Episode 11
Episode 11
When I first left the orphanage, I felt utterly lost.
I had no skills to speak of, nor did I have money to buy a shield.
Literally, there was nothing I could do.
Eventually, I worked as a staff member at a nearby inn in exchange for room and board.
Thanks to my pretty appearance, the number of customers increased, so the owner lady treated me quite well.
After about two months of that, I happened to overhear some mercenaries at the inn and remembered.
The book that Delit Ajusshi gave me before he died.
I remembered his words telling me to take that book and go find the Red Mace.
I told the owner lady I had something urgent I needed to do, left the inn, and headed straight for the Mercenary Guild, which resulted in a week of homelessness.
'Of course they wouldn't let a girl with nothing join a mercenary group from the start.'
After a week of sleeping rough in front of the Harmony Flame Mercenary Group, I saw the red hair and rushed over.
I almost got hit before I could even say a word, but luckily I was able to show her the book.
"I didn't know the result would be someone like this."
A woman lying on the bed, reeking of alcohol.
This woman is the leader of the Harmony Flame Mercenary Group.
Karen of the Red Mace.
True to her epithet, her beautiful red hair was spread out on the bed like a work of art.
I slowly approached and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Leader-nim, did you drink again today? I told you to stop drinking. When you drink, the members come to me."
"Ugh... Slurp. What... Mia, you're here?"
Hearing my voice, Karen pulled me into a hug.
My waist was held by her arms, and she soon buried her face between my legs, mumbling.
"Why do you always use formal speech? We're only about 10 years apart~ Call me unni~"
"You always do this when you drink..."
I stared blankly at Karen, who had buried her face between my thighs.
For all her quirks, she's like family to me.
She taught me aura, showed me how to live as a mercenary, and she's truly amazing when she's not drinking.
"...Just this once. Ka, Karen... Un... ni..."
I barely managed to spit out the words my whole body was rejecting and bowed my head deeply.
My face felt as hot as if it were on fire.
"See! I knew I had to get drunk and clingy like this to get you to do it?! Our Mia is such a tsundere, it's so cute~"
I watched Karen rub her face against my thigh and let out a deep sigh.
"So why did you drink today?"
"I have to go on the next expedition starting tomorrow. You have to take good care of the mercenary group while I'm gone. Got it?"
"It's not just for a day or two... I'll manage. Just be careful and come back safely."
Honestly, I'm scared.
Once I get close to people, they leave my side far too often, and being a mercenary isn't a safe job to begin with.
On top of that, all my information was wrong, so I couldn't even be of help.
With so many negative factors piling up, at some point, negative thoughts took root in my mind.
'That because I, an impurity, exist, the people around me suffer harm and disappear.'
I'm not originally a character from Black Nightmare, nor am I a player.
If I were a player, I would have become the Hero.
But the Hero was chosen—a man from the outskirts of the Empire.
Ultimately, you could say I'm an impurity with no role.
'Actually, that happens often among mercenaries too.'
The mercenaries I became close with before becoming vice-leader all somehow died or retired, so they're no longer by my side.
After that, I didn't even bother making friends.
"Are you worried about me? Our Mia is always so prickly~ If you're like this, men won't like you~"
I faced Karen unni, who had turned her body to look at me.
"I don't like men anyway."
"You say that, but once you meet the right one, you'll fall for life. All the girls who did mercenary work with me were like that? They said they wouldn't date and then... phew."
Shaking her head, Karen unni stroked my hair.
"Mia, you'll be like that too. Later, you'll meet a man you like and tell me you're getting married?! When that time comes, I'll have to be the mean unni."
"I told you, no. I really don't like men."
"Hmm... Seeing how you've never been in a relationship despite getting so many confessions, it does seem like that might be true."
Even though I'm short, my cute appearance and skill at housework make me popular.
Most mercenaries lack domestic qualities, after all.
When I first joined the mercenary group, I actually received confessions quite often.
I even got a marriage proposal from a young nobleman before.
They all said I could do as much mercenary work as I wanted, and once I got pregnant, I could just stay home and do housework.
'Well, that's just...'
For one, I have no confidence in being subservient to a man and whining under him.
I also have no desire to touch another man's... that place, nor any intention of trying to please a man.
And most importantly, there's Ivy.
Even though Ivy became the Saintess instead of the Hero, I always wanted to protect her side.
Besides, I quite enjoy the mercenary life.
"I just have something I really want to do, that's all."
"Is it that story about the Hero Party you mentioned before? You said you wanted to join the Hero Party and subjugate the Demon King."
I shook my head.
"I can't join now. But I still want to help my friend there someday."
"Unni is so jealous of that person. How has your heart not changed even once after all these years? Are you two really not married or something?"
"Married, what nonsense... She's just my childhood friend. And she's a girl, for that matter."
"Hey, when you live as a mercenary, it's common for women to date each other. Male mercenaries are too rough, so women end up dating each other."
"...Unni, don't tell me you...?"
I narrowed my eyes and glared, making Karen wave her hands frantically.
"No, no! I raised you like a little sister, it's not like I'd do that now. Besides, I don't even like women?!"
"Then do you have a man you like?"
At my question, a distant look came into her eyes directed at me.
It was as if she was looking at someone else through me.
"...There was. Not anymore, but there was."
"Who was it?"
"An old friend I did mercenary work with. We talked about starting a mercenary group together later, but I don't know where he went."
Hearing Karen unni's evasive tone, I decided not to press further.
She usually doesn't hide her past from me.
When she doesn't talk about something, it's usually because it's a bad memory, so I don't pry.
'Heck, just in my time as a mercenary, I've seen members die several times.'
Being a mercenary isn't a safe job.
There's a similar profession called adventurers who deal with matters related to magical beasts.
They check requests at the Adventurer's Guild, complete the request without much process, and return.
Simply put, there's no penalty even if they fail a request.
In contrast, mercenaries move once they accept a request.
The client usually gives a certain amount of advance payment, and pays additional amounts upon success depending on the results.
Therefore, if the request fails, they have to return the advance payment plus a contract penalty.
On top of that, the work itself involves large-scale subjugations or war support, so it's much more life-threatening.
It's inevitably a profession where people die.
Only those who survive become veteran mercenaries.
"Unni."
Thinking about death made me feel gloomy.
Reading my expression, Karen unni sat up and pulled me into a tight hug. I buried my face in her chest, which smelled of alcohol, and repeated my breaths.
The unique scent emanating from her calmed my heart.
In that state, I spoke as if whining.
"You'll come back safely from this one too, right? Or... should I come along too? Honestly, we don't need to leave anyone at headquarters."
The headquarters was more like a members-only inn for when we stayed in the capital.
We just called it headquarters since we handled administrative work there as well.
Karen unni shook her head.
"But someone has to stay. What if an important person comes or a good request comes in? You, as the vice-leader, should handle it."
"...I still don't understand why I'm the vice-leader."
"That's because you're the second strongest."
"Well, that's true, but..."
For the past 9 years, I fought on the front lines every time to join the Hero Party.
I trained every single day.
On top of that, after learning about aura from the book Delit Ajusshi left behind, I grew significantly stronger.
"But I lack experience. There are many who have been active longer than me, right?"
Karen stroked my head and answered.
"The vice-leader doesn't need to be smart. The vice-leader is someone who fights alongside the other members. I can handle all the thinking."
"...I understand."
With my answer, I freed myself from her embrace and got up from the bed.
"Then, I'll assume you're sober now and head back. I need to go check if everything you need for tomorrow's departure and your weapons are ready."
I straightened my disheveled clothes and looked at Leader Karen lying on the bed.
She smiled and nodded.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow. Leader-nim."
*
In the morning, Leader Karen disappeared, taking about half of the mercenary group with her.
It's a small-scale subjugation, so there's no way they could fail, but the anxiety is unavoidable.
I sat in the office and checked the newspaper.
I couldn't just laze around, so I was just reading the newspaper, pretending to work.
"Hmm... Most of it is about the Hero Party."
Both the Saintess and the Hero appeared.
Following the cliché, they recruited the Magic Tower's youngest archmage, a High Elf archer, a promising Dwarf warrior, and the Beast King's son, one after another.
As if to remind you it's a game, these aspects were spot on.
"I'm glad Ivy seems to be doing well. Will she marry the Hero when she returns?"
The marriage between the Hero and the Saintess is pretty much a fixed development, unless the Hero marries the Demon King.
Though these days, female Demon Kings are trendy, so who knows.
It's not like he'd abandon Ivy.
"Hmm..."
As I flipped the newspaper page with a rustle, an interesting headline caught my eye.
[Over half a year since the Hero Party departed on their expedition, yet no contact. The Imperial Family remains silent.]
There was a reason there had been no recent contact.
They definitely said they were entering some forest.
There are so many forests on this continent that it's impossible to guess which one.
"Well, the Church and the Empire are backing them... They'll probably only go to the safest places."
Just as I was thinking that and turning the newspaper page—
BAM!
The door burst open and a member rushed in.
"Vice-Leader-nim! Someone from the Imperial Family is here!"
It seemed like trouble had arrived.