Aftermath (1)
Aftermath (1)
Maya signed the document. It was full of trap clauses, but the young girl completed the contract without knowing any better.
Heh heh heh!
Landed a big one! Got a proper leash on her now!
And that's not the only insurance I've got!
[Use Ring of Bonds (S).]
One of Ra's Sacred Relics. A generous ring that massively boosts your stats just by wearing it.
But its power didn't stop at simply raising Sacred Power. The Ring of Bonds comes as a pair. One person cannot wear both at once, and the other ring must be worn by someone else.
The closer the two wearers are to each other, the greater the stat increase. Regeneration and defense also rose, and its greatest feature was that as long as one wearer lived, the other's life would not be extinguished.
Of course, that wasn't the only part I was after.
"Maya."
Bonds, to put it another way, are restraints!
Meaning it's a ring that can never be separated unless the other person wants it!
A person wearing the Ring of Bonds can track the other no matter where they are. And that's not all. The two can no longer kill each other, and they even share some of their emotions.
The perfect Sacred Relic for keeping someone by your side and working them hard! One of Ra's more hardcore rings, unbefitting of a relic of Ra. A bond forcibly forged.
Isn't that just a perverted concept!
"Take good care of me."
"...Okay."
The collapse of my body stopped. Maya looked up at me.
I could feel it. Maya's emotions. Doubt and excitement. And a little worry.
I stood up. I folded the document neatly and put it in my Pocket. An A-rank transaction contract I'd taken from Paramer's treasure vault.
This contract, which held binding force just from being signed, would serve as one layer of insurance before Maya could kill me. Well, thanks to the Ring of Bonds, that would never happen anyway!
"Take good care of me, Maya."
"......"
Maya hesitated. But soon she took my outstretched hand and stood. I held her and jumped off the building's rooftop.
"...Zahard...that child..."
The people who saw Maya were wary of her. But I shook my head.
"This child was only being used by the culprit behind Paramer."
"But still..."
"Please leave this matter to me. I'll explain in detail later. Right now there's something more important."
The soldiers who had been poking through the rotten monsters—now reduced to mere corpses after the Lord of the Rotten fell—raised their heads. My eyes met the veteran commander leading them.
Ashval Haltz, was it?
One of the fairly important NPCs. The Empire's old lion, right?
Marquis Ashval Haltz looked at me.
"...You."
Maybe because I'd vanished right after the battle ended. His eyes were full of suspicion as he looked at me.
"If you had that kind of power, why didn't you escape earlier?"
"Because it was a gamble, Your Excellency. As you know, it's not a power an individual can handle recklessly. I nearly died myself, you know?"
"Didn't you call me an old man earlier?"
"Surely not. You must have misheard."
I smiled amiably. Ashval Haltz glanced at Maya in my arms.
"And that child?"
"The sole survivor. Thanks to her, I was able to eliminate the culprit behind Paramer."
I deflected skillfully. Ashval Haltz's eyes were still full of suspicion. But soon, as if giving up on it all, he let out a deep sigh.
"We have a lot to talk about."
"No, Your Excellency. We have little to talk about."
"What do you mean?"
"Rather than talking with my mouth..."
I grinned. I drew a circle with my finger.
"Wouldn't it be better to see with your own eyes?"
The Empire's old lion, huh...
Perfect to use as a backer!
. . .
Paramer's hidden treasure vault spread out before my eyes. Ashval Haltz swallowed dryly.
"Th-this...is..."
Overflowing wealth piled up like mountains. The emergency funds of the Bach family, stockpiled for generations by Paramer's ruling house.
At the staggering quantity, even Ashval Haltz, who had no greed for material things, grabbed my shoulder.
"What in the world is this?!"
"Your Excellency. You know how it is. Everything must have a price. And I...I'm the type who doesn't forget favors. Since Your Excellency helped me, now it's my turn to help you."
"But this is far too much compared to the help I gave..."
I scooped up a gold coin. I placed it in Ashval Haltz's hand.
"Of course it's a lot. It's enormous. Ah! So much! It's a bit of a shame. No, it's a huge shame! Fucking shame, seriously!"
Ashval, having regained his senses, caught my meaning.
"...What do you want?"
"Simple. One-tenth of what's in this treasure vault. I'll take just that much."
"You'll hand over the remaining nine-tenths to me?"
Ashval asked again. I nodded.
"Your Excellency suffered considerable damage fighting the culprit behind Paramer, didn't you? The soldiers are people too. They deserve proper compensation. There may be little that money can do, but..."
I turned my head away, feigning bitterness.
"I consider this the bare minimum of respect. You can take it as my expression of gratitude to Your Excellency."
"...A priest is a priest, after all."
Ashval's eyes reddened as if moved.
"Then what do you intend to do with your one-tenth?"
I pulled Maya close.
"She's a child who went through something terrible. They say she survived for over ten years by scavenging rats."
"That's..."
Of course, it was bullshit. I gave Maya a subtle wink.
Maya, who had been bewildered, buried her face in my chest.
Nice! Image management!
"So I want to look after this child with my own hands, even if it's late. With one-tenth, I think she can certainly be compensated for what she's been through."
"...You're a priest to the bone. I can see why others came to rescue you. But still, isn't one-tenth too much? Given the size of this vault, that's far too..."
"Your Excellency Ashval. It's not only Your Excellency I owe thanks to."
I put on a benevolent smile.
"I want to personally repay the Fifth Inquisition Office, who came running directly, and the paladins of the Serpent Church. As I said earlier, if you've received something, it's only right to repay it, isn't it?"
"...I misjudged you. I saw you as a rude priest. But you weren't that type at all... Those who stand with you are fortunate. To have such certain repayment."
Dimona smacked her own forehead with her hand.
"I saw it clearly, and I still didn't get it..."
Radatok chuckled.
"You've gotten even more skilled as you've grown."
Will you two be quiet? I can hear you.
Ashval nodded.
"I'll hand over one-tenth. Don't worry about the aftermath. I, Ashval Haltz, will take responsibility and draw up the ledger. If there's any treasure you want, feel free to take it."
"I can only be grateful for Your Excellency's grace."
With this, I'd planted a good impression in Ashval Haltz. If something ever happened, he'd serve as a shield.
"Then, Your Excellency. May I personally select the one-tenth of the treasure in this vault?"
Ashval waved his hand.
"Do as you like. Someone like you will surely take only what your conscience allows."
Yeah. That's bullshit.
I'm taking only the best stuff!
I moved immediately. The inquisitors of the Fifth Inquisition Office followed behind me. The Serpent Church did the same.
Dimona asked quietly.
"What do we do?"
"What do you mean, what do we do."
I gave the order at once.
"I'll pick out only the real prizes from now on, so sweep them all up. The only things we're handing over to Ashval Haltz are gold coins and jewels. Let's siphon off all the expensive stuff to our side!"
"But there's no appraiser..."
"I can do it."
"What can't you do?"
"Nothing?"
"...You're infuriating. But wait...if you only take the expensive stuff...isn't that basically fraud?"
"Fraud, my ass. You eat as much as you know."
"Wow. Taking all the useful stuff while acting generous..."
Dimona stared at me with cold eyes. But what can I do!
This is life!
I rubbed my hands together. One-tenth. At first glance, it might seem small. But if I counted only A and S-rank treasures, excluding B and C-rank ones, that was exactly one-tenth of the total.
And I knew that list inside and out! I'd raided this place dozens of times!
"Third weapon on the left. The one hidden under the gold coins. Bring it."
"This one?"
"That's right. And that spear. The rusty spear, you see it? That one too."
"But it's rusted."
"Strip it and it shines. Bring that shield and that dagger too. Oh, and that magic stone as well."
"Isn't it too small?"
"That one alone is worth ten times more than jewels of the same weight. Stop talking and bring it."
"Yes, sir!"
I cleaned it out. Watching Ashval Haltz's reaction, I stuffed everything into my Pocket. Ah. This feels great!
Now this is farming!
And I wasn't done yet. I handed the 'Tear of Yggdrasil' I'd set aside earlier to the elves who had been creeping along behind me.
"Here. What I promised."
"Aaaaaah!!!"
"I-it's real...a real elven treasure..."
"S-Saviooooor..."
I pushed away the clinging elves. Come to think of it...when am I going to put on clothes?
"Anyone have spare priest robes?"
"I do."
Radatok pulled out spare clothes. I threw them on roughly. They were a bit big, probably because Radatok had worn them, but since I'd gotten taller, they fit reasonably well.
The inquisitors spoke over each other.
"Whoa! Brother! You wear clothes well!"
"That face is insane. Is that even a human face?"
"You're going to get a fan club, Brother."
"And with a body like that...now the Church of Ra will develop at Mach speed."
What an exaggeration. I glanced back. Irene, whose eyes met mine, quickly averted her gaze.
"...It's not wrong."
If that straight-laced senior of mine said that much, it must be true. Well, is there any downside to being handsome?
My looks in my previous life weren't bad either.
"...Succubus-level. Demon-level, I'm telling you."
"That face is definitely dangerous..."
"Isabella. We're in trouble."
"Y-y-y-yes?!"
I ignored the whispered chatter. I glanced down at Maya, who was clinging to my waist and tottering along behind me.
Her clothes were also close to rags. I rummaged through the treasure pile and pulled out an item.
[Plague Curse (A)]
A decent black wizard's outfit. I handed it to Maya. I couldn't let her walk around in rags like that.
She's the first official employee of the black company I hired, after all!
"Here. Maya."
"...Hm?"
"A gift to celebrate your hiring."
Maya, who had been tilting her head, cautiously reached out. The murky black sphere emitted light for an instant.
The rags vanished, and fluttering clothes took their place. The red ribbon suited her very well too.
Good. She's become useful.
"Don't forget that you're basically my face."
"...Face?"
"I mean don't walk around with stuff smeared on your face like a slob."
I raised my hand and wiped Maya's face. Maya closed her eyes and accepted it quietly, then gave a small nod.
"...Okay. Maya...will be careful."
"Good."
Let's build up her affection one step at a time. That way I can use it as a strategic card when the time comes!
And there were also many things I wanted to ask. On the way back, I'd have to ask about this and that. There were many people to talk to, and there was someone I hadn't exchanged a single word with yet.
I turned my head. The cat whose eyes met mine flinched in surprise and immediately hid among the people.
Let's see...first...
She made it so obvious she didn't like me, yet she was the first to come running—shall I start with that sly cat?