13
Chapter 13
The next morning.
My eyes fluttered open before the sun even rose.
I wondered if my body was getting used to this, or if I was still just tense.
Either way, it was too late to go back to sleep.
My reward for yesterday's request included a room, but only for one night.
Now I had to find my own place to stay.
But first, I needed to fill my stomach.
I left the room and headed down to the kitchen.
While I was hurriedly scooping up a bowl of soup and slurping it down, someone spoke to me.
"You a rookie?"
"...Excuse me?"
"If you want to catch the good requests, you need to move early in the morning."
He left me with those words and walked out the door. He was probably a mercenary.
Seeing that, I hurriedly finished my soup and ran to the Guild.
The Mercenary Guild was already bustling with a massive crowd.
There were so many people that the line stretched out the door.
"There's way too many of them..."
Since I had nothing better to do anyway, I decided to just get in line.
As I waited, I overheard the conversation of the people in front of me.
"Did you hear? Henry's group went to the ruins this time and still haven't come back."
"What? Didn't they just buy a whole new set of gear? I thought they had it in the bag."
Ruins... They were probably talking about the abandoned castle grounds in the forest.
Thinking of the ruins reminds me of Drek. I wonder how he's doing.
"I don't even know how many died. Isn't that place incredibly dangerous?"
"But they say you can find mana stones there. Everyone goes in hoping to strike it rich."
Mana stones.
I had a rough idea of what they were, but I needed to look into it more.
Listening quietly to their conversation, I soon found myself in front of the notice board.
But it seemed I was too late.
The good request forms had all been snatched up, and the remaining ones were either dangerous or paid terribly.
Still, one of them caught my eye.
[Daytime patrol of the western forest path. Ten copper coins. Open to anyone.]
...It was suspicious.
Ten coppers was a pretty decent amount. But 'open to anyone'?
The whispers from behind me turned my suspicion into certainty.
"I heard someone took that one again. The western forest, they say there are thieves hiding out there."
"They're just marching to their deaths. It's totally bait."
Just as I thought.
It was a decoy request meant to scout a dangerous area infested with thieves.
Or perhaps it was a trap set by someone in the village who was colluding with the thieves.
I guess I got my hopes up for nothing.
Far from a good request, it was just a trap.
I glanced over the request forms and headed to the reception desk.
Since I was here, I figured I might as well formally register as a mercenary.
"How can I help you today?"
"How do I register as a mercenary?"
"Ah, registration. What is your name?"
"I am Riv."
"...Riv? Did you happen to take a request yesterday?"
"Yes, I went on the waterway maintenance request."
I handed over the request form I received yesterday.
The receptionist compared it with another document and nodded.
"You are already registered. It seems you just haven't received your mercenary token yet. I'll get it for you if you wait a moment."
"Ah, thank you."
I'm already registered?
Did that woman from yesterday take care of it?
Judging by her tone and attitude, she might be someone of high standing.
"Would you like me to explain how to use the Mercenary Guild?"
"Uh, yes. I'd appreciate that."
The receptionist nodded as if accustomed to this, and pulled a small piece of paper from a drawer to hand to me.
The palm-sized paper contained a simple summary of the rules.
"First, mercenaries operate on a ranking system. Rookie, Normal, Veteran, Elite, and anything higher requires a special evaluation. Since you just registered, you are a Rookie."
"What can I do as a Rookie?"
"You can take low-difficulty requests and use the basic facilities within the Guild. You are also entitled to one free meal a day."
Oh, the meal was a pretty nice perk.
Free soup is always appreciated.
"What do I need to do to raise my rank?"
"Automatic evaluations are based on the number of completed requests and your reputation score. It depends on what kind of requests you take and how well you finish them."
It was a much more systematic structure than I expected.
I nodded along, and the receptionist continued her explanation.
"Ah, and requests are generally divided into three categories."
The receptionist held up her fingers to show me.
"First, general requests. These are constantly posted tasks like village patrols, transporting goods, and subjugating monsters. Second, urgent requests. These are one-time tasks posted immediately when an incident or accident occurs. Third, special requests. These are high-level missions posted directly by the Guild, nobles, or a merchant guild. They are dangerous but pay well, and significantly impact your reputation."
"...When will I be able to take those kinds of requests?"
"You have to reach the Normal rank first. Special requests usually require you to be at least a Veteran."
The receptionist finished speaking and placed something in front of me.
A small bronze-colored plate; it was a mercenary token engraved with my name.
It seemed mercenary ranks were distinguished by the color of the token.
"Here, you just need to keep this with you. You must present it when accepting a request or passing through the outskirts of the village."
"Understood."
The token in my hand was small and cold.
But this was my identity for now.
"Do you have any more questions?"
"...Um, what exactly is a mana stone?"
"Ah, a mana stone? Simply put, it's an ore formed from condensed and hardened mana."
The receptionist drew a circle in the air with her finger as she continued her explanation.
"They slowly form naturally in bedrock where there is a lot of mana, like in old ruins or deep in the forest. The conditions for their creation are strict, and they say it takes a good few decades."
"Are they really that precious?"
"Yes, incredibly so. They're widely used for making magic tools, in alchemy, and even in magic research. The price varies wildly depending on the quality."
I briefly thought back to the story about the forest ruins I heard yesterday.
I could understand a little bit why people headed there ready to risk their lives.
"That's why everyone jumps in no matter the danger if it's a place where mana stones might appear. You can earn money, build your reputation, and if you're lucky, change your life."
There was a strangely realistic feel to her words.
If it's truly enough to change a life... just how much do they pay?
I was curious, but I held back for fear of looking like someone obsessed with money.
It wouldn't be good to seem so transparent from our first meeting.
"...Thank you. I understand now."
"Anytime. I hope you continue to move carefully out there."
Leaving the receptionist's greeting behind, I stepped out of the guild with the mercenary token in my hand.
Since I was out, I thought about going to buy some shoes.
My shoes had long since lost their function.
The back of the left one and the bottom of the right one were cracked and even had holes in them.
A secluded alley in the north of the village, a small workshop with a single shabby sign.
The door opened with a creak.
"Could I take a look at some shoes?"
The craftsman inside raised his head.
A low wooden workbench, dusty window frames, and a woven straw rug.
And the shoes hanging quietly on the wall.
Whether they were made of good leather or not, they looked shiny and quite sturdy.
The craftsman looked down at my feet.
Even without saying anything, he must have seen it all.
"Looking to buy the exact same kind? That'll cost you a silver coin."
"...Um, new shoes are out of my budget. Perhaps you do repairs..."
A silver coin? These were expensive shoes.
No wonder Baldic looked at my shoes like that.
I carefully opened my pocket.
Five coins.
Neither gold nor silver.
Just five common, paltry copper coins.
The craftsman took the old shoes and stared at them for a long time.
Wrinkled leather, torn laces.
"Hmm... The laces need to be replaced, and the stitching has to be redone entirely. Still, I can make them walkable for now. Come back tomorrow."
"The price is..."
"Five copper coins."
I hesitated for a moment.
He studied my face quietly, then looked away and said.
"......Four coins is fine too. I haven't had much work lately anyway, so I'll just treat it as a job."
At his words, I bowed my head deeply.
***
I left my lodging but had nowhere to go, so my steps eventually led me back to the Mercenary Guild.
As always, a few adventurers were leaning against the front door chatting, and as I stepped inside, the heavy smell of sweat pierced my nose.
"You're back."
The woman sitting behind the reception desk scratched her head and spoke.
It was the same person who had asked for my name yesterday.
It wasn't particularly unpleasant, but I felt somewhat embarrassed and turned my head away.
"I was just... wondering if anything was posted on the notice board."
"Well, there probably isn't anything you can handle. The requests ran out unusually fast today."
Whether that was true or not.
I approached the notice board with familiar steps.
Only four or five request forms were left fluttering in the breeze.
All of them were either tricky or looked like traps.
Then again, there was no way a miraculous opportunity would appear in a place like this.
Just as I was lowering my head, someone spoke from beside me.
"Hey, aren't you the kid I saw this morning?"
Who is it? I looked to my side.
A large man with closely shaved white hair was staring right at me.
It was the man I saw this morning.
"...Yes. That's right."
"Hah, I could tell. Looks like you couldn't grab a request and are heading back empty-handed."
He chuckled and crossed his arms.
The leather armor visible beneath his cloak was quite worn, making him look like someone who had been rolling around in this business for a long time.
"My name is Taren. A silver token mercenary."
"...I'm Riv. A bronze, token..."
Taren smirked as soon as he heard my words.
"Bronze or silver, it's all the same. A mercenary is just someone who throws their life away for two copper coins anyway."
A laugh slipped out before I even realized it.
Have I already become a full-fledged mercenary?
While we were exchanging a few more words, Taren carefully made a suggestion.
"If you have that much free time, want to tag along on a request leaving tomorrow? There probably won't be any combat, just a simple transport job. I heard the pay is decent, too."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Going alone feels a bit much anyway, and having someone tag along takes the pressure off me."
It was an opportunity thrown at me out of nowhere.
I should be wary of unearned favors, but I didn't exactly have any other options right now.
I might just have to... bite the bullet and take it.
"...Thank you. I'd love to go with you."
Taren nodded and gave my shoulder a light tap.
"Great. Let's meet here tomorrow before sunrise. If you're late, I'm leaving you behind, got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
***
The morning air was damp and cold.
Unsurprisingly, there were no rooms to be had for a single copper coin.
I asked for the price at an inn at the end of an alley, only to be chased out with the owner's mocking laughter as a bonus.
In the end, there was only one choice left.
After begging an old woman who barely understood a word I said, I was forced to lay my head in the corner of a barn on the outskirts of the village.
Having slept on a pile of straw instead of a blanket, my back was aching.
I pushed myself up and rolled my shoulders.
Just before the sun peeked over the horizon, we gathered at a loading yard outside the town center.
There were six carriages, and the transport goods seemed to be mostly grain and dyes, with some high-priced fabrics mixed in.
The merchant guild in charge of the transport had hired a small mercenary group of twelve people for an escort, and Taren was one of them.
"You awake, Riv?"
Taren called out to me. Already wearing his cloak over his leather armor, he was chewing on hardtack next to a carriage.
"Eat this. We'll be doing a lot of walking today."
"Thank you."
I caught the hardtack he tossed and bowed my head. As I bit into the hard crust, I could barely make out the smell of grain inside.
Well, it filled my stomach well enough.
"Six carriages. With a scale like this, we're bound to run into trouble at least once along the way."
"Is it really that dangerous?"
"Yeah, if the world were safe, why would they need mercenaries like us?"
Taren muttered as he familiarly inspected his bow.
At his words, a bitter smile unknowingly escaped my lips.
And so, I set off on the transport route with the twelve mercenaries.
The sight of six carriages departing in a line was more spectacular than I thought. The clattering of the carriage wheels, the clopping of the horse's hooves, and the clanking of iron equipment. I wondered if this was what a real adventure felt like.
"You're a rookie, right?"
One of the mercenaries approached. His name was Hamil. He was a large man with a bushy beard, intimidating to look at but surprisingly friendly.
"Yes. I'm Riv."
"Did that bastard Taren bring you?"
"Ah, yes."
"Haha, that guy doesn't even have any money, how is he planning to split the pay?"
The joke-filled conversation continued like that, and Taren quietly watched me from behind.
While walking along the road, the conversations between the mercenaries were quite casual.
Someone went on and on about combat stories, while another exchanged jokes with a coachman.
I couldn't join in their conversations, but just listening from the sidelines put me at ease a little.
But that peace didn't last long.
Shortly past noon.
A sudden shout erupted from the front.
"Halt! Something's wrong!"
In an instant, the carriage procession came to a stop, and the sound of footsteps and neighing horses mingled in the air.
At that moment, with a swoosh, an arrow flew in and pierced the shoulder of the lead mercenary.
"Thieves!! Defensive formation!!"
Groups of people dressed in black burst out from the bushes on both sides.
Their movements were somewhat trained, their charges without hesitation. They didn't seem like simple thieves.
"Riv! Fall back to the rear!"
Taren shouted as he pulled out his bow and began to shoot. A sharp arrow pierced the leg of one of the thieves, and as I dodged out of the way, Taren took a stand beside me.
"This... This isn't a simple ambush. Someone leaked information."
"H-how do you know?"
"The thieves are attacking everything except the carriage loaded with potions. It's too precise to be a coincidence."
Then, an even greater crisis approached.
"Enemies spotted in the rear! More are coming out of the bushes!!"
An additional group of thieves jumped out. There seemed to be twice, no, three times as many of them.
And in the midst of it all, Taren's eyes wavered.
"Damn it... We're going to be wiped out at this rate."
"What did you say?"
"Riv."
He turned his head toward me and spoke.
"If you want to live, run. You won't get a chance if you don't do it now."
"What are you talking about? All together-"
"We can't all survive. Someone has to live, right?"
As soon as those words left his mouth, Taren quickly dashed toward the forest.
His movements were flawless and precise; he slipped past a thief and disappeared from sight in an instant.
"Taren! Let's go together!"
I cried out, but he didn't look back.
As if he had planned to run away alone from the very beginning.
"Taren, you son of a bitch..."
A curse slipped from my lips on its own.
Is this why he brought me along?
Even as I told myself it couldn't be, the suspicion wouldn't easily fade.
"Damn it, they're heading for the potion carriage! Stop them!"
Someone screamed from behind, and soon after, a carriage was engulfed in flames with a loud Boom!
Watching the carriage get swallowed by fire in an instant, my legs instinctively moved toward the gap beneath another carriage.
'You said this was a beginner request, Taren, you bastard.'
The crumbling scenes before my eyes were slowly sinking in as reality.
"Hamil... where did Hamil go?"
I turned my head to look for him, but
a familiar silhouette collapsed on the ground entered my vision.
Hamil wasn't moving anymore.
"......."
I gritted my teeth, held my breath, and ducked back down.
Curling my body into a ball, I crawled under the gap of the carriage.
I planted my trembling hands on the dirt and repeated to myself.
'This is... my first request?'
Arrows fired by the thieves flew in from all directions.
My sweat-drenched shirt clung tightly to my back. It felt like I would get hit if I took even a single step out.
And then—
"Here you are."
A voice rang out from behind me.
A chill ran down my spine.
Beside the carriage, a man wearing a dark bandana was looking down at me.
A face full of tangled scars, thick forearms. The look in his eyes made it clear he was not going to stop at a simple threat.
"You look perfectly terrified. But I can see all of you, you know?"
"...."
My mouth was fine, but no voice came out.
My fingertips trembled violently. My dagger... w-where is it?
I fumbled around my waist.
Gripping the dagger with shaking hands, I took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the carriage.
"What are you planning to do with that?"
He raised his sword and slowly approached.
I inhaled deeply and held my dagger at the ready.
Just stab him. Just thrust and see what happens.
I swung my arm.
Swoosh-
Thanks to my terrible swordsmanship, the blade only sliced through empty air.
He dodged it by just slightly tilting his head and let out a scoff.
"Your spirit was commendable, but is that it?"
A kick came flying at me.
With a loud Thwack!, my jaw jolted, and I was slammed back-first into the carriage.
My breath caught in my throat. My body would not move.
'I am going to die at this rate.'
The thought of truly dying felt like reality for the first time.
At that moment, I felt a wet sensation on my fingertips.
The water pooled in a rut left by the carriage wheels was touching my hand.
'If I use magic here...'
But I had to survive first.
I had no other choice.
I raised my hand and barely managed to open my mouth.
[Water Shield]
The water shot up with a Splash! and rose like a shield.
My opponent's blade slammed right into that shield.
Clang!
"What the...!"
He furrowed his brows in surprise.
I used that opening to roll away and escape.
Close combat was a lost cause.
I ran away while gasping for air.
But he chased after me again.
There was only one magic I should use now.
I gathered water at my fingertips and stretched my hand forward.
[Water Bullet]
Small and fast.
The water droplet flew like an arrow and struck the thief dead in the solar plexus.
Smack-!
"Gasp...!"
He crumpled to the ground.
His hand groped the dirt as he choked, seemingly unable to breathe.
His eyes, thrashing around without even being able to stand up, were filled with the instinct to live.
I approached his fallen body and hesitated for a moment with my dagger in hand.
Faltering, I soon opened my mouth.
"...I'm sorry."
Squelch.
Pushing aside the guilt, I pushed myself off the ground and turned around.
My arm stung from being scraped by a jagged rock, and my clothes were torn, but for now, I had survived.
'...I am screwed.'
I ended up using magic.
Did anyone see? Was I caught?
Then again, we were all about to die, so what is the point of hiding it now.
Taren had run away, Hamil was collapsed, and the carriage was burning.
For me, getting out of the middle of that chaos was all that mattered.