Listening to Caius's words, Britney momentarily froze before responding with a hint of surprise, "You're willing... to help me?"

  "Why not?" Caius chuckled.

  "You're Little Swan's friend, which makes you my friend too. Besides, why would a mercenary turn down a job?"

  "Little Swan?" Britney's eyes widened as she turned to look at Hilda.

  Hilda's cheeks flushed slightly as she pursed her lips and retorted, "He gave me that nickname, so I gave him one too—Big Dummy!"

  As she spoke, she tilted her chin up slightly, casting a challenging glance at Caius.

  But the defiant expression lasted less than three seconds before she couldn't help but laugh, her eyes brimming with amusement as she looked at him.

  "Hmm... Now that I think about it, the nickname fits quite well. Our Hilda really does resemble a proud little swan," Britney also laughed.

  "Britney..." Hilda felt a wave of bashfulness.

  Britney giggled before turning back to Caius. "You're right. So, Mister Mercenary, how do you plan to help me?"

  "That depends on what kind of help you need," Caius replied.

  Though he and Britney had their differences—mainly because she could tell he had feelings for Hilda—Britney was, after all, Hilda's close friend. Their bond was strong.

  Therefore, if he wanted to hold Little Swan's delicate hand, building a good relationship with Britney was essential.

  For that reason, he was willing to help Britney resolve her troubles—especially since there was a commission involved.

  He could tell that Britney, like Hilda, carried the pride of nobility and wouldn't expect him to work for free.

  "What if I told you I needed you to deal with the head of that Chamber of Commerce's branch in Grilla City?" Britney rested her chin on her hands, smiling as if slipping into the role of a businesswoman.

  "Oh? Is he formidable?" Caius asked.

  "Not particularly—just Platinum-tier. But his guards are another matter," Britney said.

  "His security detail is a renowned team affiliated with [Rampart]."

  "Rampart is a Guild-like organization specializing in protection services. They deploy professional squads."

  "My rival Chamber of Commerce is called the Golden Silk Chamber of Commerce. The branch manager is Morgan—a complete fop."

  "His security team is [Goldshield], consisting of eight core members, all Mithril-tier. Their captain, Marlon, is a former member of the Empire's Knight Order, ranked Mithril Six-Star."

  "Can you handle it?"

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

  Caius shook his head. "Not right now."

  Britney rolled her eyes. "I thought you were going to say yes."

  "Come on, I'm only Gold-tier right now. How am I supposed to fight eight Mithril-tiers?" Caius shrugged.

  "Gold?!" A startled exclamation came from Hilda, who was staring at Caius in disbelief.

  "What?" Caius blinked.

  "You... you're Gold-tier?!" Hilda said incredulously.

  "Yeah, didn’t I mention that before?"

  "No!" Hilda sounded almost agitated. "I always thought you were around my level—at least Platinum!"

  "Well, better late than never," Caius chuckled.

  "Mmm..." Hilda suddenly seemed deflated. Britney looked at her in confusion. "What's wrong, Hilda?"

  "It's nothing. You two focus on your discussion," Hilda shook her head, then stared blankly at the bowl of ice cream in front of her.

  Caius smirked. It seemed Little Swan had just suffered a major blow to her pride.

  After all, she had regarded him as a rival to surpass.

  And now, she had just discovered that the person she was chasing was actually far below her in rank.

  It was like a race between first and second place.

  Though the first-place runner was clearly ahead, the gap didn’t seem insurmountable.

  The second-place runner pushed herself harder and harder, believing she was closing in—only for the first-place runner to turn and say with a grin:

  "Keep going! Just one more lap and you'll catch up."

  Damn.

  Who wouldn’t be stunned by that?

  Hilda had always been a genius, and she knew Caius was one too. She assumed the gap between geniuses wouldn’t be too vast.

  But now, confronted with the reality, her mind was in turmoil.

  This was where a strong mindset mattered.

  Caius was confident Little Swan would quickly regain her composure, so he didn’t offer any consolation. Instead, he turned back to Britney. "I’ll take the job."

  "You’ll take it?" Britney blinked. "But you’re only Gold-tier?"

  "Gold now, but Platinum soon enough," Caius grinned.

  Given his current rate of mana accumulation, it would take him at most two or three months to reach Platinum. By then, Mithril-tier opponents would no longer pose a significant threat.

  "You really think Platinum-tier can take on Mithril—and not just one Mithril? Are you serious?"

  "He’s not joking," Hilda interjected. Britney turned to see her smiling wryly. "Britney, Caius really is that strong. Even at Gold-tier, he could overpower a Slaughter Wolf Demon."

  "Once he reaches Platinum, Mithril-tier won’t be a problem for him."

  "Exactly!" Caius snapped his fingers.

  Britney hadn’t expected Hilda to vouch for Caius, but with her assurance, she felt much more at ease. She nodded. "Very well."

  "On behalf of the Williams Clan, I hereby commission you. If you can eliminate the Golden Silk branch manager—or help me secure the clothing market in Grilla City—I will pay you a substantial fee!"

  "Deal!" Caius grinned. "You can start laying the groundwork now. Just call when you need me."

  "Perfect!" Britney was visibly excited.

  Securing the market in Grilla City would bring her one step closer to her dreams. Not only that, but it would also earn her an outstanding evaluation from her Clan, proving that her choices had been right all along!

  Just then, one of Britney’s attendants knocked on the door and entered, leaning in to whisper something via magic transmission.

  Britney frowned, then sighed in frustration.

  "What’s wrong, Britney?" Hilda asked.

  "The Clan has sent someone to inspect my business operations. I need to return to Ocean City to receive them personally. Ugh, what a hassle..." Britney shook her head before turning to Hilda.

  "Sorry, Hilda. I won’t be able to keep you company for now."

  "It’s fine. You’ll be here for a year, right? We’ll have plenty of time to spend together," Hilda said warmly. "I’ll take you on an outing—I know a beautiful spot."

  "Hilda, you’re the best~" Britney hugged Hilda’s arm affectionately, nuzzling her cheek before standing up. "You two enjoy yourselves. I’ll take my leave now. Let’s have a big meal together once I’m done."

  "My treat!"

  Caius nodded with a smile, while Hilda waved goodbye as Britney departed.

  Before leaving, Britney cast one last glance at Caius and Hilda but ultimately remained silent.

  Caius had just agreed to help her—she couldn’t very well warn him now to stay away from Hilda.

  Besides, in her eyes, even if she never intervened—or even supported him—Caius stood no chance with Hilda.

  The disparity in their backgrounds was simply too vast.

  Even she, to this day, marveled at how fortunate she was to have met Hilda and become her close friend.