Chapter 18: Labyrinth (4)
The moment I heard the girl's words, I scowled deeply. Hadn't this kid learned her lesson yet?
'We almost died, and now she wants us to save someone else?'
She'd just barely escaped death herself, yet here she was demanding we rescue another person. It might sound noble at first glance, overflowing with mercy and all that, but coming from someone as powerless as her, it rang more hollow than an echo in an empty cave. That's why I turned her down flat.
"No way. I don't wanna die."
It might come off as heartless, but this was my limit. My head was already a total mess from that last close call—asking me to risk it all again, and for free? Hell no.
At my response, the girl started sniffling again, then wailing outright.
"Hic! Save Shallet pleeease!!"
I couldn't help it—I slapped her cheeks twice more and said, "The two things I hate most in the world are people who demand favors with no strings attached, and whiny little brats. I'm being real patient right now."
Finally getting the picture, she went quiet, her face all gloomy as the tears stopped. I pressed on without missing a beat.
"And show some respect to your elders."
She reacted like she hated the idea, but when I flashed my palm, she nodded obediently. Yeah, spoiled brats like her need a good smack to straighten up.
With the girl finally calming down, I said, "No more time for whining. Let's go—I'm busy."
I held out my hand, but she shook her head and stomped her foot, refusing to budge. That nearly pushed me over the edge into just ditching her right there. Actually, screw it—I was seriously about to turn and walk away.
As I gave her the cold shoulder and started leaving, she grabbed me in a panic.
"If, if you save her, I'll reward you big time... sir!"
That made me pause and turn back. Free labor? Pass. But a proper reward? Now we're talking. I eyed the girl coolly as she pitched her deal.
"What can you offer? And be specific—I need details. If it's some boring 'I'll give you everything I have' crap, I'm outta here."
Just in case it was kid talk, I laid it out upfront. She nodded and laid out her terms.
"Uh, well... first, 50 gold coins... and... I'll talk to my mom to hook you up with adventurer perks toooo..."
I could live with delayed payment. But I couldn't hide my underwhelmed reaction. Perks were something I'd get soon enough by ranking up anyway, and while 50 gold was decent, with my alchemy skills at 120%, it wasn't impossible to earn on my own.
She panicked at my meh vibe and threw out more offers, but nothing really hooked me. Ditch her and bail, or drag her along?
Right as I was mulling it over, she dropped a bombshell reward that flipped everything.
"I-I'll ask the knight to join your party!"
"A knight?"
"Y-Yes..."
A knight—just like I'd told my master, the medieval equivalent of a tank. No, being under one would confirm it even more: in this world, knights weren't just tanks; they were walking airstrikes. I nearly bit on the spot, but luckily I kept my cool and studied her slowly.
Her pupils were shaking, lips trembling—she was hiding something. I pressed her.
"The person you're introducing is a real knight, right?"
"Y-Yes!"
Especially in a medieval fantasy where gods actually existed, knights rode near-invincible mounts too.
"Swear on the gods?"
"W-Well..."
She hemmed and hawed, then hung her head and spilled the truth.
"Sh-She's a former knight."
A former knight? I paused, pondering what that meant, then it hit me.
"You're hooking me up with a retiree?"
Ex-knight probably meant retired. But nope, I was off.
"No! Eek! N-No, I mean... a knight from a disgraced family."
A disgraced knight? 'Knights can even get stripped of their title?'
I knew knights were like tanks, but getting fired? They were a lord's prized firepower, eating tons but earning their keep. No wonder I thought that—my info came from scattered forum scraps. I'd never even read a wiki page on knights.
But that thought didn't last. 'Rebellion or losing a power struggle? Yeah, that'd do it.'
I got the gist. Still, one question first.
"What'd she get fired for?"
If it was noble infighting gone wrong, even I'd hesitate. The girl pondered, cleared her throat, and confessed.
"Sh-She got drunk and beat up a young noble knight from a nearby house..."
Holy shit—not power games, but straight-up challenging noble pride?
"B-But she won the fight... sir!"
She said it like it was a brag. I stared at her in disbelief, and she sheepishly looked away—good, at least she knew it was embarrassing. A family knight getting booted for drunken brawling? Nobles obsessed with face wouldn't brag about that.
Anyway. 'If she's got real skills, it could work.'
The deal wasn't bad. Like I'd told my master, knights here were tanks incarnate. Snagging one would skyrocket our party's power.
"Y-Yes! And she owes me money from last time, so she has to pay up!"
Real stand-up gal, borrowing cash from a kid who looks too young for middle school and not paying it back. Proof she wasn't exactly normal. Though getting blackout drunk and punching a noble kid already screamed that.
Whatever—not locked in yet. Meet her first, decide later. Bottom line: worth saving.
But that was just me—Lilia's call mattered too. I turned to her.
"What do you think, Lilia?"
"Hmm, I-I think it's fine. Knights who dive into the labyrinth are usually rated high for deep-floor potential."
News to me—knights were Labyrinth darlings too, not just ground-pounders. I nodded at Lilia's take and told the girl,
"Fine. We'll save that Shallet or whatever if you deliver on everything you promised."
"R-Really?!"
"Polite."
"...Sir."
"Yeah."
I nodded, and her face lit up with relief. Shallet must mean a lot to her.
Just as the mood thawed—
[Over here! Tracks!]
[Chase 'em!]
[Hurry, they're bolting!!]
The bandits' shouts echoed. I said,
"Run first, plan later, then move."
"Got it."
"You, stay quiet."
"O-Okay..."
We bolted back to the makeshift camp Lilia and I had rigged. "Phew, safe here for now."
Lilia nodded. "First things first, kid—what's your name?"
"M-Me? I-I'm Lobrael Isabel, sir..."
"Got it. I'm Rike—no family name. This is Lilia."
"Lilit Lilia, at your service."
Introductions done, we huddled on how to handle this mess. Answer came quick—obvious, really. We were hopelessly outnumbered. Direct fight? Suicide. So, guerrilla tactics: whittle 'em down bit by bit.
Partisan meta, baby. Specifically, alchemy-succubus style.
But to pull that off...
"Lilia."
"Yes?"
"Strip."
"P-Pardon?"
"Take it off."
We needed to amp her power. "Hiiik—!"
Oh, right—hide the kid first.