32
Chapter 32
The journey was quite peaceful.
Perhaps because we wiped out the thieves last time, there were no attacks, and no monsters like goblins were in sight.
On the way, I saw Gailson chugging down something, so I subtly turned my head.
The scent of alcohol brushed the tip of my nose.
"Gailson, are you sure you should be drinking that?"
I clearly remember the herb gatherer telling him to avoid alcohol.
In the first place, it was too much for him to go on a journey in that physical condition.
Gailson put down the bottle, burped loudly, and laughed.
"Uuurp. This much should be fine, right?"
I lost my words and shook my head for a moment.
Since it was his own body, it was a bit awkward to say anything.
Next to him, Piren and Charlie were laughing and talking.
Perhaps because Charlie saved him after the last incident, the two seemed to have gotten much closer.
The size difference was huge, so they looked like a father and child.
Their actual age difference was... about five years?
I was quite surprised when I first heard the ages of the people in the mercenary group.
The oldest is Mr. Barret, and he's only twenty-nine.
The rest were all around twenty.
Just looking at their appearances, I thought they were easily over thirty... but it seems time hit them head-on.
How old am I?
Based on appearance, I looked the same age as Piren, but since there was no date in the diary, I couldn't know for sure.
It would be safe to assume it's somewhere around there.
Compared to my original age in my late twenties, this body should definitely be much younger and livelier...
But after constantly fighting, getting beaten up, fainting, and waking up, I honestly couldn't feel whether I got younger or not.
Charlie and Piren are still noisy in the front, and ahead of them, Barret and Geminic are walking side by side.
At the very back of the group, Tral was following silently.
Tral was definitely not the type to get along with the group.
Because of his excessively strong competitive spirit, he fought with the mercenaries, and his straightforward way of speaking made people uncomfortable.
I remember he treated me like that at first too.
But after sparring with him, I realized it was just because his personality was straightforward and rough.
'But if he does that to me again, I'll have to shoot him with a water bullet.'
I turned my head for a moment and caught sight of Eileen following behind me.
The sight of her wearing a brown tunic over a one-piece linen dress strangely suited her soft hair color.
A small face, a youthful impression. She looked my age or younger, but unlike the crybaby Piren, she gave off a mature vibe.
Perhaps realizing I was looking, Eileen quietly spoke to me.
"Mr. Riv."
"Yes?"
"Could I possibly make a separate request of you?"
My mind stopped for a moment.
A request? What does she want to entrust me with?
"A request? Well, I do have a lot of time... but what kind of request is it?"
Hesitating, she carefully continued her words.
"There's someone I'm looking for, but I actually don't know exactly where they are... Since you said you've been to the city, Mr. Riv..."
Ah, to summarize, she wants me to do detective work.
I don't have a fixed schedule, so it's possible...
"What about the payment?"
There's no need for me to lower my price. I need money anyway.
Eileen, perhaps not expecting me to bring up the payment, was slightly flustered but quickly gathered herself and said.
"Would... one silver coin be possible?"
This time, I was flustered.
One silver coin? Spending that much money just to find one person? Who on earth is it?
Could it be something dangerous?
"Are you sure searching for this person isn't... a wanted order or something?"
"Pardon?"
Eileen tilted her head as if asking what I meant.
Right, it's nothing like that.
I had a moment of panic because of my PTSD with wanted posters.
"I'll accept the request."
"Thank you."
I decided to accept it right away.
It was a sweet deal with no reason to refuse.
"Is there a deadline or anything?"
"No, I plan to stay until I find them anyway."
Aha, so her whole goal in coming was to find this person.
I nodded.
"Understood. Let's look into it together once we enter the city."
Eileen smiled in relief. Her tense shoulders seemed to relax a bit.
I chuckled inwardly. Despite her looks, this young lady has quite a reckless side.
After walking for a bit, I turned my head and asked.
"By the way, I think I should at least hear what the person you're looking for looks like?"
"Ah..."
Eileen looked slightly flustered before nodding.
"They have black hair and gray eyes like mine. They're much taller than me... and a bit blunt."
"Is it a man?"
"Yes."
I thought for a moment. Finding someone like that in the city... it won't be easy. But well, it's a request.
"Well, we can just take our time looking."
I said with a light smile.
Eileen hesitated for a moment and smiled.
"Thank you, Mr. Riv."
We still had about another day left to reach Mondak.
***
"That's Mondak..."
Eileen muttered from beside me.
Along with those words, a massive castle wall revealed itself through the fields in the distance.
The castle wall, tightly built with gray bricks, made me raise my head high for the first time in a while, unlike the rural village.
Mondak.
True to its name as a commercial city, there was still a long line of carriages lined up in front of the gate.
Merchants with their loads, the sharp glares of soldiers inspecting cargo, and the occasional group of mercenaries...
Did the city always have such a fierce atmosphere?
As I tried to stand in the carriage line like last time, Barret gestured for me to follow.
He must have meant that wasn't the right place.
"Aren't we supposed to stand here?"
"There is a separate line just for people. Over there, that line."
Barret pointed to the side of the stretched-out carriage procession.
Sure enough, farmers and mercenaries without carriages were lined up over there.
After waiting in line for a long time, we were finally able to get inspected in front of the gate.
I don't remember the details perfectly, but it felt somewhat stricter this time.
Did something happen?
"What brings you here?"
"We are the Barret mercenary group. We came for mercenary work."
"Where are you from?"
"We came from Hurtsen."
The gatekeeper scanned the party with sharp eyes.
He seemed to check something for a moment, then soon allowed entry.
We're entering the castle right as evening falls.
The moment we set foot in the castle following Barret's mercenary group,
"Hold on, you two aren't registered with the mercenary group."
At the gatekeeper's voice, Eileen and I froze at the same time.
"Pardon?"
Eileen muttered quietly, shooting me an anxious look, and I caught my breath a beat later to speak.
But my lips wouldn't part to explain anything.
'Where am I from?'
Where would be the right place to say this body named Riv in this world is from?
It felt like they were checking too thoroughly for me to just gloss over it like I usually did with others.
"Why is there no answer?"
"Uh..."
In that short silence, I noticed the gatekeeper's eyes sharpen and his grip tighten on the shaft of his spear.
That was when it happened.
"What's the commotion?"
I heard footsteps approaching quickly from inside the castle, followed by a familiar voice. I raised my head.
A woman with dark indigo hair, wearing a neat priest robe and possessing sharp eyes. It was Luna, a watcher of the Sereon Order.
"W-Watcher? There are suspicious people here, so I was just checking on them."
Luna glanced at my face and then spoke to the gatekeeper.
"Those two are people who have already been verified by the Sereon Order."
It was a soft but firm tone.
The gatekeeper's eyes wavered, and he soon furrowed his brow.
"Pardon? What business does the Order have with them..."
"That is the Order's business. We will take over for now."
A short and resolute answer. Her expression was devoid of a smile, but her words carried weight.
The gatekeeper exchanged glances for a moment and eventually let out a heavy sigh.
"...Understood. If the Order is taking responsibility for them."
The tension left my shoulders as soon as those words fell.
Eileen also let out a light breath as if she was relieved.
Thanks to her, we passed through the gate and stood face to face with Luna.
Luna looked at me for a moment and then gave a slight smile.
"Mr. Riv. I was planning to come find you, but I'm glad you arrived safely."
...What's this. How did she know I was coming?
I feel like I've gotten tangled up with the Order for no reason.
"Ah, it's nice to see you. Um, Ms. Luna."
Sensing something from my awkward reply, Luna thought for a moment before speaking.
"You must be tired from your journey, but please stop by the church later if you have the time."
"Ah, yes. Understood."
With those words, Luna disappeared down the street.
Since she helped me get inside the castle, it would be awkward to refuse her now.
It's only polite to pay her a visit after this much.
Although I felt a bit guilty, it wasn't like I had committed a crime, so there was no reason I couldn't go.
...Ah, the original owner of this body did commit a crime, though.
I should just find some lodging. I wonder if Mr. Barret went ahead to that inn from last time.
While I was pondering that, I heard a slightly nervous voice from behind me.
"Mr. Riv, um... just a moment."
It was Eileen.
I turned my head and looked at her.
"Yes? What is it?"
"Could you possibly stay with me?"
"...Pardon?"
"I'm a bit scared to be alone. I'm not used to crowded places..."
I laughed for a moment out of sheer disbelief.
To think she would say something like that with a face that usually looked so cold.
"Alright. I'll stay with you."
At my words, Eileen let out a sigh of relief.
She definitely shows her youth in moments like this.
"Then let's go find some lodging first. Um, you do have money, right?"
Come to think of it, I accepted the request but didn't actually check if she had the money.
"Yes."
Eileen took a small pouch out of her bag and shook it.
I didn't know how much was in it, but seeing how quite heavy it looked, she definitely wasn't broke.
We headed straight to the inn.
We got a bit lost along the way, but we eventually found the inn.
Calea Inn. It was definitely the place we stopped at last time.
Upon entering, I saw Gailson sitting at a dining room table, chugging beer again.
We found the right place.
"Huh? Mr. Riv? How did you get in?"
He reacted as if he were flustered.
I looked around to see where Barret went, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"The commander went to the garrison to get you inside, Mr. Riv, so what do we do about this?"
"Pardon?"
It seems he made a move to get me inside.
Well, as expected of Mr. Barret, he's reliable.
Admiring Barret's loyalty once again, I asked the inn owner for the garrison's location.
"The garrison? The soldiers are at the watchtower next to the west gate."
"Thank you."
I left Eileen at the inn, roughly threw my luggage down, and immediately headed west.
I got a little lost, but eventually, I saw the stone watchtower.
It felt like the garrison's headquarters, and in front of it, I caught sight of Barret arguing with a soldier.
"Hey, I told you begging won't work."
"Please, isn't there any way-"
"Mr. Barret!"
"Mr. R-Riv?"
Mr. Barret reacted as soon as he heard my voice.
Only then did the soldier let out a sigh of relief, as if a nuisance had gone away.
"How did you pass through the gate?"
"Well, I had a little connection. You didn't overdo it because of me, did you?"
Mr. Barret waved his hand to show he was fine.
Anyway, since I'm already here, maybe I should ask?
I subtly approached the soldier and asked a question.
"Have you by any chance seen a man with black hair and gray eyes?"
"What? Do you punks think this is your playground? Do you know how many guys look like that?"
The soldier got angry with a dumbfounded expression.
I honestly didn't have high expectations, so I casually apologized and backed away.
"Mr. Riv, is there someone you're looking for?"
"Yes, well, it's not me looking for them, but I received a separate request from Eileen."
"Eileen? Oho..."
Ignoring Barret's strange expression, I fell into thought.
'No matter how I think about it, finding a person with just these features is impossible.'
Black hair and gray eyes.
There's no way there's only one person like that in this city.
There has to be a more distinct clue to identify them.
I didn't want to ask Eileen since I got the feeling she didn't know anything else either.
Just how did she get to know this acquaintance for her to be searching like this? To think that person is an acquaintance in the first place.
"Black hair... gray eyes... I definitely remember someone."
While I was pondering, I heard Barret muttering.
"Do you need to find them right away?"
"No, I was told there's no deadline."
"Aha, then it should be doable."
"What are you going to do, Mr. Barret?"
"We should head to the guild now too. Would you like to come with us?"
I shook my head at Barret's suggestion.
I had a request I took on first, and I also needed to unpack the luggage I roughly threw in the inn.
We parted ways halfway, and the sight I saw as soon as I returned to my lodging was...
"Kyaaak!"
Eileen being threatened with a small dagger by a mysterious man.