The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 9 - Chapter 426

Chapter 426:

It’s Just Too Much...

EVERYONE HUNG THEIR HEADS: None of them could remember the name of Marsha’s grandchild.

“What do they look like?” the captain asked the guild master and the others, but they all just shook their heads. My father and I wouldn’t have known in the first place, so all we could do was look on in silence. I did find it odd, though, that nobody in the room could remember the person’s name or face.

“I think we’re on to something here,” my father said.

“I think so, too. It’s strange, right?”

Did somebody in this village want everyone to forget about Marsha’s grandchild? Or was the grandchild themselves directly involved with the summoning circle?

“Be careful, Uliga,” the captain told the guild master. “Our mastermind is sure to find out tomorrow that some of us have broken the enchantment. If Marsha’s grandchild is working with them, they might come after us.”

The guild master nodded. “I know. I’ll be careful, but I can’t stop the investigation or we’ll never get anywhere. I’ll ease off on solo work for now, but I’ll make sure somebody from Zinal’s party is always with me.”

“Good. Please do,” the captain said with a relieved smile.

“So, Druid and Ivy, what are your plans for dinner? I always go to food stalls, since I live on my own.”

Dinner, huh… I wonder what we should eat. Wait a minute, the guild master lives on his own? But I thought he was married. Yeah…I know I’m not wrong. I heard he has a wife and the two are really close.

“Mr. Guild Master, what about your wife?”

“Oh, that’s right!” My question seemed to jog my father’s memory, too.

“Huh?! My wife?” The guild master looked baffled by my question.

“Oh, you remarried? That’s news to me.”

What? Remarried?

“Ivy…what are you talking about? I was married once, but she got sick and passed away fifteen years ago now. I’ve been on my own ever since.”

“Really?” my father asked, a stern look in his eyes.

“As far as I know, this guy’s wife died fifteen years ago. He’s been a widower ever since,” the captain said.

The guild master gave him a nod, then demanded, “Where did you hear I was married?”

“Mr. Zinal told us… When they were talking about how you started acting odd two years ago, I asked if you were having money troubles or if you’d lost someone special to you. And that was when they said you had a wife.”

How was any of this possible?

“Um, sir, are you sure you aren’t married?” Nalgath cautiously asked the guild master. His voice was clouded with worry. I looked over at Nalgath and saw he was quite pale for some reason.

“Is something wrong?” the captain asked.

Nalgath and his party looked at each other and nodded. “I think this was about two and a half years ago…but you introduced us to a woman, Guild Master, and told us she was your wife,” Nalgath said.

“I was there, too,” Arly added. “Actually, this was at the adventurer guild, so most of the adventurers were around.”

The guild master and captain froze. Nalgath and his men also looked deeply troubled as they watched the guild master’s reactions.

“Sorry…but are you sure? Did I really introduce someone to you?”

“Yes, sir. We know we’re not mistaken,” Piarre confirmed with a nod.

“How is any of this possible…?” The guild master clutched his head in his hands.

“What was she like?” my father asked.

Nalgath pondered it for a moment while the guild master looked up and stared hard at him. “She had dark blue hair, shoulder length. She was about thirty years old—I remember being surprised at how young she was. She seemed very sweet. Two years ago, I’d often see the two of you together at the guild.”

“Do you know where Zinal and his party are?” my father asked. “We should hear their side of the story, too.”

Arly and Juggy promptly left to go find them.

“Uliga, you went back home after you were freed from the spell, didn’t you?”

“I did…” the guild master answered the captain’s question listlessly. All the color had drained from his face; the revelation really seemed to have hit him hard.

“Did you notice anything different in your house? Like, were there any women’s things there?”

“No, and I’m sure of that.”

“Okay… So that means the woman you introduced as your wife didn’t live with you.”

“My angel…she was my only wife. I would never take another!” The guild master’s voice was bitter with tears as he snapped at the captain.

“I know that. But whether you remember it or not, the fact remains that you introduced somebody to us as your wife. Everything felt normal at home, though, didn’t it?”

“Yes… Yes, it did. I’m glad she wasn’t there.” The guild master sounded a little relieved, but the muscles in his face were still tense. It was a little scary.

“But who could it be?” The captain tilted his head. “A sweet woman in her thirties with shoulder-length dark blue hair? A few people come to mind, but they’re all married.”

“This is just evil. Who would do such a thing?” the guild master growled.

The captain gave his shoulder a gentle pat.

“Okay, what’s the problem?” Zinal and his men finally walked into the room. “Arly told us to come here—did something happen?”

“Zinal, there’s just something we need to check, that okay?” my father asked him, offering the trio some seats.

“Sure. What do you need to know?” Zinal sat in a chair facing my father.

“Remember how you said the guild master had a wife?”

“Yeah, I think they got married a couple of years ago. There was a woman with him when I stopped by the village to visit, and he introduced her as his wife. What about it?”

So the guild master was indeed the one who had introduced her. When my father explained to Zephyr that he had no memory of such a thing, their jaws dropped.

“Wait… Are you sure? But you introduced us yourself, Guild Master, I know it.”

“I’m sorry…but I don’t remember.”

Zinal flinched a little when he noticed the strain in the guild master’s eyes and voice. The more we talked about it, the paler the guild master became. He needed some time to process everything. If we tried to cram his brain with any more information, it would only overwhelm him.

“Excuse me, but could we stop here for the day?” I asked. “I think we’re pushing too much information onto him at once.”

“Yeah, he needs to take a break for a while,” my father echoed.

The guild master was about to say something, but then he shook his head and softly said, “You’re right.” He knew he needed some time to calm down, too.

“Sorry, Zinal, I know it was a hassle coming all the way out here.” My father stood up and started getting ready to leave.

“Oh, it’s all right. I’ll ask my fellow adventurers for more details. So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?”

“We’re looking into the sharmy cave tomorrow morning, so we should meet back up here around noon. That sound good to you, Captain?”

“Sure. Let’s spend the morning investigating what we can—except you, Uliga. You stay put. You’re not doing so well right now. Come straight here tomorrow morning after you wake up.”

“I’m fine,” the guild master insisted.

“No, you’re not!” the captain hissed. “You come right over here, Uliga. I can’t have you going nuts on my watch.”

The guild master glared at the captain, and the captain glared right back…until the guild master finally let out a loud sigh. “Fine. Sorry, but I need a little…”

“I understand. Sorry, Druid, but I’ll need you to make sure this guy comes straight to my house tomorrow morning.”

“Aye-aye, sir. Ivy, are you ready to head out?”

I put my creatures in their bag and double-checked to make sure I had everything. I nodded that I was good to go, and my father gave the guild master’s shoulder a pat. “We’ll be coming by your place in a bit, so be sure to get us some dinner from the food stalls. Get plenty of food—Ivy’s got quite the appetite. Three portions won’t be enough, but try not to get too much; we don’t want leftovers.”

“Huh?! Oh, right, dinner… Okay.”

“Also, Ivy loves dessert, so don’t skimp on that.”

I was a bit startled by my father’s behavior. Was that really the way you should talk to somebody who’d just received a shock? As I stood there, fidgeting awkwardly, I noticed Zinal laughing softly. Our eyes met, and he laughed even harder.

“The mind’s distracted when it has tasks to attend to. To the guild master, Ivy, you’re a savior.”

The word “savior” embarrassed me a little, but the guild master himself had used the same word, so I knew Zinal was just reminding him of that.

“And Ivy’s palate is quite refined—she won’t accept anything less than delicious for dinner.”

Dad, was it really necessary to say that last part?