Isekai Journey Of The Magic Archer

Chapter 289 Some Serious Talk

As soon as Stella left, the warm, good atmosphere in this room had taken a one-eighty-degree turn.

A sharp, cold, and expected one no less.

I knew this would happen, and from the way I was holding her hand, she knew that I knew this would happen.

Right now, the atmosphere was silent, cold, and definitely serious.

The warmth and genuine surprise in his eyes from a moment ago had been replaced by the serious look of the 'branch manager' of the adventurer association.

This was the serious face of the person who managed this place and not the grandpa-like person we were looking at just a moment ago.

I knew this was going to start from this one, and it was natural for him to act like this when it was time for the main topic of the conversation.

What we just displayed on the training ground was something far above what any young adventurer would be capable of.

He had talked with our parents, who probably knew most about us after our own shelves, and the reply he must have got from them was most probably weird too.

But one thing was for sure, they definitely did not deny him for something like recruiting us as a part of the association.

Working with the association and working in an association were naturally different things.

We can just be normal adventurers of the association or else we can join the association as different executives and have far better benefits than just being an affiliated adventurers.

Talents like us were rare, actually too rare. Talents like us were just too rare and if he missed the chance to get us when he had the chance, he would be a fool.

This was a job, and he was a senior executive of this company.

Even if he knew we were children from high noble families and had far more financial support than anyone could ask for, he had to do whatever he could to bring us to this company.

She was the sole heir of the entire duchy, while my dear mom was one of the richest on the continent.

On the 'continent'.

Just this much should be enough to tell how much resources we can get even without the help of the association.

But I knew he might have thought that he could talk us out by saying things like association have rare things that one could never get in the outside market.

And it was actually true, from all my knowledge.

Association had ties with all three continents' prominent as well as commonplaces and the best thing one can get by being part of the association was... access to all the information about things happening in the entire world.

And it was tempting, really.

If not for Celes, I might just become part of the association for the sole purpose of having access to all kinds of secret and confidential information on the things happening in the world.

But if I have THE BEST info-gathering partner, why would I need the help of a third party place that might not actually give the whole or the factual information?

With Celes, I can just infiltrate places that are forbidden to normal people, can disguise them as someone else, and infiltrate other secret places and just steal the information that would usually cost an unreal price.

Aside from information, the association definitely had some pretty good stuff from all around the world that only inside people have knowledge of.

But, if I need something of that, mom definitely has people inside the association to help me with the things I would need.

Mom was a merchant after all... and one of the best there existed.

Information and connections were something she played with her fingers.

It hasn't been long since my return but, from all the information I have gathered with Celes's clones, and from our 'private conversation' I knew mom was far more amazing than I had calculated.

Her nickname, (Golden demoness) was definitely the perfect name I could think of for her.

The money she possessed didn't come from just having excellent business skills but also from her exceptional talent for finding the right people, good foresight, and her special eye for the 'golden' things.

Mom... I love her.

So, I can get anything I wanted... if I wanted, that is.

I had enough resources to become the richest if I wanted but, most of the things I had were dangerous from the outside world's perspective.

They were alright in my white storage crack, and... that was it.

There was nothing much he could appeal to us with, me especially.

I knew Rein had no interest in what was going on either.

She was sitting here because of me and the chocolates and nothing more.

She had done everything on her own and she was already a pro, so there was nothing she couldn't do as an adventurer.

She already knew everything, from basics and deeper things.

She had survived in the wild for years, even if it wasn't as dangerous as the ones I had lived in.

She wanted to do things with me, and I wanted the same.

We weren't here to join the association in the first place. We were here for the IDs... and chocolates.

He wasn't the only one with a serious expression at this moment.

He could tell, there was nothing I wanted, and that I knew what he would try to do.

The look in my eyes was nothing a child my age should have, and besides me, the carefree Rein wasn't affected by the pressure of his gaze.

The pressure of his gaze was real, not much serious, but nothing that a young mage girl and archer boy could bear.

He knew we were stronger than what we had shown and even if he was acquainted with our grandparents, there was actually no way for an outsider to know about us.

He definitely knows about the incident a few years ago, stuff like how I was separated and the crown's schemes of how I became a child hero, but most of the things were made up and exaggerated in that children's stories.

High-ranking people like him could never believe things like these stories after knowing the inside things that few knew about.

Seeing with your own eyes was the main thing and currently, however hard he tried, he couldn't sense much strength in these perfectly disguised bodies of us that might be 'unimaginably stronger'.

He was a bit confused, and this… impressed him a lot.

I could feel it, even if he didn't show it on his face.

And that was even more of a reason for him to have us.

Not that this even more serious look in my eyes and this behavior that had no effect from this small pressure was giving him any chance to utter even a single word.

Well, if I can, I would have finished things early, but we needed chocolates, and angering this person was a no-no.

He was an excellent chef, if not the great light mage.

He wanted us, and the look in his eyes was all I needed to know.

But the two of us only belong to each other... definitely a cringe line.

Well, I also belong to someone else, and it was marked on my body.

Not that she was here anymore...

Rein wasn't interested in joining anything like this association or anything.

She wasn't even interested in being the student council member, but, well, we were already deep down in that swamp.

And we definitely had no need for another one.

So, looking deep into his eyes with an unreal serious look that made him flinch visibly, I said just one thing.

"We have no interest in it."

And his eyes widened in surprise at this sudden answer even before he asked anything, and... he sighed in disbelief.

It was a simple response to the question that was never asked, and this much was enough to tell him we were not interested at all.

My voice was stern enough that he would understand the situation, and he did understand the situation clearly.

After his sigh, the heavy expression from his side vanished, and he returned to his normal behavior and smiled at us helplessly.

What he wanted to say, but never actually said and still got the replay of, was all over and he had nothing else to discuss seriously, so... why were both of us still serious like this?

"I... do not have more to say, so... is there anything... you want?

Why are you... looking at me like that?"

The old serious voice and the clear hesitation in his voice were genuine and the way he paused while speaking just that much was definitely not something a high-grade mage like him would do before some mere children.

Well, we were definitely not the average children or even the 'a bit strong' children.

We were somewhat better than a bit strong, so, now, the pressure both our gazes had was definitely not something a normal person could fathom.

He was fine though, just covered in some sweat.

His question was also genuine and even before I could open my mouth for the answer, Rein's stern voice, one that was far heavier than what he had heard in the time we were here, entered our ears, and... she was serious.

"Chocolates..."

Her eyes were wide, and she was glaring at him like one edged blade.

Her eyes were stern and... really?

One can be this much serious for some chocolates?

Damn...