Chapter 106 On

"Being acquainted with the aforementioned conditions, work under me and me alone."

"Hm…"

"What do you say?"

I had a lot to say. First off, I wanted to clarify some things. What drove her to doing all of this was the fact that she needed a powerful weapon she could trust. A powerful weapon that would be her asset alone. The kind of tool that shall serve her, at the palace, where she, for more than one reason she didn't dive into, could do with someone's help, and work under her alone. I imagined the life at the castle, being a high-ranking noble and all, was also difficult in its own way.

So I knew she could use me as I would be some kind of secret weapon, let's say, but that was it. I didn't ask about what kind of work I would be required to pull under her direction or anything. It didn't interest me, and I think I didn't have to know. What interested me, though, was what would happen outside of that.

I mean, addressing the elephant in the room, would I be joining some kind of army or something? Work with other soldiers? Have a superior, train all day with them, perform some kinds of daily duties, like patrolling squares or stuff like that?

That wasn't likely, and I was right. I was told, "Not at all. That's a fair question, now that I consider your perspective, but no you won't." What didn't I understand, she asked me? She said it again: a soldier that would work under her and her alone. And so, from what I understood, and that was a question I asked, I would become some kind of special knight, guard, or escort to the lady, eh?

Following her everywhere around, be it from the shadows or in plain daylight, executing her orders here and there, be it gathering information she needed, or do away with some noble competitors now and then, all of which would be meant to serve her, ease her life, and help her climb her way up the dominance hierarchy at the castle.

She said it was basically that and I entertained the right idea. If she was to be quite honest with me, she told me in all honesty she herself didn't really know about all the technicalities and such of the job she offered me, but in more than one way, I could basically call myself her "servant." I didn't like the sound of that word but I nodded anyway.

It hadn't been a week since I first opened my eyes in that restaurant and decided to gather information about the Outside World… and I was already offered a job. I quite honestly imagined, not that I gave it much thought, that I would be wandering around the world with my two companions for more than a year, at least, before we found a place to settle in and stuff.

Like, having a real home and what came along with it. Belong to a land, basically. My old man, when I asked him what he thought about that, confessed that both he and I had the same idea. Meaning it would take long before we settled in some place. And today, after only a week, I was offered a job, hm? If I accepted it, I'd already be belonging to one place instead of wandering the world, directionless.

I already had a direction, now. I guess you'd have to thank the System for that. If I didn't have the quests to basically walk me through the world, I'd probably still be in the dark streets of the Sville Village, with the rats, trash, and piss, starving myself to death and jumping from one Receptacle to the other.

That felt like so long ago, by the way… but it had been, what, only a little handful of days at most. Presently, thanks to the System, I had my Character created, I could "participate in the Game," as the System would have it, and so I had many directions to follow.

So far, I always followed the System's directives. It was about the only thing I always had with me that always helped. It proved useful to listen to whatever this power of mine I called System said to do. So what should I do? Follow that lady's lead, as the System qualified the path she gave me as a "Compulsory Quest," or not? I never tried disobeying the System, now that I think about it, so maybe I should experiment? Try and see what would happen?

I didn't refuse right away for two reasons. The System was the first reason, and the second was the fact that I could always accept her offer, but only for now. As it more than interesting to me to follow the gorgeous royalty in order to see what her story revealed, I could do that. And, who knows, if at some point I grew bored of playing the lady's "servant," I could always jump on her shoulders and tear her head off. Maybe.

"I don't mean to hurry you in your thinking, little monster. By all means, take your time before you answer me. I'm observing you're considering every aspect of that offer… or no, let's call it a possible direction, for now… so take your time to think it all through."

Well, I had other questions and points I needed to clarify. So, as she started to go back to some pile of documents she had discarded before we talked, I addressed what I thought was an important point of the whole affair we were having.

After I did so, like the old man, she said that luckily enough I was so human-like. She couldn't distinguish me from another adventurer if it weren't for both the identification plate she had (though I destroyed it while I denied I was an enemy of mankind) and an item she showed me presently.

My eyes locked onto it and the System's AR display read "Higher Perception Magical Pendant," it was a qualified as a low-level artifact and equipment whose effects were both an increase of the user's Sense stats and an ever-lasting Positive Status Effect that gave the user the ability to see through disguises or concealments.

Well. The System did that with a bunch of things, displaying an AR panel detailing the overall description or effect of every kind of Equipment or other items I had under my eyes. It was a useful thing to have, my System.

But anyway, yes, the lady explained I was lucky enough to be so human-like in appearance. She could hardly believe I was a monster. The first thing she said when she realized I was a monster, back in the trading ground office, was something along the lines of "Such dark ages, to think that nowadays, even the enemy can take on such an innocent human boy's appearance to fool us…!" Clearly, it indicated I was well-hidden as far as appearances were concerned.

All I had to worry about, in order to not be found out as a monster, was to conceal my aura better, then. Asking for the specifics, I could be "sealed" as a provisory measure, and then I was all free to go visit any human place I wanted. Even if the security was high. I could pass through gates without being found out, and so I had the answer to my question.

It would be that easy to infiltrate and live among any people I'd choose to, then. That was good to know.

"...So, if, say, I come to follow you right this instant, we go to your capital—the little country inside the bigger country—I can get inside the walls, then you, uh, I don't know, maybe show me to where you live, then I become your servant in the shadows; I stay hidden and people don't know about my presence since I have to be your secret; and like this, I work for you. …Like, I could for example dispose of that guy you talked about, the suitor person you would probably have to make babies with or something. …I could, and then what? Is it all about the work you need me to do?"

"Pfft! What are you— Not so fast, hey!" the royalty laughed. Shaking her head at me and smiling, I cocked my head to the side, asking her what was funny. "First of all, don't put it that way, little monster. 'Make babies with,' yes? Tut-tut. Rude."

"Yes, ma'am. Be wedded to renew alliances and stuff, then."

"Sure, and then, about your concerns… Ideally, I shouldn't need you to kill so easily. Hopefully, you, little monster, and your presence wouldn't be more than a deterrent to that kind of hostilities. My trump card, if you will. Ah, and you can forget about the suitor problem I mentioned earlier. Why, if everything goes well, today, and I prove my value to Father, though a woman I may be, I will still have time."