How to Live as a Knight After the Ending - Chapter 17
Only Noblemtl
Episode 17. Dangerous Request (1)
I object to this request.
It was not something that a broker who received a request and passed it on to a problem solver should say.
“Why do you think so?”
I hadn’t known Ronan very long, but I knew he wasn’t the type of man to say something like that in vain.
If that’s the case, then my guess is that there must be some reason.
“There are two reasons.”
There were two.
Ronan continued his explanation, lifting his fingers one by one.
“First, the math doesn’t add up.”
“Are you talking about commission?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know much since I’m new to the industry, but if you just look at the salaries listed here, they seem pretty good, don’t you think?”
The compensation amount is 30 million.
They said they would provide additional support in the form of potions separately from the company.
Potions were quite valuable consumables in the game.
As time goes by, it may have become less rare than it was in the past, but that doesn’t mean its value has diminished.
If it cost this much to capture one runaway warlock, I honestly thought it was worth a try.
“The pay itself is certainly great, but we have to keep in mind that we’re dealing with warlocks.”
“What’s the problem with that?”
“First of all, the opponent is a warlock, so you can’t just meet him and talk him down to get the recipe back, right?”
“yes.”
Since he stole the company’s recipe on purpose, there must be some kind of ulterior motive.
There was no way he would give back the recipe he had stolen if asked to do so by that guy.
“Then we would have to at least consider fighting a warlock, but usually, troubleshooters are reluctant to do that.”
“Why are you reluctant?”
“Well, that’s dangerous.”
“ah.”
I immediately understood why Ronan said that.
From the perspective of the troubleshooters, the black magician could not help but be a being they were quite reluctant to see.
The reason was the power that the warlocks wielded.
Warlocks are highly specialized in destroying the bodies of their opponents.
Curse, disease, corruption, poison.
Even the basic magic you use is so dangerous that if you make a mistake, you could end up living with the aftereffects for the rest of your life.
The solution is ultimately the body and life.
If a request comes in, you can make some money for a short while, but you can’t make a living from that for the rest of your life.
You need to have a regular source of income, but if your body is broken, there will be no requests coming in.
In the end, you will have to spend the rest of your life begging by sitting on a sewage cesspool in a back alley.
‘Warlocks aren’t usually that difficult of a bunch.’
All the warlocks I encountered in the game were dangerous.
Or someone who uses an army of undead to take over a city.
Or trying to open the gates of hell by performing a demonic incantation ritual in an underground cave.
There was even one who tried to infect the entire swamp with a disease from the ruins of the swamp and overthrow the nearby kingdom.
Of course, it would not be an ordinary warlock who would do such a thing, and it was not at all difficult to fight against him.
Even I, who prided myself on being an expert at this game, had to see the gray screen of game over quite a few times.
Thinking about it this way, Ronan’s words were not entirely wrong.
“If you happen to be cursed by a warlock, you may not only be bedridden for a few days, but you may also suffer permanent aftereffects.”
“I guess so.”
“A warlock is someone that is avoided unless you have fought him many times. He is an opponent that is too early for Mr. Ossian.”
“Uh, um.”
I was going to tell you that I’ve killed more warlocks than you can imagine, but I decided against it.
Actually, it was in the game that we caught the warlocks, not now that it was real.
“So what’s the other one?”
“You never know what might be behind the warlock.”
“If that’s the case, then that runaway warlock has some kind of hidden agenda.”
“Yes. If it was just an accidental crime, that would be fortunate, but what if something happens?”
“You’re suspicious of that union or something.”
Ronan nodded with a smiling face.
“It’s a union, but I don’t like the way the company tries to use the problem solvers as shields.”
“Is it a meat shield?”
“The company also has its own staff. This city is not just full of problem solvers.”
Those who wield the power of violence do not only work as problem solvers.
Bodyguards, private security guards, soldiers, mercenaries, hired thugs, hitmen.
There were many places in this world where strength was needed, and the demand was endless.
Even successful companies spend a lot of money hiring people to protect their businesses.
Blossom Tier Pharmaceuticals was no exception.
“They asked the troubleshooter to do it for them, even though they have their own private army. What do you think this means?”
“So when the troubleshooter is exhausted from fighting the warlock, then he can intervene and take care of it.”
“That’s right. They don’t even expect the troubleshooters to genuinely catch the escaped warlock. They think it’s all about buying some time and draining the warlock’s power.”
Looking at it this way, I realized that the problem-solving industry is really complicated.
Even if you try to get a commission, the client is always preparing to strike like this.
There was no way there would be insurance or welfare for something like this.
“Does fighting a warlock usually leave such bad aftereffects?”
“You can assume that there is a 60 percent or greater chance that it will be irreversible.”
“It’s lower than I thought?”
“Even that is only to a certain extent because it is prevented by medicine and treatment. If not, it is safe to say that it would be over 90 percent.”
“90 percent.”
Even those odds are assuming you win the fight.
If you fight and lose, it’s 90 percent and there’s nothing left.
Just die.
“It’s worth a try.”
“yes?”
“It’s worth a try.”
“I don’t understand what you just said. Can you explain a little more?”
“They say it’s dangerous to catch a warlock. And the client is sending out a troubleshooter as a puppet to watch the situation and then get involved.”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s think about it the other way around. Can’t we just capture the warlock quickly without risking anything? So that they don’t have time to interfere before they can do anything.”
Of course, who can’t say it with words?
But I had a strangely confident belief that I could do it.
Considering the physical abilities I possessed, it wasn’t impossible.
“Mr. Ossian, let’s assume that all of that is possible.”
“It’s not an assumption, it’s possible.”
“Oh, yes. I will correct that. Let’s say it’s possible.”
“I said it’s possible.”
“Even so, Mr. Ossian doesn’t need to take on this request. It’s not like he needs money that much. I can’t help but think that it’s unnecessary.”
“It looks like requests have gone out to other problem solvers besides me.”
“It’s natural since it’s not a request for a specific person.”
I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair.
Actually, it’s not that I don’t understand why Ronan is saying this.
There is no reason to refuse such a risky request.
If you know there’s a minefield, you don’t even think about going across it; you just dodge to the side.
But Ronan was looking at me like I was tap dancing on a minefield.
That wasn’t exactly wrong.
‘I’d like to make money safely, too.’
If it were my original self, I might have made a more careful choice.
But now I have become the character I was playing.
A knight of the wandering world who is full of justice, admires adventure, and is brave.
As a result, the existence of the country, however subtle, has become somewhat assimilated into the personality of this wandering knight.
I’ve become a little more reckless and braver than before.
‘Even so, it is purely my will to carry out the request.’
I was dropped into the world of the game I was playing.
It’s not just the game itself, it’s hundreds of years into the future.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a completely different place.
I don’t know how long I will have to live here.
Maybe I would never be able to go back.
So, I needed to accept this situation and adapt.
No, I thought it needed to be more proactive than that.
There is a saying that goes, ‘If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.’
That being said, I was thinking of the current situation as a bit of DLC.
What is DLC?
Abbreviation for DownLoadable Contents. In package games, it refers to new expansion packs, additional patches, and content.
I, for one, have been enjoying this game for a very long time.
I traveled to places that others had never been to and caught many hidden bosses.
I am a veteran who kept playing the game and watched it through to the 99th ending, even though I knew there would be no more patches for the game.
To me, a world completely different from the game world I knew unfolded before me.
As a game lover and veteran, what could be more exciting than this?
‘I’ve thought about going back to reality, though.’
Honestly, I thought it would be better not to go back.
Even if I go back, won’t I just spend my life repeating the same thing over and over again without any friends or family?
That doesn’t make my heart race at all.
But this world was different.
Just thinking about what lies ahead and what might happen next makes my heart race.
So even dangerous requests that others would avoid were like new content to me.
‘When you say it like that, you sound like a crazy person.’
I laughed inwardly at myself.
Of course I said that, but I am fully aware that this world is real.
The people who live here are living human beings, not data.
The scenery I see is a real scenery, not a monitor screen where the UI exists.
So I decided to try my best to live up to that standard.
If you want to live hard, you have to earn money first. A lot of money at that.
I haven’t decided yet what to do with the money I earn.
It’s not too late to worry about such things later.
So I thought I would accept this request.
Since this is a request that others avoid, if you successfully complete it, your reputation will rise and better requests will come in.
“… … You’re serious.”
“I have no intention of taking on any requests as a joke.”
“Phew. Even if I tell you to stop, it doesn’t seem like you’ll listen.”
“Can you carry out the request as quickly as possible?”
“Could you please wait a moment?”
Ronan said that and headed to his private office on the second floor.
It seemed like they were thinking of cross-checking the information about the request again just in case.
As can be inferred from his actions so far, Ronan Rolland is a man of deep thought and thorough preparation.
‘It also has the suspicious aspect of being a cross-eyed character.’
If we were hostile, it would be very suspicious, but if we were on the same team, it would be strangely reassuring.
I will never do anything carelessly.
‘Perhaps they might assign someone else under the pretext of stability, or they might reject the request with the authority of a broker.’
Then things might get a little difficult.
That doesn’t mean I can show any evidence that I can fight well against warlocks.
Daughter.
At that moment, the bell on the tavern door rang loudly.
Judging from the fact that it was louder than usual, it was clear that the guest who came in this time was not usually energetic.
I turned my head to look at the entrance, and the person who had just come in also noticed me and made eye contact.
“Ouch.”
And then for a moment, he made a puzzled expression.
I smirked at the ivory-haired, beautiful gunfighter, Lorraine.
“That went well.”