While arguing with Talis, we approached the quest board, looking through the various quests that ranged from gathering certain herbs to wiping out entire orc settlements. Of course, I never took the latter kind of jobs; Orcs were pretty stupid, but they could also be decently civilized. 'Well, except for on the month of Chloe.'
Shivering in disgust as I remembered my first encounter with an Orc, I quickly discarded such thoughts and continued to look through the quests, searching for something lucrative. 'I don't want to do escorting quests, they don't pay much, and they're pretty bland. Investigating a rumored dungeon isn't bad, five gold is pretty good, and it's not too far away.'
Spending a few extra minutes, I ended up deciding to take the quest to investigate a rumored dungeon, though just as I went to grab the paper, one of the guild attendants placed a new quest on the board, prompting several others to crowd the area. "Oh, a new quest?" "What is it?" "Damn, move fat ass, I can't see!" "Tsk, wait your damn turn!" "Ugh, damn, thought it might've been a good quest, the contractor is a noble."
At the mention of a noble, the bubbling enthusiasm instantly vanished, while everyone quickly left, returning to what they were previously doing, allowing me to finally read the quest. 'Rescue the son of Duke Gargon from the Abandoned Forest. 30 gold.' I nearly froze when I saw the reward; thirty gold coins were almost already a third of the gold I'd spent to buy that magic sealing scroll. 'What I expected to take over a year to recover, we could do in one mission.'
However, while the reward was mouth-watering, I hesitated to choose, not because of the location—the Abandoned Forest, a forest filled with monsters that had overflowed from an Epic dungeon —but because the employer was a noble.
I've only seen a few quests from nobles during my fourteen years as an Adventurer, and I've never seen a single person take them since, among the Adventurer guild, nobles had a terrible reputation. There have been accounts of nobles refusing to pay adventurers once they complete the mission. If the adventurers file a complaint to the guild, they often end up dying within a month. Of course, while the guild is powerful, it's not going to fight over dead people.
'It's not surprising that adventurers dislike nobles, but the reward is a bit too good to pass on.' Grabbing the paper, I headed to the attendants, intending to officially take the quest. "Eh, are you sure you want to take this one, Alex? You can't trust nobles." Finding her concern a bit cute, I gave Sandy, the attendant, a thumbs-up and a confident smile.
"I know, that's why I plan to visit Duke Gargon first. If I think he'll retract the reward, I'll cancel the quest. You should know I've got a good eye for discerning people." Winking at Sandy, she raised an eyebrow before nodding with a sigh as she stamped the paper and handed it to me. "Well, if it's you, Alex, you'll be fine." "Yep, so no need to worry." Stuffing the paper into my space pouch, I eyed my surroundings and leaned forward, whispering to Sandy.
"So, tell me, how are you and Vanimo going? He's showing you the pride of an Elf, right?" Blushing from my teasing, Sandy pushed my face away, causing me to chuckle, though unlike her, Talis didn't have shame. "Oi! I get it! You're referring to his sexual capabilities, right? Vanimo is good; he's improved a lot, but he still can't last more than twelve rounds, and I'm left unsatisfied." Glancing at Talis, who spoke without an ounce of shame or embarrassment, I couldn't help but internally apologize to Vanimo.
'I'm sorry, Vanimo, I was just trying to tease Sandy, but now everyone in the guild is going to know you're leaving your woman unsatisfied.' "W-W-W-What are you saying, Talis!?" With a blush as deep as an apple, Sandy leaped across the table, pushing Talis to the ground while covering her mouth, though it was too late; the damage was already done.
"The Queen of the Skies is left unsatisfied? Haha, I can fill in those gaps for you, Queen!" "No! Let this loyal knight do so! I promise a wonderful night!" "Let me spend a night with you, and I'll become your loyal slave!" "Oi, shut it fuckers. Didn't you hear her? Even twelve rounds weren't enough to satisfy our Queen. You losers would be lucky to last even half that! Only I can properly satisfy the Queen!" "I'll be your dog!" "Fuck! Why do you always want to be someone's dog!?"
As the voices grew louder, the topic shifted to Sandy, sparking curiosity about how long she had lasted with Vanimo. Given that she was a mouse demihuman, they also began to suspect that he might be leaving her unsatisfied. "Hey, I know I'm partially at fault for this, but are you going to let them continue to mock your husband? It's playful banter, but still, he is YOUR man." Squatting beside Sandy, who looked ready to burrow a hole to hide, I whispered into her ear.
With a twisted expression of anger, embarrassment, and shame, Sandy ignored Talis and promptly stood up. "Vanimo is amazing in bed! I can't even last three rounds with me! If he hadn't gone easy on me, I wouldn't be able to walk in the morning! Talis is just an unusually super horny bird!" Yelling loudly, Sandy's voice broke through the chaotic banter of the guild, causing everyone to go silent as they looked at her.
"Haha, now that's a man I can respect!" "Haha, I should learn from him! I want to leave my wife unable to walk as well." "I can drink to that! The real man, Vanimo!" "Where is this Vanimo? A man like that deserves to be my brother!" "Tch, where the hell are you now? Don't you also want to become his dog!?" "That's a man, dammit! I'll only become the dog of a beautiful woman!" "At least have shame!" "Shame isn't going to get me laid!"
As the guild's boisterous atmosphere resumed, Sandy disappeared into the back, too embarrassed from her earlier outburst to face anyone, and Talis was entirely unmoved, causing me to sigh as I rubbed my face. "You lot can stay here, I'll go and meet with Duke Gargon." Waving my hand, I headed to the entrance of the guild. "Alex, what about you? Can you satisfy your woman?" "Heh, Kife, you've got a daughter, right? Why don't you let her stay the night at my place, and then you ask her?"
Snorting in response, Kife threw a cup of beer at me, and I just laughed it off before leaving the guild. 'Now, time to meet Duke Gargon.'
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"Duke Gargon shall arrive shortly, please wait." Bowing slightly, the butler closed the door and left, prompting me to eat the prepaid snacks without hesitation. 'Getting an audience was easier than I imagined.' It hadn't even been an hour since I left the guild, and I was waiting for Duke Gargon. 'The fact that the Duke requested the Adventurer Guild means he's desperate, but it might be worse than I thought… Seems he truly cares for his son.'
I didn't know much about nobles, but it wasn't exactly a secret that nobles and royalty rarely had familial love; most only cared about their position of power and the benefits others could give. 'Of course, it seems like Duke Gargon is an exception.'
After a few minutes of waiting, the door was opened, prompting me to stand up and glance at the three who entered. "Eh, you're Duke Gargon?" With wide eyes, I stared at the Orc mage, whom I had met a few months before during the confrontation with Chase and Sash, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "Ah, so it's you. Those humunculi were of exceptionally high quality; even the Royal family would be hard-pressed to create something like that."
Deeply gazing at me, Duke Gargon continued to the couch opposite me and sat down, prompting a beautiful elf to sit beside him while a demon with ashen skin and horns stood behind them, clearly a knight from his attire. 'That knight is decently strong.' "We can discuss that stuff later, dear. He's here about our boy." Grabbing the arm of Duke Gargon, the elf quickly urged him, causing him to nod while setting his staff beside him.
"Yes, as the Lady or Duchess has said, I'm here regarding the quest to rescue you're child. If possible, I'd like as much information regarding your child to help with the rescue." Although my real reason for coming here was to learn about Duke Gargon, it was true that acquiring information would help with rescuing their son, that is, if I decided to go through with the plan.