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The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary-Chapter 123: Presentation to Negotiation
Chapter 123: Presentation to Negotiation
βIf you take the job, Iβll pay five silver coins beforehand. Five more after the job is done.β
That was the first thing Klaus said after Loren finally managed to peel him off. πrπβ―ππππππeπΉ.cπ°π¦
βIs that per person?β
βUghβ¦Y-yeah. Twenty silver coins in total. It isnβt bad, isnβt it? Thenβ¦β
βNo way.β
Klaus brightened up for a second at Lapisβ response, but Loren cut her off.
Lapis ignored Klaus, who was at a loss for words, and looked at Loren, wondering why he said so.
βJobs that start by talking about money can never be trusted. Those who jump at jobs like these can never live for long.β
βI see. Iβll go throw this thing out then.β
When Lapis said so in a cold voice and pointed at Klaus, Lorenβs stern face crumbled slightly.
βI meanβ¦we can at least listen to what he has to say.β
βMake up your mind.β
Lapisβ voice hardened slightly at Lorenβs indecisiveness, saying that Klausβ offer couldnβt be trusted, but then wanting to hear him out.
Loren responded in an unsure manner, very unlike his usual self.
βYeah wellβ¦I mean, if the conditions are solid, I donβt think thereβs a reason to be so hard on him, you knowβ¦β
βLoren, are you getting soft on Klaus, by any chance?β
βI donβt think Iβm being soft on him in any way, butβ¦anyways.β
Loren forced the conversation in another direction, knowing that he was at a disadvantage.
Lapis already knew so due to the air around him, but instead of pushing it, she calmly went with the change in topic.
βIf you want our help, tell us everything, no secrets. After that, Iβll tell you the minimum conditions weβll help you for.β
βIf we find out youβre lying, Iβll snap you in half. What part of you would be how Iβd be feeling at the time.β
Intimidated by Loren, who told him to tell them everything, and Lapis, who completely threatened him, the words started spilling out of Klausβ mouth.
βAs you could see by the amount of rewards, the girls and I were talking about how we shouldnβt take this.β
βThe girls? So Ange and the other girls are on board with this?β
Klaus was currently in a party with three girls.
Since Loren thought that the whole thing had something to do with women, he thought that Ange and the other girls wouldnβt want to take part in it.
From the few times he had met them before, all of them had feelings for Klaus, but they were also annoyed and tired of Klausβ and his sloppy habits with women.
He guessed that they would be fed up with him soon, and thought that maybe today was that day, but from what he just heard, it didnβt seem to be so.
βThey agreed to lend a helping hand to the village in distress.β
βThat was easy. So, whatβs the actual reason?β
βIβd appreciate it if you would keep it between usβ¦β
βWhy would I give two damns about the love affairs in your group?β
Although he said that, Loren wasnβt someone to spread the word about such things.
He didnβt care if the girls found out about it, he just wanted to know what Klausβ intention was.
βWell, actually, the village chiefβ¦β
βYoung?β
βNot that much. But she has an outstanding charm, in a senseβ¦She was a housewife until her husband passed away last yearβ¦β
βDid you start feeling sorry for her when she started crying?β
βYeah, and some other intentions as wellβ¦β
βYou know thatβs going to be the death of you? Donβt expect to die peacefully in a bed.β
Although Loren had said that, Klausβ life was his own, so no matter how it ended, it wasnβt something for him to be concerned about.
βWellβ¦hahahahaβ¦β
When Klaus laughed without even a hint of remorse, Loren snorted, and Lapis sighed deeply.
βSo how about it? Will you help?β
βSince you came over to us and begging, Iβm guessing that means no one else other than your group wanted to do this?β
βPretty much. I wouldnβt have accepted it if it werenβt for the chief.β
Klaus said so very clearly.
As he wondered where he got that gut of his, Loren started to think.
He understood that the correct thing to do was push the whole thing away, saying that it wasnβt their problem.
But other thoughts swirled in his mind as he glared at Klaus, who was looking at him with eyes full of expectation.
This young man named Klaus could be summed up as human trash, as he had been showing them, but there was a small part of him that couldnβt leave anyone in need.
He also had a rare Gift called <>, so if personality was taken out of the equation, he was quite the skilled swordsman.
On top of that, although it was unknown how long they would stay with him, the girls in his party were all very skilled as well, so they were quite capable as a party as well.
They werenβt bad people to gain favors with.
There was the possibility that Klaus would forget it, but Loren knew that he wasnβt that much of a scum.
βItβs not like we donβt know each other. Iβd be willing to do it depending on the payment.β
When he told his opinion to Lapis, although the disgust didnβt drop from her face, she nodded, as if she wasnβt rejecting Klaus completely.
βIβll join depending on the payment as well.β
βIs twenty silver coins not enough?β
Klaus suggested the original amount he presented, but Loren shook his head.
βNo, itβs not worth the trouble.β
βWeβve become iron rank adventurers as well. If you want our help, it should be enough for our services.β
When Lapis said that, Klausβ face brightened for some reason. ππ³π¦eπeπ―nπΌΡ΅πl.πππ
βYou ranked up? Congratulations.β
βOh right, you were my opponent on the exam. Did you not hear the results?β
βThey didnβt tell me anything after it ended vaguely.β
There had been a rank up exam, but Lorenβs opponent during that exam was Klaus.
As Klaus had said, it ended weirdly since there had been an interruption, but for some reason Loren had passed and was now a proper iron rank adventurer.
βAnd so, we decided to increase our payments.β
βThatβs not that welcoming.β
βGive it up. So, our conditions are tenβ¦β
βFifteen silver coins upfront, another fifteen after the job, so a total of thirty per person. If you cover the necessary expenditure, weβll accept the job.β
Lapis interrupted Loren and told Klaus a specific amount.
Klaus looked surprised, but Loren knew why.
The condition that Lapis presented was over three times the amount that Klaus had suggested.
If he wasnβt surprised, it meant that he had suggested a low payment to try to rip them off.
βIsnβt that a bit too much?β
Klaus managed to squeeze the words out of his mouth, which was agape with shock, and Loren agreed.
Lorenβs suggestion was going to be ten silver coins upfront and ten after per person, for a total of forty silver coins.
Even that was double Klausβ suggestion, and Loren thought that was a bit much as well, but not only did Lapis ask for more than that, she asked him to cover their expenditures as well, showing how she never refrained herself.
βI wonβt force you. If you donβt like it, you can go ask others.β
Klaus looked to Loren for help at Lapisβ cold and unapproachable attitude.
But Loren had no intention of giving him a helping hand at this point.
It was because Lapis had gone as far as to interrupt him to propose her conditions.
Lapis had more experience as an adventurer than Loren.
Which made him believe that Lapisβ proposal would be suitable payment for iron rank adventurers than what he was thinking of.
But he also believed that Klaus couldnβt pay it.
The original payment was eight silver coins.
Making him pay sixty to help him on the job, even though it was because of a woman, made Loren pity him slightly.
βWeβre acquaintances, right? Canβt you lower it a bit?β
βI would believe itβs still cheaper than market price.β
βThat might be true, but I donβt have enough to pay that.β
βThatβs not my problem.β
Although her voice was still cold, Lapis quickly glanced at Loren.
He didnβt know exactly what she wanted, but he had a good guess of what it was, so instead of calling out to Klaus, who was hanging his head at Lapisβ words, he called out to her.
βKeep it at that Lapis. Itβs not like weβre strangers. Canβt we lower it a bit?β
βLorenβs the leader, so Iβll follow what you say.β
βKlaus, I canβt lower it that much. Fifty silver coins upfront for the two of us as well as the expenses. How about that?β
Loren felt that he didnβt lower it enough.
But he also felt that if he did, it wouldnβt do any good for Klaus either.
He was someone who would end up losing his life if he didnβt learn his lesson with women sooner or later.
βI think itβs going to be a meaningless effort, Onii-san.β
The one who jabbed in as cold as Lapis, was the girl named Shayna, who had been turned into a No Life King, being reduced to just her astral form after losing her physical body and was residing within Lorenβs spirit.
Watching Klaus rejoice at the discount and bowing his head over and over, thanking him, he wondered if it was as Shayna had said.