My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 161 Only by creating elaborate pretexts can funds be obtained.

On the way to the city defense headquarters, Cellina kept her head down the whole time.

after that……

Although she had indeed considered leaving after investigating Riskan's case when she met Toran in the capital, she did think about finding an excuse to leave.

But to be honest, she changed her mind.

However, another problem arose.

Roland, who had initially thought that Roland would use this so-called "trust" as an excuse to keep her hanging and make her work for free in some sense, suddenly and without warning agreed to give the answer she had been longing for.

However, once the answer was readily available, Cellina felt that the answer was no longer important.

At least it's no longer the most important issue in her mind.

Furthermore, Cellina, who had originally hoped to gain Roland's trust so she could get answers and leave, is now worried about Roland's attitude.

She didn't want to leave, so did Roland want her to stay?
Celinina was a little unsure.

Trust and need... are not necessarily synonymous.

She didn't want to leave that blue-haired weirdo who would try to pull off her headband and touch her ears when she wasn't looking.

She didn't want to leave that silly cat who kept calling someone a demon, but was actually very obedient in her hands.

The Furam, who in demon fairy tales is said to be able to stop children from crying at night, is not as terrifying as legend suggests.

On the contrary, many times she is as cute as a child pretending to be an adult.

That princess... although we didn't have much contact, she was quite easy to get along with, and not nearly as terrifying as the rumors in the capital suggested.

She appears mature, composed, and thoughtful, with a dignified and generous demeanor. But after all, she is still a sixteen-year-old student, and has her own endearing qualities, including a fondness for cute animals.

Since she joined the trip, Nash has rarely escaped her grasp.

And Roland...

He usually looks no different from a normal sixteen-year-old boy, but he always plays a crucial role in battles.

Those highly targeted spells are enough to turn a ninth-ring mage into a dud.

After this guy learned invisibility and stealth, he became a complete mage killer.

Moreover, a human being who can gain the approval of the Holy Sword... that hasn't happened in three hundred years.

Even though the news is currently only circulating among the empire's high-ranking officials and Roland's close associates, Cellina knows that the truth will eventually come out.

Salah III wouldn't miss this opportunity for publicity either.

Cellina looked at the boy beside her, who might soon become world-famous, stared at his profile for a while, and then quietly looked away.

She had initially thought the gargoyle was a weak and vulnerable person to protect, but Cherlinina had to admit that without Roland's help, she would most likely not have been a match for it when fighting the gargoyle.

Even with the blessing of that stone, it was only a matter of time before he was defeated.

So, all I did was help Roland deal with some of the assassins he could have mostly handled himself.

The enemies who truly threatened his life were those whose problems only became apparent and possible because he himself was involved.

Bodyguard... this term doesn't seem to fit Cellina's job description.

She couldn't withstand all the enemy's attacks, nor did she have the chance to use her body to shield Roland from any fatal danger.

Cellina silently gripped the twin swords at her waist.

power.

I need more strength.

He only needs one more Star Ring Rhythm Ritual to break through to the eighth ring.

Then... we'll be able to protect Roland better, right?

These are the materials needed for the ceremony...

Cellina immediately deflated.

She realized why she hadn't broken through to the next level.

poor.

She simply couldn't afford those expensive ritual materials.

She only dared to operate secretly within the empire's borders, so she had no stable income.

Even when they settled in Switzerland, it was the same.

The basic necessities of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation were enough to keep Cherlinina busy.

After all, in order to avoid attracting attention, she dared not accept any difficult tasks, for fear of revealing her strength and attracting the attention of the human side.

The experience of being hunted down once is enough.

As she pondered this, Cherlinina sighed and touched the headband on her head.

Fortunately, when he ran away from the Demon King's army, he managed to steal this magical artifact from his family.

Otherwise, she would be in even greater danger if she couldn't hide her identity.

Little did she expect that Cellina, who thought she could save up enough money to buy the materials eventually, or find them herself if necessary, still hadn't collected all the materials.

It's been decades... That means the lifespan of demons is measured in thousands of years. For a human, this lifetime would be almost over.

Moreover, she was already short of money, and unknowingly, she had been working for almost half a month without any pay!
Suddenly remembering her financial worries, Miss Cellina realized that she was running out of money!
Roland felt a sudden surge of resentment beside him and turned to look at Cellina: "What's wrong? Why the sudden expression?"

"...It's nothing, I just realized I'm almost out of money."

"Oh, that? It's alright, His Majesty is sponsoring the funding for this operation. I'll allocate some to you later."

Cellina looked at Roland suspiciously: "I know about the funding, but didn't that princess say the money was transferred directly to the Riskan City Hall and kept by the colonel there?"

“It’s no big deal, just watch me.” Roland stopped and looked at Cellina, saying, “By the way, when we get to the city defense headquarters, don’t say a word while I’m speaking.”

"If you want the reward, just act like a ruthless killer... Yes, that's it!"

"...But I was just returning to a normal expression."

"It's that feeling of indifference mixed with a hint of disdain!"

"……Are you OK?"

Cellina touched Roland's forehead with some concern, sensing that he might have caught a cold and had a fever.

"Cough cough, I'm fine. Remember, just do as I say."

Before long, the two entered the city defense headquarters.

Given his valiant fighting spirit, many of the city's garrison soldiers recognized Roland. In addition, Roland was already quite famous in Riskanli, and his reputation spread among the city's garrison soldiers over time.

Before Ms. Fram arrived, this genius boy, who, along with Major Odmeyer, held off the Chaos Brotherhood bishop and even killed him with his own hands, was already a legend in the city's defense forces.

Now that Roland has changed his attire and looks like one of the elites from the capital, the guards present dare not be negligent.

"Mr. Roland! Please come in!"

"..." Roland was stunned for a moment as he looked at the sentry who suddenly saluted him.

But then he thought that Delan might have revealed some information that he shouldn't have, so Roland sighed helplessly, smiled at the sentry, and led Cherlinina inside.

He now only hopes that Mr. Delan will be alright after Ilúvia arrives.

Cellina was somewhat surprised to enter the city defense headquarters without any hindrance.

"You're quite renowned. That sentry's eyes were full of admiration."

"Really...it must be your imagination."

Cellina looked at Roland and asked, "Where do you plan to go first?"

"Colonel's office. The Hatter is on duty today, so you probably won't be able to go home to sleep, Colonel. Let's get your payment first."

"Hey!" Cellina grabbed Roland's arm. "You really intend to ask for it? Even if you have a good relationship with the colonel, are the princess's fiancé, and have a good relationship with His Majesty, this is embezzlement!"

"..."

You've said such a long thing, it seems like I could embezzle public funds without any problem...

cough cough.

Roland silently dismissed the thought from his mind and then said, "Don't worry, there won't be any problems."

"Isn't the purpose of funding to be used? It doesn't matter where it's used."

Roland found the colonel's office with ease, knocked on the door, and then pushed it open and went in.

Inside, Odmeyer, who was smoking a cigarette and dealing with official business with a frustrated expression, saw the door being pushed open and immediately started cursing.

"Damn it! Which blind idiot just barged in without waiting for a reply?!"

After he finished cursing Odmeyer, he looked up at the newcomer.

There was a man and a woman, and the man looked strangely familiar.

The next moment, Odmeyer silently stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray that had been filled with a little water.

Then a fawning smile appeared on his face. He rubbed his hands together, stood up, and bowed respectfully to Roland.

"Oh, isn't this Mr. Roland, the great hero of Riskan! Sir Delan told me about your return long ago!"

"I didn't expect you to come here at this time. I'm so sorry I didn't greet you properly!"

Roland: "...Well, Colonel, I think it would be better if you treated me the same way as before. I'm not used to it."

The image of the iron-willed soldier Odemeyer shattered in Roland's mind at that moment.

Okay, it's a little broken.

After all, someone who can rise to the position of colonel at the garrison cannot simply be a soldier.

"Cough cough... Alright then..."

Seeing that his attempts to ingratiate himself weren't working, Odmeyer awkwardly asked, "Um... is there something you need from me?"

"It's nothing serious. As you know, His Majesty specially approved a large sum of money for this operation."

“This operation is very dangerous, as I think you can see. Mr. Delan is an extraordinary expert. The people he brought are all elites with at least the fifth ring rank.”

"Even Ms. Fram came along this time."

"But in order for the operation to proceed smoothly, I decided to hire a reliable helper."

Odmeyer suddenly realized: "Oh, I see. It's the one behind you, isn't it?"

"Just standing there, I felt a sense of oppression... May I ask about her strength?"

“A warrior at the eighth-ring hero level,” Roland said calmly. “I’ll leave this matter to you.”

"Eight rings!" O'Demeyer whispered to Roland, "This operation is so dangerous, maybe you shouldn't participate? Your future is important, but you only have one life!"

Roland laughed: "Everyone has their own ambitions, Colonel. Besides, things have come to this point, and it's too late to back out now. Thank you for your concern."

Odmeyer sighed and said nothing more: "Alright, then let's go with the market price."

"The Adventurers' Guild's guide price for commissions from eighth-ring experts starts at 3000 Gold Eagle Coins. Considering the difficulty of this operation... 5, no, 6000 Gold Eagle Coins, is that satisfactory?"

Odmeyer smiled at Cellina as he spoke, "This is the maximum amount that can be allocated from this budget."

Cellina remained silent for a long time, so long that Odmeyer began to worry whether the offer was insufficient.

"it is good."

(End of this chapter)