Chapter 70 – Rewards
#070.
“Whoa… I just arrived.”
“Yes. It took quite a while.”
It wasn’t until a week after departing from the ruins that Gaon and his party were able to see the Viscount Kielun’s mansion in front of them.
Like them, Ha-yeon and Yoo Ji-hee in particular looked up curiously at the mansion in front of them. In those eyes, there was even a question about whether they could come here.
As if he had read such thoughts, Lord Harpman, who had been talking with the gatekeepers, approached them.
“Gaon-gyeong. Go inside. Permission was granted to let the two new companions inside as well. Since you contributed to finding the artifact, you can spend the night at the mansion today and see you tomorrow morning.”
“Me too? Did we not do anything?”
“That’s right. We just happened to enter the ruins.”
Ha-yeon and Yoo Ji-hee refused to go in, waving their hands at Harp Man-gyeong’s words. It seemed like he was even thinking that glancing at Gaon and Chorin would take away the credit for taking the artifact.
Gaon shook her head and beckoned to them, thinking that it might have been her own luck to have accepted Hayeon as her disciple.
“Joo Ha-yeon, don’t hesitate and follow me. I’m thinking of finding a separate inn once the quest is complete anyway.”
“If Master says so, I will go in!”
Ha-yeon, who was somewhat stubborn and reluctant to go in, nodded her head at once at Ga-on’s words and she stood next to him.
Standing alone on the other side, Yoo Ji-hee froze at the sight, her eyes wide open.
“Yoo Ji-hee, please come too. It will be difficult to find the inn when you are exhausted. Besides, Joo Ha-yeon says she lives in the mansion, but are you sure she will leave alone?
“Yes? Uh, that’s not it…”
“Then come quickly. Or are you thinking of rejecting a favor from the Viscount?”
“No… I understand if you say that.”
When the other two persuaded, Albert arrived at the gate and led them inside.
Gaon and Chorin decided to stay again in the double room they were originally staying in, and Hayeon and Yoo Jihee were assigned the next double room.
Gaon and Chorin exchanged greetings with Hayeon and Yoo Jihee before entering the room.
“Gaon, you said you had to be ready by 8:00 tomorrow, right?”
“Yes. If you go to the dinner hall tomorrow, you will probably receive a reward for completing the quest after you finish your meal. A knighthood would also be bestowed, at least in a informal way. We are very tired today, so let’s rest.”
“Yes. I will wash first.”
As soon as Chorin stepped into her shower, Gaon threw off all her leather armor and sat down on her sofa.
“Haaa… It was a bit difficult this time.”
I would have died if I had been sloppy.
It is a fight that has been brought out to the beginning. If it wasn’t for Chorin, she might have become a disabled person as it is.
And he might have died regretting it, just watching the world perish without even meaning to return…
Of course, if it weren’t for Chorin in the first place, there would have been no reason to overdo it, but fortunately, everything worked out.
Recalling what happened yesterday, Gaon suddenly felt his eyes half-closed.
It must have been a lot of fatigue. Gaon washed his face dry with both hands to drive away sleep, then got up from the sofa and headed to the window.
“Now I can relax for a while.”
According to the plan, for about 3 months, there is no case in which he has to step forward. There must be a small new demonic scene or the discovery of an ancient ruin, but if you leave it alone, it will find the right owner on its own.
As Gaon looked down at the garden from the window and thought about this and that, he heard the shower door open.
─Suddenly
“Gaon-san, I washed everything.”
“Okay, then I’ll wash too.”
Chorin was wearing a light tee and shorts.
She seemed to have taken a shower with warm water and her cheeks were flushed and lively.
Gaon simply packed her clothes and then passed her Chorin and headed for her shower.
The water was very warm and good.
After taking a refreshing shower, feeling as if her fatigue was washed away at once, Gaon immediately lay down on the bed and fell asleep without any time to think about anything complicated.
***
“Please go in.”
Gaon and his party greeted her by bowing their heads at her figure as she bowed her waist, then opened the door and entered her banquet hall.
Inside, as we saw last time, a long table was placed in the center, and the Viscount was sitting on the head table. The light reflecting off the chandelier from the ceiling added to the splendor.
As soon as they entered, the Viscount got up and greeted them with a broad smile.
“Come on. You guys have done a great job. Thanks to you, the artifact was safely recovered.”
“It was nothing. I just completed the quest. As a mercenary, this is a natural behavior.”
Haha! Yes, yes A paragon of mercenaries. However, starting today, you will no longer be a mercenary. You know that, right?”
“Of course.”
“Okay, then sit down. Let’s talk slowly while eating.”
“Excuse me.”
Gaon spoke with the Viscount as the representative.
The rest of the group. In particular, Ha-yeon and Yoo Ji-hee only looked at each other while rolling their eyes, as if the situation was awkward now that they were meeting the viscount.
Gaon took his seat first, followed by Chorin, Hayeon, and Yoo Jihee.
As soon as everyone was seated, maids came over and hung napkins around their necks, while the rest of the staff served food.
The first thing that came out was the soup.
This time it was corn soup. The savory aroma and soft texture were excellent, and while the stomach was warming up, the viscount wiped his mouth with a napkin and put down the spoon.
“Did I say those two were Joo Ha-yeon and Yoo Ji-hee? I heard you were the first to discover the ruins. Am I right?”
“Ah yes! That’s right!”
“No, that’s right!”
Ha-yeon and Yoo Ji-hee answered while standing upright. Seeing his tense appearance, the viscount smiled lightly and raised his hand to touch his chin.
“Yes, then it would be unreasonable to reward only the two of them. Hmm… I’ll have to give it some thought.”
Things got a little complicated.
It was Gaon and Chorin who received the request, and they were the ones who brought the artifact, but Hayeon and Yoo Jihee are also credited with discovering the ruins first.
Of course, under normal circumstances, the one who brought the artifact to monopolize the reward would go in the direction of ostracizing the others, but Gaon and Chorin were different.
To them, Ha-yeon and Yoo Ji-hee were close acquaintances and students at the same time. There is no reason to quarrel with them over compensation and hurt their feelings.
Above all, it wasn’t that Gaon and Chorin suffered a loss just because they were compensated to some extent.
The reward may be a bit less, but the most important of the rewards are knighthood and elixir. Other than that, it doesn’t matter how much you share.
While the viscount was thinking about it, Ha-yeon suddenly raised her hand and said.
“Your arrogance! I don’t have to pay you.”
“Hmm? Why?”
“All of mine is my master, so you can give it to Mr. Gaon!”
“… Is it?”
“Yes!”
The viscount’s eyebrows moved up and down at Hayeon’s words. The viscount, who wondered what this was going on, must have come up with something strange, and his eyes lit up as he looked at Gaon.
“Hoo… That’s great. Another person following Miss Lee Cho-rin? He must have been your capable man.”
“… It’s not like that.”
“Well, if you say so, I understand. Anyway, I’m glad that you don’t need Miss Ju Ha-yeon. Then, with only Yoo Ji-hee remaining, is there anything you wish for?”
At the viscount’s words, everyone’s eyes turned to Yoo Ji-hee.
Yoo Ji-hee was taken aback by that gaze for a moment, then bit her lips and lowered her head, and then she met her eyes straight and opened her mouth.
“Then, can you accept me as a servant of this mansion?”
Everyone except Hayeon was surprised by the completely unexpected words. Apparently, he talked with Ha-yeon in advance last night.
The viscount asked if it was an unexpected proposal, with an interesting look on his face.
“You mean a servant? Why are you asking? Even if you just ask for money, you will receive more gold coins than a mere laborer could earn in his lifetime. Isn’t that worth it?”
“… That’s true, but the problem is that I don’t have a place to put my body. I don’t know if it’s a normal user, but I think that the Viscount will be a good behind-the-scenes for those who have made a contribution to recovering the artifact. So, I would like you to hire me as a servant.”
At Yu Ji-hee’s words, everyone put on expressions of understanding. Certainly, they are even referred to as incompetent earthlings, and their position in this world is in jeopardy.
She knew for sure through her work this time. The fact that you could lose your life at any time in Union.
She even went to the brink of being raped by a beast. If she didn’t have Gaon, she would have had to live a miserable life as a plaything for them all her life.
Even so, as an Earthling, there was no way he would be able to fight to the death while wandering around the Devil’s Realm.
A good word is settlement, and a bad word is giving up.
Give up trying to be strong and get stability instead.
She chose it
Ha-yeon also asked the viscount while putting on a somewhat bitter expression.
“Your Excellency, I will ask you too. Can’t you take Jihee with you?”
“Hmm… I can’t help but say that to you too. Got it. Instead, I won’t accept it as a general user. I’ll attach you as Albert’s assistant. Learn about managing the mansion by your side. If you work hard, you might be able to succeed Albert in the position of overseeing the mansion. I will stay after dinner.”
“Thank you!”
The position of a simple servant is too low compared to her merits. Her Viscount gave her some potential for advancement, if not for her helpless side.
Yoo Ji-hee expressed her gratitude for the viscount’s consideration.
When Yoo Ji-hee’s treatment was decided, the Viscount turned to Gaon.
“Then it’s time to talk about the reward for you guys. As I said before, I’m thinking of giving each of them a knighthood and an elixir. And I’m going to give you 5000 gold as a request. If there’s anything you don’t like, tell me.”
He told me to tell him what I didn’t like, but his expression said he couldn’t.
In fact, there was no way he would be dissatisfied with it, as the viscount thought.
Even though there was credit for recovering the artifact, the price I just mentioned was more than enough to replace it.
However, Gaon requested some revisions to his proposal.
“… My Excellency, I’m sorry, but could you give me three elixirs? Instead, you can reduce the commission.”
At Gaon’s words, Hayeon widened her eyes.
He opened his mouth to say something, but the viscount was faster.
“You mean the elixir?”
“Yes. Hayeon Joo has become my disciple this time. I need one more elixir.”
At first, the viscount, who frowned at the thought of being more greedy here, pointed at Ha-yeon and nodded her head while stroking her chin.
“Hmm, that’s right. Got it. Then I’ll add one elixir and reduce the request to 3000 gold. Is this okay?”
“Thank you.”
“Okay, let’s eat then. After dinner, I’ll confer a knighthood on you in an abbreviated manner. Do not give the elixir at that time. I must prepare one more. Albert!”
At the Viscount’s call, Albert carefully opened the door and entered. The viscount said, looking at the old man who bowed his head in a dignified manner.
“Prepare another elixir. I changed the request to 3000 gold. And the person over there will be attached as your assistant from now on, so please explain briefly about the mansion after the meal.”
“Yes. Lord. Then we will go out.”
Perhaps he was going to the warehouse to bring another elixir, but Albert left the banquet hall with a pace that wasn’t urgent, but wasn’t slow either.
When the door closed, the viscount raised the tableware without a word.
“Then let’s finish eating.”
“Yes. Thank you for your consideration.”
There was no conversation after that.
Everyone was engrossed in the meal, and after the meal, they were simply given a knighthood, took the elixir and commission money, and returned to their room.
