「Argas? Yes, I know him, why do you ask?」Fritz

Currently, Yuna and I are inside the mansion, inquiring to Fritz about the letter we just received a few minutes ago.

「Well, we just received a letter from him inviting us over for tea. We were just about to ask you if you can trust him.」Grey

「Well, he's a very famous and influential person here in Moterno. He helps out the orphanage, sponsors children who cannot pay for school, and helps out those who are in debt. Overall, he's deemed as a good person by the populace.」Fritz

「Isn't that just a facade or something?」Grey

「I thought of that too so I had him investigated, but after I investigated him multiple times, I can say that he really is a good person. Also, he is quiet known for inviting people that interests him over tea.」Fritz

「I see...」Grey

「If that's all, then can you two please continue your conversation outside? I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but I really need to finish these paperworks before the Labyrinth of Gale's opening.」Fritz

We may have not noticed it because we were eager to find out who the letter's sender was, but on Fritz's desk were a mountain of paperworks needing to be reviewed and signed by the town's lord.

Being a lord sure is tough...

I swear, even if someone offers a kingdom for me to govern, I would decline it right at that moment. What use is a kingdom if your life will be focused on paperworks.

「Well then, we'll get going now.」Grey

After excusing ourselves, Yuna and I left Fritz's office with a peace of mind. As for Fritz, he continued his hellish job and reviewed tons of paperworks.

Anyway, Fritz said he trusts Argas-san. Looks like my worries are all for naught, and if he really is like how Fritz described then who are we to not grant his request. But there was just one problem...

「Is something the matter, Grey?」Yuna

「No, I was just wondering how can we make sure Liz is safe while the two of us are attending Argas-san's invitation.」Grey

「In that case, I'll stay behind and make sure Liz-chan is safe.」Yuna

「Are you sure?」Grey

「Un. Also, I'm not really good at dealing with that kind of thing. I would be more at ease if I stay here to take care of Liz-chan.」Yuna

I'm not really good at this type of thing myself, but since Yuna had already placed some expectations on me, I really can't deny it now.

Donggggg Donggggg Donggggg

「That's the two o'clock bell. Well then, I'll be going now.」Grey

「Un. Take ca～re!」Yuna

「I will.」Grey

After I said my goodbye to Yuna, I then headed to the Merchant's Guild to meet up with the carriage Argas-san spoke of.

Carriage... Carriage... Ah, is that it?

Just like the letter said there was a carriage waiting in front of the Merchant Guild's building. And amongst the carriages parked there, it stood out like a sore thumb.

The only reason that I recognized it was because the crest on it and the crest embedded in the letter were the same.

「Excuse me, is this the carriage of Argas-san?」Grey

I asked the coachman who was waiting patiently in the driver's seat, and with just a single glance at his face, one could easily tell he was bored.

「Ah, yes, and who might you be?」Coachman

「I'm Grey, from the B-rank party "Blizzard". Argas-san told me to meet up with a carriage here and it will take me to him.」

While I introduced myself, I also showed my guild card to the coachman, and when he saw it, he had the same reaction as everyone.

「Pardon my rudeness, Count Grey-sama. I was not informed that you were a young man.」Coachman

「It's fine. More importantly, can you take me to him now?」Grey

「Ah, but Countess Yuna-sama is still not here.」Coachman

「Don't worry. She said she won't be coming.」Grey

「Is that so... Well then...」

Without any warning, the coachman suddenly went down the driver's seat and hurriedly opened up the door for me.

「Please...」Coachman

「Ah, yeah...」Grey

Honestly, the way the coachman treated me was pretty tiring, but since I didn't want to be rude to him, all I could do was smile wryly.

The ride towards Argas-san's home was really silent, the coachman didn't even mutter a single word. If this was an Ub*r, I would have rated it 5 stars.

Twenty minutes after we departed, the carriage finally stopped. And if you peek outside the window, you can see a large multi-story building. It was easy to guess that it was Argas-san's store.

「Grey-sama...」Coachman

Just like when we were about to depart, the coachman once again opened up the carriage's door for me.

「Ah, thank you.」Grey

「It's my pleasure... Well then, let's head inside.」Coachman

The coachman then escorted me to Argas-san's room, and unsurprisingly, it was located at the topmost story of the building. Unluckily, unlike the Bellowing Specter's hideout, there weren't any elevators so we took the stairs.

I also noticed while going up the stairs that the products displayed in Argas-san's store were mostly appliances. There were refrigerators, coolers, stoves, and many more.

Hmm... I wonder if they have blenders...

Knock Knock Knock

While I was thinking of useless things, we finally arrived in front of Argas-san's room.

「Argas-sama, Count Grey-sama is here.」Coachman

「Ah, kindly let him in.」

With Argas-san's instructions, the coachman opened up the door for me without taking a look inside, and then politely signalled me to head inside, which I did.

「Well then, I'll be taking my leave.」Coachman

The coachman bowed his head before me and then closed the door, leaving me inside Argas-san's room.

「It's a pleasure to meet you Count Grey-sama, I am called Argas, and I welcー」

While he was introducing himself, Argas-san suddenly paused.

「Is there something on my face?」Grey

「No, I just didn't think that you would be so young.」

The coachman also said that. Is it really that unusual to see a 16-year-old becoming a B-rank adventurer?

「Oh, how rude of me, please have a seat.」

Seeing that I was still standing, Argas-san invited me to have a seat in front of a table with pastries and tea already prepared on top of it. But as I was about to do so...

「Ah, thank you, Argas-saー」Grey

... because of my habit of appraising people I just met, I saw something I think I was not supposed to.

-----------------------------------

【〔Anthronoids〕】

【Name】Gabal

【Race】Human

【Sex】Male

【Age】34

【Status】Healthy

【Mana Capacity】400 【Mana Quality】D

【Combat Power】283 【Threat Level】D

【Attribute】Fire 【Spell Proficiency】32%

【Class】Assassin 【Art Proficiency】32%

【Physical Enhancement】38%

【Ability】『Temptation』

-----------------------------------

「Is there something wrong, Grey-sama?」Gabal

「Ah, nothing, I was just taken aback by the portrait behind you.」Grey

I'm sure he introduced himself as "Argas". But why does his name indicate "Gabal"? Since this is an ability given by God, there's no way it can be wrong.

「Oh, that one. I see that you have a good eye, Grey-sama. That pa...」Gabal

I almost exposed myself there. Thankfully, there was a good painting just behind him.

Haah... that really was a close call...

Anyway, what I'm more worried about is his ability.

-----------------------------------

【〔Ability〕】

【Name】Temptation

【Grade】B

【Description】

Increases the persuasion power of the user's words over the target's desires. It also increases the target's desire over that object, and when the target's desire reaches a certain threshold, the user will be able to manipulate the target. The rank difference between the target and the and the grade of the ability determines the effectiveness of the ability.

-----------------------------------

Although there is only a low chance that it will affect me, it still made me feel uncomfortable.

【【Gabal's Perspective】】

「Argas-sama, Grey-sama is here.」Coachman

「Ah, kindly let him in.」Gabal

I had been waiting in this room for a couple of hours now. If he hasn't arrived, all my efforts would have been in vain. Though it's a shame that only one of them is here.

Well, it's still a success for me nonetheless

「It's a pleasure to meet you Count Grey-sama, I am called Argas, and I welcー」Gabal

「Is there something on my face?」Grey

「No, I just didn't think that you would be so young.」Gabal

How nice! He's younger than I thought! Considering his age, there's no way he's on the higher end of B-rank. With this, my ability would be more effective!

Kukukuku... Looks like Lady Luck is on my side.

「Oh, how rude of me, please have a seat.」Gabal

「Ah, thank you, Argas-saー」Grey

Huh? Why did he cut his words?

「Is there something wrong, Grey-sama?」Grey

「Ah, nothing, I was just taken aback by that portrait behind you.」Grey

Heh, he really is still a child. So curious, so innocent, so easy to manipulate!

Well, for now, let's just play along with him.

「Oh, that one, I see that you have a good eye, Grey-sama. That painting is something I bought from a master artisan in the kingdom of Graystone. The moment I laid my eyes on it, I was drawn in by its poetic message.」Gabal

「I can see what you mean. It has these unique symbolisms that you don't see in other paintings.」Grey

「Right? Don't you think it can be considered as a national treasure?」Gabal

「Yeah it is.」Grey

That's it, just step right into my trap. And it will be over before you know it.

「Speaking of treasures, are you fond of them Grey-sama?」Gabal

「Hm... You could say so. Ah, can I take one of these pastries?」Grey

「Oh, please do. That's the reason why they're served after all.」Gabal

「Then I shall partake on your offer.」Grey

Just as I gave my consent to him, Grey took a pastry from the table and slowly took a bite out of it.

He really is a child. Well, that just makes it easier for me to manipulate him. So make sure you enjoy those pastries while you still can.

「By the way, Grey-sama, do you know that the Labyrinth of Gale has treasures more spectacular than this painting?」Gabal

「That's the reason why adventurers enter it, despite how dangerous it is, after all.」Grey

「But for one as powerful as you, surely that danger is something you can take care of.」Gabal

「You're exaggerating. I can only take on monsters and beasts that are on the lower end of B-rank. Anything past that is impossible for me.」Grey

How foolish... to reveal his cards like that...

Well, now that I've confirmed how powerful he is, I shouldn't hold myself back anymore!

「Grey-sama, don't you think that it's a waste that the town's lord delay the labyrinth's opening.」Gabal

「Well, it would unfair for adventurers that hasn't arrived yet.」Grey

「But isn't it also unfair to adventurers who arrived early? After all, they did everything they can just to arrive her early.」Gabal

「You're right...」Grey

This is too easy... He's already shaken.

Haah... I feel bad for him... Well, not really.

「And isn't it just wasting some precious time delaying the opening? After all, the labyrinth isn't always open. What about the treasures that weren't discovered because of the lack of time」Gabal

「Yeah, a lot of treasure would be wasted... With that amount, it could already feed hundreds of thousands os families for months.」Grey

「That's right, it's such a waste. Haah... If only there was a way to change the lord's mind and let us access the labyrinth earlier. Am I right, Grey-sama?」Gabal

「Haah... But there isn't...」Grey

「No, there is! We only need a high-ranker to abduct the lord's daughter and force the lord to allow us to access the labyrinth earlier.」Gabal

「Well, I'm a high-ranker. But something like abducting a young girl is...」Grey

「Don't worry, Grey-sama, we won't hurt her, and we'll return her safely once the lord agrees. But if Grey-sama doesn't agree to it, then I guess we'll just to wave goodbye to all those wasted treasures.」Gabal

「...」Grey

That's it... Kukuku... Just a little more push and he'll be dancing in my palm.

「But if Grey-sama agrees, not just treasures, but all the fame and glory will be all... yours.」Gabal

「Fame and glory...... Alright, I'll do it!」Grey

「As expected of Grey-sama, you really understand what it means to become and adventurer.」Gabal

Easy... Too easy... With this, I should be able to pay my debt to Algerio-sama.

Haha... Hahaha... Hahahahaー

「Or so what you expected me to say, but your lines are too cliche. There's no way you could have convinced me, Gabal-san.」Grey

Wh-What's happening!? My ability should have worked on him!

「Did you really think you could control me with your『Temptation』?」Grey

Impossible! There's no way this is happening!

「If you want to control people, you should have used this...」Grey

「W-what are you going toー」Gabal

「《Hijack》.」Grey

【【Yuna's Perspective】】

「Yuna-oneesama, tell me more!」Eliza

「Umm... Alright, but please settle down. I won't tell you if you are too rowdy.」Yuna

「Y-Yes!」Eliza

With just a simple warning from me, Liz-chan stopped jumping in the bed and sat obediently while listening to my stories.

After Liz-chan woke up, she kept insisting that I tell her stories about my adventures with Grey. From our daily lives in the Haltea Great Forest, to defeating the Orc King, and until the raid, Liz-chan listened to my stories fervently.

As for me, I was also enjoying myself with storytelling. It was fun reminiscing with the past and telling it to another girl. Maybe this is what they call "girl talk".

「Eliza-sama, you're bath is ready.」Rosa

While Liz-chan and I were talking about my adventures with Grey, Rosa-san entered the room to let Liz-chan know of such.

Speaking of Liz, she was somewhat dirty from fighting all those goblins. She didn't really look like a young lady of nobility. She was like a mini-adventurer.

「Yes! Yuna-oneesama, let's continue this later.」Eliza

「Un!」Yuna

After hearing my confirmation, Liz-chan quickly dashed out of her room and headed to the bath with great enthusiasm. She was clearly excited to hear more stories.

I wonder how long I can keep this up...

「Yuna-sama, you really like Grey-sama, don't you?」Rosa

Rosa-san gave an outrageous comment. Of course, I was greatly taken aback by it.

「Eh?! What do you mean?!」Yuna

「I mean, you look really happy talking about him. You're lovers, aren't you?」Rosa

「N-No, it's not like that!」Yuna

「Hehe, then why Yuna-sama does look really embarrassed right now?」Rosa

Rosa-san giggled while looking at me like a cute attraction, making me even more embarrassed.

「Geez, Rosa-san!!」Yuna

CHAPTER 35 END