Chapter 56: An Awfully Familiar Name

From opposite corners of the tavern, two figures rose to their feet and approached Starfall warily, eyeing him as if he were an old enemy.

The orc bartender introduced them with enthusiasm. "This is Hastin, a veteran rogue that specializes in disarming traps. And that's Hares, a ranger. His raven's been specially trained and is very good at finding hidden rooms and secret passages."

Starfall studied the two adventurers.

The ranger, Hares, wasn't particularly remarkable, though his half-elven bloodline was mildly noteworthy.

As for the rogue, Hastin, he was far too tall, built more like a warrior than a thief. More striking still was his aura, one that Starfall found oddly familiar: that of an ascetic.

Hastin seemed as though he had already seen through life's suffering and entered a state of utter detachment. His eyes were calm, distant, and unfathomably deep. One could only wonder what he had experienced to reach such a state at so young an age.

"I'm looking for someone to infiltrate a mage's tower," Starfall said simply. He avoided specifying which tower, then asked a few follow-up questions to confirm their competence.

Both performed well. The rogue effortlessly cracked a magical lock Starfall produced, while the ranger's summoned raven quickly located a magical ring Starfall had hidden away. By any standard, their skills were first-rate.

The problem was when they named their prices.

The rogue Hastin quoted a flat three thousand gold—and even then, he would only be responsible for infiltration. He would carve out a single safe route into the tower, but refused to explore any further inside.

"No matter the type of mage's tower, the risk is too high," he said bluntly. "There's no way I can disable every magical trap and still get out alive. I'll be honest. If things turn dangerous, I'm gonna make a run for it."

The statement was shamelessly irresponsible, and the price outrageous. While Starfall could afford it, he simply refused to be taken for a fool.

The half-elf ranger, by contrast, seemed far more upright. His price was even higher at five thousand gold, but his terms were reasonable. He guaranteed a safe infiltration route and promised to explore the tower from top to bottom. While he couldn't disarm every magical trap, he would mark every suspicious location and deliver a detailed map.

Expensive, yes, but fair.

If they could truly map out the lich's fortress, five thousand gold would be a bargain.

Just as Starfall was considering whether to haggle further, Hastin suddenly asked, "Don't paladins usually cast Detect Evil on prospective mercenaries first?"

Starfall glanced at him in surprise. "Some paladins swear stricter oaths, so they screen their allies that way. My oath isn't quite that rigid."

Out of Starfall's sight, the half-elven ranger Hares sighed with a flicker of disappointment.

He had hoped to pull the same trick the lich had used and squeeze out a bit of ‘moral compensation.' Who would have thought this paladin operated with such flexible ethics?

Still, it wasn't a real problem. Neither of them ever intended to infiltrate any mage's tower.

Their only goal was to extort a sum of money from this paladin. Even a tenth of the payment as a deposit would be enough for the two brothers to leave Alkhemia behind.

The only reason they were still stuck in this cursed city was Ambrose. That damned lich had cleaned them out completely; they didn't even have enough money left to buy a horse.

If Starfall paid now, they'd flee the city overnight and never look back.

The Nine Kingdoms were vast—surely the Lyon Empire wouldn't chase them across the world over a few hundred gold coins.

It was a solid plan. Unfortunately, they had underestimated Starfall's caution.

After a long negotiation, Starfall finally hired both of them together for four thousand gold coins and tasked them with infiltrating Ambrose's fortress.

A tenth of the payment was settled on the spot. But after handing over the gold, Starfall produced two alchemical vials and set them before the brothers.

"These are magical potions I commissioned from the Alchemists' Council," he said calmly. "Once consumed, they'll grant you several defensive enchantments to ensure your safety during the infiltration. The effects will lie dormant in your bodies and activate automatically when you're in danger.

"They'll grant you Agathys' Armor, Stoneskin, and Mage Armor simultaneously. That level of protection is enough to withstand my full Sacred Slash. It's more than enough to keep you alive."

The two exchanged glances, stunned. These potions alone were worth more than their asking price.

Agathys' Armor would bolster their vitality and sheath them in frost, freezing any enemy that came too close. Stoneskin needed no explanation—it made their skin as hard as stone. Mage Armor would completely negate magic projectiles and provide excellent magical defense.

Stacked together, the two brothers would be practically invincible.

The brothers hurriedly pocketed the vials, already thinking about reselling them at a handsome profit.

Then Starfall added, "No time to waste. Drink them now. The effects need time to settle. We're heading straight for the mage's tower."

"We... need to prepare," Hares said quickly. "I need to get biscuits for my pet."

"Right," Hastin added. "My lockpicks are dull. I should sharpen them."

......

Starfall smiled as the brothers put on their act, his hand already resting on the hilt of his sword.

"Anything you need, handle it right here in front of me. If you leave my sight, I might get... nervous. And when people get too nervous, they tend to become irritable."

A faint glow of holy light flowed around his palm. His Sacred Slash was clearly primed.

The brothers gulped. They instantly realized that the paladin had never trusted them. From the very beginning, he intended to march them straight into the tower.

Should they resist here and make a run for it?

There were two of them. Winning would be impossible, but slipping away, with the help of a few tricks, shouldn't be too hard. Hastin's hand drifted toward his smoke bomb; Hares prepared to summon a beast companion to cover their retreat.

Then the tavern door opened again. Four more heavily armored paladins of the Lyon Empire stepped inside.

Hastin and Hares: "..."

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Where could they run? If they made a single wrong move, these paladins would carve them into mincemeat.

The brothers could only plaster on forced smiles. "You're right. Time waits for no one. Let's depart at once."

Starfall chuckled. "No biscuits? No sharpening your lockpicks?"

"A hungry pet is more obedient."

"And lockpicks are easy enough to replace."

Starfall nodded, satisfied, then turned to his companions. "Let's go. We're heading to the territory of the lich known as Megaman Tiga."

Hastin and Hares: ???!!!

Why did that name sound so damn familiar?!