My party members were enjoying the banquet, but I still had cleanup from the labyrinth dive to do. It was my responsibility as the party’s leader and was thus unavoidable. I quietly sat alone at the desk in my office and focused on my paperwork.
“Will I really finish all this today?”
We had just had the most massive of successes. We had explored the majority of what was left of the floor and even discovered a gold vein. I couldn’t complain about the piles of reports and files I needed to submit to get the rights to what we had found. Not to mention, we didn’t suffer a single casualty. Nobody was injured, which meant as soon as we had recovered from our exhaustion and got our resources in order, we would immediately be ready for another labyrinth dive.
We were lucky, and it was at least partially the result of everyone’s daily training. However, it would be arrogance not to consider Wim in my calculations. He moved with ultimate caution, acumen, and meticulous skills. But what were most beyond compare were his buffs. With them focused on the key points in our offense and defense, we were able to face off against every strong enemy while expending less time and effort.
Damn.
At some point, my hand had stopped. I was staring into the air, thinking back on what I had felt. It was as if wings had sprouted on my back, every nerve in my body completely in sync. The buffs felt so natural that it was like only my natural skills had been accentuated. They felt amazing, and I had managed to produce power well beyond my innate abilities.
Aside from all that, I had a hunch—not as the leader of Nachtlibelle, but as the warrior Camilla. My instincts burned with passion. Couldn’t we use these buffs in our training?
If I could clearly recall how I felt when he cast his buffs on me, it might serve as a guide that could lead me to new heights. If I trained with a focus to recreate what I had accomplished in the labyrinth, maybe I could burst through the ceiling I had already hit.
Other uses for him occurred to me as well. Wim had undeniably been the core to Drachenflügel. It was thanks to him that a party of newbies was able to defeat a boss monster.
However, that only raised more questions. Why had Wim left Drachenflügel?
There was a knock on my office door.
“Um, Camilla?”
“Wim? Come on in.”
Wim appeared, looking quite hesitant. He had a bundle of papers in his hand.
“Um, I wanted to give you this.”
“What is it? Did I drop it somewhere?”
“Yes… I mean, no. Um, it’s the report I wrote up. The one you’re supposed to submit to the guild.”
“Huh?”
“Um, I’m sorry. Since we discovered a gold vein, I believe the non-party-affiliated members need to submit their own report… Was I wrong?”
“No, you’re right, but… Sorry, and thanks.”
He was right. If unaffiliated members were in the adventuring team during labyrinth dives and there were matters related to a party’s rights, they needed to submit their own reports to avoid discontent.
I flipped through the pages. It was written well—almost too well. He had written too much, and…wait a second. If I divided it up and combined it with what I had already written, it would serve as the perfect report! Thank goodness, that meant I was done for the day.
“I would have needed you to write this report eventually. I’m surprised you remembered such a minor rule. Did you serve as Drachenflügel’s treasurer as well?”
“Um, well, I was just the support staff, so I didn’t have many responsibilities. I tried to help out where I could.”
“Support staff? What exactly did you do?”
“Um, since I couldn’t fight, I did odd jobs, and generally…everything that didn’t involve fighting.”
“Everything? Including enemy detection, accounting, and preparing for labyrinth dives?”
“Yes, since I’m not very strong, as you can already see. It’s the least I could have done.”
I really didn’t know what to make of this. Was he exaggerating? But his report was perfect and he really had performed various roles for us. In any case, I suppose it was safe to assume he performed multiple jobs.
Oh, that was it. This was him trying to negotiate. Now that I knew his worth, he was asking me, the leader, to give him a price. It made sense. He really was smart considering how unsure of himself he looked. Given the fact he had brought me a report as a small gift, he had considered these negotiations carefully and approached me, understanding how hard I worked. This was all part of his plan.
“Um… Camilla?”
“How about five hundred?”
“Huh?”
“Sorry. You were just our guest, but look at what we’ve accomplished, thanks to you. I should have discussed your payment immediately.”
“What?”
“Unfortunately, the gold vein belongs completely to Nachtlibelle. Given that, I can’t provide you any shares. But if you choose to join us, I’ll give you a special bonus of two thousand.”
“Um, I’m not sure I follow…”
“Hmph, so that wasn’t enough.”
I had been hasty to judge him based just on his work from today. There was a chance he was still hiding some of his true skills. We had yet to see him in battle himself.
I did some quick calculations. We had mapped 70 percent more than we had planned, and he kept my party members safe while making sure we didn’t grow exhausted. How much would it take for that investment to pay off? Considering his buffs could potentially be used to aid in our training, I couldn’t pass him up.
I took a look at the boy. His expression was blank, as if he was clueless about negotiations. He really was something.
Don’t let him trick you! Think, Camilla! Think!
Wim came here knowing I had yet to see his full skills, approaching when he had the perfect chance to receive the highest compensation.
“I’ll give you seven hundred for today, and three thousand as a bonus for joining our party. I’ll give you a salary equal to that of our leaders, so six hundred a month. Of course, you’ll get bonuses for your work during labyrinth dives as well, and I promise the lowest bonus you’ll receive will be even higher than the lowest ranking of our leaders.”
“Huh?”
“So? What do you say?”
“Um, is this some sort of joke? I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand,” he said with an awkward laugh.
If anything, the boy seemed flustered. Damn, I thought those terms were excellent. Had my business senses grown outdated?
“How much did you get from Drachenflügel? I’ll double it.”
Now he only looked even more flustered. He twisted and fidgeted before apprehensively holding up two fingers.
“Two hundred?” I asked. “In that case, my six hundred should have already exceeded that condition.”
“N-no, not two hundred.”
“What?! Two thousand?! I don’t think I can. No, considering the profits… Don’t make too big a name for yourself. If those are your demands, I’ll need to find new grounds of negotiation myself during the next labyrinth dive if I want to save face with my members.”
“It was twenty.”
“Huh?”
“My monthly pay was twenty marks.”
Huh? No. No, no, no. What exactly was he trying to do here?
Was it a joke? It had to be. Even without considering his skills, that pay was far too low for an abenteurer who was risking his life. That was the amount a new girl working in a general store earned.
“Um, I’m sorry. I really don’t have a knack for conversation. I guess I don’t really understand Nachtlibelle-style jokes, heh, heh, heh!”
“I wasn’t joking.”
“You really don’t need to repay me. Um… I mean, I worked as hard as my poor talents allowed me to, so I’d be happy if I received something, but, um… Goodbye!”
“Ah! Wait! Stop right there, boy!”
Wim opened the door and rushed from the room.
“Just what is he trying here?”