Chapter 49
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Suspicious Request (2)
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‘Ha.... Damn it.’
In the end, thanks to Seo Yu-ju’s one comment, we were all gathered in the reception room right now.
Normally, newbie parties like ours wouldn’t have any reason to come to the reception room, but with most of the clan out on expeditions, we’d ended up here too.
Lee Jae-hyo spoke to the woman.
“Um... Your name is Sharis, right?”
“Ah... Yes. *Slurp.*”
Sharis or whatever her name was sat there sipping the guest tea.
“And the client for this request... is the Silverstein Count’s family, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right. To be precise, it’s a request from Lady Tiera of the Silverstein Count’s family.”
I quietly asked Seo Yu-ju about the Silverstein Count’s family since I was curious what kind of house they were.
“...Yu-ju. Do you know what kind of family the Silverstein Counts are?”
“Ah... The Silverstein Counts are led by Margrave Maximilian, the margrave of the Neutral Nation Baronia’s frontier.”
‘A margrave, huh...’
“More importantly, Yun-seong. Why are you sweating so much? Are you... feeling unwell or something...?”
‘You crazy bitch...! It’s all because of you...!’
Seeing her worry about me without even realizing she was the cause of this mess made my stomach turn.
“...No. I’m fine.”
‘You... fuck, dinner’s canceled. Damn it...’
I watched the situation unfold with a racing heart.
“Um... I hate to ask this, but may I inquire why the Silverstein Count’s family has chosen to request us? As you probably know, most of our clan is out on expeditions right now...”
“Ah... Lady Tiera knows that too. But she heard that the new party that just joined Eternity is still at the clan.”
“True, Party 9 and Party 6 are still here. But if it’s a difficult request, you might want to try another clan. We’re short on manpower, after all.”
“Uh.... Well...”
Everyone looked puzzled at the woman’s hesitant demeanor.
“... Is there some special reason you want to entrust this to our clan?”
“Ahem, ahem... It’s a bit hard to say, but... Lady Tiera... wants to meet that gentleman there.”
She pointed right at me, leaving me utterly flustered. Why on earth would some count’s lady want to meet me?
‘What the...’
Seo Yu-ju looked utterly baffled. Sparks flew in her eyes as she asked the woman,
“... Why would the count’s lady specifically want to see Yun-seong?”
“Well... There are photos of you all in the promotional pamphlet... and after seeing the photo...”
‘...What kind of nonsense is this? So... she just saw my picture in the promo pamphlet and wants to meet me? What...’
As we all reacted with disbelief, the woman hurriedly continued.
“N-No, Lady Tiera wanted to meet your party anyway since she was entrusting you with the request...!”
‘What the hell is she saying...’
The fact that her frantic actions and words were all an act sent chills down my spine. If that was real acting, she deserved a best actress award.
“So... could you tell us what the request is?”
“Ah... There’ve been reports of undead appearing in a forest a bit away from the territory. We’d like you to investigate the cause and eliminate them.”
“... Do you know what kind of undead they are?”
“Low-level ones like ghouls. That’s why Lady Tiera thought a new party from Eternity could handle it...”
“Understood. But I have one question—why not handle it with the territory’s own guards?”
“Ah... I’m not sure myself... All I know is they don’t have the manpower because of the Eastern Alliance.”
‘Eastern Alliance?’
I’d heard the name Eastern Alliance before but didn’t know the details, so I figured I’d ask Seo Yu-ju later.
“Hmm...”
Lee Jae-hyo seemed to be pondering. Since the request didn’t look too hard, he probably thought it’d be good experience for our party.
‘Fuck... Please turn it down.’
There was zero desire to take a request tied to that crazy bitch. Sure, it could just be a normal, everyday job, but the mere possibility of danger was reason enough to pass.
‘And there’s no proof those undead weren’t summoned by her.’
Above all, a woman like that serving as a maid in a margrave’s family from the Neutral Nation? It screamed suspicious.
‘I’ve got even more reason to finish the experiment fast. As soon as possible.’
I wouldn’t feel safe otherwise. I needed to put surveillance on her ASAP. She was like a walking bomb. No idea why a monster like her was a maid in a margrave’s house, but it couldn’t be for anything good.
“Could you tell us the reward?”
“Lady Tiera said it won’t be stingy. Ah! Right! Hold on...”
She rummaged in her bosom and handed Lee Jae-hyo a document.
“The reward... will be as listed on this document, and... she said there’d be extra for that gentleman over there.”
‘No, why?’
It was enough to make ghosts wail. Why did she want to see me, and why extra reward just for me? No clue.
“Mm... Sounds good. We’ll accept the request.”
Lee Jae-hyo set the document down, clearly pleased with the reward, and accepted.
‘..... Fuck.’
“Hehe... Then come to the territory two weeks from now!”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After that crazy woman left, I personally suggested to Lee Jae-hyo that we retract the acceptance, but he shot it down.
If anything, he just gave me a weird look for not wanting to go.
‘Fuck... Can’t even tell them the truth. Damn it all!’
No backing out now. At least I had to finish the experiment fast. Luckily, three days later, Seo Yu-ju handed me the materials.
“Yun-seong. Here are the materials you wanted. Not sure if they’ll help, but...”
“Thank you, Yu-ju. Mind if I take a look?”
“Of course. Take your time.”
I used the artifact to inspect the materials.
[Fairy Dust (Hero Grade) - Dust occasionally left by fairies. Rarely found; can be used as material or catalyst.]
[Unicorn Horn (Legend Grade) - A horn from one of the few remaining unicorns on the continent. Imbued with divine power; purifies or neutralizes evil. Can also be used as material or catalyst.]
‘Mi, mi-crazy.’
I’d expected hero-grade materials. Seo Yu-ju wouldn’t bring me anything low-quality.
But legend-grade? That was another level.
I’d begged her to get them fast since time was short, but I never dreamed she’d pull legend-grade stuff.
She must’ve run herself ragged for three days straight.
‘Fuck yeah! Thanks, Yu-ju! I’ll take you to dinner a hundred times!’
The urge to smack Seo Yu-ju over the request evaporated like melting snow.
“..... Thank you so much, Yu-ju. I don’t even know how to repay you...”
“No need. Just don’t forget our dinner date. Got it?”
“Of course. Dinner’s the least of it. Anything you want, just say the word. I’ll make it happen.”
“Huh? Take that back! You just said anything!”
I regretted the slip, but after help like this, paying with just dinner felt wrong, so I nodded.
“Got it. I’ve got an experiment to run, so I’ll head out. Thanks again, Yu-ju.”
“Sure. Don’t worry about me and get to it.”
“Yeah. See you...”
I headed straight to the lab and started experimenting. I’d been steadily gathering mana in the artifact, plus materials from the last expedition.
With top-tier stuff from Seo Yu-ju, failure was impossible.
Had to finish before the request departure.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Hyung, why’s it so hard to see your face lately? You okay?”
During a party meal, Hyun-jin spoke up.
“Ah... Yeah. Just tired from experimenting a bit.”
“You sure you’re fine? You look half-dead. Haven’t been sleeping right, have you?”
Kang I-seo’s jab about sleep hit home. I hadn’t gotten proper rest, buried in experiments these past few days.
“Yun-seong... It’s great you’re working hard, but take care of yourself. You look exhausted.”
“Just tired, nothing to worry about. Anyway... Hyun-jin, how’s your training going?”
“Ah, yeah, hyung. Learning a ton sparring with Yu-ju noona. She uses a spear, I use a sword, but still plenty to pick up.”
His status window showed noticeable stat gains.
“Good to hear. Hey, Kang I-seo, how about you? Going well?”
“Me? Eh.”
“Yeah.”
“Eh... Managing, I guess. Sometimes ask clan archers when I’m stuck.”
“Got it.”
Training as an archer probably tougher than melee classes.
“Ha-eun, you holding up okay?”
I realized I’d neglected Song Ha-eun lately, so I asked.
“Ah... Yeah. Just contracted a fire spirit too.”
“Oh, so now you handle two elements?”
“Yes, oppa.”
Wind and fire... Solid combo.
“Hey, come down to the first floor for meals sometimes.”
I’d been eating in my room during experiments, so that explained Kang I-seo’s comment.
‘Fair enough. Need to show my face at meals. We’ve all been busy training.’
“.... I’ll start eating downstairs now. Experiment’s almost done.”
“Cool. Anyway, request in three days, right?”
“...Yeah.”
Just thinking about the request gave me a headache. Planned to wrap the experiment today and slap surveillance on that woman the second we hit the territory.
“Hyung. What’s the request exactly? Yu-ju noona said the client specifically picked us...”
“...Don’t know details. Undead sighted in a forest near the territory. Investigate and resolve.”
“Undead?”
“Yeah. Low-level ones, so not high difficulty... but no guarantees.”
God, I hoped it was normal. Best if Lee Jae-hyo tagged along for safety, but second expedition for us, so probably not.
‘Fuck, are they saying from the second one onward we handle it ourselves…’
Someone might ask whether having Seo Yu-ju isn’t enough, but that seemingly insane woman’s stats are at the level of top-tier powerhouses.
We couldn’t rely solely on Seo Yu-ju. If that woman decided to harm us, there would be no proper way to stop her.
‘Seeing that Seo Yu-ju had no reaction even after seeing that woman’s face, there’s a good chance nothing will happen…’
But I couldn’t just relax. Thinking of alternatives in advance and not thinking of them is a difference of heaven and earth.