Several weeks after the incident, everything inside the duchy returned to normal now. With Pallie taken care by the inquisitor of the holy kingdom along with the captives taken to their homeland, the peace once again established.
"Let's see, where do I left yesterday..." He murmur while looking for where he read before.
He's currently reading in the Duke library, books piling up on the table as he picking up basic knowledge and know-how of this world. It's been six months since he first arrived in this world.
His first experience in this world is war, where he supposed to be dead after sacrificing himself to close the rift at the north back on earth, he found himself standing in the midst of war.
He's confused at first but managed to get a hold of it and escape from there before anyone can see him. And ran off aimlessly until he arrived at nearby town after weeks.
He needed three months to be able to write and speak the language, learned the exchange system and the current politics before he finally decided to be mercenary and immediately went to another town to test the knowledge he learned.
He spent one months in Aligot as his first mission and somehow helping the country to overcome their conflict, he immediately leave the place since he's taking too much attention to himself.
"Sir Nein, the Duke's calling for your audience." A voice calling for him across the door.
"Huh, yeah. I'll be right there." He said before standing up.
He immediately close the books and use the smoke to place it back to it's rack as he exit the library and follow the maids.
As he enters august office, he found Ellie's still there, sitting on the couch across from August.
"Please be my guest Nein." August gesturing him to sit on the empty spot beside Ellie.
He walk toward the designated position before lowering his body and sat down with them.
"So how's the further investigation?." Nein asked immediately the moment he seated.
"Everything is under control, all thanks to you. But the thing is..." He's hesitating before looking at Ellie.
"A similar case also happened in the Elven kingdom. Many of our kind were missing from time to time, the very reason why I got caught." She explain briefly.
"Right. And that's why, Nein. I hope you can lend your strength with this matter too." August suggest with a smile.
They both waiting for his response. But Nein just frowns and confused by that.
"So what?. It has nothing to do with me." He says bluntly making the room fall silent.
"What?" Ellie said, dumbfounded by unexpected response.
"I'm here for a job and I'm done with it. I'm planning on leaving immediately once I received my payment." He continues with indifferent tone.
His logic sounds. August only called him here to solve the duchy's problem and he did it. And from that fact, they thought he might be willing to help.
"Don't be ridiculous! You have the power to help others, how can you say no to helping those who in need?" She demand for an answer as if he's at wrong here.
"So, just because I can do that you want to leeching on me?." The harsh word making her flinches.
"What?" She's shocked.
"If I can save more people then what?. It's all about me not them. People died no matter how hard you tried to prevent it and I'm not a hero, Princess." The name sounds like an insult in her ears.
The air's heavy with conflict as he simply look at August with that unshakable gaze of his.
"I'll expect my payment tomorrow noon. For now, looks like there's still something needed for you two to discuss. I shall take my leave now." He rose from his seat and exit the room with a soft click of the door.
"I'm... sorry for the behalf of him princess Ellie, it's my fault that I mistaken his character." He apologize from what happened and told the maid to pour another glass of tea for Ellie.
She takes a deep, exasperated sigh toward the audacity Nein just expressed.
"No...it's fine. I'm not angry, just... perplexed." She sounds tired already.
"Well, he's indeed a peculiar individual. Even there's not much of information regarding him except for his appearance in Aligot and that defiant looks in his eyes." He adds with a polite smile as he gesture her to drink her tea.
She simply hums before taking a sip of her tea.
"But I think he had a point. I only pay him for one job. So why don't we do the same with that?." He suggests with a smirks.
"Do you want me to hire him to taking part in this matter?" She ask curiously.
"Exactly, since it'll be wrong for me to hire the same mercenary twice, how about you're the one hiring him so he can join as hired mercenary. I assure you that he'll agreed." He says confidently.
She's pondering a bit. It's not a bad offer actually since she only need to hire him to lend his strength at this matter. But it's not as easy as it sounds regarding the situation inside the kingdom. She set down the cup and sigh approvingly.
"Then I'll ask father first about this. And after he gave me permission. Until that, please sent my gratitude to him and that my apologies for yelling at him." The tea managed to calm her down.
"I will and please sent my regards to your father and brother." He says with a smile.
Meanwhile, Nein's returned to the empty place in the twilight forest. The aftermath of the event make the place filled with dust and past conflict. He walk along the empty corridor and stopped by the room where Anu's killed.
"A persistent one aren't you?. To be able to escape from death even with that pathetic state of yours." He says to a chunk of flesh underneath the rubble.
"Y-you... bastard..." His voice distorted from the lack of organ.
He's reduced into a blob of flesh with teeth and eyes, struggling from Nein's smoke wrapped around him. And with a stomp, he killed Anu for real. Turning him to ash and unable to feel even a slightest presence of him left.
"Haa... What a hassle, so what is he again? I don't remember seeing something similar to this, is it slime?." He talk lazily to himself before walking away from the place.
He take a short stroll around the forest, watching the creature there with curious eye. He observing the life from distance while also taking a note about their behavior, a hobby he picked recently.
"Wild mudhopper, isn't that just a frog?" He wonder to himself after watching over the amphibious creatures that resembles a frog.
Chomp!
"Whoops, I take that back." He rewrite what he just did after seeing what just happened before his eyes.
The frog just ate an adult trunk serpent whole by opening it's mouth twice it original size. He continue on finding what he could write. So in the future if he managed to return to earth, he can brag about it.