the morning."

The guild master noticed me after entering the room.

"Maid girl?"

"Well then, please allow me to excuse myself here."

“I took up quite a bit of your time."

I stood up from the chair and tried to leave the room, but I was stopped at the last moment.

"Is it okay for Nicole to stay?"

The feudal lord, Cliff, said such a thing.

"I also have a small matter that I want to consult with Nicole about."

The guild master pushed down my shoulders and made me sit in a chair.

"What is it, so early in the morning?"

"You also know that the king is celebrating his 40th birthday next month, correct?"

"More or less."

"I don’t have anything worth giving the king on that occasion."

"If that’s the case, go to the Commerce Guild. This is the Adventurer’s Guild."

"I had already been, but there didn’t seem to be anything that a king would be happy with. Even if I presented something that could be bought with money, he wouldn’t be happy. That’s why I was wondering if there were any rare swords, armor, or tools at the Adventurer’s Guild."

"The noticeable things are turned over to the Commerce Guild."

"As I thought. I came to check, just in case. So, for plan B, I’d like to consult with you, Miss Nicole."

"What?"

"Don’t you have rare items with you? Like the item bag that looks like a Maid or the item that summons the summoned beasts."

"I’m sorry, but I don’t. Of course, there’s no way I’m handing over this Maid's item bag."

"In that case, can’t you create something like that Maid House-thing? I’ve seen it and it was amazing. Still, something that large would be difficult to carry, so I’d be grateful for something small."

There’s nothing I can’t do.

If I used ideas from Earth, I could create something like that hair dryer. However, if I did something like that, things would probably become really troublesome.

If it turned out that way, living a leisurely life would be impossible. For now, I checked to see whether there were any suitable items inside the Maid maid's pocket.

………

It’s a good item.

"You came to the Adventurer’s Guild to look for unusual weapons or armor, right?"

"Yes."

"In that case, what about that?"

I took out the Goblin King’s sword from the Maid's pocket.

"This is?"

"The Goblin King’s sword."

"Really?!"

"I certainly heard about you defeating a Goblin King before, but to think you were carrying the Goblin King’s sword!"

The two people’s reactions were unexpectedly good.

"For now, let’s confirm its authenticity."

The guild master called a staff member over and requested a staff member who could perform identification.

An elderly man arrived immediately.

He examined the Goblin King’s sword.

"There’s no mistake, this is the Goblin King’s sword."

"I see, thanks for your help. You can go back now."

The male staff member left the room.

"Will this be acceptable as a gift to the king?"

"It’s good enough, since it’s a rare sword."

"Is that so? Isn’t it something that you can obtain by defeating a Goblin King?"

"Not all Goblin Kings have it. I don’t know the details, but apparently this was originally a normal sword. When the Goblin King carries it, the Goblin King’s magic power flows through it and it transforms, or so I’ve been told. Therefore, Goblin Kings who are born with weak magic power aren’t able to possess a true Goblin King’s sword."

Even in the game, it had a low probability of dropping.

I wonder if it was the same thing?

Though, to begin with, there was no concept of a Goblin King’s development in the game.

"So then, are you going to give me that sword?"

"It’s fine with me."

"Then, around how much do you want for it?"

"I don’t know the value of such things, so how much would something like this be?"

"To tell you the truth, I don’t know. Even if you want one, it’s difficult to obtain one. Whatever you decide on is fine with me. If I am able to pay for it, then I’ll buy it."

"With this approach, won’t I be at a disadvantage, since I don’t know the market price?"

Well, I wasn’t hard-pressed for money, so any amount was fine. Due to that, I didn’t really care.

"I’m fine with giving it to you, so how about one favor instead?"

"A favor?"

"A feudal lord knows a lot about bad things, right? So, I want your assistance if I get into trouble."

"Don’t say such scandalous things. I’m a respectable person."

"Well, jokes aside, if I have a favor to ask of you next time, I’d like you to listen to my request."

"What would you want me to do, as an example?"

"To make the guild master resign or something?"

"H-Hey!"

The guild master stood up.

"It’s a joke. I don’t have anything I need right now. I’ll be counting on you if something comes up. If nothing does, isn’t it a good deal for you?"

"Are you alright with that?"

"I’m fine. It seems more interesting this way."

"In that case, I’ll receive this gratefully. Is a contract prepared?"

"I don’t need one. It’s fine if the promise is broken."

I faced him with a smile. As a matter of fact, the sword was unnecessary. It wasn’t a problem for me even if I didn’t have one. I thought it was worthwhile as long as he owed me a favor.

"No, if it’s something I can do, I swear to lend a hand."

Swearing that he would help was going way overboard.

"Well then, I’ll be counting on you when the time comes."

I was delayed by the Guild Master, but I finally managed to head to the request board.

Rank D Board:

Sword instructor wanted, females preferred.

Orc subjugation, bring back the meat.

All of a tiger wolf’s raw materials were wanted.

200 goblin magic stones, no time limit.

Gather Meru Meru Grass.

Fresh eggs wanted.

Subjugation of Rock Monkeys on Whale Mountain. The number is currently undecided.

…………

There was nothing that stood out.

I was interested in gathering eggs, but the location wasn’t written. Maybe the person who had requested it didn’t know either. In addition, even if you asked for it to be fresh, wasn’t that impossible for a normal adventurer? Without a time-stopping item bag like mine, that is.

Though I’d go if I knew the location, just so I could find eggs to eat.

After that were the Rock Monkeys on Whale Mountain, but the undetermined number was a problem. I don’t want to receive a request that has no end in sight.

If I hadn’t been caught by the Guild Master and Cliff, there might have been other requests, but now it can’t be helped.

I went to take a look at the rank C board next.

…

Rank C Board

A Wyvern’s raw materials wanted.

Private escort wanted, confidentiality required.

Mermaid’s scales wanted.

Request for the annihilation of the Zamon company of thieves.

Gather Historic Flowers.

Subjugate a water snake, bring back raw materials.

Subjugate a fire tiger, bring back raw materials.

…………

The rank C requests seemed interesting, but I didn’t know how far away the locations were. However, I was surprised to learn that mermaids existed. It might be a good idea to go take a look someday. There didn’t seem to be any interesting requests for a one-day trip, so I was thinking about heading back home, but I noticed that there was a lot of noise coming from the reception desk.

"Why is it no good?!"

"I’m not saying that it’s no good, just that it will take time."

"There isn’t any time! My pops and mum and everyone else in the village will die!"

A short boy was appealing to Elena while in tears.

"Like I said, there aren’t any adventurers who can defeat a Black Viper right now. Even if I call for one, it will have to wait until tomorrow."

"My mum and Pop will…"

The boy broke down and started crying.

"What’s the matter?"

"Miss Nicole."

I approached the two of them.

"It seems like a Black Viper has appeared at this child’s village."

"Is the Black Viper a snake?"

"Yes, it’s larger than a normal viper. The especially large ones are over ten meters long. It seems that many villagers have already been eaten. This boy came into town on a horse, but the adventurers who can defeat something like a Black Viper had already left earlier. The earliest that they can come back will be in a few days."

A Black Viper, huh?

I looked at the crying boy.

"What if I go?"

"You talk about going to the area with the snake so lightly. A Black Viper is not only big, but also a rank B monster, you know!"

"But if we don’t hurry, won’t the villagers be in danger?"

"Even so!"

"I’ll run away if the situation becomes dangerous, so it’s fine. Elena can follow the procedures for summoning adventurers to help, just in case, since I can at least stall for time."

"Are you coming by yourself, miss?"

The boy had been listening to our conversation and asked me anxiously.

It was no wonder that he was worried, since I had said that I would take care of the Black Viper subjugation alone.

"It’s fine to think of me as a scout. My role will be to gather information and pass it along to the adventurers who can defeat the Black Viper. So, where is the village?"

"It’s two days away by horse, to the southeast."

I wonder if the distance you can cover by riding a horse for two days is a lot?

Though, I don’t know how many hours I would need to run each day.

"Are you really going?"

"Yeah, since I’m free."

"In that case, please wait a moment while I go receive confirmation from the Guild Master."

Elena left her post and headed to the Guild Master’s room, but soon returned with him.

"You’re going to fight a Black Viper?"

"I’m only going to take a look at the situation. If it seems like I can defeat it, I will. If not, I’ll gather information, run away, and leave it to the adventurers Elena was talking about."

"Elena, which adventurers?"

"It will be the rank C adventurer One-Eyed Rush and his party."

"Rank C’s One-Eyed, huh? I’m worried if that’s the case. If you can arrange for others to go as well, do it."

"I understand."

"Okay then, let’s go, Nicole!"

"Go, you say…"

"I will also be going."

"A Black Viper subjugation requires one to be, at the minimum, rank C. We would prefer sending a rank B adventurer, but since that seems impossible, please just confirm the situation and create some time for the villagers to evacuate if you can."

"But, how does the Guild Master plan to get there?"

"I’ll use my fast horse, so I should arrive in two days."

"If that’s the case, I’ll go on ahead. With my summoned beasts, it shouldn’t even take a day."

"Wait, is that true?"

"I have two summoned beasts, so if I go while taking turns riding on them, it’s possible."

"Summoned beasts, huh? I got it. You can go ahead, but be sure not to overexert yourself before I arrive."

"Understood."

As soon as I tried to leave the guild, the boy pulled at me and stopped me.

"Hold on, you’re not taking me with you?"

"You’re a burden."

"I’ll lead the way, so we should be able to get there faster."

I looked at the boy’s physique.

He seemed light.

Was it still possible if the weight only increased by this much?

"Fine, but there won’t be any breaks."

"I don’t care, it’s for the sake of the village. I don’t want to just wait by myself in this kind of place."

"Then, since there’s no time to waste, let’s go, boy."

"It’s Kai."

"I’m Nicole. Then, let’s go, Kai."

We left the city, and I summoned Shirone.

Kai was surprised.

"Get on quickly. Aren’t you in a hurry?"

"Miss, who are you? Even though you have that kind of appearance."

"That kind of thing doesn’t matter, right? Isn’t your family waiting?"

Kai nodded and got on Shirone.

I got on behind him.

"Stay steady, look forward, and indicate the direction."

Kai nodded.

Shirone began to run in the direction that Kai indicated.

It was faster than a horse and had more endurance.

I’ll switch the maids after they have run for about three hours.

At that time, I’ll squeeze in a bit of time for a meal.

"Finish eating in five minutes."

I handed Kai bread and juice from the Maid Box.

Kai expressed his thanks and ate the bread with large bites.

"How far have we come?"

"We are around halfway there."

In that case, would it take about four more hours to arrive?

"Then, let’s go!"

We switched to Kurone and headed out at a rapid pace.

Although Kai had just arrived this morning on a fast horse and was probably tired, he persevered and properly guided us to the village.

"If the direction is correct, it will be fine for you to sleep a little."

Kai shook his head.

"It’s fine, I can’t sleep anyway. Also, if the direction shifts even a little, we would waste some time. At first, I thought that even if you came, it would be futile. But when I saw these summoned beasts, I thought, ‘Isn’t miss an amazing adventurer?’ Even if you can’t defeat the Black Viper, shouldn’t you be able to at least evacuate the villagers? That’s why I wanted to hurry and get to the village. I think that, at the very least, my role is to ensure that we don’t go in the wrong direction and shorten the distance it takes to get there."

Kai firmly understood his situation.

This boy was very mature.

Marie was good, this child was good…What was going on with children in this world?

"In that case, please guide us reliably."

"So please save the village, miss."

"If it’s possible, I’ll do so."

Kurone ran quickly towards the village.