Chapter 12
I followed Mikhail toward a secluded mountain.
At some point, the knights who had been following us disappeared.
Only Mikhail and I remained.
...I can feel presences all around us. Did he station them here in advance in case I tried to escape?
[ Sigh, where did all the others go? What are you doing here all by yourself, nya? ]
A familiar voice reached my ears.
I glanced behind me.
Leon was naturally floating along behind us.
He disappeared near the end, so I wondered if something had happened to him. Looks like he managed to come back alive.
[ ...Huh? Why can I hear your voice, nya? I, is this an auditory hallucination, nya? ]
His ears perked up as he looked confused.
Now that I had gained Inner Energy, I could use voice transmission.
My gaze naturally moved toward Leon's head.
But that thing....
Flinch.
[ W, where are you looking, nya?! That's rude, nya...! ]
Leon's fur stood on end as he jumped in surprise.
He hurriedly covered his head with his paws while avoiding my gaze.
“......”
Along with his original light brown fur, he was also wearing a hat shaped like a lion's mane.
No matter how anyone looked at him, he was clearly a cat trying to imitate a lion.
...I can understand having your own tastes.
Without another thought, I sharply turned my head away.
Instead, Leon grabbed my cheek and pressed against it, desperately trying to explain himself.
[ Ha! D, do you think I wanted to wear something like this, nya?! It's all because Lord Taeo forced me to wear it, nya! S, so! Don't misunderstand anymore, nya! Got it, nya?! ]
After firmly defending himself, Leon sat down on my shoulder with a sulky expression.
As if venting his anger, he repeatedly pressed his front paws against my shoulder.
Press. Press.
[ Evil employer! Die, nya! ]
About five minutes passed like that.
We reached the summit of the mountain.
A single tree stood tall in the middle of an open field.
Beneath it, a blonde woman was waiting beside a luxurious carriage.
“...From here on, mind your manners.”
Listening to Mikhail's cold warning, I slowly walked toward her.
“I have brought him as you ordered, Your Highness.”
“Well done, Sir Agnes.”
Golden hair could be seen beneath her hat along with a faint smile.
Unlike her smiling lips, however, her eyes were cold.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Player Lee Suhyeok. I am Olivia Arcadia, First Princess of the Empire.”
In my previous life, she had been known as the tragic princess.
Her mother had been a concubine from a fallen noble family.
Even though Olivia possessed extraordinary intelligence and great popularity, she could never easily close the gap between herself and the Crown Prince, who was born to the Empress.
In the end, she lost to the Crown Prince and met a miserable death.
The reason she had summoned me here was also to close that gap.
[ Wow, she's incredibly beautiful, nya. She's like a goddess, nya. ]
At some point, Leon had taken a seat on a tree branch and was watching everything unfold.
So far, everything had gone according to my expectations.
First, I needed to take control of the conversation.
“Since I was practically dragged here, I can't exactly say I'm pleased to meet you. Why did you call me to such a deserted place?”
Shing!
Mikhail's blade was suddenly pointed at my neck.
A thin stream of blood ran down my skin.
“How dare someone like you speak to Her Highness as an equal! Show Her Highness proper respect at once!”
My disrespectful way of speaking without any honorifics had angered Mikhail.
His eyes looked as if he would cut me down at any moment.
But he could not easily kill me.
After all, I wasn't the one who desperately needed something right now.
She was.
Perhaps realizing my intention, Olivia lightly bit her lip before raising one hand.
“Sir Agnes, lower your sword. Not yet.”
“...Understood.”
Not yet.
Those words were a warning directed at me.
She was backing down for now, but she could kill me whenever she wanted.
“I apologize if that made you uncomfortable. It seems further formalities are unnecessary. Why don't we get straight to the point?”
The flustered look she had shown earlier disappeared.
She looked at me with cold eyes once more and finally revealed her purpose.
“Become one of my people. Of course, you do not need to worry. I am not asking you to do it for free. I will pay the proper price.”
[ The target has requested a Coin Trade. ]
Coin Trades.
Just as Players could use them, the residents of each floor could also make such transactions.
However, unlike Players, residents had to pay enormous transaction fees, so almost no one other than merchants used them.
[ 15,000 Coins have been offered. Would you like to accept? ]
As I stared at the trade window floating before me, Olivia spoke with a confident expression.
“It is only natural that you are surprised. That amount is more than enough to purchase a noble title. I believe I have offered you a very reasonable sum. What do you think?”
Her tone suggested that everything was going exactly as she had planned.
She probably still believed that she held the advantage in this negotiation.
“Then I will take that as you accepting my offer...”
“Princess Olivia, unfortunately, I'll have to refuse your offer.”
Flinch.
For a moment, silence filled the area.
Her previously calm expression twitched, as if she had never expected that answer.
She asked in a much lower voice than before.
“...You are quite arrogant. I do not know how many Coins you currently possess, but surely that is not a small amount to you?”
Just as she said, it was an incredibly tempting amount for a Player who had only just cleared the Tutorial.
If it had been me back when I knew nothing, I might have accepted her offer.
“One of your people, huh.... You've dressed it up nicely, but what you're really saying is that you want me to become your slave.”
Flinch.
“...What do you mean by that?”
There was one rule that applied to every floor of the Tower.
At fixed intervals, each floor had to pay the amount of Coins demanded by the Tower.
If they failed to do so, then no matter how high-ranking the floor was, it would be erased without leaving even a trace behind.
“Aren't you planning to make me sign a contract with absurd conditions, then collect Coins from me every time I climb to a higher floor? If that works, the amount you're spending right now would be nothing.”
It was a trick commonly used against beginner Players.
Because of the Coins they accepted without knowing any better, more than half of all the Coins they earned afterward would be taken away from them.
