Guildmaster's Room
The guildmaster's office was larger than I had anticipated. A heavy wooden desk was adorned with various monster taxidermy specimens and oddly shaped ore samples. The guildmaster, a man with the bearing of a veteran adventurer, was surrounded by stacks of thick parchment documents, writing something down.
“Mr. Mitam, it's been a while. You're the... researcher of the undead, right?”
He finished writing, slowly turned his face toward me, and offered a gentle smile. His words seemed tinged with my reputation and a hint of reverence.
“This time, the request comes from us. You mentioned studying monster ecology... I've prepared a few things that might aid your research.”
The Guildmaster pulled a small wooden box from a desk drawer. Inside lay several carefully packaged monster parts.
“These are the fangs of an orc slain recently, claws from a goblin, and... this is a bit rare, but scales from a wyrm. All are parts said to possess high magical power. I hope they prove useful for your research.”
The wyrm's scales were more beautiful than I had imagined, shimmering with an iridescent light. Touching them, I felt a faint warmth. It felt as if the energy of a living creature still resided within it.
“Thank you. This is tremendously helpful.”
I expressed my gratitude politely and accepted the wooden box. I sensed that the gift from the Guildmaster contained more than just monster parts—it held the collective cooperation and expectations of the entire Adventurers' Guild.
His words conveyed both anticipation for the research and, simultaneously, concern for the dangerous nature of monsters. I renewed my resolve to advance new research using this precious material. Returning to the laboratory, I would begin my investigation with the orc's fang. Preparing the microscope, I would mobilize all the knowledge gained from the ancient magical civilization to search for traces of magic power. The journey to unravel the mystery of the very source of magic that breathes life into this world was far from over.
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