The Nameless War Demon (4)
From the moment I first became aware of my reincarnation, one question had haunted me. How could I possibly recruit the protagonists of the various templates—the central figures of Planetarium and the most outstanding companion candidates?
The people living in this world had different names, different faces, and different genders from the ones I remembered in the game. Yet some things surely remained unchanged.
Regardless of gender, the Heir of Red and Blue Blood would still wrestle with the deep grudges and crushing responsibility tied to their lineage. No matter their appearance, the Proud Barbarian would never act against the pride of their tribe.
So what about the Nameless War Demon?
She possessed no special bloodline and felt no strong allegiance to any faction. She was the template with the least to lose, and therefore the freest of all. But I had come to a different conclusion.
The Nameless War Demon, who hurled herself into the world’s countless dangers without bearing any burden, without any obligation, without anyone forcing her hand—she was the greediest template of them all. Even more so than the Greedy Profligate.
An insatiable hunger for growth. That is the true nature of the Nameless War Demon. So show her a path that can satisfy it.
“What do you mean by a high place?”
To Ligret’s blunt question, I answered calmly.
“Right now I’m one of the candidates to inherit the Midas family. But I have no intention of stopping there.”
Even if I safely won the family head’s favor and was chosen as successor, would the rest of my life be peaceful? Of course not. I knew exactly how many terrifying bombs were buried across this world.
A mad prince who would drown his own country in blood out of nothing but greed for power. Dungeons that would ravage entire regions if not cleared within a set time. Demonic weapons that endlessly drove their owners to slaughter in order to reclaim their true forms.
When I could already hear the timer of a live explosive ticking right beside me, I wasn’t relaxed enough to assume someone else would handle it.
Even without those global threats, more than a truckload of people already held grudges against me simply for carrying Midas blood. In a life that refused to let me stand still, if I had no plans to give up, the answer was obvious.
I had to run like hell.
“In two years, I’m entering the Empire’s academy. The place the continent’s strongest nation created to raise the next generation of heroes. Monsters from the Barhart Empire, Spero Kingdom, Morian Kingdom, Nahat Grand Duchy, and every other corner of the continent will gather there. At that place, I will seize power, connections, wealth, and honor.”
“……”
Ligret said nothing. But I didn’t miss the strange light that began to burn in her eyes.
“It won’t be easy. Plenty of people there will be stronger than a simple mercenary girl. Plenty will be richer than the youngest son of a newly risen house. You might fear for your life. You might suffer crushing humiliation. However—”
I smiled.
“—isn’t it only worth challenging if it’s at least that hard?”
What value was there in an obstacle anyone could overcome? What satisfaction came from rewards earned too easily?
At the very least, I knew the girl in front of me wasn’t the kind to settle for that.
I held out my hand.
“You don’t plan to die as a nobody mercenary, right? Come with me. I need your strength.”
This might be a scam. Even without me, Ligret would probably grow stronger on her own over the next two years and bang on the academy gates without any outside help. She might shine there too and soar even higher, just like the Nameless War Demon had in the game.
But so what?
Being able to do it alone doesn’t mean it’s better to do it alone.
I was the Greedy Profligate. If there was one thing my template excelled at, it was strengthening allies.
I could lead her to heights she could never reach by herself.
Ligret stared quietly at my outstretched hand. Ten seconds. One minute. Ten minutes. I waited in silence. She was choosing something that might decide the rest of her life.
Finally, she spoke.
“Three conditions.”
“Let’s hear them.”
Ligret fixed her gaze on me. Her deep brown eyes caught the sunlight and gleamed beautifully.
“One. You will not involve or use the Brown Wolf Mercenary Group in any way for this contract.”
In other words, don’t take them hostage. It was reasonable, so I nodded.
“Whether you refuse or accept, they won’t be harmed either way.”
She continued.
“Two. If you ever lose the will to climb higher and sit down, I’ll leave.”
That was also acceptable. Whether this world would actually let me stop was another question.
“Fine. I won’t stop you.”
“Third.”
Ligret’s voice stayed flat.
“I don’t mind the bodyguard job. I protect you, you pay me. But that doesn’t mean I accept you as my master. No matter what it looks like on the outside, don’t think of me as a convenient subordinate.”
“Hmm.”
I thought for a moment—not because I disliked the condition, but because I wanted to answer in a way that made my position clear.
The reply came quickly.
“Then can I add one condition of my own?”
She frowned but lifted her chin, telling me to speak.
“Call me Chrome. Not ‘you’ or ‘young master.’ If we’re equal partners, using each other’s names should be fine, right?”
Ligret’s eyes widened slightly. Then she smiled and took the hand I offered.
“Looking forward to it, employer. No—Chrome.”
“Looking forward to it, Ligret.”
You have successfully recruited the Nameless War Demon as a companion.
While the boy and girl were making a slightly unusual promise for the future, the man secretly watching them let out a hollow laugh.
“Well, I’ll be damned. I was hoping for a nice puppy-love confession to keep that wild little hellion under control, but…”
Instead of holding her back, the kid had poured oil on the fire and started fanning the flames. It looked like she wouldn’t be diving into dungeons where traps could pop out in six months or facing demonic beasts that could wipe out a village single-handedly. In the long run, though, that might have been safer.
Should he stop the girl who was like a little sister from walking such a dangerous road? Clark, leader of the Brown Wolf Mercenary Group, thought about it for a second, then shook his head.
Cute face or not, he knew better than anyone how insanely stubborn she was. Once she’d thought it through and decided, no amount of talking would get through to her.
Force her? Never mind earning the hatred of the Midas family’s youngest son—Ligret herself might come to beat him to death.
The memory of playing instructor to build her skills, winning the first three bouts, then getting read like a book and suffering seven straight losses—being pounded like a dog—still haunted him as trauma.
He’d suffered enough just calming down the members who wanted to hunt down whoever had beaten their captain bloody.
The guys all thought he shared a room with Ligret because he was worried some idiot might try something inappropriate with her. They figured the childless Clark simply doted on the girl. The truth was the exact opposite.
No matter how worthless the subordinate, he couldn’t let them get killed by Ligret’s fists.
“Right, so what bullshit am I supposed to feed those idiots?”
Coming up with a whole new story was annoying. Maybe just say the Midas family’s youngest son fell head over heels and confessed? The simple-minded bastards would probably swallow it in one go.
Picturing their reactions as clearly as if they stood before him, Clark gave a small snort and walked away in silence.
It wasn’t the method he’d hoped for, but it didn’t look like the path Ligret was taking would be all that lonely.