Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Newbie (2)
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Following Ian's instruction to take a seat, Mika and Tanya cautiously settled at the table.
The table, where breakfast was already underway, was laden with various dishes, and the warm aroma of food wafting from it stirred the appetites of the two.
To snag a good spot at the mercenary recruitment office, you had to line up before it even opened. And to hold onto that spot, you couldn't step away even for lunch.
Of course, there was also the need to skimp on meal costs as much as possible, so rookie mercenaries typically got by on just one simple evening meal a day.
Having endured such semi-forced hunger day after day, the two women's gazes naturally drifted to the food on the table.
"Here you go. Food's out."
"Right here, please."
At that moment, the innkeeper approached with plates of fresh dishes.
They were the ones Ian had ordered in advance.
A dark brown hunk of meat, freshly grilled and steaming hot.
A salad brimming with green leafy vegetables and chopped fruits.
At Ian's gesture, the new dishes were placed in front of Tanya and Mika.
The dizzying aroma rising from the plates made both women unconsciously swallow.
"Ah. With more people now, we should switch rooms. Eat first."
Ian left those words behind and stood from his seat.
"......"
"......"
Tanya and Mika's eyes met briefly.
Even as Ian approached the innkeeper to discuss available rooms, the two could only swallow repeatedly over the plates before them, unable to bring themselves to touch the food.
A thickly seared steak sat right within arm's reach.
...But was it really okay to eat this meal he'd told them to have?
No amount of exchanged glances between rookie mercenaries could resolve that.
In comparison, Rin, who had been casually eating her breakfast, suddenly looked up, noticed the scene, and locked eyes with the two new recruits.
"Not eating?"
"Um... how much is it? We don't have much money..."
"Huh? Money? Oh... right."
Watching the two hesitate, Rin suddenly recalled the advice she'd heard as a newbie: be wary of shady mercenary leaders trying to scam you.
Like forcing unnecessary gear on you.
Or charging exorbitant meal fees.
If you blindly accepted everything offered, you'd end up billed for absurd costs and in debt to the mercenary group, or so the rumors went.
Those were the kinds of stories idle rookie mercenaries swapped in the waiting rooms.
Rin belatedly realized what the two were worried about.
"The leader said to eat first, so it's fine. He won't nickel-and-dime you over something like this."
Ian was meticulous about separating group funds from personal expenses, but he wasn't petty.
If he said eat, it was okay to eat. He wasn't the type to go back on his word.
"Um... then."
To be coldly analytical, Rin's words were just as suspect.
But the two's patience had already reached its limit.
No matter how suspicious, they couldn't resist the temptation of the meat right in front of them forever.
Mika reached for her fork first, and Tanya, watching her, carefully picked up hers as well.
Meat!
The tip of the cautiously extended fork pierced the crispy exterior and sank into the tender flesh.
They gingerly brought a piece dripping with rich juices to their mouths.
Shivering at the oil seeping into their bodies, they repeated the motion with their forks—and in no time, they'd cleared half the plates.
"You'll choke. Eat slower."
Pulling herself together after Rin's words, Tanya looked up.
Sensing Rin's gaze, Tanya glanced up cautiously, then voiced a sudden odd question to Rin.
"By the way, where are the others?"
"Huh? Who?"
"The other members of the mercenary group..."
"There aren't any other members in our group?"
"Pardon?"
Tanya blinked in confusion.
Mika, who had been quietly chewing her meat, also lifted her head with a puzzled expression.
"It's just the leader and me... so I'm the only actual mercenary."
"But I heard it's a D-rank mercenary group."
"Yeah, D-rank is right. But I'm the only member."
The forks of the two, stunned by the revelation, came to a complete halt.
They'd heard it was a D-rank group during their brief chat with Ian while applying.
Plus, the guild staff seemed to recognize the Ian Mercenary Corps by name, so they'd assumed it was a prominent, sizable outfit...
But only two people? They hadn't imagined that.
"So just the leader... and you two seniors got it promoted to D-rank?"
"Se... senior?"
Hearing the word for the first time in her life, Rin squirmed uncomfortably.
She'd fantasized about juniors a few times, but actually hearing "senior" triggered a visceral rejection.
Above all, it pricked her conscience that her own experience wasn't enough to warrant being called a senior.
"Calling me that feels weird... Eh, just speak casually. I haven't been at it long either."
Rin suddenly remembered she'd only heard their introductions and hadn't given hers yet.
"I haven't introduced myself. I'm Rin. Just call me Rin."
"Ah... Yes, Rin. Call me Tanya, please."
"I'm Mika."
Mika immediately switched to casual speech as Rin suggested, but Tanya eyed her awkwardly.
The offer to speak casually was genuine... but some people just couldn't adjust overnight.
Rin nodded and they exchanged introductions once more.
As a sort-of senior who'd started the mercenary life a bit earlier, Rin wanted to offer some sage advice, but nothing came to mind.
She didn't have enough experience stacked up to play the senior role convincingly.
"I want to say something helpful, but I don't know much myself... Honestly, I've just been doing what the leader tells me."
Rin's gaze turned to Ian, who was talking with the innkeeper.
Tanya and Mika's eyes naturally followed to Ian's back.
Though both had accepted Ian's recruitment offer, they knew next to nothing about the mercenary group itself.
Rookies like them didn't have many options.
No matter how sketchy or unreliable it seemed, if it offered a chance to build experience on the job, they had to cling to it desperately.
Besides, a D-rank group—not even E-rank—was the best starting opportunity.
They'd rushed over the moment the offer came, with no time to check Ian out or dig up rumors.
Curiosity about their future workplace bubbling up, Mika cautiously asked Rin while gauging her reaction.
"By the way... what kind of person is the leader?"
"The leader?"
Our leader is a reliable guy...
Rin was about to rattle off the obvious praise when her conscience grabbed her ankle.
Was he reliable?
...Honestly, not really.
Ian's orders always carried a recklessness that danced right on the edge of blind faith.
And the bold investments he made with inexplicable confidence.
Watching his spending up close, Rin constantly doubted whether the group's finances were truly sound.
She still occasionally dreamed of fleeing debt collectors alongside Ian.
"...He's a decent guy, I think?"
"......"
"......"
Anyone could tell Rin's answer, after an eternity of deliberation, was an empty platitude squeezed out by force.
The two froze, their utensils still.
Seeing Tanya and Mika's reactions, Rin panicked and bowed her head.
"No, he is a good person, but, um..."
As Rin scrambled to patch things up, Ian returned to the table, having secured a new room.
Spotting him mid-conversation about the leader, the two startled visibly.
...Were they badmouthing me?
Ian sat in his seat, noting the awkward vibe at the table.
"Talking about something I shouldn't hear?"
"N-no!"
"No!"
All three replied to Ian in a fluster.
...Were they really badmouthing me?
Ian sat, a touch glum, and held out a single key.
"They agreed to tidy the room right away, so you two eat up and move your stuff. Rin, you move there too."
"What about you, leader?"
"I'll keep using my old room."
Ian had rented a new triple room for the three of them, opting to stay alone in the original double.
Now at D-rank, they could afford an extra room's lodging fee.
Rin figured it was better for the mercenaries to bunk together rather than with the leader anyway.
"Leaving just the two newbies alone feels off, and it's better for Rin to be with the members, right?"
"Yeah, it is."
Rin had grown accustomed to sharing with Ian, but the unavoidable awkwardness from their leader-mercenary dynamic was undeniable.
"So why aren't you eating? Want something else?"
"No, we're fine!"
When Ian asked the two, who had frozen with half their plates still full, they snapped to and shoveled the remaining meat into their mouths.
"Order more if you want something."
"Really?"
"...You order your own."
He never bought me meals when I was the newbie...
Muttering under her breath, Rin ultimately ordered a new dish with her own money.
While waiting for the food, Ian spread out the papers he'd gotten from the guild. Curious, Rin leaned over.
"Leader. So you've been scouting newbies all this time?"
"Partly, and looking for other jobs suited to D-rank."
The mission Ian was eyeing required prior guild entry permits.
It wasn't a picky area—just needed advance approval—so he'd gotten the permits alongside the two's enlistment paperwork today.
"Now that we're D-rank, time for better-paying gigs."
Of course, D-rank missions were tougher than E-rank.
But there were a few intermediate ones: low difficulty, higher pay than E-rank.
Ian had brought one of the classic starters for fresh D-rankers—a spot he'd even written beginner guides for multiple times.
Recommended for newbies meant easy and great value.
Boring in a game, sure, but here? No reason to pass.
Intrigued, Rin peered at the papers.
"What kind of mission?"
"Yeah. Underground sewer patrol."
"Pardon?"
Rin furrowed her brow at the unexpected answer and checked the papers, but sure enough: "Underground Sewer."
"I worried spots might be taken, but they handed over the permit right away when I said we'd take it regularly for a while."
"......"
"......"
"......"
The three froze, utensils stilled once more.