"Her na is Sion, right?"
I sighed as I watched the girl incessantly tapping the coffee cup on the table.
Honestly, I had no idea what I should say to this young, pitiful soul, as I couldn't even figure out how to approach her.
"...First, let's clear this up. Do you think that after barging in like this and forcefully pushing to assign you work, I would just say, 'Sure, go ahead'?"
No matter how much of a backstreet person you are, at least the basic procedures and rules should be followed if you want to be called a professional, right?
Barging in like this, without any preparation, is just not acceptable.
"No one wants to assign work to soone who isn't professional. If I lacked the capital... I'd assign the task to so worthless thugs, but fortunately, I have plenty of money. And you, of all people, should be well aware of that."
"Well... I suppose so."
Sion listened to while sitting straight, her hands neatly placed on her lap, like a timid child being scolded in a school office.
...If it weren't for all those daggers peeking out from under her cloak, I might have thought she was an ordinary kid.
"Why should I hire you? I admit you have skill. It was impressive how you figured out that the royal family was behind those rcenaries just by the shape of their muscles. But that's about it. There’s no way I’m working with soone as rude as you without even basic manners."
I cut her off firmly while she looked at with pity.
"Um... I understand what you're saying. But could you give just five minutes? I’ll explain why I should be hired."
Seeing her quickly agree, it seed like she understood that custors like herself, who act recklessly, are usually t with disdain.
"No."
"Please, I’m confident I can do it well."
Sion opened her big, red eyes wide and begged desperately.
"You’ll change your mind if you hear out? Just once."
"...Make it three minutes."
I hesitated for a mont before responding like that.
The reason I gave her a chance after all the nonsense was simple.
The girl in front of had the audacity to the point where it felt natural to say she had lost her mind.
Any normal person would have imdiately stopped caring about this job the mont they realized the royal family was behind those people involved in the fog of war.
For those living off illegal activities in the underworld, the royal family is essentially untouchable, and a general from the royal family is as dangerous as a tiger's tooth.
The reason I spread rumors about being a rchant who amassed wealth by trading silk was also to keep the criminals in the underworld scared and running.
Because if they were terrified, it would be impossible to gather information or employ people.
But this girl, Sion, didn’t run, even after realizing the general was behind the rumors.
In fact, not only did she not run, she had the guts to march into the tiger’s den herself, even putting her head straight into the tiger’s mouth.
With this level of courage and execution, wouldn’t it be fair to at least give her a chance to pitch herself?
If I didn’t like what she said... I could always have the soldiers waiting outside handle it.
"Alright... fine. When does it start? Are we timing this right now?"
Sion got up from her seat and asked, the chair rattling and the coffee sloshing in the cup.
"It’s already started, 2 minutes and 49 seconds left."
I replied sharply.
"Ah, okay! Let’s focus!"
Sion spread her hands and grabbed the attention of the room.
...Not that the eyes of everyone in the room weren’t already on her.
"First! Let’s talk about opportunity costs. Specifically, the value of my day versus General Bin’s day."
"Hmm."
"It’s a bit embarrassing to say this, but I’m quite an expensive resource. I earn an average of 1 gold per day, and on good days, I can make over 2 gold. I’ve designated Monday as my personal day off, so my average monthly salary is about 30 gold."
"Well... alright. Go on."
"And General Bin here... will likely beco soone with skills above that of a Sword Saint. You’ll be growing noticeably every day, right?"
"That might be the case."
"Our days are worth more than others, right? Picking and choosing... the whole process is such a waste. It’s a loss!"
Sion emphasized the word "loss" so loudly that the coffee on the table sloshed.
"..."
"While you’re looking for other people, I could be getting to work. There might be others out there more skilled than ... though, we'd have to search the entire continent."
Sion placed her hands on the table and leaned forward, continuing as her face drew closer to mine. Lir and the servant nervously adjusted their staffs and swords.
"Do you really think the next person you et will be more skilled than ?"
Her eyes, shining like well-cut rubies, glinted as she stared at .
"Maybe! Maybe... they could be."
At that mont, Sion suddenly slamd the table, sitting up straight as if sothing had clicked.
...Well, at least I have to admit her passion.
"Would you really want to waste all that ti and money on the 'maybe'? You could continue training and reach the 6th or 7th circle soon! Isn't that a huge disaster for the whole continent?"
"..."
"I’m not here to do business! I’m here to prevent a disaster and save the world! I sacrificed myself, coming into this dangerous underworld to help you, General Bin, so you can start saving ti!"
Sion spoke dramatically, like an actor on stage.
Wow, you need this kind of passion to be a freelancer.
It’s really not easy.
"Will you join in saving the continent? If you sign up for the premium elite course, you’ll be saving the world through it!"
Out of breath after her impassioned speech, Sion was sweating, and her cloak’s collar was slightly damp.
"..."
"..."
A strange silence settled around us after she finished speaking.
The heated air from her passion quickly cooled.
"Is that it? After all this commotion, that’s all you want to say? Opportunity costs? Nothing else?"
"Umm... I think you didn’t understand . General Bin, you have to save the world, with the premium elite course."
Sion, flustered and scratching her head, looked at as if she didn’t expect my cold response.
"The standard course? There’s no way! You deserve the premium elite course, General Bin! You own hundreds of squares of land in the capital!"
"..."
"Heroes have their own way, right? It wouldn’t be like you to save the world in a standard way, would it? Co on, right...?"
I looked at Sion with an uninterested expression.
Well, I’ll give her credit for passion.
Just keep doing it like that.
You have talent.
Keep living like this, and one day, you’ll catch a sucker.
"I didn’t want to say this, but listen. No one you et in the future will be as connected to the fog of war as I am."
"...Well, try it."
I decided to give Sion a second chance, seeing her passion.
...Though I doubt the result will change.
"When I was four years old, I lost my father. He was a skilled hunter, and that day, like any other, he left ho with his sword and shield to hunt monsters in the mountains."
Sion suddenly started talking about her childhood!
Looks like she changed her strategy to push through with emotion.
"And after that? My father never returned. Unfortunately, the fog of war appeared over the mountain for five minutes and then disappeared."
"Hmm."
Honestly, the first thing that ca to my mind when I heard Sion's opening sentence was the word 'bullshit.'
Let’s see how far this goes.
"My mother, trying to find my father, got sick while researching the fog of war and died when I turned eight. It was a stupid thing to do."
Well... even so, her acting wasn’t bad, so it was worth listening to.
"When I was eleven, I started investigating the fog of war, and I discovered a special pattern no one knew. I’ve gone in and out of the fog more than twelve tis!"
Seeing the tears welling up in her gem-like eyes, I almost felt my heart break.
"Who else ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) among the people you et will be as serious about this as I am? Who else would risk their life and barge into your quarters like I did?"
Sion climbed onto the chair and, with her arms raised toward the ceiling, shouted loudly.
"I don’t think there’s anyone but !"
Sion, with her bright red eyes wide open, looked down at with intense focus.
Then, tears stread down her pale cheeks, completing the performance.
"..."
"..."
Silence filled the room once again.
"Honestly, if you say yes, I’ll sign the contract."
"Actually, that was a lie. I’m Sion, the orphan who never even knew what my parents looked like~"
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
Heh, an orphan talking about being abandoned so cheerfully.
Should I hit her with a golden axe for being so honest?
"Out."
I spoke in a voice sharp as an axe blade, not bothering with an axe.
"...What about the contract?"
"Out, you crazy kid."
If I had 10,000 more strength, I would have asked the servant to bring a real golden axe, but I guess you’re lucky today.
"This is ridiculous. You said you’d contract with if I told the truth!"
This bold little brat just wouldn’t give up.
"Did you really believe that? Of course it was a lie. If you leave quietly now, I won’t charge you for breaking into the royal palace. Just think of it as a peddler coming in to sell so goods..."
"Ah, okay! 50% down paynt discount! How about that? You won’t get a chance like this again..."
"..."
"Not even 50%? Fine! I won’t ask for a down paynt. This is the kind of behavior that ruins the market economy. It’s really hard to deal with. Just don’t go around telling people you got services from without paying the down paynt..."
"Manifest."
I winced and focused on the discomfort in my chest. Soon, tiny molecules started to gather near my shoulders.
Creeeek—!
I heard the sound of chanical gears locking together. At the sa ti, a broken rapier slid out from the servant’s scabbard.
Beyond the broken wall, the shadow of a girl cloaked in black steadily recedes. Soldiers follow her, throwing spears and shooting arrows, rushing after her. A sudden flash of white lightning appears in the black sky, streaking after the girl’s trail.
"Next ti, I’ll make you pay a 300% down paynt! You’ll regret it... really..."
The girl, while dodging all incoming attacks, demonstrated acrobatic maneuvers before shouting at , who was sitting in front of the collapsed outer wall.
"...If I work with you after going through all this, I’m a dog, a dog."
Behind , the hallway of the royal palace was burning.
Soldiers, mages, and assassins were attacking from all directions, turning the hallway into chaos.
One corner was torn apart, exposing the plumbing, while another wall was sprawled with the half-torn body of a mud golem.
Rocks and dust fell from the ceiling with the aftershocks of the attacks, and the long carpet on the floor was scorched black.
Water mages were frantically waving their staffs to put out fires that had broken out in various parts of the castle, and soldiers in armor, along with assassins in black, were quickly moving, chasing the intruder.
"Sigh, crazy."
I sighed as I looked at the palace, now in ruins, and headed for my room.
...What the hell is going on here?
"Sion, Sion, huh..."
It was a na I’d never heard before in my life.
If there was a thief capable of walking in and out of the royal palace like it was their ho and making the royal guards chase after her like dogs, I should have heard of a na like that.
"Must be an alias, right?"
There were several masked thieves among the nad NPCs who had thief-class jobs. "Sion" was surely one of them.
"Malice... no, that’s not it. Her body type is completely different. Glopper the First? No, he wouldn’t have this level of skill. He’s only about level 40, after all."
"Hey, where are you going to sleep tonight?"
I was organizing my thoughts while feeling the cold night wind when Lir suddenly peeked around the door.
She seed to pity as she looked at my room, which had been destroyed, with the bed torn up and the floor littered with broken piano and glass cup remnants.
"Ah, Alter said he’d let sleep in his room tonight. He already told the servant to put a bed in there, so don’t worry about it."
Alter’s room was far from the ss I made. It would be unreasonable to call the dwarves this late at night to build a new room or fix mine, so I’d have to rely on Alter for one night.
Besides, no matter how damaged her legs were, Alter was still the most powerful 8th-circle wizard.
Even if she were a skilled assassin, she wouldn’t dare barge into the room where Alter and I were.
"Tch... fine, I guess."
Lir seed disappointed after hearing my response, slightly clicking her tongue as she spoke.
...What is it? Why does she look upset?
I glanced up at Lir with a confused expression, but she refused to et my eyes.
I already have a headache, and now she’s doing this too.
‘Is it because of thinking only of the Master’s side seat, like, "It should be mine alone!"?’
...Please, don’t make more tired than I already am.
I need to think.
I need to figure out who that kid, Sion, really is.
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