But I Still Got My Revenge (2)
But I Still Got My Revenge (2)
An inn in an alleyway a little way from the one where Martin had stayed.
I tilted my head in confusion as I looked the place up and down.
It had a freshly painted sign and clean walls. The sweet, warm aroma of freshly baked bread drifted from inside.
'It's an inn, all right, but...'
It looked nothing like the hotels of my past life. It was as if it had leaped straight out of a fantasy novel.
Every other inn I'd seen so far was a gritty, realistic place where mercenaries practically flew through the air during brawls and food stains splattered the walls. A place like this felt utterly foreign.
Even after I stepped inside, that unfamiliar feeling persisted.
The first-floor dining area was spotless, and the server carrying the food was neatly dressed.
But for such a nice inn, there seemed to be barely any guests.
'Why are there so few people when it's this nice?'
I scanned the surroundings with a puzzled look, then stopped a passing waitress and asked,
"Is there a guest staying here who goes by the name 'Firebird Hunter'?"
Firebird Hunter. What a childish nickname.
I couldn't help feeling my face flush slightly as I said it.
At my words, the waitress gave me an amused look.
"Well, aren't you quite the sophisticated little kid? She's here right now. Shall I call her down for you?"
Fortunately, she was here.
"Yes, please."
"Father! We have a guest! Go call Firebird down!"
The waitress shouted toward the back at the top of her lungs, then led me to an empty table.
Apparently, that nickname wasn't as weird as I'd thought.
The waitress who had guided me—or rather, the innkeeper's daughter—showed me the menu with a warm smile.
"Well, since you're Firebird's guest, there's no need to worry... I'll take your order now."
I didn't quite understand what she meant by that opening remark, but before I could think it over, I looked at the menu and gasped.
'Why is it so damn expensive?!'
The prices were shocking enough to startle even me, someone who had never wanted for money.
No wonder there were so few customers. If even the lodging fees were this steep, any ordinary mercenary who wasn't a noble would bolt immediately.
'This is like putting a five-star hotel right in the middle of a bustling marketplace.'
But that wasn't my problem.
"If there's something the Firebird Hunter usually eats, please bring us two servings of that."
"Excellent choice. Firebird won't find it burdensome either."
Ah. Did she assume Firebird Hunter would be paying for the meal instead of me?
Well, I suppose that made sense.
Although I'd taken off the hood, my body was still wrapped in a cloak, so there was no way she could tell how fine the clothes underneath were.
Even the new sword I'd received from the Marquis was wrapped tightly in cloth and being dragged along so no one would notice it. I must have looked like nothing more than a little errand boy carrying luggage.
Only then did I understand why the waitress had been looking at me so strangely.
'I guess I should be glad they didn't just kick me out.'
While I was lost in thought, footsteps echoed on the stairs.
I turned my head and saw a woman walking down them.
She was somewhat androgynous-looking, with short red hair. Quite handsome, in fact.
She walked straight toward me.
'Did the cloaked mercenary always look like that?'
Her appearance seemed like it would suit a husky voice perfectly, but she didn't match the rugged image I'd initially pictured.
Instead of a tough mercenary, she seemed more like a slender knight, or perhaps a handsome scribe.
Then again, since she was a woman, perhaps that was only natural.
"You're a bit late. But your timing's still good. The territory has been so chaotic lately that I was thinking of packing up and leaving for somewhere else."
She sat down across from me and waved to the waitress.
"I ordered two servings of whatever... Firebird Hunter usually eats."
"Good job. Haha, the nickname's a bit embarrassing, isn't it? But there are plenty of nicknames out there far weirder than mine."
"What's wrong with Firebird? My dad was called Greatsword Bigfoot when he was young."
The waitress spoke as she set down the food, which had already been prepared.
Hmm, Greatsword Bigfoot. That was an incredibly intuitive nickname. It felt like you could find the man just by hearing his name.
"Ah, then Firebird Hunter is also..."
I stared at the red hair of the woman sitting across from me.
"It fits her perfectly, doesn't it? Looking at that red hair, no other nickname even comes to mind."
The waitress shrugged as she finished setting down the dishes.
It seemed the one who'd come up with the nickname was none other than the waitress standing right in front of us.
'She's been using a nickname given to her by an inn waitress ever since she arrived in this territory?'
That meant she either hadn't had a nickname before, or she was hiding her real one.
'Does this woman have secrets of her own, too?'
A sigh escaped me. Why was no one I met ever ordinary?
The spread before us looked highly appetizing. The warm stew, bread, and meat didn't seem much different from what I'd eaten at the Lord's castle or manor.
With the food in front of us, Firebird... stared intently at me.
Ah, I hadn't introduced myself yet.
I didn't have a nickname, nor was I in a position to use one.
I gave her my name.
"I am Alex de Gracia."
When I said that, she tilted her head.
"Are you a noble lord?"
"A half-noble, yes. I'm an illegitimate son."
"Ah, so that's why. Now it makes sense."
She wasn't particularly surprised to hear I was a noble, and her attitude toward me didn't change even after she learned I was illegitimate.
An ordinary mercenary would have at least gasped or switched to formal speech.
I'd noticed it the last time I saw her, too, but she was terrible at deceiving others.
She didn't flinch at the sight of nobility, and she didn't look down on me for being illegitimate.
'Is she an enlightened noble? Or is she someone with a status or skill level that nobles can't easily mess with?'
Considering how easily she'd handled that female mercenary named Noah, there was no question about her skills.
After hearing my name, she picked up a piece of bread and dipped it into the stew.
Then her eyes widened as she stared at me.
"Wait, hold on. Weren't the noble lords visiting this time from the Gracia Dukedom?"
As expected, rumors traveled slowly compared to my past life. Or perhaps she was just slow to catch on.
"That's correct. I came with them."
When I admitted it, she didn't lift the bread she'd dipped in the stew. Instead, she pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Oh, man. How did things turn out like this?"
How else? A situation she'd been watching from afar had landed right on her toes.
"Right now, there are rumors flying around that the mercenaries were slaughtered while trying to attack the Marquisate, and outside, soldiers are scouring the streets with fire in their eyes."
She pointed at me.
"And the kid who was running away from the mercenaries that night was a guest of the Marquisate. If the rumors are true, did I just get into a brawl with the very mercenaries who raided the Marquisate, just to save a kid?"
Her face twisted with sheer disbelief.
"Don't tell me the girl who was with you back then was a noble, too?"
"She was the Marquis's daughter. The one who's getting engaged."
She stared at me blankly.
As she stared, her bread sank completely into the stew.
Well, that piece was a lost cause now. Not wanting to let it go to waste, I picked up a piece of bread of my own.
I dipped my bread into the stew just as she had and took a bite.
Oh, this was incredibly delicious.
Seeing me eat finally snapped her out of it. She let out a heavy sigh as she looked at her own bread, submerged and lost in the stew.
"I'm screwed. This is no time to be relaxing. Looking at how things are playing out, I'm deeply entangled in this mess."
Deeply entangled indeed. If anyone recognized her, the surviving mercenaries and soldiers would undoubtedly come looking for her.
Though I hadn't asked for her help, and it had only happened because of her meddling nature, still...
"As a token of my gratitude for your help, I'll pay for this meal."
"Ah, you don't have to do that. It's not that expen... actually, thank you."
Ah, she must have remembered at the very last second that she was supposed to be acting like a mercenary.
In any case, a meal at this price wasn't considered expensive to her. I'd learned another thing about her.
"What on earth happened? No, actually, don't tell me. It's better if I don't hear it. Since it's noble business, hearing any more will only bring me more trouble."
She was absolutely right. There was a mountain of troublesome matters.
"More importantly, where should I go now?"
"Do you have nowhere to go?"
"I didn't expect I'd have to move so suddenly."
Oh? This might actually turn out to be easier than I thought.
"Then, how about coming to the Gracia Territory?"
"Huh? Are you inviting me to the Duke's estate?"
"No. There's no way a mere illegitimate son like me could do that. I'm simply recommending it as your next destination."
She shook her head at my words. As expected, nothing ever came easy.
"It's too far. Besides, while I haven't decided on a specific place to go, I can't just wander around aimlessly either. There's something I need to find on my travels."
As she spoke, she gently stroked the sword leaning against the table.
Something she needed to find, and a sword... Hmm, let's probe a little.
"Could what you're looking for be related to that sword?"
She flinched at my question. I didn't even need to hear her answer; it was written all over her face.
"Then I might be able to help. My memory is a bit hazy, but I've seen the crest engraved on that sword back in my territory. It was a soaring bird, wasn't it?"
At my words, she half-drew her sword, her expression bright with excitement.
The crest of a soaring bird engraved on the blade came into view.
I checked the crest and nodded.
"That's the one."
She grew incredibly excited at my confirmation.
"I'll pack up quickly and follow you. How should I contact you when I arrive? Can you tell me roughly where it is beforehand? Was it an object? Or on a wall? It wasn't a book, was it?"
The effect was so potent it was almost scary.
Still, she quickly regained her composure and immediately called out to the waitress.
"I'm checking out! I'll be leaving tomorrow!"
"Pardon? The amount is quite large, so it'll be difficult to refund tomorrow's room charge."
Wait, this inn actually offered refunds? And just how many days had she booked for a refund to be this difficult?
"I don't need a refund."
"Really?"
At her reply, the waitress's face lit up instantly. Just how much money was it?
But the waitress's face quickly fell again.
"I can't possibly take that from you. I'll put it on your tab. You can use it when you return, or stay for free for that duration."
"Dad!"
At the words of the man who had emerged from the back, the waitress shrieked in protest.
He was a robust, middle-aged man. He looked exactly like the classic retired mercenary running an inn in a novel.
Yet the muscles in his hands and body looked more like those of a knight than a mercenary.
It seemed the Firebird Hunter and he already knew each other well.
I watched the Firebird Hunter as she talked with the innkeeper.
Her face made it hard to guess her age, but I'd assumed she wasn't past her twenties. Could she be older than I thought?
While she skipped her meal and busied herself packing, I calmly finished my food.
It was a meal well worth the price.
After arranging to meet the Firebird Hunter, I stepped out of the inn.
Above the entrance, the inn's sign swayed gently.
<Mercenary Haven>
The name of the inn was incredibly ordinary.
But no matter how I looked at it, the place was anything but ordinary.
No, no. If I let it bother me, I lose. This is just an expensive, nice inn.
It wasn't a place I'd ever return to. There was no reason to overthink it and create more work for myself.
Not long after leaving the inn, I ran into some unfinished business.
"I really didn't expect you to be a literal kid."
The female mercenary named Noah had blocked my path once again.