The Nameless War Demon (3)
After Chrome finished his greeting and left, Bern Midas was left alone with his thoughts.
'So that's what he was like?'
The last bloodline left by his first wife who had long since departed. A piece that might prove useful someday. That was the extent of Bern Midas's perception of Chrome.
He had many people to meet and many things to do. He had already established several other households. He had never taken any particular interest in Chrome to begin with. The boy had simply reached an appropriate age, so Bern had sent him off with a subordinate under the pretense of letting him observe and learn.
But the subordinate had failed, and the child he had considered a mere extra had cleaned up the mess. No, it wasn't just cleanup. The boy had brought back far more than what was originally planned. Maturity and composure beyond his years, along with considerable guts.
'At the very least, he's several times more useful than his older brother or sister.'
Of course, it was too early to make assumptions. Besides the two who had already fallen from his favor, there were other children from his other wives who were just as capable as Chrome. He was still young. There was no need to rush the selection of a successor.
"You bunch of idiots! Today's on me, so drink to your hearts' content! Oh, but not you, John! If you don't want those wounds to get worse and kill you, stick to juice!"
The Brown Wolf Mercenary Group's leader, Clark, bellowed, and cheers and laughter erupted from the members. One mercenary whose thigh was wrapped thick with bandages turned bright red. There were others with minor injuries, and a few wearing bitter expressions at the empty seats where comrades should have been. But overall, the atmosphere wasn't bad at all.
Contrary to their expectations that the Midas Merchant Group might withhold proper payment for failing to protect their charge, or tamper with the amount, they had received nearly three times the original fee. Whether it was labeled as condolence money for the dead or compensation for standing and fighting in a disadvantageous situation didn't matter. What mattered was that a hefty bonus had filled their wallets. That alone was enough for them to feel grateful for the Midas Merchant Group's generosity.
A family that betrayed the kingdom? Corrupt upstarts who only cared about money? Who gave a damn about any of that when shiny silver coins were practically spilling into their hands right now?
"So anyway, I barely dodged that bastard's swing and countered straight into his gut—"
"You just tripped over a rock, fell forward, and happened to stab him. Stop bullshitting."
"Haah!? And what the hell did you do besides piss yourself in terror?!"
"Who the hell pissed themselves?! How many times do I have to tell you that was the enemy's blood?!"
"Bullshit!"
"Wanna take this outside?!"
"Bring it, you son of a bitch!"
"Shut up and eat, you morons."
After smacking the heads of the two oversized idiots who acted no better than children, Clark stepped out of the noisy tavern. The sun had set, and darkness had settled over the streets. When he spotted a girl sitting alone on a bench, he let out a sigh of disbelief.
"When the hell did you manage to sneak all this out?"
Bread stuffed with vegetables and bacon was one thing. But the wide wooden plate piled high with various cheeses and sausages, two plump ripe apples, and a thick, meaty turkey leg seemed a bit excessive for one person to eat alone on a bench. Especially that turkey leg—it had been the main dish, with plenty of people eyeing it. The fact that she had successfully swiped it without a sound was almost impressive. He himself had only managed to snag one thanks to his privilege as leader.
"If you're going to eat, why not do it comfortably inside?"
"Listening to a bunch of drunkards with red faces repeating the same damn war stories dozens of times would ruin anyone's appetite. Even the leader's."
"Fair enough. Can't argue with that."
Clark shrugged and picked up one of the apples from the plate, taking a bite. Ligret's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Hey, come on. Don't glare at me like that just because I took one out of all this. I'm the one paying, you know."
"……."
"...Alright, alright. I'll grab another one later and put it back. Just ease up on the death stare."
Muttering about how he couldn't tell if she was the youngest member or his superior, Clark continued.
"Thanks. If you hadn't stepped in, we wouldn't be laughing and chatting like this right now."
"I didn't really do much."
"You don't seriously think I'm going to buy that lame excuse, do you?"
Ligret didn't answer. She simply took a bite of the bread she was holding. Her blunt expression as she chewed made her look exactly like any other girl her age. But Clark knew all too well what this little brat was capable of.
It had happened half a year ago. During a joint request with another mercenary group, a dispute had broken out over the distribution of rewards. The resentful opponents had come after Clark. Outnumbered and separated from his comrades, the odds had been overwhelming. He had resigned himself to death that day.
If it hadn't been for some random kid who happened to be near him during the ambush—and who had proceeded to slaughter every man trying to silence her—he really would have died.
"How's the contract with the Midas group?"
"Not bad. Looks like they're planning to establish a new branch in Karant City soon. They want to hire us as security for it."
At Ligret's question, Clark answered with a grin.
"It's a decent-sized city, so living there won't be bad. The pay they're offering is excellent too. As expected from a family that literally digs money out of the ground. They're on another level."
"What about the other members?"
"They're thrilled. Especially the ones who were starting to worry about retirement. Their mouths were practically splitting their ears. A lot of them are getting tired of living by the sword."
Clark didn't mention how many of the members had developed a much stronger desire for a safer life after watching their comrades die right beside them. There was no need to say it. She already knew.
That's good, Ligret thought, nodding indifferently. Her attitude was so detached, like she was hearing about someone else's business, that Clark spoke up.
"Ligret, you should—"
"Leader. I'm leaving the mercenary group."
Clark's eyes wavered. Not because he hadn't expected it, but because he had expected it and hadn't wanted to hear it.
"...Do you have somewhere to go?"
"The Morian Kingdom. Maybe I'll try hunting for treasure in dungeons. Hunting magic beasts sounds good too."
"Magic beasts aren't some neighbor's dog, you know. Even during our group's prime, we'd avoid anything involving magic beasts at first mention. You'll die doing that."
"I'll figure it out somehow. If I can't, then I can't."
By now the plate was completely empty. Ligret picked it up with one hand and stood.
"Don't worry. It'll take me about half a year to prepare everything anyway. I just thought I should tell you in advance."
As the girl walked away with casual steps, Clark called after her.
"Why do you only ever want to do such dangerous things? You finally have a chance at a stable life."
Without turning her head, Ligret answered shortly.
"I'm just curious."
Clark couldn't understand exactly what that meant. And because he couldn't understand it, she was leaving. That was what outstanding talent and a special fate meant.
He quietly prayed that there would be someone who could understand this child—this girl who had saved his life and whom he had come to think of as a little sister during their short time together.
A few days after my meeting with Bern Midas, I headed to the lodging where the Brown Wolf Mercenary Group was staying. I had wanted to come sooner, but Bern Midas had ordered me to submit a detailed written report about the incident, which had taken up a lot of time.
He said it was to check for any inconsistencies with Dorp's account while he was being treated. Since I wasn't used to writing reports, it had taken far longer than necessary.
When I told the mercenary leader Clark that I had something to discuss with Ligret, he made a strange face but still called her out for me. As we left the lodging, the other mercenaries gave us looks like they'd just found something perfect to tease us about. It was a little annoying…
Whatever. It's not what you guys are thinking.
Thankfully, Clark must have put a stop to it, because no one followed us. After walking quite a distance from the lodging, I confirmed there were no eyes around and told Ligret why I had come.
"...Personal guard?"
Ligret repeated the words with a puzzled look. I nodded.
"The treatment will be much better than when you were a mercenary. Depending on the situation later, the pay could increase even more."
Since I didn't have any separate income yet, I had no choice but to rely on the family's allowance for maintaining dignity—what amounted to pocket money. Even so, it was far more than what an average mercenary earned. As expected from a famously wealthy upstart family. Even the children's pocket money was on a different level.
For a moment, Ligret just stared at me blankly. Then she let out a small snort of laughter. I smiled back.
Good. The mood was warm and friendly. It looked like this would go very—
"No."
Damn it.
"If it's about the amount, I can offer more."
"Even if you doubled it right now, I'd still refuse."
"Five times?"
"...No."
"Ten times."
"…………It's not about the money."
Even as she said that, I didn't miss the way her eyes shook violently. She muttered something about how I must really be digging money out of the ground, then asked again with a sullen expression.
"What's your real motive?"
"I told you. I want you as my personal guard."
"You expect me to believe that?"
Ligret spoke as if she found the idea ridiculous.
"There are plenty of people stronger than me. If you wave around the amounts you just mentioned, both you and I would have lines of people waiting to be hired."
"I need you specifically."
When I said it confidently, she fell silent for a moment. Hmm. Maybe she had sensed a bit of my sincerity?
Ligret narrowed her eyes at me, then suddenly seemed to realize something.
"Is this that kind of meaning? Well, I guess even nobles who look decent on the outside and have lots of money sometimes disguise themselves and visit shady places on purpose."
"Pfft!! Cough! Cough!"
Her sudden bombshell made me choke on my own spit. I coughed violently. Wait, shouldn't something like 'Do you like me?' have come out at least?
Damn it, that's right. This girl came from a mercenary group.
In my previous life, groups of hot-blooded men always indulged in dirty talk. In this fantasy world, people who spent their days swinging swords, drinking, and shouting for a living weren't going to suddenly use polite language just because a girl was around.
"No, no, it's not like that at all!"
"It's not that bad, though. You're not some wrinkly old grandpa, and we look about the same age."
"I said it's not!"
I caught my breath and continued.
"You're right. If we're talking purely about skill, there are definitely people better than you. But at your age, there aren't many who are as strong as you."
"Hmm. So you're saying you believe I'll get even stronger in the future, and you want to secure me early?"
"Yes. Or to be more precise—"
I looked straight into Ligret's eyes.
"Let's go to the top together, Ligret."