[Hey, Nina, how's it going?] (Mizuk)
[Tch…it took me forever in this form, but I finally located one. Give me a couple of minutes.] (Nina)
I chuckle aloud at her agitation. I guess wolves aren't so easy then, are they Nina?
[Okay, I'm all done now!] (Nina)
Hearing her confirmation, I focus on our connection to locate her. She's about 40 km south into the forest. I teleport next to her, and she looks over at me happily. About 50 meters in the direction she was looking, I can see what looks like a wolf corpse on the ground.
I teleport us both next to it, and I examine it. There seems to be a single arrow sticking out from its chest, as though it shot up from the ground to hit the wolf by surprise. Given what I saw from Nina the other day, that's totally possible.
"Nice shot, Nina!" (Mizuki)
I'm hoping a little praise will make things more appealing to her, but she kind of snorts.
"No, it was a silly little beast. Nothing really. A dragon shouldn't be hunting them." (Nina)
Despite her words, I can sense faint satisfaction from her. I smile where she can't see, and I return my attention to the wolf.
An item box spell would be nice right about now, but I need to carry it some other way. I pull out my dagger, enhance it, then cut off the exposed part of Nina's arrow.
"Hey, Nina, can you conjure a blanket or tarp or something for us to wrap this in, the same way you did with clothes?" (Mizuki)
Nina nods, then kneels and uses the surrounding earth to produce something that looks like a tan blanket. I smile and nod appreciatively, then roll the wolf corpse up in the blanket. With a light body enhancement, I pick the cargo up and toss it over my shoulder, then look at Nina.
"Ready to go get your rank upgraded?" (Mizuki)
Nina smiles and nods.
"If that will make these jobs more interesting, then yes." (Nina)
I smirk and gesture for her to come stand near me. Then, I teleport us back to the forest's edge near the city, and we begin making our way back to the guild.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
"M-M-Mizuki, it's barely noon!? You two were only gone a few hours!" (Melanie)
Back at the guild, when we present the wolf corpse, Mertroot, and slime cores to Melanie, she is a little surprised. I'm sure she'll get over it though.
"I did tell you that we'd be back today. So, when can we make our rank ups official?" (Mizuki)
Melanie directs a glare at me, like 'quit ignoring my concerns'. Well…I mean I was totally upfront with her. I'm just doing exactly as I said. Melanie collects herself and responds.
"First, the guild master and I spoke after you left. He's aware of the situation, and he asked me to bring you both straight to him if you returned this afternoon. Please follow me, and you can talk about your rank up with him." (Melanie)
Without waiting for us to answer, Melanie walks out from behind reception and starts making her way to the stairs. She turns around and gestures for us to follow. Nina gives me a sidelong glance and I can sense her curiosity. I nod to her and start following Melanie.
We make our way up the stairs to the second floor, but we turn the opposite direction from the guild's few rental rooms. We make our way around to a door, then Melanie knocks politely and waits. After a moment, I hear a gruff voice respond.
"Enter!" (…)
Melanie nods at us both, then opens the door and gestures for us to enter ahead of her. Afterwards, she follows us in, shuts the door, and addresses who I assume is the guild master.
"Sir, these are the two you asked to see." (Melanie)
The guild master is an early 50s guy with short grey hair and a stern face that looks weathered. He has a scar that healed poorly across his right cheek. Despite his age, he is well-built, like someone who has stayed very active his whole life. He's wearing a blue military-style button up jacket and black trousers.
Looking around the room, it's a small office like Azazel's, with a desk he's seated behind and a couch for visitors in front of the desk. However, instead of books lining the room, it's mostly adventuring equipment.
The guild master is looking over some papers when we arrive, but he looks up from them to address Melanie with a neutral tone.
"Ah, yes, thanks Melanie. You can return to reception. You two, nice to meet you. My name is Gerard, and I'm the guild master here. You may have a seat on the couch there." (Gerard)
I nod to him and make my way to the couch and have a seat. Nina follows behind me and sits directly next to me on the couch, then leans against me. Seriously, can't she discern that this is a formal situation?
The guild master raises his eyebrows at the sight, but he says nothing about it. He holds up the papers he was reading instead, then addresses Nina and me. As he speaks, his face is neutral, but he watches Nina intently.
"So, from what I'm reading here, we have a newbie register with hands down the single greatest magic abilities in the recorded history of the guild, and her magicless pet who thinks himself clever enough to flaunt guild regulation loopholes. What an interesting pair you two make!" (Gerard)
Nina immediately leans forward off the couch, and I can sense heavy murderous intent coming off her. Gerard seems both unsurprised and unthreatened. So, he expected this reaction, and maybe provoked her intentionally? Why isn't he scared though?
A quick magic sense tells me he's maybe A-rank level at best, so not strong enough to be that calm. Then…could it be?