Back at the merchant association.
Just as I was about to push open President Tedela's door, I heard arguing inside.
“What did he promise you?”
“President Tedela, I don't know what you're talking about. Our party simply wants to terminate our contract with your association in accordance with the agreement.”
“...Think carefully. To those nobles, you're nothing but disposable tools.”
“What nobles?”
“President Tedela, please speak in terms a crude man like me can actually understand.”
“You all...”
“Creak.”
The door was pushed open, cutting Tedela off.
Standing in front of Tedela was an eight-person adventurer party, and they were all quite high-level.
Every single one of them was a classholder, well-equipped.
The room fell silent for a moment. Tedela sat back down, her agitated emotions calming slightly.
“It seems the president has another guest.”
“Our party will take our leave. We hope you can see the writing on the wall, President.”
The eight-person adventurer party brushed past Li Xiuman as he stood in the doorway.
“Who were they...?”
Li Xiuman asked.
“An adventurer party under a long-term contract with the association. They're the main force we rely on to gather materials.”
“But now, they want to terminate their contract.”
“And to think I poured so many resources into helping their party grow step-by-step,” Tedela said, her voice rising with emotion.
“Terminating the contract in accordance with the agreement should carry a penalty, shouldn't it?” Li Xiuman asked.
“...Normally, yes. But the association recently took a massive order for materials. The payout is incredibly high.”
“If we pull it off, our association's size will double.”
“But these materials can only be found below the twentieth floor of the dungeon.”
“We can't do without this party right now. If they leave, there's no way we can fulfill this order, and the liquidated damages will bankrupt us,” Tedela explained, gritting her teeth.
“I suspect this is all the handiwork of the person pulling their strings from behind the scenes.”
“That order for materials was probably just bait he threw out.”
“The incident on the streets today was likely his doing too...” Tedela felt a shiver run down her spine.
Then.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
“Come in.”
“Master, none of the adventurer parties outside are willing to accept your commissions.”
“Raise the reward.”
“Master, we have already raised it to the maximum limit. If we go any higher, the association might go bankrupt immediately,” the cat-eared maid explained, her ears twitching.
Tedela slowly sank back into her chair. She felt as if an invisible hand had reached into her life, playing with her fate at whim.
To him, this was probably just a simple game—and she was merely the prize for the winner.
“Creak.”
The door was pushed open once more.
Tedela looked at the newcomer, not showing the slightest bit of surprise.
Even his lavish clothes couldn't hide his massive, bulging belly. Li Xiuman wagered the tailor must have suffered immensely to stitch that outfit together.
If he had to guess, this was probably the noble Tedela had been talking about.
“Is this fun to you?” she asked.
“My dear Tedela, what are you talking about? The moment I heard about your association's troubles, I rushed right over.”
“If you are willing, I can help you through this crisis.”
“...”
“And then what?”
“All you need to do is become my mistress.”
“Bah.”
“Or, wait until your association goes bankrupt and you're reduced to a slave, and then I'll buy you.”
“But you'd lose all your dignity that way.”
The noble before them made absolutely no attempt to hide his desires. He was a truly simple-minded, base creature.
“Something like this might bankrupt me, but it won't turn me into a slave,” Tedela said coldly.
“Hehehe, trust me, I have more than a hundred ways to make you a slave.”
“...”
“I appreciate you, which is why I'm willing to let you maintain your dignity. Otherwise, you would already be a slave by now.”
“So it really was your doing today!” Tedela said, barely containing her fury.
“Think about it carefully.”
“Is being my mistress really so degrading? You're just a commoner.”
“If you were to carry the seed of my noble lineage, it would bring endless glory to your ancestors.”
Tedela had given up on speaking.
Just the thought of breathing the same air as this pig made her sick to her stomach.
Li Xiuman didn't say anything either.
Stick his neck out?
Don't ask a skeleton like him to pull a hero stunt.
How long had he even known Tedela? Besides, he was Tedela's savior, not the other way around.
To him, Tedela was just a convenient tool.
She could be replaced at any time, though her replacement might not be as useful as her.
While he liked her to some extent, it wasn't enough to make him stick his neck out for her.
Offending a noble for her sake just wasn't worth the trouble.
Even if this noble was indeed incredibly disgusting.
“By the way, who are you? I haven't seen you before.” The piggish noble turned his gaze toward Li Xiuman.
Damn it, I deliberately kept my presence as low as possible. Why is he still targeting me?
In reality, the piggish noble just felt that Li Xiuman's aura was somewhat unpleasant, almost like a monster's.
But outside of actual monsters, only true adventurers possessed this kind of presence.
Excluding a monster first, this guy's identity was obvious.
Li Xiuman was trying hard to figure out how to respond.
After all, he was deeply averse to having any conversation with this guy.
“I get it! You're the adventurer this bitch hired, aren't you!” the piggish noble barked, pointing at Li Xiuman.
“...Fine! Very well!”
“Kid, you have successfully caught my attention.”
“I'll make sure you learn the price of angering me!”
What is this, an otherworld version of a domineering president?
It's seriously nauseating.
“State your name.”
“Skeleton.”
“What a disgusting codename. Tedela, you really found yourself a fine adventurer.”
“I'll see you at the slave market. I hope the slave traders teach you some good bedroom skills.”
Having finished speaking, the noble turned his greasy, fat face back toward Li Xiuman.
“And as for you, Skeleton.”
“You're going to die in the dungeon.”
With that, the piggish noble departed.
“I'm sorry for dragging you into this,” Tedela apologized.
“I'll go to the dungeon. When is the delivery deadline?” Li Xiuman asked.
Things had already come to this, so his only option was to help... or rather, help Tedela and raise her favorability in the process.
“You're willing to help? It's very dangerous.”
No, I'm not.
“Of course. Aren't we allies?” Li Xiuman replied.
Saying one thing while thinking another—the classic behavior of a scumbag. Gross.
But speaking like this raised her favorability. And the higher her favorability, the more useful of a tool she would be.
“The deadline is in half a month. You're alone, so don't push yourself too hard. If things look bad, just retreat. I still have other options.”
He left the president's office.
Once again, he ran into the eight-person adventurer party.
Seeing Li Xiuman, the party's leader looked amused.
“Well, if it isn't Skeleton. The one-man-party skeleton.”
“I really am a skeleton,” Li Xiuman replied in all seriousness.
He knew that the more he said this, the less likely these people would be to suspect his actual identity as a skeleton.
After all, hiding his appearance was bound to attract attention from nosy people.
By calling himself “Skeleton,” others would just treat him as a weirdo. Hiding his appearance under that guise wouldn't seem so strange or draw unwanted attention.
“Then I guess I'm a zombie,” the leader mocked, making a couple of zombie noises.
“Fine, Skeleton. I hope we run into you in the dungeon.”
“Remember my name: Shucodo of the Hyena Adventurer Party.”
“The Hyenas are going to tear you apart, skeleton.”
Seeing that Li Xiuman did not react, Shucodo lost interest in teasing him further.
“I hope you don't chip a tooth on me.”
“Hahaha! Well, that depends on whether your bones are hard enough, skeleton.”
“Our party is going to hunt you down in the dungeon. Can't be helped, who told you to stand on the president's side?”
“It makes our party look so heartless.”
“So, you're going to die a miserable death.”
He leaned in close to Li Xiuman, keeping a smile on his face as he whispered his death threat.
Li Xiuman said nothing, merely watching Shucodo walk away.
Is that piggish noble trying to play the game of killing with a borrowed knife...?
Then, he felt a tug on the hem of his clothes.
Turning his head, he saw the cat-eared maid tugging at his hem.
Damn it, from this angle, those cat ears are criminally cute.
“Thank you for standing by my master's side.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Li Xiuman averted his gaze from the maid's ears. What guilt did a skeleton have to feel? This skeleton just wanted to farm favorability points.
Rate on N.U.
