Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Buying Me with Money?
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A street bustling with countless people passing by.
Lia's footsteps came to a halt in front of one particular building.
"...This is the place?"
Lia muttered unconsciously as she looked up at the building where she had arrived.
It was completely different from the kind of place she had imagined.
...Had she read the address wrong?
Even after thinking that and double-checking the address several times, it still pointed to this building.
Lia, confirming the address once more, scanned her surroundings with a slightly flustered expression.
She even asked at a nearby shop in case she had taken a wrong turn, but the answer was the same.
Lia lifted her head and gazed up at the building right in front of her.
Guild House. Lia knew exactly what kind of place this was.
In fact, she knew it all too well, which only made her more bewildered.
"It was definitely supposed to be a D-rank mercenary corps."
The nameplate on the building clearly read "Ian Mercenary Corps."
Lia recalled the moment Rebecca had introduced her to Ian.
Maybe Rebecca had said it was B-rank or even A-rank, and she'd misheard?
Lia paced back and forth in front of the building for a while, lost in thought, before finally standing before the door.
No matter how much she agonized over it, the address she'd verified multiple times wasn't going to change.
Like it or not, she had to meet Ian and wrap up yesterday's incident.
"......"
Finally standing before the door, Lia stared at it with weary eyes.
She hadn't slept a wink last night.
After that incident, Lia had hurried straight back to her inn...
But the shock of her secret hobby being discovered kept her heart pounding relentlessly, refusing to calm down.
Even when she closed her eyes to sleep, those thoughts kept resurfacing, tossing and turning until dawn broke without a single moment of rest.
It wasn't tension keeping sleep at bay—her mind, having stayed up all night, felt foggy like it was shrouded in mist.
"...Let's just get this over with."
Dragging it out any longer wouldn't change anything.
After agonizing in front of the door for a while, Lia finally knocked cautiously.
...No turning back now.
As she waited for the door to open, Lia quietly closed her eyes.
What kind of attitude would that man take toward her?
If he were just a simple D-rank mercenary, she could ignore him and be done with it.
Among mercenaries who had nothing to their names, trust ultimately came down to rank.
But...
'...He seemed pretty close with Rebecca.'
Her instincts wouldn't be fooled by clumsy lies.
If word reached Rebecca's ears, she'd definitely dig into the truth.
And if she had to discuss that topic with Rebecca... all her embarrassing actions would be laid bare.
She had to prevent that at all costs.
"Who is it?"
Lia's eyes snapped open at the sudden voice.
The guild house door had opened before she knew it.
Peeking out from inside was a woman with red hair braided down her back—a complete stranger.
"...Who?"
"Pardon?"
Catching sight of the unexpected person, Lia reflexively asked, only for Tanya—the one who'd opened the door for the guest—to look flustered in turn.
"......"
"......"
The two flustered women stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.
Lia recovered first, just a little.
"Is this the Ian Mercenary Corps?"
"Yes, it is. What brings you here?"
A mercenary from this corps, huh.
Lia's foggy mind from lack of sleep finally started turning a bit.
Of course. It's a mercenary corps... so there would be mercenaries here.
Having only thought about what to say to Ian, Lia was a little thrown off by this unforeseen encounter.
Lia tried to introduce herself to Tanya, the mercenary who had opened the door.
"I'm..."
Hm.
Lia paused for a moment.
...What should she even say?
"I was out naked strolling last night, got caught by your leader, and now I'm here because he blackmailed me"?
As Lia hesitated in confusion, Tanya gauged her reaction and cautiously asked.
"Are you here to see the leader?"
Tanya recalled Ian mentioning earlier that a guest might come looking for her today.
A red-haired mercenary, just as he'd described. Thinking this must be her, Tanya asked, and Lia nodded belatedly.
"Please, come in."
Her first impression was a bit odd, but Tanya opened the door wider and guided Lia inside, treating her like a guest.
Following Tanya's lead, Lia entered the lounge on the first floor.
"Rin, could you get the leader? We have a guest."
Tanya called up the stairs.
A moment later, a faint "Got it" came from above.
In the meantime, seated where Tanya had guided her, Lia looked around.
The space was furnished quite elegantly.
It was far too nice for a place where a D-rank mercenary corps lived.
...Is this the kind of base a D-rank mercenary corps can afford?
Even as a C-rank mercenary herself, Lia had been staying at inns without settling into a group, so the sheer scale of this impressive base made her feel a bit intimidated.
"He'll be down soon."
As Tanya brought her a cup of guest tea, Rin and Mika came down the stairs.
Hearing about the guest, the two descended to the first floor first and cautiously observed Lia.
Likewise, Lia stole glances at the new mercenaries, sizing them up.
The one who opened the door and brought tea... doesn't seem like a fighter.
The others: one swordsman, one mage.
They didn't look particularly experienced either.
She'd wondered if maybe it was a B- or A-rank corps hiding their strength, observing the members... but no, they really seemed D-rank level.
...What's the deal with this mercenary corps?
As she pondered, someone else came down the stairs.
"Hey. You're early."
The person Lia had been waiting for. Ian made his entrance.
Ian sat down across from Lia, and soon a teacup was placed in front of him as well.
The members stepped away to give them privacy for the conversation, but the two facing each other remained silent for a long while.
The two sat holding their teacups without a word for some time.
Ian quietly sipped his tea, while Lia couldn't bring herself to speak first and merely tilted her cup.
The quiet silence stretched on quite long.
In the end, it was Lia—the one in the more urgent position—who spoke first.
"About yesterday..."
Why had she done something like that?
Recalling that night's events, Lia's face faintly flushed.
Of course, it had been risky. Lia knew that full well in her head.
No matter how early in the morning, if someone happened by, she could run into them at any moment.
Of course, that's what made the dangerous thrill of it appealing...
Even if caught, she'd thought she could somehow talk her way out.
Looking back now that she actually had been caught, it really had been a foolish thing to do.
"About yesterday... well, I can keep it a secret."
As Lia faltered, unable to continue, Ian finally broached the topic she wanted to address.
Keeping it secret wouldn't be hard.
They weren't enemies, and just from one encounter, spreading Lia's dirty little secret wouldn't benefit Ian at all.
The issue was what Ian would demand in return.
Lia watched Ian with a tense expression.
Thinking it was just a normal D-rank mercenary corps, Lia figured he'd probably demand money.
If it was within a reasonable range, she'd pay without complaint.
But...
Glancing around, Lia took in the guild house interior.
It looked like they'd transplanted an entire noble mansion inside.
By her own estimation, there was no way she could prepare an amount of money that would satisfy this man with her own abilities.
Gazing at Ian sitting across from her, Lia cautiously spoke up.
"There must be something you want from me... in exchange, right?"
Lia swallowed hard, her face tense.
If not money, then what price could she pay?
Various imaginations from last night flashed through Lia's mind.
Looking at this building, it was hard to think of them as a simple D-rank mercenary corps.
She couldn't possibly resist such people.
Having her weakness in their grasp...
Maybe in the basement of this building. Locked in a dark dungeon.
Chained with cold shackles and a collar, imprisoned.
Heh heh...
Ian looking down at Lia with a cold smile.
Lia glaring at Ian with an angry expression, shouting what he planned to do to her.
But bound by chains, Lia could only glare powerlessly, unable to resist.
"Your words say one thing, but you're honest down here," he'd say.
Then Ian would reach out toward the bound Lia...
"Here. Read it over, and sign if it suits you."
Hearing Ian's voice addressing her, Lia jolted back to reality from her momentary daze.
During their talk, Ian picked up the documents he'd set aside nearby.
Something he'd prepared in advance for when Lia came.
A document of unknown nature.
It was a contract.
Lia, swallowing nervously with a tense expression, took the document placed before her and cautiously read the first line.
What unreasonable demands could be written there?
Application to Join.
"...Application to join?"
Lia muttered, looking down at the paper in her hand.
"You're looking for a mercenary corps, right?"
"You want me to join this one?"
Lia frowned slightly as she took the application.
It was true that Lia was in a tough spot with her weakness exposed right now.
But that was entirely separate from this.
Lia wasn't treating mercenary work like a game.
"If you're trying to blackmail me with that incident..."
"Just read the contract first."
The back page of the application contained the employment terms.
Lia's gaze involuntarily shifted to the contract.
Reading it wouldn't change anything.
Even if he used that incident to force her into this D-rank mercenary corps under unfair conditions...
Unfair...
"......"
Lia's eyes twitched slightly as she read the contract.
She double-checked the numbers to make sure she wasn't misreading.
Slowly scanned for any sneaky fine print she might have missed.
Before she knew it, Lia had meticulously read the contract several times.
Her voice a bit more subdued than before, Lia glared at Ian and said.
"...Are you trying to buy me with money right now?"
How else do you buy mercenaries if not with money?
After about three minutes of deliberation, Lia's signature finally went on the contract.