I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince-Chapter 496: Insight (2)

"And, what else do you have?"

"For the Goblin King subjugation reward... we can offer ten gold coins...."

...Does this bastard have a death wish?

"Do you usually put ten gold coins on a Goblin King subjugation request, or are you confusing it with a Goblin Lord?"

"W-Well, without a formal subjugation order from the domain, there’s no additional funding. And for the Goblin King, the parts that could be sold as materials... well, you mentioned they were destroyed in the explosion."

"Then you shouldn’t have sent E-rank adventurers into an area where a Goblin King might appear in the first place."

"T-That part was unforeseen. We had no way of knowing...."

...Unforeseen, my ass. They sent three rookie E-rank adventurers to "clear out" a goblin nest for an obvious reason.

It was because the cost of a low-ranking adventurer’s life is cheaper than hiring a higher-ranking one.

"So, you sent us to check the danger level because it’s cheaper than using high-ranking adventurers."

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"N-No, that wasn’t the intention...."

"F and E-rank adventurers are expendable to you. You slapped on the label of a promotion test, sent us to scout, and figured if we returned safely, all was well. If there was real danger, we’d die, so there’d be no need to compensate us. That’s why you did it, you bastard."

"......."

"And now that I barely escaped with my life, you want to settle it with ten gold coins?! You’re treating me like a fool, damn it!"

-Crack!!

"Hup...!"

Unable to contain my anger, I slammed a dagger into the desk, making the guild master flinch and shrink back.

His eyes darted to the dagger on the desk, then back up at me, looking as startled as a rabbit.

"P-Please, calm down, adventurer! We understand your frustration...."

"Guild Master, that dagger...."

"We’ll discuss it later. For now, just...."

"No... that insignia... could it be Black...?"

"...What?"

The assistant, who seemed to be the vice guild master, whispered something to the guild master. Hearing it, the guild master’s face paled as he glanced at the dagger on the desk, then back at me, visibly shaken.

"What are you whispering about?"

"N-Nothing at all!"

They quickly cleared all the papers from the desk, talking in low tones to each other. As my temper began to flare at being ignored, the vice guild master placed a pouch of coins on the desk.

"R-Right... as the lady... no, as the adventurer said, ten gold coins may indeed be too little considering the Goblin King’s threat. Here is the newly adjusted subjugation reward."

"And how much is it?"

"...Thirty gold coins. As this was an unexpected subjugation, this is the most we can currently offer from the guild’s funds."

"......."

Thirty wasn’t bad. It wasn’t particularly high for a Goblin King, but considering I had destroyed most of the usable materials, it was acceptable.

Grumbling to myself about how I had to raise hell just to get the proper ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) reward, I checked the pouch and then stowed away both the gold and my dagger.

"It would’ve been better if you’d offered this from the start."

"W-We apologize! This is the first case we’ve had of an F-rank adventurer taking down a Goblin King, so there was some confusion."

"Normally, you’d just let a few F-rank adventurers die to gauge the dungeon’s danger, but I complicated things by coming back alive."

"N-No, that wasn’t our intention...."

"When will my D-rank badge be ready?"

"In a week—ah, no, within three days!"

"...Fine."

Satisfied that I’d said all I needed to and collected a decent reward, I rose from my seat.

...Ten of those coins would go to Mirif, who had shared in the struggle. As for the idiot who died—his share was rightfully mine.

Three days after the incident with the Goblin King.

As promised, the guild master handed me my D-rank badge, and I prepared to leave for another town.

I no longer had any reason to stay with the Ironhold adventurers’ guild. Two weeks had been enough to grow somewhat attached, but after that incident, it felt pointless to stay any longer.

I made sure to give Mirif her share of ten gold coins. She tried to refuse, saying she hadn’t done much to deserve it, but I forced her to accept it.

After all, she’d saved my life, and with twenty gold left for me, I told her not to feel burdened.

With everything settled and my adventurer badge updated, I had no choice but to move on... though I hadn’t planned for anything beyond reaching Ironhold.

'The next guild is in the opposite direction from here... and the quickest way is through Blackwood's domain.'

It wasn’t likely that Harold would suddenly decide to arrest me, but still, you never know.

If I avoided Blackwood’s territory, I’d be on horseback for ten days straight, which was already making me dizzy.

'And switching to something besides adventuring isn’t exactly appealing either.'

I’d read plenty of otherworld reincarnation novels where people transformed food culture with dishes from Earth or hit it big by writing famous classics, but it didn’t feel realistic here.

Food is always best when it’s familiar. Even the hero’s fried chicken shop on Knowledge Isle worked because it resembled familiar chicken cutlets.

And as for literature... besides my lack of literary skills, this world’s people don’t read much. Academy students might read as a hobby, but commoners struggling to survive wouldn’t spend money on books.

Not to mention, unexpectedly succeeding too well could be a problem. I’m not trying to do the "I just want a quiet life, but the world won’t leave me alone" trope. The more famous I get, the easier it is for Ethan to track me down.

'For now, maybe heading eastward, where the adventurer guilds are, isn’t a bad idea.'

With that thought, I headed to Ironhold’s church for a final farewell, only for Mirif to suggest a third option during our conversation.

"So, you’re planning to head east?"

"Yeah."

"Would you consider traveling with some of our church members? I need to relocate to another town for an assignment myself."

"Another town?"

"It’s a trade city called Ermia, not far from Ironhold."

The trade city of Ermia.

I’d heard about it through dialogue with other characters, but I didn’t think it was an actual location in the game.

Even if Luminoir Academy was an open-world game, it wasn’t designed for players to visit every corner of the empire.

Not knowing anything about this city both intrigued and unsettled me. It could mean fewer worries about clashing with the original storyline.

"How long will you be staying in Ermia?"

"Well, since they’re short on priests, I might be there for at least a month, maybe up to a year."

"Not bad."

Venturing into a place I knew nothing about felt like a true adventure.

Plus, it was a bit disappointing to part with her after we’d grown close through saving each other’s lives.

I could stay in Ermia for a few days, decide if I wanted to settle down, and move on if needed. I had plenty of time now that I’d left the academy and my position as a personal maid.

"When do you leave?"

"We’re setting out the morning after tomorrow. There’ll be one intermediate priest and one high-ranking priestess, along with a paladin from Ermia."

"Would there be a spot for me?"

"Of course. You saved my life, so everyone will be happy to have you."

"...Alright, if that’s the case, I’ll come along."

"Yes, Sister Lily! I’ll inform the others at the church!"

It wasn’t as if I had to continue adventuring immediately.

A rare chance to take things easy was something I could get used to.