Hearing Shimada Yousuke's words, Elf Maiden clearly became flustered. What she had meant to express was obviously not that at all, but this half-beastman seemed rather dim-witted and had completely misunderstood her meaning.
It did not matter much that Shimada Yousuke had misunderstood her; Elf Maiden had not been particularly concerned about it to begin with, since she was not familiar with him. What she worried about was whether Yoru Machi had also misunderstood her, so she nervously looked at him beside her.
"Yousuke, you can't put it that way..." Hearing Yoru Machi respond like that, Elf Maiden inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Yoru Machi was not like this half-beastman and had not misunderstood her.
However, just as Elf Maiden was thinking that, the second half of Yoru Machi's sentence nearly made her explode with rage.
"You can't put it that way. After all, she's a wealthy employer, so it's normal for her to have a strange temper.
As long as she pays me, I don't care how she treats me."
Since the other party had saved her from the Poisonous Demon Dragon, Elf Maiden felt that she had clearly expressed her gratitude just now. It was only because of her personality that she had not said it outright, but anyone who was not an idiot should have been able to tell.
However, the two people in front of her were obviously far from normal. One had clearly fallen headfirst into the money pit, while the other earnestly analyzed the situation before nodding in agreement.
"I see, this is a special quest based entirely on monetary rewards. So you can completely ignore the attitudes of the people in the story, as long as you get the reward?
That makes sense. We're strangers who just happened to meet, after all. As long as we complete the quest and obtain the reward, everything else is secondary."
Hearing Shimada Yousuke's serious analysis, Elf Maiden was completely speechless. I see your head! The person involved was standing right here—was it really appropriate to say such things right in front of her?
"My name is Suicui Luqilazegarunelruleia Agranzerga Elga. As you can see, I am of the Elf Race.
Yoru Machi, remember this name well. We will meet again."
Elf Maiden had originally wanted to learn more about Yoru Machi, but with this half-beastman around, she felt that holding a conversation would be difficult.
So, after giving her name, Elf Maiden planned to leave first.
However, upon hearing Elf Maiden announce her name, both Yoru Machi and Shimada Yousuke were instantly left reeling in the wind.
It was the first time in their lives that they had seen a name of such absurd length. For Yoru Machi, being told to remember it well was simply asking too much.
"Wait, wait. Could you say that name again? I didn't hear it clearly just now."
"Suicui Luqilazegarunelruleia Agranzerga Elga. Do you remember it now?"
Yoru Machi: "(￣￣) Yousuke, did you remember it?"
Shimada Yousuke: "(_;) What was she doing just now, chanting a magic spell?"
Even though Elf Maiden had stated her name twice, Yoru Machi still could not remember it.
But he could not really be blamed for that. The incantations of Kidō were not short either, yet Yoru Machi could remember them. The important thing was that they were at least complete sentences.
Elf Maiden's name, on the other hand, was not only long, but also a jumble of unrelated words. It sounded like a Buddhist scripture—who could remember that?
And every time they addressed her, they would have to recite that entire string of names. Yoru Machi even feared that someone with short breath might bite their tongue trying to say it.
If there were ever a scene where someone was on their deathbed delivering their last words, just saying a name like that twice would probably leave them no chance to say anything else...
"I see. Your name is Cui. That's a very nice name."
Elf Maiden: "(~_~;) Not Cui. It's Suicui Luqilazegarunelruleia Agranzerga Elga."
Yoru Machi: "All right, I understand, Cui."
"Are you deliberately arguing with me? Like I said, it's not Cui, it's Suicui Luqilazegarunelruleia Agranzer..."
"Cui, do you know? Cui means jade, as beautiful as your eyes.
And where we come from, only friends who trust each other give one another nicknames and address each other by them. You can call me Yoru Machi too. Is that okay, Cui?"
The words Elf Maiden had wanted to emphasize were interrupted by Yoru Machi. After understanding what he meant, Elf Maiden... no, Cui's face turned crimson at a visible speed.
"If that's the case, then I suppose there's nothing I can do. It wasn't me who asked you to do this; you were the one who insisted on giving me a nickname."
After leaving those words behind, Cui turned and left. As she turned, she even stumbled and nearly fell. It was unclear whether that was because she was too embarrassed or because her body was weak from having exhausted her magic power.
But in any case, neither of the two iron-hearted straight men present paid much attention to the girl's departure.
In their eyes, Elf Maiden's original name was simply too inconvenient. Calling her Cui was much better.
"Yoru Machi, it's only been about ten days, but you're still as strong as ever. Have you already slain the Poisonous Demon Dragon that lived here?"
Shimada Yousuke had come here to slay the Poisonous Demon Dragon as well. However, he had not accepted a commission through the Adventurer's Guild. After learning of the Poisonous Demon Dragon's existence, he had simply decided it was a BOSS and come to defeat it for experience and equipment.
"There, that corpse over there is it. I don't know what's going on, but the Poisonous Demon Dragon is clearly dead as can be, yet the poisonous mist it spewed earlier is still lingering all around.
If we don't find a way to disperse this poisonous mist, those villagers who issued the commission might refuse to pay us."
Looking at the purple poisonous mist spreading through the surroundings, Yoru Machi somewhat regretted not stopping Cui from leaving just now. Kidō did not have any purification techniques, so he had a headache over how to deal with the poisonous fog around them.
"If it's just clearing away this poisonous mist, I can do that. Wind Magic—Gale Carry!"
Under Yoru Machi's slightly surprised gaze, Shimada Yousuke first chanted an exceedingly long incantation, after which strong winds began to rise around them.
The gusts were not blowing randomly, but instead swept inward from every direction.
Poisonous mist was gas, so it naturally moved when struck by strong winds. The winds from all directions quickly compressed the surrounding mist into a sphere, and Shimada Yousuke then used a glass bottle he had taken out to collect the entire ball of compressed poisonous mist.
According to Shimada Yousuke, it might come in handy against enemies someday.
Before you continue