Despite his average physical appearance, it’s clear from his posture alone that he was brought up as a noble. He sat tall and straight on his magnificent black horse, exuding an air of quiet confidence and authority. His clothes are luxurious but not ostentatious, finely tailored to elevate his lackluster looks perfectly.
The white, rich fabrics of his attire, adorned with subtle but elegant embroidery, suggest wealth and status without crossing into gaudiness. (picture)
As he dismounts, his movements are smooth and deliberate, indicating a man accustomed to commanding others. He’s not the fat, spoiled young master I expected to meet, which makes me very glad. He seems to have at least some nuance to him.
“I gladly accept your gratitude, lord Eric.” I say rather shamelessly. How are you going to reward me? Gratitude from a noble means a reward, right?
His eyes turn into slits and his smile grows cold for a few seconds, but it never leaves his face. “I would like to invite you to my mansion to discuss a proper compensation for your heroic deed in my family’s territory, sir Quinlan. Once we’re done here and you are ready to talk, just let the guards in front of my home know that I invited you and they will let you in.”
I nod, happy with the outcome. “I will do as you suggested. Now then, what about these poor ladies? They need urgent medical attention.”
His smile disappears and gets replaced by a downcast look as he examines them one by one. I don’t know if he really feels sorry for them, but one thing is for sure, he is selling it well that he is, in fact, feeling utterly devastated. “I will have my family’s personal healer tend to them of course… They are our loyal tax-paying subjects, after all.
However… I don’t think we can help the less fortunate ones.”
Thought so. Four of them are not even able to regain consciousness even after hours of us trying to wake them up. “Mercy kill?” I inquire curtly.
“I will take them to the healer as well, but based on my experience and knowledge of the recovery arts there’s no hope for them, so chances are that, yes, mercy kill.”
I hear many sobs from the rest of the six women. Perhaps they’ve built up some camaraderie in the dark room of horror over time.
“I thank you for your generosity in their place, lord Eric. What about the loot?
Instead of Eric, a smart-looking guard speaks up. “In accordance with the Statutes of Sovereign Entitlements and Territorial Jurisprudence, Chapter XII, Article 47, it is hereby decreed that:
All spoils, treasures, and assets procured from the eradication or subjugation of hostile entities, including but not limited to monster tribes and lairs, within the territorial boundaries of the noble’s dominion, are the rightful property of the presiding noble. This law recognizes the noble’s sovereignty and the noble’s obligation to protect and maintain the security of their lands.
Therefore, any and all items of value, regardless of nature or origin, discovered during such endeavors, shall be claimed and appropriated by the noble, who shall then decide upon their distribution, usage, or disposition.”
Damn, is this guy a lawyer or what? Also, what the fuck is wrong with this kingdom? I discover a legendary artifact and I’m supposed to hand it over for a ‘thank you very much’ reward?
Eric waves his hand dismissively. “Forget it. This young hero is responsible for saving the lives of ten innocents. I hereby waive the Winterwood family’s rightful claim over the items recovered from this infestation.”
Oh? This guy is either more shrewd than I expected or he is kind of a nice guy. Perhaps a bit of both. “I thank you for your generosity, lord Eric, however, how about we strike a deal? As you can see me and my partner are only two individuals, so taking all the crates, items, monster corpses etc. back to Aldoria with us would be a real hassle.
Would you be interested in purchasing them from me?”
He looks at me thoughtfully for a few seconds before replying positively. We then send Mr smartypants lawyer into the cave to get an estimate of the price. He comes back in a few minutes while visibly struggling to hold a torrent of his stomach from coming out. Yeah, that cave is not a sight for the faint of heart.
I’m actually quite surprised at how easily I’m taking in all the horrors of this new world.
Perhaps my race switch into a primordial is the cause behind it? They are said to be the masters of adaptability after all, based on the system’s description.
“My Lord, the wares inside the cave are pretty much worthless. Looking at the monster corpses, they are also very disfigured. Goblin carcasses are worthless in general, hobgoblins are in a bad shape and the war troll is also injured all over its body, furthermore, according to the combatants’ testimonies, his system is full of bile poison.
I say that all of these items are worth about 30 silver coins, but if we calculate the cost of transporting them back to Aldoria you might as well not pay them a dime.”
… Wow. fuck you, dude. I knew I would be low balled, and it’s a fact that Ayame took the best wares to my secret stash, but still. That war troll corpse is enormous… Can’t you make stuff out of its tusks and bones and shit? I don’t know, grind it into powder and make some alchemy products or whatever.
Man, I really am clueless about this world’s values and mechanics.
Eric reaches into the pouch tied to his belt and flicks a yellow object towards me. I catch it between two fingers and after glancing at it, my eyes sight a gold coin. Oh, my first gold coin in this world is finally here!
“My lord?!” The lawyer shouts. Are you a personal financier as well? I really want to sucker punch this nerd in the nose.