?
Emilia was now beset with countless regrets.
She regretted not directly refusing Banning’s request and regretted not explaining the situation before others arrived…
Consequently, misunderstandings proliferated, leaving no opportunity for clarification.
Regardless of what Emilia said now, everyone would attribute her words to modesty.
Moreover, she lacked evidence to prove that the credit for today’s achievements truly belonged to Sir Banning.
For anyone else, receiving such undeserved accolades would be a cause for celebration! However, Emilia’s obstinacy prevented her from accepting credit that wasn’t rightfully hers, finding it more discomforting than anything else.
— (What exactly is the deal with Banning?)
Emilia was increasingly perplexed by Banning, and whenever she had a spare moment, she would recall the details of their encounters, endeavoring to discern his true nature.
During their first meeting, Emilia perceived Banning as a pampered, ignorant young aristocrat who believed the Scarlet Family’s golden emblem granted him carte blanche.
But to her astonishment, within two days, he had single-handedly resolved the Treant Quest that had remained unclaimed for half a month.
To be frank, Emilia had suspected Banning of cheating.
For nobility, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to hire someone to eliminate the treant and then claim the credit for themselves.
However, after their third meeting today, Emilia dismissed her suspicions.
Having accompanied Oleg on numerous missions, she could tell that the scene at the garbage heap was solely Banning’s handiwork.
Furthermore, a young noble would typically seek to flaunt their accomplishments, yet Banning had twice relinquished credit, preferring to remain an unsung hero. Why was that?
—(Come to think of it, his records only list the name Banning, with no mention of a family surname…)
—(Could it be a pseudonym? Is he concealing his noble identity? But if so, why did he initially flaunt the Scarlet Family’s golden emblem?)
Emilia was weary, having not pondered such complex matters in quite some time.
Ever since her parents disappeared, she had grown reluctant to contemplate.
—(Well, it’s pointless to dwell on it. Let it be.)
.
The bounty hunters’ discussions about Emilia persisted until the end of the day.
“Emilia only made a tactical retreat to assist Sir Oleg; you haven’t witnessed the prowess of her fire magic.”
Nassar, Emilia’s greatest admirer, described the Giant Carrion Rat being burnt to a crisp by fire magic at least ten times, as if he had seen it with his own eyes.
In reality, he had only seen the scorched corpse of the Giant Carrion Rat.
The more Nassar praised her, the more embarrassed Emilia became. Today had been truly unbearable for her.
At last, when work was over, Emilia avoided Nassar’s attempts to strike up a conversation and went straight to the neighborhood where the demi-humans lived. 𝒐𝔳𝒍xt.𝐂𝒪𝑀
After asking the demi-humans, Emilia finally confirmed her suspicions:
Banning had indeed taken on the rat demons alone and had even refused the demi-humans’ help.
As a Quest Guild worker, Emilia knew full well the horrors of Carrion Rats.
A complete carrion rat group would consist of:
Lower-level Carrion Rats;
Mid-level Giant Carrion Rats;
Upper-level Raging Carrion Rats;
And the top-level Carrion Rat commander, the Poison Blade Rat King.
Such a complete crow group would include at least a hundred elder rat demons. If they attacked en masse, one could be devoured in minutes, leaving nothing but bones.
Banning had detected the carrion rats’ traces before the Quest Guild received any information and eradicated the threat before the situation worsened, truly making him a hero of Sunny Town.
Now, however, the hero’s credit was placed on Emilia’s head, and she was overwhelmed with embarrassment.
“Brother Banning is a good person! He brought us food these past two days!” one child said.
“Yes, yes! There was also a rabbit-girl with him; they’re both good people!” another chimed in.
— (Rabbit-girl?)
Hearing the demi-human children’s words, Emilia was even more astonished. She hadn’t expected Banning to be so kind, and in this day and age, not many humans would associate with demi-humans.
“I’d like to ask you all for a favor…”
After much thought, Emilia decided that the only way to give credit back to Banning was to have the demi-humans help clarify the situation. However, as she looked at the ragged demi-humans, she couldn’t bear to ask for their assistance.
— (Yes, if the truth could have been clarified, they would have done so at lunchtime today…)
Before clarifying the truth about the garbage heap incident, the social issues of the demi-human community needed to be addressed.
“Emilia, you’ve helped us for so long; don’t be so formal with us,” one of them said.
“Yeah! If there’s anything we can do to help, just tell us!”
Seeing their enthusiasm, Emilia’s heart ached even more.
“If Banning comes by next time, could you pass along a message for me? I’d like to invite him to the Quest Guild for a chat.”
.
The Quest Guild was exceptionally quiet at night, and typically, no one would come here after work hours — unless they had a specific purpose.
Nassar, whose face was usually filled with sunshine and smiles, now approached the entrance of the Quest Guild with an emotionless expression.
After ensuring that no one was around, he inserted his key, quietly opened the door, and walked in.
— (Ah, how much longer do I have to endure this degrading job…?)
Nassar glanced up at the branch chief’s room on the second floor. What he sought should, in theory, be located there.
However, Nassar had already infiltrated the Guild at night three times without success.
This evening, Nassar sneaked into Chief Oleg’s room once again, thoroughly searched every corner, but still came up empty-handed.
— (Third time’s the charm, and this is the fourth time. It seems the old crock genuinely doesn’t keep it himself… If that’s the case, my deduction should be correct: it was entrusted to Emilia.)
Nassar returned to the first-floor lobby and approached the reception desk where Emilia usually worked.
— (Emilia, Emilia… why must you be so difficult to pursue…?)
Nassar gently tapped on the reception desk, his eyes gradually filling with malice.
— (It’s not just anyone who gets to enjoy such persistent and determined flattery from me, after all…)
— (If you don’t submit willingly, don’t blame me for resorting to force.)
As he thought this, Nassar took a swing at the spot where Emilia usually stood, as if releasing all his pent-up frustrations.
After throwing that punch, Nassar’s spirits lifted. He reverted to his usual sunny smile, turned, and exited the Quest Guild. He locked the door and nonchalantly walked away.
A while later, a cloaked figure in black emerged from the Quest Guild’s window.
Crouching down to examine Nassar’s footprints on the ground, the figure followed the direction in which Nassar had left with swift steps.