That'll Cost Extra

For the past month, Orden had kept news of his son's death secret to preserve the army's morale and fighting spirit.

He had done it so he could reorganize the army without giving the demons an opening to exploit.

And now a mage skilled in Transformation Magic had come crashing down from the sky.

Orden swore he would persuade Dugu Qing to impersonate Welt, buying him time to reorganize the army and rebuild the defensive line.

"Me? What about me? Am I especially handsome?"

As if he hadn't seen Orden's face turn red with anger, Dugu Qing smiled gracefully.

Orden was a man of noble birth and considerable power, raised in a distinguished family. He was a very forceful man.

He looked at Dugu Qing, who treated him as if he weren't there, and ground his teeth, but ultimately held his temper.

"Yes, sir. You are the most handsome man I've ever seen. Even the number one star in the north isn't a tenth as handsome as you."

Dugu Qing nodded, pleased. "What did you want with me? Don't tell me you saw how handsome I was and wanted me as a live-in son-in-law!"

Orden could tell that Dugu Qing was being sarcastic, blaming him for disturbing their peaceful lives.

But Orden bore the heavy responsibility of defending his territory. Even if people hated him for it, he had to ask.

"You must be a powerful mage, sir! I am the head of the Orden Family. A month ago... I would like to ask you to use Transformation Magic to become my son, who died bravely in battle, and attend a ball to reassure everyone."

"Become someone else? Cover up my own face with someone else's?"

Dugu Qing savored Orden's words and smiled teasingly.

"If you are willing to accept the commission, the Orden Family will certainly offer you terms you'll find satisfactory. How about fifty gold coins?"

Orden had originally planned to offer ten gold coins, but looking at Dugu Qing's proud, icy face, he could only raise the price as high as he could, hoping to sway him.

Dugu Qing had enough money to spend already; any more would just be a pile of numbers. He merely shook his head.

Frieren, Fern, Stark, and Sein all knew perfectly well that there were still more than fifty gold coins in Frieren's suitcase!

They weren't short of money for the time being, so they wouldn't pressure Dugu Qing to change his mind out of necessity. They watched calmly.

"You must be this handsome gentleman's good friend, Miss Mage! Please, try to persuade him!"

Dugu Qing turned and walked away.

Orden stepped forward and looked to Frieren for help.

"I'm not Dugu Qing's mother. There's no point asking me!"

Holding Fern's hand, Frieren hurried away, keeping herself out of it.

She had dealt with the Orden Family before and knew its members had always been proud and formidable.

Now, watching them meet with setbacks and be forced to lower their proudly held heads, she felt the corners of her mouth lift slightly. She was especially pleased.

"Am I to give up just like this?!"

Dugu Qing, Frieren, Fern, Stark, and Sein strode onward, getting farther and farther away.

Orden clenched his fists in despair and unleashed an overwhelming assault of money.

"One hundred gold coins."

A hundred gold coins was what it took more than a dozen first-class quests to earn. Orden refused to believe Dugu Qing wouldn't be tempted.

There was no response from up ahead.

Orden grew anxious. If Dugu Qing really left, he would never find another perfect substitute for his son.

If news of his son's death got out, the army's morale would plummet, the family's prestige would suffer, and his younger son's marriage alliance would surely fall through... Would the Orden Family still be able to maintain its important position in the north?

"Two hundred gold coins."

"Three hundred gold coins! And a magic staff!"

Orden had lost his composure, conceding more and more.

At that, Dugu Qing finally stopped and turned his head to look back.

"A magic staff?"

Dugu Qing's staff had been left behind by his father. Its surface was pitted and battered, it was awkward to use, and it occasionally scratched his skin.

He had wanted to replace it for a long time. Now that Orden had offered one, he was tempted.

"Yes, a magic staff as well."

"Deal, but you can't tell me what to do while I'm carrying out the job."

Considering how bad-tempered nobles were and how many rules they had, Dugu Qing had to lay down conditions in advance when accepting the job.

He was impersonating someone else to make money and enjoy the life of a noble, not to submit to noble etiquette and learn how nobles socialized...

"All right!"

For the sake of his family's future, Orden put up with it.

"Good, then the commission is settled. But let's be clear beforehand: you have to pay upfront."

An imposing nobleman with rugged features and a grave expression, who looked angry even without trying, had meekly agreed to every one of his requests.

Dugu Qing felt playful and wanted to see where Orden's limit was.

"My lord, I'm afraid that would be unwise."

The elderly butler in a suit at Orden's side eyed Dugu Qing warily, afraid he would take the money and run.

"There's nothing unwise about it. As long as we can achieve our goal, anything can be compromised on."

Orden climbed back into his carriage and led the way.

The group continued on to the Orden Family's castle.

Orden Castle, reception hall.

Orden sat with his legs crossed on an expensive red chair and summoned the maids, ordering them to bring three hundred gold coins and a magic staff.

A little while later, two maids slowly approached, carrying three hundred gold coins and a black magic staff.

Dugu Qing put away the gold coins and examined the black staff.

It was 1.8 meters long and utterly ordinary in design, like an iron rod without a single distinctive feature.

It was only a tiny bit better than Dugu Qing's original staff.

"It's passable, I suppose! The design is just average, though. I'll have to find a prettier one later."

Dugu Qing put the staff away in his suitcase.

"Now, can you become my son?"

Orden slowly rose, walked over to a mural, and pointed at the young man depicted in it, Welt.

Dugu Qing stepped forward and stopped to study the portrait quietly for a moment, then raised a hand and activated his Transformation Magic.

Ripples of mana spread through the air around him, and as light and shadow shifted, he took on Welt's appearance.

"W-W... Welt."

That familiar face, that upright bearing, that perfectly reproduced air, those bright, spirited eyes, that heroic head of crimson hair!

Heavens!

This is my wonderful son, so gifted and exceptionally brave, renowned far and wide, admired by all and loved by his soldiers—the true heir of the Orden Family!

He... has come back to life!

"Thud!"

Orden couldn't hold himself back. His intense longing and crushing regret overwhelmed all his reason.

Like a madman, he pulled Dugu Qing into his arms and squeezed him fiercely, sobbing aloud, tears streaming down his face.

"What a lovely picture of a loving father and dutiful son!"

Frieren sat on the sofa, watching the helpless Dugu Qing with amusement.

Dugu Qing looked at the smiling Frieren. Although he had long known he would encounter unexpected problems while carrying out the job,

he hadn't expected one to come so quickly!

Seriously... what a huge win!