Chapter 543

"Dark Green Sprout"
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Next, please."

"Yes, thank you for having us."

"… Huh?"

"What’s wrong, Fanny?"

"… No, it’s nothing."

Hmm?
She looked surprised when she saw me.
Did something happen? I wonder what’s going on.
Anyway, I lead them to the interview room.

"This way. Please, go right in."

"Got it. Thank you."

"… Wait, Juna. Something’s off."

"What is it now, Fanny?"

"That guide—she’s disguised with a magic tool or something."

"Huh?"

Huh, so they saw through it?
Well, it’s been noticed before, but nobody’s actually pointed it out until now.
This mansion is almost entirely staffed with people from the Darshe Principality—in other words, all people connected to Plum—and most of them are vampires.

"Well… you caught me."

"Who are you?"

"Oh, I’m Lily. This time I disguised myself and acted as the guide."

"… The client disguised as the guide? Why?"

"My bodyguard suggested it. She said if they couldn’t see through something like that, they weren’t fit to be my guards."

It’s a bit mean, but I do want them to have that much awareness.
If they noticed but didn’t say anything, Kiblinki Saltas will be able to tell.

"Anyway, please go inside. Let’s get this interview over with."

"O-okay… Fanny, is it safe now?"

"She’s not lying. Looks safe enough to go in."

"You don’t need to worry. Plum, we’re coming in."

I knock lightly on the door and step inside.
Thanks to a magic tool, everything said outside could be heard clearly in the room, so everyone already knew what was going on.
Pranks can’t last forever.

"Hmph. So we finally have someone who pointed it out."

"Looks like it. How were the other adventurers, Kiblinki Saltas?"

"They were suspicious, yes. But none of them had the courage to directly question the client."

So they had noticed.
The only difference is whether they chose to confirm it.
After all, there’s no guarantee that rumors match reality.

"Wait… is that spider Kiblinki Saltas?"

"Yes. I changed her color, but she’s the same species as the Kiblinki Saltas you’ve seen patrolling the city."

"And the real ‘Talat’?"

"He’s there—on the ceiling above my head."

"Above your head?"

When we all looked up at the ceiling, Talat was clinging there.
He’d been shadowing me from above the whole time.
Normally, his strong mana would make his presence obvious, but by suppressing it, he became completely undetectable.
I wonder if wild Tarachnathos can do that?
From what the Ryuujin and Plum have told me, it doesn’t seem possible.

"S-since when…?"

"He’s been there the whole time. Anyway, please take a seat."

"R-right."

"Do we even need to guard her at this point?"

Honestly… you really don’t.
This is mostly a contract to maintain my reputation, connections, and standing with the Adventurers’ Guild here on this continent.
If I told them that, they’d probably be furious, so I’m not saying it.

"Now then, let me formally introduce myself. I’m Lily, your prospective employer."

"I’m Plum, the head of the guards. If you’re hired, you’ll be under my command. If you’ve got a problem with that, prove yourself in combat."

"I’m Alizée. My role is to coordinate Lady Lily’s entire business operations. I’m her personal liaison, dispatched from the Trade Guild."

"You have a personal liaison? That’s amazing. We’ve worked for silver-ranked merchants before, but none of them had one."

"Personal liaisons are only assigned to merchants who deal in goods that only they can supply, or who have strong ties to certain artisans. They’re essentially a special contract for confidentiality."

"I-I see. My name’s Juna. I’m a spear-fighter with experience in taking down an Ancient Hydra."

"And I’m Fanny. I’m an illusionist who uses words of power and the breath of life. I lead the Dark Green Sprout. We actually have a third member, a machinist named Rana, but she’s currently on a separate mission at the request of Lady Rumaja, the Grandmaster. I know it’s rude for her to be absent, but please forgive us."

Hmm.
A spear-fighter, an illusionist, and a machinist.
Quite the grand professions they’ve introduced themselves with.
I wonder what kind of people they really are?

What do you think about this chapter?