Ch.87Unwanted Reunion

It took about 30 minutes to visit the Pioneer Bureau branch and complete the rank promotion process.

While submitting my license card and getting my information updated, the staff member explained the privileges and precautions for E-rank, but most of it was related to access permissions for government offices and document viewing rights. Since Jessica had already explained these to me, it didn’t particularly resonate with me.

Jessica, who had been promoted to C-rank, was persistently encouraged by the staff to register an officially recognized guild party, but she deferred the decision, saying she couldn’t decide without discussing it with her companions back at the lodging. As soon as she received her license card, she dashed off toward the Adventurers’ Guild.

Chasing after Jessica, who was running in a corseted dress and heeled boots, we arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild building and could finally catch our breath when we found a C-rank restricted request on the bulletin board.

“Haa, haa… we’re not too late.”

“Let’s see, this request…”

The request posted on the bulletin board contained only two brief lines, just as we’d heard at the Pioneer Bureau: “Restricted to Frontier License C-rank or higher” and “Details and compensation to be explained by the client in person.”

When Jessica took the request to the reception counter, the guild employee responded with a fresh business smile.

“Welcome. Are you here to accept this quest?”

“That’s right. But does this C-rank or higher requirement apply to all participants? Or just the party leader?”

“It’s only required for the party leader. However, the compensation will only be paid to participating adventurers of C-rank or higher.”

“So they’ll only count C-rank or above as effective forces, no matter how many lower-ranked people gather. Must be quite a difficult request.”

I don’t know what the request entails, but it means there’s no merit for D-rank or below to participate unless the number of people directly correlates to the success rate.

Of course, I have no intention of letting Jessica participate in this suspicious request alone, so I plan to accompany her regardless of compensation.

“Do all party members who will participate in the quest need to come along to hear the explanation from the client?”

“Only a minimum of one C-rank or higher member needs to attend. However, they’ve requested that you avoid visiting during meal times—from noon to 2 PM and from 6 PM to 8 PM.”

“It’s… 12:10 now. We’ve just barely overlapped.”

“Let’s register for the quest first and then go get lunch. We can visit the client afterward.”

Having completed our urgent business, we returned to our lodging, had lunch together, and then four of us, excluding Mina, set out to meet the client.

Mina decided to stay behind because she didn’t want to leave the artifact unattended while its concealment was still incomplete, and she was on the verge of finishing the magical tool for hiding the artifact.

The client’s house was truly a “wealthy vacation home,” a perfect description for the two-story residence.

Being within the western city where space was limited, it lacked a spacious garden or separate buildings, but the lavishly decorated entrance door, red carpet, and expensive-looking chandelier revealed the owner’s wealth.

“Master, the adventurers who accepted the request have arrived.”

“Oh, welcome! I am Sam McClain, the client.”

Guided by an employee into the reception room, we were greeted by a portly middle-aged man with a 2:8 side part and a prominent Kaiser mustache.

And sitting on the sofa next to the client was someone we never expected to see.

“Well, aren’t you late.”

“Hector!?”

A scholarly-looking young man with slicked-back blonde hair and an expensive-looking staff leaning against the sofa.

It was Hector Jones, the blonde delinquent mage who had picked a fight with us in Mothertown.

“Why are you here?”

“Obviously, I’m here to solve Mr. McClain’s request.”

“We already accepted this quest, you know? Don’t you know your license evaluation score gets deducted if you’re caught cutting in line?”

“Hmph, I wonder who’s cutting in line here.”

Hector shook his head with exaggerated gestures, then crossed his legs arrogantly and spoke to us.

“Jessica, when I met you this morning, you were still D-rank. In other words, I was the first C-rank mage to arrive in this city, and I’m the one meeting with the client first. What value is there in an unqualified adventurer having read a note on the guild bulletin board first?”

“That’s…!”

“Now, now. Both of you, please calm down. I haven’t given detailed explanations to Mr. Jones yet either, so you still have a chance. More importantly, I haven’t decided to entrust this request to just one person.”

“As he says. If you’re not here just to interfere, why not sit down and listen to the explanation together?”

Hector’s attitude, smirking as he offered us the sofa, was distasteful, but since the client had spoken that way, continuing to argue would only make us look bad.

As we calmed down the fuming Jessica and sat on the opposite sofa, the employee who had guided us to the reception room brought tea for the four of us.

“Ahem, before I explain the details, there’s something I must mention… this request requires confidentiality regarding its contents, regardless of whether you accept or succeed. If you cannot agree to this condition, I must ask you to leave now.”

“……”

After confirming that neither Hector nor our group of four intended to leave, the client announced the details of the request with a serious expression.

The quest involved exploring a location suspected to be a new dungeon.

However, the primary objective was to create a map and gather information about potential dangers such as monsters and traps, while defeating the boss or clearing the dungeon was prohibited.

The compensation would be 1,000 gold per participating C-rank adventurer.

If the dungeon boss was defeated or the dungeon cleared, the quest would be considered failed, and no compensation would be paid.

Additionally, confidentiality was required not only for the request’s contents but also for the means of transportation to access the dungeon.

“That’s the content of this request.”

“So to summarize, you’ve discovered what might be a new dungeon and want us to confirm if it really is one. But don’t defeat the boss.”

“That’s right.”

“What about loot obtained in the dungeon?”

“I’ll take priority on just one item, then the rest will be yours. However, this only applies to loot obtained from monsters or treasure chests. Resource gathering activities like mining or harvesting from the dungeon environment are prohibited.”

For something they wanted to keep secret, it seemed like a fairly standard request with nothing illegal about it.

The prohibition against defeating the dungeon boss or clearing the dungeon was concerning, but it wasn’t an unreasonable condition if the client wanted to monopolize the credit for clearing the dungeon.

“I understand the outline of the request. However, I’d like to discuss participation with my companion who remained at the lodging.”

“Of course. Since the dungeon’s scale is unknown, you’ll need time to prepare. Would tomorrow at 10 AM be acceptable for departure?”

“I’m ready even now… but if that’s the client’s wish, I’ll comply.”

“Then please return here tomorrow at 10 AM with only the members who will enter the dungeon. Anyone who fails to arrive on time will be considered to have withdrawn from the request.”

As soon as we finished the briefing and left the client’s house, Hector stopped us as we were heading back to our lodging.

“Listen up, rookie adventurers. Let me tell you in advance, I refuse to be held back by unproven E to F-rank nobodies.”

“Oh my, what a coincidence. I also can’t perform at my best when there’s someone next to me who brags based only on grades received while sitting at a desk.”

“Now I remember, you’re the one who spoke so impudently in Mothertown.”

“I’m honored you remember. But seeing how you’re picking a fight from a few steps away, I guess you have at least some learning capacity?”

When I mentioned the incident in Mothertown with a smirk, Hector’s expression soured considerably.

He must have been quite upset about losing a battle of intimidation to a rookie adventurer who had just debuted.

“Sigh… Look, Hector. If you’re going to work as an adventurer, could you stop picking fights with fellow professionals participating in the same quest?”

“Fellow professionals? Don’t make me laugh. Even giving you the benefit of the doubt, you might be acceptable alone, but those nobodies standing behind you are just burdens who don’t even meet the required rank.”

“There you go again, looking down on people…!”

“If you don’t want to be looked down upon, earn the right not to be. Frontier License, authority as a party leader. It’s laughable that a leader can’t even decide whether to accept a request without consulting members who didn’t even attend the briefing.”

“Party members aren’t a leader’s tools. Do you think anyone would entrust their back to a leader who doesn’t even ask for their opinions?”

The confrontation between Hector and Jessica showed no signs of resolution.

Just as I was thinking that proper cooperation would be impossible if we entered the dungeon together like this, Hector made an unexpected proposal.

“If you’re going to insist, let’s make a wager.”

“A wager?”

“In this dungeon, the two groups will act separately, and the client will evaluate each group’s investigation results. The winner takes the loser’s compensation. How about it?”

“You want to compete in the dungeon, ignoring the purpose of the request? Don’t you even intend to properly fulfill the quest?”

“The client just needs to get information about the dungeon, right? Or are you afraid? Proving not only that you’re a third-rate mage but also incompetent as a party leader.”

“You really… Fine! I accept your wager! But when we win, I don’t need your measly 1,000 gold!”

“Oh? Then what do you intend to demand instead?”

“Apologize.”

“Hm?”

Hector tilted his head for a moment, wondering if he had misheard, but Jessica pointed at his face and repeated herself.

“If I win, get down on your knees, press your forehead to the ground, and apologize. Say you’re sorry for acting like you know everything when you don’t! Admit that as a mage, an adventurer, and a party leader, Hector Jones doesn’t even come close to Jessica Walter’s level!”

“This is absurd. Even though there’s no way I’ll lose this bet, you expect me to endure such humiliation for a mere 1,000 gold?”

“Oh my? If you think there’s no way you’ll lose, there’s no reason not to accept, right? If you really do lose, it would prove that you’re inferior to me, so it would be appropriate treatment.”

“…Fine. But since you’ve made such a demand, I won’t be satisfied with mere cash either. If you lose, you must serve as my sex slave for the three days I stay in Riverside.”

At Hector’s outrageous demand, not only Jessica herself but also Phyllis and Seti, who were listening nearby, looked at Hector as if they were looking at garbage.

“You… did you actually like me?”

“Ha! Don’t be ridiculous. I’m saying that’s the equivalent humiliation to me having to bow down and declare my inferiority to someone like you. It must be exchanged for the worst humiliation a woman can experience!”

“Ah, I see… Alright. I accept those terms.”

“What…!?”

Unlike Jessica, who responded nonchalantly, Hector, who had proposed the condition, seemed flustered.

“Wait, are you in your right mind, Jessica Walter? Do you fully understand my conditions?”

“Well, I think there’s no way our party will lose. And if such a thing were to happen, wouldn’t your life be over too?”

As Jessica said this while glancing slightly in my direction, Seti and Phyllis nodded in agreement with her words.

Hector seemed to realize the meaning behind the three people’s actions a beat late, but Jessica didn’t give him a chance to retract or correct his statement.

“Anyway, the bet is established. We’re going to prepare for dungeon exploration, so see you tomorrow.”

“No, wait…”

Jessica left only a brief farewell and departed from in front of the client’s mansion with Seti and Phyllis.

Left behind were only the mage who had made the degrading demand for a female mage to become his sex slave and the female mage’s lover (armed with a gun) who had witnessed the scene.

To change the awkward atmosphere, I put on a full smile and spoke to Hector.

“Wow~ As expected of self-proclaimed genius magician Hector Jones. Demanding someone become your sex slave in front of her gun-wielding boyfriend—what a creative way to commit suicide.”

“Ah… that…”

“Actually, it doesn’t matter. As Jessica said, we have no intention of losing, so there’s no chance she’ll be spending nights with you.”

If someone were to look at my face right now, they would say, “His mouth is smiling, but his eyes aren’t smiling at all.”

The only reason I could restrain myself from shooting him between the legs right now was that I didn’t think this garbage of a man’s life was worth exchanging for my Frontier License.

“Just let me tell you one thing, though. If you lose this bet, don’t think you can run away like you did in Mothertown.”

After delivering this final warning to Hector with as much killing intent as I could pack into my voice, I slowly walked in the direction Jessica had gone.

Whether Hector collapsed on the spot with weak knees was none of my concern.