Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Fox Magical Girl, Lucia (3)
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She seemed flustered at suddenly being singled out, her ears perking up as she glanced around.
Once she realized it was her, her expression turned even more bewildered.
"Me?"
She must have been thoroughly thrown off by the abrupt nomination.
Lucia's face flushed bright red in an instant.
If it had been someone else acting this timid, I probably wouldn't have taken them under my wing.
Mercenaries fight life-or-death battles on the battlefield, and if allies can't cooperate in the thick of it, everyone dies together—it's an extreme profession like that.
That's why people in this line of work need to have decent people skills, even if they're not exactly social butterflies.
Only then can they build human bonds within a squad and use that foundation to fight in sync during war.
But if you have a timid member like this, you can't expect teamwork, and they end up being dead weight.
'Still, Lucia's value isn't overshadowed by just a bit of shyness.'
Knowing that, to win her favor, I'd recruit her gently—unlike with the other mercenaries, where I'd mix in some rough, manly curses.
Right on cue, the other squad leaders started recruiting rookies around Lucia with their usual gruff tones: newbie knights, newbie mages, and total scrubs.
"Hey, you there, knight dude—looks like you can swing a sword. Fuck it, wanna sweep the field with us? Build some real skills, rack up fame, become a proper knight, yeah?"
"Honestly, no combat experience means you're just cannon fodder even as a mage. How about shining here for once?"
"See that lanky tall fucker over there? Thought he was trash when he first showed up, but after joining the mercs, the bastard flew through ranks and got knighted on his first deployment—what a mad lad. Bet you could do the same. Whaddya say, join up?"
Excluding me, the knights and mages probably saw these squad leaders as lowly scum deep down, thanks to their noble-adjacent status at the bottom of the hierarchy.
But once they'd tumbled all the way to a mercenary company, they were just slightly better off idiots than the rookies littering the place.
Watching these intimidating, curse-laden pitches, her timid nature left her even more at a loss.
"Following me has to be better than tagging along with those other guys, right?"
Lucia nodded.
"Yes... I feel uncomfortable around those rough types—no, I mean, they're not bad, but... I like someone calm like Squad Leader Martin."
"Yeah?"
"......They're not bad people, but they're just hard for me to deal with..."
The fox-eared beauty blushing and saying she liked me sparked a rush of excitement in a totally misplaced direction...
But looking at her expression, it just meant I was better than the other squad leaders blabbering whatever popped into their heads—she appreciated my polite restraint.
Proof was in how she still hadn't relaxed her guarded posture toward me.
"So, you'll join my squad? It has to be better than the others, with me as squad leader."
"Yes... You seem the best out of everyone, Squad Leader Martin..."
"There's a lot to learn to be a mercenary, but for today, just eat, drink, and have fun without a care. Like beer?"
"First time with beer, but if you recommend it, I'll try..."
I waved her off.
"Then have milk, bread, and meat. Some guys force booze on newbies, but I don't care to."
"Thank you. But... everything today is really free?"
I pointed at Dalton, decked out in a flashy silk cape to lure in mercs.
"That's our White Beard Mercenary Corps captain, Dalton. All the booze, meat, milk, and bread today—he's covering it. Eat up."
Lucia's eyes sparkled at that.
But her shyness kept her from ordering her favorites outright; she shot me a pitiful glance, seeking permission.
"Craving something sweet today. Innkeeper, plenty of peach pie and cookies over here."
Hearing that, Lucia wagged her tail like she'd been waiting for those exact words, beaming happily.
"Just happened to want sweets, but looks like you like this stuff?"
She made an expression like she was reminiscing fondly.
"Yes... Back in my orph—er, hometown, we'd bake peach pies for St. Nicholas's Day and share them. Whenever the chance came, I'd think of it and love it, but it's pricey, so not often..."
I already knew that backstory, but played dumb.
"Oh yeah? Just a whim on my part—lucky it's your favorite. What's your name?"
"Lucia. Graduated Bluewind Academy last year."
Bluewind Academy— not quite the top like Seoul National or Yonsei in Korea terms, but solidly upper-tier for training mages.
If I weren't sharp, I'd grill her on why a fancy academy grad was slumming it as a merc, but unlike the 'magic'-knowing idiots everywhere, Lucia had walked the elite path proper.
Her showing up here screamed deep backstory—whoever saw it would think so. Digging into it rudely now would be amateur hour.
With that, I headed toward Karin, who'd been solo-drinking beer in my absence.
"Squad Leader Martin, you said earlier you'd snag a mage while leaving me hanging. This the one?"
Not just cozy chit-chat between us—it was her first meet with a junior, so polite speech, but...
Her tone carried a teasing lilt, poking fun at me.
"Felt it the moment I saw her—she'll definitely help the squad. Just asked: Bluewind Academy grad."
Karin slammed the table in mock shock, leaning toward us.
"Bluewind? That's big in mage circles. Grads from there usually hit way bigger outfits than our little merc band, no?"
Lucia, caught off-guard by Karin's closeness, replied cautiously.
"I... needed money bad, couldn't be picky. Saw the merc hiring notice and jumped on it..."
Among starter mercs, only the business-minded psychos starting their own outfits had fat stacks—everyone else was broke, scraping by day-to-day before signing up.
Mages, knights, or meat shields—it didn't matter.
"Who starts merc life not desperate for cash? Starved a few days before joining myself. You too, right, Senior Karin?"
"Less than our squad leader, probably? See, he had a knight title back in some village but ditched everything—title, family lands—just his body and ambition, straight into our mercs."
Lucia gazed at me now with awe and respect.
"Really? You really gave up a knighthood to become a mercenary?"
My shoulders puffed up involuntarily.
Guys gotta flex for pretty girls when needed, and I'd sworn to build a harem in this world.
'Can't back down here.'
"Knighthood in a backwater? You'd never shine. To prove my worth proper, ditch the family crap and start as a merc—that made sense."
Lucia looked at me with genuine admiration.
"Amazing... Can I become a great mercenary like you someday, Squad Leader?"
No romantic vibes, but she clearly had a positive image of me now.
"Up to you, Lucia."
"Got it. I'll work hard—earn big, send money to family..."
Her "family" meant the orphanage folks.
In the original story, Lucia became a merc partly because her orphan roots made jobs scarce, but mostly to send cash quick to the struggling nuns and kids.
Right then, the peach pie and biscuits arrived.
Lucia glanced my way for the okay, and at my nod, she started munching like a hamster or squirrel, cheeks puffing out.
Her tail wagged like a puppy's behind her.
Watching that, Karin whispered just for us, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"Martin, from day one you talked harem dreams—already snagged a cutie like this? You into that type?"
If Karin saw me romantically, I'd gush she was the best, no contest.
But us? Kinda-sorta dating, but not quite.
"Not exactly, Senior. And you're plenty cute yourself."
Back then, that line would've tanked the mood hard.
Now, Karin blushed—shy but pleased.
"Damn, you and that silver tongue, Martin."
And the next day, I took on eight rookies total, Lucia included.
As expected, sans her, they were half-trash newbies—but fine.
In Korea, I'd whipped borderline trash into shape with training and tough love; same here.