I broke the Aura suppression cuffs binding Monestier's arms.
Clang!
"Thank you, kid! You saved my life."
"No need to thank me."
"My name is Monestier. Just call me Moncle."
He grasped my shoulder with a bright expression. I slowly looked him up and down before pushing his hand away and responding.
"Moncle."
"Yes?"
"Bring me an S-rank quest notice."
"...What?"
"Bring me an S-rank quest notice. Right now."
Monestier shrugged his shoulders in disbelief.
"W-wait a minute. Why should I?"
"Because I paid your debt."
"...But that's different. You didn't say anything about doing something in return for paying my debt!"
"It's a matter of duty."
"Duty?"
"Yes. Why else would I have paid the debt of someone I don't even know?"
I pulled out a chair and sat down as I continued speaking.
Thud.
"You don't have to do it if you don't want to. In that case, I'll do exactly what the dwarf threatened to do."
"...What do you mean?"
"I'll inform the Strange family of your misdeeds. Not only that, but I'll spread it across the continent, telling everyone you're an ungrateful scumbag."
"W-what? Are you insane?"
"Not only will you be expelled from the Strange family, but you won't be able to receive guild quests or join any mercenary groups. Your whole family will starve to death."
Monestier bit his lip and pointed his finger at me, veins bulging on his forehead.
"So you paid my debt just to use me?"
"Yes."
"You're shameless."
"And you were going to brush off two gold coins with just a simple thank you?"
In the provinces, that amount could buy a mansion. Monestier scowled deeply as he responded.
"You're threatening me?"
"It's a request."
"Request? Don't kid yourself! Where did you learn such wickedness?"
"Nothing's more wicked than gambling, which is forbidden by the Strange family."
"The Strange family forbids gambling? How do you know that?"
I almost said, 'Because I'm from the Strange family,' but instead, I just gave a small smile.
"The Strange family forbids assassination, betrayal, looting, deception, and lastly, gambling. If caught, they behead you immediately."
"...Who are you?"
"What do you mean?"
"How do you know the family's taboos?"
"I have ties with the Strange family."
"You?"
"Yes."
Monestier paused, seemingly lost in thought. Was he curious about my identity or just trying to figure out how to avoid the quest?
After a few seconds, he sat down cautiously in front of me and asked.
"Do you know how dangerous an S-rank quest is?"
"Yes."
"What's your adventurer rank?"
"None."
"Huh?"
"I haven't registered with the Adventurers' Guild as an adventurer yet."
He gaped at me in shock.
"Are you insane?"
"No."
"Yet you're asking for an S-rank quest without even being registered?"
"That's right."
"...What about her?"
Cynthia answered in my place.
"I'm a B-rank."
"B? That's decent, but challenging an S-rank quest with that skill level is suicide."
"I agree."
"Right? So... wait, why are you asking for an S-rank quest?"
"Because the kid wants it."
Moncle tilted his head in confusion.
He scratched the table with his finger and turned to me.
"Are you strong?"
"A bit."
"...Listen, as someone with more experience, I advise you that recklessly taking on dangerous tasks is suicidal."
"Like gambling when you're broke?"
"N-no! That's not what I mean!"
"Enough. Bring the quest notice. Why is a knight of the Strange family so talkative?"
"I'm not being talkative. I'm concerned about you."
"You should be concerned about your own life. Imagine, a Strange knight unable to pay off two gold coins."
Moncle slammed his fist on
the table.
Bang!
"Kid, I'm trying hard to be patient, so don't push me. If you keep this up, I'll have to unleash my hidden power."
"Go ahead."
"...What?"
"Unleash it. I'll show you what happens next."
I lifted my robe slightly, revealing the cross emblem etched into my armor.
I intended to keep my identity hidden to avoid trouble, but given the circumstances, revealing it seemed the quickest way to end this conversation.
He froze, staring blankly at my face before recoiling in shock, pointing at me.
"You, you, you! Are you the kid who brought back the Sword Saint from the ceremony?"
"Moncle."
"Y-yes."
"The quest notice. Bring it."
* * *
Cynthia's ponytailed party member asked.
"Are you Monestier, the one who disappeared after failing an S-rank quest?"
Moncle wiped his nose with an embarrassed expression before answering.
"Yes, I'm the famous S-rank quest failure, Monestier. Also known as Moncle."
He didn't seem ashamed of failing the quest. Instead, he appeared proud that his failure had made his name known.
Flutter.
The ponytailed member pointed to a section in his book.
"I heard you disappeared. How are you still alive?"
"I never disappeared in the first place. I've been here all along."
"Here?"
"Yes. I kept telling everyone that I'm Moncle and that I wasn't missing, but no one believed me."
Drenched in alcohol and with gambling debts amounting to two gold coins, who would believe that he was truly a secret weapon of the Strange family?
They'd probably just think he was imitating the emblem he'd seen somewhere.
"Oh... then how did you escape from the Seven Shadows? They're said to come after those who fail quests!"
"Seven Shadows? Who are they?"
"The assassins sent by the guild."
Moncle tilted his head, looking puzzled, as if he had no idea what they were talking about.
"Was there such a thing?"
"No?"
"Well... I'm not sure why the rumor started, but the guild only lowers your rank if you fail a quest. There are no other sanctions."
"Really?!"
"If the client gets angry, they might send an assassin, but those who take on S-rank quests are usually skilled enough not to worry."
"Ah..."
"I've heard that really irritable clients might kill those who fail their quests, but that's because they have the wealth to do so."
Ponytail dropped his head in a gloomy expression.
"I understand what you're saying."
"But what's your name? I feel like only I introduced myself."
"Oh, my name is Yuda."
"Yuda? Sounds like a name that would betray someone."
"Ah, a lot of people say that."
"Are you going to betray anyone?"
"Who?"
"Everyone."
"...What are you talking about?"
That's exactly what I wanted to ask.
What kind of conversation did they want to have? Tired of listening to their pointless talk, I asked Moncle.
"Moncle."
"Yes, uh, yes."
"Why are you following us?"
He had followed us from the adventurer's guild to the tower entrance. It was almost our turn to go in, and he was subtly moving with our party.
"I'm following you."
"What? Why?"
"Why do you think! If you fail the quest, I'll suffer the consequences. I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen."
I shook my head.
"Get lost, you'll just get in the way."
"What! Hey, you don't tell an older brother to get lost. You should say, 'Please go.'"
"Shut up, or I'll tell Lady Valentine about what happened today."
"V-V-Valentine?!"
"Yes. You know what will happen then, right?"
Moncle swallowed hard.
"Sorry."
"We're not going to the tower to play around. We need to complete our objective quickly and get out, so wait outside."
"W-wait a minute, Verdin. Let's do this. Hear me out."
I waved my hand in the air, signaling for him to continue.
"As you know, I'm incredibly strong. The Imperial Army even considered giving me the title of Sword Master."
"So?"
"I couldn't use my power in the tavern because of the Aura suppression device. But if you take me to the tower, I'll be a great help."
"..."
"Did you know I've climbed beyond the 30th floor of the tower?"
Climbing beyond the 30th floor means being recognized as one of the strongest in this era.
Even my father, known as the strongest swordsman of our time, struggled around the mid-40th floors.
"We don't need you."
"What? I mean... wait, what?"
"Our current party members are sufficient. Any more, and even a strong person would just be a burden."
"But still..."
"I promise on the name of the Strange family, we will complete the quest. So wait outside the tower."
He probably found my reaction unexpected. Most parties would go to great lengths to recruit experienced individuals.
Yet, we were rejecting a skilled person.
"Then let's do this. I won't join you, but I'll watch from a distance."
"Suit yourself."
"Huh? Is that allowed?"
"Yes."
"...Alright."
Thud, thud, thud.
The captain of the guards at the tower entrance hit the ground with the butt of his spear and shouted.
"Next!"
It was our turn.
I showed him the Gold Class badge we earned at the arena and said.
"Five members: Verdin, Rox, Cynthia, Yuda, and Alfredo. We wish to go to the 11th floor."
The captain responded indifferently.
"Permission granted. Summon Scribe Amon."
He took three steps back and whispered into the air. Though it seemed like the same space, it was divided by an invisible barrier, so we couldn't hear the conversation.
Step, step, step.
After finishing his conversation, the guard captain led us to the tower entrance. Scribe Amon appeared, floating through the space, and waved energetically.
"Welcome! I'm not sure if you remember, but I'm Amon, the scribe of the tower. Everyone, a round of applause!"
Amon clapped his hands alone.
Clap, clap, clap!
"I'm glad to see you again, Sir Verdin. You requested a warp to the 11th floor, correct?"
His response was subtly different from before.
His eyes were smiling, but his mouth was stiff.
His tone was also strange, as if he were reading from a script.
It felt like watching a puppet show.
"Something's off."
I gave a short nod.
"Then I will send Sir Verdin and his party to the 11th floor. Be cautious, as powerful monsters appear from this point onward."
"Understood."
"Good luck!"
Amon spread his arms wide, drawing a circle in the air. The space began to whirl.
I led everyone into the warp gate, speaking as I went.
"Amon."
"Yes?"
Again, the response was different.
The real Amon would usually say, "Did you call for me?" But now he just said "Yes."
"Never mind."
With that, I stepped into the warp gate, glancing at Amon's eye color as I did.
"...Deep green."
So it had already begun.
Demoneum's surveillance on me.