Wizard and Barbarian (1)
"N-, no! Please, just one! Just give one more chance!"
"Whatre you standing around for? Take them both away and put them in jail!"
After removing the investigator who was still begging, as well as the unconscious adventurer from the scene
The compensation process was carried out swiftly.
As soon as we signed the non-disclosure agreent stating we wouldnt leak this outside, a total of six million stones was given on the spot, including the additional labour fee'.
And, well, that wasn't the end of it.
"Herere all your belongings."
"How is it, Mr. Yandel? Please check carefully."
Looking at the barbarian rummaging through his backpack, the wizard said with a curious look.
"Maybe sothing is missing?"
" Missing?"
The barbarian hesitated for a mont, then smiled as if he understood.
"Oh, sothing really seems to be missing!"
"Oh my gosh, is there sothing missing?!"
"Its not a thing just, about a million stones in cash have disappeared."
They werent very good at acting no matter which way you sliced it.
The branch manager, whod been listening quietly, was about to faint because of high blood pressure.
What kind of people were they?!
"What do you an! How could an adventurer who just ca out of the labyrinth have such a large sum !"
"Then are we lying?"
At the cold tone of the wizard, the branch manager flinched.
"Th-, th-, thats, obviously "
"You got evidence?"
"How could there be "
"Oh my god, are you again accusing people of lying without proof? Mr. Yandel, now that I see this, I think this branch manager should also be added to the punishnt list, right?"
"Really. To call an honourable barbarian and a wizard liars, he mustve not been taught well at ho, growing up "
"Stop it."
The regional chief, who'd been quiet so far, sighed and stepped out.
" Well also compensate you for the missing money."
"Its a reward that I definitely deserve, so I wont say thank you."
If one ignored the fact that they werent waving any weapons, what was the difference between this and daylight robbery?
It was so shaless that the branch manager could only stand frozen on the spot, because there was nothing else that he could do.
He could only watch what was happening in front of him.
"One million stones, here."
"Wow, as rumoured, the Adventurers Guild seems to have a lot of money, right? You just say a word and it just cos out."
" I think we've shown enough respect to the tower already. Do not cross this line."
"Ah, yeah."
"Then will you give the crystal ball now?"
"No. I think itd be better to give you this after confirming that the punishnt was properly ted out. Of course, I promise I wont show it to anyone in the anti."
" That promise must be kept."
"Sure. Dont worry. Anyway, we'll see each other for a while. Please take care of the people gathered outside."
With those words, the barbarian and the wizard left.
And in the hall, a heavy silence fell as if a storm had passed.
""
""
The guild was deprived of another one million stones, but they didnt even get their hands on the crystal ball.
Also, the crowd gathered in front of the guild, as well as the people involved in this matter, had to be dealt with.
The regional chief, whod been forced to smile in front of the two, was now looking cold as stone.
Feeling that suffocating chill, the branch manager struggled to speak.
"R- R-, Regional Manager? T-, thank you"
"Thank ?"
"That, that Didn't you agree to their coercion to protect ?"
"Because you belong to , not anybody else."
"Oh! I wont forget what happened today! Ill work hard for the rest of my life to make it up to you "
"So even if you do need a beating, it should be who dishes it out."
The branch manager, who was showing off his determination to be forever loyal with an excited face, showed a puzzled expression.
" Eh? Wh-, what are you "
"You really are naive. Did you think you'd get away scot-free?"
"B-, but I really "
"Enough. I'll take care of the rest, so if you want to save your own life, be on your toes until things calm down. Even if you have to die, you cant die in a way that relates to this case."
Without saying anything further, the regional manager turned and stared at his daughter.
"Daughter, youll have to tell later why you are here today."
" Yes, Father."
"Then lets just go."
The office beca empty in an instant.
Only the branch manager was left alone inside, thinking
"Ha, ha ha ha"
If only all this could be a dream!
A black spire soaring high into the sky.
On the thirty-first floor of the building
"How is it? How does it feel to visit the tower for the first ti?"
"It feels cramped, because there are no windows."
"Uh Um, is that so But we wouldnt have been able to build such a high-rise building in the city, if not for that."
I was currently at the personal laboratory of Arua Raven, a wizard belonging to the Artemion' school.
"Co, sit here."
As she also sat down, clearing the pile of docunts thatd been randomly scattered on the chair, she offered a drink.
In a conical titration flask, no less.
"Oh, I dont have a cup."
I took a mont to observe the drink.
And ca to a conclusion.
" Its water."
"Ah, yes? Oh, would you like so basilisk extract instead?"
"No, this is enough."
Of course, I didn't drink it.
I knew it was actually water, but it just felt disgusting to drink.
Not too long ago, it mustve contained one of these colourful liquids and monster organ specins that were scatter all around.
I got to the point.
"So why did you bring here?"
"Ive got sothing to discuss with you. You agreed to do a favour, didn't you?"
So it was because of that.
Id been in a hurry at the ti and blindly agreed to her demand, but now that I was here, I was regretting it.
What if she said she wanted to do so kind of biological test?
"As I said back then, as long as its possible."
"I like it! Thats enough."
"So what are you asking for?"
"I want the rights to do proprietary research on the essences youve absorbed, Mr. Yandel. Itll definitely help you, too. Since theres no precedent, there might be sothing unusual to discover, right?"
The more she spoke, the more her eyes changed.
From the calculative eyes shed had while dealing with the regional chief, to the zealous eyes Id seen inside the rift.
It wasnt that I didn't understand.
Except for the variant rift wed experienced this ti, there were no records of a rift in which a vampire guardian had been sighted, throughout the entire floor.
"But what does proprietary research an?"
"Oh, that? Basically, it ans that you only provide samples to . I want to submit a thesis in my na to academia."
Were the wizards in this world like graduate students?
I didn't completely understand the motive, but
They say that scholars always crave honour the most.
Oh, wait.
"Is that why you asked to erase the records about the vampire earlier?"
While writing the non-disclosure consent form in the guild, shed asked not to record the fact that Id eaten the vampire essence.
Of course, I didn't expect such a thing to remain completely secret, but
Id also agreed, thinking that itd be better to just leave it alone.
They say that you should hide 70% of your abilities.'
To be honest, I was thankful that she was so mindful of even the smallest details
The wizard awkwardly scratched her cheek.
"Uh, um, well It's not that its not really that "
A double negative is proof of the positive.
Raven then abruptly changed the topic.
"Uhmm! Anyway, Im not asking for much, you just need to co here once a week and help for about three hours."
Three hours a week
"Total duration?"
"Well, I think half a year would be enough"
"Three months."
"I see. So, are you going to agree to my request?"
"I will."
After the first agenda was settled this way, Raven imdiately brought up the next one.
"Then, back again Shall we start with the calculations?"
Calculations?
Was there still such thing?
Since my gaze mustve made it clear I was asking what kind of bullshit was this, Raven also changed her deanour.
Just like how shed been in our fight with the regional chief, earlier.
"You didnt just survive because of , you even got a total of six million stones for free, right? I don't think it's strange to claim my share."
Hah! Right, right.
This was what the tribe of magicians were known for.
If I was a simple man who only sought maximum efficiency, they were the ultimate money chasers.
So I decided to change my mindset, too.
"Give you money? You must be joking."
Just like how Id smash a goblin's head when I saw it.
Our quarrel continued.
In a more intense tone than before.
"It wouldve been the sa with any wizard, not just you."
"Oh? If it were soone else, I would probably have sold the crystal ball as soon as the regional manager suggested it, you know?"
"But the price has already been paid by the regional chief, right? A whopping one million stones!"
Rather, you only managed to earn that much thanks to , so if anybody can claim a share, I swear to Behel-ra, it should be .
" Then give at least the one million stones that you got with that backpack stunt in the end. That was purely thanks to my advice."
Did I ever say that I wanted to be friends with her?
I decided to cancel that.
Did barbarians look like pushovers or sothing?
"I refuse."
"I see. You agreed to help with my research, so I won't ask for too much. Just give half, 500,000 stones."
"I refuse."
"Huh, then even if its 250,000 stones "
"I dont even need to hear it. Refuse."
I didn't make any compromises.
Anyone trying to inflict a loss on was a fucking asshole.
And I never negotiated with assholes.
Whatever I earned, was mine.
"The story ends here."
"What? Do you know how much I lost because of you in the rift?"
Eventually, I made up my mind.
I'll have to break this flag before the water gets more muddied.'
To be honest, it wasnt that I didn't feel grateful to her for this incident.
But aside from that, in order to have a long-term, friendly relationship, I needed to show her who I am.
If you just agreed with a smile no matter what the other party did, you wouldnt be the good guy in the equation, just a scoundrel.
In the first place, she mustve been so persistent not because she needs the money, but because she wants to subdue my pride.'
"Okay, lets move on to the next calculation."
"The next calculation?"
She tilted her head as if she could think of nothing else to discuss.
I spoke directly, as a barbarian should.
"You should give five million stones."
"F-, five million stones? Why should I?"
"Because you fed the essence of a corpse golem without my consent."
"What, what?"
She groaned as if she was feeling short of breath.
"H-, hey! I gave you such a rare essence for free, and then youre asking for money instead? Do you think that makes sense?"
I did think that, in fact.
This wasnt so simple whim.
I didn't know why everyone around lacked imagination, if you just looked at it in enough detail, it'd all make sense.
"Why do you think it doesnt make sense? You forcibly fed that essence without my consent so that you could survive."
"Damn you, dont you know I was trying to save you too?!"
"Well, I cant actually know, and I didnt want it. So pay ten million stones. I heard that it takes that much to remove the essence at the temple "
"Why would you remove that precious thing! You crazy barbarian!"
"Because it wasnt the essence I wanted. Youve done so serious damage here."
Unlike before when she'd been negotiating a price, Ravens face was now flushed red.
To anyone looking at it from the outside, this might sound like extortion, but it did make sense in a way, so she mustve gotten annoyed.
She took a mont to regain her composure, with only the constant sound of exhalations, whoo, hoo-woo'.
" I've heard from adventurers before, that they want essences but can't find them. So this doesn't make sense. Rather, Im the one who should get paid!"
"Isnt that your preconceived notion as a wizard? You can also ask other adventurers. How would you think you feel if soone else fed you an essence you don't want?"
"Hah! Are you saying you know adventurers better than I do? Wait a minute. I can ask soone right away."
The wizard was very excited as she took up the crystal ball on the desk, and operated as if pressing a phone number. The call connected soon after.
"Ah, is this Mr. Patsran?"
[Who is this?]
"Hello. I am Arua Raven, of the Artemion School. I was with my master when I t you last ti?"
[Ah! Miss Raven! I rember. But why are you calling out of the blue?]
"I have a question for you. What do you think would happen if soone fed you an essence you hadnt planned to eat without your consent, Mr. Patsran?"
[Hahaha! I don't know why you're asking such a bizarre question, but if I had to answer Id be really angry.]
" Yes? Angry? E-, even if its a seventh-grade essence? Even if its a very rare essence that only drops from a rift?"
[Even then. An unplanned essence ans that its an essence with only a negative effect for . I don't know what happened, Miss Raven, but if sobody just picks up any which essence and eats it, theyd never reach the higher ranks.]
The wizard had initially held a triumphant expression as soon as the call had connected.
But after hearing the adventurer's kind reply, her face turned pale.
"That, that, I see. Assuming that's what happened how should I compensate?"
[If it were , Id first ask for compensation in cash.]
"How much would that be?"
[Fifteen million stones would be appropriate.]
"T-, t-, that much?"
[The more expensive an essence is, the more it costs to erase. I dont know why those god-botherers hanker after money so much]
"Ah, uh, um, I see"
As if she didnt have the strength to keep holding it, the telecommunication device fell from her hand and rolled on the floor.
I picked it up for her and put it back into her hand.
"I still have one question left to ask."
As I whispered into her ear, the blonde girl in her mid-to-late teens asked in a trembling voice.
" Um, no, if the money cant be paid back, then what would you do, Mr. Patsran?"
[Um, well? If that happened and the other party was in front of ]
The man on the other side of the telecommunication device answered with enthusiasm. [I think I'll probably shove their head down and cut it cleanly. Hahaha!]
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