Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 84: The Second Major Request (1).

“Hey, James. Don’t fall asleep, stand guard. The rumors have been really bad lately.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

James, the newbie who had just joined the mercenary group, straightened his neck and replied as he took over the night watch. The senior groaned and quickly fell asleep as he lay down.

James turned the hourglass upside down again, looked up at the starry night sky, and let out a long sigh. Then, he glanced around, where nothing could be heard but snoring and sleep-talking, and lightly rubbed his palms together.

His gaze, which had been scanning the surroundings, soon became fixated on the sensual body of a female member of the same mercenary group, unable to move. Her face wasn’t particularly pretty, but her large breasts and attractive buttocks had already been used several times as his fantasy. The tough big sis who took good care of him as the newest and youngest member…

He thought to himself that he would have no other wish if he could have her just once, as he licked his lips and kneaded his growing arousal.

———♪, ————♬

Then, from somewhere, a faint and strange song could be heard.

‘…What’s that?’

It was in a language he couldn’t understand. It didn’t seem like a dialect either.

He felt his mind becoming hazy. He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head vigorously a few times before opening them again.

Right then, someone was standing in front of him.

“Gasp!”

Startled, he gasped and looked up, only to see the very lady whose figure he had been ogling just moments before.

“Big Sis?”

“James…”

Her voice was incredibly sweet. Enough to make him instantly aroused.

“Just a moment, could you come here…?”

“…Huh?”

“Just a moment… come here…”

With a flirtatious gesture, the lady briefly revealed her breast by pulling aside her top, then concealed it again.

“Aaah.”

That’s when James lost his reason.

“Come here…”

———♪, ————♬

James, with a sly smile, eagerly followed the seductive lady.

Into the deep, dark abyss…

After another fortnight of struggle, Allen finally managed to recruit another decent-looking archer. With this, the mercenary group took on a respectable form.

He made a dinner appointment with Group Leader Viola, which he had been postponing, and dressed up neatly for the first time in a while before heading to Viola House.

They were probably notified in advance, as he was led straight through the main gate and was guided by the butler to a room on the third floor with a nice view.

Group Leader Viola, who had been waiting first, seemed to have put some effort into her attire as well, wearing an unusually splendid outfit… Even though her youthful days had passed, her beauty had not faded. That’s why the drug peddler, Dagon, was still courting her like that.

“It’s an immense honor to be invited, Group Leader Viola.”

“It’s been a while, Group Leader Allen.”

“I’ve been busy with the mercenary business.”

“I see… Shall we sit?”

Group Leader Viola’s every action was incredibly calm and measured, fitting for her meticulous personality.

The square dining table was luxurious, but not very large. Thanks to that, the two facing each other could see each other’s faces up close.

The landscape of the sky, tinged with a reddish sunset, and the river colored in shades of peach and flowing majestically, was never tiring to look at… Spending money extravagantly should be done in places like this to not feel wasted.

A moment of silence. The two men and women briefly looked outside the terrace, then snapped back to reality at the sound of a polite knock.

Soon, workers came in and swiftly filled the table. The food looked delicious and smelled fantastic.

“Please eat your fill.”

“Then I won’t hold back…”

And so, the meal began. There was no conversation during the meal. Occasionally, only Allen’s brief comments of “This is really delicious” would come out.

After the formal and serene meal concluded, a tea pot was brought out onto the cleared table. The two began their conversation in earnest over tea after the meal.

“How’s the mercenary business going?”

At those words, Allen couldn’t help but chuckle first.

“It’s been quite tough… If the person is good, they’re too expensive, and if they’re cheap, the person isn’t great.”

Group Leader Viola laughed at that time, remembering a period when she had experienced the same.

A moment of silence passed as they sipped their tea, and then she resumed the conversation.

“How about the building? Is the income alright?”

“It’s better than I thought. We’re using it as a hideout, and it seems better than some shoddy business. It seems we’re roughly making enough to cover the employment costs each month.”

“That’s a relief. I would feel a bit bad if you spent a lot of money and didn’t like it…”

Group Leader Viola didn’t specifically bring up other business matters yet. Having just purchased the building, stabilizing that first was the priority.

And she intended not to provide him with too much convenience in the future. After all, he would grow well on his own, so there was no need to unnecessarily interfere.

…Especially after hearing that cursed Dana went to meet Allen, she decided to act more coldly. That’s why she ended up taking every single penny of the brokerage fee she originally didn’t want to accept.

Just showing a bit more care than other group leaders would be enough.

“By the way, a large request came in from Agnentia… Are you interested?”

“From Agnentia…? Is it another dungeon?”

Allen, who had already suffered greatly in the Susalber Dungeon of the City of Silver, Agnentia, felt a wave of repulsion just at the thought of it… Still, a lowly guy like him couldn’t afford to be choosy about work. If he’s paid, he should do anything.

“It’s not a dungeon.”

With that, she extended the request form that was prepared on the table next to her to him.

“Right now, between the three cities, Kalstadt, Agnentia, and our Vermandois, disappearances and massacres have been happening very frequently.”

After briefly scanning the request form, Allen looked back at Group Leader Viola with a serious expression.

“All three cities are suffering considerable damage right now. I’ve also suffered quite a bit. One of the merchant groups that was supposed to deliver goods to us was completely destroyed.”

“…It’s not bandits, is it?”

“According to the testimony of the survivors, they heard a faint song.”

‘A song!’

Allen immediately grasped the situation.

A Demonic Siren and a dark mage who made a contract with dark mana, or a boss-level monster…

‘…As expected of Chapter 2, a really shitty situation from the start.’

The siren’s song, a mental magic, increased the likelihood of enchantment the lower the magic resistance of the target was.

And once enchanted? You’re rendered unable to fight. Holy water or relics could purify it to some extent, but that doesn’t mean you could keep defending. You could get enchanted again at any time.

‘…Ironically, mental magic tends to not work on enemies no matter how hard you try, but it always seems to work so well on allies. It’s like, when they’re the enemy, they’re incredibly strong, but once they’re on our side, they become useless, just like in those shonen manga.’

Of course, Allen also had a precedent where, except for the lone mage, everyone in [Guild Master] fell under a charm and was utterly annihilated by the enemies while in a daze. Since then, whenever there was a bit of leeway, he made efforts to equip himself with relics as much as possible because having them ensured at least a minimum level of protection… Still, as long as he prepared thoroughly, it would be much more manageable than when he suffered from the curse in the gorge last time.

“A Demonic Siren… it seems…”

Group Leader Viola nodded, thinking that he was indeed 522. His knowledge, which could swiftly deduce hard-to-know information unless one was a related mage, from just a few clues, was astonishing. There had been hints when he fluently talked about Susalber, but this time, it was confirmed.

“Yes. After consulting with several mages, that was the conjecture.”

“The Siren’s Song is a type of mental magic. It’s slightly different from a curse. If you underestimate it and charge in, you might find yourself in a bit of trouble.”

“…So, are you considering participating?”

Allen didn’t answer right away and paused for a moment.

He could refuse if he wanted to… But it also seemed ridiculous for a still unknown nobody to be picky about work, especially when it was a large commission from a wealthy marquis, surely the fee would be substantial.

Moreover, the mission began with a rough understanding of the opponent’s identity. So, it wouldn’t be as excruciatingly difficult as an unknown dungeon.

‘…And our mercenary group has become quite strong, too.’

Now, the Allen-Mercenary Group was not so weak as to be defeated by a mere underling of a siren. With sufficient preparation, they could handle it at a reasonably challenging level.

“…May I have some time to think about it?”

However, he did not hastily make a decision based on a moment’s judgment. After all, what he thought was the wisest decision often showed flaws after a night had passed.

Viola seemed to like Allen’s cautious demeanor, as she slightly smiled and nodded.

“Of course. But we don’t have much time. We have at most a week left until departure. So please make a decision and let me know by tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

The meeting seemed to end on that note.

Allen put down the teacup he was drinking from and stood up.

“Then, I’ll be leaving now.”

“Yes. Take your time to think it over and make your decision.”

But just as Allen was about to leave…

He stopped in his tracks, thinking, ‘Ah,’ and turned around to approach her again. He had almost forgotten about it because of the request.

He took out a small trinket box from his pocket and offered it to Group Leader Viola. Then she looked at him as if to ask what it was.

“It’s a gift. Last time in the West, I found something that caught my eye. I thought it would suit Lady Viola perfectly.”

Group Leader Viola accepted the box from Allen and, for a moment, she didn’t know how to react.

Of course, she had received countless gifts before… but it was entirely different this time.

“I didn’t… expect something like this…”

“Please, open it.”

When she carefully opened the lid, a beautiful necklace was revealed. ‘Ah…’ She forcibly suppressed this strange, tickling feeling.

“It’s beautiful… Thank you.”

“May I put it on for you?”

The atmosphere had already completely shifted in his favor. She could only silently nod her head.

He went behind her, holding the necklace, and placed it around her slender, white neck. She fiddled with the necklace that now lay on her chest with her hands.

“Wow, it suits you well.”

“…Really?”

“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to force yourself to wear it. If you could just accept my sincerity…”

“No, I like it. Really… I’ll cherish it.”

Allen smiled charmingly.

“Then, nothing could be better… Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

“…Yes. Take care.”

After a light bow, he left the room.

“Huuuu…”

The one left behind gazed down at the necklace around her neck for a while, fiddling with it. The corners of her mouth were desperately trying to curl up.

‘…He said it was just out of sincerity…’

Inside her chest, strangely, there was complete chaos trying to attribute different meanings.

The next day.

A large banner was hung at the street stall rented by the Allen-Mercenary Group.

– The very necklace owned by one of the Top 10 Group Leaders!

– The very accessory chosen by the artisan praised by one of the Top 10 Group Leaders!

…The items sold like hotcakes.