But despite the financial practicalities of our profession, most Seekers put on airs about money. There was a culture among Seekers that dubbed mercenary concerns “unrefined,” and this, in turn, often caused trouble. Had I negotiated our fee for this job instead of Lloyd, I would have demanded another 500,000 fil. The materials one could harvest from the corpses of lesser vampires had been in high demand lately.
But when I suggested negotiating, the attitude of the other three was “If we can get five million, then there’s no reason to make a fuss over another five hundred thousand.” Since I wasn’t the party leader, I had no choice but to go along with the majority.
But 500,000 fil wasn’t chump change. There was a lot we could do with that kind of money. To dismiss it as not worth negotiating for proved that the rest of my party didn’t really understand money. They were oblivious to the market value of the materials we harvested from the beasts, and they had no concept of raising our compensation through negotiations.
It was infuriating. But I understood there was no point in letting my irritation spur me to rash behavior, so I kept those thoughts to myself.
“I’m not mad. That’s over and done with.” I swallowed my anger along with my drink and sighed. It was annoying to hear them talk down to me, but they were drunk. It would be a waste of effort to argue.
“Yeah, you’re the one who keeps bringing it up, Walter. Noel might have had a strong opinion about our fee, but in the end, he went along with what we said. Right?” Tanya said. She was seeking to deescalate the situation, but I couldn’t bring myself to nod along.
It wasn’t like I’d acquiesced because they’d convinced me they were right. I’d given up because it was pointless to keep arguing. But they were just so misinformed…
All I could muster up was a weak smile, but for some reason, that got on Walter’s nerves. He slammed his mug on the table and started yelling. “Stop sniggering like a fool! I’m pissed off!”
“What?”
“Your greed affects everyone in Blue Beyond! You better think long and hard about that!”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “You’re the ones babbling on about five million, five million, five million. It’s okay if you do it, but not if anyone else does?”
“What’s wrong with being happy about a just reward?! I’m not greedy like you!”
For such a big man, he sure could act like a child. But as the saying went, only other drunks could reason with a drunk. I decided to be polite and gentlemanly in my response.
“Yes, you’re right, you’re right. It’s all my fault. You are always right, Mr. Walter. I agree with you completely. You are simply wonderful.”
“What’s with your attitude?! I’m two years older than you!” Walter snorted, glaring at me with wide eyes.
“What does age have to do with it? Are you saying you’ll obey anyone just because they’re older than you? Don’t make me laugh. Skill is all that matters to a Seeker. It would be pretty naïve to try to hide behind your age, eh, Walter?” I said.
“Y-you…”
A vein bulged in Walter’s forehead. For a second, I thought it might burst and start spurting blood. He stood up, kicking his chair away, glaring at me furiously the entire time.
“Watch yourself, Noel! All you can do is hide behind us and give orders. You have a lot of nerve for someone who’s always running his mouth from safety, out of the line of fire!”
“You’re precisely right; I have an easy life thanks to you, Mr. Walter. I really am grateful. You are a veritable god of war! Especially compared to my useless self, who can only bark orders! You are a Seeker among Seekers. I am in awe of you, truly.”
I stuck my fingers in my mouth and whistled, escalating Walter’s anger and frustration so rapidly that I thought he might shatter his own teeth from clenching his jaw.
“Noel…are you ready to back up what you’re saying?”
“Huh, what? I’m just praising you. Don’t get so worked up. Shouldn’t a Seeker keep a cooler head? Or do you want me to coddle you? Shall I sing you a lullaby? You’ve gotten so big—a big baby, that is, eh, little Walter? Ah, such an adorable little fella, you are.”
“I-I’ll kill you!” Walter, finally reaching his limit, moved to grab me. I twisted my lips at the exact scene I was anticipating.
I decided to take him on. Just because he was a Warrior, the vanguard of our party, didn’t mean he could win a punching contest while drunk. When I stood up, ready to throw my most powerful punch, Walter lunged at me. Lloyd, who had been watching quietly, stepped between us.
“Knock it off. You’re pathetic!” He was angry with me. And I’d thought I had a free pass to beat Walter’s face in…but my plans for the evening had been canceled by the party leader’s intervention.
I held both hands up in truce and sat down. Walter clicked his tongue and buried the hatchet as well.
“You really are both idiots…” Lloyd said, rubbing the flustered Tanya’s shoulders to soothe her. They were lovers. I had my doubts about intraparty romance, but I lacked the authority to object.
Incidentally, Walter also had feelings for Tanya. But Tanya had chosen the clean-cut, slender Lloyd, not the rough, masculine Walter. It was an extremely awkward love triangle.
“Let’s get going. I’ll divide the reward.” Lloyd laughed easily, deescalating the situation.
His handsome smile was worlds apart from Walter’s discontented scowl. No wonder Tanya had chosen him.