I Only Summon Villainesses

I stood there in disbelief at this mess. Young men in dark light armor had surrounded us from all sides, but they did not press further. Cressida was holding a devastating weapon and my hand was on my sword, though I doubted I posed half the threat she alone posed.

’For God’s sake, how could she?!’

I replayed the scene of the bullet, whatever it was, flying past my face and burrowing into the man’s head before dropping him flat on the floor. It had all happened in an instant. Everybody had been outsmarted by the sheer speed of Cressida’s gunshot.

And now, her gun was facing the gold-teethed subordinate who had been so interested in taking her virginity.

The lounge fell into silence. Not the comfortable kind. The kind where every man in the room was quietly deciding whether he wanted to die today.

Then a footstep broke through it. Measured and unhurried. Someone walked between the circle of guards and finally reached us.

He glanced down at the man laying on the ground, blood slowly pooling beneath him.

Then he returned his gaze to Cressida, and then to me.

He had jet black hair swept back over an angular face and a deep set of eyes with dark pupils. His skin was alabaster with a slight warm undertone, the sort of complexion that rarely saw sunlight and didn’t miss it.

He scratched his head, suddenly looking like a very confused boss.

“Ah, this is why I hate these Crest family bastards… the Night Auction is today, I was trying to avoid any trouble, and they just had to go and make some for me.”

Cressida pulled the gun back and rested it over her shoulder, turning to the man with the kind of patience that could curdle milk.

“If you have something to say, why don’t you say it to me directly?”

The man did not take the bait. Instead he looked at the dead body on the ground and spoke as if he were discussing a spilled drink.

“No ma’am, nothing at all. My men will clean this place up. Why don’t you go ahead and sit? Or if you’re feeling generous, you could just decide to leave and not cause any more trouble for us?”

’Eh?’

I glanced between the man and Cressida, blinking, searching for what I expected to see and growing even more shocked as I found none of it.

’Is it because they’re criminals? Maybe this is just how they roll in the criminal city?’

Even so, was Recimiras really that lawless? That one person could shoot down another and this was the treatment they received?

This man was busy treating Cressida dropping a body like she’d broken some glass cups. I couldn’t fathom what was unfolding right before my eyes, even though I was watching every second of it. I was pretty sure I had expected something far worse than this.

’I swear, I thought we were going to be apprehended or something.’

Cressida merely sighed.

“We’re only here for jobs. We didn’t intend to cause any trouble. What did you expect me to do when he was speaking of me in such a vulgar manner?”

The man nodded, hands clasped in front of him like a merchant smoothing over a bad transaction.

“Yes, yes, Milady, I understand your concerns. I really do. But are you sure you don’t want to find another mercenary guild to look for a job?”

Cressida shot him a glare instead of a reply.

The man cleared his throat the next moment, then turned.

“Follow me.”

His men had already apprehended the rest of the hooligans, and the dead boss was being wrapped and moved. Meanwhile, we followed the man to a door at the edge of the lounge space. But we didn’t enter.

Right beside the door, there was a bulletin board where all available jobs were posted.

“These are the jobs available to us at the moment…”

Cressida stepped forward. I did the same, and the both of us studied what was on the board together.

Quest: Help find my son, he stole 30 silver talents from me. Reward: 10 copper marks.

Quest: Materials gathering, 10 white sacs of crystal sand. Reward: 35 silvers.

Quest: Finding the canine tooth of a Feral tier, Jumper Cat. Reward: 20 silvers.

Quest: Finding Softflame grey linens. Reward: 50 copper marks.

I glanced down the list and with each reward I saw, my face twisted further.

’If we start taking these kinds of quests, it’ll take us days to gather the money we need to go back home.’

And that was the real problem. Both of us couldn’t afford to be away from the Company right now. Not with the Blood Mage out there.

He could decide to strike at any time. I knew, logically, that there was nothing that could be done to the base with Kassie in it, but that knowledge did little for the knot sitting in my chest. I kept worrying. For Kassie as much as for everyone else in that base.

I didn’t know who this Blood Mage was, and that was the worst part. The unknown made the threat feel like it could come from anywhere, at any time. So no, I didn’t want to be away from home for long.

Cressida was shaking her head as much as I was. The man still stood behind us, watching.

He looked at the two of us for a moment and then spoke.

“It looks like you two need jobs with high pay. How about we do this instead, and then you quietly leave after tomorrow?”

Both of us turned, curious about what he was about to offer.

“There’s a Night Auction coming up tonight, and I’m going to be needing guards who can keep things running smooth. I’m willing to pay fifty silver each if you’re willing to do the job.”

For a moment, I was struck speechless.

’What?! Fifty silvers for just one night’s work? Don’t knights have to work for an entire month to earn that?!’

But Cressida’s voice came on strong before I could even process the number.

“How selfish and dubious of you. A job like the Night Auction guardhouse is one that not many people will accept. The only reason you’re even offering it to us instead of handling it yourself is self-preservation, and what…? You want to pay fifty silver talents?”

The man cleared his throat while Cressida pinned him with a reproachful glare.

“Well… I thought you needed something urgently…” He coughed and tried to look away before eventually saying, “What about a hundred?”

“Two hundred. Two hundred per person.”

The man frowned, but Cressida pressed on, pointing to herself.

“At the very least, you know the quality of hands you’re getting.”

The man stared at her for a few seconds and then shifted his gaze to me.

Cressida spoke quickly on my behalf.

“If you trust me enough to be able to deal with the threats of the Night Auction, then trust him ten times more.”