Chapter 75
Chapter 75
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Parting Ways at the Border
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Adelian was quick on the uptake, and he sometimes acted in ways that made one wonder if he could read people's innermost thoughts. He strutted around as if he knew everything in this world.
He probably knew that the moment he fell asleep was when he was at his most vulnerable.
'He must trust us completely.'
Instead of the campfire she always lit inside the magical tent, Luna glared at the artifact Adelian called a heater—the one they'd snatched from that damned earth fairy—before holding her breath slightly and slipping out of the tent.
"Here, Rabbit Senior, have some tea."
Zero was still Zero, no matter his changed appearance. After thanking her politely and taking the tea, Luna sat on a log and gazed at the campfire she'd just started, where the embers were only now beginning to grow.
"No tossing and turning, and his breathing's steady, so he's in deep sleep."
"It's been a while since we've talked just among ourselves, Seniors."
[What did you want to discuss?]
Luna smiled at the cute, rounded handwriting on the small chalkboard Adelian had given her.
Leaf, who looked expressionless and stiff, was a bit unexpected in that regard.
"We're arriving in the border town of Gabioren tomorrow, so we'll be parting with Cain. I figured we should chat among ourselves beforehand."
She'd originally had the Timid trait, but at some point—probably after falling for Valbus's scheme, meeting the dragon, and losing all of Adelian's defensive artifacts as a result.
It was around the time they'd come to the Spirit Forest. Luna had wanted to grow stronger to protect Adelian, and in subtly whipping her own frail self, the frequency of trailing off mid-sentence decreased, and her gaze, which had always been slightly lowered to the ground, lifted upward.
For Adelian's sake.
'The young master shouldn't be the one protecting me.'
As his maid, she had to protect him.
"Honestly, Cain's the strongest among us, but from tomorrow, he'll be acting separately, so this is about steeling our resolve, you know?"
It was what they called 'everyone gather under me.' But since none of them—including Luna—knew what that really meant, they all nodded.
"You're right, Senior. With Cain Senior gone, we need to unite our hearts even more."
Luna nodded slightly as well, smiling at Leaf, who wrote [You're right.] on the chalkboard while bobbing his head with hands clasped—his body now a full handspan taller.
"Leaf especially needs to do well. You know that, right?"
With a look that said Adelian could become an angel or a demon depending on how Leaf acted, Luna asked, and Leaf furrowed his brow slightly.
"I know what you mean."
"Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not. No looking at humans with eyes full of disgust and contempt, or muttering under your breath about killing them if they brush against you on the street—loud enough that the young master can't hear."
There might be others here with ears as sharp as Luna's.
"Exactly. Especially don't give those merciless glares to men more than women."
They all knew—except Adelian—about Leaf's chilling reactions, born from the fact that most of the countless betrayals, from the ones who burned villages and the black mages to the back-alley beggars, human hunters, village chiefs who sold them out, slave overseers, and even children, had come from ruthless adult men. Seizing the moment, the Cain-bashing began.
—Indeed. Lord Cain shows particularly acute reactions to adult male humans.
"Got it. I'll be careful."
Cain raised his hand lightly as if to say enough, and everyone chuckled softly before sipping their tea.
"Don't worry about the young master. Just focus on carrying out what he ordered you to do."
"Right. I can lend a hand now too, so I'll assist Rabbit Senior in serving Lord Adelian well."
—I will remain in protection mode instead of combat mode.
Cain could clearly sense the intent behind what Luna, Zero, and Leaf were saying.
'Anyone who couldn't would be an idiot.'
Succeed in the mission Adelian assigned. And return as quickly as possible.
Trust them and don't look back.
Cain rarely smirked, and Luna's eyes crinkled in response.
"You absolutely cannot screw this up."
"Yeah."
Cain stood as he replied. It was the night before arriving in the border town of Gabioren.
* * *
"B1A9 39127."
"Serial number confirmed. Please write the password."
Using the serial number and password Alkaido had given me, I retrieved a small sub-space pouch and a Siren that had been stored anonymously in Gabioren's bank.
A pair of Siren prototypes from the dungeon. And the Siren A version, developed through research and analysis based on them.
What I'd requested from Alkaido was something like the cell phones on Earth—one Siren that could connect to any number of others.
'Maybe because it's a prototype.'
Holding the Siren A that only responded to the registered prototype, I left the bank.
"Luna and Zero?"
—They split off briefly to get a light feel for the atmosphere here.
Nodding at Leaf's words, I tossed the Siren A I'd brought out to Cain.
Cain easily caught the soft, dumpling-like thing that resembled a squishy slime—similar to the Siren prototype in appearance but slightly different in color—and looked at me.
"This is."
"One Siren got completed. Use it to report your progress."
He'd hardly ever acted solo except when I sent him on errands, but I wasn't about to send him off without at least one safety measure.
If something went wrong on my end or his, we needed to regroup instantly—but without it, how long would it take to find each other?
'Plus, Cain's too proud to speak up if he faces something unreasonable.'
It was practically like sending him into half an army, so some unfairness was expected, but there might come a time when I had to step in.
If nothing major happened, reports every 2-3 days. If things got urgent, we'd need more frequent exchanges.
"You haven't forgotten how to use it, right?"
As I asked while holding the proto, Cain's gaze swept over me.
[As if.]
Satisfied, I nodded once and handed over the sub-space artifact that looked like an ordinary brown leather pouch.
"Keep it in there normally. Even in the sub-space, since the Siren is bound to you, as long as the pouch isn't too far from your body, you should be able to converse if you focus."
It would require strong concentration, but that was Cain for you.
"You're done with your errands, I see."
"We found an inn where the food at least looks edible, Lord Adelian—Rabbit Senior and I."
At Luna, who untied her ears loosely bound like a headband after running around, and Zero, who pointed the way with a finger, I gestured for them to lead on.
"It's definitely rougher food overall, as expected from a border town."
"Most places seem rowdy, probably because mercenaries use them."
Yeah, figures. Our party was currently wearing perception-lowering badges on our cuffs or under our clothes.
A magic that dulled impressions overall, made us unmemorable, and made our faces look average.
Border monster zones were places where people died easily, and unlike normal villages or cities, these were built for military purposes, so the atmosphere was rough all around.
Places like that made us prone to trouble by default, and with Luna and Leaf's striking looks, we'd gotten these from Gamur to preempt any disturbances.
"It's closer to the village than I thought."
"So what did you imagine, Luna?"
As we led our horses toward the restaurant-inn Zero and Luna had scouted, I asked, and Luna smiled faintly.
"Like, with wooden stockades and monster howls echoing?"
"I imagined something similar, Senior."
At their words, recalling the various books I'd read back at the mansion to learn about this world and the original story, I spoke up.
"Those are deeper in. Think of this place as a rest stop after a subjugation run."
Everyone nodded with an 'ah,' and Leaf extended a white, soft-looking hand.
—I’ll stable the horses, Manager.
I gave Leaf some coins, asked him to add feed, and entered the inn.
"No, really! An ogre that big just now!"
"Come on... I know you only applied for small monster subjugations."
"This settlement amount..."
"Just one more big haul, then back home."
The inside was rowdy.
Air thick with mingled smells of various foods, body odor, and dust.
I found a table with its wooden window cracked open to the outside, sat down, and gestured for Cain, who sat across from me, and Luna, who sat beside me, to shield my body.
'Am I too prissy?'
I secretly pulled out Codex, cast Clean on the table, admired how much better it looked, and muttered inwardly.
But it couldn't be helped. I had memories of living in modern times, and as Adelian, I'd lived as a noble, always using purification or Clean magic.
Camping out was cleaner than this place, so until I got used to it, wanting a clean meal before eating wasn't a sin. No, definitely not.
"So, think you can share a tent with the others now?"
"That was then, this is now."
Shrugging at Cain's question about my actions, I replied.
In the military, I'd bunked with subordinates whose feet stank even after washing. Humans adapt; when push comes to shove, you manage.
We ordered the standard set meal, and I spoke up.
"People who come to border towns usually fall into three categories."
One: regular mercenaries. They eat and rest in these forward-base villages, sign up for subjugation requests that appeal to them, and join.
Pay is partial upfront, the rest after. If you die midway, the request fee and death compensation go to the designated bank.
Two: contract mercenaries. For those with sufficient credit or overwhelming strength that bypasses it.
As the name implies, they sign for 3+ months, and instead of picking subjugations, they follow military orders.
Three: nobles or those dispatched. Mostly ambitious military types or the demoted, but occasionally ones with a sense of justice fighting for commoners.
"Cain, you're applying directly to the military. After a skills test and aptitude exam, you'll be assigned."
I wet my throat with lukewarm, tasteless beer and continued.
"Your job is to rack up achievements while building connections with Margrave Reinhardt if the opportunity arises."
"A man, huh?"
"Yep."
The moment Reinhardt's name left my mouth, Luna asked, and at my reply, Zero and Luna averted their eyes.
Why?
"Got it. If the chance comes."
"I know Margrave's position and his role as general here don't make it easy, but you might pull it off surprisingly simply."
He likes strong people.
As I smiled and said that, Luna patted Cain's shoulder. Nice to see her cheering him on.
I balanced the salty sausage with tough bread. We wouldn't eat together for a while, so I wanted something tasty, but oh well.
"Once your business here's done, we'll catch up somewhere great."
"Yeah."
I shook hands with Cain and parted. The moment he removed his badge and walked off in another direction, people's gazes visibly turned his way.
[Cain Rayners—Forger (+) ]
Representative Traits: [Unyielding (SS)] [Genius (SS)] [Appearance (SS)] [Physique (SS)] [Mana Control (A+)] [Dispel (B+)]
Hidden Traits: [Tenacity (SS)] [Versatility (S)] [Longing (A+)] [Miracle (B)]
All traits except Unyielding had risen. Probably from the fight with Leaf in the airship and the one with Chaser outside.
'Unyielding.'
I'd initially thought that trait symbolized Cain's refusal to forget—the pain he'd endured, his obsession with revenge, his unbreakable will.
But flip it around: maybe Cain was someone worthy of not being forgotten by others.
In the original story, despite that face and those feats, he ended up a forgotten hero, not by his party but by ordinary folk in their memories.
'Not this time.'
I exhaled deeply, turned, and reentered the inn.
And.
'Why is Sis coming out from there?'
A red-haired martial artist sipping booze in the corner, who must have entered unnoticed.
My mouth gaped open at the sight of Rachel.