I rushed to the scene at the head of a band of adventurers. Bringing Helga along had been a miscalculation, but given the dire shortage of personnel, I couldn't exactly forbid her from joining.
Our quarry: the Beasts with Silver Wounds. There were about ten of them—the largest pack confirmed to date. It was a grim reminder that their invasion was gaining momentum.
Despite their regenerative abilities, they were still fundamentally beasts and not particularly formidable. However, putting them down required us to pulverize their flesh faster than they could knit it back together. It was an exhausting ordeal.
We eventually succeeded, but I must have grown complacent. That was when tragedy struck.
"D-dammit! G-gh... Aaagh!?"
One of the adventurers had been parasitized by the Sticky Silver. Once the infection took hold, extracting it from the body was nearly impossible. It would slowly hollow out the host until they were completely assimilated.
"Is there a way to stop it?! Guild Master, you have a countermeasure, don't you?!"
Helga lunged at me, her composure shattered. It was an uncharacteristic display of panic, but I recalled that the man infected was a close friend of hers.
While it wasn't ideal for a guild employee to show such blatant favoritism, she was only human; personal feelings were bound to leak through. Besides, the man’s life was flickering out before her eyes. Her distress was understandable.
Unfortunately, the timing was catastrophic. A crowd of adventurers had gathered around us, their gazes converging on me—eyes full of doubt, desperation, and sudden expectation. They had all heard her mention a "countermeasure." At this point, I couldn't exactly claim I didn't have one.
My hesitation to speak plainly had come back to haunt me. Now that I was backed into a corner, I had no choice but to bite the bullet.
"Step back a bit."
"I-is he going to be okay? Rick is going to be saved, right?"
"Just trust me."
I pulled Helga away as she clung to me and stood before the adventurer being consumed by the Sticky Silver—Rick. Reaching into my coat, I gingerly retrieved the small wooden rod I’d been hiding.
"U-um, Guild Master? What are you going to do with that... stick?"
I had intended to produce it casually, but Helga’s sharp eyes caught it immediately. Her expression was thick with suspicion.
I understood the feeling. In fact, I felt the exact same way. This was precisely why I hadn't wanted to do this in the first place!
"J-just trust me!"
"Wait, but..."
"Look, we just have to believe it'll work!"
At this point, I didn't know if I was shouting at Helga or trying to convince myself. But it was the only hope we had. Even if the odds were slim, giving up wasn't in my nature—even if it meant my sanity would be called into question.
"Purify."
I threw caution to the wind. Pointing the stick at Rick like a wizard’s wand, I uttered the keyword. Technically, it was a magic tool, but to any outside observer, I looked like I’d finally lost my mind.
However, the effect was immediate and immense.
"Whoa! It actually worked!"
Rick’s body was suddenly bathed in a blinding radiance, and with a wet, nauseating squelch, something slithered out from his midsection. A silver, gelatinous mass writhed on the ground—unmistakably a specimen of the Sticky Silver Species.
I couldn't believe it actually worked. I should have been thrilled, yet a part of me refused to accept it. How could a basic Clean spell be this effective? No, there was no way this was just "Clean!"
I suppressed my internal frustration. Now wasn't the time for semantics.
"Purify."
I thrust the stick toward the struggling mass again. The Sticky Silver thrashed in agony for a split second before its metallic body lost its luster, shriveling away into nothingness. It had been completely erased.
"""Whoaaaa!!"""
Cheers erupted from the watching adventurers.
"That's incredible, Guild Master! You deleted that creepy monster!"
"So that's the countermeasure! With that thing, those monsters are nothing to be afraid of!"
"Yeah, that was amazing! That... uh... what exactly is that thing?"
It was a dramatic victory in a hopeless situation. Normally, the air would be thick with celebration, but even the adventurers seemed a bit hesitant to fully embrace the moment.
I didn't blame them. Not when the "ultimate weapon" looked like a common twig.
As for what it was? I was the one who wanted to know that. I certainly couldn't give them an answer.
"Helga. How is Rick?"
I changed the subject before the questions could start. Of course, I was also genuinely concerned. We’d removed the visible parasite, but it was too early to tell if there were lingering side effects.
"He's unconscious, but his breathing is steady. I believe the influence of the... Invader - Sticky Silver Species... has been purged."
Relief washed over Helga, and she regained some of her professional poise. However, I suspected things were about to get complicated. Her panic earlier hadn't been normal; that wasn't the behavior of a mere acquaintance. She acted like a woman whose lover was dying. I didn't know the specifics of their relationship, but I wasn't the only one who had noticed. I just hoped Rick didn't end up being the target of some jealous rivals later.
Regardless, that wasn't my problem. At least we had a way to deal with the Sticky Silver now. Or so I thought, until Helga spoke up again with a troubled frown.
"However, something is very strange."
"What? Is there still an infection?"
"No. I don't think it's the silver. It's just... doesn't Rick’s skin look incredibly glossy? His hair, too."
"Hah?"
Now that she mentioned it, his complexion was remarkably clear. His hair had a healthy, youthful sheen as well. Such things were unheard of among adventurers, whose grueling lifestyle usually left them looking prematurely aged. Rick had been no exception, yet now...
"What is the meaning of this...?"
"Huh?"
"Why has Rick been rejuvenated?! Explain yourself! Is it that stick? That's the cause, isn't it?! Please, you have to let me use it, too!"
"W-wait, calm down!"
Why was Helga manhandling me?!
She seemed even more frantic now than she had been when Rick was dying. Honestly, what kind of cursed item did that brat give me? It was effective, sure, but it came with far too many headaches!
"This is a specialized tool for fighting the Sticky Silver! We only have a few, so I can't just lend it out for—"
"I volunteer for the front lines!"
"Hah? No, you're retired—"
"I am returning to active duty effective immediately!"
"O-oh. Right."
How did it come to this? Behind Helga, several other female adventurers were staring at the stick with terrifyingly intense eyes, all "volunteering" for the next hunt. It was clear I wouldn't have any peace unless I prioritized their assignments.
Fine, I'll just ask for more! The kid made it sound like they were easy to produce, so it should be fine.
However, I am going to lodge a formal complaint! At the very least, he could have used decent materials! And he needs to stop adding useless features! There are so many secondary functions that the whole thing makes no sense anymore!
...Actually, if I ask him to remove the Skin-Glossing Function now, Helga and the others will probably murder me. Best to leave that part out of the report.