Episode 39
“hello?”
When I cautiously opened the barracks door and entered and said hello, people’s eyes turned to me.
Inside sat Sofia and a middle-aged man with a neat brown beard.
The young lady of the Marquis burst out laughing and looked at me with bewildered eyes.
“Ha! Now that you’ve come out, it seems that your attitude has changed. You must have been quite disrespectful inside.”
“That’s why we have no choice but to react sensitively on the spot…”
“Wasn’t he very free-spirited? He would even crush the expedition leader.”
“Ahahahaha. Anyway, it worked out, right? Thanks to me.”
“……Yes. I can’t deny the merit.”
When I subtly turned to the results, she nodded her head disapprovingly.
If it wasn’t for me, I would have been stuck at a dead end and had no choice but to get out.
According to the testimonies of other members of the expedition, the exit opened by itself as time passed.
Not the way to the tomb, but the way out of the dungeon.
‘Because I haven’t received the money yet, I can never say that I am compliant. So give it to me quickly.’
While I was shouting that inwardly, the man with the brown beard smiled and opened his mouth.
“Now that we have achieved results, we should pay more as promised.”
“So you called him first. How much money do you have left?”
“There are not as many deaths as I thought, so I can afford about 10,000 Gerudo.”
“That’s what the accountant of our estate says.”
Sophia shrugged and stared at me.
His eyes seemed to ask if this was enough for an extra reward.
‘10,000 Gerld is too small. Let’s make it about 40,000 Gerld.’
It was a word that stuck to his throat.
But I nodded my head with superhuman strength.
It was because if I talked nonsense here, I could not even get what I was trying to give.
“It’s surprisingly refreshing.”
“How about giving a little more? I don’t have a lot of greed.”
“Then choose now.”
Swoop.
On the map the treasurer gave me, I found a house that was quite familiar.
The only completed building in the new villa district that has not yet been built.
It was the house I went to see with Viscount Huey, the administrator of the Marquis of Pennant.
I pinpointed the place right next door, marked A3.
“I’ll do it here.”
“Ohhh? How did you choose the real bastard?”
“I looked around once. This one looked the best.”
“Okay. I’ll take care of it. Bring the balance to the administrative office by next June.”
“Okay. But… how much is it?”
“90,000 Gerudo.”
“……Yes?”
I put on a bewildered expression at the accountant’s answer.
To come this far in just a few days.
If I had known it would be like this, I would have bought a house even if it was impossible.
After all, life is timing.
Letting out a long sigh, I couldn’t help but nod my head.
“Okay. I’ll do that.”
The accountant put my name in the blank on the map and handed over the documents.
As I scribbled my signature, a heavy pocket was immediately pulled out.
The request fee was 30,000 Gerudo.
With this, the exploration of Dongpaewang’s tomb was completely completed.
I received a large sum of money, but my expression was not very good.
It was because I needed another 20,000 Gerudo to make the villa my own.
When I was thinking about making money, my eyes seemed to go dark.
“Was he compliant because of the reward? After receiving it, his attitude changes again.”
Sophia, who was watching the post-processing, looked at my darkened face and snapped a word.
Maybe it was because he was thinking of a gloomy future, but he couldn’t manage his expression properly.
I let out an awkward laugh and scratched the back of my head.
“Ha ha! How could that be? I have to pay the balance, so it’s just because I’m desperate.”
“There’s still quite a bit left. I’ll just have to explore one or two more dungeons like this.”
“…”
At her scolding, I made an absurd expression.
‘No, that’s easy to say. I know that the dungeon pops out whenever I need it.’
Besides, this time I was pretty lucky.
Usually, rather than recruiting outside personnel, there were many cases in which the territory was resolved on its own.
It was for security and safety.
The tomb of King Dongpae would not have been entrusted to Sofia if it had not been for numerous failures.
There wouldn’t have been any reason to hire mercenaries.
Really, she was a woman I didn’t like at all, except for her looks.
“Looks like it’s over. Anything else to say?”
The young lady of the Marquis stared at me with dry eyes.
It didn’t turn off right away and I felt like I was doing something.
I received the money and even paid the contract for the house, so I felt like I had to say something and go.
“…If you need my skills next time, please visit me anytime. I will serve you at the best price.”
“Best price?”
“Yes. I’ll take as many as possible… It’s not that I’m saying that, I’m saying that I’ll solve the request at a price you’ll be satisfied with. Ha, hahahaha!”
Apart from my heart, something completely different came out of my mouth.
In any case, he had set up a villa in the Marquis of Pennant and hadn’t even received the house documents yet.
There was no need to offend Sophia, who was being talked about as the lord’s successor for nothing.
As I sighed and took a step back, she nodded and continued.
I wanted to run away quickly, but the young lady of the Marquis had a different idea.
Perhaps the last remark caught my attention.
“Then how do I find you? If I want to personally place a request, I need to know where you live.”
“Uh…… is that so? But since I’m in a situation where I’m wandering around. I think you can contact me through the mercenary guild.”
“The procedure is very complicated.”
Even so, the contract for the villa had been signed in the name of Ray, a mercenary active in the Ruberic estate.
I’m sure of your identity, but you won’t be able to find me right away when you need me.
It was because there were a lot of mercenaries on the continent, and I, who lived in a safe house, often became obscure.
However, without knowing that far, she naturally skipped the topic of conversation.
“By the way. Why isn’t a person of this level known?”
The marquis’s eyes were now running toward suspicion beyond interest.
However, I have prearranged a way to respond to these questions.
Maybe that’s why, logical answers burst out like crazy.
“Let me ask you one thing. Who led the attack on King Dongpae’s tomb?”
“Yeah, of course I… uhm.”
She was about to answer involuntarily, but realized the meaning of the question and nodded loudly.
It was rare for the name of a treasure hunter to be known in the dungeon excavation.
All credit will go to the person who led the exploration.
Didn’t that happen in the Marquis of Pennant right away?
“As you said, we’ll contact you through the mercenary guild. You can stop and go.”
“Yes, then.”
Taking a roughly imperial example, I walked out of the barracks with light steps.
Then I glanced behind me, and my eyes met Sophia’s, who was staring at my back.
‘Oh, why are you looking at me like that? Ominously. Did I just ask you to find it again?’
I was momentarily fed up with the feeling that I was entrusted with a strange request.
* * *
During my break, I focused only on my training.
Come to think of it, Baek Yeong-doon and Am Yeon-sal had never been used in real combat.
I couldn’t force myself to create a real combat situation, so I had to rely only on imagery.
However, the fourth herbivore study of Dancheonmaryungeom was sluggish.
It was because I wasn’t skilled in cancer control, and every time I tried to merge, it was blocked.
‘I’ve been running like crazy for so long. You have to know how to catch your breath so you can run again.’
In that sense, I tried to change the atmosphere today and look around the city.
The Marquisate of Pennant was in a fairly complicated state due to the recent development boom.
As the construction of the villa district gained momentum, other businesses were also growing.
Thanks to that, a very positive wind blew for me as well.
Of course, I didn’t get enlightenment while looking at the complex city.
‘Since there are many people, the frequency of appearances of beautiful women is high. After all, I have to live in the city, not on a drab island.’
I was in the middle of Pennant City, in the Square of English.
It was a place where various flowers were planted around the fountain, showing off its splendid beauty.
While enjoying the beautiful view of the square, those who enjoyed a cup of tea were overflowing with leisure.
Rich merchants and non-working knights visited the movie square in the middle of the day.
Of course, the noble children were often seen dressed to the fullest.
‘Ohh? I like that dress.’
In the meantime, the design with a deep cut in the chest caught my eye.
She was an impressive beauty with a bright peach dress, pearl necklace, and bright blonde hair.
But since I was riding in a carriage, I never ran into her.
If I hadn’t passed by, I would have talked to her.
“Is there any beauty like me who isn’t as busy as I am? Ugh!”
As I was sipping tea at an outdoor table, I began to yawn and stretch.
I must have had brunch. It was just a lazy time.
As my eyes were slowly closing, the fragrant scent of flowers brushed my nose.
It was when a woman in a softly sparkling white dress passed by an outdoor table.
I opened my eyes wide as I turned my attention to something familiar yet different scent.
‘This is unconditionally beautiful. Just by looking at the back, she’s beautiful!’
It couldn’t have been a man with his brown hair tied back and pinned.
When I saw it with my sharp eyes trained for decades, it was definitely a big deal.
I got up from my seat as if possessed by something, and I boldly walked over and spoke to the woman.
“It looks like you’re wearing clothes that match the weather. Bright colors are perfect for a sunny day.”
“Is that so? Conversely, I was wondering what it would be like to wear something dark, but it was a good choice.”
“It must be a difference in taste. Even if the dress was black, I think it would look good.”
It was a conversation that started suddenly, but the reaction of the other party was not bad.
I was busy looking at the flower garden at the fountain.
Anyway, what is not a rejection?
I tried to lead the story as naturally as possible.
“Looks like you like this place… Huh?”
But when I saw her face, I couldn’t speak any more.
Surprisingly, the opponent was someone I knew very well.
“Bocchan is still the same.”