Zig grimaced, not expecting Aoi to put out a number triple what he was expecting.
“About half of the adventurers weren’t hunting blade bees, but they had to run after getting caught in the crossfire.”
Being an adventurer was a dangerous job, and there was an implicit understanding that you consented to whatever happened to you on the field. A few dead adventurers weren’t enough for the guild to do something…unless they had high ranks, of course.
Even so, having this many adventurers die at once was a bad look. The guild would lose the trust of the big clans if they handled this poorly.
“I am calling on all available adventurers to help…but there aren’t enough. Most adventurers are out this time of day.”
“And so, the task falls to us.”
Siasha shook her head in annoyance once she understood the situation. The enforced request was unavoidable. Though she had zero interest in saving human lives, the compensation the guild provided, as well as the boost in reputation, would be enough to make up for it.
I’ll live, Siasha thought.
“Very well. I’ll head out as soon as we finish our preparations.”
“Thank you. And…there’s one more thing.”
Aoi glanced over at Zig. Zig knew what she was about to say and shook his head with a shrug.
“Sorry, but I’m not an adventurer. I have to prioritize my own jobs.”
He refused her tacit request. Zig wasn’t heartless and would help a dying person in his vicinity if he could, but this kind of rescue operation meant proper work.
He had no obligation to go along with the guild’s ulterior motive of taking advantage of him as Siasha’s attendant. He wasn’t so nice as to volunteer for a rescue operation either.
Aoi was a reputable receptionist, but even she didn’t have the authority to hire a mercenary for guild work.
“You’re right. I apologize.” She didn’t press the matter any further and backed off. Aoi wasn’t the type of woman to take advantage of relationships and force people to work for her.
But then, someone interrupted their conversation.
“Then there shouldn’t be a problem if I issued the request.”
They turned toward the voice that had rung so clearly. Before them stood a man with neatly combed hair, already graying in some spots, along with a well-groomed face. A cold, sharp gaze lay behind his glasses.
Kirk Wright, the Halian guild’s vice president, stood with his hands behind his back.
“Vice President…”
“Thank you, Aoi. You can go back to your post. I’ll take it from here.”
Aoi looked like she still had something to say to Zig and Siasha, but she had no choice but to obey her superior. She bowed her head and left.
Kirk resumed the conversation without seeing her off.
“First, congratulations on your full recovery. Do you need me to go through this?”
“No. I think we’re past pleasantries, aren’t we?”
“That we are. That kind of stuff is pointless between you and me.”
They sounded like old friends, but the truth was quite the opposite. They were only accomplices in taking advantage of other people.
“As much as it pleases me to get the nuisances out of the way, it has made me terribly busy,” Kirk said sardonically, adjusting his glasses before getting to the point. “Zig Crane. Regarding your ban from the adventurers’ guild—hold on, let me finish.”
Kirk quickly stopped when he noticed Siasha quietly creating a small stone spear in her hands.
Though little, its creaking sounds and mana density were enough to make cold sweat run down Kirk’s back.
Siasha had a chilling smile on her lips. “Oh, don’t mind me. Carry on.”
She motioned him to continue while continuing to play with the rock spear in her hands. She had a feeling that Kirk might try to use Zig’s ban to get him to participate in the rescue operation. Siasha kept her gaze on Kirk, her face betraying no emotion.
Kirk desperately tried to avoid eye contact with her and began to negotiate with Zig in a hushed voice. “Can you please rein in your client?”
“Sorry. I’ve never been good at horse riding.”
Zig shrugged and pointed his chin at Kirk as if to say “Well?”
Kirk began slowly, the immense pressure coming from his side not letting up.
“Recent circumstances have made it so that your ban has been lifted. On behalf of the guild, I wish to issue you a formal request regarding the rescue operation.”
“Oh? That was fast. Are you sure there won’t be a problem with you employing a mercenary?”
Organizations were slow to mobilize at times like this. Not to say that Kirk was dull of wit. It was more a matter of finances, precedence, and saving face that would make the guild become careless and roundabout in seeking solutions. Especially if it had to hire some no-name mercenary from who knows where.
“Only if you were an ordinary mercenary. In your case, you’ve already filled out the paperwork to be a companion. The companion system was originally made for researchers and surveyors to conduct geological and monstrosity research. They earn payment as external collaborators. Now, I will use this system to its full advantage.”
Meaning that Zig wasn’t hired as a mercenary, but as an outside collaborator.
Although hiring a mercenary for a rescue operation was unheard of, it didn’t break the system due to how often it had been used in the past. You would have to broaden the interpretation a little bit, but the system would hold.
Zig had no problem with it as long as he was getting paid. He asked the important questions one at a time.
“What are the terms?”
“Twenty thousand for everyone you save. Forty thousand if they’re under forty years of age. Zig’s portion will be half of the total people the two of you rescue.”
“And what does a successful rescue look like?”
“Injuries must be contained so that they could still function as adventurers. Help them to get back to the guild on their own or take them to a safe zone. Either works.”
“Conditions for completion?”
“You decide. I will be rating your overall performance, however, so keep that in mind.”
The pay was neither good nor bad. Zig appreciated the fact that they would be splitting the rescues in half due to his and Siasha’s roles of sword and magic.
Siasha wasn’t getting any extra pay from this, but there were no problems there—she was still getting rewarded as an adventurer. She would probably get boosted ratings instead. Although Zig appreciated that he was free to decide when the job was over, he still couldn’t afford to do sloppy work.
He couldn’t cut corners, but then again, he had no intention of doing so to begin with.
Commission-based work was a great way to motivate your contractors. It was also a great way of lining your pockets.
“All right, deal.”
Zig casually clapped Kirk’s outstretched hand. “Good. You best get right to it.”
It was a purely verbal contract without any paperwork.
The dry sound of their agreement echoed through the guild, made weightier since it could be rendered null and void at the drop of a hat.
“I have a question, if you don’t mind.”
Siasha had dismissed her rock spear and put her now-empty hand against her chin.
Kirk glanced over his shoulder, still desperate to avoid eye contact.
“What?”
“Why the difference in pay according to age group?”
Siasha’s question was not based on any moral concern.
For a witch like her, the difference between a twenty-year-old and a thirty-year-old was like a blip, and she couldn’t understand the point of differentiating between the two.
Kirk was unaware of this, however, and to him it sounded like she was questioning the absolute worth of a human life. He gave a disgruntled scoff and walked away, saying with the most matter-of-fact tone:
“They’re human lives. Of course they’re valuable.”