"Now then, shall we discuss the matter of this operation's rewards?"

Rewards, huh... I wasn’t officially part of the operation, and I’m not registered with the Adventurer's Guild or the Knights' Order, so I don’t particularly need anything. Ah, but I’d like to have that magic stone. That’s the one thing I didn’t find in the Great Mage’s house after everything had been used up.

"In that case, may I ask for the magic stone that was retrieved from the original mutant species?"

"Of course. To begin with, any materials obtained during an operation belong to the one who defeated the creature. In cases where a group defeats a monster, distribution is determined based on the members’ contributions."

That makes sense. If everything were distributed evenly, those who did more would undoubtedly feel dissatisfied.

"Then, I’d like only the materials from the mutants; I don’t need anything else. After all, I’m not part of the Adventurer’s Guild or the Knights' Order."

"No, I must say, it would have been exceedingly difficult to accomplish this without your help. Even if we had managed to defeat them, it would likely have resulted in heavy casualties among the adventurers.

"Fortunately—or perhaps, thanks to you—we were able to eliminate the mutants, despite their numbers, with minimal harm. Because of this, I’ll be able to allocate more rewards to the extermination team than before. Thus, we have more than enough resources to provide you with a proper reward as well.

"And regarding your concern about not being part of an official group, that’s not an issue at all. However, if you could inform us in advance next time, it would be greatly appreciated."

I suppose following them without permission wasn’t the best idea. I could have been mistaken for a thief. In another town, they might not allow it at all. I’ll make sure to inform them next time.

Being overly humble might not be good either, but honestly, I don’t need any money or additional mutant materials. I’d rather ask for something else instead.

"In that case, I don’t need money, but I do have a few requests. First, I have a large amount of mutant and dragon materials. Could you arrange for a portion of them to be purchased discreetly?"

"Dragon materials, you say! Of course, that’s possible. I’ll immediately introduce you to a trustworthy materials broker. In fact, we’d be delighted to have such an opportunity. It’s been years since dragon materials were last available on the market. The traders will be thrilled!"

"Thank you. My next request is related to situations like this extermination operation in other towns. Explaining my participation to other Adventurer’s Guilds might be difficult, so could you write me a letter of introduction?"

"That’s a simple matter. I’ll draft it right away. As a descendant of the Great Mage, I do have a decent network. I’ll prepare letters for nearby Adventurer’s Guilds, as well as the Merchants' Guild and the Blacksmith’s Guild."

Wow, that’s incredible! As expected of Gildart, who became a guild master at such a young age. Blacksmithing is something I’m quite interested in. Though the weapons left by the Great Mage are more than sufficient, I’ve always wanted to try making a Japanese sword in another world.

"Thank you so much! That’s incredibly helpful. Lastly, would it be possible to collect more of these magic stones? I’m willing to pay, of course."

"Magic stones, hmm. Well, obtaining ones as large as the one from the mutant is exceedingly rare, but I could probably acquire smaller ones."

"Really? That would be fantastic. Please do!"

According to the documents left by the Great Mage, magic stones contain vast amounts of magical power. They can be used to create magic tools and serve various other purposes.

The Great Mage had crafted many magic tools, so the stones in their house were likely all used up. None were left by the time I got there.

"Understood. However, this still doesn’t fully compensate for your invaluable contribution. I’ll adjust the assessed value of the materials to include a bonus."

"Thank you. But, as I mentioned, I don’t need much money, so please make sure the adventurers and knights receive proper rewards as well."

"Of course. Besides, with the sale of dragon materials, there will be more than enough to distribute adequately. Now, shall we head to the dismantling workshop behind the Adventurer’s Guild?"

We moved to a large building behind the guild. Inside, it was filled with various monster materials like hides, fangs, and claws, all neatly organized. Each item had a numbered tag, likely belonging to other adventurers who had requested dismantling services.

"Gildart, what brings you here at a time like this? Weren’t you attending the extermination team’s celebration?"

"I’ll join in after one last bit of work. With everyone returning safely this time, I imagine the drinks will taste especially good!"

"Heh, I’ve heard about it. That’s impressive! Everyone here’s already gone off to party."

"That doesn’t surprise me. Honestly, you should join in and enjoy yourself once in a while, too."

"Hah, this is when I’m at my happiest. So, who’s this unfamiliar face?"