Chapter 17
Chapter 17
A Coupon That Grants Anything
Kite County.
As we reached the city gates, two soldiers saluted us.
Feels like I’m some kind of soldier.
I lowered my head slightly and returned the salute.
Is this how you do it?
Honestly, I had no idea.
Then one of the soldiers rushed forward and dropped to one knee in front of Prelia.
“Lady Prelia! I heard what happened, but seeing you safe truly brings me joy!”
“Thank you!”
“Were you hurt at all…? Ah! The Count is waiting for you, so please head to the castle at once!”
The soldier cut himself off and immediately returned to his guard position.
It seemed he wanted to reunite the Count and Prelia as quickly as possible.
Yuna gently patted Prelia’s head.
“Looks like it worked. Good job.”
“Right?”
Prelia clung to Yuna and laughed happily.
Yuna had taught Prelia how to send her thoughts to a familiar far away.
I hadn’t known whether she’d succeeded, but judging by the soldier’s reaction, it seemed she had.
By now, the Count must have been desperately waiting for her.
After entering Kite County, we headed straight for the castle.
But we never made it there.
In the middle of the city, we ran into the Count himself, accompanied by guards and a massive bear.
Apparently, waiting calmly for Prelia to arrive at the castle had been impossible for him.
And so, the reunion between the Count and Prelia happened right there in the center of the city.
The Count shouted.
“Prelia!”
At the sound of his voice, Prelia stopped.
“Dad…!”
Until now, Prelia had been following us bravely, acting as though nothing was wrong.
But the moment she saw the Count’s face, tears began pouring from her eyes.
A moment later, she ran straight into his arms.
“Waaah!”
“Are you hurt anywhere?! Why have you become so thin?!”
“Daaad!”
Yuna watched the scene with her lips puffed out.
But Melraim alone wore a complicated expression.
Was it because of Sara’s memories as a member of the bandits?
Because even the memories of the culprit had mixed together?
Hmm… hard to say.
Still, just in case, maybe we shouldn’t let her eat random things anymore.
After holding Prelia tightly for a long time, the Count finally seemed to remember us and approached Tanya.
The Count clasped both of Tanya’s hands and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you. Truly. You saved Prelia… you saved me.”
“Uh…? No… you don’t need to thank me! It was a request, that’s all!”
Why does she keep speaking casually to nobles…?
At this rate, she’ll get executed.
But the Count didn’t mind Tanya’s casual speech at all.
His face was still wet with tears, yet he smiled brightly.
“Indeed! Since it was a request, I must reward you. Come to the castle first!”
A reward…
We had accomplished something incredible.
Destroyed hundreds of bandits and rescued the Count’s only daughter.
You’d think I’d be looking forward to a huge reward.
But strangely, I wasn’t.
I was just happy we succeeded.
…Then why did I feel so uneasy?
“Haah…”
I let out a sigh without knowing why.
Hearing it, Yuna tilted her head at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Hm… nothing.”
…
At the Count’s castle, we were treated with great hospitality.
And then we were brought to the audience chamber.
At the top of the raised platform stood an ornate chair, clearly the Count’s seat.
But the Count didn’t climb onto the platform.
Instead, he stood before us at eye level and asked,
“For the reward for this matter, is there anything you wish for? I thought carefully about what adventurers as remarkable as you might want…”
The Count glanced at my sword before continuing.
“But in the end, I couldn’t think of anything. My apologies.”
Something a great adventurer would want…
I had no idea.
Maybe the others did.
But not me.
I wasn’t some great adventurer.
What had I even done to deserve talking about rewards?
I had no right.
At that moment, Melraim spoke.
“Luca, if nothing comes to mind, may I handle the negotiation?”
“Yeah… do whatever you want.”
Melraim boldly addressed the Count.
“Count, there were two parts to your request. Naturally, we ask for two rewards.”
“Go ahead.”
The Count didn’t look nervous or troubled at all.
He looked ready to give away everything he had if necessary.
“First, fifty gold coins. We need them immediately, so I’d like them paid as soon as possible.”
The Count tilted his head and nodded.
To him, it must have sounded like a trivial amount.
Melraim continued.
“And second, in the name of the Kite family’s honor, I want you to grant us one favor.”
“…To your party?”
Then Melraim asked,
“You haven’t forgotten that we rescued the highest-priority heir of House Kite, have you?”
The Count answered, sounding flustered.
“Ah… it’s not that it’s difficult. I’m simply surprised. I never expected to hear such a request from adventurers.”
“So? Your answer?”
The Count nodded obediently.
“As you wish. House Kite acknowledges its debt to Sir Luca’s party. In the name of our family’s honor, we swear to grant whatever you ask, one time. I can have it written into an official document.”
“No need. I don’t doubt you’ll keep your word.”
Melraim glanced at Tanya.
The Count followed his gaze and glanced at Tanya as well.
It was an obvious threat, but the Count only smiled and nodded.
“I see. As for the fifty gold coins, I’ll inform the treasurer at once.”
Melraim nodded.
“Then we should be going. You should spend time with your daughter.”
Melraim turned around, and naturally, we followed behind.
On the way out, Tanya turned and waved at the Count.
Seeing that, the Count lowered his head in return.
I quietly asked Melraim,
“What does it mean to stake his honor like that? I mean, I know what honor means, but…”
“Think of it as a debt a noble family must repay no matter what. Usually, it’s used to force military support or demand concessions in disputed territory.”
Ah…
So that’s why the Count had hesitated.
Among noble families, it might be common.
But making that kind of promise to adventurers?
That was unusual.
“And what are we even going to use that for?”
“No idea. But if we took all the reward in money, Yuna would definitely become lazy again.”
Yuna stared at Melraim with wide, round eyes.
…
We visited the Count’s treasurer and received five large gold coins.
And we even claimed the residence rights we’d almost forgotten.
After that, we headed to the estate and paid the remaining balance immediately.
It would take about five days before we could move in.
Now all that was left was to wait.
On the way back to the inn,
we were surrounded by countless people asking all sorts of questions.
After clearing the Pow Dungeon and raising our reputation, we became the town’s heroes in an instant.
But I didn’t welcome that treatment at all.
I’m not a hero.
I’m just a lucky guy sharing credit among capable party members.
Stop it.
When I got back to the inn, I threw myself onto the bed and shut myself away.
…
Two days later.
I hadn’t stepped outside even once.
Yuna had invited me out several times, saying she found something delicious.
But I didn’t want to go.
I couldn’t handle the admiring looks from people.
I didn’t deserve them.
I couldn’t protect anyone with my own strength.
In truth, I hadn’t accomplished anything.
I should at least go to the bathroom…
On the way out of my room, heading toward the restroom,
I happened to run into my party members.
“Where are you going?”
Yuna asked.
A necromancer who controlled dozens of enhanced skeletons and death knights.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she could destroy a city alone.
“Just… the bathroom.”
“Oh, right! That new estate has three bathrooms!”
Tanya said happily.
An assassin with speed and infiltration skills beyond common sense.
If escape wasn’t a concern, they said she could even kill a king.
“Luca, your expression doesn’t look good. Were you very exhausted?”
A legendary monster capable of throwing the entire continent into chaos if she wanted.
None of them belonged in a party with a warrior who could barely kill a single goblin.
I forced myself to speak.
“I’m just tired, I guess.”
I hurried away.
By the way, what were the three of them talking about together?
Well, it didn’t matter.
…
That night.
Suddenly, light filled my room.
“Huh?”
What? Did the lamp break?
As I got up to turn it off, a pretty voice spoke behind me.
“Luca.”
“Ah?!”
That scared me!
Wait, Tanya?
“You surprised me… what is it?”
“That’s surprising. I thought you’d be more scared.”
“Because the light suddenly turned on? I’m not a child…”
Tanya shook her head.
“No. Because it’s just the two of us.”
Ah…
Well, being alone with Tanya was kind of dangerous.
“At this point, that’s hardly new…”
In an instant, Tanya closed the distance and pressed two slender fingers against my neck.
“Really? You are a little scared… but that’s because I’m touching your neck.”
…Yeah. Since I’m scared, could you maybe move your hand?
“So, what is it?”
“Nothing much… I just wanted to thank you.”
Thank me for what?
If anything, I should be thanking her.
Rescuing Prelia and earning enough money to buy the estate—
most of that was Tanya’s doing.
Then Tanya continued.
“This is the first time I’ve ever been thanked for killing someone.”
“Ah…”
I remembered the Count’s face as he sincerely thanked her, holding both her hands.
Tanya nodded.
“Yeah. I always thought I was useless… no, worse. Someone who only causes trouble for others.”
Tanya wanted to kill people.
And she even had the ability to kill anyone and cover it up afterward.
That wasn’t the kind of thing you could brush off as “causing trouble.”
Still, the fact that she chose to hide away in the forest instead of giving in to her urges—
for that, I honestly wanted to praise her.
Well… even if I did end up getting stabbed.
Tanya continued.
“To be honest, back then, I thought it wouldn’t matter if you killed me.”
“Back then… when Melraim caught you?”
Tanya had definitely made no real attempt to resist when Melraim captured her.
She nodded and continued.
“I think becoming an adventurer was the right choice. Thank you for accepting me into the party.”
Then Tanya handed me a small piece of paper.
What’s this?
I looked at it.
[Tanya Usage Ticket]
The crooked handwriting made me laugh.
It reminded me of the sign Tanya had made in the mountains.
“What’s this?”
“If you use it, I’ll grant you anything you want.”
I looked back and forth between Tanya and the ticket.
All kinds of terrible thoughts crossed my mind.
I’m trash.
But Tanya’s next words immediately ended those thoughts.
“Even if the target is a king.”
I shut my eyes tightly.
This is an assassination coupon!
The idea of a Tanya Usage Ticket, and the handwriting, were undeniably cute.
But the gap between that cuteness and its terrifying purpose sent chills down my spine.
“Th-thanks. So if I use this, you’ll do it even if it puts you in danger?”
“Yep!”
I handed the ticket back to Tanya, who nodded brightly.
“Then take this back. And from now on, don’t kill innocent people. Promise me.”
Tanya puffed out her cheeks, her eyes beginning to water.
This is going to be troublesome…