Of course, Mavis had never intended to hand over the wyvern to such a suspicious man from the beginning. She had only planned to stir things up a bit, hoping the man would accidentally reveal some information.
"That would mean death!"
"Of course, right? It's proof that you've slain it..."
Reina responded to the man's angry outburst with a perfectly reasonable answer.
"But I want to take the wyvern, Rob, alive!"
"That's why I said, even if you combine the bounty for the slaying, the bonus for a live capture, and the negative points for a failed mission, it won't add up to just a hundred gold coins. It's much more than that."
While saying this, Reina had no intention of handing over the wyvern no matter how much money was offered. Even if the man offered a considerable amount, the stain of a failed mission and the loss of reputation were not something that could be compensated with such an amount. After all, if the wyvern attacked the village again and caused deaths, it would be a bad start to the day.
"Gr—"
Apparently, more than a hundred gold coins, equivalent to over ten million yen in Japanese currency, was a painful amount. The man was desperately thinking.
At that moment, Pauline casually and naturally asked:
"By the way, what was that cow-like thing the wyvern was holding?"
"That's my dragon palanquin. When seen by people, it looks like a captured cow... so..."
His boastful words suddenly became smaller and trailed off.
...There was a fool.
"Mavis, is this man your father?"
"What do you mean by that, ahhh!"
Mavis involuntarily raised her voice at Reina's words.
"What's the name of this wyvern, Rob?"
"Robles."
In response to Mavis's mischievous question, the man, who had given up, answered.
"It's not comparable to the breath of an ancient dragon, but it can still breathe fire. Since it's rare for a wyvern to do so, I named it after that. A low-level breath, shortened to 'Robles' for ease of use."
"Strange bird Robles..."
Compared to the recent trend of giving children flashy names, this was a much more reasonable naming reason. It showed affection for the wyvern. Mavis was genuinely impressed.
"Let me make it clear, wyverns are not birds!"
"Ah, yes..."
She was scolded.
"No, that's not it! Using a wyvern to attack people, what kind of villain are you! What's your purpose?"
"Nothing in particular..."
"Wha—?"
"I said, nothing in particular..."
"Wha—?"
The answer to Mavis's accusation was completely unexpected for the four of the 'Red Oath.'
"But, attacking the village..."
"Wyverns naturally attack villages within their territory, right?"
"U—"
Mavis was at a loss for words, unable to refute the man's statement.
"But, the wyvern..."
"Robles."
The man interrupted Mavis, apparently quite fond of the name he had given.
"...So, Robles is under your care, right! Then, attacking the village must be at your command..."
"I don't keep it."
"Wha—?"
"That's right, I don't keep Robles as a pet."
"Then, what is your relationship with Robles?"
Pauline, unusually raising her voice, asked calmly.
"Friend."
"Wha—?"
"He's my friend. Sometimes I ride in the dragon palanquin he provides, and I heal him when he's injured. Does it have anything to do with me if my friend is eating in his own territory?"
"Wha—?"
All four were speechless, their mouths agape, unable to find the next words.
"Moreover, I've asked him not to attack anyone who doesn't harm him, especially not to harm women.
If there was someone who asked a forest wolf that attacks people not to harm anyone who doesn't attack it, especially not to kill or seriously injure women even if they attack, would that be a criminal act? On the contrary, wouldn't that be a meritorious deed?"
"Wha—?"
Suspicious.
It was clearly suspicious, and his arguments were just sophistry.
Even if they thought so, they couldn't convict him of a crime without refuting his arguments. Capturing him without evidence would make them the criminals.
What to do...
As Reina, Mavis, and Mavis were pondering, Pauline spoke in a light tone.
"Then, let's hand over this wyvern to the guild for now."
"What! I told you, Robles is my friend..."
"So what?"
Pauline deliberately called it a 'wyvern' rather than 'Robles,' emphasizing that it was just a monster to them.
"We're just saying that we captured and handed over a wild wyvern that attacked a village and injured many hunters and soldiers, according to the mission. What does that have to do with you? If you told a police officer trying to arrest a murderer, 'He's my friend, don't arrest or punish him,' would that work? Besides, it's not yours, right?"
"Gr—"
Indeed, Pauline. If the man insisted that the wyvern was not his responsibility, they could treat it that way. Since he had shown himself, it was probably inconvenient for him.
Pauline pressed further.
"Transporting it alive would be difficult. If it gets injured during the journey, it would be a problem...
How about giving up the extra reward for a live capture and just killing it? After all, even if you get the extra reward, it's only ten gold coins at best. Isn't it more practical to take the thirty gold coins and the mission success points for a safe and sure outcome, rather than risking a failed mission due to an escape during transport?"
The man, who had lived as a mage until middle age, was presumed to have considerable knowledge and abilities. However, judging from his behavior, his interpersonal skills were extremely low. Reina's comment, "Is this man Mavis's father?" was spot on. He probably continued a life of research with little human interaction.
Pauline, realizing this, decided to provoke the man, and Mavis and Reina went along with it.
"That's true. It might be a foolish strategy to lose everything over a small additional reward."
"Right. Let's do it!"
"Wha—!"
"Ah, there's no need to go that far..."
Indeed, Mavis and this man were of the same kind.
"Hmm... It seems you have a kind heart, unlike the other three...
And that silver hair, cute but somewhat disappointing appearance, modest and reserved chest..."
"Shut up!"
Mavis, suddenly angry at the man's change in tone and his seemingly complimentary but extremely rude remarks.
"Indeed, you somewhat remind me of Elsie. Being part of the party that captured Robles means you must be healthy and strong..."
Mavis was confident about that point, regardless of the other aspects.
"Alright, I'll choose you.
Rejoice, I'll use your body as a vessel for my dear Elsie's heart!"
"What are you talking about, ahhh! And there's no way I can be happy about that, ahhh—!!"
Mavis shouted.
Reina, Mavis, and Pauline stood there, stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Robles, sensing that the topic had shifted away from him, looked relieved.