Chapter 159: Negotiation (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 159: Negotiation (1)
On the evening of the seventeenth, all the members of our newly formed team gathered. The meeting place was a three-story bar that had opened not too long ago. At first, we were going to meet at Mr. Bear's tavern, but he very flatly refused.
"Hmm, our shop isn't good for secretive conversations."
"That's okay. Instead of expedition plans, we'll be talking about loot distribution—"
"Stop, there is a place I know. Let's go there."
Geez, I was just trying to help raise his profits. Was it the habit of a married man to refuse such things with disgust? I swear, this guy was an odd one.
"Am I the last one?" By the time Raven arrived, everyone was gathered.
"Don't be sorry, sit down."
"I came on time, why should I be sorry?"
Oh, that was true... but why was she being more snippy than usual? Ah, was she trying to come out swinging, since they were all strangers?
She's very shrewd when it comes to these things.
I had a feeling that she might have come right on the hour on purpose, but I didn't bother saying that. None of them had signed the contract yet. "Then let's briefly introduce ourselves."
After ordering a few dishes and drinks, we had time to get familiar with each other. Ainar started us off. "I am Ainar, the second daughter of Fenelin! Nice to meet you!"
"Um, Ainar? I think that's too shorrrt..." Missha, who had grown quite close to Ainar these past few days, said.
"D-Do I have to say more...? Sorry. I'm not used to these gatherings..." Ainar scratched her head in embarrassment. No one criticized her for it, though. Ainar was already acquainted with the entire team. She had been with Raven at the Bloody Citadel, and she had met Mr. Bear at his shop a few days ago.
"Miss Ainar... you're exactly the same."
"Thanks for the compliment. Wizard, you seem the same, too."
Anyway, in the end, I took the liberty of introducing Ainar myself, things like her adventurer ranking, her role in the team, et cetera.
After my briefing, Mr. Bear made a short comment. "Then there are two swordsmen?"
Before I could answer, Ainar interrupted to point out his supposed error. "Urakburak, I am a warrior, not a swordsman."
"My name is Urikfried... No, I said this last time, but can't you just call me Abman?"
"...I will try. The pronunciation is difficult."
"Pronunciation?"
"Is there a problem?"
Mr. Bear looked like he had a lot to say about that, but he ended the conversation with a deep sigh. He was slowly learning how to talk to a barbarian—namely, that the best thing was not to talk to them at all. "You're the only one I haven't met. I heard a lot from Bjorn. Abman Urikfried."
"Arua Raven. You're a scout, yes?"
Missha interrupted. "Ah, I am Missha Karlstein."
Afterward, the remaining three introduced themselves and conversed about their respective roles like professionals. With this, half of the first meeting was over. The food we ordered arrived then, so we continued our conversation over meals and drinks.
"This place is clean and has good food."
"If only my wife cooked like this..."
"Are you married, Mr. Urikfried?"
"Oh, I didn't mention. It has been three years now."
"Bjorn, this is called squid, would you like to trrry it? The texture is very unique."
The overall atmosphere was friendly until the topic of the labyrinth came up near the end of the meal.
"Anyway, let's get to the point now, shall we?"
"Yes, that's a good idea. Bjorn, how are you going to distribute the loot?"
When the problem of money came to the surface, the looks in everyone's eyes changed. Well, everyone except Ainar.
"Can't we just take what Bjorn gives us?"
"Maybe you can, Miss Ainar. But not us."
The wizard was quick to judge, and Mr. Bear had a family to protect. Both were nice people in private, but when the time came, they openly defended their rights.
"Missha is fine, but I think there's a problem with Ainar getting the same share. Of the five of us, she's the most lacking."
"Urakburak...! I-Is that what you think of me?! I-I trusted you! I thought you were a valuable comrade!"
"Be quiet. Bjorrrn will take care of it. Hm? Be nice."
"Ugh...!"
Ainar trembled at the betrayal, and Missha covered her mouth just in time to quiet her. However, seeing her like that must have made it a little hard for Mr. Bear to keep talking.
"Ahem..." Mr. Bear coughed and averted his gaze.
Raven smoothly took the baton and started her own appeal. "I don't really mind Miss Ainar or Karlstein. I'm a wizard, after all."
"...Speak."
"With me, you can store an essence in a Magic Vial and sell it. And since I know high-rank distortion magic as well, even if we want to get remains, we can obtain them much more easily."
"Are you asking to raise your share?"
"Yes. I want 30 percent."
Whew, right from the start, this was not easy. Dwalkie had accepted an equal share with a laugh and a smile. "...30 percent is too much."
"Of course not. All my seniors say they take that much."
Hey, who are you trying to fool?
There was no doubt wizards were treated well in the labyrinth—assuming everyone was equal. "Those seniors must have joined teams with lower rankings than themselves."
"Hmm, are you saying I haven't?"
Since Raven was a rank-six wizard, it was appropriate to treat her as a rank-five adventurer. Considering that Missha and I were rank six and Ainar was rank seven, Raven was clearly a higher rank.
"We'll find out once we start our quest." I was confident. Regardless of ranking, there was no world where she would end up carrying us single-handedly. "Isn't that why you wanted to join the team?"
"Well, that is true." Surprisingly, Raven readily admitted it. Was she just setting the stage for her next argument? "Still, it's also true that Miss Karlstein and Miss Fenelin are less crucial than the three of us."
"They'll pull their weight soon."
"Yes. I think so too. In one year... No, at the earliest, they will do their part in a few months. But why should I suffer a loss until then?"
Raven proposed that the team revise our distribution scale again later, once the two of them could proudly claim their share, and I accepted that logic to some extent. "The ratio is 20 percent for everyone. Instead, you'll have 40 percent of the special loot obtained through magic."
"Oh, I didn't mention. It has been three years now."
"Bjorn, this is called squid, would you like to trrry it? The texture is very unique."
The overall atmosphere was friendly until the topic of the labyrinth came up near the end of the meal.
"Anyway, let's get to the point now, shall we?"
"Yes, that's a good idea. Bjorn, how are you going to distribute the loot?"
When the problem of money came to the surface, the looks in everyone's eyes changed. Well, everyone except Ainar.
"Can't we just take what Bjorn gives us?"
"Maybe you can, Miss Ainar. But not us."
The wizard was quick to judge, and Mr. Bear had a family to protect. Both were nice people in private, but when the time came, they openly defended their rights.
"Missha is fine, but I think there's a problem with Ainar getting the same share. Of the five of us, she's the most lacking."
"Urakburak...! I-Is that what you think of me?! I-I trusted you! I thought you were a valuable comrade!"
"Be quiet. Bjorrrn will take care of it. Hm? Be nice."
"Ugh...!"
Ainar trembled at the betrayal, and Missha covered her mouth just in time to quiet her. However, seeing her like that must have made it a little hard for Mr. Bear to keep talking.
"Ahem..." Mr. Bear coughed and averted his gaze.
Raven smoothly took the baton and started her own appeal. "I don't really mind Miss Ainar or Karlstein. I'm a wizard, after all."
"...Speak."
"With me, you can store an essence in a Magic Vial and sell it. And since I know high-rank distortion magic as well, even if we want to get remains, we can obtain them much more easily."
"Are you asking to raise your share?"
"Yes. I want 30 percent."
Whew, right from the start, this was not easy. Dwalkie had accepted an equal share with a laugh and a smile. "...30 percent is too much."
"Of course not. All my seniors say they take that much."
Hey, who are you trying to fool?
There was no doubt wizards were treated well in the labyrinth—assuming everyone was equal. "Those seniors must have joined teams with lower rankings than themselves."
"Hmm, are you saying I haven't?"
Since Raven was a rank-six wizard, it was appropriate to treat her as a rank-five adventurer. Considering that Missha and I were rank six and Ainar was rank seven, Raven was clearly a higher rank.
"We'll find out once we start our quest." I was confident. Regardless of ranking, there was no world where she would end up carrying us single-handedly. "Isn't that why you wanted to join the team?"
"Well, that is true." Surprisingly, Raven readily admitted it. Was she just setting the stage for her next argument? "Still, it's also true that Miss Karlstein and Miss Fenelin are less crucial than the three of us."
"They'll pull their weight soon."
"Yes. I think so too. In one year... No, at the earliest, they will do their part in a few months. But why should I suffer a loss until then?"
Raven proposed that the team revise our distribution scale again later, once the two of them could proudly claim their share, and I accepted that logic to some extent. "The ratio is 20 percent for everyone. Instead, you'll have 40 percent of the special loot obtained through magic."
"All right."
Like that, Raven ended up taking the offer that a wizard belonging to a five-person team would normally receive—an equal share plus a bonus limited to magical loot. One person down. All that was left was Mr. Bear.
"I'll take 5 percent from Ainar and give it to you." In truth, considering he was a scout, it wouldn't be unreasonable to give him 10 percent more. "Since we haven't even gone on our first expedition yet, for now, be satisfied with that."
Mr. Bear readily agreed. Well, I was sure it would be a bit awkward for him to proudly claim his share. He may have been a scout, but his navigation ability was zero.
"Then this matter is settled."
Thus, the final distribution rates were determined: 20 percent for me, 20 percent for Missha, 15 percent for Ainar, 20 percent for Raven (along with 40 percent of any special loot), and 25 percent for Mr. Bear. This was just the case for general loot. We agreed to split anything obtained from getting rid of a plunderer and things like that equally.
Whew, what a waste.
I could see why explorers were so hung up on promotions. I needed to reach rank five or something soon. If the three of us had all been rank five, those guys wouldn't have even brought up distribution in the first place.
Well, this much is to be expected.
I took a sip from my drink and let go of my regrets. I had even had a scenario in mind where they were even greedier than this, but they instead stayed in their lanes. If I weren't the leader and this were another team, the members would have been more outspoken about their profits.
I guess the most important hurdle has been crossed.
Now that the distribution negotiations were over, the team was pretty much set in stone, although there were still countless issues left to discuss.
"Oh right, what about the team? When are you going to register it?" asked Raven.
"I will do it tomorrow."
"Then I can't go. I thought that would be the case, though, so I brought a power of attorney with me. Please go without me."
"...Sure."
We had to discuss things from simple administrative tasks to all sorts of issues.
"Are we going to make a separate team fund? Or just collect what's needed each time?"
"We will collect a regular amount each month."
"How much?"
How much would be used for the team funds? If there ended up being a shortage of funds, how would we make up for it? If we entered a rift or discovered a mysterious treasure in the labyrinth, would we still use the same distribution rates? Were we going to acknowledge individual claims over items people acquired single-handedly? Were there incentives? Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
Team Half-Wit wasn't like this...
When I zoned back in, I noticed that Raven and I were the only ones still actively engaging in the conversation.
Honnnk!
Ainar was asleep with her head hanging. Mr. Bear just downed a drink like he was enjoying a bit of long-awaited freedom, and Missha was scribbling in a notebook. She wasn't taking notes or anything, it was just her hobby. Apparently, her hands were itching to do something now that she wasn't able to cook. She had started drawing a few days ago.
"...What did you draw?"
"N-Nothing."
"An orc?"
"Pffft!! Yes, it's an orrrc. An orc. Hahaha."
"All right."
Like that, Raven ended up taking the offer that a wizard belonging to a five-person team would normally receive—an equal share plus a bonus limited to magical loot. One person down. All that was left was Mr. Bear.
"I'll take 5 percent from Ainar and give it to you." In truth, considering he was a scout, it wouldn't be unreasonable to give him 10 percent more. "Since we haven't even gone on our first expedition yet, for now, be satisfied with that."
Mr. Bear readily agreed. Well, I was sure it would be a bit awkward for him to proudly claim his share. He may have been a scout, but his navigation ability was zero.
"Then this matter is settled."
Thus, the final distribution rates were determined: 20 percent for me, 20 percent for Missha, 15 percent for Ainar, 20 percent for Raven (along with 40 percent of any special loot), and 25 percent for Mr. Bear. This was just the case for general loot. We agreed to split anything obtained from getting rid of a plunderer and things like that equally.
Whew, what a waste.
I could see why explorers were so hung up on promotions. I needed to reach rank five or something soon. If the three of us had all been rank five, those guys wouldn't have even brought up distribution in the first place.
Well, this much is to be expected.
I took a sip from my drink and let go of my regrets. I had even had a scenario in mind where they were even greedier than this, but they instead stayed in their lanes. If I weren't the leader and this were another team, the members would have been more outspoken about their profits.
I guess the most important hurdle has been crossed.
Now that the distribution negotiations were over, the team was pretty much set in stone, although there were still countless issues left to discuss.
"Oh right, what about the team? When are you going to register it?" asked Raven.
"I will do it tomorrow."
"Then I can't go. I thought that would be the case, though, so I brought a power of attorney with me. Please go without me."
"...Sure."
We had to discuss things from simple administrative tasks to all sorts of issues.
"Are we going to make a separate team fund? Or just collect what's needed each time?"
"We will collect a regular amount each month."
"How much?"
How much would be used for the team funds? If there ended up being a shortage of funds, how would we make up for it? If we entered a rift or discovered a mysterious treasure in the labyrinth, would we still use the same distribution rates? Were we going to acknowledge individual claims over items people acquired single-handedly? Were there incentives? Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
Team Half-Wit wasn't like this...
When I zoned back in, I noticed that Raven and I were the only ones still actively engaging in the conversation.
Honnnk!
Ainar was asleep with her head hanging. Mr. Bear just downed a drink like he was enjoying a bit of long-awaited freedom, and Missha was scribbling in a notebook. She wasn't taking notes or anything, it was just her hobby. Apparently, her hands were itching to do something now that she wasn't able to cook. She had started drawing a few days ago.
"...What did you draw?"
"N-Nothing."
"An orc?"
"Pffft!! Yes, it's an orrrc. An orc. Hahaha."
Her reaction was somewhat strange, but Raven called my name before I could press Missha for details. "Um, Mr. Yandel, we're still talking..."
Oh, right. After using my brain for the past several hours, my concentration was failing. I wasn't sure about the important topics, but having to decide on so many little things was leaving me in this state. Before long, I checked the time and said, "Raven, let's stop here for today."
"Sorry? But we're not finished going through the things on my list."
"List?"
"Points that should be addressed before forming the team. I made a list of them beforehand." When I asked her how many points were left, Raven answered with thirty-one.
...What we've done so far isn't even half of it?
Just thinking about the rest of the points already left me bored out of my mind, but with her personality, getting through them would be at least a little helpful. "Still, it's too late now. Let's do the rest next time."
"Okay."
We arranged a meeting for two days from now, and all left. For some reason, my body and mind were both exhausted. I had always thought my personality was similar to a wizard's, but after seeing a real one, I was certain. I was glad I chose a barbarian.
***
The morning after the first meeting, four of us gathered and visited the Adventurers' Guild. Submitting Raven's power of attorney from yesterday, we officially finished registering the team.
"The team name is Bjorn? Isn't that too half-hearted?" Ainar muttered in dissatisfaction, but I was just doing as was customary. Team Half-Wit's official name had just been "Murad." Normally, everyone just used the team leader's first or last name.
"If we find something more suitable, we can change it. So don't be too disappointed."
"C-Can I think of one too?"
"Of course you can."
"Really!? I will think hard!" I was sure she'd forget about this in a few hours, but it didn't matter if she did. The name of the team wasn't important.
"Abman, what are your plans?"
"I have to get back to the tavern. My wife is waiting for me."
"I see."
As soon as the team was formed, Mr. Bear left, and we had a simple meal out before returning home. All three of us lived at the inn now—me in room 201, Ainar in room 202, and Missha in room 207 across the hall.
"Oh, Bjorrrn. There's something in your mailbox."
"Mail?" I checked it at Missha's comment, and there was a letter inside with the seal of the Reatlas Church.
Is it a meeting with the dragon tribe?
I hurriedly entered my room and checked the contents. But what was this? When I opened it, there was only one sentence written on the note.
He will call you.
The heading—Paal Krovitz, Third Captain of the Paladins—was longer than the actual message.
What is this?
While I was looking at it in confusion, the letter caught on fire and turned to ashes in an instant. I was thankful that he'd taken care to be secretive like I'd asked... but it was hard for even me to understand his message.
I sat on the bed for a moment to get my thoughts in order. I had a rough idea of the "he" Krovitz was referring to. He must have been talking about the leader of the dragon tribe, the Primordial Dragon. There was just one thing I didn't quite understand.
He's going to call on me?
It would have made more sense if he had written down a time and place instead, since I was the one who had asked him to arrange a meeting with the utmost secrecy.
How will he call me? Is he going to track me down to set up a rendezvous?
Just as I flopped back into the bed with these thoughts in mind, a magic circle appeared on the wooden floor below me in blue light.
"Huh?"
Without giving me any time to figure out what was going on, the magic circle flared, blinding me. When I came to, I was in an unfamiliar place.
It's like I was summoned to another world.
In front of me was a building reminiscent of a Greek temple supported by huge pillars. I quickly took stock of my current situation.
This is the Dragon Temple. Did they use a teleportation-type Dragon Speech? And the letter served as a medium?
I roughly grasped what was going on. This wasn't bad. It'd be much easier to maintain secrecy this way.
"You are not surprised."
Soon, I looked forward. There was a man with all the characteristics of the dragonians, gently looking down at me from his seat on a throne. Scales sprouted from his skin, and his pupils were reminiscent of a reptile's. The throne was enveloped by fog, but dozens of eyes were shining from beyond it. Were they all dragonians? How many did he gather?
Geez, those eyes.
They carried a different kind of pressure from murderous intent. It felt like I was weaponless and facing another species that I could never defeat, a natural predator. This was Dragon Fear, something all dragonians were passively equipped with.
And they're using it on me, huh?
I smiled sharply. I thought I knew what their intentions were.
"Did you know? You are not the first barbarian to visit this place. However... You will be the first to return alive, if you manage it."
It was a kind of stalling. Due to the nature of their race, they wouldn't steal the Dragon Slayer sword without compensating their benefactor, but they probably decided it was best to break my spirit beforehand. After all, they didn't know what kind of unreasonable demands a barbarian like myself would make.
The Dragon Fear grew stronger, which made me break out in a cold sweat. But, so what? I wasn't raised to be a fool whose mind went blank just because of a little sweat.
Why do these people like psychological warfare so much?
Thanks to that, it became clear what I had to do right then. I never dreamed I would start with this before I even introduced myself, but letting them know this now would save more time.
Whether they tried to subdue me with Dragon Fear or not, this was all a waste of time.
"Behelaaah!"
Her reaction was somewhat strange, but Raven called my name before I could press Missha for details. "Um, Mr. Yandel, we're still talking..."
Oh, right. After using my brain for the past several hours, my concentration was failing. I wasn't sure about the important topics, but having to decide on so many little things was leaving me in this state. Before long, I checked the time and said, "Raven, let's stop here for today."
"Sorry? But we're not finished going through the things on my list."
"List?"
"Points that should be addressed before forming the team. I made a list of them beforehand." When I asked her how many points were left, Raven answered with thirty-one.
...What we've done so far isn't even half of it?
Just thinking about the rest of the points already left me bored out of my mind, but with her personality, getting through them would be at least a little helpful. "Still, it's too late now. Let's do the rest next time."
"Okay."
We arranged a meeting for two days from now, and all left. For some reason, my body and mind were both exhausted. I had always thought my personality was similar to a wizard's, but after seeing a real one, I was certain. I was glad I chose a barbarian.
***
The morning after the first meeting, four of us gathered and visited the Adventurers' Guild. Submitting Raven's power of attorney from yesterday, we officially finished registering the team.
"The team name is Bjorn? Isn't that too half-hearted?" Ainar muttered in dissatisfaction, but I was just doing as was customary. Team Half-Wit's official name had just been "Murad." Normally, everyone just used the team leader's first or last name.
"If we find something more suitable, we can change it. So don't be too disappointed."
"C-Can I think of one too?"
"Of course you can."
"Really!? I will think hard!" I was sure she'd forget about this in a few hours, but it didn't matter if she did. The name of the team wasn't important.
"Abman, what are your plans?"
"I have to get back to the tavern. My wife is waiting for me."
"I see."
As soon as the team was formed, Mr. Bear left, and we had a simple meal out before returning home. All three of us lived at the inn now—me in room 201, Ainar in room 202, and Missha in room 207 across the hall.
"Oh, Bjorrrn. There's something in your mailbox."
"Mail?" I checked it at Missha's comment, and there was a letter inside with the seal of the Reatlas Church.
Is it a meeting with the dragon tribe?
I hurriedly entered my room and checked the contents. But what was this? When I opened it, there was only one sentence written on the note.
He will call you.
The heading—Paal Krovitz, Third Captain of the Paladins—was longer than the actual message.
What is this?
While I was looking at it in confusion, the letter caught on fire and turned to ashes in an instant. I was thankful that he'd taken care to be secretive like I'd asked... but it was hard for even me to understand his message.
I sat on the bed for a moment to get my thoughts in order. I had a rough idea of the "he" Krovitz was referring to. He must have been talking about the leader of the dragon tribe, the Primordial Dragon. There was just one thing I didn't quite understand.
He's going to call on me?
It would have made more sense if he had written down a time and place instead, since I was the one who had asked him to arrange a meeting with the utmost secrecy.
How will he call me? Is he going to track me down to set up a rendezvous?
Just as I flopped back into the bed with these thoughts in mind, a magic circle appeared on the wooden floor below me in blue light.
"Huh?"
Without giving me any time to figure out what was going on, the magic circle flared, blinding me. When I came to, I was in an unfamiliar place.
It's like I was summoned to another world.
In front of me was a building reminiscent of a Greek temple supported by huge pillars. I quickly took stock of my current situation.
This is the Dragon Temple. Did they use a teleportation-type Dragon Speech? And the letter served as a medium?
I roughly grasped what was going on. This wasn't bad. It'd be much easier to maintain secrecy this way.
"You are not surprised."
Soon, I looked forward. There was a man with all the characteristics of the dragonians, gently looking down at me from his seat on a throne. Scales sprouted from his skin, and his pupils were reminiscent of a reptile's. The throne was enveloped by fog, but dozens of eyes were shining from beyond it. Were they all dragonians? How many did he gather?
Geez, those eyes.
They carried a different kind of pressure from murderous intent. It felt like I was weaponless and facing another species that I could never defeat, a natural predator. This was Dragon Fear, something all dragonians were passively equipped with.
And they're using it on me, huh?
I smiled sharply. I thought I knew what their intentions were.
"Did you know? You are not the first barbarian to visit this place. However... You will be the first to return alive, if you manage it."
It was a kind of stalling. Due to the nature of their race, they wouldn't steal the Dragon Slayer sword without compensating their benefactor, but they probably decided it was best to break my spirit beforehand. After all, they didn't know what kind of unreasonable demands a barbarian like myself would make.
The Dragon Fear grew stronger, which made me break out in a cold sweat. But, so what? I wasn't raised to be a fool whose mind went blank just because of a little sweat.
Why do these people like psychological warfare so much?
Thanks to that, it became clear what I had to do right then. I never dreamed I would start with this before I even introduced myself, but letting them know this now would save more time.
Whether they tried to subdue me with Dragon Fear or not, this was all a waste of time.
"Behelaaah!"