Formidable Reception Lady

'But then again,' Leo reasoned. 'If I do that, won't I be letting go of something extremely precious that could help further my magic studies? This item might just be one-of-a-kind in the whole world, I can't simply trade it away so easily - otherwise, what's the point in disagreeing with my father? - but it is true that, given the situation, I probably won't be able to build a golem of my own design. Besides, learning a new craftmanship will likely drain a decent amount of my time when I'm adventuring.'

Thinking back and forth on the matter, Leo then decided to take a more openminded approach to his predicament. He recalled how Gerald would always emphasize on maintaining a level head. Only by relaxing the mind can a person come up with a solution to their problems.

"Focus on the core of the issue first, then find if it is truly necessary to resolve it," Leo repeated an example of his teacher's words from memory.

'The main concern is that I don't possess the capabilities to construct a golem. Could I sponsor someone else to do it for me, then? It might not necessarily provide me with a lot of benefits... But wait, should I have to limit myself in crafting a golem?....'

Suddenly, Leo pushed his body up from his bed.

"This magic core is already so complex," Leo said while stepping forward to rub the object's smooth surface. "In that case, is it possible to implement it in other ways?"

Thinking of what could be derived from studying this magic item, his thoughts began to wander to more creative endeavors.

'What would be the best addition for our team?' Leo contemplated with his friends in mind. 'When taking quests, most of them won't always be in a nearby location. In that case, a mode of transportation is strongly required.

'We can't always hire carriages to arrive at our destinations...'

Over time, his imagination started to churn wildly. Not daring to miss any ideas, Leo walked straight to his room's desk and started recording them down on another parchment...

----------

The next day, Leo woke up on his bed with his joints feeling extremely sore; yesterday he had spent a couple hours into the night drafting up various methods to utilize the magic core. Added with the fact that his body was still recovering from the recent expedition, Leo felt that he had grown several years older.

It was currently morning time, and he needed to head to the guild to hand in his team's report. After struggling desperately to get up from bed, Leo stretched his limbs out before setting out to do his usual morning routine.

Once he got everything ready, he steadily left his apartment and soon arrived past the guild's front entrance. When he walked inside and gave the usual reception lady his papers after a short discussion, the contents of the report ended up eliciting an extremely dubious response.

"THE FROZEN HELL!?" Linda cried out in disbelief.

Adventurers within the first floor heard the loud commotion and all turned their attention towards the guild's front desk. From their perspective of observation, one member of the staff appeared to be having considerable trouble breathing.

Another guild staff member hurried over and attempted to assess Linda's condition.

"Are you okay, Miss Reeves?" the person asked out of great concern.

"Never you mind!" Linda, however, angrily dismissed the co-worker and stood up from behind her table.

"Leo!" she called out to the source of her troubles who was just a single feet away.

"Yes--? Ah!" Leo had only a second to respond before his hand was instantly grabbed from over the front desk.

"Come with me!"

Linda didn't give him any chance to process the situation before dragging the latter away from the first floor. From the direction the two were headed, it appeared that she wanted to bring him up to the second level of the guild's headquarters.

----------

Dragged up the stairs, Leo eventually found himself being pulled over into a private room. Inside, the room's interior looked very much like a personal office of an important figure, with furnished couches and chairs set in place at the most appropriate positions.

After being forced to sit down on one of the couches, Leo found himself facing the reception lady who chose to sit on an opposing seat. Between them laid a glass table that stood on four legs, with the report he handed in placed directly on top.

"Um, Linda," Leo spoke tentatively. "Why did you bring me here?"

Although the person in front of him was just barely a familiar acquaintance, he still felt nervous at her earlier outburst downstairs. His impression of the reception lady was often one that was more or less capable of keeping her composure when doing her job.

"I don't want eavesdroppers," Linda replied curtly.

Reaching over towards the table, she tapped the papers that Leo handed in.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Eh?"

Leo wasn't quite sure on how to respond. Part of him wanted to reply, "Isn't it what it is?", but he figured he would likely receive some kind of punishment from the guild if he proceeded. In any case, he needed to prevent the person in front of him from growing suspicious.

So instead, he decided to play dumb by saying, "Uh, I'm not sure what you're asking. It's the report of my group's activities that were done during the recent quest--"

"Don't bullshit me," Linda mercilessly cut Leo off, using foul language that was most unlike her. Taking the pages off the table, she went on, "I will admit you've done a decent job in avoiding contradictions. But deceiving me any further won't be tolerated."

Leo sat stunned in place. Realizing that remaining oblivious would only cause more trouble, he tactfully decided to be honest.

"H-how did you know?"

The reception lady sighed as she put down the report and slowly stood up from her seat. Under Leo's confused stares, she went to open a drawer in the room; inside appeared to be ingredients for preparing tea.

As incense was being placed in a cup, Linda continued speaking, "Although I hate to admit it, our guild is quite inexperienced regarding matters that would hardly concern other guilds in this city. However, this doesn't mean that we haven't made any significant progress in these last couple of years."

Walking back with a small tray containing two cups, she sat herself down while placing them on the table next to the report.

After pouring tea into her cup, Linda revealed, "We have already investigated the credibility of Chieftain Namur's request."

"You have?!" Leo exclaimed with a startled expression, instantly becoming nervous about the possible consequences his team would face.

'If the guild did an investigation and found that Namur had alternative intentions when he filed in his quest, then wouldn't that mean that me and my friends could also be held accountable if it was discovered we went along with it?'

He recalled his conversations with Linda during his first days here as an adventurer. Back then, didn't she practically warn him not to follow quest givers who don't adhere to the guild's guidelines?

Taking a steady sip, Linda then slowly lifted down her cup with her eyes closed. It was unknown if she was savoring the tea's flavor or Leo's distress.

After a moment of silence, the reception lady spoke again.

"When our staff uncovered some suspicions about the chieftain's request, we were planning on cancelling it immediately. However at that time, the guild master intervened and actually motioned for the quest notice to be put on the board."

"Seriously?" Leo was incredulous. "Did the guild master not consider the risk of doing that?"

"He is often known to be quite capricious," Linda spoke with a scathing undertone that caused Leo not to pursue the subject. "For whatever reason, we eventually had to allow the quest to be accepted.

"When your team returned, I had been expecting that your report would contain details on something hiddenly dangerous... But I never anticipated that it would involve the Frozen Hell."

Putting the tea back on the tray, she stared at the adventurer in front of her with a stern expression.

"Even if you and your friends have somehow reached an agreement with Chieftain Namur, I do not believe you would use such a terrible location as a mere fabrication. But I want to hear the truth from your own lips. Is everything in this report true?"

Leo was unable to stop himself from shifting uncomfortably when he met the reception lady's eyes. Despite the discussions he had with Walter and Namur, he knew that lying any further would only bring about more troubles. Although it might be a bit of a betrayal, he had to consider his own team's situation as well.

Taking a deep breath, he stated honestly, "No, not everything I've written is the truth. There are actually some important details left out."