I, the Villain, Want to Save Myself, But the Yandere Heroines Disagree-Chapter 98 - Made Me Think I Was Tier 6? (2/3)

After getting the money, Litte went to Oak Street and entered the Orchid Tavern.

“Hello, I’m the one who came yesterday.” Litte went to the second floor, and at the entrance to the third-floor staircase, she saw the beastkin girl guarding the door.

The girl didn’t say anything, just nodded, then led Litte inside.

Entering the room, Litte saw the cloaked figure of the Angel of Death.

“Oh? You’re back so soon? Looks like you managed to raise the funds?”

“Yes.” Litte nodded, sitting down on the sofa.

“Can you agree to my terms now?”

“Of course, of course.” The Angel of Death nodded. “We never turn down money. For one hundred thousand, Mudrick’s head is yours to play with.”

“Good, you said it.” Litte handed the money to the Angel of Death. “Your reputation has always been good. I hope you won’t disappoint me this time.”

The figure looked at the paper notes on the table but didn’t bother counting them. In this kind of transaction, being greedy over small amounts could cost one their life.

“I know. Alright, you can take the beastkin at the door with you now.” The Angel of Death said, “Oh, right, her codename is Lion. You can call her Lioness, or Big Orange, whatever you like.”

“Wait...” Litte looked at the Angel of Death with confusion.

“I’ve seen the person at the door before. Are you sure she has the ability to kill Mudrick? You know Mudrick is Tier 7...”

“Mudrick’s Tier 7 is different from her Tier 7.” The Angel of Death chuckled. “Perhaps you didn’t know, esteemed guest? Even within Tier 7, there are different levels. Mudrick can barely be considered an entry-level Tier 7, while Lion’s strength is at the peak of Tier 7. You could say she’s just one step away from Tier 8.”

“You make her sound incredible. What if she fails the mission?”

“If she fails, we offer a full refund. How about that?”

“Do you think I’ll still be alive to collect it then?”

“Of course. After all, even if Lion is weaker, she would never let any harm come to our esteemed guest’s life.”

Hearing this, Litte nodded.

She then walked out of the room and approached the door.

“Lion, right?”

“Yes.” The beastkin girl nodded. “That’s my codename. What is it?”

“You have a new mission now. Follow me, and kill Mudrick tomorrow,” Litte stated.

“Hmm?” The girl tilted her head, looking puzzled. She then opened the door and glanced at the Angel of Death under the cloak.

Only after seeing the figure nod did she close the door and step back out.

“Understood. Where is the location for tomorrow?”

“The forest outside the city. There’s a clearing there. Anyway, follow my instructions tomorrow.”

“Alright.” Lion nodded.

—

After seeing Lion drive Mudrick away that night, Litte had an idea.

Since her enemies could hire mercenaries to kidnap her parents, why couldn’t she hire someone to handle matters for her?

With this thought, Litte visited the Orchid Tavern that same day. The response she received from the Angel of Death was affirmative.

As long as there was money, they would take on any job.

Litte then politely inquired about the price, only to be quoted a staggering one hundred thousand gold coins.

After all, the target was a Tier 7 powerhouse.

Throughout the entire Empire, Tier 7 experts were rare.

Consider Luca, the renowned principal of the Imperial Academy—he himself was only a Tier 8 mage.

While the minimum requirement for combat instructors at the Imperial Academy was Tier 7, the vast majority of them were indeed only at Tier 7.

Across all four years at the Imperial Academy, with a total of two hundred classes, one could find at most ten Tier 8 combat instructors.

Among them, one was assigned to each grade’s Class One.

Litte and Lianca’s instructor, Hecatia, and Orson and Olivia’s instructor, Therese, were two of these ten.

It could be said that out of the tens of millions of people in the Empire, only slightly over a thousand were Tier 7 or above. This ratio was roughly one in ten thousand.

This highlighted the terrifying concentration of power within the Imperial Academy—over two hundred of the Empire’s thousand-plus Tier 7 experts taught there, meaning the academy housed more than a tenth of the Empire’s elite fighters.

One hundred thousand gold coins... a Tier 7 expert was worth that much...

Litte thought about the expenses of the Imperial Academy and was suddenly filled with awe.

To think she was surrounded by millions of gold coins worth of talent daily.

Subsequently, Litte explained that she couldn’t afford such a sum. The Angel of Death was quite accommodating, suggesting Litte could raise the funds first and return later.

Then, Litte remembered that Orson had casually mentioned Celineina would be in Saint Roland City for business these few days. She then proactively sought out Celineina and obtained the one hundred thousand gold coins from her.

—

Returning to the present moment.

Lion and Mudrick were engaged in fierce combat. As a beastkin, Lion fought with savage ferocity, unexpectedly putting Mudrick on the defensive.

Only now did Litte truly believe that Lion was significantly stronger than Mudrick.

Previously, Litte had thought Mudrick avoided fighting Lion because Virgil had worn him down. Now, it was clear that even a fully rested Mudrick was no match for Lion.

“Heh...”

The clash of metal echoed through the forest, startling birds from the trees. Mudrick and Lion briefly separated.

Mudrick looked at Lion, his eyes filled with mockery.

“Unexpected, truly unexpected. To think you’d willingly take orders from someone like this.” Mudrick tried to provoke Lion, but she remained unfazed.

Adjusting her stance, Lion charged again, her longsword cutting through the air, sending a wave of sword energy hurtling towards Mudrick.

Mudrick swung his own sword, deflecting the incoming energy, but by then, Lion had closed the distance, readying another attack.

Mudrick had no time to defend and could only dodge sideways. Still, Lion’s blade sliced through his clothes, drawing blood that slowly seeped through the tear.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Lion taunted Mudrick.

“Tch.” Mudrick frowned. The wound on his waist wasn’t deep. Luckily, he had dodged in time, only getting grazed. The blade hadn’t penetrated deeply into his flesh.

For him, such an injury was practically negligible.

However, in the heat of battle, every movement tugged at the small wound, sending faint twinges of pain through his nerves.

Compared to the intense pain in his hand from parrying Lion’s earlier blows, this minor injury was nothing. It just looked bad, bleeding and tearing his clothes.

“How much did this kid pay you? I’ll double it if you help me kill him,” Mudrick attempted to bribe Lion.

“You’re a mercenary. Surely you understand the mission priority principle?” Lion retorted, continuing her relentless assault.

Another clash of steel rang out.

The mission priority principle was an industry standard aimed at preventing unscrupulous mercenaries from taking money from both sides.

When a mercenary accepted a mission, they had to complete it before accepting a counter-offer from the target.

For example, if a mercenary was hired to demolish someone’s house and succeeded, the homeowner could then hire the same mercenary to demolish the original client’s house. This was acceptable.

However, if a mercenary was hired for an assassination, they had to complete the kill before accepting any payment from the target, no matter how large the sum. Failing to do so would result in being ostracized by the entire industry.

As for proof?

Mudrick didn’t keep contracts out of personal preference; they existed to prevent either the mercenary or the client from reneging on the deal.

If a mercenary took the money but didn’t do the job, the client could publicize the contract, ruining the mercenary’s reputation.

Conversely, if the client paid a deposit but refused to pay the remainder after the job was done, the mercenary could expose the contract, damaging the client’s reputation.

“Of course, I understand. But aren’t mercenaries ultimately driven by profit?” Mudrick forced a smile.

“But I’m not exactly a standard mercenary,” Lion replied, swinging her sword again, forcing Mudrick back against a tree.

“Indeed, you’re not.” Mudrick ducked behind the tree.

Lion didn’t pursue recklessly, aware Mudrick might be waiting to ambush her. Instead, she kicked the tree with brute force, snapping it in half and leaving Mudrick exposed.

“Tch...” Mudrick clicked his tongue in annoyance.

His tactic had been seen through, which certainly wasn’t pleasing.

He then turned, preparing to flee into the forest.

“Trying to hide in the woods?” Lion accelerated, chasing after him.

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At the same time, Litte activated her magic, launching a fireball in front of Mudrick, blocking his escape route.

Although it was only a Tier 4 fireball, Mudrick still had to waste time dealing with it. Rushing through it would only slow him down.

“Tsk, annoying pest!” Mudrick cursed, forced to turn and face the charging Lion.

Lion’s sword struck downwards, the immense force sending Mudrick staggering back several steps.

The two became entangled in combat within the forest. Mostly, it was Mudrick retreating while counter-attacking, with Lion relentlessly pursuing to prevent him from using the terrain to escape.

Several minutes passed. Litte checked the time and signaled Virgil. It was time to begin.

Virgil nodded, then drew his sword and approached the captured mercenaries.