Volume 6 - CH 13

Elisa Michelle is a Templar Knight of the Holy Kingdom of Ufa.

Her rank is said to be comparable to that of a princess of a small country.

A VIP party from another country was coming to the Labyrinth of No Return, and the king personally asked us to escort them.

We were in jail, but the king offered to release us in exchange, so we had virtually no right to refuse.

Or rather, I have a feeling that this story is going to be very bad.

"The reason why you cannot use the soldier is ......."

Serina also carefully listened to the situation. After all, the other party is the King of Grandsword. It seems to be friendly, and although I said it was rude,......, I've never met this person before.

"There's a power struggle within the Holy Kingdom."

The King gives his reasons.

"Ugh..."

"Uwahh. ......"

Serina and I groaned involuntarily.

We understood the reason.

"The papal faction and the Privy Council faction are battling it out, so we can't be on one side or the other. Ostensibly."

A nasty power struggle in a nasty country, and you want me to get involved in it on behalf of the king?

If we don't negotiate a serious refusal, our lives will be in danger.

It's a good thing I have the [Speaking Lv5] skill.

"I understand the situation, Your Majesty, but if the matter is so important and complicated, I think it would be better to ask a trusted adventurer for help."

I said with a crisp face.

It was decided. It's the perfect reason.

"Not so fast. If you move an A-ranked party like that, you'll soon find their foot in my door. The King of Grandsword must remain neutral and ignorant of the situation. Of course, assassinations must be prevented."

"""Assassination!?"""

This time we're all shouted in surprise.

"Yes. I can't tell you where the information came from, but it's solid information. Moreover, the sender of the assassin is the Holy Kingdom."

Oi, oi.

Another troublesome thing. The king of Grandsword who came to us with such a story is one thing, but the people of the Holy Kingdom who are doing this are also troublesome one.

If you're doing assassinations in other countries, it would surely worsen your relationship and lose credibility when you got caught.

But in the Labyrinth of No Return, "We have a great chance!" I'm sure there are some annoying schemers who came up with such a fascinating idea. Or perhaps they are planning to worsen the relationship with Grandsword from the start.

"When is it?"

Serina asks.

"It will be soon. I've heard that Sir Michelle is already moving on to the fourth layer. If it's in a dungeon, the assassins could move at any time."

It doesn't look like we'll have much time before we have to execute the operation. Maybe they've already been beaten to a pulp. It would be better for me if that were the case.

The fact that the target of the escort is in the middle of conquering the fourth layer is also a problem.

"Your Majesty, I'd like to tell you this, but we're still having trouble conquering the third layer."

"Huh? According to the reports from the soldiers guarding the gates, you're making steady progress, albeit at a slow pace. It's almost possible for you to reach the fourth layer soon."

The king grinning at me is really annoying. I wish I hadn't told those gatekeepers about the layer I was in and how well I was doing.

"What is the level of the assassin?"

Serina asked an important question.

"Don't worry, I've got a lot of information about that. Their names are Sasha and Misha. They are dancing assassins, twin girls, and they both are level 23."

Their level is lower than I thought.

But escorting is a lot more difficult than regular fighting.

I've fought while protecting a carriage before, but that time the coachman also fought with a sword himself. This is why the level of the target of the escort is also important.

If you want to protect a level 1 princess, the level of difficulty rises quickly.

"What is Sir Michelle's level?"

"Thirty-two."

"Oh, we can handle it."

"Idiot."

I scolded and glared at Serina for saying something unnecessary. She froze, looking more upset than I thought she would be at her blunder.

"Hohou~, so you can handle it. That's very encouraging. I'll definitely ask you to take on the job."

"Your Majesty, she was talking about Sir Michelle being able to handle herself, not about our success."

"But if the assassination is going to be prevented on its own, then it's a success for you anyway. Then why don't you accept it?"

Think about it. Are there any holes or omissions in this story? It's a set-up.

"Of course, it won't be for free. I'll offer you a generous reward. Immediate release, custody of the fake Erwin, and a reward from me. What do you think? Not bad, right?"

"Well, ......, if you're in a position of ignorance, won't you be saying that when the reward is ready to be paid?"

"Don't underestimate me too much, will you?"

The king, his eyes glittering, pulled out his sword in an instant, and before I realized it, the blade was already on my neck.

Ugh, I can't move.

I was not cut, but the cold metal against my neck made me feel lifeless.

"The king's prestige would be ruined if he were to break such a promise. Besides, it's not in my nature."

That was all the king said, and he put his sword away.

I was distracted. I'm sorry I said something I shouldn't have.

"Phew......I'm sorry"

"No, I'm sorry too. I was upset by what you just said, but to tell you the truth, I was testing your skills a little. My sword skills are not up to snuff yet, but I'm in good form. I've seen that you're good enough to be an adventurer."

"You're buying too much into this. My party is officially rated F, sir"

"No, don't you know? You're officially ranked E when you reach the third layer."

"I see."

"Also, I vaguely remember that if you have earned 50,000 gold in total, you can pass the D rank."

You know a lot, this king. He's not half bad with a sword, and he looks like he's been in a dungeon before.

"Sigh, if you say so, Your Majesty, I suppose so. I'll check it later."

"Yeah, you do that. It's easier to collect quests and friends if you have a certain rank. Sir Michelle might also be more popular with a B rank party. If you want to raise your rank, I'll talk to the guild. I can't give you A rank, even if I order it."

"No, if you're just saying that on a temporary basis, that's fine, but I want to raise my rank in a straightforward manner."

"Hou~, Yes, I like that! As with the deal with Janatha, adventurers these days are becoming more and more outcasts. I wish there were more like you guys."

"Haa! I'll make an effort in my adventures."

"Ha-ha, you mean, not in your personal life? Well, that's just what I want. It's nothing to worry about."

The king smiled, pulled out a bag from his pocket and handed it to me. The contents of the bag were gold coins. It's full of gold coins.

"I'll give you a total of 500,000 gold in advance and as a deposit. The success fee is also 500,000. I'll also give you a weapon, a woman, and various passes. What do you say?"

A reward of one million gold for two level 23 assassins would be an exceptional reward.

Mitsurugi, who was over level 40, got 100,000 gold on his head.

"I'm afraid, Your Majesty, that's too much. If it's a total of 100,000 gold, I'll accept it."

I say this with a condition. You can't get paid too much for your work, and you can't get paid too little. It's a relationship of equals.

"100,000 won't do much good to someone as equipped as you. That sword is quite a work of art, don't you think?"

"It was a parting gift from my sword master, not something I bought."

It was given to me by Welbard-sensei. It's not too long and not too short for fighting.

"I see. But you're getting it. An adventurer's ability is not whether he bought it or not. It's whether you have it or not."

Besides, I don't want you to resent me too much for forcing you to do what I ask.

"If you feel uncomfortable, you can find another way to help."

"Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor the means. It's not for nothing that I've just caught you guys, can you take care of it?"

"Alec, if you don't feel like it, I can take care of it on my own."

Luka whispered.

I'm sure She'll want to take custody of the fake Erwin as well, so they'll probably take this guy on anyway.

"All right. I'll take it for 200,000."

"No, you'll have to accept 500,000. If you think you can beat me at bargaining, you are mistaken. I have a rare skill.

The king smiles and says, "Well, that's no match for you."

"Very well. I'll accept a total of 500,000, plus weapons and women, for that fee."

"Good. I'm sorry, but I want you to get on with it. Of course, please don't tell anyone that I sent you. It will only last for a week, after which I will hire another adventurer, so don't worry."

"Oh, uh, Your Majesty, you can tell me where Sir Michelle is?"

Serina asked a little flustered, but I don't think this king is going to be able to pull that off.

It's impossible to find a person whose face and whereabouts you don't know in that huge dungeon.

"That's rude, Serina."

"You're right. Do I look that mean to you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry... that's right, ahaha. ......"

"Then, the beautiful knight is waiting for you downstairs. Let's meet her first."

"Hmm?"

I can't imagine that King Grandsword, who would want to pretend to be irrelevant, would call Sir Michel to the castle.

The smirking King seems to still have something to hide.

Give me a break.