Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: While He Slept (1)
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Thick, rising steam clouded her vision.
Rin gingerly touched the scalding water with her fingertips before carefully stepping in. Soon, her entire body was fully submerged in the hot water.
"Haa..."
A bathhouse tucked away in a corner of the street.
Rin, now a regular at this place, sank deep into the tub and let out a weary breath, her face etched with exhaustion.
Expensive inns had private bathing facilities, but the modest inn where Rin stayed offered no such luxury. So, no matter how much of a hassle, she always made the trek here.
The current inn was decent in many ways, but its distance from the bathhouse made it a real chore to walk back after missions.
An inn with its own bathhouse. What a luxury to worry about such things now.
Rin gazed up at the ceiling, hazily obscured by steam rising from the tub, and let out a small smile.
While Rin was quietly lost in thought, submerged in the hot water, someone approached and spoke to her.
"Hey, Rin."
"Ah. Hey, Luna."
Rin waved to the short silver-haired mercenary who had greeted her first.
They often ran into each other around the same time and had exchanged names after chatting a bit. She was an E-rank mercenary.
Luna entered the tub and slumped weakly beside Rin, letting her fatigue-soaked body droop.
"Haa... Total bust today."
"What happened?"
"We went out hunting goblins... Our leader bragged about being a former hunter, but we didn't even spot a single rabbit."
Another E-rank mercenary.
And since they met in the evenings after missions, their conversations always revolved around the day's tasks.
"It's been days since we caught anything... At this rate, we'll only get the base pay this week."
Rin gave an awkward smile as she listened to Luna's complaints.
Rin was still a novice mercenary with little experience herself, but hearing others' stories made her realize Ian's group was a bit different from the rest.
Luna's tales, or those from other mercenaries... Stories of empty hauls or fleeing from strong monsters were all too common.
E-rank groups consisted of novice mercenaries, including the leader, so trial and error was to be expected.
But Rin had never failed on missions with Ian.
No mishaps at all—everything went smoothly, just as planned.
"What about you today, Rin?"
"Uh... Caught a wolf."
"Really?"
Luna's eyes widened in surprise, then shifted to envious admiration.
She'd never seen one up close, but she remembered the bounty for wolves from the ever-present mission board.
Hearing Rin's mission success compared to her own, Luna sighed.
"I wish I could fight as well as you... I might've joined a better group."
"Ahaha..."
Rin averted her gaze awkwardly, unable to meet Luna's sparkling eyes, who clearly assumed she'd taken down the wolf single-handedly.
Luna wondered if Rin, despite her feats, was being exploited by her leader, given her constant lack of confidence.
But Rin knew exactly how much money she burned through in a day's fighting. Her conscience wouldn't let her brag.
Any E-rank mercenary could have done the same in her place.
Once the mission talk dried up, their conversation drifted to trivial daily gossip as they soaked in the tub.
"So, I'm pretty sure she used my stuff, but she denied it..."
"Ah... Really?"
Luna went on to vent about her roommates and leader, but Rin, living with just one leader, found it hard to relate.
In the end, Rin just nodded along, letting Luna unload.
How could anyone live with strangers without complaints?
Thinking that way, Rin quietly felt grateful for her own group's luck with its leader.
A small window in the bathhouse ceiling let in the distant toll of a clock striking the hour.
"Gotta head out."
"Ah, me too."
Rin and Luna rose together, waving as they promised to meet again.
"Fuu..."
Back at the inn after her bath, Rin cautiously opened the door. Ian, already there, glanced over at her.
"You're back early."
"Yeah. I don't like soaking too long..."
Ian was on the bed, papers spread out as he calculated something.
Rin had once asked to watch out of curiosity, but it was just incomprehensible numbers, so she'd given up trying to understand.
...Is this what leaders have to do?
Rin had dreamed of succeeding as a mercenary and starting her own group someday...
But seeing Ian's paperwork made that ambition vanish.
Feeling Rin's stare as she watched him work, Ian looked up, their eyes meeting.
"Sorry. Want me to put out the light?"
"No, it's fine! I sleep with it on."
"Alright. I'm almost done, so you go ahead."
"Okay. Good night, Leader."
Rin settled into her familiar bed.
The scratch of Ian's pen tickled her ears.
Eyes closed but sleep evading her, Rin drifted into idle thoughts.
It had been quite some time since joining Ian's group.
Not a long stretch, but not short either.
Ian remained an enigma.
When he'd first offered her a spot, she'd accepted on the spot without much thought about who he was.
As a zero-experience rookie grateful for any offer, she could worry about that later.
Aspiring mercenaries flooded the city, but jobs for greenhorns were always scarce.
Rin had seen people drifting around the recruitment office for months, scraping by on day labor.
Fearing the same, she'd jumped at the first proposal—straight into Ian's group.
...At least it wasn't a dud.
But whether she could keep entrusting her future to him? Still uncertain.
He was undeniably odd, but not a bad person, so her final judgment remained pending.
A moment later, Ian rose, and the room's light went out.
He shifted noisily at first as he lay down, but soon the sounds faded, replaced by his soft, steady breathing.
Ian fell asleep first despite lying down later. Rin tried to follow suit, but her swirling thoughts kept sleep at bay.
"......"
Lying still, Rin finally opened her eyes.
At the start of her mercenary life, exhaustion knocked her out instantly. But as it grew routine, old habits resurfaced—staying up late.
Rin turned her head to glance at Ian.
In the dark room, his blanket-covered silhouette was faintly visible.
Sharing a room with a man had felt awkward at first, but now it was just normal routine.
The Rin from a month ago would have called it impossible.
Monster hunts, once a worry, went too smoothly. The unknown fears of mercenary life had vanished...
Lying comfortably as if in her own room, a sudden thought crossed Rin's mind.
Come to think of it... It's been a while since I masturbated.
Late nights without sleep, in a dark room alone—options were limited.
Relieving herself had become a hobby for such sleepless hours.
But since deciding on mercenary life, leaving her village, and arriving here, she hadn't once.
Days of grueling survival ended in collapse-like sleep; she'd completely forgotten.
Realizing this, the desires dormant in her body surged like a tidal wave.
They hadn't vanished—just quietly accumulated.
Once acknowledged, the urge swelled relentlessly within her.
No leisure before, too tired to even want it.
And in crowded lodgings, it was impossible anyway.
But now...
"...Leader?"
Rin whispered Ian's name ever so softly.
No response.
Only his deep, sleeping breaths returned.
In this room, Rin was the only one awake.