Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Indefinite Contractor's Dispatch Duty Comes to an End (3)
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"Huh?"
The air in the room froze.
Irina blinked, wondering if she'd misheard something.
But then she saw the Archduke's eyebrow twitch.
And Rainer and Elena staring at Daniel with eyes full of shock and confusion.
'I didn't mishear it???'
Irina's stunned gaze locked onto Daniel.
*
The Archduke stared at the man before him.
Sometimes, when anger boiled over, it could make someone eerily calm instead.
He wondered if that's what was happening, but no—it wasn't.
The seasoned politician, who had rolled through the empire's political arena for decades, saw the truth the moment he met Daniel's eyes.
Those words were sincere.
A calm expression, utterly devoid of anger or injustice.
All his contingency plans crumbled to scraps in an instant.
He hadn't accounted for a variable like this, so it was only natural.
For the first time in ages, the Archduke felt genuine bewilderment.
'What's his angle? Some hidden agenda? Even if there is, what could he possibly gain from this? No matter how I think about it, it doesn't add up... Then why...'
"Are you alright, Sir Daniel?"
His son's voice snapped the Archduke from his thoughts.
"What do you mean, Young Lord?"
"Aren't you upset?! You've achieved great merit! Not just in the North, but merit the entire empire would acknowledge—a chance to become the North's true hero! And now it's slipping away! Why aren't you furious, or at least showing some emotion?!"
The Archduke frowned at his son's heated outburst.
Such raw emotion was unbecoming—something no heir should ever display.
But this time, he held his tongue and simply observed.
He was curious, too.
About what lay in Daniel's heart.
As all eyes turned to him, Daniel looked at Rainer and spoke.
"It seems the Young Lord has misunderstood something."
"Misunderstood? What do you—"
"I came to the North to do a job, not to become a hero."
"......!?!?"
Daniel's words silenced the room.
"I came to the North solely to defend Kazan against the barbarians. And I've completed that task. I've fulfilled my duty."
Daniel continued slowly.
"I simply did the work assigned to me, and Your Grace has praised me for it, promising rewards and commendations. How could I possibly complain? Unless I'm ungrateful. Am I wrong?"
Rainer had no reply.
Neither did Elena, Irina, or the Archduke.
It was that unexpected.
That shocking.
The mage, who had cast Silence on everyone's mouths without even using mana, shrugged and bowed politely to the Archduke.
"Your Grace, if you have nothing more to say, may I take my leave? I'm ashamed to admit it, but after so long in the wilds, my body's not what it used to be. I'd like to rest."
The Archduke gazed at Daniel for a long moment before slowly nodding.
"Of course. You've earned it, Sir Daniel. I'll have someone send you the finest stamina potion. Drink it and get some proper rest."
"I am deeply grateful for Your Grace's generosity."
With that, Daniel departed.
From the moment he entered the room to the moment he left, he never once broke protocol.
Nor was he ever rude.
Contrary to everyone's expectations.
Elena and Irina snapped out of it and hurriedly followed him out.
Only two remained in the office.
The Archduke stared at the door Daniel had exited through for a long while before murmuring softly.
"It's been a long time."
"Pardon?"
"Since I last regretted one of my choices."
Rainer looked at his father in surprise.
It was the first time he'd heard his father speak so weakly.
"Perhaps the one I should have made into a hero... wasn't the fake, but the real one. Just as you said."
"Father."
"Sigh. Forget I said anything foolish."
As the Archduke turned away, Rainer was left speechless.
The silence named regret lingered in the room for a long while.
*
The Archduke kept his word.
Daniel was assigned to the finest guest quarters, reserved only for the most honored visitors, and enjoyed every luxury.
Gourmet meals, a hot bath, and even the highest-grade stamina potion—something only the wealthiest nobles could afford.
Having indulged in the Archduke's VIP treatment to the fullest, Daniel flung himself onto the inn's bed.
He felt the exhaustion from weeks in the wilds melt into the plush mattress.
"Phew. That wraps up this damn dispatch duty for good."
Daniel closed his eyes and steadied his breathing.
But his mind was anything but calm.
'It's a shame, though.'
Daniel wasn't a fool.
He knew better than anyone that his achievements went far beyond second-class merit.
Frankly speaking, even if you combined all the contributions of the mages dispatched from the Magic Tower, they wouldn't measure up to his.
Yet Daniel had accepted the Archduke's offer without a word of protest. The reason was simple.
'This isn't a fight worth picking.'
Not as an Indefinite Contractor, but as a battle-hardened corporate warrior from his past life, Daniel had sized up the situation the moment the proposal came.
Fighting would be a losing battle.
'First off, the opponent's way too tough.'
Northern Archduke Edgar.
One of the empire's top absolute powerhouses.
Going up against a man like that and crying foul?
'Do I have the clout for that? Nope.'
He wasn't some overpowered isekai protagonist or a suicidal maniac.
'The Magic Tower won't back me up, either.'
The Magic Tower—the mages' ivory tower, a holy site and one of the empire's premier organizations.
Even it had bent over backward with buy-one-get-one deals just to stay on the Archduke's good side.
Would such a Tower turn the Northern Archduke into an enemy over one Indefinite Contractor who wasn't even full-time?
Of course not. That kind of occult nonsense was impossible.
Hell, there was a 99.99% chance they'd side with the Archduke and throw him under the bus.
The Archduke alone was nightmare difficulty. Adding the Tower as an enemy too?
If this were a game world, quick suicide and a New Game Plus would be the only answer.
'Plus, I've got vulnerabilities with the Tower.'
First: mission deviation.
Even if it was a mistake, he'd arbitrarily changed his assignment (Kazan defense) on his own.
It worked out in the end and got swept under the rug, but by the book, it was grounds for discipline.
If the Tower slapped him with a violation of duty regulations?
He'd have no choice but to take the punishment.
Second vulnerability: the Blue Jäger.
'That's the real kicker. No contract specifying if it was free or paid.'
Contracts were serious business. Deadly serious.
What if the Tower later claimed, "That was actually paid," and presented a contract with an astronomical bill attached?
The rest of his life would be mortgaged to paying off that Blue Jäger debt.
Of course, the odds of such a dirty trick were slim.
After all, he was a hero who'd boosted the Tower's reputation.
But if that hero became a headache for them?
They'd play that dirty card without hesitation.
And if he protested the injustice?
『So, you're saying you're upset because you couldn't get a high-grade elixir like Blue Jäger for free?』
The public backlash was obvious without needing to see it.
That's why written contracts mattered—not verbal ones. And he didn't have one.
To chase first-class merit, he'd have to navigate all these trials, tribulations, and risks one by one?
Regrettably, Daniel wasn't some Don Quixote desperate to crank his life difficulty from normal to hell mode out of boredom.
'If there were a union, maybe I'd think about it. But no union.'
Indefinite Contractors at the Tower didn't see each other as comrades, even if they worked together.
They were rivals gunning for the same full-time spots—eventual stepping stones.
The Foreign Legion was viewed as a temporary stop before going regular.
In that atmosphere, no union-like group would ever form to unite and demand rights.
And the most important reason of all: accepting the offer wasn't a loss.
'It's not like I'm handing my merits to Leona—they're acknowledging them as mine. So, fine by me.'
Faces from his past life flashed by—those "dirty superiors" who'd shamelessly claim subordinates' achievements as their own.
To Daniel, who had endured working under such villains, the title of second-class contributor and the promise of fair rewards from the Northern Archduke was downright gentlemanly.
"Yeah. This is plenty."
Daniel felt no regrets.
What he'd done wasn't an "unfair deal."
It was a "no-loss choice."
Most isekai natives wouldn't understand him.
They'd be outraged, furious, protesting—how could anyone accept this as the best outcome?
But Daniel could.
Because he was a reincarnator.
From a world where, even after nailing a massive project, he'd settle for quick promotions and bonuses, accepting that the company's billions in profits were just how it worked.
In vulgar terms, his "mindset was from another world entirely." That's how Daniel could smile after a deal no one else would comprehend or accept.
"Starting tomorrow, back to being a regular Indefinite Contractor. Good job, Daniel."
Exhausted from the rare burst of frustration, Daniel felt a belated sense of satisfaction and relief as he closed his eyes.
And so, the Indefinite Contractor hero who had left a massive mark on the North drifted into sleep.
Blissfully unaware of the ripples his actions that day would cause.