"Klaus, if you move, I'll slit her throat. However, if you drop your weapon, I'll let her go." (Mizuki)
Obviously, I'm not deranged, so I'm bluffing about the throat slitting. However, this seems to be the easiest way to accomplish my goal without showing my hand in an all-out match with Klaus. I hope I've judged him correctly.
"Why would he do that, you moron!? Klaus, kill him!" (Ilina)
Klaus doesn't move. His hand is on his blade, and he's eyeing me carefully. He seems like he's trying to decide something.
"There are a few reasons that I know he'll do it. First, he defers to you constantly despite being more experienced, and you are pretty entitled. So, I can only assume you're nobility that he's charged with protecting. He won't risk your life." (Mizuki)
I also think the suspicious amount of gold coin is another thing that screamed 'wealthy family', but I won't bring that up. I don't want them knowing that I've been watching them that long.
I feel Ilina go stiff at my comment, and Klaus tightens his grip on his sword. Neither speaks.
"Second, the minute he drops his blade, I'll have disarmed him in accordance with our wager. At that point, I'll release you, you'll be obligated to hire me, and as your ally I'll no longer be a threat." (Mizuki)
A confused silence settles over the area.
"W-What?" (Ilina)
Klaus draws his sword and raises it, then…drops it. The blade hits the ground with a clang, and he sighs deeply, then smiles at me with amusement.
Thank goodness. I was getting a little worried about how he'd react – trying to kill me would have been reasonable. I didn't realize I had such a gambling habit.
I drop my spells, then release Ilina and push her over to Klaus in one smooth motion. He looks amused.
"Fufufufu…you had me going for a minute there, Mizuki! You were so scary suddenly – I didn't see it coming at all! I guess that makes you the winner of Ilina's wager." (Klaus)
Ilina is standing behind Klaus and glaring at me like she wants me to catch fire.
"Klaus don't be absurd…he put a knife to my throat! Besides, he cheated! We have no obligation to hire someone so dishonorable!" (Ilina)
"Honestly, I think you need my help. The monsters in the forest will just kill you, and they're not going to care about whether you think it was done honorably. You didn't put any stipulations on the wager other than disarming him, and then you walked unarmed and alone right into the reach of someone you insisted was incapable and untrustworthy. Dropping your guard like you're entitled to living is stupid." (Mizuki)
Ilina is seething, but satisfyingly silent. I sheathe my dagger to calm the situation. Klaus picks up his sword and does the same.
"Now then, Mizuki. What would you say to you, me, and Ilina heading somewhere a bit more comfortable to chat?" (Klaus)
I nod my agreement, then I follow Klaus and Ilina through the streets of Elmesia. The streets are relatively empty this time of night, and the lighting gives a surreal vibe that matches my strange choice in company.
I pretend like I don't notice Ilina's occasional dirty looks in my direction, or her repeated muttering of the word 'bastard'. Quite the sailor's mouth for a young noble lady there, Ilina. Klaus, by contrast, has swapped into a more jovial attitude and is enthusiastically describing his favorite restaurants in the city.
We arrive in front of a very snazzy looking inn. It's way outside my budget, I'm sure. I follow them inside and they stop at the reception counter to talk to the staff.
Looking around, the place seems almost distastefully expensive. There's gold and silver everywhere in the decorations and construction. Yup, I'm definitely too poor for this.
I see Ilina set her coin purse on the counter, then she hands the receptionist a gold coin.
"Please extend our stay in the room for two more nights." (Ilina)
It's ten silver per night for a room here!? That's almost thirty times the price of where I'm staying.
I really hate rich people. Or maybe it's just Ilina?
The receptionist nods with a smile and takes the coin.
Ilina pulls the coin purse back down below the counter line, then holds it out to the side. However, she freezes when she sees me looking at her, then moves the coin purse to her waist and begins clumsily trying to attach it. Maybe she's not used to doing it?
That whole display makes me more convinced that she has an item box skill. Why would she be trying to hide it, though? I remember that dark affinities are basically anything that's rare or unique. Maybe there's a negative stigma around dark spell users?
Now that we're in a better lit place, I can see Klaus's facial features under his cloak hood. He's got dark brown hair and brown eyes, and a face that has a warm, welcoming expression.
Ilina is still not looking at me directly and is buried in her cloak, so it's hard to see her features, but I can confirm that her hair is strikingly silver. Come to think of it…I don't remember hearing about humans with silver hair existing on Azura. Though, I don't remember anybody emphasizing otherwise. It must be rare, at least, but it might not be unheard of.
Their business at reception settled, Klaus looks at me and nods to follow him. After, Klaus leans over and whispers something to Ilina that I can't hear. She seems shocked by it and looks back up at him questioningly. He nods back at her as if insisting on something, then her face goes stiff and she nods back, acknowledging it. Right after, she cuts me another dirty look, but this time it's mixed with a bit of…apprehension?
We head upstairs to their room at the inn, and they head inside ahead of me. I walk in behind them and take in the surroundings. The room is probably five times as large as mine and has a table with chairs and two beds. There's even another room with a bathtub in the back. So excessive.
I turn around to close the door behind me while Klaus activates the magic lighting in the room. I turn back and walk over to the table and chairs in the room's center…then I freeze. Klaus and Ilina have removed their cloaks, and I can see them clearly for the first time.