"Everyone positively surprised me. Some more, some less. However, be assured that I will refer you when other families need it." Said Oliver.
Nobody thanked him for it, and only the sound of the wind coming through the windows could be heard. Everyone just wanted to know what the results were, so they could leave. The formalities didn't matter.
"Stella, you were magnificent. If you continue on this path, you will reach the S-Class one day. But you still lack a lot of experience. You had chances to finish the test, and you kept playing."
The woman nodded to Oliver, knowing that the old guard was right. With that, the result was obvious.
"Luke only showed one skill and appeared for a few seconds of the battle, yet he still managed to surprise me more than anyone else."
"Hmphh!" Luke snorted bored.
All the other four competitors looked at him in shock. 'Hmph?'
When he realized the blunder, he had made, he inquired:
"Does all this mean I've been approved?"
"Yeah?" Oliver spoke up, also surprised by the half-beast's behavior, because he had seemed super calm and steady until then.
"So, I got the job?"
"Yes."
Luke was happy that his friends would be happy, but internally, he seemed disappointed; after all, his true identity was compromised for the first time in his entire life.
"Then, I'm leaving." The half-wolf proved at that moment that he never had a formal education.
"What?" Everyone exclaimed in surprise.
"You're keeping that here, aren't you?" Luke asked as he held out the orb of the Panspermia Weapon.
"Y-yes." Oliver picked up the orb, still a little incredulous.
"If you need me, you can find me at the same bar that the fat man made the announcement, a partner of mine works there! Bye!"
The five of them were still completely dumbfounded by that abrupt way of behaving from the half-wolf.
"Hey, wait!" The old guard shouted before Luke could even reach one of the doorknobs. "You're kidding, right? Or may I assume that you never worked with the big noble families?"
"I've never worked. Why? Do I have to sign a contract?"
"Frankly... this guy, really?" Atilath questioned Oliver's decision.
Soon after, the guard hurried the others out of the mansion. Luke, who was already mentally stressed, didn't feel that his day could get any worse.
After all, he had talked more the night before than he had during the entire month and tried every way to argue against the plan to steal the gene wagon, but no one listened to him. Even Meredith, who was generally the most rational of the bunch, seemed to be blinded by the possibility of getting the millions that a few dozen genes would be worth.
However, in this crazy plan, not only were they messing with the wealthiest family in Oukiwa, but they would be messing with the high-rank adventurers who were eagerly awaiting the merchandise.
"Follow me, please," said Oliver, after closing the front door of the mansion.
Luke just nodded and started to follow the guard. The path they took was strange because they had to go through three smaller halls until they reached another larger room. At the end of that room, a person was sitting on a chair.
Ayumi Yamazaki was surprised at who Oliver brought. Her eyes literally sparkled when she saw the half-wolf enter the room. Her eyes met with those of the half-beast, and her body warmed.
The blond woman in the chair had beautiful and seductive eyes. They were both glowing like emeralds, and that intense green stood out even more in that gray environment.
"Arara~... Oliver, leave us alone." The Strogueher family Matriarch said, placing her right hand on her chin.
Luke was intimidated at the time she made the request to the guard. If that hadn't been the famous Ayumi Yamazaki herself, he wouldn't have hesitated to ask Oliver to remain in the hall.
The double door made a hollow noise when it closed. Tum! The sound echoed through the entire room.
"What is your name?" Ayumi questioned.
"Luke Lange." The half-beast replied while feigning disinterest and looking up at the painted ceiling of the hall. It didn't matter to him whether they knew his real name or not; after all, he hadn't any identity papers or a residence in his name.
"Do you know why we are looking for another employee, dear?" She inquired as she smoothed her right leg.
The half-wolf looked at her and saw that the woman was cross-legged in a white silk dress. At first, he found it too strange, for even he was a bit cold.
"Annn... I don't care what the job is; I'll do it." Luke chose to lie. Luckily, his lies almost always worked on people he had never talked to.
"I like that," Ayumi said and brought the same hand that was smoothing her leg to her lips. This startled Luke a little, who looked away. "How old are you?"
"In a few cycles, I'll be twenty."
"That's great. I won't ask any more questions, after all... for this job, I don't care about your past, I just needed someone who met all my requirements, and to me, it looks like Oliver got it right this time."
"What does that mean?"
"You mean you won't work as an honorary family member. But yes, you will earn as well as any of our best guards."
To Luke, it didn't matter what the job would be, because he believed he could deliver, so and because they were talking business now, Luke put his shyness about women aside and questioned:
"Let's discuss my pay. How many silver coins will I earn per month?"
Ayumi smiled as the half-wolf's vivid yellow eyes met hers again. Luke was considering trading for something close to two hundred silver coins so that he could at least cover the expense of renting the shed.
"We can pay five hundred silver coins. How about it?" She liked the boy's boldness. 'He sure is greedy. He decided on salary before he knew about the service. These young men are quite energetic these days.'
Luke was not shaken by getting almost triple the offer he had in mind. "Very low… If I work carrying bags of fish in the harbor, I make that same amount in two weeks and still get a bonus for the employee of the month."
"Very good, very good. I admire that you know so much about wages at your age. Will ten gold coins be enough? That's almost half of what Oliver earns."
"I don't believe so."
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺