Chapter 61

A knight at the front stepped forward with a swagger and leveled his sword.

His grin was all teeth—like he thought I was a bonus mob the Baron had set up to score points. Well, they probably all knew I was Bronze rank.

“Selan. Sword.”

“Yes, milord!”

Selan plunged her hand into the hero’s backpack and pulled out Astraphe.

For the record, I hadn’t drawn a wand or staff because a sword would cleanly end this. The furniture and fittings in this room were all bought with my own money—didn’t they deserve to be treated with care?

I took the blade and pointed it at the knight, still sheathed. Then I barely moved a finger.

“Come.”

“Come? You insolent novice—!”

He launched himself, feet pounding the carpet hard enough to leave deep impressions.

My carpet…!

I sighed and slid past him, then used the pommel to strike down across the blade he’d brought—less a block than a deliberate break. A weapon-shattering strike.

Clang! Grind!

The aura-filled edge snapped like a lie and flew away into the air.

“Uh…?”

While the knight, now holding only a hilt, stared dumbfounded, I grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled him down.

One light knee to the face.

Smack!!

For dramatic effect: his nose seemed to embed into the back of his head as he collapsed forward.

Thud…

“So? Rude of you. What are you gonna do about it, you robber bastards?”

The unexpected turn tightened the eyes of the remaining knights. Only now did they realize the intel about me had been wrong—that I wasn’t a pushover.

“Lord Galley, perhaps you should step up.”

“No, Lord Phil; it seems he’s more your match.”

“Then we’ll go together—”

“Surely there’s honor—how could we, noble knights, fight some adventurer—”

“Then let Lord Halcott—”

“Hmm… that would be the order.”

“Ah, damn… again…?”

A blue surcoat knight glanced at the others and reluctantly took a step. He was probably the youngest of the three.

At that moment, the Baron clapped once—still leaning lazily—and called the knight off.

“Stand down. I want to speak for a moment.”

““Yes, Baron!””

The three sheathed their swords at once.

The Baron formed a line of knights to his sides and smiled as if this had become quite interesting.

“Not bad. Don’t get me wrong—I’d like you not to misunderstand. The fallen Lord Molak you just beat was the weakest of my three knights.”

I snorted a little laugh before I could stop myself. Seriously—what, was I facing the demon army?

“You’ve got nerve laughing now. Fine—I’ll give you an offer. Ten million and ten thousand sels.”

“…What?”

“You bought this mansion from the Tower branch for seven million sels, yes? I’ll add three hundred ten thousand more. How about it? Satisfied with that price?”

“…Oh?”

The unexpected offer threw me for a moment.

Of course I wouldn’t sell even if he offered ten times ten million, but compared to a thug barging into someone’s house and acting as if it were his own, this was a surprisingly proper proposal.

Seeing my reaction, the Baron smirked like he’d won my consent.

“From the look on your face, you’re pleased. Money is everything to those without noble blood. Butler!”

“Yes, milord!”

The steward who’d been standing to my left—thankfully unbroken in the leg—bowed quickly.

“Go to the study and fetch the money prepared there.”

“M-may I speak?!”

“…The butler’s absent, isn’t he? Shall I fetch it? Hmm?”

“N-no! I’ll bring it immediately!”

“And take that one with the broken leg along the way for treatment. I can’t stand the whining.”

“Yes, milord!”

Less than a minute after the door opened, the steward returned sweating and handed a small pouch to the Baron. Huh? For a ten-million-sel pouch, it looked oddly thin. Gems inside?

“Here, milord…!”

“Good work.”

The Baron clicked his chin in approval and slid the pouch open, then flung it at me.

Whip.

“Take it. Ten million and ten thousand sels.”

Curious, I opened the skinny pouch.

“…Hm?”

Barely a handful of gold coins.

By sight alone, maybe a hundred thousand sels—no more.

“…What’s this supposed to be?”

“Can’t you see? Ten million and ten thousand sels.”

“Guess noble education doesn’t include basic math, huh? You learn robbery before arithmetic?”

He chuckled under his breath.

“No, it’s correct. Ten million and ten thousand.”

“…What?”

“Despite your insolence, I spared your life, didn’t I? A dead man saved deserves a deduction.”

“Ah, so my life’s worth ten million, then?”

“Be grateful. A mere adventurer’s life valued at ten million sels—will you ever know a greater honor?”

Oh, this bastard knows how to provoke.

Still smirking, he waved his hand dismissively.

“Pick it up and get out. Linger any longer and you might just leave that borrowed life behind.”

I picked up the coins and dropped them back into the pouch. Money itself hadn’t done anything wrong, after all.

“Heh. At least you know your place.”

“Whatever. I’ve got one question, though.”

“Hm?”

“If my life’s worth ten million sels, how much is yours?”

“My life? Hah. The worth of blue blood can’t be measured in such filthy coin. But if I must—perhaps a thousand times yours.”

“Oh, pricey. So, a billion sels, give or take?”

“I suppose that’s fair.”

I chuckled under my breath.

“Well damn, looks like today’s my lucky payday. Guess I’ll be earning a lifetime’s worth right here.”

“What?”

Instead of answering, I lunged forward.

I’d already collected ten thousand for damages—so I could afford to be rough.

Boom!

The carpet burst beneath my feet as I accelerated. Astraphe, glowing golden, carved a wide arc through the air.

The leading knight barely managed to blink before his sword—and arm—flew away.

Slice!

“Gaaah!”

His scream came late. The other two knights, startled, drew their swords in practiced unison—swift, disciplined, like true aura knights.

But still too slow.

Clang!

I slammed my knee into one before he’d even drawn halfway.

Thud!

His armor caved in with a crunch as he was blasted backward. He somehow rolled midair—must’ve triggered his passive aura in time—but that was the end of it.

Perfect height for a kick.

WHAM!

CRASH!

A single soccer kick sent him through the wall and into the hallway. I’d kicked light, so he shouldn’t die. Probably. If he did—well, fate’s fault.

Thanks to those two sacrifices, the last knight had time to prepare himself. He charged with a roar.

“Raaagh!!”

Crackle—clang—crunch!

His aura-coated sword clashed with Astraphe, sparks scattering as our blades grated.
He bared his teeth, muscles bulging, pressing in with brute force.

Grrrrrrind!

“Die!”

“Would you stop spitting in my face? Electric Shock.”

Bzzzzzt!

Electric Shock—a first-level spell that discharges electricity into whatever it touches.
Blue sparks leapt from his hands gripping the sword.

It was a low-grade spell, weak against aura defense—but the backlash still lingered.
That faint jolt was enough to make his grip falter.

“Guh…!”

That was more than enough for me.

My hand, letting go of Astraphe entirely, twisted strangely—snaking into the knight’s grip and wrenching his sword away. Before he could even process what had happened, I drove the aura-laced blade into his side.

His passive aura tore apart, his armor split, and finally, the sword pierced straight through his torso.

Thwuck!!

“Guh…!”

Leaning close to his ear, I spoke softly.

“Alright~ stay still. I think I managed to avoid the vital organs, but hey—it’s my first time doing this, so who knows?”

“You… bastard…”

“What I do know is, if you move even a little, you’ll die. So stay right there. Breathe slow. Don’t even sigh too loud. If you behave, I’ll patch you up later.”

“……!”

With all three aura knights neatly—well, mostly—handled, I turned slowly toward the Baron.

“Now then, my dear Baron friend. Shall we recalculate?”

I smiled faintly, bringing my blade to his neck—then lightly tapping it away.

“Pay up.”

“Wh-what?”

“I just spared your life. You said your life’s worth a billion sels, didn’t you? Then cough up a billion. That’s your math, right?”

“……!”

“If you can’t pay, you die.”

.
.
.

“Heh… my boy, you took that joke rather seriously. There’s no such arithmetic in this world.”

“Wow. You’re really proud of that thick skin, huh?”

Desperate to change the topic, the Baron blurted out,

“Still, impressive. I hired only knights known as A-ranks even in the West, and yet you’ve handled all four alone… Bronze rank, you say? Are you perhaps a Blaster? Why would someone of that skill stoop to a Bronze tag and dive into labyrinths…?”

“So what if I am?”

“No, no, just saying—people have their reasons. Fine, good! I admit I misjudged you. Indeed, one of your ability deserves to be arrogant. What do you say? Work for me. I’ll pay twice what these four make combined.”

“……”

“…Still too low?”

“…Strange.”

“What?”

I finally voiced the unease that had been prickling since he first opened his mouth.

“You’re Baron Alphonse, right? You don’t seem the type with that kind of nerve. Even now, you don’t look all that scared.”

Indeed, though his eyes flickered with shock, there was no trace of fear or panic. Which meant—

“You’ve got backup, huh. What is it?”

“Backup? What do you mean?”

“Never mind. I’ll find out myself. Usually, when I crack a skull, the answer comes out.”

“S-skull?”

“Yeah. If it breaks clean, I was wrong. But if something stops me halfway, that’s your hidden card.”

“……!”

“Now then… Baron’s wife, if you could kindly close your eyes. This next scene might be a little too R-rated for a lady.”

“W-wait, sto—!”

Without hesitation, I brought the sheath down like a potter smashing a defective vase, straight onto his skull.

“Ahhh! Master! Help me! I’ll die!! Quickly!!”

…Master?

And just before the faulty skull split in two—a cluster of translucent shields shimmered into existence around his head.

Crackle!

I recognized it instantly.

—Physical Barrier.

More precisely, a multi-layered Physical Barrier conjured by a high mage.

I withdrew my sheath from the cracked shield fragments and spoke quietly.

“Who?”

“Me.”

“…!?”

The soft voice of a woman came from behind me. I spun around at once.

One of the maids who’d been serving tea earlier straightened with a sweet smile.

Crack… crackle!

Her body warped in an instant. Before I could even blink, the slender maid was gone—
replaced by a burly beastkin man with fur and scars.

“Phew… transformation’s not as easy as it used to be.”

White-haired, lined face—signs of age even for a long-lived race like his. Judging from the looks, he had to be around two hundred years old.

“…What the hell. Some new kind of pervert?”

“Hey now. ‘Pervert’ is rather harsh.”

“So who the hell are you?”

“I am Professor Talos of the Purple Magic Tower.”

“Purple Magic Tower? The Central main branch?”

“Indeed.”

“Professor—so, seventh-level?”

The beastkin elder nodded.

“Yes. Been stuck at seventh level for thirty years now. A washed-up old man, you could say.”

“Hmm… meaning you’re on the same level as Professor Sodin. Then what’s a big shot like you doing here—playing dress-up as a maid?”

At that, the beastkin mage flushed bright red.

“I—It’s not like that!?”