With the new disguise donned, Genji felt fewer prying gazes on him as he passed by. There were still some, but they were limited to the bored and the curious. Astros also became a house cat - less exotic than a ferret, but similar enough to make the disguise plausible.
They walked through the messy streets and arrived at the base of the hill where the castle sat. A squadron of armored knights stopped him and asked for his purpose. Genji explained what he had heard, and the knights led him to a side hall where five other job candidates were waiting.
There was a burly warrior, a female hunter, a quiet knight, a shirtless lumberjack, and a strange magician in purple robes. These were the labels Genji used to describe their weapons and general atmosphere.
All of them turned to look at Genji when he entered, but none greeted him. They were here for the job, not to make friends. In fact, the warrior's and lumberjack's gazes were rather unfriendly, as Genji's addition meant another competitor they needed to outperform.
The magician and hunter were indifferent to his presence, displaying strong confidence in their skills, while the knight's expression couldn't be seen due to the metal helmet on their head. Instead, their gazes lingered longer on Astros, as they didn't expect anyone to bring a pet to the test.
Genji ignored their gazes, found a spot for himself, and waited for the interview to begin. A few minutes later, another candidate, a clergywoman with a large hood covering her face, arrived. She glanced curiously at the other candidates even after she took a seat, her gaze lingering longer than was comfortable.
It was as if she wanted to see through all the candidates and discover their darkest secrets. After a while, this intrusiveness annoyed the lumberjack, and a confrontation occurred.
"What, has no one taught you manners? Don't you know it's rude to stare?" the lumberjack asked, towering over her. The clergywoman snickered at his words but was otherwise unresponsive. This further irked the lumberjack and caused him to raise his voice. "You little twerp! You dare ignore me?"
The lumberjack shook his fist over her head, threatening to beat her. At this moment, the knight finally spoke up to break the conflict. "Enough, we're in the queen's castle. Behave yourself."
Although unwilling, the lumberjack released the threat and returned to his seat. An hour passed, and some of the candidates became impatient. The warrior, hunter, and mage began frowning, while the others continued as usual. Meanwhile, the lumberjack had dozed off, staring into space absentmindedly. It was unknown if he was sleeping with his eyes open or actually awake.
The clergywoman had a faint smile on her face as she observed everyone's reactions, basking in their discomfort. After a few more minutes, the warrior had had enough and stood up to leave. With him taking the initiative, the lumberjack and mage followed, thinking the queen didn't regard them highly if she made them wait this long.
This left the hunter, the knight, Genji, and the clergywoman. But despite the unnecessary wait, none of them showed any signs of leaving. Eventually, Genji opened his eyes from meditation and approached the clergywoman.
"How much longer are you going to make us wait?" he asked. "Everyone who wants to leave has already left. We're serious about this job. Can you stop wasting our time and start the tests already?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," the clergywoman replied, her smile widening beneath the hood.
"Play dumb as much as you want, but you can't convince me otherwise. You're the examiner, aren't you?"
"Now, what makes you think that?"
"You've been observing us from the start, seeing how we react and our temperaments. There's no way that's due to personal curiosity. If you want to keep stalling, then I'm leaving as well. There's no point in wasting my time like this."
*Clap clap*
The clergywoman applauded his deduction and reached up to take off her hood. "In that case, let me introduce myself." The cover came off, and she gathered her loose hair. After bundling it, she pulled out a ribbon and tied her hair in a ponytail. Then, she set a golden crown on her head and said, "I am Ishela, and I am the queen of this kingdom."
The knight and the huntress fell onto one knee to show their respect, but Genji stared into her eyes and said, "So what?"
The queen, taken aback by his bluntness, asked how he could be so calm in front of her.
"I've killed more people than you've seen in your entire life and survived disasters that would have killed most men. Why should I care about a mortal queen who hasn't even been outside her country?"
It was a very jaded and self-centered response, but that was the persona Genji wanted to portray. That way, he could dismiss any questions about his upcoming behaviors. He needed to do this because he intended to stay long-term and make this zone his resting point.
It had only been a few hours since he entered this world, and he'd already encountered several life-threatening dangers. If nothing changed, it would only be a matter of time before exhaustion overtakes him and elicits a fatal mistake.
Genji didn't care if his attitude offended the queen and caused him to lose this job opportunity. The important part was to show his attitude and deter any unnecessary troubles. After all, the residents in this world weren't as easy to deal with as he made them out to be. Just the castle alone had many knights who could easily kill the previous Santa.
"So? Are you going to start the test?" Genji asked again, awakening everyone from their stupor.
"Fine, let us go to the courtyard," the queen declared.
They followed her and arrived at an open area where many knights were training. Seeing the queen's entrance, everyone stopped their actions and bowed. Ishela announced her purpose, and they cleared the location for them.
"I intend to build a special division to handle any cases my current guards might struggle with. Its main job is to investigate and eliminate any paranormal activities in the kingdom, including disappearances, murders, and other eccentric occurrences. That is the position you're applying for today. If there are no questions, please demonstrate your capabilities in a spar. My head guard will be evaluating you all."
The three candidates exchanged glances before the knight stepped forward. "I am Sir Edwin. Which one of you will be my opponent today?"
The castle guards hesitated because Edwin gave off a strong aura that rivaled their vice-captain, who was absent today. Since the captain needed to judge the fight, he wouldn't be participating either. That meant anyone who volunteered would be in for a beating.
After a few seconds, just as the situation was about to become awkward, the huntress stepped forward. "Fine, since none of you want to do this, I'll go first."
She drew her bow, stood across from the knight, and entered a fighting stance. The guard captain raised his hand into the air, counted them down, and swiped his hand to start the match. At this signal, the knight charged at the huntress, barring his shield to intercept the incoming arrows.
The huntress fell back in response and shot a burst of arrows, each traveling at slightly different speeds. Following that, she sprayed dozens more shots in rapid succession, blanketing the field in metal.
The knight parried what he could and slammed down the remaining projectiles using his shield. Suddenly, an arrow collided with already airborne shots, changing their original trajectories into a chaotic storm. The knight struggled against this barrage, but his stronger aura allowed him to withstand the shots without much interference.
As the huntress paused to reload, he burst forward and slammed his shield into the huntress's side, knocking her down. As she tried to roll back onto her feet, a sword stabbed into the ground beside her neck, halting the duel. The knight withdrew his weapon and helped the huntress up before turning to the captain.
"Good, you both pass. Excellent fight," the captain applauded.
This left Genji as the only untested candidate. The queen turned to him and asked, "Which one will you fight?"
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"I'll pass," Genji said. "I can't win against them in a duel."
"Then why are you still here?" she snapped at him, annoyed by his attitude.
"I don't think you understood me. I only specified I would lose in a duel, not an actual fight."
"Is there a difference? Because to me, it seems like you're all talk."
"A big one. In a life-or-death fight, I'll win 8 times out of 10 against Edwin. If you give me some time to prepare, I'm confident I could take both of them on at once."
Genji was telling the truth, but he sounded like a braggart to everyone else. He'd done nothing to show his strength, yet he claimed he could fight two combatants on their vice-captain's level. There had to be a limit to his lies. After all, there were only four guard units under the queen and fewer than 10 vice-captain-level fighters.
To say he could fight two of them would put him on par with the captains, which they highly doubted since his aura was only around 4th to 5th seat. This was indeed the case if comparing raw stats, but Genji was more than capable of fighting above his level.
However, this required using his trump cards and killing moves, which explained his current dilemma. After all, Edwin had three stats in the 60s and one trailing closely behind, a gap that couldn't be crossed without his liberations.
The only ones who somewhat believed his claim were the knight and the captain, who felt a faint threat from Genji. Although they weren't sure about the extent of Genji's claim, they were aware that he had something going for him.
"Let him join," the captain said after a few moments, halting the silent glares from the guards.
The queen couldn't understand all these points, but she trusted the captain's loyalty. So, as much as she disliked Genji's manners, she decided to trust the captain's judgment and accept Genji. With this settled, the queen led her new subordinates to a royal dinner and discussed their employment terms.
"Speak up, how much do you want for this job?" she asked as the servants set the table.
"I believe 20 gold pieces a month is worthy of my skills," the knight quoted.
"Then I will take 18," said the huntress.
"Done. You, cat guy?"
Genji looked up from stroking Astros and gave an unexpected counteroffer. "I'm thinking of a different payment method. You see, I'm not too interested in gold or other currencies you have to offer, but I do consider myself a collector. How about for every task I do, you give me a weapon of adequate quality? The harder the request, the better the weapon."
"Now why would I do that? Can't you just buy them yourself after getting the money?"
"A few reasons, really, but the main benefit for you is that I'm willing to take certain missions the other two might be uncomfortable with," Genji said with a knowing smile.
The queen was stunned by his implications, but she quickly recovered and denied his request. "You shall do no such thing. This unit is not like that!"
Genji wasn't surprised by the rejection, since every ruler needed to maintain their image in public. But privately...
"In that case, just give me 15 gold pieces," Genji said, casually dismissing the previous issue.
After they finished dinner, a servant guided them to the quarters where they would rest. Genji claimed an empty room for himself and entered light meditation. He waited until midnight, when the darkness was the most intense, before grabbing Astros and sneaking out.
He used the shadows to elude the patrolling guards and searched for the queen's room. After a few minutes, he picked the lock to her door and slipped inside. The queen was asleep at this moment, but Genji awakened her with some light taps on her bedside. Upon sensing the figure by her bed frame, her eyes widened and her mouth opened to scream, but Genji muffled it by clasping his hand over her mouth.
Once she calmed down, he removed his hand and asked, "So, about my previous offer? Any requests?"
She glared at him for the scare and fumbled over to her cabinet. After feeling around for a few seconds, she retrieved a coarse poster paper and handed it to him.
"This is Cinderella. I need you to make her disappear."
Genji scanned the portrait with his night vision and recognized this as the same girl who had been mistreated earlier today. "No problem. Just have the payment ready."
"I'll give you the day off tomorrow. Use this time to look for her."
"Sounds good." Genji lightly waved his hand and slipped back out the door.
----------------------------------------
The following morning, at the crack of dawn, Genji finished his meditation, placed Astros around his neck, and headed out. After grabbing a quick breakfast from the kitchen, he gathered with his colleagues and listened to the captain's explanation about the castle's layout. Although he was already pardoned, he still needed to keep up appearances lest some suspicions arise.
After all the boring explanations, the queen called for them and gave them a brief overview before dismissing them. Now, they were truly free to do their thing. Edwin chose to continue his training routine, while the huntress went out to shop for necessities. Genji used a similar excuse and began strolling through the streets.
He kept an eye out for the same women who had mistreated Cinderella, but they were absent today. Regardless, he continued looking and exchanged some jewelry for spending money to treat himself. Along the way, he discovered a shop sporting a winged crown tooth icon on its wooden sign. There was a moderate mana signature emanating from it, indicating it had been carved through magical means.
Out of curiosity, Genji entered and looked around. The interiors had many shelves, each containing an assortment of oddities. From realistic dentures soaking in a green fluid to pouches that radiated volatile mana, this shop appeared to have it all. After a few seconds, a small head the size of a walnut poked out from around the corner and spotted Genji.
"Give me a few moments. I wasn't expecting anyone at this time," she said.
After withdrawing behind the corner, a flash of light illuminated the area before a human-sized fairy hovered into view. Genji glanced at her colorful flapping wings before diverting his stare to her face and asking, "What do you sell here?"
"A lot of things," she answered. "From the magically curious to plain malicious, I serve them all if they can pay the price. My artifacts have many abilities that people can't find elsewhere."
"Sounds interesting. How much does that cost?" Genji asked, pointing to a bottle of yellow powder that caught his eye.
"15 teeth," she quoted after glancing at the item.
"Teeth?"
"Yes, I'm the Tooth Fairy. I only accept teeth for my services."
"Human teeth?"
"The more exotic it is, the higher the value."
"I'll keep that in mind. For now, I'll have to decline. I don't have any teeth I can give you."
"Then I look forward to your return." The Tooth Fairy sent him out with a professional smile and returned to her usual activities.
'Interesting,' Genji thought as he stepped out. 'I didn't expect someone as powerful as the giants to run a shop like this. At least she's not hostile, so I don't have to worry about her, though I do feel bad for anyone stupid enough to try robbing her.'
Genji continued walking and asked around about the trio he saw yesterday.
"Ah, you must be talking about Lady Tremaine and her two daughters," a stranger answered. "They live in the Joken estate just north of here."
"What about the servant girl with them? Can you tell me anything about her?"
"The servant girl? Which one? The family employs many servants. I'm not sure I know who you're talking about."
"Thanks anyway. You've been a great help," Genji said, passing over some coins.
The stranger smiled cheerfully and said, "Anytime. Happy to help."
They went their separate ways, and Genji headed to the estate to scout the surroundings. It was a relatively lavish mansion for the era, employing about twenty people for its daily chores. Upon his arrival, the servants were bustling about, dressing the two daughters in various extravagant attires.
The daughters tried on numerous dresses, bracelets, jewelry, and hairstyles, all in an effort to highlight their charms. But from the many outfits that cycled between the servants, it could be seen that they weren't satisfied with their appearances. Their mother was also preparing, though her efforts were less frantic. The primary focus was clearly on the two daughters.
Above them, through a window in the attic, Genji saw Cinderella sewing her own dress from a patchwork of cloth. Birds and mice chirped around her, offering encouragement and cheer. It was evident they were preparing for a major event, though the exact details eluded Genji.
"Don't I look beautiful in this dress?" one daughter asked her sister, giving the outfit a twirl. "Surely the prince will find me attractive!"
"Yes, but mine's better. My beauty is so alluring that all other girls will be envious of me," the sister responded.
As they bantered back and forth, Genji honed in on one crucial word. 'Prince? The queen has a son? Isn't she too young for that?'
Genji stared at this scene for a while longer before deciding to come back later that night for the assassination. He couldn't do much in broad daylight since he was now affiliated with the kingdom. Upon his return, he went to Ishela and asked her about the prince.
"Oh, Gerald? He is the prince, but not my biological son. My previous husband, the king, had two children before his wife died. I married him after that, but he also passed away a few years later. Now, the only one remaining is Gerald. I feel bad for him since all his immediate family members died one after the other, leaving him alone."
Although the queen said that, Genji couldn't help but notice the coldness in her eyes when she mentioned the children. It wasn't directed toward Gerald, as the queen was indifferent when he was brought up, so that left only the other child. Was there something about them that triggered the queen?
Regardless, Genji didn't dwell on this issue and asked about the daughters' grand attire next. "Just what are they dressing up for? Is there a special event happening today?"
This caused the queen to stare at him blankly, dumbfounded at his ignorance.
"What? Is there something on my face?" Genji asked again.
The queen's gaze grew stranger, and she answered his question with squinted eyes. "It is Gerald's birthday today, and we're hosting a banquet tonight. How did you apply to work here without knowing that?"
"..." Genji said nothing and simply walked out.