Preparations for Departure
Davie was one thing. But Dofnik and Braham, too.
All of them seemed utterly convinced that Joseph would one day rise to greatness.
I wonder if I'm even supposed to take that as a compliment...
Honestly, Joseph felt they were projecting their own assumptions onto him. And why wouldn't they? Everything he had done so far had been in pursuit of a quiet, unhurried life.
Making artifacts and selling them. Joining the Harbert Forest subjugation. Accepting Davie's dungeon expedition. All of it had been in service of the safe, secure existence he wanted.
I'm not that interested in power.
That said, Joseph had recently begun to feel that a certain degree of authority was necessary. With more and more people under him, someone had to handle the work in his place — and that meant knowing how to command people. In this world, the only ones who commanded others were those who held power.
But that didn't mean he wanted the absolute authority of a noble. What Joseph wanted was the life of an anonymous landlord — the quietly wealthy types who raked in a fortune every month without ever showing their faces in the media.
Which was why he couldn't simply nod along to their proposal. Accepting investment meant accepting a price. And until he knew what that price was, he couldn't make a reckless decision.
Joseph considered for a moment, then spoke.
"I have one question. If I accept your investment here... is there really no risk of problems arising from it?"
He didn't fully understand what it meant for two merchant guilds to attach themselves to him. So he asked again, to be certain.
Dofnik chose his words carefully before answering.
"Honestly... I think bringing our guilds along would actually create fewer problems."
"What do you mean by that?"
"As I mentioned earlier, you'd be traveling with Sir Davie... more precisely, with a noble of House Fabidia. I can't say for certain, but I doubt the Commercial Guild would look kindly on that."
"...You're saying I'd get tangled up in political problems."
"Well. Yes."
Dofnik nodded and elaborated. If Joseph participated in this expedition alone, it would look as though he were wielding force under the banner of House Fabidia. Regardless of the actual circumstances, people around him would see him as a mage under the influence of the Fabidia family. And naturally, the Caladon Commercial Guild — which was not on good terms with House Fabidia — would take issue with that.
"...Are you saying the Commercial Guild might try to block my artifact sales?"
"I don't think they'd go that far. But there's a real possibility of inconveniences arising."
"That didn't happen when I went to Harbert Forest, though."
"Your situation is a little different now than it was then."
Before the forest subjugation, Joseph had been nothing more than a mage who made artifacts. But the first Harbert Forest expedition had revealed him as a capable Combat Mage. The second had made his connection to a Fabidia noble public knowledge. On top of that, he traveled with Rophen — a beast that could tear apart even a Cry Peeper on its own. And Veteran Mercenaries came and went from his mansion every day. Unlike before, the Commercial Guild could no longer afford not to keep a close eye on him.
How the hell did this snowball get so huge?
Joseph's face was a picture of disbelief.
"So if I accept your patronage, those political problems won't arise?"
"They'll be lesser, at least. Better than going alone."
The Silver Ice Merchant Guild had a certain reputation in Caladon from its ice distribution business, but it wasn't large enough to represent the Commercial Guild as a whole. And the Kerbe Merchant Guild, which dealt with nobles, wasn't even in the same conversation. If Joseph went with both guilds, at the very least he wouldn't look like he was operating under the Fabidia banner. And given the scale of the two companies, he wouldn't look like he was operating under the Commercial Guild either.
Joseph let out a sigh.
Having to watch your step no matter where you go. Same as always.
When he'd first heard this was a city without nobles, he'd thought he wouldn't have to worry about powerful people's opinions the way he had in Valois Territory. Looking at how things were unfolding, that clearly wasn't the case. Falling out of favor with the Commercial Guild could jeopardize his artifact business. Getting on the wrong side of House Fabidia could cause problems when he eventually needed a new place to live.
So no matter what I choose, I take a loss... which means these two were trying to keep me as neutral as possible.
If Joseph ran into trouble, they would suffer too. That was why they'd been so careful to keep him from taking unnecessary damage. He was grateful for that, but his expression didn't brighten. Because this wasn't a problem that would simply go away once this expedition was over.
As Dofnik had said, Joseph was already a mage of note in Caladon. Whatever choice he made from now on, problems would come attached.
...The stronger I get, the more of these problems I'll have to deal with.
He couldn't help but see it now. To get the comfortable life he wanted, these kinds of problems were inevitable. If he hated that, he could shrink himself down and live in obscurity. Or he could keep pushing forward.
Joseph fell silent. The two men quietly sipped their tea and waited. After a long stretch of thought, he finally spoke.
"I'll accept your proposal. For now."
Honestly, it irritated him to get tangled up in something that felt like none of his business. But it wasn't a problem he could solve right this moment, either. More than that, he had come too far — and was holding onto far too much — to start letting things go just to stay in everyone's good graces.
First, get my hands on healing magic. That's all I need to think about right now.
A magic he needed if he wanted a more stable life than he had now. And to get it, he first needed to complete the expedition and get his hands on the gold.
And if someone decides to make an issue of this...
He wouldn't just let it slide. Unlike the days when he'd wandered Valois Castle alone, Joseph believed he had the power to push back now.
I can't give this up so easily.
A few days later, the day to leave the city finally arrived.
The mansion was bustling with an unprecedented crowd. Private soldiers and hired guards. Givra and the household staff. Toban and the artisans. Braham and Dofnik. And the mercenaries the two of them had hired on top of that. Dozens of people moved this way and that, with several carriages lined up in front of the mansion. At a glance, it looked more like a mercenary guild than a private residence.
The one difference was that, unlike the usual thuggish low-rank mercenaries, everyone here was watching their step. Part of that was because the guilds had paid a premium to hire them. But there was a bigger reason.
"Aaagh! A demonic beast!"
"That's a familiar, you idiot! We already told you!"
"Fuck, I didn't know it was that big!"
"You little shit. Didn't you hear what happened to those back-alley beggars? Watch your mouth!"
Every last one of them recoiled at the sight of the mage and his familiar. The guard mercenaries, already used to Rophen, snickered at their reactions.
"...Wouldn't it be better to bring Auk along as well?"
Givra, who had been watching all this, spoke carefully to Joseph. With quite a few mercenaries joining the expedition, he seemed worried.
"Mm... I'm a little worried too, but we'll have to leave the management to Dofnik and Braham."
Givra had a point. Joseph didn't honestly expect all of them to follow his orders. But separately from that, he considered protecting the mansion more important.
"We're moving on this kind of scale. There's not a soul in the city who won't know I've left."
Joseph, surrounded by mercenaries — versus an empty mansion with no master. It was obvious which was more dangerous. Auk was already circling the mansion grounds with a few of the guard mercenaries, as if he'd been worrying about the same thing. The most chaotic moment was the best time for someone to slip in, or so the thinking went.
"Auk seems to be doing all right, though."
He hadn't looked particularly happy about staying behind, but now he wore the face of a man who'd just been made captain of the guard.
"I think he has his own reasons."
"...Reasons?"
Givra said it casually, but Joseph caught him glancing at Auk with a faint smile. The two of them must have talked about something.
I'm a little curious, but I'll leave it.
He considered asking, then decided it was too personal. If Auk had found some motivation, and if it had improved his relationship with Givra in the process, that was a good thing.
A low rumble sounded at his side. Rophen slipped past Givra and approached Joseph.
"Hey — could you make some noise when you move?"
The sudden appearance of a massive shape in his field of vision had startled him. Rophen paid him no mind, circling Joseph once before heading toward the carriages. Judging by the fact that it was making for the cleanest one, it already knew which carriage Joseph would be riding.
"Uwaaah!"
"Make way! Get out of the way!"
The mercenaries standing around the carriage scattered in a panic. Givra and Joseph exchanged small, wry smiles.
"The mansion should be quiet for a while."
"Yeah. Take care of the place."
"Leave it to me."
Givra bowed at the waist, and Auk and the servants, who had approached at some point, bowed along with him.
Joseph scratched his cheek.
"Let's go."
He cleared his throat quietly and turned on his heel. Following Rophen, who had already claimed a spot, Joseph climbed into the carriage.
"Move out!"
Dofnik, seeing they were ready, shouted toward the front of the column. And so some thirty people — including Joseph's two carriages and the three belonging to the merchant guilds — began to move slowly forward.
The sudden grand procession had every resident of Caladon staring. They would watch with curious eyes, then scramble away whenever Rophen's growl rolled through the air.
Once they passed through the city gates, a group of people could be seen waiting in the distance, looking down at Joseph's party. At the front was a knight on horseback. He confirmed the size of the procession, then approached at a walk.
"Sir Davie."
"Mage. It's been some time."
Joseph stepped down from the carriage first, and Davie dismounted to greet him. But his eyes flicked once over the merchant guilds' carriages — more precisely, over their crests.
"These would be the guilds you mentioned in your letter?"
"They are. The Silver Ice Merchant Guild and the Kerbe Merchant Guild, both of which I do business with."
Joseph had sent word to Davie immediately after accepting Dofnik and Braham's proposal. Fortunately, Davie hadn't opposed the guilds' involvement. If anything, knowing that the two companies had previously traded ice and artifacts with his family, he didn't seem particularly bothered. And in the end, it would only help the dungeon expedition.
"Dofnik, at your service."
"Braham."
Both men greeted Davie with broad smiles. Their counterpart was no ordinary noble — he was a knight with a sword at his hip — yet there wasn't so much as a flicker of nervousness on their faces.
"Davie Fabidia."
"Yes, your reputation precedes you. It's a true honor to be of assistance to a knight of House Fabidia."
"Hm."
It was the kind of obvious flattery you'd hear anywhere, but Davie seemed surprisingly pleased by it.
With Davie joining them, they now had six carriages and nearly fifty people.
"That's impressive."
Joseph looked at the long column stretching out ahead of them and felt a genuine sense of awe. With a force this size, they could take down just about any demonic beast without much trouble.
The expedition itself might wrap up more easily than I expected.
A low rumble sounded beside him. Joseph stroked Rophen, who had fallen asleep at his side, as the thought settled in.