Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Emergency (1)
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Ian finished packing up the remaining luggage and headed down to the first floor.
The inn's first-floor dining hall was packed with people now that evening had arrived.
Ian scanned the nearby tables one by one until he spotted Mika waving her hand and made his way over to her table.
Thanks to all the various errands eating up time, it was a bit later than their usual dinner hour.
Everyone else had food in front of them and was in the middle of eating, except for the Ian Mercenary Corps' table.
As Ian took a seat at the empty spot, Rin waved toward the kitchen to call for their food.
Rin, who had ordered four evening set meals, belatedly asked Mika,
"What's on the menu today?"
"Bean soup."
"Ugh... That's no good."
Rin glanced at the dishes on nearby tables and let out a sigh.
The inn's cooking wasn't bad, but every now and then, they'd throw together a menu using leftover ingredients, which always spoiled the appetite.
Usually on days like this, they'd just grab dinner from a street vendor outside, but since they'd all come together for once, it wasn't like they could head out now.
Rin waited glumly for their dinner to arrive.
A few brief exchanges passed after Ian sat down, but conversation quickly dried up, leaving silence in its wake.
Everyone kept exchanging awkward glances before looking away again, their mouths firmly shut.
"......"
It was probably because of the accident during today's mission.
The mercenary corps' mood hung heavy and somber.
Tanya in particular seemed to think it was all her fault, constantly watching Ian out of the corner of her eye and staying quiet.
Her attitude was so obvious that even Rin and Mika couldn't relax into easy chatter.
Ian sensed the dark atmosphere and looked around at the mercenary corps members.
For an accident during a mission, the damage was practically zero—this was cause for relief on his end, but...
For the mercenaries, including Rin, this was their first failed expedition.
They all probably saw it as a major blunder.
Ian tapped the table to draw the eyes of the mercenaries, who were all watching each other warily.
"I'll cover it, so order whatever you want."
"...Really?"
"Yeah."
Rin, who had been staring mournfully at the bean soup that just arrived at their table, lifted her head.
Ian nodded, and Rin cautiously opened the menu.
It was too unappealing to turn down with a "no thanks"... especially since today's menu was bean soup.
Rin's eyes quickly scanned down the menu.
"Then... first, the meatballs and..."
"Rin. We have to order for everyone else too, so take turns picking one each."
"Oh, right."
Rin pondered for a moment before picking one item and passing the menu along.
"I'll have the mixed mushroom grill."
Mika took the menu from Rin and, without much thought, chose her usual order.
She immediately handed it off to Tanya.
"You pick too, Tanya."
"Oh... Anything's fine for me..."
"Hurry up and choose. We need to order."
As Mika prodded her by jabbing the menu, Tanya, who had been shrinking into herself, finally took it and opened it.
"Th-then... the extra-large charbroiled steak set..."
"Hey, mister! Order up!"
Once Tanya timidly finished ordering, the mood at the table lightened a bit, buoyed by anticipation for the food.
But Tanya was still wearing a cowed expression, peeking at Ian without joining the talk, until she accidentally met his eyes and startled.
Ian, who had been staring straight at her, spoke first.
"How about you, Tanya? Not hurt anywhere?"
"N-no... I'm fine. What about you, Captain? It's because of me..."
"Yeah. Don't worry about it."
Tanya, who hadn't dared bring it up first due to the awkwardness, bowed her head carefully toward Ian.
"Th-thank you... for helping me."
"Nah. As long as you're not hurt, it's good."
...Dinner's suffocating enough without this.
Rin, watching from the side, finally couldn't hold back and cut in.
"It's over and done with, so drop it."
But Tanya's wariness showed no signs of fading.
If words alone could fix it, it never would have gotten this bad in the first place.
Rin pulled out an extreme solution.
"The mood's so bad... how about some drinks?"
"Drinks?"
"We haven't all drunk together like this before."
Rin had only tried this trick once, but so far, it was 100% effective.
It was her secret weapon for blowing away interpersonal tensions.
"...Sure."
With Ian's approval, four glasses of alcohol soon appeared on the table.
The glasses emptied.
Food arrived, and they ordered a few more dishes after that.
As the empty glasses piled up, the stiff atmosphere at the table gradually loosened.
Mika, holding an empty glass, launched into her tale with a dissatisfied look.
"So, I handed over all my pocket money I'd saved up and bought the spellbook, but..."
This story was probably on its fourth telling.
Ian, well-versed in handling people like this, neatly ignored Mika.
In his place, Rin nodded along, listening to Mika's story.
Ian turned his head and spoke to Tanya, who sat quietly in the corner, unable to join the conversation.
"Tanya. You done eating?"
"Ah, yes... I'm good. I'm full."
Tanya glanced up briefly at Ian before slowly lowering her head again.
"Sorry..."
This was about her tenth apology.
Tanya, eyes downcast, let out a small sigh and muttered,
"I can't even fight, so doing mercenary work just causes trouble..."
Ian, listening to her, suddenly grew curious.
He knew Tanya had lived in a rural village.
But why had someone like her come all the way to Labyrinth City to become a mercenary?
Most mercenaries who came to Labyrinth were the type who had dreams worth risking their lives for,
or desperately wanted to make a fortune no matter the cost,
or chased grand goals beyond their reach.
Tanya didn't seem to fit any of that.
"Why did you want to become a mercenary, Tanya?"
At Ian's question, Tanya lifted her head.
After a moment's thought, she picked up her half-empty glass, downed the rest, and set it back down.
"I... had some friends."
Tanya recalled the faces of her friends, still vivid in her memory.
Her hand trembled slightly on the empty glass.
"They asked me to become mercenaries together, but I was scared and said no."
Working as a mercenary in Labyrinth meant big money.
Maybe they could save up enough to open Tanya's shop in no time?
Her hometown friends had made that pitch, but Tanya had stubbornly refused.
Mercenaries? She'd never even imagined it.
But one day,
boasting they'd earn the cash to set up her restaurant, her friends left for Labyrinth without her.
Unlike Tanya, they were active types who loved adventure. It was probably inevitable they'd end up that way eventually.
"After a few months, the letters stopped coming. I sent a few first, but no reply, so I came to Labyrinth myself..."
The big city of Labyrinth was too rough and unkind for someone like Tanya from the countryside to live in.
She wandered the city searching everywhere for news of her friends.
"...Their names weren't anywhere."
No matter how huge Labyrinth was, if you knew the name, you could usually track down an active mercenary quick enough.
But if the name turned up nowhere after all this time, there was usually just one reason.
The paths might differ a bit, but most mercenaries met similar ends.
No one to remember them, no one to pray for their souls.
Just a single red line struck through their name on the guild roster.
That's how mercenaries vanished from the world—so easily, so pointlessly.
"......Talking about it makes it feel a little better."
The opposite of Tanya's relieved expression,
the mercenaries at the next table who had perked up at the interesting story,
even the innkeeper whose hobby was eavesdropping on drunken guests' tales—
all wore looks of regret for having heard it, silently lifting their glasses.
Tanya bowed her head.
Her face reflected in the faint liquid rippling at the bottom of her empty glass.
"If I'd gone with them back then, would things have been different?"
Maybe her friends would have held back on dangerous missions out of consideration for her.
Maybe she could have stopped them from taking ones that were too reckless.
Maybe.
"It'd have been nice if those kids had met someone like you, Captain..."
Tanya slumped onto the table and fell asleep.
"Captain. So that's why I got swindled by that con artist..."
"...Mister. Four more beers."
Ian considered cutting off the drinks, then just picked up his glass again.
Ian lifted his heavy eyelids from the bed.
Brilliant sunlight leaked through the gap in the curtained window.
Through the poorly soundproofed wall came the noisy sounds of the street outside and the first floor below.
He checked the time—it was well past his usual wake-up, almost lunchtime.
He vaguely recalled sending the team members back to their rooms at dawn before barely making it to his own bed and collapsing.
Ian tried to get out of bed, but his body felt waterlogged—heavy, with no strength anywhere.
A throbbing, dull headache rose, different from a hangover.
"Haa..."
It was a cold.