The Garbage Collector Who Stumbled Upon Mythical Weapons! - Chapter 39
“What do you think? I’m serious about this…”
At Kaus’ words, tension ran through the members of ‘Great Eagle.’ Especially Amber, who was close to Sophia, stiffened.
Sophia, who had been looking down, lifted her face and looked straight at Kaus.
“Thank you very much. I’m really happy, but I still have things I want to do as an adventurer, so I must decline!”
Sophia firmly refused. Kaus was a little surprised but quickly smiled gently and met her gaze.
“I see… That’s unfortunate, but I understand. You have something only you can do.”
Kaus extended his hand, and he and Sophia shook hands firmly.
“If you ever change your mind, let me know anytime. You’re always welcome!”
“Thank you.”
◇◇◇
The five of them were walking along the road, heading toward the carriage the guild had arranged for them, leaving the field hospital behind.
“Hey, are you sure about this, Sophia? Turning down Kaus’ offer?”
Garm asked, looking back at Sophia as they walked.
“It’s fine. I have my own dream.”
“A dream?”
“Yes! I want to make a name for myself as an adventurer, earn a lot of money, and build a big hospital. That way, I can help many people and make a fortune at the same time. Isn’t that a great idea?”
Seeing Sophia’s beaming smile, Garm took a step back.
—She’s just as greedy for money as I am…
Van, who had been listening to their conversation, smiled faintly.
“Well, regardless, Sophia did an amazing job this time. The facility staff even said she treated and healed far more people than a regular monk could.”
“Oh…” Garm looked at Sophia with admiration.
“What!?”
“You’re impressive, Sophia… really impressive!”
“Why did you say it twice!? Are you making fun of me!?”
As they talked, they saw the carriage waiting on the roadside.
Just as they finally relaxed, thinking they could go home, something jumped out from the grass. Van caught sight of it from the corner of his eye.
Silver hair, black clothing. A pale face full of scars—there was no mistake. It was the demon they had seen the day before.
Its wide-open mouth revealed sharp fangs.
For just a moment, they had let their guard down. Van regretted not being more cautious when General Ike said a demon had escaped.
The demon’s outstretched hand reached straight for Sophia.
Van dashed forward, but he wasn’t fast enough.
“Sophia—!”
Van’s scream echoed, followed by a dry, mechanical sound.
Sophia, who had closed her eyes in fear, slowly opened them. The demon lay dead on the ground, its throat slashed.
Beside it stood Garm, his sword resting on his shoulder. Van was speechless—had Garm taken down the demon in an instant?
“Did… did you do it?”
Van approached cautiously and checked the demon’s body. It wasn’t moving at all. It was completely dead.
“Looks like I was faster.”
Garm spoke casually. Van sighed, exasperated but also deeply impressed by his incredible strength.
Later, they reported the demon’s defeat to the alliance guards.
General Ike was surprised but delighted that the escaped demon had been eliminated.
◇◇◇
“Still, you’re ridiculously strong as always, old man.”
Inside the moving carriage, Clay muttered as he looked out at the passing scenery.
“Even if there were more demons, I wouldn’t lose.”
Garm sat back in his seat, arms crossed and looking satisfied. Seeing this, Clay let out a sigh.
“Well, they’re adding the demon subjugation bonus to our reward, so I have no complaints. But don’t get too full of yourself, Garm!”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, Clay. I swore twice to the gods that I would never let pride get to me. So, no worries!”
“Huh?”
Ignoring Clay’s skeptical look, Garm turned his attention to Sophia. Their eyes met.
Sophia blushed and quickly looked away.
“Uh… Thanks for saving me. I owe you one. I’ll repay you someday!”
“Huh? Don’t worry about it. We’re teammates, and I owe you for healing my wounds so many times.”
“It’s not about owing! I just want to do it!”
“Are you mad?”
“I’m not mad! I’m going to sleep now. Don’t talk to me.”
“Wow… so selfish…”
With that, the carriage continued its journey toward Rayford.
◇◇◇
“Hmm, well done on your two-week mission.”
At the top floor of the guild, in the guild master’s office, Garm and the others had been summoned. Jacob, the guild master, looked at the “Great Eagle” members with a pleased expression.
“I’ve heard the story. You succeeded in breaking the curse and even defeated a demon… Truly outstanding work!”
“Well, yeah, I guess so.”
Garm had no intention of being humble, so Van spoke instead.
“We were just lucky this time. Now, about our final request…”
“No need to rush. You just finished two weeks of work. Take some time to rest.”
“But…”
“Don’t worry. As soon as the next request is decided, I’ll let you know. I won’t break my promise, so relax.”
“…Understood.”
The five of them stood up and left the office.
“Well, we completed two B-rank requests and got a big reward. We can take it easy for a while, just like the old man said.”
Van nodded at Garm’s words.
“Let’s take a break for today and meet again later.”
With that, they wrapped up their day and left the guild hall together. Garm turned back and looked up at the six-story building.
—One more request, and Van and the others will reach B-rank. Then I’ll finally return to my old D-rank.
Feeling a deep sense of accomplishment, Garm turned on his heel and headed home.