Chapter 12 - Chapter 12: "Farewell to the Surface, Hello to the Underworld"
Gokigenyou! I am Violia Nico Fortesia!
Right now! Having achieved my first revenge, I feel refreshed!
The soldier who made a fool of me has safely died after being kicked by a horse!
It ended up being a haphazard, completely unplanned revenge, but well, all's well that ends well!
"I knew it, but young lady! You're quite something, aren't ya!"
"Naturally!"
The skeleton man was cackling behind me, but I felt so good I did not even mind his creepiness! Yay!
...Yes.
So.
By the time we finished cleaning up the stragglers, Doran Parc and one other person caught up and joined us.
"What in the world is this..."
Doran Parc seemed somewhat bewildered by the scene of dead soldiers and horses, but I puffed out my chest and answered proudly!
"I did this!"
"...I see."
He glanced around, seemingly grasping roughly how I had Killed (Done) them.
"Reliable. This is as expected—no, it's work beyond expectations."
...It seems something is expected of me, but what exactly is this?
For now, we decided to camp in a nearby cave.
Ah, I thought this cave looked familiar; it is the cave where I recently hunted every single monster inside. Thank you for that occasion. I made quite a profit. Ohohoho.
We lit a fire near the cave entrance and sat around it.
And once everyone was seated, I alone stood up!
"I shall introduce myself once more. Though I believe you already know, I am Violia Nico Fortesia. I am grateful for your help. Thanks to you, I was able to settle one grudge."
I gave an elegant bow before the trio of 'dangerous fellows.' In times like this, standing while the others sit makes it slightly harder for them to look down on you. It is a survival technique of the nouveau riche. Yes, now I sit.
The three of them reacted in their own ways. Doran Parc nodded silently, the skeleton man gave a smirking, sporadic applause, and the last one gave a full-faced smile and clapped.
"It is rude of me after being saved, but I do not even know your names properly. Might I ask for them?"
...Well, since I have been saved, it seems I have no choice but to hang around with these people for a while, so we shall start with introductions.
"You likely already know my name, but I'm Doran Parc. It's been since we met in the royal capital's dungeon."
Doran Parc was the first to introduce himself. From what I could see, he was the leader.
If I were to give an impression, it would be 'Muscle Wolf.' His fierce yet sharp features and his way of laughing somehow felt wolf-like. Short black hair and gray eyes. Yes, he really did feel like a wolf.
His age... he looked older than my Onii-sama. He was over twenty, but had not yet entered his thirties... that was how he appeared.
"This time, information that you'd been caught happened to come in by chance. I owe you for the dungeon. More than anything, I was interested in you. That's why I took the liberty of snatching you from the soldiers."
"Oh, thank you for that. ...Though at that time, I thought we would never meet again."
When I said that, Doran smirked.
"Is that so. I thought we'd meet again, though."
...Hmph, I feel like being saved by this man might have been a mistake... well, it cannot be helped.
"I'm Giovan Bastorin. ...Since I'm the one among us who's talked to the young lady the most, nice to meet ya."
"Though today is the first time I have seen your face."
...This man was simply a skeleton. A walking skeleton. That was the feeling. He looked slightly taller than Doran, but his width looked about thirty or forty percent less than Doran's...
I could not tell his age. His hair was quite white, but I did not know if that was its original color or if it was gray hair. His skin seemed to have some tension, but it was hard to read his age from a face where the bones were so prominent.
"By the way, I'm the one who got the info that the young lady was caught. When I told Doran, this happened. I'm a complete victim here. Like I said before, I'm not a combatant. You can tell just by looking, right?"
Well, he certainly did not look like he could fight. I could probably win against him myself.
"Well, nice to meet ya from here on."
He was a creepy man, but since he ran a black market appraisal shop, his head must be reasonably sharp. Well, he was someone I would rather not have as an enemy.
Now, for the last one. The one who had stayed behind with Doran to fight the soldiers earlier.
His flashy blonde hair was overgrown and tied back at the nape of his neck. He looked to be about my age or slightly older.
And what was characteristic was... his prosthetic arm.
His right arm was a prosthetic, and I could see a knife built into it. It must be a prosthetic made entirely as a weapon. It seemed there was no actual arm of his own inside.
...He was staring intently at me... no, he was looking slightly away from me. What in the world...
"The stars."
...While I was suspicious, he suddenly started talking. But something was strange.
"They're so clear, aren't they? Tonight. Right?"
No, even if you say 'right?'
I looked up at the sky. ...Yes. We were inside a cave, so the sky was not visible.
What should I do about this? The flashy blonde in front of me was staring into the void while cackling. His eyes were completely gone. No matter how you looked at it, he was not a normal human.
...Perhaps unable to watch any longer, Doran provided an explanation.
"This is Chesta Trapetta. ...Due to circumstances, he occasionally ends up in this state. Especially after combat. He'll probably be in a better state after he sleeps and wakes up."
Ah, I see, so he is a drug addict? I see. I shall make sure to stay as far away from him as possible!
...So, the introductions, which left me with various anxieties, were over. Especially with Chesta Trapetta, I became so anxious that the anxieties from the first two were blown away.
"Doran-san, Giovan-san, and Chesta-san, was it?"
I have remembered your names. Though they may be names I never use again.
...Or so I thought.
"There's no need for formal titles. We'll be working together from now on."
"Pardon?"
"What we want from you is cooperation. You'll be working with us."
He said something quite outrageous, did he not?
I suppose I should ask. Even if I can guess the answer, this kind of formal procedure is necessary.
"...And if I say no?"
"I'll kill you here. It would be inconvenient in many ways if your power went elsewhere."
I knew it—!! Well, I had expected as much!
Honestly, I have been taken a liking to by quite a troublesome group. ...Well, I do not mind.
"I value your skill. Your performance in the dungeon was one thing, but looking at the monster hides you brought to Giovan's place, I knew you were a highly skilled archer. And seeing your rampage this time, I know you've got guts. You'd be useful as an ally, but a nuisance as an enemy. If you're going to be an enemy, it's better to kill you now."
Come to think of it, the black market appraisal shop and this place were connected. That meant my monster hunting skills were laid bare. ...There are likely not many customers who bring in monster materials at my frequency, so it is no wonder I was remembered. Sigh.
"It cannot be helped, then. I shall cooperate. I cannot afford to die until I have achieved my revenge. If I can have food, clothing, and shelter in the meantime, well, I do not mind lending you my strength."
"I thought you'd give that answer."
Doran said so and smirked again. It is somewhat irritating.
"Well, young lady, you've got nowhere to go anyway, right? Then coming with us isn't a bad choice."
I feel like they are taking advantage of my situation, which is irritating!
"Huh? I can't see the stars... Ah! Is it daytime now! No wonder I can't see 'em!"
It is night!
"And? Where exactly am I to be working? Surely you are not going to say a flower shop?"
Leaving the drug addict Chesta Trapetta alone, I decided to speak only with Doran.
"Right. Basically, we take requests and do work to fulfill them."
"Like the Guild."
"Well, it might be something similar. Unlike the Adventurer Guild, we don't just hire any adventurer. Basically, we fulfill the requests ourselves."
In other words, a guild where the guild staff fulfills the requests?
Or should I think of it as a party that accepts requests directly?
But if that is the case, I do not mind. I can somewhat imagine it now.
"I won't ask you to work for free. We'll give you a proper share. This time was a reward for your help in the dungeon."
"Oh. How generous of you."
"We'll guarantee the minimum necessities for food, clothing, and shelter, but in exchange, your actions will be restricted. You'll be staying in the base for a while except for missions."
"Well, that is fine. I also wish to go into serious hiding for a while."
I see. This is quite favorable treatment. Since our interests are clearly aligned, I can feel at ease about that.
"So? Specifically, what am I supposed to do?"
Now. Once that was decided, I began to look forward to it in my own way. I welcome any talk of making money, and having a clear goal is a good thing!
...Or so I thought as I asked high-spiritedly.
"The duties you'll be in charge of are mainly monster subjugation, theft, robbery, and assassination."
AAAH! An even more dangerous answer than I expected came back—!!
These people are truly dangerous fellows—!!
"You have no resistance to killing, right?"
"Well, I suppose not."
"Good. Then as soon as we return, we'll have you start on a mission. We'll talk about the details after we get back. We leave before dawn tomorrow. I'll take the watch. You can sleep."
M-My, things are progressing so rapidly... ehhh?
I am to become an assassin? After falling from grace? I became a bandit, but after that, I was earning a decent living at the Adventurer Guild? And next is an assassin?
I wonder what will become of me...
"Well, young lady. Let's have some fun. It's not a bad job once you set your mind to it."
While I was feeling anxious, Giovan gave me a gentle pat on the shoulder.
...Well, I have no choice but to set my mind to it.
"You can expect good earnings. Jobs involving nobles pay well."
And then Doran said something like that.
...Earnings.
And the prey is... nobles.
"...Well, if it pays well, then that is fine! And if the prey is nobles, then it is even more wonderful!"
I have started to feel quite positive!
I shall do my best as an assassin!
Ohohohoho!