C8 - Payday, Another Baroness!?

...

Returning to Nightbloom Village.

Alden immediately called the villagers together to share the news—the Flaming Storm Gorilla that had been lurking near their village had been slain by his own hands.

"That's great!"

"Long live Baron Alden!"

As they saw the massive, bloodied head of the beast that Alden brought back, cheers erupted from the crowd. Excitement filled their faces.

Finally, it was over.

The terrifying monster that had threatened their peace was gone.

Now, they could live without fear, their homes safe once again.

In an instant, the tension that had gripped the village over the past days vanished.

Calm returned.

Life resumed its normal rhythm, and even the brewery, which had its business affected in other territories, began running smoothly once more.

Thanks to this incident, Alden's reputation in the territory soared.

Word of it even reached the neighboring territories.

But, of course, that's a story for another time.

After sharing the news of the Flaming Storm Gorilla's defeat, Alden headed back to his family estate with Freya and the rest of the Purple Lilac Adventure Team.

Once there, he prepared the reward Purple Lilac had been promised.

Given how much stronger the Flaming Storm Gorilla had turned out to be than originally expected, Alden had decided to increase their payment by 20%.

"Thanks to your Purple Lilac Adventure Team, this mission was a success. Please accept this as a token of my gratitude."

Smiling, Alden handed a small chest to Freya and her team.

When the chest was opened, numerous gold coins gleamed under the light, their radiance dazzling.

"Thank you, Lord Alden!" Freya said, joy evident in her voice.

Her team members, equally delighted, immediately began counting the coins.

However, their happiness soon turned to confusion.

The originally agreed-upon reward was five thousand gold coins, yet the box contained six thousand.

"Lord Alden, did you make a mistake?" Freya asked, a puzzled look on her face.

The rest of the Purple Lilac Team appeared equally perplexed.

"I didn't make a mistake," Alden replied with a small wave of his hand. "The situation was far more dangerous than expected, and this is the reward you deserve."

"But..." Freya started, hesitant.

In her mind, the team's contributions weren't enough to justify such a large reward.

After all, Alden had been the one who located the Flaming Storm Gorilla, crafted the hunting strategy, and did the heavy lifting in battle. They had only provided assistance.

Receiving this much felt like too much.

"But there's no need for buts," Alden interrupted, cutting off her words. "I don't take back what I've already given. And without your support, taking down the Flaming Storm Gorilla would've been impossible for me alone."

"Besides she risked her life to be the bait. Healing costs are no small matter," Alden remarked, looking towards the muscular deputy leader of the team.

Before Freya could respond, Alden turned and walked away.

Seeing no other option, Freya and her team reluctantly accepted the unexpectedly generous reward.

Later, Alden instructed the butler to prepare accommodations for Freya and her team.

He wanted them to take the time to recover properly before they left the estate.

After all, the expedition had taken a heavy toll on everyone.

Ada, the team's muscular shield warrior who had served as bait, had suffered the worst injuries—several broken bones and internal bleeding.

Even with the healer Bonny's help, her full recovery would take over a month.

Despite this, Freya and the others, having just received such a generous reward, felt uneasy about accepting further hospitality.

After a quick freshening up at the estate, they decided to leave without delay.

...

After departing from the Ashleigh Manor, the Purple Lilac Adventure Team climbed into a rented carriage and began their journey to Cardis, a city roughly 120 kilometers away.

Cardis wasn't just their operational base; it was also their home.

It was where their business was located.

"Baron Alden is really generous," Lily, the huntress, remarked while admiring the small box of gold coins in her hands. Her delight was plain to see.

After all, who could resist the charm of glittering gold?

"He truly is," another teammate agreed with a nod.

The group had been completing missions for years, but never had they encountered an employer as generous as Alden.

Most employers wouldn't bother adjusting payments when a mission became unexpectedly difficult.

If they did, it would usually be no more than a slight increase of 5% or 10%.

But Alden had raised their reward by 20%, no questions asked.

The payout from this single mission was almost equal to what they usually earned over half a year.

"A baron willing to hand out such a reward must be incredibly wealthy himself," someone said thoughtfully.

"Handsome, strong, and rich—he's the ideal man! If only I could..."

Lily trailed off, her cheeks suddenly tinged with pink.

"You little fox!" another teammate teased. "We've been through so much together, swearing to stick by each other forever, and now you want to go off and marry a baron? Traitor!"

"Exactly! How shameless!"

Their teasing only made Lily blush harder.

Their playful banter filled the carriage with laughter.

Meanwhile, Freya, the half-elf leader of the group, was silent.

Her thoughts drifted back to the moment Alden had saved her during the battle.

The memory of his strong arms around her still lingered.

That feeling of safety, coupled with their brief closeness, made her heart beat faster just thinking about it.

Was she starting to feel something for him?

Shaking her head, Freya forced herself to focus, though her gaze wandered briefly back in the direction of Nightbloom Village.

...