The former orphans of ≪Solitude≫ have been training since this morning. Even though their bodies are still too weak to do full scale training, the doping enchantments are amazing. At around noon, the Tomboy Princess came to the mansion. Apart from the Boy Knight who is always at the Tomboy Princess' side, the First Queen and the Dark Hero also came with them for some reason. I wonder why.
They both stayed 2 to 3 steps behind the Tomboy Princess, gazing at me again with emotions that are difficult to express. Since I had a hunch that I shouldn't be impudent and touch on that subject, I offered the Tomboy Princess some of the tea that I received from the Elves. I took a relieved breath and exchanged some small talk as we drank the tea, after which I asked about the reason for their visit.
The reason was simple; the Tomboy Princess wanted us to work continuously as her private army. As for the terms of the contract, they entailed a standard pay of 2 gold plates per month, which amounts to 2 million gold (approximately 20 million yen). Since that's 24 gold plates a year, it turns out to be 240 million yen.
In addition, if there was some other kind of work, a suitable amount of additional gold would be paid. If approved, the Tomboy Princess would bear the entire sum of the expenses for things like buying medicine and weapons needed in order to accomplish the missions.
Although this is limited to within the Sternbild Kingdom, a number of different privileges are attached, such as being able to borrow money and weapons. Of course, the reason for these conditions is that the job comes with a suitable amount of danger. Nevertheless, even though the yearly income exceeds that of a lower to middle-class noble, the terms are no longer favorable for me. For that reason, I declined.
Looking at the dumbfounded faces of the Kingdom's party, Redhead burst out laughing from her seat at the table. Kanami-chan simply gave a friendly grin, but she probably enjoyed their reaction as well. Even though it's sadistic, that can't be helped.
As such, I told them the reasons why I declined the contract.
In order to learn more about this world, it's more convenient for me to be in the position of a mercenary who can move freely.
Since there might not only be[Heroes]and[Great Heroes]from here on, but dedicated Psalms for[Demon Kings]and[Demon Emperors], which would let me fight against countries with existences such as[Beast Kings]and[Beast Emperors], it's highly likely that this contract would become a hindrance.
Among other things, since it's likely that she'll become the next Queen, being the Tomboy Princess's private army would cause too much mental stress. While I'm fine with physical challenges, I don't particularly like such things as persistent and irritating harassment.
Even though I explained it like that, I ended up making a certain contract with the Tomboy Princess because her persuasion was too desperate.
The terms of the contract are that I'll receive one gold plate, or 1 million gold (approximately 10 million yen), per month. This will be compensation in order to give the Kingdom a small amount of preferential treatment, which is『Do not accept requests which are antagonistic towards the Tomboy Princess』. Basically, it says that 『By paying you compensation, we'll keep you from being hostile towards us, since you would be a frightening enemy』.
Well, I think this much is fine. With this, the discussion with the Tomboy Princess ended. After that, I made a different agreement with the First Queen and the Dark Hero. I ended up yielding to an overwhelming sense of intimidation and the hot atmosphere, but I won't go into the details. Although various things occurred, the 4 of them returned home at dusk. By that point, I was exhausted.
Note to self. Zealous believers are scary. In order to heal my tired spirit, I went to sleep in a soft and warm bed in the evening. However, just before I fell asleep, I was surprised to see what was displayed.
[World Psalms [Legend of the Black Eclipse Demon], Chapter 4 [Encouragement of a Kingdom's Revolution], Final Verse[Princess's Command (Rubiria Maüks)]has been completed. The following hidden conditions were cleared: ≪Rejection of Bondage≫.]
[Unfortunately, hidden condition ≪No Contract Exchange≫ was not cleared.]
[Completion Bonus[Great Treasure Chest (Superior)]will be given.]
[Completion Bonus[Demonkin Restricted: Potency Increasing Drugs]will be given.]
[Completion Bonus[Demon Liquor: Signature [Drop of Neverending Evening Cherry Blossoms]]will be given.]
[Completion Bonus[Demon Liquor: Signature [Demon's Drunken Slaughter - Inexhaustible]]will be given.]
[Completion Bonus[Ancient Lithograph Indicator]will be given.]
[Since the conditions for Completion Bonus[■■■■]have not been cleared yet, it will not be awarded.]
What...was that. While thinking that the previous contract might have been a failure, since there's nothing I could do about it now, I gave up and went to sleep. Even though I'm very worried about that last part, it's alright since there's liquor.