"I see. I am starting to think there is no problem you cannot solve, Sir Arnold." Guinevere said with a relieved smile, "I was wrong to think you are the manifestation of evil. Here you are helping me, your former adversary, yet again."
"…"
How is he supposed to respond to that? Sure, she isn't calling him a hero but just thanking him for his support. He's not the one doing the work anyway so it's absurd to call him that.
Guinevere turned back to Sylphy then bowed.
"Please lend us your aid, Madam Rune Master Sylphiala."
"W-Wait a second! I don't know what's going on at all! How did this go from you wanting to help me to me suddenly being entrusted with saving the world!?" flustered, Sylphy grabbed him by the collar to explain.
"Explaining comes later. We need to save your sibling, remember?"
"…" her fingers let go as her eyes widened slightly.
"I only brought you here to show you that there's no deal or malice behind asking you to become mine."
She will be an important ally for him so he doesn't need any convincing to gain her trust and support.
"…You could've just brought me here without mentioning that. I don't need any sort of payment to help… That said, I can't do this without my tools. If there's a gate that connects two dimensions together, it won't be possible to close it by hand."
'Tools, huh? What tools do Rune Masters use, System?'
-Answer: NPC Sylphiala is most likely talking about the Rune Sculptor Kit, ancient artifacts that have no known background except being of divine origin. Crafting runes is like creating the perfect statue from the highest quality of marble—one wrong line or piece can collapse the entire structure. The difference between sculpting and rune crafting is that the latter can be dangerous. As such, it's best not to craft runes without the necessary tools.
'Can the process of creating them be automated?'
-Answer: No.
So, depending on how big that gate is, Sylphy has a lot of work ahead of her.
Sylphy looked at the chaos with a troubled expression, "I've never thought about letting other people see my abilities so I kept to myself and only showed what I can do to my own people. I always thought that it would be dangerous to show humans since there will always be someone who wants to use it for bad things."
"Yeah, we're all scum, aren't we? But one of that scum is willing to rescue your sibling and protect your people as long as you stay under his service."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"Your family—no, Elves won't need magic barriers as long as you are under my service. I promise to not only save your sibling but provide you with soldiers not even the most dangerous beast roaming your forest can defeat."
If Vetis can create one Level 90 Red Knight, that means he can create more. Arnold wants to invest in this homunculi creation since these things can become stronger than even the Great Nobles. Imagine an army of those things roaming every corner of his territory.
He will have the most powerful country in the world.
Guinevere was smiling for some reason seeing their exchange.
"Will you become my Rune Master, Sylphy?"
"…I will think about it once you uphold your end of the promise. And don't call me by that name…"
Ouch. He thought the two grew closer a bit. Well, whatever.
"Alright. Can you hold these monsters here a bit longer?" he turned to his former adversary.
Guinevere nodded, "I am eagerly awaiting to see a Rune Master's skills in action."
Several roars echoed in the distance.
Arnold looked in that direction, spotting dozens of Undead Dragons straight of some purgatory nightmare. They were headed straight towards their location.
"Please excuse me." Guinevere walked forward slowly.
"Yeah. I'll see you soon."
He was curious how her investigation was going but this isn't the appropriate time to ask. The way he sees it, the Faceless are less worrying than the hole from literal hell itself.
Guinevere started to float, a gentle wind coiling around her delicate feet. She then bent down and grabbed her sheathed sword.
A split second later, she vanished, leaving behind a powerful gust of wind that toppled the grass completely.
"W-Who the hell is that and why can she fly!?" Sylphy asked with a gaping mouth.
"She's not the only unusual person you will meet as my ally." He said with a wry smile then held out a hand.
At that moment, every single one of those SS-class dragons were knocked away with ferocious force—and cut apart by a hundred blade strikes.
Arnold felt the vibrations even where he stood.
Once Sylphy grabbed his hand, the two vanished, heading for the location where he agreed to meet with Rosalyn.
**
There was a small inn right outside the empire's walls where Rosalyn said she's staying to wait for him.
The two arranged to meet not long ago. Last night, he headed to Melissa's lab after coming back from the guild since he sensed Sylphiala nearby. He wanted to arrange a meeting but it just so happened that Rosalyn was leaving the academy for a while so he caught her at the perfect time.
She apparently had to go back to their city to sort out some stuff with the slaves. The paperwork is probably done so the transfers to the brothels can begin soon.
Arnold first had to satisfy Elizabeth and Ceru by cuddling with both of them—both were waiting for him on his bed as if they were impatient—and could only leave past midnight when the two fell asleep.
..
The sound of cicadas filled the humid night, their endless chorus blending with the rustle of trees along the dirt road. The moon hung half-hidden behind clouds, casting thin silver lines over the path as two figures stepped out of the darkness.
An inn stood at the end of the road — the only building lit for miles. Warm light spilled from its windows, painting the mud in gold. Laughter drifted out from the open doors; drunken adventurers sat on barrels and benches, mugs in hand, their faces red and careless. A few bards played a lazy tune nearby, off-key but cheerful.
Outside the inn were several carriages, their lacquered wood glinting faintly under the torchlight. Men in dark armor stood guard around them, their weapons polished but unmarked by battle. They looked disciplined enough to be knights, but the crest on their shoulders — a red butterfly — gave them away. You would think they're knights from a respectable household but no, they work for a high-class brothel.
As the two of them walked towards the inn from the darkness of the night, Sylphy spoke while staring intently at the carriages.
"Are the slaves… inside those carriages?"
"No. That's the delivery carriages to go pick them up. My acquaintance only needs to speak with her business partners before handing the slaves over to the brothels."
"Then today is my last chance to save my sister…?" her face paled.
"Yeah. But you should be aware that if most of the slaves are elves, then you can't save all of them." He said as the light of the inn touched his boots.
She bit her lower lip.
"Of course, it would be very unfortunate if they're attacked while transporting the slaves and the Elves escape." He muttered without turning back.
"Eh?"
"Let's go meet Rosalyn." He didn't elaborate on what he meant.
**
"—Hmm, I didn't recognize you at first but that facial structure is definitely that hunk's."
While the three were gathered in the corner of the inn, sitting at a booth, Rosalyn remarked while looking at Arnold.
Sylphy glanced at him in confusion. He ignored her questioning look. She will eventually find out who he is so it's not necessary to delve too deeply into it.
You can't just hide who those Red Knights belong to, after all.
"Can we start already? I have a long day ahead of me." Arnold pushed the issue.
"Alright. Miss, you must be his acquaintance he mentioned before." Before Sylphy could confirm, Rosalyn spoke again, "Do you have five million gold coins on you right now?"
"W-Wha? Why would I need that much money on me?"
"That's how much money your people will make my family. So I assumed you would come ready to pay the penalty for wanting to free them." Rosalyn said with a smile and a shrug, "Ah, let me elaborate. That's how much five young Elf girls will make us. The older ladies will make a bit less since they aren't considered fresh goods."
"…A million each? I've never even had that kind of money before so I can't buy back my sister…"
'You would've had it if you actually sold your craft to the world.' Arnold thought but didn't say it out loud. But this works in his favor since her working for him is like him patenting an invention that will benefit all of humanity but only he's allowed to name the price.
Thinking about how he'll negotiate with the Dwarves to build Dunfer for him made him smirk inwardly. Usually, Dwarves always have the upper hand when it comes to negotiations. They're the craftsmen, after all.
But Sylphiala is a Rune Master who they will definitely need. There are many dwarven inventions that were planned in concept but never actually created since the energy required to operate them were just too costly, dangerous, or non-existent. There are other factors to consider, of course but energy efficiency is one of the biggest of them all.
Runes are an unlimited source of fuel that they can use since it draws power from an abyss no human or God can explain.
Back to the patents, this will naturally include Teleportation Gates as well in the future—though he should probably actually patent these gates which will prevent anyone from creating them since it's his own idea.
"Ah, so your family member is a young girl?"
Sylphy nodded.
"Not to worry. Your friend here said he will shoulder the payment." She gestured to Arnold, "It just so happens that he has a better deal for us, one that will kill off our brothel plan."
She said that as if she won't take the money from the previous deal.
Sylphy looked up at Arnold, realizing now that he wasn't talking bullshit when he said he will save her sister.
"Of course, he can't just unsheathe his weapon and storm the meeting, demanding to free the slaves. In fact, that's not something I see a person like him doing. As such, I added him to our list of clients—meaning, your sister will officially be his slave soon. The rest will be transported out of the meeting place and start their training after getting some rest. Of course, that was the plan." A smirk appeared on Rosalyn's face, "I get the ten million gold coins from the empire's best brothel—Radiant Peach, share it among my acquaintances as they helped me secure the slaves. Buuuut, a mishap occurs along the road, right after I secure the money. The slaves are suddenly kidnapped by a rival criminal organization that wants to use them for their own brothel or some altruistic mysterious man saves them because he thinks slavery is bad. I get to keep the money as responsibility was given to the brothel after the contract was signed. You get to see your people again and my pockets are deeper than they ever were. Me and my sister live on as rich noble ladies and buy a villa in the capital city of Toril—Ah, I can't wait."
"How will you free the other elves?"
"Oh no, no. You will be the one to free the slaves, stud." She pointed at Arnold, "I want to be as far away from the scene as possible. Since I am penniless and have no private army at my disposal besides the grunts who stayed behind, they will write me off as a potential suspect. But it would look suspicious if I stuck around."
He should've expected she would put that responsibility on him. Not that he cared, though. Even if there were 100 knights acting as envoys, he will easily be able to attack the carriages to take the slaves.
Hmm, should he dress up as some obnoxious young elf with an altruistic heart or should he create clones of himself and act like a mysterious criminal organization?
"I do most of the work and have to put myself in a million-gold debt. You are a cruel woman, Rosalyn."
"Oh, hush. We agreed to help each other, Milord. None of this would've been possible without your help." She cleared her throat, going back to the topic, "You don't need to be present at the meeting so you can come in later when the goods are shown off to the clients that will be there."
"Pardon…?" even though Rosalyn was speaking to Arnold, Sylphy couldn't help herself but ask, "Shown off? As in modelled for a bunch of humans?"
"Precisely. While none of them will probably buy the Elves just yet, it's best to let them see what merchandise they can expect at the brothel in the coming days."
"Are they not allowed to buy yet?"
"They are, but I won't tell them that. I'll just say they should've scheduled a preorder before we handed the slaves over, if they complain about you receiving your own slave." Rosalyn spoke as if the topic was about some rare item on auction, "Now, Miss--?"
"Sylphiala."
"Now, Miss Sylphiala, I trust you won't create a scene at the meeting?"
"Wait, I have to go with you?"
"You want to see and speak with your sister, don't you? The mission might fail. There are a lot of opportunists who would run away with the elves and sell them on the streets instead."
"Y-Yes! I want to go—No, I need to!"
"Good. Then we're going straight to Sroln city from this inn as there is no time to rest. By the way, I already have a story made up in my head so they shouldn't be suspicious why an Elf is with me. Now, will you answer my question? No matter how much you want to save your people, remember that you should not do anything that will jeopardize the mission."
"I know…"
"Is there anything else you would like to know before the two of us leave?" Rosalyn spoke to him this time.
"I wanted to ask you about Melissa. She's outside the range where I can sense her so I can't tell where she is."
"Oh, my dear friend? She left the capital to go meet an acquaintance. She has a lot of friends like me in the world, if you know what I mean."
Yup, he knows exactly what she means—crooked, cruel, greedy, etc… But he should keep those thoughts to himself.
"There shouldn't be a fuss because of you-know-what since she didn't go to a church-affiliated Melis Temple."
"Yeah."
"—Excuse me, Madam. There's a call for you." One of the knights came over to the table and handed over a transmission device.
"They finally called." Rosalyn looked at Sylphy, "You can head to the carriage, dear. I will be with you in a moment. We'll leave immediately after I'm done with the call. Be seeing you, stud~"
She didn't wait for a confirmation and stood up, disappearing upstairs while answering the device.
Sylphy silently stood up and walked out. Arnold was curious what's on her mind. He could tell by her expression and body language that she wanted to say something.
He was going to leave soon as well so he followed after her.
"I can tell that woman sees every Elf as cattle to be sold by humans, to humans." That was the first thing she said when the two came outside, the cold air rushing out of her mouth like smoke.
He scoffed, "Rosalyn talks about humans the same way. To her, we're all potential test subjects for her little experiments."
"What? She experiments on people?"
"Yes. That's why her magician and alchemic licenses were suspended for ten years. Unless in the presence of a professional, she isn't allowed near a lab ever again."
"How do you know that woman?"
"…It's a long story."
Demon Punch, Rachel's bizarre transformation, him taking over Sroln "the Golden" City, and finally Rachel's confession—so much happened in just a few days. He never expected to become involved with the Rynald Family this way.
Then again, who could blame him when Rachel was in the center of all this?
"Regardless, I'm grateful for this opportunity…" Sylphy faced him with a determined expression, "Once I reunite with my people… can we talk?"
"Sure. But remember that gate. My companion might be strong, but even she won't be able to handle every single calamity that comes out of that gate."
Will the dragons make a difference, though? Hopefully.
"That's exactly why I want to talk! I don't understand what's going on! You just dragged me into it when I just wanted to save my sister!" she yelled at him.
"…"
"S-Sorry, I've been a little short-tempered lately... It's unlike me."
"If you say so. We ought to talk about a rendezvous point before we part ways. Or are you planning on running all the way home with all the Elves that will be freed?"
"I don't have a place in mind…" her ears drooped. She really was planning on running back home, huh? But the World Tree Forest is very far from here. It will take a week at least to get there on foot.
"Hm, why not Whitage City? It's only a few hours distance from the capital."
"I've heard that the city has a strong city guard that enticed many Elves to move there…" Sylphy pondered, "Even the outer settlements are well-guarded despite not being part of the city yet."
Yeah, when you have monster summons like Shadow Demons and those overpowered Red Knights, the city better be well-guarded.
"That works for me." She decided, "How should we communicate once I part ways with Rosalyn?"
"I'll know when you're at the city."
Rosalyn already gave him a transmitter but he probably won't need it once he ambushes the caravan.
"Oh, right… That warrior sense of yours. I never learned how that sixth sense of you warriors work."
"It's just an innate ability that we're born with but can only hone later in life."
"Right, none of my inventions can do anything similar."
"Well, we will have all the time in the world to work together to figure out what needs to be done."
A small smile, something he never expected to be shown to him, appeared on her face, "Yes, but first I need to save my people… then the world."
The front door opened again. The knights that were stationed inside were accompanying Rosalyn, ready to leave.
"…You should get going."
Sylphy looked at him for a few moments as if she wanted to say something then nodded, "See you soon, Nova."
..
Arnold continued looking down the road as the carriages torch lights moved through the abyss, their forms untouched by the light of the moon.
A pink portal suddenly appeared right next to him.
He wasn't alarmed by this since he sensed who it was.
Out of it came a cute young girl with long pink hair. Instead of her usual boyish attire, she was now in battle gear—which isn't saying much since she's only wearing a cloak, gauntlets around her arms and legs. What stuck out to him the most was the bunny suit that just didn't match the armor and the dagger and wands floating around her.
This kind of goofy gear is what you normally see from players but it seems NPCs also have a sense of humor. Don't let the items' appearance fool you, though. Most of the time they're incredibly strong and high-tier gear that you find in a loot drop or in a boss room.
"What the hell are you wearing at this hour?"
"…This is my battle attire." She answered with a deep frown that was on her face since the moment her feet touched the ground.
He wanted to tease her about her equipment but her serious answer killed the mood.
"…What are you doing here?"
He didn't ask how she found him or how she got here since that's irrelevant.
Face still scrunched into a deep frown, she spoke with a small voice, "I cannot continue to work for you, Lord Arnold. It may be forever depending on the circumstances."
"What? Why is that?"
"My creator is in danger."
Arnold's eyes widened.