“......”

“Um, Sara, Darga, Gina… what should we do about this so-called ‘Black Assassin’?”

“...Ah, I apologize, I was momentarily distracted. I didn’t expect the Black Assassin to be restrained in an instant. With all this commotion, the military police should be arriving soon. Let’s make him spill who hired him.”

It seemed like Darga had snapped back to reality. But to think Sara would be attacked again… Could it be that the Second Prince is behind this, just like last time?

“...You fools! Who would reveal their employer? I didn’t expect a monster like you to exist. Farewell! Gah...”

“Tch, he had poison hidden in his mouth! Now we won’t know who hired him!”

“...Serves you right. We never reveal our employers... guh...”

“Heal!”

“......”

I chanted a detoxification spell. The assassin’s face, which had been gradually growing paler, returned to normal as the poison was neutralized.

“So, who ordered the assassination?”

“...Monster. I’ll never talk! As long as I live—gah…”

“Tch, he was trying to bite his tongue to kill himself!”

“Heal!”

“......”

I used a recovery spell, healing the bloodied mouth. Apparently, this recovery magic can mend minor losses of body parts.

“...Kill Me.”

“No, we’re not killing you, at least until you spill about the employer.”

“......”

But really, I’d rather not deal with someone trying to commit suicide or the interrogation and execution process right in front of me. I’m just an ordinary high schooler. Could you handle the executions and interrogations somewhere I can’t see?

We restrained the Black Assassin until the military police arrived, making sure he couldn’t bite anything by tying a gag in his mouth. Darga went along with the military police as well. They were likely going to dig deeper into who orchestrated this attack on Sara.

Well, despite that last bit of chaos, I still had a very enjoyable time overall.

The next morning, it was time to depart from Sara’s mansion. School starts tomorrow, so I’d better finish up my errands quickly today and head home early.

“Thank you so much for everything these past three days, Sara.”

“Oh, not at all! I should be the one thanking you, Master Masayoshi, for saving my life twice. Please accept this as a token of my gratitude.”

“Um, what is this?”

“This is an identification certificate for you, Master Masayoshi. It also serves as a special pass, granting you entry into all towns and cities in this kingdom without paying a travel tax.”

This is amazing! With this, I can travel all around the kingdom. Sure, I could sneak in with my stealth skill, but it doesn’t exactly feel right.

“Furthermore, it also certifies that the royal family vouches for your status. If you show this to high-ranking nobles or lords, they’ll likely accommodate you if you need anything.”

“This is incredible! Thank you for such a wonderful gift.”

“And here is a monetary reward as well. This amount includes the bounty for the Black Assassin. In total, it’s 20 million G. Please accept it. Each large gold coin is worth 1 million G. If you’d prefer regular gold coins, please let me know.”

In the case Darga brought, there were 20 large gold coins. 20 million G… that’s 10 million yen. This feels like way too much. I don’t really need that much money in this world at the moment.

“No, just this ID card is more than enough. I don’t need the reward money.”

“But you saved my life twice! In truth, I wanted to offer at least double this amount, but I’m afraid that’s beyond my power. Please, do accept it.”

“Master Masayoshi, this is your rightful reward. You saved a royal family member’s life. Please take it.”

Despite their insistence, I only inherited the power of a Grand Mage. I didn’t really do anything with my own strength. Taking such a large sum feels wrong.

“No, really. This ID card is more than enough. I didn’t help you all for the money. If you’re insistent, please use that money for the benefit of your country, Sara.”

“Master Masayoshi...”

“Master Masayoshi, your sentiment is truly appreciated. At least, please accept 5 million G. This portion is strictly the bounty for the Black Assassin, so it won’t be a burden on the princess’s finances. Would that be agreeable, Princess?”

That bounty was worth so much?! It was just one spell to restrain him, but I guess he was quite a high-profile target. Hmm, in that case, I could accept it.

“Alright, then. I’ll accept the bounty amount.”

“If you say so, Master Masayoshi… I swear to use the rest of the money for the kingdom’s sake!”

“You don’t have to go that far. Really, you can use it for yourselves too.”

I wasn’t expecting such a big pledge. But, having spent the past few days with them, I trust that Sara isn’t the type to misuse it.

In the end, I accepted five large gold coins. I still had other coins I exchanged at the adventurer’s guild yesterday, so I should be set for a while.

“Did the assassin reveal anything yesterday?”

“Yes, after nearly dying under torture, we healed him and repeated the process until he finally gave in. It turns out this attack was ordered by the First Prince. Like the Second Prince before him, he accused us of staging it ourselves…”

The First Prince, this time… Just how hard is it to gather evidence in this world? It’s not like there’s an order sheet lying around. Also, Darga… your interrogation tactics are intense…

“We’re currently investigating further into the Black Assassin’s employer. With luck, this lead may allow us to corner the First Prince.”

“I see…”

“Oh, please, don’t worry yourself, Master Masayoshi. We’ll continue the investigation, so you don’t need to be concerned!”

Darga seems to be careful not to involve me too much. Maybe Sara asked him to keep me out of it as much as possible.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Thank you all very much for everything.”

“Thank you for all your help as well. Please visit anytime.”

“Master Masayoshi, I’ll prepare some documents on the Grand Mage by the time you visit again. Let’s talk more about the Grand Mage next time.”

“Yes, I’ll be sure to visit again soon!”

They all invited me to return to the mansion anytime, and Gina plans to teach me more about the Grand Mage. As long as it doesn’t interfere with the princess’s work, I’d love to keep visiting. They’re the first people I got to know in this world, and I hope to stay on good terms with them!