Reward
A few days after acquiring the new sword.
“Here is your ID badge.”
“How is it? Is it solid?”
“Yes, it seems there are no issues.”
The ID badge that Jeban had procured and which I'd immediately asked Rowell to inspect came back clean.
“They handled the follow-up paperwork impeccably.”
“That's a relief.”
It could have gotten messy if there'd been any problems, but we'd dodged that bullet.
“That said...”
“Yes?”
As I carefully tucked the badge into my pocket, Rowell eyed me sharply and spoke.
“Please stop destroying the scarecrows. Do you like that sword so much?”
Ah, the scarecrows.
Come to think of it, I'd been going through them like crazy these past few days, thrilled with the blade.
“Deduct as many as I break from my pay. I want to keep using it.”
“For that miser to lend you a sword without charge—quite unusual.”
“Well, I'd have to compensate if I lost it.”
“That's only natural.”
True enough, but...
Judging by Rowell's reaction, lending me the sword like this had clearly been an extraordinary favor.
“I can guess why he did it.”
“What's the reason?”
“He must have figured you for a long-term customer and thrown in some service.”
“He claimed the sword had never broken before...”
Could someone buying an unbreakable sword really become a long-term customer?
People usually stuck with weapons they were used to.
“Do you think that's true? I've replaced my personal weapons multiple times myself.”
...Fair point.
What sword didn't break eventually?
They were all made thin and sharp for a reason—they snapped under pressure.
“Anyway, now that you have your mercenary status, are you planning to gather materials?”
“Yes, I thought I'd take a light tour of the mountains.”
With a badge matching my rank, leaving the city gates was no issue.
I planned to scout things out once with Jeban's crew.
“Hm. Be careful out there.”
“Don't worry. Monsters are my specialty, aren't they?”
Truth be told, hunting monsters was more my expertise than people.
Sure, I hadn't seen one in years, but back in my Colosseum champion days, I'd piled their corpses into mountains.
“Highland monsters are dangerous, but... suspicious evidence has turned up.”
“Evidence?”
“Yes. You remember the underground sewers you joined the investigation for?”
“Ah, yes. What happened with that?”
Come to think of it, I'd only heard that the Royal Knights had been dispatched—never the results.
I wondered how it went.
“To put it simply, the demon worshippers hiding underground were wiped out.”
“Oh? They caught them all?”
My opinion of the Royal Knights, which had dipped a bit, shot right back up.
Those bastards had put up a real fight in the sewers—not an easy force by any means.
“Yes, they killed most and captured several high-ranking ones.”
“Impressive. How high-ranking are we talking?”
Demon worshipper executives... what kind of monsters were they?
Curiosity piqued, I asked, but Rowell looked at me oddly instead.
“Why are you staring like that?”
“Didn't you capture one yourself?”
“Me? Ah, that guy?”
A memory clicked immediately.
The tough bastard from the sewers who'd given me hell.
“Yes, one of the executives.”
“Ah...”
No wonder he was so strong.
That level made sense for an executive.
“A hand burst from his hood— is that a signature trait?”
“Likely. Worshipper abilities vary by the demon they contract with.”
“I see...”
“Fortunately, he was a recent promotee. Probably not fully accustomed to his demon powers yet.”
“Explains why he mostly swung a sword.”
For a power gained through worship, he'd only flashed it once, right?
Seemed his control was still raw, so he held back.
“And he was still that strong? Incredible.”
“That one was also a remnant of the Lugar Kingdom.”
“What?”
“A surviving knight from the war. The cleanup squad confirmed his identity.”
“So the Lugar remnants allying with demon worshippers means...”
“Yes, you could call it a force consolidation.”
So the remnants had straight-up turned into demon worshippers?
More precisely, they were worshipping demons for revenge.
“By the way... for an executive, isn't there extra compensation?”
I'd only learned now, but he'd been a bigger deal than expected.
Plus, left alone, he'd have mastered his demon powers and become a real headache—we'd nipped that in the bud.
Shouldn't some bonus trickle down?
“Hm, well, Lorentz will handle that.”
“Lorentz?”
“Yes, he mentioned giving you separate recompense once treatment wrapped up.”
“Ah.”
Right, now I remembered.
With training on the new sword, I'd clean forgotten amid the busyness.
“Pay him a visit soon.”
“Yes, I have to hit the mercenary guild in a few days anyway—I'll stop by then.”p>
No big deal; I could swing by en route.
A few days later, after that chat with Rowell.
I headed straight to the Astra Trading Company first thing in the morning, where Lorentz was stationed.
“Welcome.”
“Ah, yes. I'm here to see Mr. Lorentz.”
“Straight through to the back.”
Guided by the same redheaded woman as before, I descended to the basement. Lorentz sat in the reception room, just as last time.
The only difference: he held a newspaper.
Did he just sit here all day?
“You're late.”
“Been busy with this and that.”
“Doesn't matter.”
His suit was a different color from before, but his tone was as dry as ever. He rose from his seat.
Then he fetched a box from one side of the room and set it before me.
“Open it.”
“Ah, sure.”
Inside lay a finely crafted black leather doublet.
“This is...”
“A buff coat made from monster hide acquired in recent trades.”
“...You actually do legitimate trading here?”
“Even as a front, we handle the full operation.”
I see...
So the staff upstairs were genuinely processing trades.
Anyway.
I lifted the leather doublet from the box.
It looked like a well-designed garment at a glance, but it felt sturdy and hefty in hand.
“What monster's hide?”
“Highland Bull. Lives in the highlands, so the leather is both flexible and tough.”
Highland Bull... yeah, I knew of it.
A mid-to-high-grade monster, popular for its hide.
Seeing it processed into armor like this was impressive.
“Nice design too. Can I wear it as is?”
“Try it on. Should fit perfectly.”
Perfectly? How'd he know my size?
Still, it was a gift—I slipped it on right there.
“A bit loose.”
“...Made with room for growth.”
“Ah...”
Fair enough; I could tighten the laces.
Even so, with my current build it was big—meant to accommodate even more bulk.
Must have taken a lot of hide.
“Heavy, but far better than chainmail. Superior protection too.”
“A fine gift. Thank you.”
No exaggeration—this was genuinely excellent.
Easy to move in, and it looked sharp to boot.
I'd wear it often from here on.
“Thank the second young master, not me.”
“The second young master?”
“Yes, he's the one who approved it.”
“Ah, yes. My thanks.”
Never even met the guy, yet here I was with overly generous rewards.
With Garrett's loaned sword and this armor, I could probably handle that sewer bastard again without a scratch.
Combat really did come down to gear.
Anyway.
“I'll be off then.”
“Yes, it's valuable—wear it well.”
Gift in hand, I bid farewell and left the Astra Trading Company.
With light steps, I made for the mercenary guild.
After a few visits, the route was burned into my memory.
*Ding—*
I pushed open the guild doors without hesitation.
“Hey...”
“...That's the guy?”
Eyes locked onto me instantly.
“Got business?”
The stares scattered at my words.
Rumors spreading already?
Made sense—Jeban was a big name.
Word of him cowering before me was bound to circulate.
Whatever.
Ignoring the tense atmosphere, I headed to the guild's tavern corner.
“Everyone's here?”
“Y-Yes...”
Jeban and his men sat gathered, eyeing my armored, sword-belted form warily.
“You'd think I was about to eat someone.”
I quipped as I slapped my gold mercenary badge onto the table.
“This...”
“Take it. Verification's done.”
“Thank you...”
He'd clearly been antsy without official proof; Jeban snatched it up and pocketed it swiftly.
“Got the mission slip?”
“Ah, yes. Here.”
I'd told him to grab one last time—let's see if he'd delivered.
The slip he handed over showed a simple mission in words and sketches.
Let's see...
“Werewolf pack?”
Honestly, I'd expected something like mid-grade monster extermination.
But the writing on the slip was a bit off from my guess.
“They form packs too?”
Usually solitary hunters.
Never heard of packs.
“Ah, yes. Normally they don't.”
“But now they are?”
“That's why the Magic Tower wants the pack leader captured.”
“Ah.”
An unusual case, so they wanted it alive?
Made sense—those shady Magic Tower creeps and their experiments were nothing new.
“When do we depart?”
“Preparations are complete. We can go immediately.”
They'd prepped already?
A glance back showed their bags stuffed full.
Veterans indeed—thorough as expected.
“That said... what about Fleet...”
Jeban hesitated at my prompt to leave right away.
He'd assumed I'd teach it first, probably.
“I'll show you on the mission.”
“Pardon?”
“We're not chasing werewolves nonstop, right? Plenty of downtime—I'll teach then.”
No decent training ground here anyway.
We'd camp in the mountains; I could have his men prep and demonstrate there.
“Ah, yes...”
His eyes twitched violently—lost in grim thoughts, no doubt.
“...Understood. Let's head out.”
He nodded, resigned.
“Right. Let's move.”
And so.
Not as the slave Lane, but as the mercenary Cain, I set out on my first mission.