Entering the client's room, I saw its messy interior.
The client sat down, massaging his temples.
"Do you know why she doesn't remember anything?"
It seemed he had already accepted her to be the real deal.
"Yes, I do know"
Motioning with his chin to hurry up and tell him, I spoke.
"She likely grew mad from the curse's influence and they had to erase all her memories to try and stabilise her condition"
It was a popular method among traffickers, though an expensive one as well.
"Is there a way?"
'Immediately asking for the solution instead of grieving, don't know if I should be surprised or feel sorry'
Regardless of what I felt, I shared my thoughts cleanly and precisely.
"Impossible"
Recovering lost memories was utterly impossible to do. Maybe if there was a forbidden grimoire in the mix it would have been possible, but even then, that is just grasping at straws.
"The best you can do is make her learn everything from the very beginning, learning one language shouldn't be much difficult if you diligently teach her"
"That's not what I—"
The client wanted to refute words, but in the end stopped.
He leaned back onto his chair.
"You know I cannot support my little sister in this ruin"
Looking around, I also wouldn't be much surprised if she couldn't.
The room, bookshelves, couches and everything inside was utterly ruined.
This place was the villa that Therios used to once come to.
Therios was a branch family of the infamous 'Ethereal' mage bloodline.
So naturally, many of their mages that were produced by Therios were top notch.
Everyone wanted a piece of the powerful Therios, that though were weaker than the real deal, they were an easier bloodline to control than the Ethereal.
"Well, what do you want me to do about it?"
Of course I felt bad, but this was where my services ended, I would receive my payment and just be on my way.
Stretching out my hand, I spoke in a commanding tone, directing a meaningful gaze towards the client.
"Give me the artifact"
The mythical elixir 'Reservoir' that the ancestors of Therios shed tears of blood for.
With that, even I could use mana as naturally as I breathed.
Finally, my life long dream would be just a grasp away.
"No"
The client—no, the damn scammer refused to give me my rightful pay.
"Why not?"
Despite my impatience, I still remained calm and collected.
There was no reason to get angry over something that could be taken with just a little communication.
"Because you didn't fulfil my request, 'Naphel, The Mercenary Mage'"
My brows knitted into a frown.
'What do you mean? Did you perhaps hit your head too many times?'
My teeth silently grounded against each other.
"Tell me what problem you have with my services and I will earnestly fix it"
I spoke in a soft tone, trying to identify the problem at the root.
"Naphel, could you tell me the request I told you of?"
Freezing for a moment, I reached into my bosom, getting a small notebook out, I began flipping the pages till I arrived at the last written page.
"Your request was as follows 'I Albert Therios request a mission to be done in your name, save my youngest sister, Asfip Therios from the organisation 'Tulip' and if possible, kill Riria Leze"
I glanced at the edge of the desk that had Riria's head in a leather sack, its bottom stained with blood.
"The reward that I shall give up for the services asked of Naphel will be the mythical elixir Reservoir'"
My head raised itself to meet Albert at eye level.
"I do not see any problem with this"
I simply said, clearly not understanding what he saw so wrong about it.
"Do you understand the immense importance this artifact holds?"
Don't care. Just give it up already, walking corpse.
"You want me to give you this mythical artifact that was only spoken in legends when you did my request half-assed?"
"....."
My features turned stone cold.
Stepping once towards him.
I grasped at his collar.
"Do you truly think that?"
The Reservoir was something I desperately wished and envied for years, after learning that the Therios could possibly be in hold of it through abstract connections in the underworld, I began to work and work hard towards becoming a knight, to get closer.
Learning that they had fallen years later and that no such artifact existed. I became a mercenary, I created an alias and worked tirelessly to become a reputable mercenary, somehow people associated me with a mage, but I never stopped nor crushed such claims.
I only worked and worked till money had no value to me, until I wanted something more from the client than just money.
Artifacts.
Ones that could help me in battle.
Or ones that could help me with miscellaneous things in my daily life.
Until I stumbled onto him. Albert
This man that begged me, a reputable mercenary, to save his sister.
He said he had no money, but I didn't care about that.
So I asked if he had an artifact that he could instead pay me with.
And he hesitated, hesitated for so long that it wasn't after a few weeks that he came back determined.
Determined to give the mythical artifact Reservoir, the one I wanted the most in the world and would give up everything I had for.
So I did it, I searched everything about 'Tulip' and found every kind of info I could hold onto.
Nothing else mattered than getting the girl and running safely away.
So to say that I had done the request with half-assed efforts.
Was to say that you undermined my determination to get what I truly wanted.
"But did you truly save her?"
He snickered once at me.
"You got her out, I will give you that, but"
His voice trailed off, now it shook with slight melancholy.
"Can you truly come to me, her brother in blood and tell me that you saved her?"
I tightened my grasp once, before relaxing and letting him go free.
My gaze was cast downwards at the messy trash that littered.
I couldn't force a word out, because deep down, I knew he was right.
His sister was saved, yes, but in the end, they were basically strangers.
Strangers that were blood related.
Albert's sister.....was long dead.
If he had given up the elixir, what would he have gotten?
He wouldn't get his sister back, just someone that looked like her.
He would truly lose everything if he gave it up.
The situation was oddly similar to mine.
If I didn't get the reservoir, then I'd have wasted my life for nothing.
And if Albert didn't get his sister back, he'd have lost everything by giving me the artifact.
No, he had already lost everything.
I also refused to kill Albert for the elixir.
No matter how much I envied mana, I couldn't ruin someone's life because of my selfish desire to throw a fireball from my hand.
My moral compass would simply just not allow for this to occur when I could do it in a more ethical way.
Of course, if there was no other option, I would resort to killing.
With those thoughts.
I looked back up, at Albert's pale face.
"So what do you want me to do?"
At the words, a smile cured his pale and sickly face.