Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: The Freelance Knight Guild, Part 2
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Lost in thought, I snapped back to reality.
Clack!
I reached for the doorknob, but before I could even apply pressure, the door opened.
“……?”
“……?”
A kid who had been about to open the door from the inside flinched and stared at me.
“What’s this? A beggar.”
The kid frowned, looking me up and down, when a heavy voice came from behind him.
“What are you dawdling for?”
“My apologies, Master.”
His expression quickly smoothed out, and the boy scurried to the side of the door.
Thud.
My eyes widened at the man who appeared next.
The two-headed serpent crest embroidered on his green uniform was familiar.
In the Empire, there was only one family that used a multi-headed snake as its symbol.
Among the countless symbols, they were the only ones to use a snake for their crest, so I remembered them.
「Maengdogui Giftrang」
They weren't one of the Empire's Eight Great Families, but they were well-known for their venomous swordsmanship and their tenacious nature of repaying any grudge, no matter what.
In my past life, they had a certain connection(?) to Roman as well.
Anyway.
Their original crest was a three-headed serpent, wasn't it?
The man's crest was a two-headed serpent, one head short of the original.
According to the Empire's regulations on crests, the man was clearly from a branch family of the Giftrangs.
A branch influential enough to be allowed to use the main family's name and crest, no doubt.
I wondered what such distinguished folk were doing at the guild.
A glance.
The man glanced our way before leading the kid, who seemed to be his squire, and disappearing into the distance.
“What are you doing? Come on.”
As I stared blankly at their retreating backs, I heard Gunther's impatient voice.
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
I replied curtly and stepped inside the guild.
The various weapons hanging on one wall, the job postings and wanted posters scrawled messily across another,
“A big one! Give us a big one! If we keep taking these odd jobs, our mercenary company will be disbanded by the end of the year!”
“Why are you yelling at me when your company's finances are in shambles because of your reckless spending!”
and the guild employee arguing with the mercenaries, veins bulging in his neck.
“Ah……”
The guild, which I hadn't visited in a long time, was astonishingly identical to my memories.
This was true even though it was a different branch from the one I had frequented in my past life.
“Oh? Customers. Welcome! This is the Komrath office of the Freelance Knight Guild! How may I help you!”
The guild employee, who had been harassed by the mercenaries, brightened upon seeing us.
Only then did the mercenaries look over, and as if on cue, they all scowled.
“What’s this? Some beggar……”
“Does the guild run a charity now? How strange.”
I feel like I'm being called a beggar an unusual amount today.
Given our appearance, I couldn't say I didn't understand the mercenaries' reaction.
“Hey, old man. This isn't a place for begging, so you should leave.”
“Don't embarrass yourself in front of the kid. Just scram!”
“Why are able-bodied men going around begging? This is starting to piss me off. Some of us risk our lives for work.”
But while they could call us beggars, I couldn't stand them treating us like beggars.
“Master. Your staff.”
At my words, Gunther, though confused, readily handed me his staff.
Whoosh.
The moment I took it, I swung the staff with all my might.
“As an adult, I'm telling you, if an able-bodied man like you lives by begging, you'll never be able to get a proper… huh?”
The giant of a man who had been dishing out pathetic advice stared with wide eyes.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
His knees buckled as he took a harsh blow to his lower body.
“……?”
He must not have expected me to swing a staff out of nowhere; even as he groaned and clutched his leg, his eyes were filled with bewilderment.
“This… this little brat…!”
But that was only for a moment. The large mercenary's face quickly flushed red with anger.
“In return for your advice, let me give you some of my own.”
“What's this impudent little beggar spouting.”
“In the Empire, there's a famous saying: be wary of children, beggars, and the elderly.”
Even though he was furious, the mercenary snapped back, shouting that he knew that saying.
“Then here's a question. Which one am I?”
The mercenary flinched and looked me over.
A beggar and a child…!
Two of the things you have to be wary of, combined into one!
Hearing the mercenaries' voices from behind, I shook my head.
“Wrong.”
Sighs of disappointment came from all around. It seemed they were quite bummed about getting the answer wrong, even in this situation.
One of the mercenaries asked.
If you're not a beggar, a child, or a beggar-brat, then what the hell are you?
I straightened my posture and answered.
“An Esquire.”
“What……?”
As if they hadn't heard me correctly, the mercenaries just stood there, blinking.
“An Esquire who serves a Knight!”
The faces of the mercenaries, who had been watching the situation with interest, stiffened.
Regardless.
“Do you perhaps have something to verify your status? It's just a formality!”
The guild employee rattled on.
“Hmph.”
Gunther, who had been silently watching me until then, stepped forward and held out the back of his hand.
“……?”
The employee tilted his head in confusion.
Seeing this, I stepped forward.
Scrub, scrub.
I spat on my sleeve and wiped Gunther's grimy hand.
The mark hidden beneath the dirt was revealed.
The proof of the Vow, the Starscar.
Gunther's was in the shape of three overlapping stars—the typical Starscar of a 3-Star Knight.
“So you're a 3-Star Knight!”
While making a fuss about what an honor it was, the employee was shrewdly assessing Gunther's level.
“May I perhaps know the Knight's Song?”
“……I don't have one.”
“I see.”
At those words, the employee's attitude subtly changed.
It was only natural.
A Knight's Song was another way of describing the achievements and military exploits one had accumulated throughout their life.
So Gunther's answer was tantamount to saying, 'I'm a novice.'
Besides, his rank was also an issue.
From the lowest, 1-Star, to the highest, 9-Star.
Among them, 3-Star was a rather ambiguous position.
This was even more so considering a Knight's rank wasn't based on martial prowess but on their Vow, and that the rank itself depended on the class of the star they had sworn to.
It might have been different if he had some renowned military exploits.
A 3-Star Knight with no exploits could be seen as a novice who simply got lucky and was chosen by a star for a Vow.
Even now, the way the mercenaries looked at us had already changed.
The same men who had been fidgeting nervously about having called a Knight a beggar were now grinning with subtle relief.
“What a coincidence! A job just came in that would be perfect for the Knight to create his first song.”
The employee's ulterior motive was obvious as he spoke, pretending to be considerate.
No matter how few his exploits, a Knight was still a Knight.
He must be thinking of it as a chance to squeeze out a hefty commission by charging the client a high price while lowballing us.
“The Giftrang family is looking for people to help subjugate a band of brigands. A 3-Star Knight happens to meet the requirements, so what do you say?”
“For your information, if you accept, the guild will provide basic armaments. Of course, you'll have to return them after use, and you'll have to pay for them if they're damaged or lost.”
“We can just deduct it from your payment, and there's also an insurance policy run by the guild, just in case!”
“Other offices are also recruiting Freelance Knights, and the Giftrang family's elite troops will be joining as well, so there's no danger.”
“I can assure you there's no better opportunity to create the Knight's first song.”
“On top of that, it's a golden opportunity to form a connection with the Giftrang family!”
The guild employee spewed out his words rapidly.
I couldn't help but laugh.
Hah. Look at these guys.
They were so blatant in their attempt to rip us off that I wasn't even angry.
Everything the employee said was utter nonsense.
The trick of pawning off hard-to-dispose-of items as 'basic armaments' and then finding fault with them to charge exorbitant repair fees.
The shallow business tactic of taking a double commission under the guise of 'insurance'.
These were all schemes I had experienced ad nauseam in my past life.
And what was this about an opportunity to form a connection with the Giftrang family?
Though their aggressive nature kept them from being treated as a prestigious family, the Giftrang name was by no means cheap.
People like that don't even treat wanderers like us as human.
Forget a connection; we'd be lucky not to end up as their servants or cannon fodder.
If I didn't know their dark intentions, it'd be one thing, but what kind of fool would fall for it knowing the truth?
“It's not because of that, but……”
“Ah, right. And you must be the Knight's squire? Seeing the Giftrang's sword style firsthand would be a great help to you in the future.”
“The Giftrang's sword style……?”
“The Biting Two-Headed Serpent is a first-class sword style, renowned even in the Empire!”
“Hmm.”
But that fool was right here.
Gunther, swayed by the employee's silver tongue, was seriously contemplating it.
I didn't know why he kept glancing at me, but if I left him alone, he was going to get completely taken for a ride.
So I was about to stop him.
If, that is, a memory from my past life hadn't suddenly surfaced.
Brigands, brigands…….
The word 'brigands' echoed in my mind.
Come to think of it, around this time, the West was in an uproar due to a major brigand uprising.
The subjugation, which was expected to end quickly, dragged on, making the already chaotic situation in the West even worse.
Of course, I don't know the details of what happened back then.
In the days I spent with Gunther, I was just a child, ignorant of adult affairs.
But fortunately, I did know one crucial fact.
The Star Feast.
The fact that countless Knights were born during the war with the brigands.
‘Yan, the unremarkable.’
‘The squire hated by the stars.’
In my past life, I couldn't even garner the stars' interest, let alone receive the words of a Vow.
That's why I had to wander from battlefield to battlefield.
To attract the attention of those mad celestial beings who, obsessed with war, even incited their Vowed to start the Great War.
This was a perfect opportunity.
I had returned to that time when the stars poured out their words of Vow so generously that it was called the Star Feast.
Right. I'll give it one shot and then give up cleanly.
If I can't catch the stars' attention even during the Star Feast, then it was hopeless from the start.
“……I'll accept.”
Just then, Gunther accepted the employee's offer.
“Then, here is the contract. Could you please sign it?”
The guild employee beamed and held out the contract.
Thump.
I grabbed Gunther's hand as he unthinkingly reached for the contract.
“……?”
“……?”
He and the guild employee looked at me with puzzled eyes.
“Master. May I take a look?”
After a moment's thought, Gunther nodded and stepped back.
“It seems the Knight wishes to give his squire some proper experience.”
The guild employee kept praising the relationship between Gunther and me.
“So, how far are you willing to accommodate?”
I cut to the chase, looking at his shameless face.
“Ye-yes?”
Ignoring his dumbfounded response, I quickly scanned the contract's clauses.
“The equipment is to be provided, not rented. We'll choose it ourselves.”
“A fifty percent commission? Aren't you abiding by the Empire's legal commission limits?”
“Why is the military exploit bonus missing? You're really trying it.”
And so, I began to completely tear apart the contract the guild had prepared.
“The Giftrangs will be providing food and lodging anyway, so why is the guild charging for it?”
“We don't even have a horse, so what's this charge for horse feed and a new horseshoe?”
“And why is the insurance premium so high? You said it was a safe job with the Giftrang family's elites. A bit of a contradiction, isn't it?”
With every clause added or removed from the contract, the guild employee's expression hardened.
I paid him no mind.
“Where's the squire's stipend?”
I continued to pick the contract apart.
The Star Feast is the Star Feast.
But I have to secure what we're owed.