Mongkel entered the battle with genuine intent.
The killing intent emanating from his entire body made it clear that he wasn't lying.
"I came to kill, another apostle."
I didn't understand his words.
An apostle? Here?
"What are you talking about?"
"Step aside, Verdin."
"Step aside?"
"Yes, my target is that ponytailed swordsman behind you."
"Ponytail?"
"Yuda, you may have deceived Verdin, but you can't deceive me."
Whoosh!
Mongkel crouched low to the ground and rushed forward, swinging his sword.
Swoosh-.
'There's no time to draw my sword.'
I grabbed an ant leg from the campfire and blocked his sword.
Crack.
Even though it was imbued with aura, the ant leg broke.
I hadn't been careless. I had focused my aura perfectly at the impact point.
I truly intended to block his attack with the ant leg.
It was as hard as steel, yet it was so easily cut through by his sword.
'As expected, he's no ordinary opponent.'
Swish.
The tip of Mongkel's sword brushed past the ponytail's forehead.
I kicked Mongkel in the side, sending him flying and tumbling across the ground.
Thud!
"If you want to mess with my party member, you better have a good explanation."
"I told you, that guy is an apostle. I don't know what he's planning, but he's dangerous to keep around."
I turned to Yuda. He was waving his hands in the air, looking flabbergasted.
"An apostle? Me? That's ridiculous…."
"Lies. Even if others don't know, I can't be fooled."
"It's not a lie! If I were an apostle, why would I be climbing the tower with you?"
"That's something we need to find out."
"…Mongkel, I swear I'm not an apostle. If I were in such a position, why would I need to climb the tower?"
"Shut up. I have proof that you're an apostle."
"Proof?"
"Yes. Look at this mirror. Still think you can lie?"
Mongkel pulled out a mirror and held it up to Yuda.
In the reflection, Yuda looked like a demon. He had eight horns on his head and his body was covered in an unnatural black skin.
"Th-that's…."
"Still think I'm lying?"
Yuda sighed deeply, looking at each of us in turn.
He opened and closed his mouth several times, then finally answered Mongkel with a resigned expression.
"Mongkel, the person in that mirror is not me."
"Here we go again, lying. This mirror shows the true form of the reflected person, an ancient magical artifact. It's not something you can fool with words."
"No! I'm not trying to deceive you. I'm about to tell you the truth."
"The truth?"
"Yes, the person in that mirror is not me, but my patron spirit."
* * *
After descending from the tower, we went straight to the adventurer's guild.
"You brought back 100 demon horns?!"
The innkeeper looked at the sack of demon horns with a mix of surprise and delight.
No wonder, Verdin had completed a 'S' rank special mission.
Bringing back 100 of them at once would certainly make the innkeeper ecstatic.
The commission he would receive would be enormous.
"This quest has no limit on the number of rewards, can we exchange all 100 for the reward?"
"Of course! The client said they would pay whatever it takes to get as many as possible."
"That's good. We'll come back to pick up the goods tomorrow, so make sure they're ready by then."
"Don't worry. The client has been eagerly awaiting these, they'll probably come running the moment I call."
"Really?"
"Yes, would you like to meet the client?"
"No, I don't think that's necessary. If they're unhappy with the goods, it might create an awkward situation."
"Understood. I'll report to you once the transaction is completed."
After a brief handshake, I returned to the corner table we had reserved at the inn.
Plop.
As I sat down, Mongkel, sensing the tension, began the conversation.
"So Yuda, you're saying you're unaware of the existence of your patron spirit?"
Yuda clasped his hands together, as if praying, and answered.
"I swear I don't know. I've never communicated with them since the contract."
Mongkel raised an eyebrow.
"Not even the name?"
"That's right."
"How did you make a contract with them?"
"They approached me when I was crying in an alley after being beaten by the neighborhood kids."
"They approached you while you were crying?"
"Yes, it seems it had something to do with a vow I made to the gods at that time…."
He paused, looking into the distance as if recalling something, then swallowed and continued speaking after a long moment.
"I promised the gods that I would do anything they wanted, just give me the power to kill the ones who were beating me at that time."
"...."
"And then this patron spirit appeared and made a contract with me."
"So, did you end up killing those kids you mentioned earlier?"
Yuda hung his head low and answered.
"Yes… They became the sacrifices for the contract. It was short-sighted of me. To those kids, it was probably just a joke."
Mongkel, who had been listening, gently placed a hand on Yuda's shoulder.
"That can happen. The ones who bullied you were at fault. There must be more to the story that you haven't told us yet."
"...Thank you for understanding."
"Understanding, sure. But let's talk about the misunderstanding in the tower. I apologize for that."
"No, it's understandable! Anyone would react the same."
"When I visited the Strange House, I saw an apostle that looked exactly like your patron spirit in a book called 'Records of the Tower.'"
"Is that so?"
"Yes, it's about a middle layer I haven't reached yet. I haven't seen it myself, so I can't confirm if the record is accurate."
I lightly tapped the table with my index finger and spoke to both of them.
Tap, tap.
"Let's save that discussion for later. For now, let's talk about how to divide the reward for this mission's success."
Mongkel shrugged.
"You guys handle that. You're not going to give me any anyway, right?"
"No, we'll divide it fairly. Of the 100 rewards, I will take 70. The remaining 30 will be split among you four."
Cynthia raised her right hand slightly and asked.
"But that guy didn't participate in the battle. Why should he get a reward?"
"While he didn't fight, he was scouting from a distance, identified the threat, and came to protect us."
"Hmm… Hard to argue with that."
Alfredo and Yuda also didn't show any objections.
However, Mongkel raised his hands, looking a bit awkward.
"No, wait. I can't take a reward. I just followed you on my own, and I made a mistake with Yuda."
"Well, if that's what you want."
Mongkel seemed unaware of the value of the 'Universal Key' in this reward, but there was no need to force it on him if he didn't want it.
Cynthia extended her hand towards Mongkel.
"Thank you."
Mongkel shook her hand with a bright smile.
"No need to thank me, it's the right thing to do."
"I won't forget this favor. Each Universal Key could fetch two gold coins at an auction, yet you're giving it up so readily."
"…Two gold coins? Per key?"
Mongkel's eyes widened in surprise.
"Hold on a second."
Alfredo stood up and raised his beer glass, causing the liquid to slosh.
"A toast to Verdin for perfectly executing the plan, and to Mongkel for his generosity!"
And so, our conversation concluded.
* * *
Not long after Verdin's party left the tavern, a figure in a gray robe approached the tavern master.
"I heard the items I requested have arrived."
A female voice, low and soft.
Though her face was hidden by a deep hood, the master recognized her and produced the sack of demon horns Verdin's party had retrieved.
"Yes, please verify them."
"…They are indeed what I sought. Who brought them?"
"Baron Monestiere."
"Monestiere?"
"Yes, a knight of the Strange family. Soon to be a Sword Master."
"Strange… Sword Master… I see."
The tavern master lifted the sack filled with demon horns and asked the client.
"Can you purchase them all?"
"?! Oh, I didn't realize there were this many demon horns."
"Yes. Including the ones you're holding, there are a total of 100."
A brief silence followed.
The robed figure cautiously removed her hood, shaking out her long red hair.
"…I'll take them all. I'll make the payment before the moon rises."
The master's smile widened immensely.
"As expected, Princess Katarina! Thank you. I'll inform Baron Monestiere about the payment arrangements."
"Master, is it possible for me to meet him?"
"That might be difficult. I already suggested the client meeting to him, but he declined immediately."
"Why?"
"He was concerned that if you were displeased with the items, it might create an awkward situation."
"…I see. That's unfortunate. I wanted to thank him personally for solving an old problem."
"Shall I ask him again? He frequents our establishment."
Katarina smiled brightly as she took the sack.
"That would be appreciated. Please tell him that I wish to repay his kindness beyond the promised Universal Keys."