Foxtails and Fairytales: Facades and Fables of the Phantom Prince

[Arc 14] Ch.6 Dragon Date

"And so that is what happened." I said as I finished explaining our situation while I shined a light in Alpha's mouth. Presumably, to check the swelling. Due to the "unsightly scar" on his face I had him look away from Amanda and Talisa while we sat in our fancy suite curtesy of my good friend Mister Akasuki. He was a merchant I invested in a long time ago when he said he wanted to open an inn by the sea. Now he was operating one of the most successful hotel chains in Brillig and personally managing the headquarters one in Clear Coast bay.

"A giant crocodile threw the Ship? Monsters of impossible size. A sniper who can shoot from the back of a crocodile in a storm. A war of succession and an army of Conscripts." Amanda summarized what I had just told her. "You lot sounds like you are in a heap of danger." her eyes then gleamed. "Count me in!"

"Unfortunately, we can't afford you, and won't you get in trouble for messing with Ardentwae politics when you're contracted to the No'ad Federation?" I asked. As I began to brew a basic potion for show. It would help with swelling normally, but since my duplicate wasn't actually injured it would just be a bit a slightly bitter experience.

Amanda's ears drooped sadly at my swift and logical rejection.

"Are you sure we can't bring her? I kind of sympathize with her situation." Talisa looked at me with her big puppy dragon eyes.

"If the Federation has nothing to gain from it, they will make a stink about it and Amanda will be put in a difficult position." I shook my head. "S-Rank adventurers usually represent a nation's standing firepower. No'ad has the best benefits for S-ranks but they also have the most restrictions since they are surrounded on all sides from invading kingdoms. Ardentwae was just at war with a neighbor so they will be especially cautious about the whole affair."

"Is it really such a problem if she comes with us?" Talisa asked.

Gah! Once more with the puppy dog eyes. Stop it! It's too cute to handle!

"If she is seen violating the terms of her employment, she could face serious penalties, she could be fired, or worse she could be tried for treason." I said and our little bunny girl's ears had drooped so low she was practically a puddle herself.

I shake my head. "Even if she were only fired she would have a hard time getting high paying contracts again or even be hunted down and exterminated by other S-ranks, even No'ad's so she doesn't defect to an enemy territory to get revenge."

This time even Talisa was drooping with sadness.

I just can't win against them, can I?

"I'm not saying that I don't want her to come, only that she is an air head who doesn't think about these sorts of things and I don't want her to get in trouble." I rolled my eyes.

Another reason being a Warlock is better than being an adventurer. Adventurers are scouted and tied down as soon as possible when they reach A and S rank. I accidentally ranked up from B to A in Teagon which gave me that much more reason to get the heck out of there. Being on the run has never been easy. But I've gotten the hang of things. Which is why I created both Jekyll and Hyde. A nearly-nobody Monster Hunter and a wandering warlock. Two existences that couldn't be tied down easily.

"If we want her to come, we will have to do it in an official capacity. For instance, going through the guild with paperwork. And in order to file paperwork that will get approved we'll need a good reason to hire an S-rank and not just your average adventurer." I explained.

"We have a few things we can work with." I say and both Talisa and Amanda perk up.

I handed Alpha the finished potion and pointed at him. "Firstly, we have an injured A-rank. That's a big card to play for getting an S-Rank on our side. Secondly, we know her personally. Thirdly, we are affiliated with Galavan's Hearthroam more than Ardentwae. Since I'm a Monster Hunter more than an adventurer it would make sense for me to hire an additional guard when I don't have my own. We've been shipwrecked. And we have one last trump card if all that fails." I say glancing at Talisa.