You're bossing us around? Even though you've done nothing?!

“Yo! Bossman! How’s you been, my dude?”

To show how grateful I was that he’d given me the chance to go on this adventure rather than be buried in a shallow grave marked ‘here lies a dangerous pyromaniac,’ I figured I’d talk to Mr Greedy Nobleman all casual-like, like we were best buds. I mean, that’s how you show someone you have a positive opinion of them, right?

I certainly thought so, but apparently my rude ass sidekick Immanuel didn’t agree, because he clattered me upside the head for that one.

“It’s good to see you again, milord. To what do we owe the pleasure?” Immanuel got down on one knee and bowed before the pompous arse. I stroked my chin, deep in thought. I was sure I had heard of this situation being described before.

Ahhh, yes, this is what is known as ‘being bitch-whipped.’

“Oh, get up, Fredrick,” said Mr Greedy Nobleman. He sounded awful impatient for someone interloping on our time. “You already know what I’m here for, don’t you?”

“Y-yes, I think so,” replied Immanuel.

“Honestly. Being a couple of weeks behind schedule due to a freak accident is something I could overlook, but could you explain how exactly that led you to ruining a small town's worth of gold in dragon hide and meat?”

“Oh! I can answer that one!” I said, excited to be included. “I blew its head clean off its shoulders!”

Can you believe Immanuel clattered me again?! I was just answering a question that I’d been asked!

“And how exactly did you find yourselves in such circumstances?” He had that sort of attitude where you can really tell that someone is trying to keep their composure but still looks and sounds majorly pissed off.

“You mean the circumstances of cleaning up the mess made by your company, bossman? When we happened across them, the dragon was practically escaped and actively grilling your slaves.”

“I hardly care for that little particularity. The value of just one dragon steak is more than the cost of a thousand slaves.”

“But all that money can’t bring someone back from being barbecued, can it?”

“And I should care why, exactly?”

“Tch.” Typical rich asshole. Human lives are just numbers on a balance sheet for them, aren’t they? I’m hardly the sort to get torn up over people dying myself, but come on, you can’t even spare an ounce of remorse for a death that happened on your account? Asshole. “Either way, if I hadn’t intervened your whole damn caravan would have gone up in flames. You think tired slaves can wrangle an angry dragon with some chains and a bit of tarp? If anything you should be thanking me for saving what was still salvageable, you ingrate.”

I fully expected a smack in the back of the head for that one, but it never came. Immanuel instead just stared at me like I had just met god and spat in his face. I really didn’t get why he was so intimidated by this nobleman guy. I could take him in a fight with my eyes closed. What’s so scary about a guy like that?

“…Fredrick, is what she says true?” said Greedy Nobleprick after a long silence.

“Y-yes, milord,” he replied. “I think if she hadn’t acted when she did, it’s likely that you’d have lost far more. It was unfortunate, but she made the right choice in the position.

I wanted to remind him that he’s the one who passed me my damn staff in the first place, but something told me it wasn’t the time. Made me a little sick watching him be a suck-up.

“…very well. If Fredrick believes you acted in company interest, I suppose there’s no need for punishment.” I really wanted to tell him he can shove his company interest where the light don’t shine, but I was almost certain that was a decapitation-worthy comment, so I physically bit my tongue to stop myself from saying it.

“Will… that be all, sir?” asked Immanuel, like a pansy.

“Yes, that was all I needed you for. Though I am curious, how long do you plan to stay in the city?”

“Just a couple of days for rest and recup-“

“Ooh! Actually! I forgot to tell you!” I interrupted. “Me and Misty have signed on to help the watchguys stop those creeps in the wagon!”

“You did what?!” Yelled Immanuel. Clearly he believed those little girls deserved to be kidnapped. Despicable. “You can’t just make decisions like that without my permi-“

“Actually, Fredrick,” interjected Mr Greedy Nobleman, “this works out rather well for me. You see, these kidnappings are actually what brought me here in the first place.”

“Sir?” Immanuel cocked his head.

“As minister for defence, I am just as responsible for internal threats as external ones. So it would hardly do for me to let a band of roving criminals snatch up young girls from every city north of the Umber, and would it?” He then turned his beady little eyes towards me. Man this guy gives me the creeps. “Ms Bakuchan. To this point, you and I have had a… less than cordial relationship-“

“Yeah, I’ll say.”

“However,” he said through gritted teeth, “if you truly manage to solve this issue, you'll have paid your recompense for your past crimes. I cannot offer you a full pardon, as that authority lies with the king. but I can at least promise you less restriction and better treatment. I’ll even let you carry on dragging around that stray mutt you picked up.”

“Stray mutt?” The hell was he talking about? The only one we’d picked up was… “hey, that’s my friend you’re talking about!”

“Irrelevant. This was intended to have been a mission kept entirely under wraps from outsiders, so I should actually be punishing you for dragging that girl around. But if you bring down these criminals, I will trust your judgement enough to allow her to stay.”

Tch. Who did this guy think he is. Spending his days sitting in his cushiony chair doing easy desk work while we walk across the whole damn island, and he has the audacity to think he gets to choose who’s in our party? Under different circumstances I’d consider just flamethrowering his stupid baby face and leaving, but by luck (his luck) our goals were already aligned.

“To be clear, Mr Greedy… can I call you Mr Greedy?”

“You most certainly may not.”

“Mr Greedy, let it be known I am not doing this for you. I just happened to already want to do it.”

“So long as it gets done, I frankly could not care less why you choose to do it.” For someone who didn’t seem to value human lives at all, he was oddly adamant on this one. Then again, if a string of kidnappings goes unchallenged he’s probably the one that gets shit for it. “Now, leave us. Fredrick, let us talk in private.”

“Yes sir.”

“Later, bossman. Immanuel, I’ll be at the barracks, kay?”

I opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Man was I glad that I didn’t have to put up with that guy any more today. He was a real piece of work.

Welp, back to Misty I g-

“I see you’ve chosen a noble course. I am glad to hear it.”

“Wah-!” I jumped backwards so fast I damn near fell over. The hell was the masked lady doing here? “Christ, woman, how do you just appear out of nowhere like that? You gave me a heart attack!”

“A magician never reveals her secrets,” she said slyly, a smile curling beneath her mask. “You’ve made a good decision today, Bakuchan.”

“I take it this whole kidnapping thing is another of your tests?” I said, awkwardly rubbing the back of my head. She really had scared the crap out of me.

“Indeed. Though don’t mistake me, I have no acquaintance with those wretched men. This horrid trafficking ring is a real and dangerous threat. I merely saw this as an opportunity that was kind enough to present itself.”

“Yeah, yeah, an opportunity to help me become a true hero or whatever, I get.” I was pretty sure she could have just pot roasted them herself, so I questioned the decision to wait for me. Surely she could have saved those girls already. “So, you got deets on these kidnappers? Something that would help me get there and incinerate them faster?”

“Unfortunately I have not found their base of operations. On this front I am afraid you are alone,” she said apologetically.

“Eh. I’m used to getting stuff done alone, this is fine.” I did really want a new and urgent target for my inferno, but I guessed we were going the tracking way instead. “That all you came to talk to me about? That I’d made the right call?”

“Well, that and one more thing,” she said, clearing her throat. “You cannot trust Bellman.”

She said it so confidently and matter-of-factor that I instantly took it as gospel. Problem is…

“Who’s Bellman again?”