The conference room was packed with rows of stern-looking middle-aged men. I mean, the pressure emanating from the men in the front was so intense they were all I noticed at first, but looking closer, I saw a few women and younger faces in the mix as well.
Still, regardless of age or gender, every one of them possessed a certain air of dignity. As expected of the people entrusted with running the various branches of the Adventurer’s Guild.
These were the Guild Masters from across the regions. They had gathered here in Lafres after receiving an emergency summons from the Grand Master. That didn’t mean they had traveled all the way here on foot, of course; apparently, Guild Masters were lent magic tools that allowed them to travel between their branches and headquarters during times of crisis.
Even if the destinations were restricted, it was an incredibly convenient tool. Naturally, their value was astronomical. Forget about having enough for every branch—ordinarily, just obtaining a single one would be a monumental task. I wanted to say "as expected of the Adventurer's Guild" for managing such a feat, but it turned out they hadn't used organizational power to gather them. They had simply been gifted the tools by the gods.
In any case, they had been summoned in a hurry for one purpose: to distribute my enchanted magic tools as a countermeasure against the Silver Abominations. There wouldn't really have been a need for a full assembly if it were just a matter of handing them out, but Rozeph-san had requested that I explain how they worked myself. The usage wasn't exactly difficult, but... well, I suppose he wanted to ensure there wasn't even a one-in-a-million chance of a mistake.
And so, I now had to stand before these incredibly imposing adults and give a presentation. Heartlessly enough, Lowell and the others were nowhere to be found. Claiming they had nothing to do, they had all gone off to enjoy some free time. I was left to handle the explanation entirely on my own. I mean, they weren't wrong about having nothing to do, but still.
The meeting began with a greeting from Rozeph-san.
"I thank you all for gathering despite your busy schedules. As you have likely heard, Invaders from the Outer World have been confirmed in several branch regions. For the time being, let us refer to these things as the Sticky Silver Species. They are dangerous entities that parasitize living creatures. Even if the host is killed, the Sticky Silver Species is stubbornly resilient, making it nearly impossible to eradicate. However, we have discovered a means to eliminate them once and for all."
Rozeph-san paused, gauging the room's reaction. However, the conference room remained enveloped in a heavy silence. Not a single voice was raised.
It wasn't that they weren't reacting, though. A multitude of sharp gazes had converged on me as I stood by his side. Their eyes were piercing—especially the men in the front row. They were at a level of intimidation that would make a toddler burst into tears. If I hadn't been told they were Guild Masters beforehand, I probably would have mistaken them for dangerous criminals.
"Listen here, Rozeph-san. You aren't about to tell us that this brat came up with that 'means,' are you?"
The man who spoke in a low, threatening growl had the sternest face in the room. He glared at me even while addressing the Grand Master. Apparently, he was in a very foul mood.
"Don't screw around. As you well know, we're facing a crisis. Those Sticky Silver Species things are multiplying faster than we can handle. We're already seeing casualties among our adventurers. And in the middle of all that, you haul us all the way here to play along with a kid's games? Are you mocking us?!"
I see. This man must be the Guild Master of a region currently suffering from the Silver Abominations. He was likely frustrated because they couldn't find any effective way to fight back. He was exactly the kind of person I needed to reach, but... this was a problem; at this rate, he might not even listen to a word I said.
Just as I was wondering how to handle him, help arrived from an unexpected source.
"Calm down, Dawson. Let's hear the boy out first."
The man sitting next to the angry one spoke up to soothe him. Since the 'middle-aged man' ratio in the room was so high, it was getting difficult to tell them apart...
But wait.
Had I seen this person somewhere before?
"What are you saying, Madrus! Weren't you the one who was ready to blow a fuse when you heard we were gathered for a plan proposed by a kid?!"
"That was true, but... it's different if it's this child. It's better not to think of him as ordinary. At the very least, he's worth listening to."
"Hah?"
The rough-mannered man—Dawson-san—looked at his neighbor with suspicion. I observed the man more closely as well... and then it clicked.
"Wait, are you from Cygnil?"
"Ah, yes. It's been a while, Tort."
When I asked, relying on my vague memory, it turned out I was right. That was a relief.
Cygnil was the city where I had first registered as an adventurer. I had met Guild Master Madrus-san several times regarding Shiroru's tamed monster registration and the Black Wolf incident. Still, I was surprised he remembered me so clearly.
Even so, wasn't "better not to think of him as ordinary" a bit much? I wasn't that extreme back then... no, wait, come to think of it, I do recall him looking quite exasperated when I was casually tossing out Rune Breakers. Yeah, maybe it was better not to bring that up.
In any case, thanks to Madrus-san's persuasion, Dawson-san agreed to listen for the time being.
I immediately moved into the explanation. Though I say that, there really wasn't much to explain.
"This is our trump card against the Sticky Silver Species! Its name is... the Cleaning Stick!"
Playing a triumphant fanfare in my head, I pulled out the enchanted magic tool for purification. To ensure they could be mass-produced easily, the materials were just wooden sticks I'd found lying around. If you held two together, they were about the size of a pair of chopsticks.
"Any kind of grime or filth can be made spotless in an instant with just one of these! The usage is simple: just point it at the area you want to clean and mentally command it to 'Become clean.' You can scrape off those stubborn Sticky Silver Species with this. If you can't purify them in one go, just hit them with a follow-up and do it again."
And with that, the explanation was over!
I thought it was very simple and easy to understand, but for some reason, everyone in the room looked like they had just been told the world was flat.
Dawson-san was clutching his head.
"Wh-What? What did I just hear? Is this what you meant by 'not ordinary'? He certainly isn't ordinary, I'll give you that. This was supposed to be a strategy briefing against invaders from another world, so why the hell am I listening to a pitch for cleaning supplies?"
Rozeph-san had a distant, weary look in his eyes.
"I knew it would end up like this... Since it's an item recommended by him, whom the gods place their absolute trust in, I'm certain it's effective... but I simply didn't have the confidence to persuade everyone myself. O Sun God, please forgive my worthlessness."
Madrus-san had a grim expression, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
"Don't let your guard down. Don't let your guard down! I'm sure something else is going to happen. There's no way that's just a regular cleaning tool...!"
No, no, it really is just a cleaning tool. It just has the Lifestyle Magic <Clean> cast on it. Though, it happens to be able to scrub away those silver squiggly things too!