My head spun, and Clementine seemed to be just as out of it as I was.
I wasn't 100% sure, but I think I might've swallowed a bug.
"Bleghhh..."
Clementine definitely swallowed one...
"Now now, take deep breaths and look around you. Memorize the surroundings."
That's right.
We were already there.
But I was pleasantly surprised by where we found ourselves.
It was the Heirloom Kingdom.
And we were now standing in front of the library we had stood in nearly two months ago.
Huh.
I never knew this place was actually that good.
No wonder the main character kept going here.
Must be that protagonist luck at play.
"I have already informed the recruiter of your status. His name is Roy. Coincidentally, he's Rio's brother. I'm sure you'll get along nicely."
Then, he turned around.
"I must be off now, as I still have some babysitting... I mean, I still have some important matters to attend to. I truly wish the next time I'm called, it would be when you massacred a bunch more Vampire Nobles."
And with a wave, he finally vanished out of sight.
Just then, Clementine finished vomiting.
It seemed like she heard everything, so after patting her down and wiping her lips with my handkerchief, we entered the library.
Honestly... I wasn't planning on going on a mission this soon.
I was planning to train with Clementine and even rest for a week or two before going out again.
But it won't matter if we just go on an easy mission.
Though for starters, we approached the librarian and introduced ourselves.
"Hello there. I'm Mikael, and this here is Evangeline. I'm looking forward to working here."
Roy glanced up at us for a moment, then turned back to his book.
He was more talkative last time.
Oh well... didn't matter.
"We're not doing any demon subjugation missions today."
Clementine turned back to me in surprise.
"Really~? Then, can we deal with some corrupt nobles?"
"Yup."
She was even more excited than I was.
So with spring in her step, she headed toward the sixth row in the Sci-Fi Thriller aisle.
As she browsed through the missions, I glanced over the fifth row, and to my surprise...
—
▷Noble assassination Missions
Location: Elodrenia Continent
Description: Immediate elimination of 25 corrupt nobles. Inquire with the recruiter for the full list of names.
—
This was my request.
The same request I had paid 19,300 gold coins for.
And yet, no one accepted it?
I thought when I didn't get any messages, it was because they didn't know how to reach me.
But it looks like something on here might be averting people from accepting it...
I guess I'll be the one to do it then.
With a sigh, I picked up the mission.
Clementine froze and swiped the mission right out of my grasp.
Though...
"Huh? Isn't this...?"
"Yep. What do you say?"
"Mhm, let's do it. It doesn't seem hard, and since these people are the same people who... Yes. Let's kill them all."
She had a slight murderous glint in her eyes.
Though to me, she was the cutest thing alive.
So as we picked out our mission, we made our way to the front desk and showed it to Roy.
He looked a little amused by the mission.
Still, he raised a single finger, signaling for us to wait, and then he went into the back room.
After a few minutes, he came back with a neatly folded piece of paper and tossed it onto the desk.
I picked it up and inspected it.
After I made sure these names were the same ones I had written down, I simply stored the piece of paper in my dimensional ring.
"You're really accepting that mission?"
Oh?
"I guess you feel like talking now, don't you?"
Roy narrowed his eyes.
"Duke Elmont, Duchess Loreta, the sixth imperial prince of the Ravenheart Empire. Forgive me, but you do realize that if you touch any one of these people, you will receive the biggest bounties on your head this continent has ever seen."
Aha.
So that's why no one accepted this mission.
"We'll accept it. Neither of us care about the bounties."
"In that case, I must warn you."
Roy sat down and leaned back.
"A person from our organization leaked the list, so every noble and/or imperial is aware someone is after them. Their security is bound to be bolstered, and my guess is they have hired the strongest fighters they could find to babysit them until the yearly duration of the mission is over."
Hmm...
"Thanks for the tip. We'll keep it in mind."
He stared at us for a few seconds longer, until finally marking it down in his notes that we accepted the mission.
After that, we left.
It was a bit strange being back on this continent again.
At least, I didn't expect to be back here for another couple of months or so.
Anyhow...
"Is there anything you want to do before we begin the mission?"
Clementine tilted her head.
"How long do you think this mission is going to take?"
That's a strange question...
"Since there are 25 of them, three days, maybe? I'd say a week at most."
She rubbed her chin, then nodded.
"Let's try to finish in four days, as I have to pay my parents a visit. I don't really want to miss it..."
Visit her parents?
Shouldn't that be in another month?
Wait a second...
"Is your birthday in four days?"
"Yes? Didn't I tell you?"
"..."
Clementine, Clementine... Clementine.
If I knew your birthday was in less than a week, I wouldn't have gone to give a report.
Well, shit.
"Uh-huh. Let's finish everything in three days."
After all, I need to spend a day thinking of the type of gift I want to get her.
"Okay. Then, is there anyone in particular you want to start with?"
She extended her hand and waited for me to pass her the list.
It seemed as though she had forgotten we were literally surrounded by a bunch of people.
I pinched her cheek and then entered the alleyway, prepared to show her the list.
I did indeed have someone in mind.