Chapter 259: Worthy II

The next day...

Tik— Tok— Tik— Tok—

Regis lazed around the couch, his blood red eyes staring at the clock.

Pandora was sitting beside him, reading a comically large book titled Grand Magic Theory.

Killian was standing in front of a full-body mirror, posing left and right.

The clock had just struck twelve in the afternoon.

At this moment, Pandora glanced at Regis, "Brother, are you really sure that your ’party leader prospect’ will show up?"

"I am..." He replied, his eyes not leaving the clock for even a second.

Tik— Tok—

’Maybe? I think so?’

Regis added inwardly, feeling a little stifled.

Last night, he had already given Marzana the gist of the reward he wanted for her quest.

However, she had not given her a definite answer.

Their agreed time of meeting was actually at twelve in the afternoon, thinking of discussing the conditions of the contract over lunch.

"Strange..."

Killian said as he gazed into the mirror.

Normally, Regis would not bother with him, but maybe because of the pressure he was feeling, he opened his mouth and asked, "What’s the matter?"

Even Pandora took a glance at him.

However, Killian seemed serious this time, "Aurelia still isn’t here yet."

"Now that you mentioned it..."

Regis finally took his eyes off the clock and looked at the window behind him, "Maybe I should check on her?"

As Aurelia was also one of the members of the main party and the main person in charge of administrative matters, she was also to be present in this meeting.

Furthermore, she would be the one to discuss the intricacies of the contract with Marzana.

"You don’t have to worry, brother. She’ll be fine on her own." Pandora assured him, though her eyes still did not leave the pages of her book.

Regis took a deep breath, "If you say so..."

Killian had a bit of suspicion as he spoke, "But still, it’s really strange. She’s always so early when it comes to these things. I wonder what happened..."

Ting—

Just as they were talking, the doorbell rang.

Killian immediately brushed up his hair with his right hand before walking towards the door with an expectant look in his eyes.

’Regis told us that the person he found was a girl...’

This was the reason he spent the last few hours looking at himself in the mirror.

As he stood in front of the door, Killian took a deep breath, ’I can do this...’

Creak—

He soon opened the door with the best smile he always used to get girls to fall for him.

"Good afternoo—"

However, Killian was not even able to finish his greeting before he suddenly felt a stifling pressure that seemed to grip his heart.

His piercing blue eyes met a pair of pitch black ones that seemed to swallow everything in them.

"Killian."

Fortunately, Aurelia’s voice made him come to his senses.

Killian could feel the sweat on his forehead, but he still kept up his smile and gave way as he gestured for them to enter, "Please come in."

Marzana was the first one to enter, followed by Aurelia behind her.

’Not bad. He’s strong as well.’ She made a mental note after seeing how Killian handled the pressure she emitted.

Oblivious to her thoughts, Killian guided them to the living room.

The first thing that caught Marzana’s eyes were the comically large magic theory book that Pandora had just set down beside the couch.

At this moment, as Pandora gazed into her eyes, she felt a special sensation that made her mind throb.

Her ruby red eyes showed no expression, ’My gift... why is it activating?’

Even now, Pandora had yet to discover the full capabilities of the Diamond-grade Perfect Copy she possessed.

The only thing she was quite sure of was the conditions for its activation— the fact that it’s not limited to her sight or any of her senses.

Pandora chose not to dwell on it any further as she nodded at the black-haired elf with a polite smile on her face, ’I’ll get the chance to explore it later anyway...’

Regis looked at Marzana as well, "You’re late."

"I apologize for that. I had some matters to attend to." Marzana bowed her head slightly.

Killian gestured for her to take a seat before settling into the single-seater couch to Pandora’s side, while Aurelia took the one on Regis’s side.

Regis smiled, "It’s fine, then. I assume that you’re leaning towards the deal since you showed up today?"

"I do, but..." Marzana crossed her legs, "I need to clarify a few things with you."

"By all means~"

Regis maintained a calm smile as he glanced at Aurelia, "Although I’m sure you know her already, let me introduce you once again to Aurelia Midas, the one in charge of our administrative matters."

"Indeed, we’ve met on the way..." Marzana still gave a nod of greeting, to which Aurelia reciprocated.

Aurelia then pulled some folders from the pocket of her elegant black dress before setting them down on the low table in the center of the couches.

Regis, still smiling, said, "Please take your time to look through the drafts. We’ll answer any question you may have."

Marzama took one of the copies of the contract before picking one up and saying, "Then I will begin."

For ten minutes or so, a thick silence hung between them, broken only by the soft flutter of flipping pages.

Regis and Pandora observed as Marzana went through the drafts.

Aurelia had a strange light in her eyes as she looked at the elf before her, who was younger than her.

Killian, on the other hand, had his back drenched in sweat, looking like he was sitting on needles.

However, even though their unknown thoughts might be somewhat different from each other, there was one thing they could agree on.

Marzana’s straight posture, graceful movements, and everything else about her seemed to scream ’I’m a princess!’.

Killian could not help but glance at Regis, ’Just where on earth did he find her!?’

’Jeez, the pressure she emitted earlier was way heavier than my late father’s...’

Pat—

It did not take long before Marzana finished going through the drafts that had been prepared by Aurelia and the others.

She then looked at each of the party members before finally stopping at Regis, "As I’ve said earlier, I want to clarify a few things."

"Alright, we’ll do our best to satisfy you." Regis looked her in the eye, his calm smile never leaving his face.

Marzana thought for a moment before opening her lips, "First of all, you’re not asking me to be a member of your existing party, right? But the leader of the fifth party needed you to qualify as an adventurer corporation."

Regis nodded, "Precisely. However, we are not merely seeking to fill a vacancy. We have ambitions that extend beyond the ordinary, and we see that potential in you. We require candidates who are worthy of that shared vision."

Killian and Aurelia could not help but glance at him as he spoke, though the two of them had different reasons why they did so.

’Since when did that slum boy learn to speak so well?’ The former could not believe how much he had grown— the shock of it nearly made his eyes widen.

Meanwhile, the latter had the look of a proud mother, ’He’s getting better at speaking. I think even without me, he could have handled this meeting.’

However, she then glanced at the black-haired elven girl, ’But she’s... a little unique too.’

Hearing Regis’s words, Marzana smiled, "Worthy, huh?"

The word ’worthy’ had always left a disgusting taste in her mouth, as it was one of the aspects that others had always used to ridicule her.

She’s not worthy of the royal lineage.

Her presence alone damages the royal family’s reputation.

She should be exiled to save our family from ruin.

She’s worth less than the worms on the ground.

...

The echoes of the past wreaked havoc in her mind.

These were phrases she had heard since she could think, since she could remember— a constant refrain in her life.

Marzana took a deep breath, not showing much emotion on her face, "Before we move forward, may I ask something else?"

"What is it?" Regis readily replied.

"About the party name, may I have the honor of choosing it? I’m initially relieved that I won’t be part of yours as your party name is quite... distasteful, if I’m being honest."

At her words, Regis, Pandora, and Aurelia’s eyes shot towards Killian, who seemed to be staring at the wall.

Regis shook his head, his smile almost faltering, "We share the same sentiments as well. In fact, though it may be ridiculous, it is one of our objectives in developing our party into a corporation."

"Makes sense..." Marzana nodded before clearing her throat, "Moving forward..."

Regis and Aurelia focused their attention on every word she said, clarifying everything and answering any questions that she had.

They also made it more detailed, ensuring that there would be no loopholes one could use to take advantage of the other party.

Just like that, they spent an hour or so discussing everything about the contract before making the final draft.