Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Day Off
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Around lunchtime—too late to call it the start of the day, but too early for a proper meal.
Rin lay sprawled across the table, her face twisted in agony.
Tanya and Mika slumped in their chairs, wearing the exact same expressions.
It was the price they paid for drinking themselves into oblivion last night, blissfully ignorant of their limits.
"Ugh..."
"What am I supposed to do with you? Drinking like that with zero strategy."
"It was my first time... I had no idea it'd be like this."
Rin clutched her throbbing head with both hands.
Her skull felt like it might split open, but she couldn't let it show too much—not with prying eyes around.
She stole a quick glance at the time, then quietly observed Ian's expression.
Today was supposed to be patrol day, no question.
But it was already late, and heading out to fight in this condition was a non-starter without even trying.
"What about the mission...?"
"Can't be helped today."
Thankfully, the underground sewer patrol was a weekly contract.
As long as they finished patrolling the designated zones by the deadline, skipping one day didn't breach the deal.
They'd planned to head in today anyway... but pushing the schedule back a day wasn't an issue.
"We'll wrap it up tomorrow and the day after. Rest up today—no pushing it."
"Sorry..."
A chuckle came from behind the slumped squad members.
"You only learn this stuff by face-planting into it yourself. Just be glad it didn't turn into a bigger disaster later."
The innkeeper emerged from the kitchen and set bowls down in front of the three.
Hangover remedies, specially made for lunch after seeing their states.
Rin, Tanya, and Mika barely lifted their heads, moving their spoons sluggishly.
"Haa..."
By the time the three had somewhat recovered, lunch was long past.
They felt better than before, but it was far too late to get anything done.
"We'll call today a day off. Go handle any errands if you need to."
An unexpected holiday, not on the schedule.
But the culprits who'd blown today's plans couldn't exactly relax and head out for fun just because it was a day off.
They all just snuck glances at Ian.
"What about you, Captain?"
"Nothing for me. You all go on ahead."
Ian rarely joined the squad when they went out to play.
He figured tagging along would just make it hard for everyone to unwind properly.
"Come on, you're way too stiff with your own mercenaries. Here, drink this."
The innkeeper set water glasses down on the table, one for each.
Honey water.
First round's free for the rookies.
Once they learned about it, they'd pay for it themselves next time.
The innkeeper's tried-and-true way of lightening rookies' wallets after dealing with hungover newbies endlessly.
With few customers around, the innkeeper naturally overheard the table talk and chimed in.
"You should hang out with your squad more."
Having hosted countless E-rank mercenary groups, she could tell their skills were solid.
But the captain and his crew still seemed awkward with each other.
From what she'd seen, groups that didn't bond like this never lasted long.
Mika and Tanya nodded at her words.
"Yeah! Come out with us, Captain!"
"Right? I was wondering what you do on days off anyway..."
And so, half pushed along by the others...
Ian ended up heading out with the whole squad.
...
But this sudden day off caught them all flat-footed.
None of the four had any plans for today.
Out on the street with no direction, they all glanced at Ian.
Usually, they'd just wander the shopping district to kill time...
But Ian didn't strike them as the type.
"Now that I think about it... I've only ever seen you working, Captain. What do you do on days off?"
Rin, who hadn't paid much attention before, suddenly got curious and asked.
"Me...?"
...
On days off, Ian just holed up in his room.
Not for any special reason—this city simply had nothing that piqued his interest.
Sure, there were arenas mercenaries frequented, gambling dens, theaters... plenty of those.
But none of them held any appeal for Ian.
No smartphone, no community forums either.
So Ian passed the time treating it like game downtime—planning future strategies, tweaking builds.
It was actually useful for the long haul, and the hours flew by pleasantly enough.
Still...
Ian looked at the three staring at him with curious eyes.
If he said he spent days off plotting future plans, would they think he was nuts?
In the end, Ian fudged it.
"Just hit up a café or something."
"A café?"
It was a throwaway answer, but the country girls' eyes lit up with interest.
"You've never been?"
"No cafés back in our village."
"Labyrinth City's gotta have tons."
"Too intimidating to go in..."
Cafés were an urban thing.
Even living in the massive city of Labyrinth now, those spots still felt like alien territory.
Having someone who actually went to one of those storybook places right in front of them sparked real curiosity.
Ian had just made it up on the spot, but seeing their interest, he suggested it.
"Wanna check one out?"
A bit removed from the shopping streets mercenaries usually hit.
Ian headed for a café at the entrance to the upscale district.
Its obviously luxurious exterior was the kind no country mercenary would dare step into.
Ian entered without a second thought and led the squad to a window seat.
Overwhelmed by the atmosphere, everyone but Ian sat rigidly, tense.
"Th-this is... a café...?"
"Are we really okay coming in here...?"
As the squad whispered nervously, Ian took the menu.
He'd never actually been to this place... but a café was a café.
He'd used them plenty in the game.
Rest spots where characters with [Aristocratic] or [Elegance] traits got stress relief bonuses.
Cheap joints like bars or casinos risked bad events like 'quarrels' or 'brawls'.
These cost more, but were better in every other way.
Rin peeked at Ian's menu and murmured softly.
"I'll have... wh-whatever the captain's getting."
"Me too..."
"...I'll take the cheapest one."
Mika tried scanning the menu but gave up—the names were all gibberish to her.
Ian called the waiter and placed the order for the flustered trio.
"Apple mint here, chocolate latte over there..."
Without much thought, he picked drinks tagged to match their personalities.
"And cheesecake, two raspberry tarts each."
Soon after Ian finished ordering, the drinks and cakes arrived at their spots.
Seeing the elegant cups of tea and desserts, they all let out awed sighs.
"Wow..."
Ian lifted his cup first; the others followed hesitantly, watching him.
Rin braced herself, recalling the guild coffee, but Tanya and Mika's positive reactions coaxed her to sip carefully.
"Ah, it's sweet..."
The intense sweetness hit her tongue and melted into her body.
After that guild coffee, she'd assumed all teas were bitter.
This one was perfect for her tastes.
Rin peeked at Ian's drink—he was sipping what looked like coffee, same as before.
...Why drink that stuff?
Was it a taste only smart people got?
Rin stared openly at Ian as she tilted her cup.
A brief, quiet, peaceful lull fell—no conversation, just calm.
Sunny afternoon rays bathed the relaxed scene.
"Cafés are nice..."
"Yeah."
They'd always spent days off in crowded markets or packed eateries.
But this leisurely vibe brought a real sense of ease.
Tanya finally got why someone might choose this for a holiday.
Glancing around the shop, she remarked in surprise.
"I was tense thinking it was for nobles and rich folk... but it's not that bad."
"Maybe in other cities. Here, everything's mercenaries. Every shop caters to us—no need to worry."
As Ian said, the café didn't turn mercenaries away or make entry complicated.
The menu was full of unfamiliar names, sure...
But she remembered what Ian ordered.
Ask for the same next time, and they could come back easy.
The fantasy of cafés as noble ladies' haunts...
The misconception that they were off-limits dissolved.
It even felt oddly satisfying, like they'd become noble ladies themselves.
"Let's come back sometime."
"Yeah."
Tanya whispered, and Mika and Rin nodded contentedly.
Then, a bit later, when the bill arrived.
Seeing the total Ian paid, the three got the coldest shock of their mercenary lives so far.