A Dagger's Flight and a Familiar Table
Right after answering, I dashed over to dispose of the tail as quickly as possible. With a handful of silver coins from selling it, I returned to my sister. The moment I hurried back, I spotted Reina sitting on the fence with her arms crossed. She tapped the toe of her boot against the ground, unable to hide her exasperation, yet she didn't sound truly angry.
"Good grief. You must have been really excited."
"I'm sorry!"
"Haa… Well, I suppose it couldn't be helped. Let's go find a carriage."
The moment I blurted out an apology, she let out a short sigh and admitted it was understandable before starting to walk, mentioning the carriage. Having been stuck in the capital for nearly half a year, she seemed to understand how I felt and was willing to overlook it.
"Yes, ma'am."
Still, my mistake was obvious, so I obediently began searching for a carriage heading to the next city. Our next destination was Caldera, a small city between Windren and Selindale. Like Selindale, it was a place we'd only passed through before. This time would probably be the same, but there was no need to rush and cut into our rest time. We could stay a day or so and catch the next carriage.
Inside the carriage rattling toward Caldera, a casual conversation began.
"So, how was the lizard? Manageable?"
"Ah, yes."
She rarely spoke first in the silence, perhaps wanting to hear my thoughts on the weapon she'd given me. When monsters came up, weapons were the natural next topic. After a short answer, I pulled the one-handed sword still sheathed at my waist and examined it from every angle as I continued.
"It's definitely better than the dagger…"
"Much more comfortable, I take it."
"Yeah… It doesn't splatter much on my clothes either…"
When I trailed off while mentioning the dagger I'd used before, she cut in with certainty. I agreed with her confident words and tugged at the fabric between my chest and stomach as I added the rest. Every weapon had its pros and cons, but right now the advantages stood out far more than the drawbacks. Leather and meat getting damaged was one thing, but the reach, power, and the way blood and filth flew everywhere during a fight made it clear. Aside from needing enough space to swing, it was a perfect upgrade over the dagger in every way.
Neither of us being mercenaries for nothing, the conversation flowed on without pause.
"Still, you won't rely on just that one weapon, right?"
"Of course not."
Reina was already thinking ahead. If you had a main weapon, you needed backups or secondary ones. I remembered the talk I'd had with Silven and Elpina. A ranged option was always good to have. Even if it wasn't something grand like magic, just the ability to throw a common rock could change what choices you had in a fight. I didn't feel the need for it yet, but I couldn't leave everything to someone else, and even if I did, I still needed some self-defense skills.
"You used the dagger a lot. Have you practiced throwing it?"
"I mostly just held and swung it. Throwing… not really…"
With her arms crossed and legs folded, she leaned against the carriage canvas and spoke with a dissatisfied look. Most people didn't think about throwing a weapon they usually swung. Unless it was something disposable, you wouldn't treat it roughly just for practice. Buying proper throwing daggers meant purchasing them in bulk, and even the cheap ones weren't cheap. So I'd kept putting it off, and here we were.
Before long, Reina narrowed her eyes with a look that said she couldn't just let this slide. She let out a long breath—not quite a sigh—and spoke.
"When we get back to Karsion, we'll start with dagger-throwing practice."
"Ah."
She mimed throwing a dagger, and my body stiffened at her words. The schedule for after we returned to Karsion had been decided on the spot inside the carriage. The unexpected addition of training drew a hesitant, flustered sound from me.
"What, got a problem with that?"
She'd read my feelings instantly and pressed the point in a way that made refusal difficult. Apparently, this couldn't be put off any longer. Even if I stubbornly refused, she'd just use force until I agreed. It felt like every other option had been grayed out, leaving only one choice. I answered glumly.
"No, ma'am…"
"Good."
After being forced to pick the only remaining option, night fell inside the carriage. Unlike winter, summer nights were warm enough to sleep without lighting a fire. That said, we stayed even more alert than usual against attacks. Naturally, the farther we got from the capital, the stronger the nearby monsters became. Not always, but usually. They simply avoided places where people lived, almost as if they recognized territory boundaries. That was why our village, with nothing but a flimsy fence in the middle of nowhere, didn't suffer beast attacks despite Hungry Bears and Fire Wolves living nearby.
They act strangely mechanical in the oddest ways…
If even one Hungry Bear decided to charge the village, no one there could stop it. The thought made me uneasy. Was our village really all right? Thinking about it again, recognizing and avoiding human territory—was that beast-like behavior, or mechanical? I couldn't tell which.
Before I knew it, the night had slipped away along with my pointless worries.
"Haaah…"
Maybe it was because I'd stayed up keeping watch. Even though I'd only dozed, a yawn escaped me inside the rattling carriage. Reina, watching from beside me, smiled as if she found it amusing.
"You're yawning after staying up just a few hours? You've still got a long way to go."
"Could you not compare an A-rank to a D-rank…?"
A D-rank mercenary was bound to be less skilled than an A-rank in every way. I gave her a cold look and continued, unimpressed by her comment that ignored the gap between us entirely.
"Besides, it's been ages since I slept outside… Haaah."
While making excuses, another yawn cut me off. My body was clearly craving sleep without any regard for timing. The carriage ride would take more than a day… Actually, it had been a long time since I'd even ridden in one. Whether mercenary or traveler, this drowsiness was something I'd have to get used to from now on. If I kept riding carriages every half-year like this, I probably wouldn't get the chance to grow accustomed to it.
"Looks like we'll be heading straight for an inn once we arrive."
"Yeah…"
With sluggish, invertebrate-like movements, I answered in a sleepy voice. The fatigue of travel, a night spent in the carriage, and an unfamiliar bed all piled up. The moment the wheels stopped at the city entrance, I blinked my drowsy eyes and, just as Reina predicted, went looking for an inn first.
Caldera—a quiet little city of fishermen, built around rivers and lakes. I didn't even have time to admire its beautiful, rustic scenery. The moment I entered the inn room, I collapsed face-first onto the bed and closed my eyes.
"Mmm…"
When I next came to, it was already deep night. Only faint light filtered in through the window.
Ah…!
Once my urgent need for sleep was satisfied, my growling stomach and all the things I'd forgotten came rushing back. What about dinner? What was the hidden item here again? What was tomorrow's plan? I grabbed the key, locked the door, clutched my empty stomach, and knocked on the next room over.
"Reina?"
It was quiet at first, then footsteps approached and the door swung open. She stood in the middle of the room, looking at me as if to say, What? Her silver hair was still tousled—she must have only just woken up. While she stared blankly, I spoke first even though she hadn't asked anything.
"Have you eaten dinner yet?"
"…"
She shook her head as if even opening her mouth was too bothersome. Then, while still looking at me, she mimed combing her hair before shutting the door. It was a gesture I'd never seen from her before, but the meaning was obvious: she was going to wash up and told me to wait.
I lingered in front of the door for a while, wondering if she'd fallen back asleep, when I heard the click of the lock. Reina stepped out holding the key and strode forward.
"Let's go."
At her short command, my hesitant steps found direction. I followed the sound of her footsteps as she walked ahead without a word. Once outside the inn, she moved through the streets with familiar ease, as if she already had a place in mind. Her steps were so confident that I tilted my head and asked,
"Do you have a restaurant in mind?"
"Yeah. Somewhere I always stop by whenever I come here."
Her answer came without hesitation, just like her stride. A place she always visited when she came—how good could it be? But when we stopped, the shop in front of us looked no different from the other modest restaurants nearby. Reina let out a short breath with a faint smile and muttered as she walked in.
"…Didn't expect a line."
"What?"
I hadn't caught what she said, so I asked, but she only brushed it off.
"Nothing. Let's go inside."