Chapter 16: 10 Minutes for 10,000 Gold
I could sense the change in the way she looked at me, blinking as if reassessing me.
The moment I thought of the real watcher outside, I knew I couldn’t delay any longer. I originally came here intending to use the Black Rose, but it seemed I needed to use them much more aggressively than planned.
“I’d like to meet the owner of this place.”
Mentioning another owner in front of the person standing before me made her sigh briefly before she responded.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No. But the commission fee is significant. Just like the amount I’ve already left.”
I gestured toward the pouch of jewels with my eyes, and Nella gave a slight nod before taking a step back.
Her attitude had shifted—no longer the amiable demeanor she showed earlier. She was now treating me not as a guest of the Blue Rose, but as a client of the Black Rose.
“Since you’ve exceeded a certain amount, I’ll escort you. However, if you don’t have a prior appointment, your life may not be guaranteed depending on the nature of your request, and you might be monitored.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Follow me.”
I slowly followed Nella as she made her way up the stairs to the second floor.
It wasn’t until much later that I got a proper look inside the famous Blue Rose establishment of Beneta.
Unlike the quiet lobby downstairs, the second floor was bustling with guests. Both the second and third floors were open bar spaces, offering food and drinks.
Elves in clean attire were serving the customers, pouring drinks and engaging them in conversation.
It felt a lot like bartenders, although... I hadn’t expected to see male elves. Then again, if they were handsome elves, it made sense that they’d attract female patrons as regulars.
From the fourth floor onward, the layout shifted to private corridors with closed rooms.
Even a glance at the people passing through these hallways made it clear that they were nobles or wealthy merchants.
The corridors were lined with ivory marble, and golden decorations adorned the many doors. Between them, elves poured drinks, sang, and smiled, catering to the guests.
‘This really takes some getting used to.’
No matter how many times I saw it, it was fascinating.
Elves selling alcohol? In every other world I knew, weren’t elves supposed to represent purity, wisdom, and innocence?
But in a world overrun by villains, the elves here had developed quite a sharp way of surviving.
I came to a stop at the lobby of the fifth floor.
The fifth floor was a secretive space, where private one-on-one services between guests and elves took place.
It was an insane place that charged 300 gold per room. As I glanced around at the rooms, a question came to mind. Men and women in the same room—what exactly would happen between them?
“Just out of curiosity….”
“That’s up to the elves.”
“I didn’t even ask yet.”
“It’s the most common question among fifth-floor guests. Whether or not an elf chooses a partner is entirely up to them.”
“…Partner?”
Nella nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“An elf only allows their body to someone they consider a partner. If not, they won’t permit it.”
“What if the other person tries to deny everything afterward…?”
“They won’t be allowed to leave alive.”
“But didn’t you just say that money solves everything?”
“If the elf agrees to compensation, the settlement involves cutting off the offender’s reproductive organ.”
“......”
This was practically villain-level stuff. If you made the wrong move, you could end up a eunuch.
Suddenly, the smiling elves around me started to seem a lot scarier.
Nella brought over one of the elves from somewhere nearby. She was just as stunningly beautiful as before, but I recoiled in shock.
“W-What’s this about?!”
“Do you have a specific preference? If not, how about this one?”
“What the—why all of a sudden…?”
“Since you already paid for the fifth floor, I was asking if you’d like to use it now or later.”
She gestured to the surrounding rooms. It seemed like each one had been taken by a different member of my group.
Oh, right. I’d already paid for the fifth floor, hadn’t I?
I could hear the sounds of men and women laughing through the doors. It sounded like they were drinking and chatting happily.
Still, I wasn’t interested in taking the eunuch route.
Besides, I only had time to choose one thing. Staying away too long would raise suspicions.
“Refund it, please.”
“…….”
Nella shook her head and led me to the far edge of the corridor.
I had a feeling she thought of me as a nuisance now. If it weren’t for the money, I probably would’ve been kicked out.
She stopped in front of a door at the end of the fifth-floor corridor. When she placed her hand on the door, a faint glow spread out. After a moment, the door opened—not to a room, but to a staircase leading upward.
“You can go up from here.”
“Am I going alone?”
“From here on, it’s none of my business. Have a good meeting.”
She turned and walked away without another word.
I watched her swiftly disappear and then started climbing the stairs.
‘The atmosphere’s a bit grim.’
Unlike the luxurious stairs from the first to the fifth floor, these steps were dark and dreary.
The only sound accompanying me was the lonely echo of my footsteps.
Though the Blue Rose appeared to be a lavish salon or bar on the outside, its true nature lay within. It was the meeting point and intelligence hub of the Black Rose, an organization that would one day become infamous on the Special Rankings.
In short, it was a nest of vipers.
At the end of the stairs, I pushed open an old iron door and found a woman sitting in a chair.
Golden hair, dark skin.
Pointed ears.
Smooth legs(?).
‘A Dark Elf.’
“Well, well. We’ve got an uninvited guest.”
A Dark Elf sat at a desk, her legs crossed, puffing lazily on a long pipe.
Her expression was the epitome of mischief.
Aside from her dark skin, her features resembled Nella’s, but the vibe she gave off was entirely different.
If Nella was like a noble lady, the Dark Elf felt like a battle-hardened warrior. She radiated the energy of a tough, no-nonsense woman.
“Gah!”
Suddenly, the Dark Elf vanished as if she had sunken into the ground. Before I could react, I felt a hand groping my backside from behind.
When did she—?!
Startled, I jumped away from her.
Had she really just touched my butt? Or was I imagining things?
“You’re pretty pathetic.”
“W-What are you talking about?!”
“Both your skills and your butt.”
She looked at my rear with a disappointed expression, which made me feel uneasy.
What was with this elf?
What kind of personality did she have?
I knew who she was, though.
There was no way I could forget. She was a famous figure in the novel.
The leader of the Black Rose—Fenry Chaser.
She would later become a six-star powerhouse listed in the Special Rankings established by the Tower Alliance.
An elf with both magical affinity and innate divine power.
I also knew her hidden divine ability—Shadow Manipulation.
She must have used my shadow just now to sneak behind me. I hadn’t sensed a thing. If she’d been an assassin targeting me…
The thought alone made my skin crawl.
Fenry sat on the desk, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
“Nella sent you, so it must be quite a serious request. Go on, spill it.”
“Are you the owner of this place?”
“Probably.”
“What’s your relationship with Nella?”
“Why do you care?”
“You two look alike.”
“5,000 gold for that piece of information.”
“…How do you even come up with these prices?”
“If it’s annoying, it’s expensive. If it’s easy, it’s cheap. If it’s dangerous, I don’t take it.”
“……”
So she just set the prices however she pleased.
Though her attitude bordered on rude, I knew her personality well enough to cut straight to the point. Even now, she was likely at least a five-star fighter. There was no way I wanted to get on her bad side and end up beaten to a pulp.
I focused on the two things I’d planned from the start.
“Do you know about the Curse of the Razor Wind?”
“Nelitori Gorge?”
“Yes.”
“Of course. It’s that cursed area that causes mental derangement. Not many humans know about it, though. Why are you asking?”
“I need a map with that area marked.”
“Planning to go there? With your skills, you’ll piss yourself and die.”
“Don’t you want to make money?”
“Well, as long as I get paid... And what else?”
“Can you get me some magic scrolls?”
“I can manage up to second-tier right now.”
“I need six lightning magic scrolls. Please make sure they have this cover.”
I pulled out a fire scroll with a blue cover from my pocket. It was a decoy. I planned to swap the scrolls without Ben noticing. Fenry nodded lazily, yawning.
“And?”
She kept pressing me for more, as if these two requests weren’t challenging enough. Before mentioning the third request, I asked her one question.
“Do you take assassination requests?”
“If the price is right.”
I hesitated for a moment.
I thought about the real watcher who had blocked my way back at the warehouse.
That massive frame.
The overwhelming pressure in his expressionless eyes. It was a presence so strong that even Ben wouldn’t stand a chance.
‘If I were Kamel….’
I would assign someone capable of catching me no matter what variables arose, someone powerful enough to drag me back to the castle by force.
In that case….
“The target is a four-star knight.”
“Four-star?”
“Yes. A four-star knight.”
“Belonging to a faction?”
“Yes.”
“Which faction?”
“Blyer.”
Fenry narrowed her eyes and puffed on her long pipe again. This was the first time she’d taken this long to answer. Finally, she spoke.
“Not possible.”
“Why not?”
“We’re selective about four-star assassinations. Especially for knights with allegiances. Stirring up trouble like that isn’t worth the risk.”
I hadn’t expected much from the request, but hearing her refusal still left me feeling disappointed.
The easy path was blocked.
I’d need a backup plan.
“How about holding the target instead?”
“Hold a four-star knight? You serious?”
“Yes. I need time to escape.”
“Who’s escaping?”
“Me.”
Hearing that, Fenry burst into laughter, spitting out her pipe and clutching her stomach. She was laughing so hard I wanted to smack her upside the head. To me, this was a life-or-death situation, but apparently, she found it hilarious.
Damn woman.
Yeah, laugh all you want.
“Is the money Nella has all you’ve got?”
“Can I pay on credit?”
“You idiot. You think we do credit on a request like this?”
“Then 20,000 gold is all I have.”
“Pfft. You’re broke. This assassination request was doomed from the start.”
It seemed even 10,000 gold wasn’t remotely enough to cover a four-star assassination.
Damn it. At this rate, I was going to get caught and have my head handed to the shamans.
“The math doesn’t work. If I hold him and things backfire, I’d be in trouble.”
So she really was the leader of an organization.
Despite her appearance, she was more cautious than I thought.
I swallowed my curses and began brainstorming. If even the backup plan was no good, I had to avoid the worst-case scenario. A four-star was as good as a walking disaster. Fighting him head-on wasn’t an option.
“How much do I have left?”
“About 10,000 gold.”
It seemed I had roughly 10,000 gold left after the previous deals.
I raised one finger.
“500 gold per minute.”
“What?”
“I’ll pay you 500 gold for every minute you stall him.”
“Hm.”
“And let’s move the location to Nelitori Gorge. If it’s just a few minutes there, you won’t attract any trouble, will you? 20 minutes would net you 10,000 gold.”
“20 minutes is too long. 10 minutes for 10,000 gold.”
“…What?!”
“Take it or leave it.”
Nella’s 20-gold holding fee seemed like a joke compared to this highway robbery. This dark-skinned devil wasn’t just dark on the outside—her insides were pitch black.
I fell deep into thought.
Her expression was perfectly indifferent, showing no hint of regret. It was all the same to her whether the deal happened or not.
I had no choice but to follow her lead. She knew I was the one in a hurry.
This was already a losing game.
She’d made this absurd offer knowing exactly that.
‘10,000 gold for 10 minutes….’
The amount needed to buy just 10 minutes of escape from a four-star knight.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
There really was no limit to how ridiculous spending money could get.