After arriving at the guild, I went straight to find Dex. Once I received permission, I opened the office door and saw him writing at his desk, while Lani was reading on the sofa.
The moment Lani saw me, she jumped off the couch and ran toward me. I lifted her up, and she happily called out to me.
"Big bro."
Such an adorable existence. I immediately hugged Lani tightly, soothing my exhausted heart. After gently stroking her head, I said to her,
"Lani, big bro's here."
"Karen, you're pretty quick today."
Dex walked over as well, and I said to him,
"Guild master, I have something to tell you."
Dex pointed at the sofa.
"Sit down. What did the King say to you?"
"The King commissioned me to escort merchants as they travel around the world for trade."
That was the explanation meant for the public. Dex looked a little surprised when he heard it.
"What merchants are these? To think the kingdom would assign you to protect them."
"They're from the Zereil Merchant Guild."
"That Zereil Merchant Guild that's packed with people every single day?! …Well, I guess that's not too strange. They do have a sharp business sense. What are they planning to sell?"
Dex was surprised at first, but after a brief pause, he seemed to realize it wasn't all that shocking. As for what they were selling, that was something I should've discussed with Jacob. For now, I gave Dex a vague answer.
"I didn't ask too much. Probably products unique to the kingdom."
"Did you accept the quest?"
"I did. So I'd like to ask you to help take care of Lani while Lina is working."
I went straight to the point. Lani understood what I was saying and looked at me sadly. All I could do was gently pat her head.
"That's fine. She behaves herself and reads quietly, so she won't interfere with my work. When are you leaving? And how long will you be gone?"
I knew Lani was well-behaved and wouldn't cause trouble—that's why I felt okay leaving her with Dex for a while. Still, I was relieved he was willing to keep being her babysitter.
"I'm leaving tomorrow. It should be over within about two years."
"Tomorrow? That's way too sudden. And two years—isn't that a bit fast? Those Zerer merchants are something else."
Personally, I thought two years was already slow. I originally wanted to say one year, but that really would've been too fast. Still, Dex wasn't wrong—if the goal was profit, traveling the whole world in just two years was impressive. So I gave him the reason Jacob had joined.
"Their main objective is to expand their connections."
"I see. But why did the king only commission you, and not Lina?"
"Because I refused. Lina wanted to quit her job—you'd definitely oppose that, wouldn't you?"
I tossed the reason back to Dex. Lina's position at the Adventurers' Guild was precisely why she couldn't accept commissions freely.
"Of course I'd oppose it until someone can replace Lina. Then why did you accept? What kind of reward did the king offer you?"
That was a good question. The fact that I accepted the commission at all was suspicious—unless the king had offered something I simply couldn't refuse.
I gently patted Lani's head and smiled as I answered Dex.
"Anyone who provokes Lina or Lani will be executed for harming the royal family."
"Are you serious…?!"
Dex was clearly shaken and didn't immediately argue back—because that condition really would have been impossible for me to refuse.
Seeing his reaction, I smiled again and continued.
"Just kidding. Once I return after completing the commission, my household will be permanently exempt from taxes."
"You people… even after becoming heroes, you still bow to money."
"Free things are free things. Who wouldn't want that?"
It was a lie, of course—but it was probably the most reasonable explanation.
After all, my family's land was enormous, and the land tax we had to pay every month was no small amount.
Then I said to Dex…
"Also, I'd like you to issue me a Red-rank ID."
"Why?"
"Because Starry-rank hasn't become widespread yet. There's a chance people might think I'm lying about my rank, and I want to avoid that."
I didn't want to draw attention to myself. My real goal was to quietly travel to other dungeons and collect the Brave's power.
"That's true. In other cities, the highest adventurer rank is usually red. Some might even doubt a rainbow rank, let alone star-tier. Alright, I'll make one for you. Do you want to change your title?"
"Leave it blank. Thank you for agreeing to take care of Lani and for preparing the red-rank ID. Are there any commissions you want me to complete today?"
"It's rare for you to ask on your own. But since you'll be gone for two years, I won't be able to accept requests during that time. So, to make sure we can still deliver—go hunt down one hundred of every species… no, make it two hundred."
"Are you trying to make the dismantlers work themselves to death? Besides, a single species caps at fifty—how could anyone possibly hunt down two hundred in a single day?"
Why are dungeons called gathering grounds for raw materials? Because they contain everything, and their quantities are infinite. For example, even if I wiped out all the elephants today, they'd be respawn to normal tomorrow.
But I only had today to do this, and two hundred in a single day was impossible. One ecological zone contains many species, and if each species exists in large numbers—especially herbivores with huge appetites—even the largest forest wouldn't be enough to sustain them.
"Then just do as many as you can."
"Alright. Lani, can you not tell your big sis that, big bro accepted the king's commission? I'll tell her tonight. Let's not disturb her while she's working."
After agreeing to Dex's request, I turned to Lani. I couldn't talk privately with Dex while she was here, so I had no choice but to ask her to keep it a secret.
If Lina found out now, she'd definitely insist on quitting her job and coming with me. That's why I had to wait until nighttime—by then, it would be too late for her to do anything.
"…Okay."
Lani hesitated before agreeing. Such a considerate child. Still, she clutched my clothes, clearly unwilling to let me go. I felt the same, but I had to leave.
"Thank you. Big bro will be back soon. Be a good girl, alright?"
I set Lani down, gently patted her head, then stood up and turned to leave.
"Okay…"
I could hear the tears in Lani's voice, and my heart ached. But I couldn't let Lina stop me.
(I'm sorry. I can only let you find out the truth tomorrow.)
My quest was Rainbow-rank. After that, I headed to the appropriate dungeon level, strengthened myself, and slaughtered everything in sight—until not a single living creature remained, completely erasing the ecological zone.