Chapter 333
Chapter 333
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 333
>Chapter Title: I'll Pass on the Rejection
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Evelyn returned to her dorm, took a quick shower, and changed into her pajamas.
Her roommate must still be at the library, as the double room felt quite empty.
She stared at the vacant room for a moment before sitting down at her desk. She then pulled out some documents from her subspace and calmly reviewed them.
After a while.
“Phew.”
Having finished checking the negotiation proposal with the Gale Wings, Evelyn let out a deep breath and brushed back her hair.
“Finally… tomorrow, huh.”
Her voice carried a hint of excitement.
Truth be told, this meeting held deep meaning for Evelyn as well.
Ever since being abandoned by Goldrin.
She had overseen various ventures shuttling between the second Black-White Slums and the shadows, but this was her first negotiation out in the open.
In a way, it was her official debut stage, free from the Goldrin label.
So.
Even if it was just a minor negotiation, it couldn’t help but mean a lot to her.
Perhaps because of that.
She couldn’t shake off a lingering unease.
‘Will it… go well?’
Her preparations were thorough.
One year’s worth of payment.
And the future profit rights from the Arapurugin land.
- So… you’re saying you’ll use the Gale Wings as hired muscle for one year’s fee?
Aster seemed to see it as some new kind of scam, but there was no doubt it was an enticing offer for a mercenary band.
Why?
It stemmed from the very nature of a “mercenary band.”
Mercenary band.
…They were an army unto themselves.
Wanderers.
…Vagabonds who couldn’t settle down.
Like any army, their mere existence consumed vast resources, so to sustain the group, they had to constantly secure contracts.
A band like the Gale Wings wouldn’t worry about a lack of jobs, but they still had to keep fulfilling them endlessly.
Even with a base, that’s why all mercenary bands wandered.
But now.
She was offering them this.
…A share in a stable revenue stream.
‘Though when the revenue actually starts flowing is anyone’s guess….’
Even considering all those factors, it was an offer the Gale Wings couldn’t resist.
So, securing the contract itself wasn’t the issue.
But what kept her on edge was…
“I don’t know what extra demands the Gale Wings might make.”
The revenue from Arapurugin was nothing more than uncertain future profits.
Naturally, for a group like a mercenary band, what mattered wasn’t vague future gains, but confirmed present ones.
No.
‘…They’ll use the guaranteed upfront payment to gain the upper hand.’
And rightly so—it was the Gale Wings’ strongest card for steering the negotiations in their favor.
Of course, she had prepared a few countermeasures for that, but whether they’d work…
“Heyu.”
Lost in those thoughts, Evelyn sighed heavily.
“What am I even doing?”
It was ridiculous when she thought about it.
Her salary was meager.
She skimmed a bit here and there, but it wasn’t really for personal gain.
More like building an emergency fund.
Sure, she dipped into it occasionally, but that was just the bare minimum to maintain her dignity.
Even accounting for that, her pay was laughably low.
It felt like she was volunteering on the cheap.
“Guess my nose got pierced.”
Otherwise, why would she throw herself into this so wholeheartedly when it wasn’t even “her” money?
Evelyn didn’t know what drove her to devote herself to the Magic Tower, but one thing was certain.
Life in the Magic Tower was pretty enjoyable.
…With that, Evelyn went to bed, bracing for tomorrow.
The next day, when she met Aster again.
“So… you’re not coming along?”
Aster, uncharacteristically grinning ear to ear, replied.
“Yeah, something came up.”
“Something…?”
“Some friends popped into mind for a good business venture.”
If it was good business, it had to be the Arapurugin land. But friends…?
‘Obvious, isn’t it?’
He was off to hunt down some cheap slave labor somewhere.
But that thought didn’t last.
Curiosity crept in slyly.
“Can I hear about it?”
“Oh, sure.”
Aster grinned like he had some grand scheme. His mouth opened, and by the time he finished speaking…
Evelyn sighed.
“Good lord…”
“Why?”
“…No, nothing.”
As she’d said, promising future rights wasn’t a scam.
Arapurugin land was the second-best source of magic materials after the Hamern Great Forest, with undeniable potential value.
But now Aster was lumping that legitimate deal in with scams.
Perhaps because of that.
Evelyn gazed at Aster, then looked up at the sky and prayed.
‘God, please save people from that bastard.’
…Of course, no answer came.
* * *
Evelyn left to meet the Gale Wings captain.
Left alone, Aster hummed a tune as he reviewed his plan.
‘No matter how I look at it, it’s a killer plan.’
The night before, gripped by fierce inspiration, he’d barely slept.
He’d thought it through all night.
If he was promising future rights, did they really need to be realistic?
Arapurugin was a near-untouched wilderness without even a base camp.
The Hamern Great Forest was similar in being undeveloped, but that was only because it was so vast—actually, a fair bit had been developed.
But not Arapurugin.
Two reasons for that.
One.
‘Harsh terrain.’
Unlike the Hamern Great Forest, which could be mapped and managed somehow, the Arapurugin Mountains’ terrain was brutal and barren.
A natural fortress for monsters traversing the peaks, but a guillotine for humans—one misstep and straight to the afterlife.
And two.
‘Flying monsters.’
Even if you somehow pierced the treacherous terrain to build a base camp, fending off flying monsters was impossible.
Of course, that didn’t mean Arapurugin was some untouched mystery world free of human hands.
There were a few base camps and passing merchant caravans.
But.
‘…Not on a large scale.’
Even as it gradually expanded after Destrow, due to reduced magic material supplies from the Hamern Great Forest, it was still minuscule compared to the Forest.
…So what?
Simple.
‘Do I really need to stake only the rights to the land we’re developing?’
That’s what he’d realized.
What if he could sell base camp rights? Wouldn’t that draw in even more mercenary bands?
“So… you’re saying, Sir Aster, that you want to sell land for a base camp that doesn’t even exist?”
“Exactly.”
“…”
Reilly, who’d listened quietly, fell silent. As if wondering what kind of insane talk that was.
Meanwhile, Aster beamed with pride.
“How about it? Pretty good, right?”
“No, forget good or bad—that’s a crime, isn’t it? Selling ownerless land…”
“Hey, come on. That’s how they do it in the Hamern Great Forest too.”
“Well, yeah, but.”
Reilly was at a loss for words.
Come to think of it, Hamern’s base camps were unauthorized squats on ownerless land too.
And they’d claimed ownership for centuries.
But wait.
‘Is this right?’
Selling base camp sites was one thing—maybe he could grudgingly accept that.
But selling sites that didn’t even exist…?
Still.
‘Not my problem.’
Reilly shook his head to clear his thoughts.
He didn’t care what Aster did.
Look at this peaceful scene right now.
Warm sunlight. Weekend meant no noisy kids around. The quiet academy was peace incarnate.
No tourists at the info booth on a weekend meant no work, and while some might find that boring, Reilly loved this boredom.
‘They pay me… to slack off?’
Was there any better peace?
During Aster’s absence, Reilly had adapted quite well to this tranquility.
Adapted? No, he was thriving.
He’d faithfully saved his monthly salary. A bit more, and he could add to his Pathfinder retirement fund for a cozy cottage in a village near Hazen.
Not a great investment, but perfect for commuting to the academy.
And then.
‘Time to find a wife. Heh.’
Stable job, house in his name.
Add some bunny-like kids and a fox-like wife.
How happy would that be!
…Reilly, who once dreamed of being the right-hand man to a Black-White Slums boss, now chased ordinary happiness.
So to such a Reilly, Aster was…
‘…A plague.’
A walking disaster.
Naturally, Reilly had no desire to share a table with Aster for long.
That’s why he wanted to quit this gig he’d barely started.
“Ahem, anyway, I hope your plan works out.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes, fingers crossed. It won’t be easy, but I’m sure you’ll convince the mercenaries, Sir Aster.”
“Mmm, spot on.”
“Oh, but it’s working hours for me now… mind if we wrap up?”
“Oh, right? You looked bored.”
“Haha, bored? Not at all.”
Reilly smiled as he politely showed Aster out.
Truth was, there was no work.
Jenion Academy did take tourists, but banned them during midterms and finals.
Still, no reason to linger with Aster.
From experience, the longer the chat, the bigger the incident.
“Sorry, I held up a busy man.”
“Haha, no need to apologize. Between us…”
Reilly regretted his words the moment they left his mouth.
His counterpart never missed a chance to exploit politeness—he was shameless.
But why?
“Yeah, wrap up your work then.”
Surprisingly, Aster stood without protest.
Reilly tilted his head at the sight.
But only for a moment.
Aster’s voice rang in his ear.
“So, wanna head somewhere when you’re free?”
“…”
There it was.
“Refusal…”
“I’ll pass.”
Reilly sighed deeply at Aster’s matter-of-fact reply.
Yeah, he knew it.
‘Slimeball.’
Did it make sense for that fungus to show up without reason, just to chat?
“Ugh, what is it this time?”
“Hm? Not refusing?”
“Nope.”
Why would he?
He knew exactly what happened if he refused.
…That fist would crack his skull. He’d writhe in agony.
Might as well earn the pay.
“Hmm, learning fast.”
“Obviously.”
Aster smacked his lips in mock disappointment. Reilly glared, eyes half-dead.
Then Aster’s voice filled his ear.
“Go check the Great Forest then.”
“The Great Forest…”
“Yeah, convince them. See if they’re up for opening a branch in the Arapurugin Mountains.”
“…”
So much to say, but Reilly stayed silent.
Aster’s fist was clenched.
He just asked.
“Pass it to Captain Fischer?”
“Hm? No.”
Aster shook his head and added casually.
“Hit up 1 through 4, all of them.”
Aster’s first prey was the Hamern Great Forest base camps.