The Rumors Spread Like Wildfire
The noblewomen were buzzing with excitement, and I was ready to put my faith in that power and give it another go. Since parting ways with Olivia, I had known nothing but victory, so my confidence was sky-high. Honestly, I was starting to think my current skills were on par with hers, if not better. I was filled with the conviction that if I went at her with everything I had, I could somehow bring her down.
“Pretending to be a bandit even though you were a noble? You tricked me. I’m going to beat you for sure and make you pay for toying with me.”
With those thoughts in mind, I rolled my neck from side to side, loosening up my body, when a knock sounded at the door. Haida, who had been waiting outside the entire time, must have heard me opening the window and carefully rapped on the door. To serve breakfast at the right moment, she always stood with her hands clasped in front of the door in the mornings. When I was busy, Evynee would sometimes take over for her. Still young and lacking caution, Evynee would forget her sister’s warnings and bang on the door with enthusiastic glee, occasionally startling me.
“Good morning, Master. Did you sleep well?”
Haida greeted me politely before hurrying to bring in the food. Normally I would have eaten breakfast with Dana, but she was quite the sleepyhead. They say beautiful women tend to be heavy sleepers, and she often slept in late. Today was one of those days. According to Haida, she was still asleep—apparently exhausted from yesterday’s bandit extermination. When her oversleeping was particularly bad, she sometimes wouldn’t wake until past noon, even as late as two in the afternoon.
I didn’t see Dana’s habit of sleeping in as laziness so much as a noble custom. It wasn’t her personal flaw; it was simply how she had been raised. I had heard somewhere that nobles routinely stayed up all night at banquets and slept until the afternoon as a matter of course. Since servants handled everything for them, what did they have to worry about? After meeting me, Dana had greatly reduced her late sleeping, but on days when she was truly exhausted like today, she might not rise until the sun went down.
“That smells wonderful.”
I smiled as I lifted the lid from the bowl on the side table. A sweet, appetizing aroma rose up even stronger. It was a soup made with corn and venison, generously sprinkled with finely crushed peanuts that looked quite appealing.
“It’s hot, so please eat slowly.”
“You have to blow on it first~” Evynee chimed in from beside her sister.
Both girls were wearing neat black maid uniforms with their hair braided and tied back with white cloths.
“Mmm.”
I scooped up a spoonful, put it in my mouth, and savored it slowly. My eyes suddenly widened. I had expected it to be sweet like a cream soup since the broth was white, but it wasn’t sweet at all! A refreshing, clean, deep flavor moved me so much that I kept spooning more and more into my mouth. It felt like it was even curing the hangover from the liquor I’d drunk a week ago. On top of that, it seemed to nourish my body as well. This soup was clearly tailored to my tastes.
The spicy, savory heat. There was no way this flavor could have come from Jane, Pasvachio’s wife, who currently ruled the kitchen. Her cooking, honed over many years, had become firmly fixed in the realm of sweet and rich flavors. Every dish carried a distinctly European style heavy with honey, milk, cheese, or butter. But this mysterious, fresh soup was something else entirely. It had the spicy, savory kick of a spicy fish stew, yet its appearance was milky white as if made with milk. In reality, it was an unidentified soup that somehow delivered a fiery red heat, as though it contained chili powder.
As far as I knew, there was only one person in our household who could make a dish like this. It was the kind of cooking only a true novice just beginning to learn could produce. A newcomer still young enough to absorb anything without being bound by any particular school of cooking. This prodigy of the culinary world had used her untamed sensibility, individuality, and free-spirited creativity to produce not only European cuisine but Korean-style dishes with surprising ease.
I looked at Haida with eyes full of admiration.
“Did you make this?”
Haida gave a shy smile and answered in a small voice.
“You seem to like spicy and salty things, so…”
“It’s the best.” I gave her a thumbs-up.
“Does it suit your taste?”
“It’s incredibly delicious.”
When I nodded with a satisfied expression, Haida’s face brightened instantly. She clasped both hands over her chest, looking overjoyed. Encouraged by my praise, Evynee clung to her sister and began begging to be taught how to cook as well.
The soup disappeared in the blink of an eye. After taking neat spoonfuls at first, I ended up slurping the rest down until the bowl was completely empty. I blew my nose into a handkerchief with a loud sniff. My body and mind felt refreshed and clear, my senses sharp. Eating a dish that carried the taste of home somehow made me feel like my stamina had recovered and my mental power had increased. I felt like I could zip around energetically all day, and my mind would stay sharp and clear. Just one bowl of soup had brought my condition to its peak. I even felt a surge of courage that would let me face a million-strong army without batting an eye. Who would have thought food could contain such mysterious power?
It suddenly occurred to me that I shouldn’t just teach Haida Korean cooking techniques and leave her at home. I should make her my dedicated chef and take her along on expeditions as well.
After washing up, I was getting ready to head to the mercenary office when Pasvachio, who had gone to work early with the others, returned to the house. In both hands he carried banners and flags meant to be attached to armor.
“The Avignon Leche Merchantry sent the finished products. The captain should take a look. If there’s anything you don’t like, let them know so they can make corrections.”
So Madame Marte had sent them. I paused in the middle of dressing, sat down in a chair, and examined the banners and flags carefully. Haida and Evynee, who had been helping me dress, stopped what they were doing and peeked over curiously.
“The fabric looks incredibly luxurious.”
“It’s so pretty!”
They were white with green patterns. A woman draped in flowing cloth held a spear in one hand and a shield in the other.
“It’s said to represent the goddess who brings victory in war. I think it looks fine. What do you think?”
As I stared at the emblem that might become the symbol of our mercenary group, I felt a strange sense of unease. No matter how I looked at it, this seemed like a blatant copy of the ancient Greek goddess Athena. If you cropped out everything but the upper body, it even resembled the Starbucks logo.
“Among the various gods that exist in this world, is there a goddess of war by any chance?”
When I asked, Pasvachio burst into hearty laughter.
“How could a mere woman dare become a god on the battlefield where most are men? The god of war is male. His name is Barbatus.”
I see. In that case, there should be no problem using this design. I tapped the banner lightly with my finger.
“Let’s go with this. It’s well made.”
“Understood. I’ll head to the Avignon Leche Merchantry and deliver your message.”
Pasvachio carefully folded the banners and flags, tucked them under his arm, and stood up. He was about to head out when he suddenly scratched his head and turned back around.
“Oh, right. I almost forgot. Kelly asked me to tell you not to come in early today. She said to come late in the afternoon.”
“Why?”
“Right now our office is packed inside and out with people. There’s barely room to stand.”
“Has our mercenary group already become that famous?”
“It has become famous, but unfortunately, it seems to be for a different reason.”
Pasvachio gave a meaningful grin.
“Word has spread among the noblewomen of the city that the thing between the captain’s legs is quite substantial and performs very well.”
“What?”
I frowned at the absurd statement. Pasvachio struggled to hold back a burst of laughter, letting out a few choked chuckles before continuing mischievously.
“The noblewomen who’ve gotten a taste of that thing between your legs are dying for more, so they’ve been sending their servants over since morning. Our office has been absolutely swamped. All under the pretense of offering free sponsorship to our mercenary group.”
“No way. Who would come looking for a mercenary group with such ridiculous intentions?”
“At first I thought the same, but according to Unia, it seems to be true. Apparently there are quite a few noblewomen who want to use sponsorship as an excuse to enjoy a secret rendezvous with the captain.”
“Unia said that?”
“That woman is always poking her nose into everything. She must have picked it up from the servants of noble families she met at the tavern.”
I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t speak for a moment.
“Where is Unia now?”
“She was at the office until morning, but around noon she disappeared somewhere. I’d bet she’s at some place with plenty of alcohol and people.”
I had a feeling she had gone off to gather even more information. In our mercenary group, which lacked any proper intelligence network, Unia was doing an excellent job of serving as one in her own way. As an experienced woman in her forties, her natural gift for gossip allowed her to skillfully draw out whatever she wanted from people through conversation.
At any rate, I pressed Pasvachio for more details, demanding he tell me everything Unia had said about the ridiculous rumors currently spreading through the city.
“Well, you see…”
Pasvachio smiled with clear enjoyment as he began revealing what he knew, one piece at a time.
“A few days ago, on the night of the banquet at the inner castle, didn’t you go to Madame Marte’s residence with her?”
“How did you know about that?”
I asked in shock. Besides Adelia and Sinclair, someone else knew? Did that mean the events of that night had become public knowledge?
As if to confirm it, Pasvachio nodded readily.
“In this city, if you don’t know about it, people will treat you like an orc. It’s already common knowledge.”
“Goddammit.”
I let out a helpless laugh without meaning to.
“Haha, there’s no need to be embarrassed. It was simply two grown adults without partners enjoying a single night together. It’s not like you did anything wrong, right?”
I nodded and gestured for him to continue.
“Keep talking.”
“Anyway, after spending the night with you, Madame Marte seems to have been incredibly moved. Even after you left the next day, she couldn’t forget the ecstasy of that night and reportedly couldn’t leave her bed for three whole days. There’s no way to know exactly what she did alone in bed during those three days. The rumors say she might have been thinking of you and… pleasuring herself.”
“Skip the speculative nonsense and just tell me the facts as they are.”
When I frowned, Pasvachio chuckled and continued.
“Commoners tend to think that noblewomen’s gossip must be elegant, refined, and sophisticated. But that’s a misconception. No matter their status or position, women’s gossip is vulgar, disgusting, and obscene everywhere you go. The first place your name came up was at a gathering of noblewomen held two days ago. There, Madame Marte confessed without the slightest shame that she had slept with you, acting like a horse let loose from its reins.”