Shit-Stirrer (2)
Do I look like a total pushover to you?
Your intentions to steamroll me are plain as day.
But surprisingly, the hero backed off without much fuss.
"Yeah, figured as much. With your body just barely recovered, you'd only drag us down anyway."
That caught me off guard.
"Hero, you're actually listening to reason today? Unlike yesterday?"
"Thought I'd run you ragged like those shady merchant bastards, huh?"
Uh, pretty much a sure bet.
But now? My opinion's shifting a bit.
Toward seeing him as one of those loan-shark thugs who'd squeeze blood from a stone.
Nine times out of ten, he's got some scheme up his sleeve and'll flip the script later.
"Fine, then I'm really sitting this one out. No take-backs later, got it?"
"A hero doesn't go back on his word. Get plenty of rest."
Did he skip his meds, or pop the wrong ones?
Either way, the disconnect was unsettling.
Or... maybe he's finally seeing me in a better light?
That'd be a relief.
I saw the hero's party off, still wearing my suspicions to the end.
Even after the door shut and their footsteps faded down the hall, that nagging doubt lingered.
They're really backing off without any tricks?
I stared at the door for a while, scratching my neck.
"What the hell changed?"
He could've pushed at least once more, but he withdrew cleaner than expected.
Whatever the reason, this job wasn't worth fretting over.
Venom Serpent or not, it was the hero party handling it.
They'd manage fine.
As long as they didn't fuck it up like total idiots...
I shook off the thought.
"Nah."
No way the hero party would botch it that badly.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
Edelic headed straight to the next room after leaving Luin's.
He'd gotten the saintess's room number from the innkeeper, Petra.
Unlike her daughter, she seemed to have a rough idea of who the hero's party really was.
—What's that Luin kid doing, wandering around like that...
A minor hiccup the boy himself knew nothing about.
Edelic slowed as he reached the door.
Just as he raised a hand to knock, footsteps approached from inside.
The door opened to reveal Veronica in light attire.
"What brings the three of you here?"
Her face said unexpected guests.
Edelic met her eyes.
"Need to talk about the job."
"...Come in."
Veronica hesitated, then opened the door wider.
Rosemary and Kate immediately scanned the room, whistling in admiration.
"Whoa, right next door, huh?"
"Not co-sleeping? Guess even a tame cat climbs the mantle first."
Veronica's lips pressed thin at their snide remarks.
She fixed the trio with a cold stare.
"So, what's the job?"
"The Saksen Village extermination."
Edelic cut to the chase, and Veronica pressed her forehead.
"I'm fine with it, but Luin's only just recovered..."
"I know. He's not joining this one."
"Pardon?"
Veronica's gaze dropped slightly.
She'd figured he'd drag Luin along, if only on paper.
Especially after pushing him so hard yesterday.
Yet here he was, casually excluding him.
"...I see."
She gave a curt reply.
Unable to read Edelic's intentions.
"We'll wrap prep by morning. Depart before noon at latest."
Edelic pocketed the request form and left without another word.
His footsteps receded down the hall and vanished.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
In truth, this job meant more to Edelic than a simple monster hunt.
He'd taken it to wash away the humiliation from Grevi an Subsidence Zone.
This expedition was his stage for honor.
Lucky find—an old request no one touched.
Taking down a mid-tier border beast left no room for a hack like Luin.
Still, the total lack of takers nagged at him.
Whatever.
It suited him perfectly.
The hero party handling what adventurers shunned?
That alone erased the dungeon disgrace.
And it'd mend things with the saintess too.
Or so Edelic believed.
Prep wrapped before noon.
A guild-loaned expedition carriage waited out front.
Kate and Rosemary finished gear checks beside it.
Edelic tightened his gloves by the carriage.
"Let's move."
Everyone but the saintess boarded at his order; the driver took the reins.
Veronica glanced back at the inn before climbing on late.
The driver snapped the reins; the horses neighed.
"Neigh!"
Wheels rumbled over cobblestones.
Soon, city buildings receded, roadside views dropping lower.
Paved road turned to dirt; the air grew fishy.
Giovanni, hunkered at the luggage end, spoke up.
"Saintess, is Luin too ill to join?"
"No, but he still needs rest. Better to let him recover more."
Edelic, eavesdropping, shot a glance back.
"One baggage handler's enough for this. Giovanni, worry about your own job."
"Y-yes, sir..."
The scolding left Giovanni crestfallen, fussing over the luggage again.
Edelic's sharp edge hushed the expedition.
By midday sun, they rolled through city outskirts farmland.
Fields and barns lined the road; Kate wrinkled her nose.
"Ugh! Cow shit already? We just left town!"
"Ew, gross... It's all fields."
"Fuck, something's off. Cyrus Earl's supposed to be a gem-hoarding luxury junkie."
Rosemary sneered at the fields.
"Must be raking it in somehow with this dump."
Her reaction made sense—the fields were poorly tilled, weeds sprouting everywhere, barely qualifying as farmland.
Barns nearby had straw piles for roofs, barely shielding from weather.
No wonder yields were predictably shit.
Lucky if villagers scraped by; no wealth for an earl's extravagance.
Edelic, knowing the score, chimed in.
"Cyrus Earl ignores his lands. Holed up in the capital, chasing socialites and hunts. Famous for it."
"...Known as a pleasure-chasing lord."
Veronica gripped the rail, gazing out bitterly at the fields and shacks.
Giovanni shifted, speaking up.
"But... won't that tarnish the eastern duchy’s reputation?"
Veronica, hands clasped in thought, shook her head.
"Most eastern forces are tied to northern borders and coasts. No bandwidth for every border village."
Giovanni nodded at the unspoken small-fry status.
Edelic drummed his gloved hand on the rail to lighten the mood.
"Not our problem. Just handle Saksen."
"Extermination... right."
Veronica's hands clenched in her lap.
Edelic noticed.
"Something wrong, Veronica?"
"No... just remembered what Luin said at the inn."
Edelic snorted.
"Hah, some nonsense advice?"
"Mm... less advice, more weird ramble."
Luin's face flashed in her mind.
—This job'll wear you out, Saintess. Heh.
She fell silent recalling it.
No one on the carriage, her included, grasped its meaning.