Chapter 89
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Trying to Buy Me with Money
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"Who's Ian? I heard he was here."
An A-rank mercenary who had come from Labyrinth City.
Frey's gaze swept over each of the corps members inside the lodging one by one.
Frey's eyes, which had been passing over them one at a time, soon stopped in front of Ian.
Even before names had been introduced, Frey seemed to recognize him somehow, his pupils gleaming with a strange light.
Ian took a moment to observe Frey as well.
A small stature that Ian had to look down at considerably.
Deep dark circles and a face that looked utterly exhausted were particularly striking.
Ian stared openly at Frey before speaking.
"You've got a lot of curses on you."
Having briefly checked Frey's status, Ian could also see the considerable buildup of erosion and curses afflicting him.
[Paranoia], [Anxiety], [Superstition Obsession], [Nervous Breakdown], [Treasure Greed]...
It was far worse than the combined state of his own members right after they'd returned from the labyrinth not long ago.
"Huh? You can see curses?"
Frey spoke with a surprised look upon hearing Ian.
Normally, one could only vaguely sense ominous auras clinging to their own body; detecting curses dwelling in someone else's was a rare ability.
He doesn't look like the type, so maybe he's got incredibly sharp senses.
Thinking that, Frey approached Ian.
"If you've got a talent like that, why not become a priest instead of a mercenary?"
Frey plopped down uninvited on the sofa right in front of Ian.
He spoke as if it were no big deal.
"You get used to it. The thoughts from curses are obvious, so just ignore them."
"Still, it'd be better to get them treated."
Hearing Ian, Frey waved a hand dismissively with an annoyed expression.
"I'm heading back in soon anyway, so when would I have time to clear them? If I cleared every single one, I couldn't even enter once every two months."
"Leaving curses untreated for too long has bad effects."
"You sound just like a priest. You could work at a temple right away. Want me to hook you up with a job there?"
Frey smirked at Ian.
It was exactly the kind of thing priests and nuns he occasionally ran into would say in a panic.
Ian didn't say anything more.
He'd probably heard it enough to be sick of it. And as a higher-ranked mercenary, he'd handle it himself.
Wrapping up the talk, Frey quietly observed Ian.
He didn't seem unaware of who Frey was, and his attitude was quite relaxed.
"Hmm..."
Frey leaned in close to Ian's face.
Reaching out to grab Ian's face, Frey peered at it this way and that, as if appraising equipment.
Frey's eyes sparkled with an odd glint.
"...What to do?"
"Let's look a bit more first..."
From a short distance away, the members gathered and whispered while watching Frey.
They wondered if they should stop his weird behavior toward Ian, but Ian's guests had been oddballs more than once or twice.
In the end, since Ian was staying still, they decided to just watch for now.
"Is this all your members?"
"Some are still back in Labyrinth City."
"Excluding the support staff."
"This is the whole main force."
Frey's gaze, which had been fixed on Ian, shifted to the other members gathered nearby.
Rin and Lia.
Mika.
Tanya.
And even the fairy fluttering around nearby.
As Frey's eyes turned that way, the fairy hurriedly hid behind Tanya.
Frey turned back to Ian and asked.
"How much for your whole corps?"
"Buying out the mercenary corps? I'm not really considering..."
"I'll give you 3,000 gold."
"......"
Everyone listening to the conversation fell silent.
It wasn't a price you'd casually throw out to acquire a C-rank corps you'd just met.
Ian, whose words had been cut off by Frey, calmly shook his head again as if it were nothing.
"No thanks."
"Oh. Haggling? I don't make second offers. Everyone regrets it later and comes crawling back, but no one takes them."
"No."
Frey grinned and plopped back onto the sofa.
As Frey stared at Ian with an amused chuckle.
Someone new opened the door and entered.
"Captain!"
"Keh..."
Frey flinched in surprise and looked up from the sofa.
A tall blonde woman who had entered the lodging spotted Frey and shouted.
"How can you just barge into someone else's corps lodging like that!"
"Wait a sec. I'm in the middle of acquisition talks."
"What are you gonna do with another corps! The last one you bought, you've just been paying basic salary for months since there's no work!"
The blonde, who seemed to be from Frey's corps, strode over and snatched up the cowering Frey from the sofa.
"Hold on, my treasure sensor's going off here."
"Get that treated quick too! Before I slap a mana seal on you and drag you to the temple for admission."
Finishing her exchange with Frey, the mercenary belatedly noticed Ian and gave an awkward smile.
"Sorry about our captain, Captain Ian. Don't mind what he said."
"Ah, sure..."
The mercenary tucked the limp, flailing Frey under her arm and turned to leave.
"Hoo..."
Ian let out a sigh.
Having suddenly met such a person without any mental preparation, even Ian had been a bit tense.
As the guests who had blown in and out like a storm departed, the members gathered around Ian and belatedly asked.
"Who was that?"
"An A-rank corps."
"Huh? A-rank?"
Hearing that the people who'd just left were A-rank mercenaries, everyone looked back at the door with stunned faces.
"Why would an A-rank come here all of a sudden?"
"Remember the Kraken report? They probably called in from Labyrinth City thinking it was real."
But upon arriving in a hurry, they'd have heard the incident was already resolved.
So they'd come looking for Ian.
Ian checked the item Frey had secretly tossed him before being dragged away.
In the moment no one was looking, it had quietly flown over and slipped precisely into Ian's pocket. A business card made of gold.
...Meaning come find me later?
"Should've gotten an autograph..."
Upon hearing it was an A-rank, Rin muttered with a frustrated look, a bit late.
"Phew, home sweet home..."
Finishing their long vacation, the members who arrived at the guild house all flopped down exhausted.
It had been a week where they'd truly learned what it meant to be worn out from having fun.
Without even the energy to unpack, they sprawled on the sofas in the base lounge they hadn't seen in ages.
"...Did you enjoy your vacation?"
"Louise? You're up."
A slightly eerie voice addressed Ian.
Ian startled and turned to see Louise trudging up from the basement.
She glanced at the sprawled members and spoke to Ian.
"After making me do all that grueling work."
There was real bite in her words.
Truth be told, they hadn't planned such a long vacation.
Various circumstances had arisen, stretching the originally scheduled break far longer than intended.
"Next time, come with."
"No, I wouldn't have gone to a place like that anyway..."
Perhaps just saying it, Louise shook her head in distaste.
With her quintessential alchemist personality, she didn't care for such spots.
Even without her urgent research, she probably would've refused a trip to the sea.
Instead, Louise smiled, her face darker than usual.
"Hehehe... It's complete."
In Louise's hand was a small potion bottle. The liquid sloshing inside was a color familiar to Ian.
"This is it?"
"You finished it!"
Ian quickly took the potion bottle. It was exactly the one he'd commissioned.
A potion worth 20 gold in performance fees and effort. Ian's weary expression brightened instantly.
"We can start production right away."
"Production?"
Louise, who had asked with a puzzled face, realized it was a foolish question.
Of course, since they'd developed it to use. They wouldn't need just one sample.
"Ah, right. How much do you need?"
"As much as possible."
Louise blinked at Ian, staring.
"From now on, keep making as much as you can nonstop. The more, the better."
Hoo...
Sure, he paid well.
But really, no matter how much he paid, it was too much.
Louise let out a small sigh and narrowed her eyes.
She wasn't Ian's subordinate.
Though Ian had invested big money, they were ultimately partners.
...Normally, investors had strong influence, but she'd endured plenty this time.
Deciding she had to say something, Louise opened her mouth.
"Oh, right. I stopped by the guild on the way back. A store spot opened up."
"A store?"
Louise froze.
"The shop near the clock tower is vacating, so I signed the contract there. We'll check it out together later."
"My store? In Clock Tower Square?"
Looking as if under an illusion spell, Louise asked blankly.
"Yeah. They said a spot opened on the first floor there."
"First floor?"
"Figured you'd need a lab and living space too, so I reserved the whole building for now. We'll see it in person and decide what to use."
"......"
Louise quietly returned to the basement.