"Are you serious right now?"
Alavenya's body shook. Nathan's atmosphere had changed in an instant. This was the first time he looked so angry. "Huh?"
"I'm sorry, but right now, I'm starting to doubt your personality. Do you feel that the lives of the common people are worthless?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? They're not. I have grown up in the mercenary squad and have befriended a lot of common people." Alavenya was completely confused.
"Then why would you say you're going to capture them during the mission? With your brain, you should understand what it means to confront them before or during the auction, right?"
Alavenya obviously knew it. If they confronted them before the auction, there would be a lot of familiars at master level fighting. And that fight would be within the city.
The destruction that it would bring alone was great, let alone the number of casualties.
The same applied if they attacked them during the auction. Even if other summoners would help them, a fight at that scale would destroy this area, which would cause devastation.
That was why Nathan turned cold all of a sudden.
The reason Nathan questioned Alavenya was the fact that she would even suggest it. She might say it casually, but if she truly didn't think the lives of the common people were worthless, she wouldn't even joke about it.
Nathan had read a lot of novels, but all of them had always disregarded the details of what happened to those common people.
But for him, this was his life. He was currently living in this world, not just reading it. That was why he would confront even a noble son when he belittled him as a son of a farmer.
"I…" Alavenya opened her mouth. Her lips were trembling as if she could say something, but the words stuck in her throat. Her mind soon went blank, as she couldn't help but lower her head. "My bad."
Nathan closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "Never mind. I have gone too far. I shouldn't have even gotten angry at you. It's just a casual remark, and I'm not even your boyfriend, so I shouldn't care about that… I'm sorry."
Alavenya shook her head furiously. "No. You don't have to apologize. That was truly my mistake."
Alavenya's head hung low, but for some reason, she was happy.
Despite his words or actions, Nathan actually cared a lot about human lives. When she recalled the happy memories she had with her mercenary group, especially those with commoners, she felt a bit relieved that Nathan was this kind of guy.
"Although I'm in no position to tell you this, I will just say it even if you're going to get angry because of it.
"The words that come out of your mouth when you're in the position of power are something you have to take responsibility for.
"It is applied to everything. You can't just say to your client that you will definitely complete the mission. Who knows? Maybe a meteor will suddenly strike down, or you will have a heart attack out of nowhere? It might just be nonsense, but what if that truly happens and you fail? The devastation they will feel after their hope is raised so high is… unimaginable.
"Right now, summoners are above the common people and lower than nobles." Nathan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why am I even lecturing you… never mind."
Alavenya couldn't even retort back. Nathan had been spitting facts the whole time. Even if she was frustrated, a decent human being would agree with him.
"I know. Your opinion is correct." Alavenya nodded.
Nathan took a deep breath. "Anyway, let's stop this discussion and return to the main topic. We won't do anything on this mission. The enemies won't make a move until the auction is out, and we'll complete the mission as intended.
"We have no obligation to deal with the thieves, but…" Nathan raised his finger before pausing. "…no one is going to say anything if they end up committing bad things in front of us, right?"
"Huh? Do you mean we catch them red-handed?"
"Yes. We're just good summoners passing by. After seeing a civilian being attacked by a rogue summoner, we lend them a helping hand. It's not a part of a mission, but how a good person acts, no?"
"Ah." In the end, the plan was to attack them outside the city after the auction. It was just a matter of justification.
"We have two targets, which are easy. If those two items are going in different directions, we will act as if we are in a fight and going a separate way. I will follow the sword while you follow the shield.
"If both of them are heading in the same direction, just act as if we're going on a date outside the city or something and follow them. Once they take action, we can play dumb and say, 'We've been waiting for you during the auction, but to think you would end up taking action here,' or something.
"In the end, we caught them red-handed. People will justify our actions as well. Because you'll be monitoring the auction itself, make sure to observe the people who buy those two items. Don't lose them. Understood?"
"Fine. That sounds good enough. I don't agree with the date part, though." Alavenya nodded. "If you have nothing to say left, I'm going out. I need to burn some calories."
"Sure. Tomorrow will be boring anyway, so just enjoy your time today."
Alavenya didn't say anything else and just left the room. But when she closed the door, she stopped for a moment.
She never thought Nathan would be a person that cared a lot about the lives of the people, not just nobles but also commoners. It might be due to his background, but despite being such an excellent summoner, he still felt down to earth.
This action made her confirm that her father had truly forced such a kind person to commit those atrocities.
Without her realizing it, a small smile appeared on her face.