The profession of a rogue is versatile. It’s not an exaggeration to say that there’s no other profession that can match a rogue in terms of adaptability and opportunism. From dismantling traps to stealth, exploration, lockpicking, navigation, codebreaking, negotiation, and bandaging wounds, rogues can handle a variety of tasks on their own. In a party of novice adventurers, the influence of the “Rogue” profession is immense.
Well, if it’s a party of “novice” adventurers.
Once the party’s capabilities reach a certain level, however, the rogue becomes something else entirely.
“Hero? I haven’t dismantled the traps yet…?”
“Huh? Hehe. Rogue looked tired today, so I thought I’d take the lead and trigger all the traps first. That way, it’ll be easier for the rogue to dismantle them, right?”
Why dismantle traps at all? Can’t we just trigger them all and charge through?
“Oh, according to the map…”
“To the right.”
“Right, to the right?”
“The Goddess guided me. She said that if we touch the left wall while walking along the right path, something good will happen.”
Why bother reading the map? The Goddess guides us through everything, right?
“A treasure chest. Let me pick the lock…”
“Open sesame.”
“Oh.”
“Hehehe.”
Why pick the lock? A simple magical incantation would suffice to open it, wouldn’t it?
“This code is written in Ancient language. If we consider the placement of these characters and interpret them based on the chronological era and hieroglyphs used…”
“Oh, this language seems to be the same as the one used in the book I read when I was young.”
Why bother decoding the cipher? We have a wizard, don’t we?
“Are you guys doing this on purpose?”
“Huh?”
“No, never mind. What am I even talking to you guys about?”
For these reasons, the plan to get expelled from the hero party by causing trouble was doomed to fail from the start. In the party that had even defeated the demon king, the influence of a single rogue was negligible.
“If you’re tired, feel free to rest! Do you want me to cast a healing spell on you?”
“Why have you been trying to heal me so much, Hero?”
“You look tired…?”
“…I should keep my mouth shut.”
Seeing the hero smiling as if getting away with something, I couldn’t help but shake my head.
Hero is such a transparent guy, living so openly. With the characteristic low self-esteem and martyrdom, could easily be the perfect hero. If I was like that, I wouldn’t have to strive so hard to get expelled like I am right now.
“Oh, Rogue! It’s the boss!”
“Our adventure to conquering the second floor of the Great Labyrinth ends here.”
It’s not so much a adventure as it is…
A stroll…?
.
.
.
I reported to the adventurers’ guild about our conquest of the second floor of the Great Labyrinth.
Sitting at a table in the guild hall, I watched people milling about aimlessly. If I don’t take the time to enjoy this leisure, I’ll feel too miserable.
“There are so many people…”
The adventurers’ guild was bustling, as if it was a mass-produced fantasy world.
If so many people in a town are eating simple meals like bread and soup, it might be a sign of troubled times. The ironic thing is, despite that, the world seems remarkably peaceful. Perhaps it’s because even just hunting monsters yields resources. The dungeon economy is divine! Speaking of gods, I wish I was a god in someone else’s religion. Participating in religious activities by force is more than enough for a lifetime.
Lost in such thoughts, I heard shouting from a corner of the adventurers’ guild. It seems like another party is arguing over distributing rewards.
“Isn’t this going too far?! You’re buying slaves without consulting me, the party leader!”
“But they’re personal slaves, so what’s the problem?”
“Combat slaves should be registered under the party’s ownership for better cost management during year-end accounting, you know!”
“That’s tax evasion!”
“Hey! Can’t you say tax optimization instead? People might get the wrong idea if they overhear us!”
“Distributing rewards turned out to be a more troublesome topic than expected.”
Although it varies from country to country, the slave system in this world operates reasonably well. If a master abuses or kills a slave recklessly, they face legal punishment. This is thanks to the concept of human dignity under the protection of the goddess. Depending on the master, many slaves enjoy a more prosperous life than some free citizens.
“Hah! Misunderstanding? You think we wouldn’t notice you skimming off the combat slave’s food expenses?”
“Hey hey! Keep your voice down!”
Of course, that doesn’t mean there are no issues at all. There are always those who exploit the fact that slaves don’t pay taxes for their own profit.
It seems like the guild leader of that party is one of them.
“I’m not bothered by it, so why?”
“Okay, I get it. My bad. I won’t say anything about your slave, so just keep your voice down.”
“Of course, that’s how it should be.”
“But you should be a bit more lenient when it comes to determining the combat slave’s contribution. The authority to manage the party’s personnel is solely mine as the party leader, but you bought a combat slave without consulting me, right?”
“You only need to give half the standard contribution for the slave’s performance. But in return… you know?”
“Sigh, who’s really the party leader here?”
“We’re just trying to work things out amicably.”
The two, who were arguing loudly, suddenly seemed to find common ground and began planning how to skim off the party’s funds together.
It’s a perfect example of how people can reconcile and collaborate when it comes to their own interests.
After submitting the recorded conversation as a video magic item to the guild receptionist, I wrote a brief report on the proceedings.
“Thank you for the tip, Sentimental.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
The world is truly a strange place. Some people exploit well-intentioned systems for their own profit, while others may want to cause trouble but lack the ability to do so.
However, I have no intention of attempting tax evasion or anything of the sort. It would be somewhat regrettable to retire from the adventurer’s party and then retire from life altogether.
“But a slave…”
It seems like something is coming to mind.
Perhaps it’s worth considering giving an overwhelming burden instead, if causing trouble directly isn’t an option.
Gifting a slave to the warrior could be a solution. Historically, high-quality slaves were considered as luxurious as precious metals or jewels. It’s even known that during certain periods, nobles would present slaves as part of marriage proposals.
Finding a seller for such a high-grade slave might be difficult, but with money, power, and the means of a rogue, it wouldn’t be such a daunting task.
“Is this okay?”
Gems are easily resold, but slaves are not. Especially for someone as pure-minded as the Hero, the idea of owning another person may weigh heavily on the Hero. It might be easier if the slaves were the ones who desired to be owned.
So, by gifting a slave and burdening the Hero, perhaps they would be inclined to push me away instead.
“Rogue! You are expelled from the party! Your presence… is too burdensome!”
Being expelled from the party in this manner is not just a dream.
“Now is not the time for this!”
I need to find top-tier slaves immediately.
I need information on the slave market.
“Excuse me, is there a rogue guild in this town?”
“Oh, if you go straight ahead for three blocks and then turn left at the intersection, you’ll see it on the opposite side.”
“Thank you.”
.
.
.
Indeed, the information comes from the Rogue guild.
“Thank you! Rogue! Thanks to you, we were able to save our fellow kin from being sold!”
“Well, elf.”
“I never expected that illegal slave traders would be kidnapping young elves from the Great Forest. Without your help, the forest elves would have suffered greatly. On behalf of all the elves in the Great Forest, I express my gratitude to you.”
“Why would comrades go to such lengths…”
I never expected the slave trader arranged through the rogue guild to be an illegal dealer who kidnapped and sold free citizens.
That’s why you shouldn’t trust rogue kids.
I’ll make sure to punish those rogue guild scoundrels later. Every time this happens, I end up being treated like a hero, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
“Hehe. Indeed, Rogue is kind-hearted! You seemed tired for the past few days because you were worried about that, right?”
“Uh, yeah…”
“I’ll cover all the expenses incurred in rescuing the young compatriots.”
“There’s no need for that…”
As a reward for reporting the illegal slave trader, I also received a bounty from the government.
It is said that significant diplomatic achievements were made by arresting the slave trader and securing the protection and return of the rescued elves to the Great Forest.
“By the way, Elf, were you a princess…?”
“I was called by that title in my childhood. It happened over 1,000 years ago, so I don’t mind.”
During this process, it was even discovered that the elf from the adventurer party was actually a princess of the High Elf tribe.
If we were to compare it to humans, she would be equivalent to an imperial princess. Considering that the High Elves are the guardians of the World Tree, which can be considered the elves’ deity, she also serves the roles of a high priestess or archbishop.
“No wonder you casually read ancient languages…”
“Rogue, you are a benefactor to our elves. If you wish, all elves who follow the World Tree will move for you.”
“Haha…”
“Of course, I am the same. As a High Elf who follows the World Tree and as a fellow member of the adventurer party, I swear to respect any opinion you have.”
Shouldn’t I just ask her to leave the party?
The money keeps increasing, but there’s no time to spend it…
“Wizard, this is a branch of the World Tree that the elves gave us as a token of gratitude. Do you want it?”
“Hehehe, a new material…! A branch of the World Tree! Ahem, ahem.”
“Sigh, okay. Have fun with your research.”
“Hehehe!”
The profession of a rogue is versatile. It’s not an exaggeration to say that there’s no other profession that can match a rogue in terms of adaptability and opportunism. From dismantling traps to stealth, exploration, lockpicking, navigation, codebreaking, negotiation, and bandaging wounds, rogues can handle a variety of tasks on their own. In a party of novice adventurers, the influence of the “Rogue” profession is immense.
Well, if it’s a party of “novice” adventurers.
Once the party’s capabilities reach a certain level, however, the rogue becomes something else entirely.
“Hero? I haven’t dismantled the traps yet…?”
“Huh? Hehe. Rogue looked tired today, so I thought I’d take the lead and trigger all the traps first. That way, it’ll be easier for the rogue to dismantle them, right?”
Why dismantle traps at all? Can’t we just trigger them all and charge through?
“Oh, according to the map…”
“To the right.”
“Right, to the right?”
“The Goddess guided me. She said that if we touch the left wall while walking along the right path, something good will happen.”
Why bother reading the map? The Goddess guides us through everything, right?
“A treasure chest. Let me pick the lock…”
“Open sesame.”
“Oh.”
“Hehehe.”
Why pick the lock? A simple magical incantation would suffice to open it, wouldn’t it?
“This code is written in Ancient language. If we consider the placement of these characters and interpret them based on the chronological era and hieroglyphs used…”
“Oh, this language seems to be the same as the one used in the book I read when I was young.”
Why bother decoding the cipher? We have a wizard, don’t we?
“Are you guys doing this on purpose?”
“Huh?”
“No, never mind. What am I even talking to you guys about?”
For these reasons, the plan to get expelled from the hero party by causing trouble was doomed to fail from the start. In the party that had even defeated the demon king, the influence of a single rogue was negligible.
“If you’re tired, feel free to rest! Do you want me to cast a healing spell on you?”
“Why have you been trying to heal me so much, Hero?”
“You look tired…?”
“…I should keep my mouth shut.”
Seeing the hero smiling as if getting away with something, I couldn’t help but shake my head.
Hero is such a transparent guy, living so openly. With the characteristic low self-esteem and martyrdom, could easily be the perfect hero. If I was like that, I wouldn’t have to strive so hard to get expelled like I am right now.
“Oh, Rogue! It’s the boss!”
“Our adventure to conquering the second floor of the Great Labyrinth ends here.”
It’s not so much a adventure as it is…
A stroll…?
.
.
.
I reported to the adventurers’ guild about our conquest of the second floor of the Great Labyrinth.
Sitting at a table in the guild hall, I watched people milling about aimlessly. If I don’t take the time to enjoy this leisure, I’ll feel too miserable.
“There are so many people…”
The adventurers’ guild was bustling, as if it was a mass-produced fantasy world.
If so many people in a town are eating simple meals like bread and soup, it might be a sign of troubled times. The ironic thing is, despite that, the world seems remarkably peaceful. Perhaps it’s because even just hunting monsters yields resources. The dungeon economy is divine! Speaking of gods, I wish I was a god in someone else’s religion. Participating in religious activities by force is more than enough for a lifetime.
Lost in such thoughts, I heard shouting from a corner of the adventurers’ guild. It seems like another party is arguing over distributing rewards.
“Isn’t this going too far?! You’re buying slaves without consulting me, the party leader!”
“But they’re personal slaves, so what’s the problem?”
“Combat slaves should be registered under the party’s ownership for better cost management during year-end accounting, you know!”
“That’s tax evasion!”
“Hey! Can’t you say tax optimization instead? People might get the wrong idea if they overhear us!”
“Distributing rewards turned out to be a more troublesome topic than expected.”
Although it varies from country to country, the slave system in this world operates reasonably well. If a master abuses or kills a slave recklessly, they face legal punishment. This is thanks to the concept of human dignity under the protection of the goddess. Depending on the master, many slaves enjoy a more prosperous life than some free citizens.
“Hah! Misunderstanding? You think we wouldn’t notice you skimming off the combat slave’s food expenses?”
“Hey hey! Keep your voice down!”
Of course, that doesn’t mean there are no issues at all. There are always those who exploit the fact that slaves don’t pay taxes for their own profit.
It seems like the guild leader of that party is one of them.
“I’m not bothered by it, so why?”
“Okay, I get it. My bad. I won’t say anything about your slave, so just keep your voice down.”
“Of course, that’s how it should be.”
“But you should be a bit more lenient when it comes to determining the combat slave’s contribution. The authority to manage the party’s personnel is solely mine as the party leader, but you bought a combat slave without consulting me, right?”
“You only need to give half the standard contribution for the slave’s performance. But in return… you know?”
“Sigh, who’s really the party leader here?”
“We’re just trying to work things out amicably.”
The two, who were arguing loudly, suddenly seemed to find common ground and began planning how to skim off the party’s funds together.
It’s a perfect example of how people can reconcile and collaborate when it comes to their own interests.
After submitting the recorded conversation as a video magic item to the guild receptionist, I wrote a brief report on the proceedings.
“Thank you for the tip, Sentimental.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
The world is truly a strange place. Some people exploit well-intentioned systems for their own profit, while others may want to cause trouble but lack the ability to do so.
However, I have no intention of attempting tax evasion or anything of the sort. It would be somewhat regrettable to retire from the adventurer’s party and then retire from life altogether.
“But a slave…”
It seems like something is coming to mind.
Perhaps it’s worth considering giving an overwhelming burden instead, if causing trouble directly isn’t an option.
Gifting a slave to the warrior could be a solution. Historically, high-quality slaves were considered as luxurious as precious metals or jewels. It’s even known that during certain periods, nobles would present slaves as part of marriage proposals.
Finding a seller for such a high-grade slave might be difficult, but with money, power, and the means of a rogue, it wouldn’t be such a daunting task.
“Is this okay?”
Gems are easily resold, but slaves are not. Especially for someone as pure-minded as the Hero, the idea of owning another person may weigh heavily on the Hero. It might be easier if the slaves were the ones who desired to be owned.
So, by gifting a slave and burdening the Hero, perhaps they would be inclined to push me away instead.
“Rogue! You are expelled from the party! Your presence… is too burdensome!”
Being expelled from the party in this manner is not just a dream.
“Now is not the time for this!”
I need to find top-tier slaves immediately.
I need information on the slave market.
“Excuse me, is there a rogue guild in this town?”
“Oh, if you go straight ahead for three blocks and then turn left at the intersection, you’ll see it on the opposite side.”
“Thank you.”
.
.
.
Indeed, the information comes from the Rogue guild.
“Thank you! Rogue! Thanks to you, we were able to save our fellow kin from being sold!”
“Well, elf.”
“I never expected that illegal slave traders would be kidnapping young elves from the Great Forest. Without your help, the forest elves would have suffered greatly. On behalf of all the elves in the Great Forest, I express my gratitude to you.”
“Why would comrades go to such lengths…”
I never expected the slave trader arranged through the rogue guild to be an illegal dealer who kidnapped and sold free citizens.
That’s why you shouldn’t trust rogue kids.
I’ll make sure to punish those rogue guild scoundrels later. Every time this happens, I end up being treated like a hero, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
“Hehe. Indeed, Rogue is kind-hearted! You seemed tired for the past few days because you were worried about that, right?”
“Uh, yeah…”
“I’ll cover all the expenses incurred in rescuing the young compatriots.”
“There’s no need for that…”
As a reward for reporting the illegal slave trader, I also received a bounty from the government.
It is said that significant diplomatic achievements were made by arresting the slave trader and securing the protection and return of the rescued elves to the Great Forest.
“By the way, Elf, were you a princess…?”
“I was called by that title in my childhood. It happened over 1,000 years ago, so I don’t mind.”
During this process, it was even discovered that the elf from the adventurer party was actually a princess of the High Elf tribe.
If we were to compare it to humans, she would be equivalent to an imperial princess. Considering that the High Elves are the guardians of the World Tree, which can be considered the elves’ deity, she also serves the roles of a high priestess or archbishop.
“No wonder you casually read ancient languages…”
“Rogue, you are a benefactor to our elves. If you wish, all elves who follow the World Tree will move for you.”
“Haha…”
“Of course, I am the same. As a High Elf who follows the World Tree and as a fellow member of the adventurer party, I swear to respect any opinion you have.”
Shouldn’t I just ask her to leave the party?
The money keeps increasing, but there’s no time to spend it…
“Wizard, this is a branch of the World Tree that the elves gave us as a token of gratitude. Do you want it?”
“Hehehe, a new material…! A branch of the World Tree! Ahem, ahem.”
“Sigh, okay. Have fun with your research.”
“Hehehe!”
