With all the work behind me, dinner was a leisurely affair.
Fresh venison and well-aged wild boar meat. Even freshly baked wheat bread and fruit wine.
Compared to what I used to eat in the great city of Cailen, the food here held its own—and in freshness and warmth, it was more than satisfying.
Mage Dior kept glancing my way, looking two bites away from indigestion and barely able to eat, but that wasn't my problem.
He couldn't enjoy his meal partly because he felt intimidated by me, sure, but also because of what awaited him next.
Mission failure.
From my perspective, things couldn't have wrapped up better. From the Blue Magic Tower's perspective, however, even if the job was worth a measly 20 gold, a mage who had gone out bearing their name had cowered in terror, done nothing, and merely watched from the sidelines.
I was a little curious what sort of disciplinary action Dior would face for tarnishing the Magic Tower's honor, though it seemed best not to concern myself any further with Blue Magic Tower affairs.
A Magic Tower was a place teeming with powerhouse mages, starting with the Tower Master.
I would probably cross paths with them eventually as I climbed higher, but I had no desire to get tangled up with such a complicated place this early on.
After enjoying my first proper rest in a while, I set off in the opposite direction from Dior, who was trudging back toward the Magic Tower looking like a man marching to the gallows.
Leaving the villagers' farewells behind and mounting a horse I was still a bit awkward riding, I arrived in Cailen half a day later.
The first place I visited was the Adventurers' Guild. Yet the person who greeted me wasn't Renia, but someone else entirely.
"Are you Kael?"
A face I hadn't seen before. Judging by his attire, he held a position of some standing within the guild.
"Ah, my name is Dennis. I manage the Cailen branch here."
The branch manager of the Adventurers' Guild, huh. I nodded.
"From what I hear, you played a major role in clearing the dungeon in Parnil Forest the other day."
He must have heard the news from the guild staff. Well, with over a dozen experienced mercenaries taking part in that commission, it had probably become quite the talk of the guild.
"Well, one thing led to another."
Strictly speaking, I hadn't just played a major role—I had practically done the whole thing myself—but I had no desire to spell all that out at length.
"I have already received the compiled report. The payout was quite hefty, too. Why, it nearly wiped out our cash reserves on hand, haha!"
The guild had paid me roughly 550 gold.
Had this not been a branch in a major city, coughing up that much cash would have been a tall order.
"I am not blaming you, of course. On the contrary, having someone of your caliber take on guild commissions is a tremendous help to us."
"..."
I gave a measured nod and looked at Branch Manager Dennis.
Whether he meant it or not, empty praise like that didn't do much for me.
A branch manager had plenty on his plate. There was no way he had sought me out just to make idle chit-chat.
"Ahem. So, here is the thing."
His tone turned suggestive. Looked like he was finally getting to the point.
"Would you be interested in representing our branch for a rather large commission?"
The offer came out of left field. I tilted my head slightly.
"...Representing the branch, you say?"
"Indeed. To be precise, it concerns Cailen itself. Are you aware that a large-scale bandit subjugation campaign is about to take place?"
Bandit subjugation, huh.
The explanation that followed was straightforward.
As befitted a major transport hub linking several cities, the region around Cailen had numerous mountain routes running through it.
And wherever merchants and travelers passed through in large numbers, bandits were bound to spring up.
There was a special reason, however, why Count Cailen had personally ordered a full-scale subjugation this time.
Their ringleader was a skilled fighter who used to be a knight.
A knight who could manipulate mana to coat his weapon in aura was a superhuman whom ordinary soldiers could never hope to match.
"Word is, they have already absorbed several bandit gangs, so their numbers are substantial. The damage has been severe as well—enough for Count Cailen to personally issue the subjugation order."
"Hmm."
"The major guilds in the city—namely the Adventurers' Guild and the Mercenaries' Guild—have agreed to take part too."
An interesting story. Though my interest went no further than that.
None of it gave me a reason to step up as the Adventurers' Guild representative and join an expedition. I could always just pack up and leave.
I looked at the branch manager with a face that silently asked, "And?" Catching my look, he cleared his throat in brief embarrassment and continued.
"Ahem. On top of that, the bounty on this subjugation is substantial. There is even a special reward on the line. If you participate as our guild's representative, we will waive all guild fees, and—"
"Hold on. A special reward?"
I cut in lightly to ask. A special reward put up by Count Cailen, huh.
"Huh? The special reward? Well..."
For some reason, the branch manager hesitated for a moment. After wavering, he went on.
"The special reward is... the Arachne Pill. Honestly, though, it is best not to get your hopes up about that one. Truth is, it has more or less been privately decided that it will go to the Count's son, who is joining the expedition as overall commander. Everyone is keeping quiet about it, though."
"Ah."
I grasped the whole picture right away.
The Arachne Pill was an elixir pill made by extracting venom from an Arachne—a venomous snake-like monster of the desert—and putting it through various processes. Taking it was known to grant tremendous poison resistance on the spot.
It also came with a modest boost to stamina.
In the noble world, where all sorts of dirty schemes ran rampant, such an item fetched an astronomical price.
And Count Cailen clearly had no intention of handing something so precious over to an outsider.
On paper, he had announced it as a special reward for whoever achieved the greatest merit in the operation, while it was an open secret that the prize would go to the overall commander, the Count's own son.
Even so, that wasn't enough to make the Mercenaries' Guild or the Adventurers' Guild sit it out.
Even setting the pill aside, the bounty money on the table was huge.
"Hmm."
I stroked my chin with keen interest. Gold coins were nice, sure, but the Arachne Pill was so finicky to make that it was hard to come by.
Its effects went without saying.
I didn't have any sworn enemies trying to poison me right now, but there was no telling what the future held. I might also run into poison-attribute monsters down the road.
'Might be worth aiming for.'
Taking the proclamation the branch manager held out, I read through it and calmly organized my thoughts.
A condition publicly proclaimed by the Count under the will of God and staked on his own name: a special reward granted to the single person with the most outstanding achievement.
If I pulled off a feat so undeniable that no one could dispute it, not even the Count would be able to go back on his word.
His feelings toward me would sour, no doubt.
To someone who was already getting ready to leave the city soon anyway, though, that hardly mattered.
A commission offering an incredible reward if the opportunity presented itself, and plenty of gold coins guaranteed even if it didn't.
It was too good a chance to simply walk away from.
"All right. I'll do it."
Having made up my mind, I spoke to the branch manager.
"...R-really?!"
Startled, as if he hadn't expected me to accept so readily, the branch manager looked relieved as he continued.
"Truth be told, Renia was the first to recommend you."
"Renia did?"
"Yes. At first, I asked Renia to serve as the branch representative, and she flatly refused and recommended you instead. Said you were far better than she is. Coming from someone as proud as her, it was quite surprising."
"Hmm."
I nodded. So that was how it came about.
Saving her life back in that cave was paying off all over again.
With a light smile, I looked at the branch manager and asked.
"So, when do we leave?"
"At noon a week from now. We will gather at the guild before setting out, so take your time getting here."
Nodding, I turned around.
A week was plenty of time.
'The Arachne Pill, huh.'
Even in the game, it had been treated as a Rare-Grade consumable. Resolving to crush that bandit knight before the Count's son could get to him, I stepped outside the building.
***
A week was plenty of time to prepare.
No, strictly speaking, it was more than enough.
Unlike an ordinary knight or mage, I didn't need any separate training.
I still prepared thoroughly, of course.
By making the rounds of every magic shop and smithy in the city to buy up anything that might prove useful.
Pricey, finely woven multi-layered chainmail and guards. Even a few magic tools specialized for defense or escape, just in case.
I spent close to 200 gold, yet I didn't feel it was a waste. Gear like this was basically solid insurance I could keep using in the future.
The week flew by.
Just as the branch manager had said, the Adventurers' Guild contingent gathered in the open lot in front of the guild. Waiting there ahead of time, Renia spotted me and gave a slight nod.
We headed straight for the city gates.
Waiting there were the Mercenaries' Guild and the city guard.
Befitting a joint operation carried out by three different factions, the turnout was massive.
At a glance, there were at least several hundred people. It was a bit overkill for subjugating mere bandits, though considering the enemy ringleader was a former knight, the numbers made sense.
"All right, move out! Open the gates!"
A booming command rang out. The young man riding at the head of the column appeared to be the commander of this expedition—the Count's son.
Our destination was roughly two days away. Leaving the city behind, the expedition marched at a brisk pace.
After about half a day of travel, we were given a brief rest.
People settled down in spots all around, chatting freely among themselves.
"Hmm. Honestly, I thought you might turn the commission down. At the end of the day, this is a headache for the Count rather than for individuals like us."
Renia spoke up. I chuckled softly and replied.
"I didn't think much of it at first, either, until the reward caught my eye."
"The reward?"
Tilting her head, Renia went on.
"Obviously the gold payout will be quite generous, but... wait, don't tell me?"
"Yeah. The Arachne Pill."
"Hmm..."
Renia frowned slightly at my words.
"Isn't that already spoken for, though...?"
"Who knows? Didn't he announce it would go to whoever performs the best? He staked his name on that proclamation, so he won't be able to just talk his way out of it."
"...True enough. It won't be easy, though. Are you confident?"
"..."
Instead of answering her question, I fell silent and turned slightly. Gleaming silver armor came into view.
"Hmm. Mind if I sit here for a moment?"
It was the booming voice that had given the order when we set out. Walking over to us, the Count's son shifted his gaze back and forth between me and Renia.