When a Fox Becomes King Even in a Tiger’s Domain (2)
What the hell is she talking about...?
Her face was utterly delighted.
It was the look of someone curious, yes, but more than that, she seemed to be licking her lips.
“Honestly, nobody’s ever come right out and said something like this to me before... so you must be pretty confident, huh? To be blunt, your looks are my type, but... I’m more of a snake-face kind of woman. I like those slightly slanted eyes of yours. If I had to be precise, I wouldn’t exactly call you handsome, but you do look pretty damn charming.”
“Th-That...”
“I’m not completely immune to the urge to buy, I’ll give you that. But I think I should test whether you’re actually a product worth trusting first... so what do you say?”
She crossed her legs and tapped the seat beside her with two fingers.
Only then did I realize what she had taken my proposal to mean.
I was close to going red in the face.
What...?
The word “sponsor” must have caused a misunderstanding, but she didn’t look stupid enough to fail to understand the real meaning behind it.
Is she seriously not taking this seriously?
That was probably the likeliest explanation.
“That isn’t what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“Well...”
“Lee Kiyoung. When I say I’ll invest in you, I mean if you come to our guild. Naturally, that includes coming with your adorable lover. Even if you came alone, I’d still be willing to consider it, honestly. You don’t seem to have particularly dazzling talent, but... I’m not all that negative about alchemy. Building a good relationship in advance wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
“Ah.”
“But the idea of getting investment from us after moving to another guild? That’s nonsense. That’s not my job. That’s your guild’s job. Invest in a random outsider? It’d be more profitable to pay you to keep me company a few times a month. That’s what’s better for us. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Damn it.
The facts were punching upward way too hard.
In other words, she thought it was more efficient to invest in getting into bed with me than in Lee Kiyoung’s personal growth potential.
Of course, being treated like this wasn’t entirely bad.
Maybe it was an act, maybe it wasn’t, but she looked like she wanted me right now.
Though “want” was probably too generous. It felt more like she’d found an amusing new toy.
My pride, or whatever was left of it, told me to hate the fact that I was still calculating whether it would be profitable to become this woman’s obedient little dog right this second.
But still.
I can’t do that.
I couldn’t debase myself that far.
A toy that fell into someone’s hands once would inevitably get boring someday.
That wasn’t all I wanted.
“Of course I understand, Cha Heera-nim. I’m not asking you to become my personal sponsor. I’m asking you to sponsor our party—the party that clears the tutorial first this round. Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan will definitely grow. They may even become some of the strongest people on the continent.”
“So?”
“Pardon?”
“So what? Whether they grow or not has nothing to do with me. I’m already one of the strongest people in the world. And my guild members are solid enough to hold their own anywhere. I do want the mage, sure, but if I throw enough gold around, I can hire a mage anytime I want. The Red Mercenaries have the resources to hire mages from magic guilds or the Magic Tower on the spot. Even if Jung Hayan grows, that’ll take at least three years... so what reason would I have to sponsor you until then?”
“……”
“What I need are the mages of the Red Mercenaries. I don’t need what belongs to other people. And if you’re going to keep spouting nonsense, then come here nicely and act cute for me instead. I’ll pay you generously. I’ll even bring you gifts now and then.”
What the...?
The way she said she’d pay the price was honestly shocking.
It felt like no matter what I said, she’d just toss my words back at me like a joke.
I slowly pulled out the artifact I’d been holding in my lap.
Her expression said she was curious what I was doing. For a moment, there was even a flash of interest in her eyes.
That made sense.
It had been the item she’d tucked into my arms when we first met.
Mana Pendant — Rare Grade
A pendant that raises mana by 3. It also amplifies magical effects. The exact place it was found remains unknown.
“I don’t need this kind of thing.”
The look of bewilderment she shot me when the pendant dropped beside the bed was immediate.
She seemed unable to grasp what was happening.
“You...”
It was definitely a reckless move, but at least it had gotten her to talk to me seriously.
“Not gold.”
“……”
“What I need is your fame and your strength. I need the brand that is Mercenary Queen Cha Heera. I’m not interested in little things like this either.”
“Do you even understand what you’re doing right now? Everyone has an unspoken agreement not to lay a hand on new recruits, but the way you’re coming at this won’t end well for you. It looks like you’ve lost track of your place because good conditions keep flying your way...”
“Of course I know exactly where I stand. I know that one word from you could make me disappear without a trace right here and now, and I also know very well that I could wind up dead somewhere, and nobody would even notice...”
“……”
“That’s why I need you—no, that’s why I need you.”
I spoke slowly and looked at her.
At that instant, the room filled with killing intent and mana.
The pressure slammed into me all at once, nothing like the old man’s.
“Interesting. Since you know what you’re doing, it only makes me more annoyed. I can tell what you’re thinking, what you’re trying to say. For a moment there, I thought you’d even figured out what kind of person I am, which is kind of amusing... To be honest, you’re exactly my type. There aren’t many men who can stand in front of me like that. I don’t even know when I last got treated this way. Especially by a rookie who’s barely been in here...”
“……”
“Still, you do realize you’ve gone a bit too far, don’t you? Alchemy is supposed to be an equal exchange, after all. If you’re going to use me as your meat shield, then you’d better have something of equal value ready. If you don’t, you’ll have to take responsibility for what you’ve done.”
Speaking at all was a struggle.
But this wasn’t failure.
At the very least, I’d created room for a real conversation.
“Go on.”
“The first thing is... a share in the potions I’ll make from now on.”
My hands trembling, I pulled the Heroic-grade tome from my arms and tossed it onto the floor.
For a brief moment, interest flashed across her face.
“That sounds like you’re saying you could become something that great... I don’t know where you got a Heroic-grade tome, but if that’s all you’ve got, you’re going to have a rough time.”
“One percent... I’ll give you one percent.”
“That’s all?”
“You’ll be sitting on a mountain of money.”
It was shameless bluffing and blatant lying.
But from her perspective, it might sound strangely believable.
Why?
Because I was gambling with my life.
“The second thing is... a friendly relationship with our party.”
“I already told you. I’m not interested in anything that isn’t mine.”
“We’re going to grow beyond anything you can imagine.”
“You little con artist.”
“I’m not joking. We’ll get stronger, and we’ll become the guild that represents this empire. As an ally of the Red Mercenaries, we’ll always stand at your side. With a small investment now, you’ll be able to build a good relationship with us later—before any other guild or faction can.”
“You do realize what you’re saying sounds exactly like the bullshit long-winded bastards always peddle, right? Even if there’s no investment cost, there’s no guarantee your potion will turn out well, and no guarantee your party will actually grow.”
“Third.”
“……”
“I’ll provide the mages you need.”
“What nonsense.”
“I’ll select the people who come out of this tutorial with enough promise to draw real efficiency in at least three years—no, within two—and make a chart. Then I’ll hand that list over to you, Cha Heera-nim.”
She said nothing, but I could see she was listening.
If the Red Mercenaries’ project had only just begun, then my proposal had to be tempting her.
“It’s interesting, but... is that even possible?”
“The first reason I can be confident is that I’ll soon become an executive of the Blue Guild, and one who possesses the right to negotiate.”
“Hmm...”
“The second reason is...”
“……”
“It’s a secret.”
“You.”
“You said alchemy is, by nature, an equal exchange.”
That I could find people with talent—that was a secret.
Her protection was important, yes, but revealing everything would still be a loss on my end.
Cha Heera fell silent.
She was clearly thinking about my hidden card and the fact that her protection and my secret might not quite balance each other out in an equal exchange.
Please, let this end smoothly, like one of those boisterous characters in a manga laughing it off with a hearty “Ha-ha!”
But that didn’t seem to be happening.
She looked intensely serious, turning the matter over in her head. She’d started calculating the pros and cons.
Shit.
I began to suspect she might be trying to infer the secret I was hiding.
The certainty that our party would grow. And the fact that I could find the mages who’d allow that growth.
She might not have reached the full truth, but she could have arrived at part of the conclusion.
Did I reveal too much?
It was while I was biting my lip that she finally spoke.
“Make it three percent of the potions you create, not one. I’ll take the list of mages, and also a list of melee fighters. And I decide the method.”
“What...?”
“You said you needed my protection, didn’t you? No one will lay a hand on you. But I decide the way it’s done.”
“How...?”
“You’ll find out by tonight. So, are you in or not?”
There was naturally no reason to refuse.
“Thank you. I’m in your care.”
“Let’s set aside some time to talk separately later...”
I saw Cha Heera wave me off as if telling me to get out already.
Her expression was rather satisfied.
I could feel that she liked my proposal.
It worked.
Just as I turned and stepped out of the room, I caught sight of people crowding toward Cha Heera’s quarters.
They all looked like melee fighters.
A quick look with the Mind’s Eye told me they were Red Mercenaries’ executives.
They were probably there to discuss what had just happened.
No doubt they were talking about how to evaluate my proposal, and how to protect Lee Kiyoung personally.
The real issue was how they planned to protect me.
The moment I left the Red Mercenaries’ lodging in high spirits, a status window suddenly popped up, and with it, I could tell exactly what she was thinking.
You have obtained a title.
Title — Mercenary Queen’s Paramour
Damn it.
It was the first title I’d earned after crossing over to this continent.
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