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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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After receiving the designated request, we immediately moved to the Rodion Marquisate.
Even if it was suspicious, it paid a lot.
“Money is the best!”
When the carriage arrived at the Rodion Marquisate, the guards at the entrance stopped us, asking for our business.
I had a deja vu of the time when we visited the Count’s territory.
I was about to roll up my sleeves and prepare a Galaxy Z Flip, but Luna stopped me.
“Luke, please calm down! You have to show them the request form…!”
“Hey, you can tell just by looking at them, right? Let’s just finish this quickly.”
“Even though it’s obvious, you should calm down and show them the form first!”
If someone doesn’t respond, it’s better to just show it and quickly get through.
“Hey, you! Stop doing useless things and tell me your business!”
A guard, who was running out of patience, said as I was bickering with Luna.
“See, Luna, it’s obvious, right? Let’s just get this over with quickly.”
“Ah! Just a minute! We came here for a request!”
“A request?”
“Yes! Luke, hurry up and get the request form!”
Ugh. How annoying.
Originally, I was going to just fold them in half, but Luna was nagging me, so I had no choice but to take out the request form and show it.
After reading the form, the guards immediately bowed down 90 degrees and apologized politely.
“W-we apologize! You were the Marquis’s clients! Forgive my discourtesy!”
‘Oh. These guys are quick on their feet.’
Yeah! This is normal!
What kind of treatment is that for VIPs?
At this point, I’ll especially refrain from using the Galaxy Z Flip.
We followed the guard, who said he would guide us to the mansion, while looking at the estate.
I was under the impression that we needed to get approval from the Adventurer’s Guild like last time, but apparently, the Marquis had already taken care of everything, so we could just head straight to the mansion.
And on the way to the mansion, Luna came next to me and whispered.
“Luke. Doesn’t something feel strange?”
“What do you mean?”
“It feels like the Marquis is paying too much attention to a commoner adventurer… It’s different from the nobles I know.”
“You’re worrying too much.”
Well, what Luna said makes sense.
I don’t know every noble, but the nobles I’ve seen in novels all lived as if they’re the only ones that matter.
When the protagonist makes a name for himself by fighting demons, nobles who can’t stand to see others succeed appear and interfere at every chance.
In the stories, there are hardly any good nobles like Isaac.
So, the image of nobles I have is mostly negative.
People who can’t stand to see other people succeed, but they live the most affluent and comfortable life.
Therefore, it’s reasonable for Luna to think it’s strange that they’re treating a commoner adventurer like VIPs.
“But that doesn’t mean we need to refuse to be treated well, right?”
I get what Luna’s worried about, but who’s the boss here?
I don’t know what kind of person that Marquis is, but they’re the one who has been so fixated on us.
That means they need us.
So, it’s natural for us to receive this treatment.
If they weren’t going to do this, they shouldn’t have called us in the first place.
We followed the soldier and arrived at a mansion, then were led to a drawing room by the butler.
As the butler asked us to wait for a moment, we enjoyed the refreshments that were prepared on the table.
“Luke, what are you doing?”
“I’m putting the snacks in my inventory.”
“…Why?”
“They’re free.”
“…”
Hey. Don’t look at me like that. You should live in Korea for a month, Luna.
Then you’ll understand why I’m doing this.
In Korea, there are tons of middle-aged women who sweep away bags of free candy, you know?
There are people who tear off plastic bags from the grocery store that were there for vegetables and fruits.
As I was putting all the snacks in the reception room into my inventory.
*Click*
Someone opened the door.
Since the only person who would enter the room while knowing that there were guests was the owner of the mansion, the Marquis.
As I turned to look at who the guy that had been so fixated on me.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Crown Rodion, the one who designated you ━━.”
“Hieeeek!!! It’s a slit-eye!!!”
I spontaneously flipped him over, grabbed both of his legs, and jumped.
“Muscle Buster!!!!”
*Crack!*
“Kuuhaaak!!!!”
When a slit-eyed man came at me with a smile, I instinctively moved first.
“L-Luke!”
“L-Luke!”
Luna and Yui, shocked by my actions, quickly ran to pull me away.
“No, let go! He’s a slit-eye! He’s clearly scheming something!”
“What does that have to do with anything?!”
“Y-yeah! He just has small eyes, that’s all!”
Hey you two! You don’t get it!
What’s the most important trait of a slit-eye?
They’re the mastermind!
I don’t know if that marquis is a mastermind or not.
But that slit-eye is a mastermind, and that’s the right deduction.
In fact, slit-eyed characters were usually the masterminds or important characters.
“I-I’m sorry…!”
Yui bowed and apologized.
“Hah… haha… cough! It’s, It’s alright. I often get misunderstood like that.”
“See. Even the person says it’s alright.”
“Luke…”
Pout.
A master ruled by a slave.
Is this the right relationship?
“What are you going to do, punching the requester…!”
Luna whispered into my ear.
What to do? What are you even asking, we’re more valuable than him, right?
He’s the one who needs us, not the other way around.
I still hadn’t changed my opinion that he was the mastermind.
I’ll keep my eyes wide open, and when an incident happens, I’ll just kill him.
“Then, let me introduce myself again. I’m Crown Rodion, the one who asked for the request.”
“I’m Luke, or did you think I would say that?”
“…Huh?”
“Let’s start with a hit first.”
*Smack!*
“Blegh!”
I slapped the marquis on his cheek.
A person who has the courage to slap a noble.
A person who doesn’t care about what other people think.
That is me, the manly man, Luke.
‘He’s the one desperate for me, not the other way around.’
I didn’t want to come, but I came because he seemed so desperate.
What if he’s unhappy?
If I don’t like it, I’ll just leave. I have nothing to lose.
“Hah… ha… It’s, it’s fine…”
Oh… He’s still holding it in?
We’ve all agreed that people like that aren’t good people, just pushovers.
“Really? Then, let’s do it some more.”
“W-wait a minute…!”
*Smack!*
“Aaaah!”
“This one is for annoying me.”
*Smack!*
“Kuuak!”
“This one is for annoying Adela.”
*Smack!*
“Keuhuk!”
“This one… I don’t know. Just get hit.”
*Smack!*
I kept hitting him for a while.
He’s been annoying me and Adela for several days, after all.
***
The light and crisp sound of the slaps echoed through the room dozens of times.
The Marquis’s face was now swollen, looking like someone who had been stung in the face by a bee.
But even after being hit so much, he still wasn’t opening his eyes properly, he must have a lot of complaints.
“You piece of shit! Open your eyes!”
Look at the way this jerk is opening his eyes?
You should be grateful to me, you piece of shit.
Do you think you’d be alive if I didn’t control my strength?
If I had used full power, his brain would have been concussed after just a few hits.
After testing it last time, I’m on par with an Iron Golem, and now that I’m even stronger, I could crush the head of a normal person with just my grip, I bet.
“H-hiek…! I-I’m sorry! My face is always like this, so please forgive me…!”
When I raised my hand as if I was about to hit him again, the Marquis quickly protected his face with both arms and trembled.
Nobles are nothing special.
“See, Luna? There’s nothing special about nobles.”
“…”
People always prioritize their own lives.
If they’re in a desperate situation, they would give up their power, honor, and status to survive.
When there’s a knife in front of them, who would brag?
So what if he’s a Marquis?
If he continues to annoy me, everything he’s built would crumble into nothingness.
Of course, that kind of attitude is the right one.
‘Haa. I should hurry and become an S-rank adventurer.’
If I become an S-rank adventurer, I can beat up nobles or anyone without worrying about consequences.
An S-rank adventurer itself is an asymmetric force, so who could stop them?
Well, you could stop them if you use the entire imperial army and just go on a suicide mission.
But the Emperor’s not crazy, they’re not going to destroy the state just to catch one S-rank adventurer.
It’s a good thing that the current S-rank adventurers have no interest in the secular world.
If they were to clash with the empire, the empire would end that day.
“C-can I tell you about the request now?”
“Okay.”
As if he was about to tell something very valuable, the Marquis cleared his throat.
If he saw himself in the mirror, he would realize that he couldn’t create an atmosphere like that.
“Recently, a certain monster has been increasing in the desert region adjacent to my marquisate. Your request is to completely eliminate the monster that has been increasing. That is, to eradicate it.”
What kind of monster is it to need to be eradicated?
Also, he asks me to eradicate the monster, but he tried to hire me for only 50 silver coins?
This makes me want to beat him up even more.
I tapped my finger on the armrest of the chair as if testing it, and saw the Marquis flinch.
“So, what’s that monster?”
“…It’s a C-rank monster, Vespa.”
Vespa? This is the most monster-like name I’ve seen so far.
All the names of the monsters I’ve seen so far were taken directly from English words, so what is that monster?
When I looked at the Marquis with the intention of wanting a more detailed description, he opened his mouth, understanding my intentions.
“Do you know the E-rank Giant Ant?”
“Yeah, I do.”
I blew up their lair.
Thanks to that, I didn’t get my reward that day.
I’m getting annoyed again, why do you keep making me think of bad memories?
“Vespa is similar to the Giant Ant. Each individual isn’t that strong, but because of their number, they are considered C-rank. I’ve been troubled because of their sudden increase lately.”
“So, if we get rid of them, it’s done?”
“Yes, I’ll send some soldiers to guide you to the location.”
His service is great.
At this rate, it should be over in less than an hour.
“Okay. I’ll leave right away.”
“Yes, I’ll call the soldier to accompany you now.”
“Oh, right. Before that.”
“?”
“Do you have any bombs?”
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