Published: March 21, 2026
"Depends on the terms."
"You bastard! How rude!!"
I don't know what about my reply offended Victor, but he snapped at me and I couldn't help but sigh.
I had just held back earlier for no reason, it seems.
"I can't just say 'okay' without hearing the terms. Tell me the request and the reward first."
When I said that, King Igusamu smiled a little.
"It seems the summoned hero from another world is sharper than I expected. Very well… This time I want Oda to carry out the assassination of a certain person. The reward will be your safety while you remain in this country. How does that sound?"
I finally noticed the grin on King Igusamu's face.
This man is the kind I dislike.
"I refuse."
"What!?"
I said it flatly, and Victor's eyes widened.
I don't know what position a king holds among the Beastmen, but isn't he overreacting?
"Why? I heard you were attacked by many demonic beasts and people before you came here. Uruk, Mari in the Elf territory and the Beastmen territory. Coming from a different world without conflict, I thought the first thing you'd want would be safety."
I'll put aside for now why he knows about those things, but what a ridiculous misunderstanding.
"Sorry, but I can protect myself. I don't need your help."
I wonder how they perceive my level.
From what I can see of the statuses, there's nobody here stronger than me.
Well, only Amelia and I can see statuses, so it's understandable.
Still, if they know where we were attacked, they'd know about the demonic beasts I wiped out in Uruk.
"Did you spread the lie that you personally annihilated a large number of demonic beasts!?"
Victor's outburst made things clear enough.
Apparently he thinks it's a lie that I destroyed the beasts with shadow magic.
Amelia frowned beside me.
"What are you suddenly talking about — a lie? On what grounds do you say that?"
"Then, Princess Amelia was reported to not have been there. What grounds do you have to trust that person's lie? And there's no way a man like this could have killed over a hundred demonic beasts!"
He asserted that just by my appearance for some reason.
What the hell is wrong with this guy.
King Igusamu only smiled and didn't stop him; if anything he seemed to be observing me.
I caught a glimpse of Amelia's smile deepening to my side.
She's angrier than I've ever seen.
"Just because it was reported that way doesn't mean that person wasn't actually there. Can't you even believe your own companion? Besides, I know Akira better than someone I just met. Shut your mouth. It's unpleasant."
Boom — I shut him down.
Her retort was so sharp the word "got you" practically popped into my head.
No wonder she'd lived many more years than me.
Victor bit his lip and fell silent.
"I who wasn't there can't prove what Akira did. But that does not equal Akira lying. In other words, this conversation is pointless… Now, let's return to the matter. Who is the person you want Akira to assassinate?"
Oh right, he did say that.
I had completely forgotten after he offered us safety and such.
"I think you adventurers have at least heard the name. I want you to assassinate the guild master of this Uruk, Gram."
The unexpected name Gram drew a sharp intake of breath from Ria, who apparently hadn't been informed.
Amelia and I reacted differently as well.
"You want to kill your own nephew?"
This is another troublesome request.
The client is the king, and the target is a banished but still royal family member who holds some standing.
I'm not a citizen of this country so it's probably not binding, but a king's words carry a certain force.
What should I do.
"You know Gram? Then this will be quick. Kill him and I'll guarantee your safety."
"I told you already. I'm not so weak that I need protecting, and I refuse an assassination request."
Persistent.
Just as I was getting a little irritated, Amelia took my hand.
"Then have the strongest person in this castle fight Akira. If Akira loses even by chance, we'll accept your conditions. If Akira wins, we go free. Akira, is that okay?"
I nodded to Amelia and looked up at the throne.