Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Collaborator
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"It's quite different from what I imagined..."
The upscale residential district in the southern part of the city.
Lia mumbled absentmindedly as she looked up at the building in front of her.
She had assumed it would be some modest shop near the officer's quarters since they were going to meet an officer, but their destination turned out to be a luxury housing area.
In terms of sheer size, the guild house was obviously larger, but this was the southern district where property values were the highest in the city.
Price-wise, they were probably on par.
"Getting into the defense force at that age without any backing would be tough. Officers working centrally aren't your average citizens."
After explaining to Lia, Ian looked up at the building as well.
Captain Leona, with whom he had a brief connection during the last invasion.
He had reached out saying he wanted to meet to express his gratitude, but her invitation to her private home had been quite unexpected for him.
This was bound to involve some rather headache-inducing discussions.
It meant there were topics she wanted to discuss without worrying about prying eyes.
Ian pondered for a moment before quietly knocking on the door.
"It's been a while. This is a little gift."
Ian first presented the gifts he had prepared.
One that he had put together himself, and another from Louise, who had helped and asked him to pass it along.
Leona glanced at the gifts and spoke to Ian.
"That's awfully extravagant for a courtesy gift."
"I got some help from Second Lieutenant Mikhail. Thanks to this, everything worked out well."
Ian placed Leona's coin on the table.
Leona tilted her head as if hearing the name from Ian's mouth for the first time.
"Mikhail?"
"He's with the patrol squad."
Patrol squad, huh.
Leona thought for a brief moment before nodding as if it rang a bell.
"...Ah, yeah. I think I remember now."
He wasn't someone she had paid particular attention to, but she vaguely recalled him and asked Ian.
"What was he like when you met him? A bit too obvious an opportunist, right?"
It wasn't something Ian needed to chime in on positively, so he just gave a small smile.
"Well, I get it. The guard unit's due for some rotations anyway. I'll put in a recommendation for him."
"A recommendation?"
Leona observed Ian's expression.
He had spoken as if he wasn't pleased, yet his face showed surprise at the extent of her gesture.
Leona smiled.
"No matter who it is, if I owe them a debt with this, it's only right to repay it on their behalf."
With that, Leona flicked the coin Ian had offered back to him.
The weight of value contained in that single simple coin.
"That's how its worth becomes even greater."
Do you have any idea how many people hover around me just hoping for one of those?
Leona muttered.
The courtesy thanks ended there, unremarkably.
It had only been a pretext to create an opportunity for a deeper conversation with Ian.
Leona picked up the bottle on the table.
"Care for a drink?"
She filled their empty glasses one by one. Her gaze then turned to Lia, who was standing quietly behind.
"And you are...?"
Leona narrowed her eyes as she looked at Lia.
She seemed quite skilled, but Leona had no memory of her at all. Someone of that caliber should have stuck in her mind.
"Lia."
"I don't recall seeing you during the last operation. A mercenary?"
"I joined recently."
From a brief glance, Leona could tell Lia was a serious swordswoman, probably a C-rank mercenary.
Not the dissolute type. And not someone who'd follow just anybody.
"Good people seem to attract good talent."
"...Thank you."
Saying that, Leona filled Lia's glass as well.
Lia suddenly recalled the real reason she had joined the mercenary corps and felt her face flush unnecessarily.
Tilting her glass, Leona turned to Ian first.
"Looks like you weren't interested in my proposal after all."
Judging from the lack of contact until now, it seemed she had rejected the offer to become an officer.
"Being a mercenary suits my disposition better."
Hearing Ian's response, Leona muttered inwardly.
It'd be nice if that were really true.
Who else is as easy to draw in as mercenaries?
But a mercenary who didn't crave money or fame—how contradictory and troublesome was that?
"I'll be direct, since I hate these mind games."
After some deliberation, Leona got straight to the point.
"I need your abilities."
"What could a mercenary like me possibly offer?"
It struck Ian as rather odd.
What he had shown back then was certainly a novel strategy capable of drawing interest.
But why would Leona, still just a regular officer, need someone with such talents?
It probably wasn't for personal reasons, at least.
Understanding Ian's doubt, Leona fell silent for a moment before carefully broaching the topic.
"Do you happen to know what kind of person the current mayor is?"
"Not in detail."
Mercenaries weren't citizens, so they couldn't participate in voting.
Ian had heard about the mayoral election but hadn't paid much mind since there was no way for him to influence it—he'd just checked the candidates and results.
The incumbent had been reelected.
Leona hadn't expected Ian to know the details anyway.
It wasn't the sort of thing an ordinary mercenary would care about.
"The current mayor's a disarmament advocate. Always going on about how defense spending is too burdensome."
The city's defenses were stable, the system robust.
The overall caliber of mercenaries was improving year by year.
Hardly anyone among the residents truly feared the walls being breached.
"That sounds pretty good to the merchants, doesn't it? Less burden on defense budgets, and more mercenaries mean a bigger market."
Leona gazed down at her rippling glass.
"As an outsider, you probably wouldn't know. I've lived here since I was a kid, and we had massive damage once during an invasion."
The wall defenses had completely collapsed, letting monsters pour into the residential areas.
Leona recalled hazy memories from her childhood.
Perhaps because of the alcohol, an old wound throbbed pointlessly.
"The mercenaries back then fled. Even with money on offer, who would rush into a place where death was certain?"
She didn't intend to blame those mercenaries for not holding the line with their lives at that time and place.
Still, they could have done better.
"As I grew up, became an officer, and learned more about the city's affairs, I realized something."
It didn't have to be that way.
The city had more than enough capacity for it. Back then. And now.
Then and now, the reason was probably one and the same.
Saving gold coins mattered more than ensuring citizens' safety.
On their scales, gold weighed heavier than the people.
"Entrusting the city to people like that... someday, it might happen again."
As she spoke, Leona suddenly felt it was odd.
Come to think of it, this wasn't the kind of lament to share with a mercenary.
Guess he just doesn't feel like one.
She chuckled softly to herself.
Mayor, huh.
Watching Leona, Ian recalled the mayoral candidates he had looked into recently.
There were two: the incumbent backed by the merchants, and his rival from a military background.
It was obvious which side Leona favored, even without asking.
Unfortunately, the city was still too peaceful for citizens to worry much about safety.
He had no voting rights, but who became mayor would affect him slightly.
Commercial growth meant higher-end items in shops and more income for mercenary corps.
Military growth bolstered the city's defenses directly.
From Ian's perspective, either was fine.
He'd adapt to whichever won. He couldn't choose it himself anyway.
But if he had the chance to choose...
As Ian remained silent for a while, Leona smiled.
"Sorry. Too political a topic for a mere mercenary to weigh in on, right?"
"No. I think the same."
Hearing Ian's response moments later, Leona looked mildly surprised.
City politics were the sort of thing ordinary mercenaries didn't care about either way.
The smarter the mercenary, the farther they stayed from entanglements that only brought loss.
Leona studied Ian's face and guessed.
...Looks like he has something he wants after all.
Unexpected, but positive. Having a desired price meant room for negotiation.
Leona pondered what Ian might want in exchange for dipping into politics.
He didn't seem interested in enlisting.
Securing a guild position he could do on his own.
After a moment's thought, Leona asked.
"A seat on the city council?"
"I'm going into the Labyrinth."
Damn. Figures.
Leona drained her glass without replying.
"You believe in that too? That there's some treasure in the deepest part that grants wishes?"
Most who wanted to enter the Labyrinth were like that.
People harboring arrogant wishes that money or power couldn't fulfill.
Ian offered no particular response and instead asked cautiously.
"Regardless of my reasons, don't you need someone for your plan? Someone to lead the charge into the Labyrinth."
Leona looked up at Ian's words.
It was a question that precisely targeted her most pressing need.
"You said you didn't know much about the election."
"I heard the candidates' pledges. Might be useful to know in advance."
The rival's promise to actively support Labyrinth expeditions—left to volunteers until now—to suppress monster generation and prepare for threats.
It was the pledge that stuck most in Ian's memory.
And it was a perfectly viable strategy.
Monster waves were monsters overflowing from the Labyrinth.
Enter and destroy the sources producing them, and the next wave's scale diminished accordingly.
The more sources destroyed, the weaker subsequent waves became. It was even possible to target and eliminate sources of defense nightmares like aerial monsters.
The city hadn't sprung up overnight, nor had Labyrinth expeditions begun recently.
This much was common knowledge by now.
"Have you found people to go into the Labyrinth?"
"......Not at all."
Yet that approach hadn't been utilized for two reasons.
No need until now, as defenses held fine.
And no one willing to enter for the city rather than personal gain.
Leona had met plenty of mercenaries seeking collaborators, but Labyrinth explorers were all hopelessly obsessed with personal goals, making proper negotiations impossible.
"Meaning you're different from them?"
"At least I showed up here."
"I didn't call you for the Labyrinth."
Leona sighed and leaned back against the chair.
What Leona needed was the ability Ian had demonstrated back then.
Ian clearly possessed strategic talents that could elevate the city's overall defenses.
Ideally, he'd join as a staff officer; otherwise, ongoing strategic advice.
But of all things, the Labyrinth.
"So what you want is... not a position somewhere."
Leona organized her thoughts for a moment, then looked at Ian and asked.
"Support for your Labyrinth expedition?"
Ian nodded.