Chapter 6: An Offer You Cant Refuse
[An offer you can’t refuse]
Eris…..no, Kasha first pulled me out of the tavern. It must be because of all the people there. Then she silently led me to a dark alley.
After making sure of the surroundings, she asked, “Where did you hear my name?”
“First, let me introduce myself.”
“I know. Is there anyone in the bar who doesn’t know your name?”
“Okay? That’s reassuring.”
Eris was confused by my casual answer. However, she reached out with her hand and clenched her fist once.
That was something new.
‘Huh. I’ve never seen magic before.’
Magic was one of the most intriguing things I saw after coming to this world.
Magic. Or Manara for the inhabitants of this world is a technique that deals with unknown elements.
Kasha, as if threatening, reduced and raised the flames in her hand, she asked.
“Say it. What do you know about me?”
“I’ve heard of Kasha Flame. The prodigal mage who awakened fiery mana at a young age.”
“……”
“Those things aside, can you show me your “real” face? There’s no point in hiding it from me anyway.”
“Why would I do that?.”
“If you show me your real face, I’ll answer your questions truthfully.”
Kasha bit her lips. But she soon extinguished the flame in her hand, and wiped her face. With just that her whole face changed.
Despite her impression of being depressed when she was ‘Eris’ and making the person next to her look strong, now she became a woman with long red hair and sharp eyes.
“Don’t stare.” , Kasha. “Now tell me.”
Wait a minute before that.
I muttered, “Personal records.”
The holographic window emerged, and the category that originally had Eris’ name on it was replaced with a new person.
‘My doubts are now gone.’
Until now, I thought that the people I met were automatically registered. But no. It is registered only when I see the person’s face. A real face, not a mask or an adorned face. If you see a fake face, the person’s false information and the real identity information are correctly marked in the personnel record.
For example, if the gender is female and the age is seventeen, then “Eris” and “Kasha” would be the same until the confusion is resolved. So basic information like that got properly marked on the personnel register. However, the more intimate information gets marked as an error.
‘There is no error mark this time.’
[Name: Kasha Flame (Alias: Eris Drey)]
[Gender: Female]
[Age: 17]
[Occupation: Adventurer]
[Equipment: Wooden stick (85% durability)]
[Human relationship: Kate (party member)……]
No surprise so far.
[Title: Class A]
[Potential: Great Sage]
[Family Relations: Elena Flame (sister)]
‘What with this potential? It’s the first time I’ve ever seen something like this?’
Then Kasha raised her voice and said, “Now Talk!!”
“Oh sorry I was thinking about something.”
“You… do you think I showed my face to hear an answer like that?”
“Now tell me, Where did you hear my name?”
I shook my head and said, “I just came across it by coincidence. I heard a rumor from our manager. Originally, when it comes to level A adventurers, all the information is shared in the guild general meeting.”
“……”
“Kasha was declared dead. It was stated that she died attempting an A-plus quest.”
Kasha put her hands together again. Maybe it’s to swallow her tears while squeezing her hands like that, then crying with her head on the table like before.
“I don’t want to talk anymore. I was asking the question in the first place.”
“Then let me tell you my guesses.”
Kasha’s face changed absurdly.
Here goes nothing.
“It’s a rumor that was officialized at the guild general meeting, but it was based on speculation. You must have died. To be precise, you must have been in a situation where it is common sense to die’.”
“Stop.”
“I heard that your last four quests were party missions. I know that all the other party members were fine. And when I see you now hiding your identity as a D-class and forming a party with Kate…”
“Stop.”
“Were you betrayed? By the previous party?”
“Stop it!”
[Swish]
It happened in the blink of an eye. The ground around my feet…it just melted. It is not a figurative expression. It actually melted.
Kasha shouted, “Okay! It’s just as you said! Are you happy now?”
“……”
“The bad guys… those guys got their heads in the troll’s assholes!”
That’s a fresh insult.
“I stayed behind to buy them time so that they could run away. They said they’d definitely come back with the rescue team!”
“……”
“The dungeon collapsed, and I was completely trapped inside. They said they’d definitely come back, and we’ve been together for a long time, so i endured the pain, believing that they were trying their best to rescue me.”
“……”
“For a month! I survived on moss and weeds!”
“But, they didn’t come back.”
She rubbed her eyes with the back of her arm.
“I was about to die, but the heavens helped me find a gap and I escaped. But I was already declared dead by then.”
“……”
“Do you know what’s more funny? From the start, they reported to the guild that I was dead. Rather than sending the rescue team, they were busy trying to get my share of the reward.”
She answered things that I didn’t even ask.
Maybe she needed someone to listen to her more than anything else.
“Those imbeciles!”
I wasn’t particularly angry. But I had to pretend.
“So? What are you doing here? You haven’t done anything, you’re still dead.”
“Because they threatened to kill me if I revealed everything. Not only me, but my sister as well.”
“Hmm.”
She’s quite young.
Doesn’t matter if she’s an A-class, she’s still seventeen.
The guild and several A-class adventurers ganging up on her must’ve been intimidating, it would have been considered a dark wall from her point of view.
“I couldn’t walk outside with my face! As if I was the one at fault!”
“……”
“I couldn’t live there anymore. That’s why I came to this faraway city.”
“I understand the situation… But why did you register as a D-class? Even if you wanted to keep your identity hidden, it would have been possible to prove that yourself as a C or B class.”
Kasha bit her lips tightly and remained silent; she gave no answer.
Of course, I knew the answer already.
“Maybe you wanted to find someone kind? Someone you could trust.”
“You… how did you know that?.”
“Knowing things is in my nature.”
“But,it was all ruined. Because of that guy named Darek.”
Then she suddenly turned towards me with a face of realization.
“No. It’s you!! Did you trick him as well?”
A difficult question. I’ll just answer it with another difficult question.
“So, did you intentionally make mistakes in the quests? You thought that Kate would be reliable if she didn’t abandon you even after your mistakes?”
“……”
“At the bar you weren’t really crying. You just pretended to cry. The truth is, that you weren’t that sad.”
“……”
“Because you must have known it already but that person named Kate is not really someone you can trust.”
After hearing that Kasha just lashed out. She didn’t use magic this time. Instead, she hurried to me and tried to grab my arm.
[Swish]
I intercepted her arm first.
“Hahhhh!”
“Magicians generally don’t have much physical prowess . Moreover, I haven’t lived in vain enough to get caught by a little kid like you.”
“Let me go!”
“Nope.”
“Profit…that’s what you really like! Why are you doing this? You know all about me! Are you also trying to blackmail me with this information?”
“No.”
[Chuck]
I let her arm go. Kasha fiddles with her own arm to see if I squeezed it a little hard, and she glared at me.
‘You’re good.’
With Kasha’s skills, she could just vaporize me and no would even know. But she was just threatening me with her magic. When she tried to inflict real harm,she rushed with her weak physical force instead of “dangerous” magic?
Toughness, passed. Ability, passed. Potential, passed.
“Final interview passed.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Kasha. Would you like to work with me?”
Kasha looked at me with the eyes of what kind of crazy this was.
I said casually, “I’m not asking you to trust me.”
“……”
“Trust the money I’ll give you.”
“Is this some kind of joke?”
“Joke? No. Giving money means giving you a quest that suits you. Not only A-class quests, but A plus… No, I’ll even make it possible for you to achieve S-class quests.”
Her eyes looked shocked, “Holy grazing trolls.”
She really uses some strange curses.
“If you go up to S-class, wouldn’t you be able to take revenge on those A-class guys? The ones who betrayed you.”
“……”
“Come into the Hagnut Guild. If you become a member of our guild, then we will become a breakwater even if you reveal your identity.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“I told you earlier. You don’t have to trust me.”
I laughed.
“Trust in the money I’ll give you.”
That night, Kasha went back without answering.
I wasn’t expecting her confirmation on the spot anyway. Rather, It might have been a little disappointing if she accepted it at once.
She disappeared.
I told her to come to the Hagnut guild if she made up her mind. But, she did not show up for several days. It’s expected if you are a talented person like Kasha, you’ll think calmly and carefully.
“Mr.Tay. You look good these days.”
As usual, I was working as a receptionist, but Sain spoke like that anyway.
“Does it look like that?”
“Yeah. It’s a face that’s looking forward to something.”
“I was thinking how to increase the profit for our guild.”
“Whoa.”
Sain laughed lightly.
“Mr.Tay. What you’re doing is well enough.”
“……”
“You just have to do things as you have been. I will worry about those troublesome things.”
We just smiled at each other.
It was then. The guild door opened. And there was only one person wearing clothes and hoods that were big enough to be a blanket.
The person looked around with only their eyes open between the clothes and the hood and came to me.
“I’m here.”
“Who are you?”
“Don’t be kidding me.”
“Is this your first time in the Hagnut Guild? First, write down your personal information here.”
When I said that, she shook her body and took her hood off.
Her red hair fluttered and fell like a waterfall.
Her slightly raised eyes were staring at me.
“…”
“Ah! Is it you? Kasha Flame.”
I responded casually.
But the dramatic reaction came from Sain next to me.
“Kasha… Kasha Flame? That Kasha?”
At her question, Kasha nodded her head with a slightly wary look.
“Yeah. That’s me.”
Although Sain was also a person she met a few days ago, she did not seem to think that Eris and Kasha were the same person.
“Mr. Kasha, I heard that you died.”
Kasha points at me with her finger.
“Have you not heard from this unlucky man?”
“Huh?”
“Huh? Uh… hey. Haven’t you told her?”
“You said. You will make me an S-class! Trust the money you give and come to the Hagnut Guild!”
I replied with a slight grin.
“But you weren’t sure. And why do I have to report it to my boss?”
One thing office workers should keep in mind. Don’t report anything you’re not sure about. It is better to hear the sound of ‘Why didn’t you report it in advance?
Sain said, alternating with me and Kasha, “Mr. Tay. What happened here?”
“It is something that benefits the Hagnut Guild.”
Sain touches her forehead as if she was in pain.
“Please be more specific…”
“Yeah. I’ll tell you.”
I reported what happened a few days ago, without any changes.
Now is the time to report rather than hide. In other words, it’s time to take care of my performance.
When the story was over, Sain’s eyes widened.
“I can’t believe it. How did you realize that Ms. Eris was Ms.Kasha in the first place?”
I could see Kasha’s ears prickling. She looked crazy because she was also curious. It was time to figure out what to say.
Once again, the guild’s door opened. Surprisingly, it was Kate.
“Ka…”
Kasha shut her mouth while trying to call her name without her knowing. Kate had a dark circle down to the cheek. Her face was dark and depressed, and she seemed like Eris a while ago.
“Hey… Is Mr.Tay here?”
Even her voice is sluggish.
I said, “Yeah. It’s me.”
“Do you know where Eris is?”
As if Kasha wanted to say something, her lips plumped.
I quickly exchanged eyes with Sain. Sain nodded her head as if telling me to do whatever I wanted.
“I’m not sure. But why?”
“I saw Mr.Darek talking to you that day in the bar.”
“Huh?”