CH 255

Episode 255 – Sponsorship Contract

This time’s interview focused mainly on Aruna and Rosalie. As the reactions from the spectators might have suggested, these two were overwhelmingly popular. Besides, there had already been several articles written with my interviews included, so I hardly talked during the interview this time.

“―Well, that about wraps it up. Thank you two very much for putting up with such a long interview. Thanks to that, I’ll be able to write a great article.” (Tobias)

“N-Not at all. I thought it would take more time, but it finished so quickly that it wasn’t difficult at all.” (Rosalie)

“Mhm. But will the content of this interview be okay?” (Aruna)

“Yeah. I’ll always be able to interview Lewin for anything else related to the Dungeon, so this time I only wanted to hear various things about you two.” (Tobias)

As he spoke, Tobias neatly stacked up the papers containing the notes he had written during the interview. The two of them had expressed their doubts, but I also thought that this time’s interview was fairly special. As I was wondering if this article would end up being some kind of personal introduction article, Tobias glanced outside and stood up.

“Perfect timing. It looks like the person who wants to sponsor [Sun Strelka] has arrived. I’ll introduce them to you right away.” (Tobias)

“Let me introduce you. This is Arthur-san, who owns a weapons shop in Landaust.” (Tobias)

“Fuuhahaha. I’m Arthur, the owner of Eagle Talon, a weapons shop in Landaust… I’m not sure if you still remember me or not, but I recall that you fellas have visited my shop before.”

“Tch. So it’s the old geezer from Eagle Talon that hopes to sponsor us…” (Aruna)

“Fuhaha. Aruna, I’ve seen your fights against the Elemental Golem on the monitor recently.” (Arthur)

The tall, hulking old man spoke to Aruna in a close manner. Of course, I hadn’t forgotten who he was. Back when we were shopping for our first Dungeon expedition, he was the shop owner of Eagle Talon, the shop that Aruna had recommended.

He had told us about the legend of the magic sword, Soulgram, and he had also given explanations for all kinds of weapons in his shop. He was the kind of person that noticeably gave off the aura of a formidable powerhouse, so even if I wanted to forget him, I wouldn’t be able to… That was the kind of person he was.

“Of course I remember you. At that time, we received your help with quite a few things. I was thinking of going some time to buy the weapons you recommended, but I never imagined that you would do us the favor of coming here.” (Lewin)

“I just happened to find the opportunity to watch you guys fight. I was so impressed that I immediately reached out through my connections and asked if I could sponsor you guys.” (Arthur)

“We’re very honored, Arthur-san. But are you really sure we can do what you want? A sponsorship contract means that we’ll be promoting Eagle Talon, right?” (Lewin)

This was the biggest question at hand. Signing a sponsorship contract was something to be grateful about, but I was really unsure about whether we could produce a proportionate level of results in promoting his business or not.

“You don’t have to worry too much about that aspect. My shop is more than well off, so I’ve got quite the savings. As long as you give me a little bit of publicity through the Dungeon monitors, I’ll have no complaints whatsoever.” (Arthur)

“If you are happy with those conditions, we would be happy to oblige, but…” (Lewin)

“Fuhahaha. I’m the one who’s asking the favor of you guys. You don’t need to lower your head.” (Arthur)

“Exactly. We’d be fine even without a sponsor, so you don’t need to feel like we’re the ones indebted to him,” Aruna said confidently, building off of what Arthur said.

That was certainly true… Half of our Dungeon expenses were covered by the profit from the plants that I gathered, and there was always the situation with the Merchant’s Guild, who was still purchasing Glutamate Herb. I would be getting paid by the Laudungeon Company for the interviews, so the financial situation from now on would become even easier. Still, I would rather spend my time and magic power on something else.

“However, the expenses for diving into the Dungeon can pile up really quickly. Even still, thank you for sponsoring us.” (Lewin)

“I know. As for the amount that I pay you for the publicity, I will take 5% of the amount gained from the impact of publicity you raised and pay you back in money, equipment, or maintenance service. Of course, I will also provide Aruna’s arrows free of charge.” (Arthur)

The moment that proposal came out of Arthur’s mouth, the look in Aruna’s eyes changed. Her calm expression from earlier was wiped off her face and the look that replaced it was similar to the one she had when fighting monsters.

“….Arrows? Does that include Elemental Arrows then?” (Aruna)

“Of course. There would have to be a limit on the number I could give you for free per Dungeon attempt, but whether it’s Elemental Arrows or Magic Arrows you want, I wouldn’t mind it.” (Arthur)

“Magic Arrows…!! ―Lewin, we should sign that sponsorship contract right away. Eagle Talon is offering a favor that even money can’t pay back.” (Aruna)

It was refreshingly different from her earlier stance, but even if Aruna wanted to sign the sponsorship contract, it still wasn’t so simple. It was hard to predict the amount we would be able to raise from publicity, but it was a big help that he was willing to prepare equipment and maintenance for us.

“Are you okay with this, Rosalie-san?” (Lewin)

“Y-Yeah. I have no objections.” (Rosalie)

“Alright. Then Arthur-san, would it be okay to move forward with those conditions for the contract?” (Lewin)

“Since I was the one who originally proposed it, I’d be happy to. Well then, we’ll have the Laudungeon Company prepare the contract document for us as the intermediary. If in the off chance that the contract is broken, the Laudungeon Company will serve as the mediator, is that alright?” (Arthur)

“Yes, of course.” (Lewin)

“Looks like it’s decided then. Congrats, Lewin. You’ve finally become a full-fledged adventurer. I’ll do my very best to support you in the future.” (Tobias)

“Tobias-san, thank you so much for everything!” (Lewin)

In this way, our sponsorship contract with Eagle Talon was tied, and our party, [Sun Strelka], had finally become a full-fledged adventurer party in both name and substance. We still needed to talk about the details regarding the support that Eagle Talon would be offering us, so we decided to meet up another day to discuss it at length.