In Loki's Honor

I wish I could tell the fairy "good job". I couldn't. I just whistled.

"Daaaaamn."

Now I couldn't go back to sleep.

I was finishing my morning ritual when they returned. Let me tell you, playing dress-up was fun. Maybe because the female brain is attracted to these detailed and colorful things we collectively call "cute". But I digress. They returned. Anjou came with her mother in tow.

Long story short, they didn't believe I'd eaten the core. Because that was too absurd. And I had to agree with them. Someone without my "Carefully Curated" selection of perks wouldn't be able to pull it off. They either wouldn't eat crystal or would succumb to demonic corruption.

Then they demanded me to show my hidden stash. I had Nenandil freeze it in place so they couldn't pry open the floorboards and I could deny it even existed. Finally, they dragged me before the Baron. He was in the sitting room and stood up to greet me.

"Ah, miss Apricot, well met!" Baron Hendra nodded with his head. Instead of a full curtsy, I imitated his gesture.

"Baron. To what I owe the visit?"

I ignored the two fuming and glaring women behind me.

"Miss Apricot, if I may ask, is it true that you were the one Bundeus chose to slay the Demon Lord? The {Hero} chosen by our God?"

"I completed a System quest, but I wasn't chosen," I said, carefully skirting my thoughts around the notion of Gods because I didn't want to trigger the curses. "I just saw a monster in front of me and killed it."

"Oh," The Baron smiled. "Such modesty. Such humbleness. So fitting of a true {Hero}. Now, miss Apricot," The Baron assumed a very condescending tone. "You are in possession of a most dangerous artifact. One that could put you and your family in trouble--"

I cut off the Baron. By the time he said "ble" he already had a contract and I was an inch from his face. "You don't dare threaten my family!"

Behind him, the [Assassin] posing as a [Maid] as security was frozen with widened eyes. In my defense, I did refrain from shifting and biting his head off. The Baron must have some perk or Skill that warned him of danger because he backed off immediately.

"Of course not, miss Apricot. I apologize for any misunderstanding. Our families will become one very soon! Once my son returns from his hunting retreat, he and [Lady] Anjou are getting married!"

I grinned. "What kind of game is your son hunting? Something tasty?"

I didn't get off of his face. Forced to take a step back, the Baron was obviously disturbed. I took a moment to {Appraise} him. Level forty-seven. Not bad.

"Oh, only small, ha-harmless game," He stuttered. Guilty as fuck. He probably bought those people so his son could kill and level up. He droned on with his lie, his eyes swimming in falsehood. "Rabbits, a doe, at most a fox. This kind of game."

I nodded, trying my disgust. "Yes. It would be too bad if the hunter became the hunted." I failed miserably as the Baron looked at me with suspicion.

I couldn't keep my emotions in check. The Baron looked distressed now, smelling something wrong in the air. Maybe he was connecting the dots and noticing no report came from his son's retreat in two weeks.

"Maybe I should summon him earlier."

"Maybe it doesn't matter," I kept our staredown contest going. To put him off, I changed the subject. "Did you know I got a {Hero} title? I heard it is something very important but not why. I beg the Baron for this small boon. Would you explain to me why it is so important?"

He took another step back. His shin touched the couch and he sat. More like fell with his butt on the couch. I maneuvered around the coffee table - not that we had coffee - and sat on the armchair across to his seat, leaning my body to stay further away from him.

"A {Hero} is chosen by the gods to go on important missions for the sake of everyone. She fights dangerous enemies, monsters, villains, and becomes the stuff of legends. A {Hero} lives forever in the imagination of [Bards] and [Poets]. Maidens swoon when they glance upon a {Hero}," He continued as he got carried away.

Across the coffee table, Anjou was fuming. The idea that I could have more attention and status than she was unbearable.

"Interesting. Not the maidens swooning part, obviously," I joked.

"Oh, don't worry. [Knights] all across the land will joust for your favor, I'm sure about it!" he could've stabbed Anjou and it would've wounded her less.

"Not interested in [Knights] either. Say, Baron. I have some treasure I acquired in my journeys. I think I owe the crown taxes on them. Would you exchange them for more portable coin and collect the taxes for me?"

"Of course. It would be a pleasure!"

"Then, excuse me. I am sure you have a lot to talk with your future daughter-in-law."

I went upstairs and retrieved my treasure stash. I took one item - Pavel's gold signet ring with the Baron's crest - and set it apart. The baron knew his son was hunting people. I might not have the opportunity to assassinate him without implicating my family but I would drag his House through the mud. Maybe even get him beheaded. On second thought, I took out all the signet rings I had. Especially the one from the half-minotaur prince. I wasn't shy about looting my victims.

I returned with the leather bag full of valuable items, the metal clattering its happy wealthy sounds. I set the bag on the coffee table and showed it to the Baron. Karen and Karen Jr... I mean, Mirabelle and Anjou leaned forward to drool on the bling. Apricot still loved them.

There's one parenthesis to be had here. While I, the "Anomaly" as Wyxnos likes to call me, the transmigrator guy from NYC that got hit by a truck and jumped from life to life knew they were Karens, Apricot, the person I have had feelings of her own. I guess they were my feelings too and maybe I was having a mild case of split personalities, but that's how I dealt with my predicament. Sometimes I had to take a step back intellectually speaking and look at my current life and look at it as if it was someone else. I found it was a good exercise to get a perspective on my own troubles.

"Where did you get all that?" Mirabelle asked.

"Working. How did you think I got strong enough to kill a demon that big?" I grinned.

The baron took a deep breath and took the lead I gave him. "What is your Class, miss Apricot? If you don't mind telling me."

I chuckled, "Of course not. I'm a [Silver Slayer]. Got it after my rank up for killing the demon."

The inevitable question followed. "What was your class before?"

"I was a [Monster Hunter] once," I misled without lying.

Our murderer undercover maid gasped. Guess she had lie detection abilities. The Baron paused to think for a while and nodded. I guess he was trying to figure out if a [Monster Hunter] could rank up into a [Silver Slayer]. I think he figured out they could, as I got only a nod.

He pointed at the treasure, "So all of this is from killing monsters?"

"There are all kinds of monsters. Some of them walk on two or even six legs," I winked at the baron.

He wasn't stupid. He knew that came from living breathing people and might even recognize some of that jewelry.

"I also hunted many a bandit in my travels. Some of these come from what they had."

"But your level doesn't show to {Appraise}!" Anjou complained.

"A [Lady] has her secrets, dear niece," I smiled at her. "And so do I."

"That's a perk. One that hides her Status from lower leveled {Appraise}. Not even I can see her Status," The Baron offered. "It means nothing. She only has to show the core to prove her claim. Speaking of which, miss Apricot, where is it?"

"I ate it. Gave me a lot of Exp and Attributes," I answered straight away.

The Baron became white. He slumped on the couch. "You aren't lying."

I shrugged, "Of course not. I told my niece earlier but she didn't believe me."

"The King won't be happy," he spoke to himself, frightened. "We need to... no, impossible."

"The King couldn't pay me the value of that core. He wasn't getting it anyway."

"No! You do not understand, you retarded halfbreed!" The Baron exploded. I took my treasure bag back and secured her on me. "I already promised him! He was going to promote me to a Count! And it is a custom to gift such artifacts to the crown as a sign of fealty! He'll have us killed."

Note to self. Murder the King. Put a contract on him... done.

Contested Soul test... passed. Your Assassin Contract remains.

Yeah. Keep trying assholes. The message popped up five times before it changed.

Contested Soul test... failed. Your Assassin Contract was removed.

To which I just put another on the King. Nenandil was correct. My "spiritual energy" - whichever Attribute governed that - was strong. Another two attempts at removing my contract and the one doing it gave up.

The Baron was about to have a stroke. I stood up and walked to the door of the sitting room. Before I left, I said, "Your Lordship, we'll deal with the treasure later. You seem tired." I flagged the maid. "Please see the Baron out."

I was about to climb the stairs when a commotion at the door caught my attention. I heard the distinctive sound of people moving in metal armor. I went to see what was happening. Two guys in ancient Greek segmented bronze plate armor bearing the symbol of Bundeus etched on the chest were trying to enter. Our guards blocked their advance so the stalemate was at the front porch right before the main doors.

"What is going on here? Why do you intrude on my residence?" I shouted.

"By order of the high Hierophant of Bundeus, the {Hero} is to present himself to be recognized and anointed."

I got this close to the temple knights. Staring him in the eye, I said, "Sorry, but you won't find HIM here. There is no male {Hero} in this house."

"What transpires here?" The Baron approached from behind me, his composure restored.

Knight didn't like the haughty tone and inquired, "Who are you, sir?"

"I'm Baron Hendra, lord of these lands!" He quickly asserted.

"Where is the {Hero}? We were told to secure him in this house."

"She's in front of you, you dolt."

I checked the temple knights' levels. Fifty-one and forty-nine. Damn. They also reeked of divine energy.

"That's good," The Baron said, probably happy to dump the problem of the missing core on Bundeus' church. "We are all here, let's go meet His Eminence."

I didn't want to spill blood on my family's front porch, so I agreed to go with them. But I put contracts on the two Knights as the four of us went on our way.