Seeker 357

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Chapter 357. Negotiation Of The Request

"What the hell was Ovwe doing?! I clearly told him Elvira's safety was paramount, and yet that incompetent fool! How does he plan to take responsibility if something happens to her?!"

The residence of Count Holmlund, in the reception room.

The count, a man of rotund build dressed in lavish clothes, shouted furiously without concern for who could hear him.

A maid standing behind him trembled in fear at his outburst.

In the reception room, two three-seater sofas faced each other across a low table, with the count seated on an extravagant, throne-like sofa.

On the sofa to the count's right sat me, Kazane, and Yuzuki.

The sofa to the left was occupied by the receptionist from the Adventurer's Guild.

The guild lady spoke in a soft voice, trying to ease the situation.

"Count, perhaps it would be better to focus on rescuing your daughter rather than placing blame right now?"

"O-Oh, yes... Elvira...! If something happens to her, I... I...!"

After all his yelling, the count now broke down in tears, his emotions wildly unstable.

Just as I was thinking that—

"I beg you, all of you! Please save my daughter at any cost! I implore you!"

He pleaded with the three of us. I exchanged glances with Kazane and Yuzuki, unsure how to respond.

Somehow, we had been swept along up to this point, but the truth is, we were only here to inquire about an S-rank quest involving the retrieval of a Roc's egg, not to take on a rescue mission for his kidnapped daughter.

Incidentally, a special mission had been issued.

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Special Mission: Rescue the Count's Kidnapped Daughter!

Mission reward upon completion: 50,000 EXP

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Let’s take a step back and go over the situation.

An arrow with a message had been shot into the front of Count Holmlund's mansion. The note detailed the kidnapping of the count’s daughter, Elvira, along with a series of demands.

It specified a ransom, a time frame to gather the money, and instructions not to notify the authorities or the Adventurer’s Guild. It also warned that if the kidnappers were crossed, they would kill the girl, and the location for the ransom exchange would be provided later.

That group of four adventurer-like figures that the gatekeeper mentioned must be the culprits or part of the gang that kidnapped the count's daughter.

As for the "don't notify the Adventurer’s Guild" part, it was too late for that. By the time the count had explained the letter’s contents, we and the guild lady were already aware of it.

Blaming the gatekeeper now was pointless. We’d already been escorted into the mansion, and here we were.

The guild lady wanted to return to the guild and report the situation to her superiors, but she feared the kidnappers’ warning not to alert the guild.

There was no clue about the culprits’ movements. For all we knew, one of them could be watching us right now, making it risky to act carelessly. Even Kazane, who possessed the [Presence Detection] skill, said there were too many people in the city to identify a suspicious figure.

Thus, the only ones who could move right now were those of us inside the mansion. With the count being of no use, it was up to the guild lady to take charge.

"Count, as a general rule, when hostages are involved in a kidnapping, even with the help of adventurers, a rescue mission is extremely difficult. If the kidnappers possess awakened powers, it would be near impossible. If your daughter is in their hands, they could harm her before any adventurer could rescue her."

"No...! Then what should I do? How can I save Elvira?!"

"It’s a precarious balancing act. First, we need to determine if the ransom can be gathered—"

The guild lady calmly explained the situation, and I thought to myself, "Yeah, that’s how it usually goes."

However, we’ve overturned such hostage situations many times before.

When the dwarf village was under siege and Belga was captured by the cultists. When we rescued the elven girls from the hands of traffickers. When merchant Eslin-san was kidnapped by the wealthy Gordo. When we saved the mermaids being held by sahuagins under the sea. When we rescued the town girls held by the magistrate in Echigoya.

We’ve reached such a high level that we could probably be considered "cheats." But even before that, we possessed some rare skills that could almost be called cheats.

I approached the guild lady, who had finished explaining things to the count, and said to her:

"Um, I think if we knew their location, we could handle it."

"Huh...? What do you mean by 'handle'?"

"Well, uh—"

I leaned in and whispered to her. I didn’t want the count to overhear, as it might complicate things. Kazane, however, gave me a slightly irritated look. Her jealousy radar was sharp as ever.

Meanwhile, the guild lady’s eyes widened in surprise as she listened to my words.

"R-Really!? [Stealth] is an incredibly rare skill, and you and Kazane both possess it?"

"Yes. Even if the enemies are awakened, as long as there's a level difference, we can expect the skill to work. But as I said, we need to locate the kidnapped girl and her captors first, which might be the tricky part."

"I see... That could be a viable approach then..."

"W-Wait! What are you talking about?! Explain it to me properly!"

The count leaned forward, looking frustrated.

The guild lady, who had been deep in thought, apologized to the count, asking him to wait a little longer, and then turned to us.

"So, does your party, the Daichi's Spear, intend to accept this as a quest?"

She asked, and I looked at Kazane and Yuzuki. They both nodded.

Well, I suppose.

Honestly, I don’t really feel like helping this nobleman, but leaving a kidnapped young girl to her fate when we have the power to save her doesn’t sit right either.

Plus, we’ve already got the special mission.

Still, might as well try to maximize our benefits.

"Yes. Ideally, we’d like to take this on as an 'S-rank quest’."

"The kidnappers' group includes four awakened individuals that we know of, and the mission involves rescuing a hostage. Yes, classifying it as an S-rank quest is appropriate. Understood."

The guild lady, having reached a conclusion, addressed the count.

"Count, the Daichi's Spear are an exceptional adventurer party, unlike any other. If anyone can pull off what’s usually an impossible rescue, it’s them. I recommend officially issuing this as an S-rank quest to have them rescue your daughter."

"R-Really?! Then Elvira will definitely come back safely, right?!"

"I can’t guarantee 'definitely.' If such a condition were imposed, they wouldn’t be able to take the request. However, they’re professionals. If they accept, they’ll do their utmost."

"That’s not good enough! I demand a guarantee! If something happens to my daughter, I... I won’t allow it!"

"Then you’ll have to handle it yourself. Cold as it may sound, this situation arose from the negligence of House Holmlund. The Daichi's Spear are under no obligation to follow your orders."

"No..."

The count slumped back in his chair, dazed. The ticking of the clock on the wall filled the silence.

After a few moments, the count finally muttered, "I understand."

He then, as directed by the guild lady, formally issued a quest request to the Adventurer’s Guild for the rescue of his daughter.