Adonis (2)
Adonis responded to Reed's greeting.
"I am Adonis Huper, the captain of the 3rd Knight Order of Huper Kingdom, and I greet you, Tower Master."
"I heard you're the eldest princess of the Huper royal family."
"Yes, I am. However, you don't need to treat me like other princesses."
Adonis placed her hand on the Huper Kingdom emblem engraved on her plate armor and stood at attention.
"I am a sword that protects a nation, and before it, there is only justice, not gender. So please, feel free to speak casually."
"Understood. The spirit of an excellent knight."
In other words, she meant she was a troublesome woman.
However, Reed politely offered Adonis a seat.
Adonis sat opposite Reed.
'It's like my first encounter with Dolores.'
Although the atmosphere wasn't as cold as back then, it was even more stiff.
She had short platinum blonde hair and green eyes. As long as she didn't speak, she looked like a handsome man with her tall and slim figure.
'Wasn't she said to resemble Morgan the 2nd like a twin?'
Adonis Huper was 26 years old. Morgan the 2nd was 9 years old, and their appearances were so similar that they could be mistaken as sisters, not siblings.
[T/N: By siblings, they mean brother and sister.]
Of course, as Morgan the 2nd grew older, he would become more masculine, but at present, it was said they looked alike.
Reed examined her with his「Talent Appraisal」trait.
Name: Adonis Huper
Occupation: Captain of the 3rd Knight Order
Age: 26 years old
Alignment: Order-Neutral
Health: 1,215/1,215
Stamina: 840/1,040
Mana: 261/261
[Traits]
「Bloodline of Huper」, 「Chivalry」, 「Giant Slayer」, 「Sword Expert」
[Abilities]
<Power Lv. 6>, <Commander Lv. 5>, <Swordsmanship Lv. 4>, <Agility Lv. 5>, <Steel Lv. 4>
[Unreleased Traits & Abilities]
「Sura's Sword」, 「Magic Swordsman」, 「Sword Master」
<Swordsmanship Lv. 6>, <Magic Lv. 4>, <Mana Sensitivity Lv. 3>
In a word, Adonis was this kind of being.
'A knight of immense strength.'
The trait「Giant Slayer」is given only to those with immense strength, able to contend with giants.
At first glance, she appeared like a dedicated knight with a slender face, but her strength was much greater than that of any other knight.
"Why do you ask, Tower Master?"
"…Nothing."
'Let's not think about it. Let's just look at what's in her abilities.'
She had all the skills a knight should possess.
Aside from <Swordsmanship>, she had the perfect abilities for a complete knight character.
'She also had the qualities of a mage.'
She wouldn't become an Archmage, but she chose to grow as a knight instead of pursuing the path of a mage.
"First, I would like to apologize for our knights not recognizing you, Tower Master."
Adonis politely apologized. Rather than simply accepting her apology, Reed considered it an apology for his own actions as well.
"I haven't done anything admirable either. I did break your knights' swords."
"When the Imperial Workshop investigated the matter, they found that the sword was a defective product from their workshop. If the knight had battled you with that defective weapon, we would have undoubtedly lost a great knight to Alte's arms. It is our side that should be grateful."
Defective product…
Considering it was the Imperial Workshop that only handled the best products, they would have deemed it a defective item the moment they heard a single mage had broken the sword like a candy.
In the end, the sword would be remade by the Imperial Workshop, and no one would have lost anything.
"Also,"
Adonis stared at Reed with her green eyes.
"We will purchase all the goods you've intercepted at their contractual prices."
"Did you bring the money?"
"Of course."
Adonis showed a chest and said,
"I have calculated the total value of the carrots you acquired, which is 1,000 UP."
"1,500 UP."
Reed cut her off.
"Our tower can store them in the best condition. We even separate the ones eaten by bugs and keep them well, so I think that should be worth an additional 500 YUPI."
That was a 1.5 times markup.
Adonis stared at Reed and then quietly nodded.
"…Understood."
Originally, there was not only 1,000 YUPI in the chest.
She took out a total of 1,500 YUPI and piled it in front of Reed.
"Moreover,"
"Do you have anything else left?"
"I would like you to deliver all the grain that was promised to Starfall Village by tomorrow."
[T/N: Fallen Star Village -> Starfall Village, makes more sense]
Reed had not raised the issue out of charity.
He simply wanted to see how far the King's representative could accommodate.
"It's unexpected that you, Tower Master, would show concern for such a small village."
"I saw the spirit of a knight there, willing to risk their life to protect their village. Isn't that a level of resilience different from those who retreat as soon as their sword breaks?"
This remark carried a sharp edge.
Her face should have scowled, but it remained as rigid as a doll's.
"I cannot handle that matter at my discretion. I shall report it to His Majesty."
Reed didn't reply and just looked at her.
Adonis, who had been waiting for a response, raised her head and looked at Reed.
"It's strange."
"What do you mean?"
"You don't feel it? You are buying the carrots for 500 YUPI more than agreed, but you say that delivering the grain immediately is impossible."
It could have been justifiable if she wanted to avoid rubbing the Tower Master the wrong way.
However, Reed didn't see it in that simple light.
"Why is the Huper Kingdom issuing promissory notes to commoners?"
"I cannot answer that. The knights do not interfere with administration or politics, so even if I wanted to, I couldn't tell you."
"So that's how the Huper Kingdom's politics work."
"All policies are wisely led by His Majesty and the ministers. That is why, until now, there have been no doubts."
"No doubts, huh..."
Reed drew out his words.
He wanted to amplify the impact of the imminent bombshell.
"Does the Captain of the 3rd Knight Order also feel that way?"
Boom!
The glass she held shattered.
