NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Episode 18. The Rough Run
“This mission allowance is all yours. As a result, I didn’t do anything.”
After finishing the mission in the slums, just before entering the palace.
Linne, who had stopped in place, spoke with difficulty.
Yurian turned his head and looked at Linne's face.
Our eyes met, but it was impossible to read the emotion on his face. As always, a smile was perched on his squinted eyes.
“Please don’t say that, Miss Linne. We’re classmates, aren’t we?”
“I hate you.”
Of course, Linne said it out loud.
There are many people who dislike Yulian, but few say it out loud.
Of course, despite the blatant hostility, Yurian remained consistent.
“That’s a shame. We have the same teacher, don’t we? Hehe.”
“Just because we have the same teacher for a while doesn’t mean we are all the same. My teacher said that power comes with responsibility. However, the power you wield is not responsible. Why don’t you learn to control yourself now?”
Thinking back to the overwhelming force he had shown to the demon just a moment ago, Linne's discontentment rose up.
Why do you act against the teacher's teachings?
Why do you want to kill your teacher?
“Moderation is a virtue only cowards should have.”
“Are you saying that Master is a coward?”
I couldn't stand insulting my teacher.
Linne clenched her fist.
He bit his lip as if he was overcome with anger.
Yulian said calmly, not knowing whether she knew he was angry or not.
“Miss Linne really doesn’t know the world.”
“……What did you say?”
“Some people may live a life that requires moderation.”
“What is that…….”
That's nonsense.
At that moment, Yurian struck first.
“Anyway, thank you for your hard work today. Well then, I’ll take all the credit for this mission.”
Hoho, with a short laugh, Yurian began to walk towards the palace.
Linne frowned as she watched his back moving away.
“A life that cannot be lived without moderation…….”
It was a statement that was absolutely incomprehensible when thinking about it according to the Master's teachings.
Linnaeus's mind became complicated.
As expected, he was a person who could neither be understood nor wanted to be understood.
“Are you going back?”
At that moment, he turned his head to the voice asking him.
The man in the carriage was looking at Linne.
She smiled slightly at the familiar face.
“Uncle Ergen.”
Ergen Rondbell.
A member of the Rondbell family, just like himself, and his father's younger brother.
As I greeted him in an affectionate tone, the carriage door opened.
“If you’re on your way back to the mansion, I’ll give you a ride. Get in.”
“No, alone…….”
“There is no need to decline.”
If I refuse here, that would be a nuisance too.
Linne got into the carriage.
As I gave the coachman a command in a soft voice, the carriage began to move slowly.
“Are you on your way back from finishing the work that Lord Haydn asked you to do?”
"yes."
“I see, did you finish your work well?”
The moment she was about to answer 'yes' to Ergen's question, she suddenly realized that she had done nothing on this mission.
In the end, it ended well, but I was embarrassed to just accept it.
“……So-so.”
“Yes, that’s fortunate. Sir Haydn has recognized your talent. But don’t push yourself too hard.”
Ergen looked at Linne with a worried face.
“I’m sorry, it seems like I’m nagging you for nothing.”
“No, Uncle.”
“But, the man we were with a little while ago… Could it be Sir Yurian?”
When the three letters of that name came out, Linne's face distorted for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.
"yes."
“His recent actions have really put the elders on edge. There are even rumors going around that he submitted a review proposal to the secretary’s office to pressure the elders.”
Among the imperial nobility, it is difficult to find one who is not interested in 'Yurien'.
It was not strange for a nobleman like Ergen to have such questions.
The royal dog with all sorts of notoriety.
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His rise and fall were of interest to those in power, and there were plenty of people who loved to gossip about it.
Above all, since it is a royal dog and comes from a noble family, it is inevitable that it will be a cause for concern.
“A fellow nobleman, yet he puts pressure on the council of noble elders. What an incomprehensible man.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But more than anything, the person you have to be careful of is Yurian, the person himself.”
Ergen, who had been speaking softly, grabbed Linne's hand and continued speaking in a worried voice.
“For whatever reason, don’t get close to him. He is a very dangerous man. He is a royal swordsman who has no feelings and has no regard for human relationships. He is someone that nobles should avoid.”
“Yes, I know, Uncle.”
“But I have some doubts.”
"yes?"
“So, with the rumors that he was so talented, why did Lord Haydn kick him out?”
Ergen, who was deep in thought, had a hint of ridicule on his lips.
“I’m starting to think that maybe he’s not as great of a prosecutor as rumored.”
"that……."
"huh?"
“I don’t think so.”
Linnaeus flatly denied this.
The perfect sword route.
Composure that is not lost even in urgent situations.
Distribution of power in a restrained manner, without wasteful use.
It was quite similar to the swordsmanship she idealized.
“I don’t know about anything else, but his swordsmanship is truly extraordinary. I guess the master recognized him and took him on as his disciple.”
The keen eye for detail that allowed him to cut down demons without using his aura, and the physical ability to achieve it.
Although he did it for 'fun', if we look at the 'phenomenon' alone, it seems that he killed the demon without using mana.
“He is strong.”
Much more than me.
Linne tried to speak, but her modest pride blocked her mouth.
***
“……What on earth happened?”
After finishing the mission in the slums.
When I reported to the captain, Odwin, she asked me.
What happened?
A thousand thoughts passed through my head.
Did you make a mistake?
Come to think of it, Odwin was suspicious of my speech the first time he saw me.
“What are you talking about?”
“Didn’t you go to the slums to check on the suspicion of demon presence?”
“Yes, I checked and it was true.”
“But why did a criminal come to confess his crime? And why did he mention your name?”
At first, I couldn't understand what Odwin was saying.
But after thinking about it for a moment, I remembered that it was the story of 'Baden' that I had encountered in the slums.
I definitely told him to turn himself in.
But you surrendered so obediently?
“Even if it was late, he must have realized his crime. He must have repented and turned himself in. I don’t know why my name came up there, though.”
“…….”
I ignored the suspicious looks I received.
For now, I just passed it on like this.
Anyway, Odwin or the royal family will take care of the rest.
Odwin, who had been looking at me, let out a sigh and slipped a piece of paper over to me.
Also, is it a mission? This thought crossed my mind, but looking at the writing at the top, it doesn't seem to be that.
“It’s a performance bonus. Including the bonus for the two tasks you performed this time.”
Performance fee.
The so-called salary.
I couldn't close my mouth as I looked over the documents containing my salary details.
'… … 11 thousand Nar?'
The unit of currency used in the Adratan Empire is 'Nar'. From what I saw on a site that briefly summarized the settings of <Let's Kill the Demon King Now>, I heard that 'Nar' has a similar value to the 'dollar' on Earth.
That is, 15 thousand Nar.
'Your salary is 15 million won?'
Looking closely, the part that said 'closed eyes salary' didn't have that much money written on it.
But the reason I was able to receive such a high salary was because of the way the bonus was calculated. Namely, because I had recently completed two missions.
Besides, in this mission, Linne left all the responsibility to me.
“That’s amazing.”
I muttered to myself unconsciously at the enormous salary.
Odwin nodded.
“Right?”
"yes."
“It’ll be less than usual. I guess it’s because I had a lot of days off this month due to injuries.”
I couldn't help but laugh inwardly at her subsequent words.
Do you usually get paid more than this?
As expected, Yurian was no ordinary guy.
'The Royal Dog' wasn't something just anyone could do.
Well, isn't it called an 'Imperial Agency' for nothing?
The reason the Adratan Empire has survived to this day is because of the overwhelming power of the imperial family.
Considering that the closed eyes are an exclusive agency of the imperial family, it would be impossible to accept a small salary for the sake of the imperial family's reputation.
"hmm?"
As I was reading my payslip, I suddenly noticed a section with numbers written in cursive with minuses.
There was a list of deductions from the salary.
[- Mansion management fee]
[- Employee salary]
Well, yeah.
Up to this point, I can understand.
Because it wasn't that big of an amount.
[- Imperial Arts Association Member Maintenance Fee]
[- Subscription fee for the magazine, The Knights]
hmm.
Yes, I could understand it to this extent.
I also knew that Yulian liked art and was a guy who would spend money on it.
But the subscription fee is too expensive.
[- Installment of ceramic 'Fiancee' from Donatien Atrium]
[- Installment of the famous painter Corusius' work, 'Id Cosmos']
Have you ever seen such a crazy kid?
Artists whose names any citizen of the empire would have heard at least once.
The artworks purchased from their atrium were truly outrageous in price.
Because of that, the deductions listed on the payslip were an absurdly large number.
[Payment amount = 900 Nar]
As a result, the amount that fell to me was 900 Nar.
Considering that Yurian was of noble birth, this left an absurd amount of money.
'Did this guy… …save money?'
I closed my eyes for a moment, and a scene inside a mansion filled with useless antiques came to mind.
A living room, bedroom, and even a study room painted with art pieces.
'Will you be there, you son of a bitch?'
Suddenly my head started to feel dizzy.
I'm going to go pick up the 'moonstone' that I asked the jewelry store to give me soon, but isn't that impossible without money?
‘I need to borrow money from someone… … .’
No, 'Yurien' wouldn't do something like that. He would have tried to secure funds by taking on at least one more mission.
“Sir Odwin.”
"why?"
“Do you have any more missions coming in?”
A look of puzzlement appeared in Odwin's eyes.
“It’s the first time you’ve brought that up yourself. I’m afraid not.”
I sighed inwardly at the words that followed.
The Empire's smiling executioner, a ghost wearing a turban. A former disciple of the Sword Master.
Yurian Kraiphart Frasson.
Even though he was a man who had all kinds of fame, including notoriety, he never imagined that his future would be blocked by such a materialistic reason.