If Orlok decided not to seek revenge, it could lead to the group splitting up.
“That woman really had to pull that stunt…”
Even knowing it was venting, he couldn’t help but think that way. He pondered if there was any way to cleanly resolve everything, when suddenly…
“Excuse me. Honored members of the Red Ogre.”
It was then that Shizuku herself appeared before them, boldly stepping in through the tavern door, accompanied by their fellow boy.
” …Huh?”
Even Orlok found himself doubting his own eyes.
She came through the door of the bar of the store with a young boy in tow.
“You bitch! “
“How dare you show your face! Hey! Hey!”
Naturally, the anger of the others reached its peak.
She walked in confidently, unbothered by the enraged insults hurled at her by the comrades. The fear she had shown during their initial negotiations was nowhere to be seen. Clearly, her attitude back then had been solely to deceive them, and it was infuriating.
But now was not the time to lose control. Orlok glared at Shizuku.
“So, what’s the purpose of this visit? Came to mock us?”
“Apologies and compensation.”
With a touch of irony, she replied coldly and placed her hand on their table. All eyes were on her as she laid down…
“…a gold coin.”
There was a gold coin, and not just one—”two.”
“One is payment for the information you gave. We ended up undermining its value here, so consider it a refund.”
“…And the other one?”
“A token of gratitude, however small, for our cooperation.”
Though Orlok made a strange face at the word “cooperation,” Shizuku remained serious. Essentially, it was a message: “We’ll pay you in gold, so let’s put everything behind us.” Given that they hadn’t sustained any significant injuries or expenses during the festival, it was undoubtedly a profitable deal.
“Don’t mess with us! Are we supposed to just accept this?!”
But his comrades were incensed. Their pride was in the way. However, compared to earlier, their anger had somewhat diminished. And then…
“You guys wouldn’t be in this mess if you hadn’t resorted to threats.”
A gray-haired boy among them stepped forward to defend her. Despite being surrounded by men much more intimidating than himself, he showed no signs of fear. Having faced the Gem Golem head-on and having peeled away his rookie veneer seemed to have emboldened him.
“It’s fine for us to threaten others, but isn’t it shameful to be easily deceived?”
“You son of a…”
“Another thing. Do you remember when Shizuku helped you in the labyrinth before the festival started?”
“Yeah.”
One of the comrades spoke up.
Orlok knew about that incident too. Before the festival began, their comrades had recklessly tried to aim for the Gem Golem’s subjugation and failed, blaming it on interference from other adventurers. However, it seemed the other side had a different story. And judging by the reactions of their comrades, it was clear which side held the truth.
“Threatening the person who helped you in the labyrinth, getting angry when things didn’t go your way, versus adventurer who earned a gold coin effortlessly without any injuries. Which do you prefer?”
“…Fine, we take the gold and disappear.”
At Orlok’s words, his comrades murmured and tried to protest, but their momentum was gone. They fell silent when he glared at them.
“Then, excuse us.”
Leaving behind the gold coin, the two departed. In the end, without ever raising their fists that had been poised moments ago, the negotiation concluded.
“Is this okay, leader?”
It was Grogg, one of the calmer members of the group, who spoke. Orlok nodded.
“There’s no better way to withdraw. It’s either a losing choice or a winning one. I’ll choose the latter.”
“But…”
“Disputes among adventurers during peacetime are prohibited, unlike during the festival. We can’t let this woman cause problems for our future lives.”
He calmly stated the obvious truth and gently extinguished the remaining discontent. Still, the comrades grumbled under their breath, but their earlier fervor had completely subsided.
Orlok wiped his brow inwardly. The crisis of the group disbanding had been averted. It was complex to think that the same woman had caused both the crisis and resolved it, but it was just an accident of encountering a woman who was beyond comprehension.
“Now, leader, what about the gold?”
“It’s obvious! Pocket change! Women and booze!!!”
At Orlok’s words, the members cheered. Truly simpletons, and he was thankful for that, Orlok thought silently.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Once an adventurer defeats a bounty target, an obligation arises.
Though not an administrative task, it was more like a tradition passed down among adventurers for a long time. It wasn’t limited to bounty targets; whenever large sums of money fell into the pockets of adventurers, it was customary to treat everyone at their favorite taverns.
It might sound like a bad habit, encouraging greedy behavior, but there were rational reasons behind it.
“The festival makes it particularly apparent, but you did outsmart other adventurers, didn’t you? Even if you say to bear no grudge, it’s not that simple.”
“So basically, ‘I won big but let’s not make enemies by offering a drink’?”
“Because there are people who hate winners just for being winners, right?”
“I agree with that.”
Following his advice, Ur was satisfied with thoroughly smoothing over any enmity with the Red Ogre. When they visited them, the atmosphere was somewhat tense. Shizuku repeatedly bowed her head in apology for the necessary expenses incurred. However, it was undoubtedly an essential cost to ensure that no grudges lingered in the adventurer community.
Therefore, standing before the adventurers at the “Greedy Seeker’s Hideout,” a speech of encouragement was necessary. Probably.
“…Uh…”
Utterly unaccustomed. Suppressing his nervousness and embarrassment, Ur put strength into his belly and shouted.
“We’ve earned the bounty!”
At that moment, the adventurers erupted in a chorus of boos. Ur continued.
“In return, this drink is on us! Drink up!”
In an instant, cheers and toasts resounded throughout the tavern along with the noise.
“Oh, Ur! Our commander! Cheers!”
“Ur, the slayer of giants! The killer of golems!”
“I’m gonna drink every last piece of the bounty you’ve got!”
“Shizuku!! The future great magician!”
“You damn bastard, don’t you dare break the weapons we’ve made!”
The adventurers were making a ruckus. Not just adventurers, but even members of the Magic Guild and the Golden Hammer were present, a mystery they decided not to dwell on.
“Cheers!”
At Ur’s signal, everyone clinked their glasses and cups, and they drank. Then, they began talking freely and noisily. Ur felt relieved that he had at least done the minimum work required.
“Phew, duty of the victor sure is tiring, huh, Ur?”
“You’re actually praising me, huh, Diz. Well, thanks.”
Diz chuckled, sitting at the same table without them realizing. As for why she was here, it was a celebration, and she had specially brought Akane along. Whether one should be grateful was up for debate, but Akane seemed to be enjoying herself in the company of so many people.
Currently, she was fluttering around happily like a fairy familiar with wings. Surely, no one would notice she was actually possessed by a spirit.
“Akane, do you want some juice?”
《Yes!》
The shopkeeper handed Akane a child-sized cup, and she began drinking with delight. She squinted happily when I patted her head.
“She’s adorable.”
“She’s my little sister.”
“Well, she’s mine for now… Hey, don’t look so devastated. She’s still your sister, so cheer up.”
Diz smacked Ur lightly to get him to lift his head from the table.
“You really love your sister, don’t you? Akane loves you too, Ur.”
《I love you, Niitan.》
“I’m not sure about love, but she’s family,”
Their mother had passed away long ago, and their good-for-nothing father had left them. Now, it was just the two of them. Of course, Ur wanted to protect Akane until someone else came along who cared for her as much as he did.
“If that’s what you want, you’ll have to keep working hard. Though, now might not be the best time to bring it up,”
“We don’t even know if I can reach the Bronze rank yet,” .
“Once you make it to Bronze, the next step is buying Akane back,”
Diz shrugged with a smile. Even if everything went perfectly, it would only mark the beginning of their negotiations. Thinking about whether they could even get to that starting line was a bit daunting, but there was no avoiding it.
“So, what are the conditions?”
“Well, taking a hundred years isn’t an option…”
Diz tapped the table with her nails, then nodded after a moment of silence.
“Three years. If you can earn enough money to buy Akane back within that time, it works. Whether by completing high-paying requests or through other means, it doesn’t matter.”
“Three years, huh? Why that timeframe?”
“It’s the shortest time on record for an adventurer to reach the Gold rank from the guild,”
“What kind of monster did that?”
“The current head of the Adventurers’ Guild,”
Ur nodded, realizing that achieving what took that monster three years was a ridiculous goal. It made him realize how unreasonable his demands had been.
“One more thing, it’s just a suggestion───”
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