108. Subjugation of the New Magical Beast Species (1)
"Master, your physical abilities are 17% lower than usual."
"...I know."
"This unit will analyze the unknown cause of Master's reduced physical performance—"
"That's too advanced for you right now. Don't analyze it."
"This unit is not a child—"
The delicate eyebrows of the beautiful doll girl twitched as Emilia, the puppet, tried to protest to her master, Eunhyeon. But her words were drowned out by someone else speaking up.
"Hey, mister, you don't look so hot. You okay?"
"No, I didn't sleep well last night..."
"Tch, if you're skimping on conditioning from day one of the expedition, you're gonna be in trouble."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
Inside the Artia Knight Order headquarters, as Eunhyeon quietly waited for the expedition briefing to begin, an adventurer approached and struck up a conversation. The man eyed Eunhyeon's pale, sickly face with pity, clicking his tongue in disapproval.
Unable to blame Illyana for keeping him up all night, Eunhyeon could only manage a wry smile.
"Wanna try this potion? It's a tonic—works wonders. Boosts your stamina too, keeps you rarin' to go all night long. The ladies can't get enough of it; it's pricey as hell, but seein' your sorry mug, I'll cut you a special deal. One gold coin. Whaddya say?"
"No thanks. I'm good."
Eunhyeon firmly rejected the adventurer's ploy, who was pretending to be generous while trying to offload a dubious potion at an exorbitant price.
A regular soldier in the kingdom's army earned two gold coins and ten silver a month. For commoners, two gold coins—used frugally—could sustain a family of three or four. Yet this scammer was trying to fleece someone for half a soldier's monthly pay. Eunhyeon wasn't angry; it was almost laughable.
Undeterred even after his scheme was exposed, the adventurer plopped down next to Eunhyeon with a shameless grin, sizing up his appearance.
"By the way, mister, no weapon on ya? You sure you're in on this expedition? A porter or somethin'? Wait, hold up—is that a kid?"
"This unit is not a child, ugh—"
Eunhyeon clamped a hand over Emilia's mouth as she protested again.
"Nah, I'm in combat, but don't worry—I'm not that weak. I can handle myself."
"Ha! Every adventurer says that. Even greenhorns not even a year in think they're invincible. But without proper gear, just your body alone... eh."
The adventurer seemed sturdy enough, but Eunhyeon's only belongings were the backpack at his side. Doubts crept into the scammer's mind as he realized this looked like a total rookie, yet he'd sniffed out the potion scam.
'How the hell did a guy like this even get into the expedition...?'
With nearly five years in the business, the adventurer considered himself seasoned, yet he'd barely scraped into this Artia-commissioned beast subjugation via the guild. Priority went to top adventurers based in Fernin, with strict requirements attached.
That meant massive risks, but the payout—a whopping 10 gold coins—had every greedy adventurer swarming, intensifying the competition. Which meant the pale-haired weakling before him had bested that crowd to join.
'Doesn't look the type at all...'
Plus, bringing a kid to a life-or-death expedition? Suspicious as hell. Too cocky for a newbie, yet he'd smirked like he saw through the scam. Everything about this guy screamed trouble.
Ignoring the scammer's blatant stare, Eunhyeon turned to gaze at the knight order office.
"The briefing's running late."
"Well, they're the employers, so they've got their reasons... Hey, where you goin'?"
As Eunhyeon abruptly stood, the scammer shot him a puzzled look. Ignoring the question, Eunhyeon headed straight for the office, the silver-haired girl in her jet-black gothic dress trailing behind.
"H-Hey, mister! That's not a place us third-rate adventurers can just barge into—"
The scammer's urgent warning trailed off in disbelief. Normally, some no-name rookie's antics wouldn't fly. But not only did the knights not stop Eunhyeon from entering the office—they politely held the door open for him. Other adventurers, including the scammer, started staring.
"Hey, what the hell did you say to that guy?"
One adventurer grabbed the scammer's shoulder. The interrogator's face was stiff; the scammer looked flustered.
"Nothin' much. Who is he anyway?"
"What? You don't know that bastard?"
"So who is he?"
"The famous one lately! The guy who dodged execution in the kingdom's public trial! The witch's lover!"
"...That lame-looking dude just now?"
"Yeah! What'd you talk about? Spill it—I'm dying here!"
The scammer barely registered the other voices. Realization hit: he'd tried to scam the witch's minion. If word reached the Black Witch...
"Ah, fuck... I'm screwed..."
Meanwhile, after the knights courteously permitted entry, Eunhyeon climbed the stairs to Riod's captain's office. He found the man in a heated argument with a woman.
"I can't allow it."
"No way! Let me join the expedition! Please, mister!"
"This is an official venue. Address me as Captain or Marquis."
Eunhyeon instantly grasped why the expedition was delayed: they were deadlocked over the woman's participation.
"Just let her in."
"Huh?"
The woman jumped at the sudden voice from behind, whirling around with wide eyes. Spotting Eunhyeon at the door, her surprise deepened.
"You're... Erin's...?"
Her neatly braided hair fell to one side, framing an intellectual, refined face behind round glasses. Recognizing the man she'd spoken with a few times before, Cecilia's expression turned to shock at this unexpected arrival.
"Long time no see, Professor Cecilia."
"Y-Yes... But how is Erin's guardian...?"
Bowing politely in greeting, Eunhyeon turned to Riod.
"Just let her join. The longer we delay, the more it costs us."
"But she's a non-combatant, unsuited for battle. Plus, she's a noble of this kingdom—a vital educator at Aiter. I can't let her join a dangerous expedition on a whim. Her father, Count Clarice, opposes it too."
"My father's opinion doesn't matter! I need to investigate those beasts. Please, Captain. I won't fight—just keep me safe in the rear. Let me confirm what you mentioned: the chimeric magical beasts."
"There's no such thing as a safe rear on an expedition, Professor."
"......"
Cecilia frowned at the cold voice from behind Riod, glaring at Eunhyeon. As Erin's and Elvin's former homeroom teacher, she had some connection to her guardian—but he wasn't helping; he was obstructing her.
"Didn't you just say you were okay with me joining?"
"Sure, because wasting more time here gains us nothing. You know the knights and adventurers outside are just standing around awkwardly."
"Ugh..."
Aware she'd single-handedly delayed the whole thing, Cecilia couldn't hide her embarrassment.
"As I said, there's no safe position on an expedition. One slip, and a rear ambush can collapse the line, wiping out the entire party. That's a common case. Your assumption is wrong, Professor."
"That's..."
"Riod, I'll handle Professor Cecilia's protection. Even if the expedition gets annihilated, I can get her out. Don't worry."
"That'd mess up efficient force allocation. You need to be on the front lines."
"Ah, but I meant her will guard the professor—not me."
"Pardon...?"
Eunhyeon pointed at the gothic-dressed girl beside him. Cecilia blinked in confusion. Riod narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Emilia, then nodded reluctantly.
"I see. So that's the 'golem' Illyana mentioned?"
"G-Golem? That little girl?!"
"...This unit explicitly states it is not a crude, barbaric 'golem'."
No one paid attention to Emilia's indignant protest at the label.
"Fine. She's your responsibility. I'll hand her off to Cain and depart immediately."
"Good. Professor, let's go. We'll check and inspect the expedition supplies before we head out."
Defying her father like that, she surely hadn't prepared properly alone.
"...Okay."
Cecilia looked dazed, unable to hide her bewilderment at how Eunhyeon's single intervention resolved the deadlock so effortlessly. Something clearly didn't sit right with her.
"Who are you, exactly?"
"Not sure what you mean by that."
"Marquis Olivion is a noble of this kingdom. Being so casually informal with him—especially where other nobles might see—won't reflect well on you or him."
"And you're telling me this?"
"Pardon?"
"Weren't you just using personal ties to persuade the Artia captain?"
"Th-That's..."
Cecilia faltered, caught off guard.
"I know Count Clarice—your father—and Marquis Olivion are close. That's why you could make such a request."
"You... know our father...?"
"Never met him."
But through Terezia, Eunhyeon knew Riod's standing and connections in the kingdom intimately.
"Even if unintentional, what you did put the captain in a tough spot. Using your friendship to force your way onto the expedition delayed departure and harmed the whole group."
"I... Sigh, you're right."
Realizing her lack of awareness, Cecilia sighed deeply, admitting her fault.
"I should apologize to the mister later too. I was so fixated on my side that I put him in a bind."
Riod shared some blame for not shutting her down firmly, but Eunhyeon didn't mention it.
"Um, by the way..."
Walking beside him, Cecilia glanced slyly at Eunhyeon.
"What is it?"
"One small favor?"
"...Go ahead."
Sensing something off, Eunhyeon nodded. Cecilia's gaze shifted past him to Emilia on his other side.
"Can I touch that girl? Just once?!"
Her eyes sparkled like she'd discovered a new wonder. Emilia's brows twitched under the scrutiny; she clutched Eunhyeon's pants, ignoring it desperately.
"If possible, I'd love to disassemble her too...!"
"Th-This unit strongly requests withdrawal of protection duty for the subject before it, Master!"