The tea turned into water again.
"Ups! Looks like I did it again, hehe."
"Please don't worry. I'll bring you another cup right away." The maid forced a smile and headed back to the kitchen once more, carrying the tray with the teacup. Thanks to Aqua's purification ability, it had turned into water yet again.
It was the third time this had happened.
"Could you please try to be more careful and not stick your fingers in the cup?" I whispered. "Or are you doing it on purpose?"
"I'm not doing it on purpose!" the goddess protested. "I'm not even sticking my fingers in it! I'm not that dumb!"
"Then why does the damn tea keep getting purified?"
"I don't know. I guess it's just the warmth of my hands."
"Ahem!"
Someone cleared their throat.
"What do you say we get back to what really matters?" the owner of the luxurious mansion asked in a tone that clearly showed irritation. And who could blame him? After all, his only daughter had been kidnapped.
His name was Rufus Lyamnsen. In theory, he belonged to one of the most influential families within Axel.
Two nights ago, his daughter, Tia Lyamnsen, had mysteriously disappeared from her room without leaving a single trace — except for a black card with a drawing of fangs in the center.
"I'm sorry," I said to the noble, turning my attention back to the aforementioned object I now held in my hands. "So, this was the only thing the kidnapper left behind?"
The noble nodded.
"I'm afraid this is the work of the Fang Demon," he said, running both hands through his white hair in despair. "Lately there have been several disappearances in the area. And they always follow the same pattern. That is, young girls around the same age as my daughter, and the same card is always found."
The Fang Demon… I had never heard of him, but it was certainly a strange name. However, there was something else that caught my attention even more.
"When was the first disappearance? You just said there have been multiple cases."
"The first disappearance? Mmm… I'm not entirely sure, but I believe it was about a week ago."
"A week? And why did you wait until now to post the request at the guild?"
"The truth is I've been very busy. Managing an entire district by myself is no easy task, you know?" the man said arrogantly. "But well, are you going to help me or not?"
"Of course we will!" Aqua jumped in enthusiastically. "And tell me, sir, if we do it, will you really pay us two million eris?"
Apparently the only thing Aqua cared about was the money.
"I will pay, of course. As long as you bring my daughter back safe and sound. Just as I stated in the request."
At that moment, I took out the paper with the quest details (which looked more like a flyer) and gave it another look.
HIGH-LEVEL QUEST: RESCUEOBJECTIVE: DEFEAT THE "FANG DEMON" AND RESCUE THE DAUGHTER OF AN IMPORTANT NOBLE SAFE AND SOUND. REQUESTED BY: RUFUS LYAMNSEN REWARD: 2,000,000 ERIS NOTES: I WILL PAY THIS AMOUNT AS LONG AS YOU RETURN MY BELOVED DAUGHTER TO ME SAFE AND SOUND. MAKE SURE SHE DOESN'T HAVE EVEN A SINGLE SCRATCH!!!
"It would have been normal to ask the Dustiness family for help," the man continued. "However, since I myself am the feudal lord in charge of protecting this land, I feel it is my responsibility to find a solution to this unfortunate incident. Ah! Just thinking about how badly those poor young girls must be suffering makes me feel like I won't be able to sleep a wink tonight because of the anguish!"
All night. Yeah, sure. But you only decided to post the request at the guild after they kidnapped your own daughter, right?
"If you'll allow me, I'd like to ask you another question," I said. "Why didn't you try asking the authorities for help before coming to the guild?"
"Bah! The Axel police are nothing but a bunch of incompetents!" Lord Lyamnsen grunted. "On the other hand, you adventurers, who watch over the safety of our beloved city and work tirelessly to keep the monsters at bay, are worthy of respect and trust! So who better than you to carry out this task? Besides, this way I can rest easy knowing my money will go to good hands."
"Isn't it great, Kaizer!?" Aqua's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "If we manage to rescue this old man's daughter who clearly looks like he's hiding something, we'll be able to make a ton of money! I'll be much closer to paying off my debt!! Yaaay!"
…
"E-Eh, I mean… we'll be able to help all the families affected by this unfortunate incident… hehe…"
"At least try to pretend you care about all those young girls," I whispered into Aqua's ear. "And you're supposed to be a goddess?"
"Stop bothering me, you abusive hikiNET! Of course I care!" she assured me. "It's just that my debts worry me more."
"You're a heartless woman, you know that?"
The noble cleared his throat.
"W-Well then, can I count on you?"
"Fine. We'll do it," I answered. After all, we really did need the money. And we couldn't just abandon those girls either.
"Excellent! You have no idea how grateful I am!"
"Don't worry, sir. As long as you have the money ready and a bottle of the finest wine from your cellar, that's enough for us!"
"Wine…?"
"M-My companion loves making jokes!" I quickly cut in. "Don't pay her any mind!"
At that moment, light footsteps accompanied by a soft clinking sound could be heard.
"Excuse me. Here's your tea again."
It was the noble's maid. Aqua quickly took the cup in her hands and just as she was about to take a sip…
"Ups!"
The tea had turned into hot water again.
With slumped shoulders, the maid sighed in resignation and held out her hand to receive the cup once more.
"Don't worry!" I said. "I like hot water. So if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to drink this cup. Besides, my companion says she doesn't feel like drinking tea anymore, right, Aqua?"
"Y-Yes, I think I'm good like this."
The maid gave us a quick bow and hurried back to the kitchen, probably thinking that if she stayed there a second longer we might change our minds.
"Ah! This is so good!" I exclaimed with fake delight. After all, it was just hot water.
The noble looked at me as if I were crazy.
"Do you really like it that much? I mean, it's just hot water."
"It's my favorite drink," I assured him.
I took another sip.
"I-I see…" Rufus Lyamnsen let out a nervous little smile and settled back into his chair, probably wondering if he had really done the right thing by hiring this duo of adventurers to rescue his daughter.