"But sir…" his daughter stepped forward nervously. "W-we don't have that kind of money."
The chief hesitated for a moment.
"But I thought 50 gold would be enough…"
Cassien stepped closer toward the two of them, ignoring the quiet protests from his own teammates telling him to calm down. He waved them off dismissively.
"You just told us some of your so-called top adventurers died going into these caverns." His tone remained calm, but sharp. "How exactly do we know this Demon hasn't evolved since then? We're risking our lives just as much as anyone else would."
He grinned slightly.
"The only difference is…"
Cassien leaned forward.
"Our lives are worth more than anything this village could ever offer."
The chief's daughter immediately stepped fully in front of her father.
"Are you insane?!" she snapped. "How dare you disrespect us like that—"
"Calm down, Elana." The village chief raised a hand, silencing his daughter. Though he looked exhausted, his voice stayed level. "He has a point. Look at them. Most of these students are clearly nobility. Of course, their standards would be higher."
"At least someone in this family understands economics," Cassien muttered. "So, do we have a deal?"
The chief slowly nodded.
"100 gold… I can agree to that. But I can't pay it all immediately. Would installments work?"
Cassien thought about it briefly before nodding.
"That's fine. I'll notify the academy to send over the installment waivers."
A collective sigh spread throughout the room.
"Father!" Elana shouted, visibly outraged. "Are none of you going to do anything? You're seriously about to bankrupt this village, and everyone is just standing here watching?!"
Victoria looked ready to speak, but Cassien stepped in before she could.
"What is it with this world and guilt-tripping?" he asked, visibly irritated. "Everywhere I go, people are desperately trying to squeeze sympathy out of others who don't actually care about them."
The room went silent.
"Cassien, stop—" Aiysha muttered.
"No, seriously." He looked around at all of them. "Think about it for one second."
His expression sharpened. He had already pieced together everything he needed.
"Oh, maybe the rest of you don't know this." Cassien tapped lightly against the quest notice. "A Demon's core is worth at least ten times what they originally offered us."
Everyone froze.
"They put on this humble little act, pretending they were desperate and barely scraping by." He smiled faintly. "Meanwhile, they planned on making a fortune the second we succeeded."
He turned toward the chief.
"Look at him. He's practically excited just imagining the profits."
The chief's expression stiffened immediately.
"I honestly don't even care," Cassien continued. "But tell your daughter to keep quiet before I expose your little family plan to the public."
Victoria blinked in disbelief.
"Chief… is that true?"
Elana looked horrified.
"Father—"
"It is…" the chief admitted weakly. "It's true."
His shoulders slumped.
"But we need the money."
Cassien narrowed his eyes.
"So you knowingly sent your own village adventurers into those caverns, fully aware they could die, just so you could gather enough information to make this request more appealing to the academy?"
The chief stayed silent.
Cassien scoffed.
"I have zero respect for people like you."
"We need the money!" Elana shouted again, nearly hysterical now. "We need it!"
Cassien tilted his head.
"Then why not send your husband instead? I mean... You have one, don't you?"
The room froze.
He continued mercilessly.
"I'm sure your future child will love growing up with a single mother, as long as they inherit your family's infinite money glitch."
His smile widened slightly.
"I mean, that is your logic, isn't it?"
Slam!
Out of nowhere, Ren slammed both hands onto the table.
Everyone turned to him in shock.
"I-isn't this enough already?" Ren asked, visibly annoyed by the constant arguing. "We came here to defeat a Demon, didn't we?"
He adjusted his glasses.
"We can deal with the payment terms after the mission is complete. Nothing ever said we were legally required to return the core immediately."
Aiysha blinked.
"…He actually has a point."
She crossed her arms thoughtfully.
"We could just keep it ourselves and sell it elsewhere for more."
The chief and Elana both went pale.
Cassien smirked.
Victoria sighed heavily before standing.
"All of this can be discussed later."
The group began moving toward the exit.
"First, we eliminate the Demon," Victoria said coldly. "After that, we decide what to do with the reward."
She turned slightly toward the chief.
"Understood?"
The chief nodded rapidly, sweat dripping from his forehead as though praying to every deity imaginable.
…
12:00 PM.
After finalizing their preparations, the group finally stood before the entrance to the Arthol Caverns.
The opening itself was massive, jagged stone stretching high above them like the mouth of some sleeping beast.
As they approached, a nearby villager tending to his crops glanced toward them with visible disdain.
"So you're the kids the academy sent?" he muttered.
He spat to the side.
"If my brother died trying to handle whatever's inside there, what exactly do a bunch of insects like you think you're going to accomplish?"
The others ignored him and continued walking toward the cavern entrance.
But Cassien stopped.
He turned slightly toward the farmer.
"To understand is to not understand, good sir."
The villager frowned.
"…What?"
Cassien folded his arms.
"What's with this world and constantly underestimating the strength of others?"
The villager scoffed.
"Why even risk your lives? You guys have so much more going for you. All you're doing is sprinting to your death."
Cassien smiled faintly.
"Maybe."
He began walking backward toward the cavern entrance.
"But once we come back out of there…"
He pointed at the man.
"You'll be the first person I greet."
The villager narrowed his eyes.
"And who exactly are you to be this confident?"
Cassien shrugged casually.
"Me?"
He turned around fully and began walking forward.
Then answered over his shoulder.
"I'm Cassien."
A slight pause followed.
"Cassien Artfold."
The villager stared blankly.
"What… are you?"
Cassien smirked.
"I'm a bastard."
Then followed up with a whisper only he could hear with a light smile.
"A Bastard Side-Character."