Chapter 82

Gaston and I walked together to the street just behind us .

There was a passerby on the way, looking at us quizzically, but when Gaston shouted one word, he quickly turned his head down and run away .

If theyre this scared, I guess I dont have to worry about them following me .

I guess around here is fine .

I stop and look around .

I dont see a soul .

Well, I guess its time you tell me what you plan to do with me in this kind of place .

Gaston glared at me as he made a clenched fist .

It looks like hes ready to fight .

Well, if it was in that situation, I wouldnt be surprised if he thought so .

Wait a minute . I really just want to talk to you .

Upon receiving my words, Gaston opened his mouth, stunned .

As for me, theres no point in fighting Gaston .

Even if I beat up Gaston here, the other adventurers jealousy would not stop .

If we do that, we need to beat him up in a big way, rather than secretly .

Its just to make me feel a little better .

Thats why I called Gaston here this time, simply to negotiate .

What? Youre making fun of me, huh?

That magic beast is definitely not the one I hunt .

Ho~, you admit it . Thats a smart choice, damn brat . But you didnt think that if you apologize to me and that will end it, did you? Its true that Im open-minded and tight-lipped . But thats only because of the plot . You understand right?

Gaston shows his gums and smiles a sneaky smile and moves his face closer to me .

In short, in exchange for keeping quiet about it, he wants me to give him something in return .

I wonder where the guy went that said it was for the security of the Adventurers Support Center .

But if Gaston was seriously concerned about the current state of the facility, this negotiation was impossible .

Thank God Gaston was not a righteous man .

No, I knew that couldnt be true .

Wait, theres a situation . Can I ask you to listen to it first?

A situation?

Actually, Im under orders from a certain person whos adventurers license was revoked to redeem the money on his behalf . Thats why I dont get any reward money myself, and Im just trying to make ends meet every day, so Im sorry, but I dont have the money to pay Gaston-san . I cant tell you his name but hes a pretty dangerous guy, so dont even think about telling him off . I could get killed too if I dont make it .

If this lie goes through, we should be able to take the conversation to the next level at once .

But I didnt get much of a response .

Its a story I made up on the spot for convenience, but I guess it was too much to ask .

Ho~, I thought that was about it .

Good thing hes an idiot .

But it doesnt matter! If you want me to keep it a secret, just give me the money, the money . If you cant turn it in from your reward money, then collect the money by stealing or extorting! You dont want to die either, do you? Im telling you that I, a generous man, am going to let this go, so give me the money!

Gaston raises his voice and comes over and threatens me .

He really is a hell of a guy .

It doesnt hurt my heart to use him, so its easier for me to do that now, though .

It is a negotiation from here . Im going to hand over to Gaston-san the parts and materials that he gave me to exchange for money . How about that?

W-what?

I was happy at first that I might be able to move up the ranks with ease but I knew if it was someone like me with inadequate skills took it to the next level, people would only think it was a mistake On the other hand, Gaston-san, you know, hes strong and good looking, so people wont get suspicious, and hes tight-lipped! I think the other person would agree with me too . He just doesnt want to show his face unintentionally, so hell have to put me in between .

I, I see, That makes sense . Well, Im strong, good-looking, and righteous!

Gaston said and laughed vigorously with a gahaha .

This guy is easier to take on board than I thought .

Ill let that monster beast pass in my name since its complicated, but next time Ill hand it over first . But youll have to return the money to me later . If you dont do that, youll lose your connection with that person, and it wont be good for Gaston-san, will it?

You mean, next time youll give me the credit? Is that what youre saying? Is that what youre saying?

Gastons eyes bleed as he closes in on me .

Yeah . Please, will you accept these terms as a way to help me?

Gahahahahahaha! I dont care about the measly sums of money Ill be squeezing out from a kid if its even possible to serve a nobleman! All right, this kind, gentle me, will take you up on your offer!

Gastons eyes sparkled while guts posed .

He must have wanted to raise his rank very badly .

Now I will be able to redeem money consistently without being looked at strangely by those around me in the future .

Its a win-win .

As long as hes baited on the rank, Gaston wont do anything to break his promise either .

If something unexpected happens, then I can just settle it with force .

But even the Adventurers Support Center and the nobles are not stupid .

As Gaston had said, the judging is only loose until the D-class .

Gastons rank stays in this position, its probably because it has become difficult to raise his rank through deception .

So I dont think that a little bit of false credit will improve his rankings, and in case something happens, Im not sure if the opportunity to serve a nobleman will come when he rises to C-class due to a mistake .

Even the nobles dont want to take hold of a failure, so they will do sufficient research before hiring .

First of all, without a doubt, Gaston will be left out of it .

But theres no need to say that from us .

Lets just lift him up appropriately for now and let him get on with it .

Hes going to be my puppet for a while until something goes wrong .

Up until now Ive been smoldering by lack of opportunities, but finally the time for my abilities to recognized has come! Im a lucky guy after all! Gahhahahahahaa!

Gaston was pleased as he slapped his knees more and more by himself .

He was in good mood, despite all the talk at the Adventurers Support Center about injustice .

At this rate, its going to be okay for a while .