"First, here are the magic stones you requested. I managed to acquire one large magic stone and a total of 84 smaller ones," Gildart said as he began pulling out small, black stones from a bag with a clinking sound. They looked like beautifully polished black gemstones, making me feel like I had suddenly become a jeweler.

"The large magic stone is priced at 40 million G. Each of the smaller magic stones is 2 million G, making a total of 168 million G. Altogether, the total comes to 208 million G."

...Hmm? Did I mishear that? I thought I just heard him say 200 million. Considering this world's conversion rate, where lodging and meals translate roughly to 2 G per yen, that’s about 100 million yen...

"Um, unless I misheard, you said 200 million G...?"

"Yes, I used every possible connection I had to procure as many magic stones as possible from the market. It wasn’t easy, I assure you!"

"........."

So... he really went through all that trouble for me. At this point, I can’t exactly say I don’t need that many anymore. Besides, I don’t even have enough money on hand to pay for this. Hopefully, the proceeds from the mutated creatures and dragon materials will cover it.

"And here’s the payment for the mutated creatures. Each one is worth 10 million G, and with 15 of them, that totals 150 million G. The original mutated creature is worth 50 million G, making it a total of 200 million G."

"Next, the payment for the dragon materials. Each claw is priced at 10 million G, and with 15 claws, that totals 150 million G. Each scale is priced at 5 million G, and with 50 scales, that comes to 250 million G. The total for all the materials amounts to 600 million G. After deducting 208 million G for the magic stones, the remaining 400 million G will be paid to you, Masayoshi-dono."

"In addition, we’ve factored in a bonus for your assistance with the recent mutated creature subjugation. We’ve tried to set the prices generously. Does this arrangement work for you?"

...Whoa. My brain is struggling to process this. 400 million G… that’s about 200 million yen… The numbers are so big that it doesn’t even feel real anymore for an ordinary person like me.

"Y-Yes, that’s fine with me."

Gildart is an honest man, and as the head of the adventurer’s guild, it’s hard to imagine him engaging in any sort of underhanded dealings. If anything, I’m more worried that he’s trying to overpay me out of gratitude.

"By the way, you’re not putting the guild at a loss with these prices, are you?"

"Thank you for your concern. It’s true that the profit margins are slim with these rates. However, we’ve earned significant goodwill from major blacksmiths and nobles, and the increased activity in this town’s economy brings indirect benefits to us as well."

I see. Well, they clearly know better about these matters than I do. If the adventurer’s guild isn’t losing out, then I’ll gratefully accept the payment.

"Understood. I’ll accept the payment at those rates."

"Excellent. Thank you once again for your assistance. If you ever have materials you’d rather not publicize, don’t hesitate to come to us discreetly."

Gildart placed a finger to his lips and gave a playful wink. Normally, such a gesture from an older man might come off as unsettling, but with his suave demeanor, it somehow suited him. It’s just unfair.

Still, 400 million G—that’s 200 million yen. On top of that, I still have over half of the dragon materials left. It seems I won’t have to worry about money in this world anymore. My funds have suddenly multiplied by about tenfold.

More importantly, the subjugation of the mutated creatures has yielded a significant amount of magic stones. This opens up so many new possibilities.

Back at the Grand Mage’s estate, I decided to try something I’d been planning for a while. After gathering the necessary preparations, I was ready.

"Alright, everything’s set!"

In the estate’s garden, I used powdered magic stones from the smaller ones to draw a magic circle. At its center, I placed the large magic stone I obtained from defeating the wolf-type mutated creature.

What I’m about to do isn’t a demonic summoning ritual or anything sinister. It’s a summoning of a familiar beast.

Among the documents left by the Grand Mage was a detailed account of summoning. However, it required magic stones, which I hadn’t been able to find, even during my trip to the royal capital. That changed when I unexpectedly acquired them during the recent subjugation.

The Grand Mage’s records also mentioned that he had used a summoned beast—a lion-type familiar—to charge across battlefields. These summoned beasts are intelligent, capable of speech, and their appearance, size, and strength vary depending on the summoner.

What kind of beast will I summon? Will it be the same lion-type as the Grand Mage’s, or will it take on a wolf form due to the magic stone from the wolf-type mutated creature? Or will it be something else entirely?

There’s no way to know without trying. Following the instructions in the records, I drew the magic circle, placed the magic stone at its center, and channeled my magic into it.

"Summon!"

The magic circle began to glow brilliantly!