Money is Faith (3)
Could a rabbit realistically go into a tiger's den and come out with money?
Even for a heartless place like Banco, it sounded like too much of a joke for them to take seriously.
"......"
Both of them stood in their places, at a loss for words.
Should they just let this absurd joke pass as a mere joke?
Or should they seriously consider whether it's a joke or the truth right here and now?
They were at a loss.
"......You mean to get it back?"
A mere banker from Banco taking on a lord of a territory?
"How?"
At the girl's natural reaction, Rockefeller still had a smile on his face.
"Well, just have to get it back, right?"
"That's a bit... too much of a joke."
Deciding it wasn't worth considering, the man standing at the threshold called out to the girl.
"Miss Isabella, let's go."
Rockefeller had spoken so matter-of-factly that even the man had doubted for a moment.
But no matter what the boy said, the idea of a rabbit going to a tiger's den to retrieve borrowed money was near impossible, so the man dismissed the boy's words as mere nonsense.
In the meantime, Rockefeller was showing a reaction to something entirely new.
"Wait, is that girl's name Isabella?"
Rockefeller showed a slight surprise upon hearing the name of the girl who had come to see him.
"Could it be that the reaction to the artifact for appraisal earlier was because of that?"
They were very small clues, but with the girl's name revealed at this moment and her subtle change in expression earlier, Rockefeller was able to guess the identity of the girl to some extent.
‘Truly surprising. After all, not every story in a novel is told in the novel.’
Surprisingly enough, the girl was one of the heroines who would later be involved with the protagonist.
"Nightlord Isabella."
She was a character who had a somewhat something with the protagonist, a mage belonging to the Sinclair, known as a magical family.
"Then, is the man with her Hunting Dog Jason? It was said that during Isabella's growth, they were always together like teacher and student."
The suspicion soon turned into conviction.
They were the spitting image of the two as described in the novel.
A wizard with icy blue hair and a cold demeanor. Here, she is still young, but likely a match. And a tall, strikingly featured former instructor-turned-hound. Both are exactly as described in the novel.
The magic wielded by the girl, known as the Nightlord, was deeply associated with darkness.
'It doesn't mean she's a witch, though.'
Her magic was of darkness, but it was entirely unrelated to black magic or necromancy, which often involve demons. In the novel, she was considered to be on the 'good' side.
'To think I'd see the heroine of the novel here. I heard she traveled around the continent with a former instructor hound when she was younger. Seems like that story was true.'
Then, what could be the reason for her, one of the heroines, to be in this remote part of the empire with the family's hound?
'Could it be... Are these these people the wizards called by the Hound Mercenaries?'
While not certain, the appearance of a wizard in such a remote place was uncommon.
Furthermore, considering the recent talks about hiring a wizard due to the Orc Shaman issue, it was worth some suspicion.
"Are you... perhaps a wizard?"
Isabella was slightly taken aback by the unexpected question.
She was surprised because the boy from the bank, who appeared to be the most ordinary in the world, had seemingly guessed their identity as wizards, which they hadn't yet revealed.
"Why do you ask that?"
"Well, there's a rumor going around that the Hound mercenary group hires a wizard for orc subjugation. You're an outsider, and you're wearing a robe that's popular among wizards, so I just wondered."
"Aren't robes commonly worn by nobles and clerics as well?"
"The texture of the robe looks very fine. I've met many nobles here, but this is the first time I've seen such a high-quality robe. Even the lady of the lord here doesn't wear such clothes. And the clerics usually dress modestly, so definitely not. So, you must be either a higher-ranking noble or a wizard. Wizards are wealthy, after all."
Isabella, avoiding an answer, glanced back to see Jason also showing a slightly awkward expression.
Ensuring that their identity as wizards remained undetected, they had even restricted the flow of mana around them to the extreme. However, now that their true nature had been exposed, they found themselves in a somewhat awkward situation.
‘Is he just good at guessing? How did he figure it out? Usually, we're just taken for nobles.’
Though there was no pressing need to reveal their employment as wizards, the boy's deduction was not entirely off the mark, making it hard to deny outright.
"You're asking unnecessary questions."
Rockefeller scratched the back of his head as the man showed signs of discomfort.
"Or not, whatever. It was just a question. It doesn’t mean anything."
The imperial frontier.
Jason, thinking that their exposure wouldn't pose a major issue, soon affirmed the boy's query.
"You have a good intuition. Yes, as you said, we are wizards."
"Really? Wow~ But how did you end up here?"
"We happened to encounter a mercenary who asked for help. He was in trouble, having no way to deal with an orc shaman."
Of course, their journey here was not purely for financial reasons.
"It'll be a good experience for the lady who still lacks practical experience."
"I decided to help because the proposed compensation wasn't bad."
Hearing this, Rockefeller slightly narrowed his eyes.
‘Did they happen to run into the mercenary group? But then, a magician from the Sinclair family wouldn't move just for the money. The pricing wouldn't have matched from the start.’
Unlike other magicians, those belonging to the Sinclair, a renowned magical family, were expensive to hire.
That's why they did not match with the Hound mercenaries who wanted a magician to defeat an orc shaman at a reasonable price.
"So, the magicians who came for our territory are here for the orc subjugation, right?"
