Several hours passed after that.
We had gone through the Delight Valley and reached the gates of the city.
Though we did encounter monsters on the way back, they were not very strong, and so we didn’t have much trouble with them.
The Proud Wolf was also able to retrieve most of the slimes.
As for the slimes that were left behind, they weren’t abandoned but were left to watch over the forest. I would go back for them later.
The only thing that still bothered me was the darkness of the sky.
It was bright once we got out of the valley, but the reason for it was still a mystery.
From what I could tell through the remaining slimes, it was still dark where they were.
As I thought about this…Tina said,
“We should hurry to the guild for now. It’s fine if the report about killing the monster is delayed, but reporting the appearance of an unknown monster should be urgent.”
“If someone beats us to it, we won’t get as much money.”
Apparently, the first person to discover a strong monster was paid the most.
Well, knowing about dangerous monsters sooner would allow the guild to prepare, so it was no wonder they would prioritize that.
And so we entered the guild.
“I have an urgent report! Is the manager here?”
Tina said as she went to the counter.
The man behind the counter looked at her with annoyance.
“The manager? You can make a report about your quest here. Or is this about some abnormal situation?”
“It is an abnormal situation. A Disaster Rank monster appeared in the Delight Forest.”
“Disaster Rank? …Not the Earth Dragon?”
“The Earth Dragon is not related to it. This one is either B-Rank or even A-Rank.”
The man then looked at her in shock.
But he quickly calmed himself and replied.
“…Alright. I will call the manager.”
Then several minutes passed.
The man returned with the manager.
“I hear that you wish to report an abnormal situation. Is it true that an A-Rank monster has appeared?”
The manager asked.
Apparently, the appearance of an A-Rank monster was a big deal.
“It is. Our B-Rank Scout, Yuji, knows the details.”
“Very well. Come with me.”
So saying, we were led to the guild meeting room.
And it was there that I talked about the dragon that I saw in the forest.
“…That’s not much information. Do you have anything else?”
That was the manager’s reaction.
…Well, it was to be expected.
After all, we didn’t know what the monster was called, nor had we determined its strength by fighting it. My judgment was purely based on its appearance and the amount of magical energy.
The slimes’ ability to detect magic was very good, but it wasn’t necessarily proof of strength.
If I had a camera, I could have taken photos as evidence.
…What if there is magic that can be used in the place of a camera?
I thought of this as I searched through my memories.
And then…I found something similar.
‘Thought Photography.’
I chanted this in my head, and then a picture of a dragon in a forest appeared on the paper I was holding.
I had succeeded.
Apparently, this skill allowed me to print images that I had seen.
And it was even in color!
“This is the dragon.”
I said as I handed over the print.
It still wasn’t proof of its strength, but perhaps the trees surrounding it would give a sense of its size.
“…Wait a minute. How did you get such a detailed drawing? Surely you weren’t leisurely drawing this picture right in front of this huge monster?”
“This is the power of the slimes. They can make pictures from my memory in a very short amount of time.”
“Slimes can do that…? But I don’t even think a professional painter could create such a detailed drawing…”
The manager said while staring at the photo.
Then the manager muttered.
“…I’ve never seen this monster before. But it does look very strong. It could very well be an A-Rank. …I would like to do some research on it, so could you wait for one day? We might have to ask you to do some additional investigation work.”
And so the matter of the dragon was delayed until the next day.
As for the reward for the mystery dragon, it would depend on the results of the investigation.
I was sure that the monster was very strong and hoped that it wouldn’t put the city in danger.