I Became a Raid Boss

“…Whoa!”

With trembling hands, the dwarf Brondin held the Dragon Orb and shed tears of joy.

I didn’t particularly enjoy watching others cry, but the sight of a rough-faced dwarf shedding tears like chicken droppings was quite a spectacle that was hard to look away from.

Well, it was understandable; after all, he had just recovered the Dragon Orb he thought lost forever.

It was a while before the dwarf, sobbing while clutching the golden gem, finally stopped crying.

“…It’s all thanks to you. Thank you, thank you….”

Brondin, who had been hiccuping and struggling to speak, started with a “But…”

“May I ask how you found it? I thought I would never find it again! Oh, I’m not doubting you, so please don’t misunderstand! If you don’t want to say, that’s fine too.”

He was just curious after all.

At that, we glanced at each other.

*

A few hours earlier, before handing the Dragon Orb to Brondin.

We had been stumbling around with our meager skills against that red something…

Right, it was ‘Red Claw.’ Such a childish name that I had trouble remembering.

Anyway, we had successfully secured Max from the Red Claw Mercenaries.

The reason I used the word ‘secured’ instead of ‘rescued’ was that we couldn’t guarantee whether we would harm him or not.

“What should we do?”

It was amazing how a person’s face could turn that white.

Staring down at Max’s pale face, I asked Ashie.

“Killing him would be neat.”

It was a remark delivered in a tone that was as straightforward as the matter itself.

Da-eun, who had been listening quietly, widened her eyes in surprise.

“W-What? He committed a crime, but it doesn’t seem like he committed a crime worthy of death…”

Though the severity of punishment can vary by country, this world’s penalties are generally harsher than Earth’s.

To be precise, that only applies to certain classes.

In a world where a noble can kill a commoner for blocking a carriage, what can you say?

Of course, if you say, ‘I killed him for blocking my carriage!’ that would be embarrassing, so they would conjure up all sorts of charges to cover their tracks.

However, even in such a world, you wouldn’t be sentenced to death for simply stealing a commoner’s belongings.

Though I can’t be sure about the dwarves’ laws, I don’t think they differ much from humans in this regard.

“Only if it were a common theft, though.”

“…Theft is theft; what’s the difference?”

“It’s not just any theft; it’s the Dragon Orb…”

Seeing Da-eun’s expression, I halted my words.

…Looks like she really doesn’t get it.

She must have thought that seeing our reactions meant it was something expensive or valuable.

“Joanie.”

“Yeah?”

I whispered into Da-eun’s ear, who was bent over in confusion. As she heard the price of the Dragon Orb, she gasped in disbelief and quickly understood.

“I think I get why you said that…”

“Right?”

When it comes to making adults understand something, money reigns supreme, and the adult Da-eun grasped the current situation instantly.

You know how it is.

When trying to explain about a house to adults, they’ll have no interest if you prattle on about how it looks, but the moment you mention the price, their interest piques.

It’s something like that.

“Besides the money, I wouldn’t want to keep this guy alive.”

“Agreed.”

Both Ashie and I, two citizens of Grasis, were in agreement.

“Why? Because he’s from the Empire?”

“It’s not just that. He may not be as bad as the mercenaries, but he’s definitely not a decent guy either.”

“Yup.”

“Eh…”

“It seems that doesn’t resonate with you.”

Unlike me, who was nodding, Da-eun seemed to struggle to understand Ashie’s point.

It makes sense she wouldn’t be accustomed to situations like this.

And when I said I wanted to kill him because he’s from the Empire?

It’s true I don’t like the Empire, but that doesn’t mean I want to kill everyone from there.

Not anymore, anyway.

So my agreement with Ashie had different reasoning behind it.

“Do you know why this guy hired mercenaries?”

“Uh… to safely get down the mountain, he needed vanguard support, right?”

Da-eun’s answer was quite reasonable.

Depending on the system, it may vary, but most magicians can wield greater power in prepared situations.

That’s why it’s customary for them to work with vanguards who can create a prepared situation—essentially buying time.

While her answer was off-base for Ashie’s question,

“If that were the case, he would have hired more trustworthy people than these fools.”

Ashie grimaced and kicked the corpse lying around.

Oh dear… what a disrespectful act!

“I knew he would try to kill me when I made my entrance.”

“…No way.”

“Way? Had this guy been weak, it would have been our corpses sprawled out here instead. Plus, the look in my captain’s eyes wasn’t right, so this guy might have had worse things happen to him than just dying. No, that’s definitely the case.”

“Hmm.”

“Why do you keep nodding?”

“You could have reasons to do that, you know.”

“If you don’t trust me, let’s just ask the source directly.”

Seeing Da-eun still half-incredulous, Ashie shrugged.

“Even if what you said is right, do you think Max would honestly answer the questions asked? People like that don’t seem the type to spontaneously confess…”

“He will confess.”

Ashie pointed at me with his finger.

“He wouldn’t want to die at my hands.”

“…Why am I the target?”

I huffed, feeling suddenly cornered as all eyes turned to me.

Perhaps Ashie still thought I wouldn’t hit him because I was captivated by the former glory of his past.

My restraint on his whims came not out of fondness for him, but simply due to his royal status.

“…Is that what you call restraint?”

“I didn’t hit you, did I?”

With a look on his face that seemed to contain a lot to say, Ashie turned away.

Max, who had been watching me tremble like a aspen leaf in front of a monster, noticed Ashie’s gaze and shrank back.

Ashie, with a commanding tone, shared the results of our little interrogation.

Q. How did you know the Master was buying the Dragon Orb?

A. I heard him bragging about it when he was drunk.

Q. What did you intend to do with the Dragon Orb?

A. I was going to sell it in another city.

Q. Why did you hire mercenaries? Was it to kill us?

A. Absolutely not! It was just in case I encountered monsters.

Q. Don’t lie and answer honestly.

A. …I’m sorry. Please forgive me just this once.

There were more questions, but it was roughly along these lines.

Da-eun, watching their exchange, realized Ashie was right and wore a rather gloomy expression.

“What do you think?”

“Do as you wish.”

If it were the old days? I would have killed him mercilessly at the point of hearing that.

Though I had no idea who would show up while planning, it would still turn out that he wanted to kill me.

But in this instance, I was simply a person who came to retrieve an item stolen from Brondin, so it was better to leave matters to Ashie, who was more involved.

“Hmm, but he is indeed insufferable.”

I approached Max, extending my hand.

Seeing my empty hand, Max leaped back in shock.

A full-grown man so easily frightened…

This is why magicians can’t be reliable.

Chiding him inwardly, I spoke in the friendliest tone I could muster.

“Hand over everything you’ve got.”

Of course, that might not have sounded terribly friendly.

*

Whether to share the truth with Brondin or not.

After contemplating for a while, Ashie decided to tell his master nothing but the facts.

Even if Brondin would be heartbroken, he reasoned it was better to know than to remain ignorant.

“…So it was true. Max was the culprit…”

As expected, Brondin looked rather heartbroken to be betrayed by someone he trusted.

“So what happened to him?”

“…”

“I see. So that’s how it went.”

Ashie maintained silence.

Brondin simply nodded quietly.

“Are you alright, Master?”

“I have to be okay, even if I’m not. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before?”

“I’m a magician working at the workshop next to Max’s. I was of great help in finding him.”

“…I didn’t do anything grand as you say. The real work was done by—”

“?”

The magician conversing with Brondin glanced at me.

Why is he suddenly looking at me?

“It’s that guy.”

“…That little girl?”

“It’s true, Master. If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t have even located the Dragon Orb, let alone returned.”

“True. A person with such a magical tool could certainly do that.”

Brondin stroked his rough beard.

The golden gem that had been resting in Max’s possession was now carefully placed in a luxurious box lined with velvet.

Brondin gazed down at the Dragon Orb with a complicated expression.

“Earlier, I mentioned I was hoping for a reward. Naturally, after retrieving this precious item, I should be compensated, but as I mentioned, I’m currently broke. I spent all my money to buy this.”

“Um, that’s okay. It would be a lie to say I’m not disappointed, but since we offered to help, it’s our responsibility—”

“Then I propose this. I’ll make a magical tool with this Dragon Orb, and in exchange, will you buy it?”

“…Huh?”

“Of course, it won’t be free. I have to live too. But I promise to sell it much cheaper than other magical tools.”

“W—Wait a moment…!”

Da-eun urgently conveyed Brondin’s words to me.

“…He said he’ll give us a magical tool made from the Dragon Orb?”

“Uh, yeah. It won’t be for free, but it’ll be at a cost.”

“That’s only natural.”

If he had offered to give it for free, I’d feel burdened to take it.

Even if it’s true I couldn’t have gotten it back without me.

Honestly, saying he’d sell the magical tool made from the Dragon Orb cheaper than others is practically giving it away.

“Yeah, I like it.”

“…Master, if you’re short on money, I can pay for it instead.”

“What are you saying, my benefactor? I mean, I wanted to handle this for myself. I’m not doing it to earn money or anything; I just wanted to use it. A few coins for beer is all I need, right? Selling the magical tools should easily cover that!”

Brondin, whose earlier gloom lifted, burst into a hearty laugh.

“What type of magical tool do you want? I’ll make whatever you want!”

“I want a tool that can withstand mana.”

“…Mana?”

Ashie’s eyebrows twitched.

“Why do you need it?”

“Because I need it.”

“Who doesn’t know that? Why do you really need it?”

Ashie was probing with an odd intensity.

I had no obligation to answer him, but since there was no reason to hide it, I told him about our next destination.

“We’re going to the Mad Continent, Raxia.”

The sight of Ashie’s normally pristine face being ruined was more amusing than I’d expected.

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