Snowflakes drifted down over a street in the Ranoa Kingdom, one of the Three Magic Nations. A black-haired boy carrying a sword walked beside a blue-haired girl in a mage's hat who held a two-handed staff. Against the quiet street, they stood out enough to draw more than a few looks.
Ah, looks like killing those Red Dragons this morning caused quite a stir.
A crowd of adventurers had packed the entrance to the Adventurers' Guild, blocking it completely.
"Why aren't we getting paid? We took part in the Red Dragon hunt too!"
"Exactly! You nobles broke your word!"
The adventurers were voicing their complaints to a bald man.
Four guards tried to keep order. Zoldat was among the protesters, but when he spotted Roxy and Cain approaching, he broke into an awkward smile and went over to them.
"Hey. Did you rest well, Cain? Roxy?"
Cain nodded, then frowned slightly at the crowd outside the guild.
"What happened? Looks like the banquet's off."
"Tch. Those damned nobles went back on their word! Don't worry, though. I'll give you the reward I promised."
Zoldat pulled a bulging coin pouch from his coat and handed it to Cain.
"Counting the valuable parts from the Red Dragons, it comes to forty Aras Gold Coins."
Cain was startled, but he kept his expression in check. He nodded and tucked the pouch away, intending to split it with Roxy once they returned.
"Huh? That much?!" Roxy was less guarded. She covered her mouth in surprise, her blue eyes sparkling.
Roxy looks adorable when she's surprised.
Cain glanced at her faintly flushed cheeks and smiled without making a show of it.
"Of course. Your talented student, Cain the Sword God, killed three Red Dragons in one go. He really outdid himself!"
Cain raised an eyebrow as Zoldat looked between him and Roxy with a comically nosy expression.
Now I kind of want to punch Zoldat.
Roxy pressed her lips together, a little embarrassed, then looked at the crowd in confusion.
"Have none of them been paid?"
"No. We haven't even received our adventurers' reward. They said the Sword God killed all the Red Dragons alone, so why should they pay the rest of us?" Zoldat clicked his tongue.
"What a bunch of bastards!"
Cain frowned and took the coin pouch back out.
"Then where did this money come from? I doubt they trusted you enough to hand over the rewards meant for me and Roxy."
Roxy pressed her lips together. Could this money be...
Zoldat gave a bitter laugh and scratched his cheek.
Rina, Mia, Fira, and Bruce came up behind him. None of them looked happy.
Something was wrong. Cain studied their faces and tightened his grip on the pouch. He had a feeling this money had not come from the nobles at all.
"Oh, right. This is for you, Cain." Zoldat took a bright red Demon Crystal from his coat.
"A Red Dragon's Demon Crystal?!"
Roxy recognized it at once and covered her mouth with a startled gasp.
"Yeah. We dug it out of one of the Red Dragons. It's worth a lot, but you're the one who gets to decide what happens to it, Cain."
Roxy's eyes lit up at the sight of the red crystal. She leaned close to Cain's ear and said earnestly,
"This could probably serve as the core for that."
Cain understood immediately. With a faint smile and a nod, he took the Demon Crystal from Zoldat and placed it in Roxy's arms.
"Sorry, but it seems pretty rare. I'm not planning to sell it for now."
"I see. It's a shame, but you killed it. What happens to the crystal is your call."
Zoldat watched Roxy cradle the crystal like a treasure and run curious fingers over it. A small smile tugged at his lips.
And Cain claims he doesn't have a thing for little girls. Look how much he spoils her.
Zoldat assumed Cain meant to give the Red Dragon's Demon Crystal to Roxy as a present.
Cain narrowed his eyes at the troubled expressions on Zoldat's face and those of the three mages and the dwarf behind him. He weighed the coin pouch in his hand.
"This isn't the nobles' money, is it..."
Faced with Cain's steady gaze, Zoldat knew he could not hide it any longer. He sighed helplessly.
"The truth is, we're planning to disband our adventuring party. They scraped this money together at the last minute so I could keep my promise to you two."
They really sold off everything they had...
Cain's eyelid twitched.
Roxy looked at them, pressed her lips together, and gripped her staff tighter.
Are these people idiots too? I'm not taking money that'll bankrupt them. Cain won't either. Besides, thanks to their Adventurer Group, we've spent the last two days in a good inn where we can bathe whenever we want.
"Why don't you demand your reward from the nobles?"
Roxy could not help asking. She did not want Zoldat's party to disband. It would be such a waste.
Zoldat scratched his head in frustration and sighed.
"We went to see them this morning. But they have a Water King-class swordsman and a North King. We... we can't beat them."
"I see. Then this is simple."
Cain gave a faint smile.
A Water King? So what? And a North King too? They dared to pocket the money owed to me and Roxy. That's going too far!
"Where are they?"
Zoldat caught the pouch Cain tossed back to him. Seeing the sharp look in the boy's eyes, he grinned and turned to shout to the hundred-odd adventurers behind him.
"Hey! Lord Cain, the Second Sword God, is taking up our cause! Come on, everyone! Let's get our money back!"
At Zoldat's call, the adventurers' eyes blazed with determination to reclaim their rewards. They tied up the bald man and four guards, then followed Zoldat and a stern-faced Cain out.
Beside Cain, Roxy's eye twitched. Seeing so many people, she felt a little nervous. Zoldat was clearly using her student to do his fighting for him!
"I want ten percent."
"Deal."
Cain and Zoldat bumped fists to seal the deal. Roxy's mouth twitched hard. Are you really making this deal right out in the open? Shouldn't you at least try to be discreet...?
Roxy even began to suspect that Cain and Zoldat had arranged this beforehand.
What surprised her more was that all the adventuring parties readily accepted Cain's terms. They agreed to hand over ten percent of their rewards.
"You're Cain's teacher, right? We've met."
"Mm. H-hello..."
The three smiling mages beside Roxy—Rina, Mia, and Fira—seemed to carry a faint undercurrent of emotion.
It felt like... jealousy...
Uh, but why would they be jealous of me?!
Roxy pressed her lips together, caught hold of Cain's arm without thinking, and edged behind him.
The three women's smiles deepened. Roxy could feel that strange emotion growing stronger too...
"My lord, we've sent the adventurers away. But will suppressing them like this really be all right?"
The Adventurers' Guild was a force no kingdom could afford to ignore.
Darius, a bald man dressed in costly silks and jewels, raised an eyebrow. His hand stopped roaming over the voluptuous woman sitting on his lap. She fell silent and, at the fat man's signal, left.
"Who cares what happens to those peasants? Besides, the King's birthday celebration is coming up. These two thousand Asura Gold Coins can go toward his birthday. And..."
Darius narrowed his eyes at the photographs of Roxy Migurdia and Kayin Brand in his hand.
"We have to stop them from destroying the Ranoa Kingdom!"
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