"Huh?" I choked, shocked. My face went red as I looked at the woman, "Sorry, what do you mean by that?"
"I see that you're already misunderstanding me," The woman laughed. She folded her arms, then continued to speak, "My name is Augustine, the guild's second in command. My husband is the guild master, but he's not here. For now, I'm the one in charge. Today, you made quite a scene, and on your first day too. Ordinarily I'd kill you for killing an A-ranked adventurer, but it looks like you did so out of self-defense."
"So are you here to kick me out?" I asked as I felt a lump in my throat rise. Augustine shook her head, then chuckled.
"I'm here to make sure you join the guild," The woman said. She looked to Icarus, then back to me, "But to be honest, i'm also curious about you. If you won't want any trouble, tell me about yourself."
"If I don't want any trouble?" I sighed. I looked to Augustine, then tried to appraise her.
『 Appraisal failed 』
"Oh?" Augustine chuckled. She turned to Rebecca, then said, "Rebecca, leave the room. Make sure nobody is waiting outside of the door when you leave. This conversation is to be private."
"Understood, Mrs. Augustine," Rebecca said as she rose from her seat. She took one last look at Icarus, then to me. Then she turned around and made her way out of the room. Augustine watched as the door closed, then turned to me.
"It looks like you're more interesting than I thought," Augustine chuckled, "How come you have『 Appraisal 』? The world doesn't know it, because the skill is so rare, but it's impossible for humans to have it."
"Fuck," I sighed. As Augustine continued to stare at me, I began to realize there really wasn't any sort of way out of this situation.
'I have a few options,' I thought to myself as I looked at Augustine, 'I should consider her background. As the vice guild master of an adventurers' guild, it's a given that she or others close to her are too powerful for me to deal with. Best case scenario, she's weak. Worst case, she's strong enough to kill me without much effort. I'll play her little game, but I won't play without keeping my information safe.'
I turned back to her, then said, "Before I tell you anything, I want to be certain that there is no possibility of my information being leaked out to the public. Can you do that for me?"
"The conversation is already private," Augustine told me, "If you want, we can invoke a contract. You can appraise it all you want, too."
"That works," I said. Augustine nodded, then opened her palm. Suddenly, a large paper scroll appeared in her hand. I quickly appraised the paper scroll, then read the contents of the information that appeared in front of me.
﹃
Contract between Aureys and Augustine Sharpe
Created through Augustine Sharpe's unique skill:『 Contract 』
An agreement of secrecy between Aureys and Augustine Sharpe that guarantees the secrecy of Aureys's personal information. Should Augustine Sharpe break the agreement between the two, then she will die
﹄
"Does that work out for you?" Augustine asked as she saw me look at the contract. I looked back up at her, then shook my head.
"It's not very fair, considering I know nothing about you," I told her, "Allow me access to your true stats, and I'll agree to your terms."
"Understandable," Augustine nodded. Suddenly, the contract disappeared, then reappeared a moment later. I looked to it, then re-appraised it.
﹃
Contract between Aureys and Augustine Sharpe
Created through Augustine Sharpe's unique skill:『 Contract 』
An agreement of secrecy between Aureys and Augustine Sharpe that guarantees the secrecy of Aureys's personal information. Should Augustine Sharpe break the agreement between the two, then she will die. In addition to the security of Aureys's personal information, Augustine Sharpe will reveal her true stats to Aureys
﹄
"That works," I said. Suddenly, my signature appeared on the bottom of the contract. Augustine smiled, then waved her hand. As she did so, her own signature appeared next to mine. Suddenly the contract began to glow for a moment before exploding in a flash of light.
﹃
Contract created
『 Appraisal 』will now work on the individual known as Augustine Sharpe
﹄
I sighed in relief, then quickly appraised Augustine for the second time.
﹃
Augustine Sharpe
Race: Half Elf
Level: 40
HP: 208
MP: 215
AC: 200
Rank: A
Titles: Monster Hunter
Skills: Contract, Conceal, Stealth, Sword Skills, Earth Magic, Barrier, Dash, Teleport
﹄
'A little bit stronger than me,' I thought as I checked her stats. I was right to be cautious earlier. Fighting this person wouldn't be a smart idea, as the struggle it could cause would just end up working against me. If anybody saw us fight, it wouldn't be hard to imagine who's side they would join.
"So? Are you satisfied?" Augustine chuckled as she leaned back in her chair. She looked to Icarus, then to me, "So why don't you tell me about yourself? First of all, who are you, and what is your relationship to the dragon?"
I sighed, then looked back to Icarus. My eyes met with his red frame, which was surprisingly similar to my own. Now that I had been asked the question, I was beginning to wonder exactly what sort of relationship I had with him. He was created through my dungeon system and was intended to be a similar dragon type to myself. However, how was he created in the first place?
"He's my son," I told her as I looked back. Augustine froze, shocked, as she raised her eyebrows. She looked to Icarus, then to me.
"How? That shouldn't be possible. He's a dragon and you're human. Aren't you?" She asked. I shook my head.
"I'm a dragon as well, just in human form for now. If I want, I can show you what my dragon form looks like, but that'll cause problems if anybody sees," I explained, "Icarus is my biological son. Does that answer your question?"
『 The Individual known as『 Icarus 』has now been accepted as a family member 』
Augustine stood up and backed away from me. She moved her hand to her side, where a large rapier was sheathed on her hip. I looked at her hand, then sighed as I looked to Icarus.
"We're not here to cause any trouble," I told her as I leaned forward and took Icarus into my arms. Then I looked back at her, "We're just here to enjoy ourselves."
"If Icarus is your son, then that means you're a red dragon, aren't you?" Augustine said. I looked at her, then nodded. I pointed to my eye, then said,
"Can't you tell from my eyes? It's not exactly normal to have golden eyes that glow a little, you know," I chuckled.
"Red dragons are evil," Augustine said.
"All dragons are evil," I retorted, angry, "You won't find a dragon that's as good as me, though. At least I don't have the interest to create massacre after massacre. You can trust me when I say my primary concern is not murder and destruction."
"Hah," Augustine laughed, "Coming from a dragon, that's hardly believable. I should kill you right now!"
"You can try, sure," I sighed, "But first, why don't you test me. Create another contract. That way, you should see if I'm lying, shouldn't you?"
"A contract?"
"Yes. A contract," I told her, "Something simple but concrete, so loopholes can't be exploited. I will be honest with you, Augustine."
"I see," Augustine said. She moved back to her chair, then sat back down and created another contract. As it appeared in her hand, I immediately appraised the contract.
﹃
Contract between Aureys and Augustine Sharpe
Created through Augustine Sharpe's unique skill:『 Contract 』
A contract promising honesty from the individual known as Aureys. Augustine will be allowed to ask as many questions as she wants, and Aureys has no choice but to answer honestly. If Aureys attempts to lie, Aureys will die
﹄
"Do you really think I'm stupid?" I asked as I turned back to Augustine, "One question. That's all you're getting."
"One question?" Augustine scoffed, "Do you really think you're in charge?"
"Do you really think I'm alone?" I asked her as I began to get angry. A moment of silence passed between us, then I sighed and fell back against the bedframe. I looked back at Augustine, then said, "I have an entire army that I can use to attack Hewe. If you anger me, not even the entire guild can stop me. I would suggest you do your best not to anger me. Now, you get one question, Augustine. That question will be: Do I intend to destroy Hewe? If it is not that question or a variation of that question, I will not answer it. Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes," Augustine nodded as her shoulders slumped. I nodded, then watched as another contract appeared in Augustine's hand.
﹃
Contract between Aureys and Augustine Sharpe
Created through Augustine Sharpe's unique skill:『 Contract 』
A contract promising honesty from the individual known as Aureys. Augustine will be allowed to ask only one question, and Aureys has no choice but to answer honestly on the pain of death. However, if the question is not to the satisfaction of Aureys, the death penalty will not be enforced
﹄
I signed the contract, then waited for Augustine to sign. Then, after the contract exploded and the notification came and went, Augustine opened her mouth to ask her one question.
"Do you intend harm upon any of Hewe's residents," She asked. I opened my mouth to answer her question, then realized my answer wouldn't be entirely true. After considering my answer for a few more seconds, I opened my mouth again.
"Not while they're inside the city, nor will I harm them if they don't harm me," I answered.
"Not while they're inside the city? So you intend to harm them once they leave?" Augustine asked as she stood up again. I sighed, then shook my head.
"Sit down!" I ordered. Augustine quickly sat back down and looked at me, "No, you dumbass. What do you know about dragons?" I asked.
"Dragons are the most evil creature in existence. Their power is akin to a god but their evilness is more vile than a demon," Augustine told me. I looked at her, astonished by her lack of knowledge. While she wasn't technically wrong, there was only one dragon in existance that was truly evil and as powerful as a god, but they had been dead for more than two thousand years. Aros had told me about that dragon when he was explaining how ranks worked to me.
"I see. It sounds like you're reciting children's story books," I sighed, "Tell me, you have a house, right?"
"Yes," Augustine nodded.
"Good. Now, if somebody decides to break into that house, you'd be angry, right?"
"Obviously," She nodded.
"Good. Now we're getting somewhere. You see, its the same for me. I have a house, but it's not in Hewe. Now, if somebody from Hewe decides to go into that house and attempts to steal my shit, what do you think I will do?"
"You'll kill them," Augustine said. I nodded.
"The same will happen if they attempt to harm me or any of my belongings. My friends are included in that group, so don't even try to harm them instead," I said. Then I turned my body and jumped away from the bed. After I landed on the floor, I turned to Augustine, "I trust that you'll honor your side of the agreement? What I told you will not be told to any other people. If I find out you broke your side of the agreement, it won't just be you I go after."
"What?"
"I will destroy the city, Augustine," I said with a cold tone, "I will burn it all to the ground. That is what will come to you if you anger me."