Hello, this is Enbos, and I’m currently locked inside a cage in the deepest part of this mine with my good friend Hachirou!

… is what I would have said if my last ditch plan hadn’t worked so well. As a matter of fact, screaming “Burn in hell Sepesh” directly at Zur’s face may have been what saved our lives. Because in the brief window of time when he was reeling in surprise, I managed to pull the sincerity contract out of my bag without losing my head, and confessed I was trying to scam Sepesh all along. Of course, it took a bit of convincing but he ultimately came to believe our words… and threw a drinking party in the reception hall. The sounds of revels surround me and Hachirou as we sit around the same table as Zur and enjoy the booze.

“Here, have another one on the house! It’s a pity you couldn’t get revenge for your cursed sword and all, but I’ll congratulate anybody who at least tries to wipe his filthy little smirk!”

“Thanks for the free drink. You know, I’m glad you’re offering me liquor instead of another one of your infamous punches. I really thought we were going to die!”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I should have known better than to suspect you were accomplices. After all, nobody would willingly work with that piece of trash.”

“Nah, I don’t hold it against you at all! If anything, this entire fiasco has opened my eyes that the best way to deal with a guy like him is with magic instead of a cheap bargain. So what do you think about a curse that turns him into a crying wreck around women?”

“Hahaha! I would pay to see that! Cheers!”

Ignoring that he’s an S-ranked criminal and head of an underground guild, isn’t Zur of the Bloody Fist a pretty likeable guy? His imposing aura from before is almost like a dream. Then again, he nonchalantly gives horrifying commands to his butler every now and then.

In any case, I raise my mug and bump it with his before carefully taking a “sip” beneath the cloth cover of my mask. In order to give off the illusion I’m drinking, I use to direct the liquid into a waterskin I’ve installed within my ribcage. As for the issue of taste, I cast on Hachirou and use his impressions as my own. However, even with anti-detection magic circles disguising the activation of my skills, it’s a risky procedure with so many people in the room and Zur watching me not 4 feet away. Fortunately, it seems everybody is too engaged in their conversations to notice...

“… You know, there was this one time I sold him a bunch of low-quality wares, but then he sold them back for twice the price under a different name!”

“Ha, that’s nowhere near as bad as what he did to me! He seduced my treasonous maidservant and learnt where half my holdings were. Ugh, he threatened to sell the information to my competitors and I had listen to his every whim for about a month.”

“By the spirits, that must have been hell. Hey, come to think of it, didn’t Sepesh steal Ferris’ first wife?”

“Shut up! I don’t to remember that entire incident ever again, and if you dare say another word, I’m going to hang you alongside the space I’ve saved for his head!”

“Not if I get to him first! I’m going to stuff the potion he sold me down his throat and parade him around the city!”

“Sigh, as much as I hate to admit it, he’s a cunning little weasel. This is all leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Hey barmaid! Another round over here!”

... Almost everybody in this guild has a black past regarding that slimy dealer. As a result, we all share a justified hatred for the same man. It’s kind of surprising he’s agitated so many people in the same guild, but it's more surprising that he's managed to evade all their grudges.

“… Seriously, just how much can you two drink?”

“Eh?”

“The alcohol we have here is nothing like the tame stuff they sell in Catorrem, and yet you two keep guzzling them like spring water! I never thought you’d be such heavy drinkers looking at your scrawny figures!”

“Not really. My father seldom drinks and neither do I. To partake in such an event where I can enjoy so much alcohol is a first for me,” replies Hachirou.

“Oi, oi, are you serious? Are you sure you're not the least bit- You’re drinking even more than Enbos!”

Actually, I have to agree with Zur here, are you sure you’re feeling fine? Is it just because you’re a kobold or could it be related to why you’re the only one that can stomach your own cooking? Well, putting aside Hachirou’s special case, as long as I have space in my waterskin…

“… I can probably drink everybody here under the table.”

“Oh really now! So just because you can hold your own you think you can challenge me? Then bring it, skinny! I’ll drink so much that you’ll be drowning!”

“Huh, the two newcomers think they can take us on? Looks like we need to knock them down a peg or two.”

“Don’t underestimate us regulars!”

They never stood a chance…

What was once a typical scene out of any adventurers guild has been turned into an absolute squalor that probably reeks of fouled alcohol and gastric acid. Like toy soldiers scattered by a child, slumbering men lay in puzzling places and unnatural positions across the room.

As for me, I watched the entire mess unfold with unblinking eyes, and honestly, it was a fascinating spectacle to observe all their different reactions from being drunk. Some fell into depression and started confessing their sins, some became as giddy as kids with a bag of sugar. Unsurprisingly, some fell into a drunken rage which resulted in an extensive brawl that destroyed half the furniture in the room and scared the staff into hiding. In the end, they lost consciousness one by one, leaving me alone to watch over Hachirou's peaceful slumber.

“Well, all of them are in for one hell of a hangover…”

“Hrm?”

“Ah, Hachirou, you’re awake. Don’t force yourself. You drank more than anybody else in this room…”

“Actually, I think I’m fine. In fact, I feel refreshed.”

“Seriously!? Just what is your liver made of!?”

My shouts don’t stir anybody from their dreams, but it does call a few dependable staff members into the room. They look over the scene with aghast expressions and look at us standing above everybody else like we're monsters… Well, I guess technically we are.

Ding!

“I don’t need a title as useless as that!”

“Shut up! I’m trying to- Huh, how did I end up here?”

Hearing Zur’s voice from atop the counter, we turn our heads to see him sit up and hold his head in apparent pain.

“Ugh, last night was definitely a bit much… Huh? How are you two standing up alrea- Ow, ow, ow…”

“Take it easy there, Mr Terrace.”

“Sigh, just call me Zur, Enbos... I can’t believe you two outdrank everybody in the room. Did you really drink all that booze?”

“You can check with a sincerity contract if you want.”

“No, I won’t bother… Besides, it’s a fairly valuable item within my business, so don’t waste it on something as trivial as that. Also, if you think about, it’s kind of a small victory over that scummy trader since you got it for free.”

“A nice sentiment.”

“Ah hell, it looks like the guards also joined in the partying. Ferris is going to have to “re-educate” them for leaving the “merchandise” unattended...”

“R-right. In any case, I’m glad to have made your acquaintance, but we must take our leave. Thanks for the drinks.”

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Hrm, where are you two going? Weren’t you here to ask me for something?”

“Huh?”

“If I remember correctly, you two wanted a way into the city... Or at least, I think you did? Damn, all I’m getting is a migraine.”

“Well, yes, we did say that, but... Wait, does this mean you’re going to help us?”

He jumps back on to his feet and stumbles towards us, stepping on several of his acquaintances along the way. Upon reaching us, he faces us with a wide grin and a furrowed brow from his headache.

“Just think of it as my little way of getting back at Sepesh.”

“I can’t believe Zur gave us something like this.”

“He’s a surprisingly nice person, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he is. If he hadn’t try to kill us at one point, I would have second guessed his reputation. Still, for him to provide these things so easily…”

“I guess it’s another testament to his power and presence in these lands.”

It’s the afternoon and we’re casually making our way to Catorrem City after cleaning our clothes and receiving Zur’s gift: a counterfeit Novuseus emblem, a forged letter of approval and a golden ring for members of the underground guild. He’s done more than give us a way into a city and gain a permit; he’s gone ahead and practically legitimised our entire backstory! Now, I can bluff my standing to anybody, even other Novuseus mages, thus dispelling Sepesh’s threat. Furthermore, this small emblem effectively grants all the rights of an official mage, whilst bestowing Hachirou the nonhereditary title of an honorary official mage.

In the Reinsol Kingdom and the Lysium Theocracy, the population is divided into three mutually exclusive classes: commoners, nobility and official mages. While the noble class have the right to govern and receive tax revenue, official mages have the right to provide magical utilities, introduce magical tools into the market and receive funding from nobles. At some point along my journey, it’ll become too impractical to pursue resurrection whilst on the move. What Zur has given me is a way to settle under the care of a lord and receive funding once I’ve accumulated enough knowledge from the Velvet Road. I can’t thank him enough for what he has done today.

“…”

“Hrm? What’s wrong, Hachirou?”

“Huh? Oh, please do not mind. I’m just wondering if Sepesh truly betrayed us at all…”

“Ha? What on Aren do you mean!? There is no defending that disagreeable lump of sin!”

“No, please hear me out Enbos and reflect. Why would he want us to write a letter of introduction with a sincerity contract when we’ve already established our claims? Also, the amount of paper and ink he provided was far too much for a single letter, despite being a precious item as explained by Zur.”

“… Wait, are you seriously saying that Sepesh… gave us the sincerity contract to prove our innocence and befriend Zur?”

“Well, he did say it was largely dependent on our impressions. After all, it wouldn’t have worked if you had known.”

“That is, assuming it was his plan all along. If everything you have said is true, that would mean Sepesh did all of this for us free of charge! Tell me, from everything that you have heard and seen of him, do you really think he’s that kind of guy?”

“That’s the part that confuses me the most. Also, regarding the issue of your cursed sword…”

“… You’re wondering if he knew about , or at least its effects, and my need to pose as Enbos the Black. Trust me, I’ve had those thoughts before and came to the conclusion that for whatever reasons he may have had, they will not be for my own good.”

“You don't know for sure. He may be as generous as Zur.”

“Heh, seriously Hachirou, you always try to see the good in people regardless of how despicable they are.”

“And I will gladly carry such an outlook to my next life.”

We continue on our merry way to Catorrem, returning to the main road and joining the long line of people entering the city. I look around for a large carriage inscribed with roses, pulled by two pitch black horses and owned by man with an even darker heart. He’s not in the merchant queue, but I doubt it will be the last I see of his pale face.

And next time we meet, we’re going to have a very long talk.