Chapter 25
Chapter 25: Her Request and His Condition
「You brought me to a place that resembles the beauty of the blue sky . 」
Those poetic words didn’t fit Caria’s personality . (EN: unfortunately the poetry of her words gets lost in translation, it’s very hard to translate traditional Japanese poetry to English, and convey the same meaning, sorry if sometimes a phrase seems weird…)
I guess she was in a very good mood . She made a pleasant expression while she drank some ale . Her lips were wet from the ale . The Garganti Chamber of the Commerce Guild had an impressive tavern on the outbuilding . The tavern had a vast space . Unlike the shady taverns I’ve been before, this place didn’t reek of alcohol and vomit . I didn’t even see a piece of trash on the floor . It was a clean place . People from the Guild gathered here to drink some ale pleasantly while they gained some good energy for their next job . It was a very prestigious Guild tavern .
Unlike the tavern I used to go, the flavor of the alcohol was of a higher quality but it didn’t taste that good . They probably served this type of drinks to people of considerable prestige backgrounds . No wonder that the tongue of the Knight class was used to luxurious pleasures unlike ordinary folks, who drank strong and authentic alcohol .
「And yet, this place is lacking on many areas . It looks too neat and clean . It’s not thrilling at all . Maybe the request will be something similar . Something uninteresting . I don’t know why we even came here . There’s nothing to do around here . It’s your fault . It would be great if I could kill some colossal beast at least . 」
Caria only spoke about thrill and beasts . What she truly wanted was to defeat some monster in a single combat . But, she kept complaining to me . She sighed constantly and moved her shoulders as if she was mocking me . She made me feel like a fool who didn’t know what to do .
Then, Caria’s gaze was directed towards Largud Ann .
「What do you think, Ann . Did you think the arrangement for this meeting was neutral from both parties involved?」
Largud Ann sat on large barrel instead of a chair . She drank from a cup but stop moving her lips when she heard that question .
「I wonder… We’re talking about people with unwavering values and high sense of commitment . They must be people who keep their words . They should be but… 」
At first, it seemed like we had nothing to worry about . Yet, to be honest, I thought otherwise . Even if Largud Ann’s words were reassuring, Caria’s remarks made it completely different . She looked at me with the corners of her eyes . It was as if I could feel thorns piercing my skin . I felt uncomfortable . That was to be expected though . I had a bad habit of reacting according to my feelings . Caria seemed to understand how I felt . So, she looked the other way with a very triumphant look .
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I see . It was definitely a bad . Yes, a very bad move from my part . No wonder she had a suspicious impression . I did act on impulse because of Filaret la Volgograd’s insulting remarks . However, even if my actions were driven by an urge of hate, I did think that it was the best approach to take on that moment .
「…But I wonder about that girl . The one called Filaret la Volgograd . I’m sure that man will keep his word, but she is a different story . I don’t think she is a person that can be persuaded that easily, much less businesses that involve money or other riches . 」
I knew it . Largud Ann was actually a person who could read the situation effectively .
She had just met Filaret la Volgograd and, yet, she was able to assess the depths of her character . She seemed to have a good ability to evaluate other people thoughts .
In fact, Largud Ann was able to see if people had capable abilities or not . Ms . Ninz left me a letter . It introduced the name of our guide and explained that she had great persuasive and negotiating skills . It was probably due to her ability to judge other people’s characters . To be honest, she was quite straightforward with us . She told Caria and I about this Guild and that we had to make a registration inside . So, she possessed interpersonal skills . It seemed that this person introduced by Ms . Ninz was not just a mere name after all .
Nonetheless, I felt terrible whenever I thought about those two and how I met them again . My mind was narrow and my heart felt heavy for hiding a bad feeling for this long .
「They’ll come . That’s my opinion . 」
Caria spoke after she heard Largud Ann’s skeptical words . Despite the bad taste, I poured some ale onto my stomach .
「I really wonder if they’ll come . You also have good eyes when it comes to evaluating other people, but it’s different when it comes to a woman’s heart . 」
Largud Ann looked at Caria with pale eyes .
To tell the truth, for me, Largud Ann looked more of a woman than Caria . Largud Ann had a petite frame, while Caria was a bit of a tomboy . Largud Ann probably didn’t see Caria as a sensitive woman . Honestly, I never thought that anyone would be brave enough to imply directly to Caria that she was, in fact, oblivious about a woman’s heart .
「I saw her once . Just as you said, she isn’t a person that can be persuaded that easily . However, I also think that she won’t miss the opportunity to attend this meeting . Besides, what does she has to lose? I’m sure she’s curious…Wanna bet that she’ll come? 」
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I was impressed to hear the conversation between the tiny frail woman that sat on the barrel and the tomboy who drank ale . This talk was becoming a battle of the feminine side ever since a woman’s heart was mentioned .
They bet on a bottle of wine . On that moment, Caria’s eyes changed dramatically .
The gaze of her silver eyes burnt like vivid flames . Besides that, her body was too straight and stiff as if her spine was frozen . I didn’t know how this was going to be like, but I was certain of something . Both of them didn’t have the intention of losing this bet .
My stomach hurt like it had been twisted . I had an ominous feeling about this . I mean, I stood in between the both of them . There was no way I could feel comfortable on this position . Surely nothing good will come out of this .
*bell sound*
The doors’ bells rang whenever someone entered the tavern . The people in the tavern didn’t care about the new guests as they kept drinking and talking . But, not us . One of us was perplexed, while the other was pleased .
Caria grabbed the prized bottle of wine and drank it vigorously . She won .
—
「We’re here to talk about our request and your condition . 」
Filaret la Volgograd’s clear voice echoed through the tavern . Her voice was very different from Caria’s . A voice that strangely remained in our ears .
My party consisted of three people . Caria, Largud Ann and me . The other party consisted of Filaret and the future hero Helot Stanley . Five people surrounded a wood table .
I tried to keep my mind calm . I made an extra effort to control my heartbeats . Then, she opened her lips and began to talk .
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「First . The request involves the old religion . This religions specialized in heraldry . * You’ll have to escort me to the infamous temple ruins, and you must provide cooperation and aid for the expedition . 」
Heraldry . The old religion was often depicted in the designs of the religious temples . At least, that was what I heard before . But, it was from a long time ago . The current faith doesn’t allow images or designs in churches . They call it heresy . So, I didn’t know that there were some people interested in studying the old sculptures and carvings .
The temples from the heraldic order were mostly destroyed or lost . People often said that some believers survived the change of times and continued to offer their faith to the old religion . But, large-scale temples did no longer exist . Most perished when the new faith became mainstream .
When the location of the temple was appealing, the new faith would use the structures to rebuild a church . If the location were undesirable, then they would be destroyed . But, if the location was ominous, it would be left intact and abandoned, becoming the habitat of wild animals and evil spirits . It seemed that this request corresponded to the latter, an abandoned temple in ruins .
「Second . If you find something peculiar, you should bring it with you and submit to us . You mustn’t forget this . Of course, we shall reward you with these… 」
A big sack with coins was placed on the table .
It was strange to see a full sack of coins as our payment . Well, there was nothing wrong with the payment itself . But, it was quite unusual for Filaret to give us this considerable amount of money . She was always the person who was meticulous with her finances . She would hoard everything valuable she could find . That’s why her action seemed dubious to me .
Of course, I didn’t know her on this timeline, so I won’t abandon the possibility that she wasn’t always crazy about hoarding riches .
「Okay, this is the request . Now, let’s hear your condition . 」
Filaret’s mouth closed and her eyes looked attentively at us . She seemed to be a person that was aware of her intentions, even in the past . Her facial expression showed some curiosity .
I pointed one finger to them while I opened my mouth to speak .
「First of all, I would like to receive a payment in advance separately from the reward . In order to achieve this request, don’t you think that preparation is essential? 」
When I spoke my first condition, I could see that Filaret clench her teeth .
Next to her, Helot Stanley narrowed his eyes when he heard the condition .
In fact, I really needed the pre-payment money . One of my rusty knives remained broken and I didn’t have much money to afford to stay a night at an inn . In order to start this new life, it was necessary to have some solid money first .
「And, the second one… 」
I showed them my finger for the second time . Filaret’s expression showed a crimson mixed color on her face . She clearly heard my words before, but it seemed that she didn’t have fully digested the contents of my previous condition .
She was becoming gradually impatient . Then, I slowly turned my gaze directly towards her .
「Filaret la Volgograd, you’re a Sorceress, right? If I’m correct, then, you shall take an oath…You must swear to me that you’ll never do anything to harm me . 」
Their throats swallowed dry and their eyebrows wrinkled profusely . Besides clenching her teeth, the Sorceress began to bite her own lips . Her jaw was pressed heavily . On that moment…
「…Please wait a minute . I understood the purpose of your first condition for our request . But, I don’t think that your second condition is reasonable . What you’re asking is too far-fetched . Who thinks to ask for an oath as a condition? This is absurd . 」
The perplexed words of Helot Stanley echoed everywhere .
Yeah, I knew it too well . I was aware that he would bite my bait . My plan was successful for now .
I could see that his gaze showed a bit of hostility towards us . Ah, this feeling was comforting . It was the first time that I understood how it felt to have someone show this type of hostility towards me . It was always the reverse in my past life, I was always the one to suffer and have hostile feelings towards him . Ah, this reversal was a very pleasant thing .