116
My Villains Chapter 116
30. Holiday (1)
The Amias group sitting at the adjacent table were chatting and laughing while eating.
"Already four silver coins... If I can earn like today for just fifty days, I can buy a ranch. I'm sick of chickens, so I'll buy about twenty cows and fill it up."
When lanky Boonie spoke with a dreamy look, the freckled Mira shook her head with a smile.
"What kind of dream is that for a man?"
"What are you going to do?"
"I'll open a shop in Remeric. I'll create a tavern as big as this one and exploit mercenaries."
Baldy Steedman clicked his tongue when he heard this.
"Mira, from my perspective, your dream doesn't seem that big."
"Really? Then what dream does our bald dwarf have?"
"Don't call me a dwarf."
"Okay, so answer me, ground boy."
Steedman mumbled a small curse and then answered, "I want to gather about fifty mercenaries and create a mercenary corps."
"And then what?"
"I'll develop 'Asag' and receive land."
"What will you do with land in such a swamp?"
When Mira asked disinterestedly, Steedman lowered his posture and whispered quietly, "It'll be a base for hunting monsters. Like hunting festivals here, I'll gather mercenaries and hunters to catch drakes. By skinning their leather and fins, I'll make a fortune."
"Do you think drakes are that easy to catch? They'd swallow someone like you in one bite."
"...I told you not to call me ground boy."
"When did you? You only said not to call you a dwarf?"
"This damn woman-"
Just as Steedman's face was turning red, their leader Amias quickly mediated, "Enough. Why are you fighting on such a good day?"
"She keeps irritating me!"
"Calm down. Hey! Bring six mugs of beer!"
I, who had been silently watching them, turned to the counter.
"Meal's over, so no beer!"
As I suddenly interjected and shouted, the Amias group stared at me as if wondering what I was doing.
"Ellen, want to go up to the room first? I'll be in the backyard for a bit and then come in."
"...Okay."
As Ellen nodded, Utequais picked up a beer mug, "I'll have one more drink."
"Stop talking nonsense and come with me."
"Hm? Are we going to spar?"
"No."
I turned to the Amias group and continued, "I'm going to make these guys into warriors."
Six pairs of eyes widened.
"Stop staring and come to the backyard."
Since it was still summer and the days were long, a couple of torches made the backyard as bright as day. The hot ground was cooling down, and a cool evening breeze was blowing.
It was a perfect environment for training.
"Endure it, you idiots!"
As I shouted and kicked, Steedman rolled on the ground pathetically.
When I pulled the shield next to him, the freckled Mira gritted her teeth and held on.
"Endure flexibly, flexibly!"
I immediately reversed my strength and pushed her away, then grabbed the six-foot staff that had been lowered late.
"Slow and predictable! Be more bold!"
As I pulled the six-foot staff, the lanky Boonie staggered and was dragged out.
After tripping Boonie and making him fall, I dodged Amias's wooden club and pushed his chin.
As all his comrades were rolling on the ground, Jenesa, holding the six-foot staff, trembled while looking at me.
"When are you going to move?"
"Ugh."
With her shoulders completely hunched, Jenesa weakly extended the six-foot staff. Her posture was good, but she had no spirit at all.
I snatched the six-foot staff with one hand and twisted it between Jenesa's legs. Jenesa fell helplessly.
"Again, take your positions!"
As I shouted, the dusty mercenaries hurriedly got up and took their positions.
"Utequais."
"Uh, here I come!"
Utequais, holding a wooden club in each hand, laughed ferociously and prowled around the mercenaries.
"Turn slowly, slowly!"
Amias tried to shout something, but Utequais, charging like a beast, mercilessly beat them with his clubs.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
In two breaths, Amias and Mira fell, and in the next two breaths, the remaining three collapsed.
I sighed and approached the guys squirming on the ground.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to close your eyes when defending? You need to watch the attack until the end and try to deflect it. Do you think you can block everything by just tensing up? Are you orcs?"
"Uh, ugh."
"Boonie, Jenesa. When you're holding a long weapon, just thrust it right away. Don't think about cutting off the opponent's breath, but think about striking before the attack reaches the allied shield. Just thrust!"
"...Huh, oh, I understand."
"Okay, get up now!"
The five mercenaries scratched the ground and got up, only to fall again immediately.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead, leaving the next round to Utequais. Then I approached Cole, the archer hanging on the ladder.
"How's it going?"
"Whew, whew, yeah."
Cole was climbing a ladder leaning against a big tree. Instead of stepping on the rungs with his feet, he was climbing using only his hands from the bottom of the ladder. He was even wearing a heavy chain mail.
After finishing ladder training, Cole lay down on the ground and started doing push-ups, including what's commonly called ‘stomach presses’.
"How many sets is this?"
"Nine, *whew* sets."
Hmm, I should wrap this up soon.
I clapped my hands while looking at the mercenaries lying on the ground.
"Okay, since it's the first day, let's stop here."
"Ugh."
"I'm, dying."
I smiled at the Amias group groaning.
"Why are you acting like you're dying? You still have a long way to go to become a full-fledged mercenary."
The mercenaries looked slightly dismayed but didn't particularly object.
"Don't think about drinking beer. Go inside, eat a few boiled eggs, and rest. Gather here again before sunrise tomorrow."
Amias asked with a pale face, "Wait. Before sunrise? Then, what about hunting?"
"Of course, we're going."
"We're going hunting after training?"
"Why? Are you thrilled about the opportunity to improve your skills?"
"...Ugh"
Amias tried to say something but closed his mouth.
Well, if a knight personally trains you and takes you hunting, it would be strange to complain.
Days passed in Longville.
Waking up at dawn for free sparring, eating breakfast, resting for a couple of hours, then going hunting.
Hunting small groups of Greenskins or Anupads along the mountain slopes, returning to Longville to submit the results.
After dinner, they would do group training and go to bed early.
A week passed like this.
Squeak, squeak.
I, who had been leaving the room every day, hadn't gone out until noon this time, and Lump seemed excited.
Lump, who had been poking it's head out since the day before yesterday, rubbed against my ankle. I tickled the creature's belly and put down a wooden bowl.
It was oatmeal mixed with sugar and milk. A luxury a wild boar couldn't enjoy, Lump snorted and quickly emptied the bowl.
"Oh, eating well, oh, eating well."
Unlike a kitten, a wild boar piglet would eat almost anything.
If there was nothing to feed it, Lump would readily eat whatever was handed over, and as a result, its size had grown several times in about two months. About the size of a Welsh Corgi?
After finishing the meal in an instant, Lump whined and climbed onto my thigh. Then it lay down, spreading its belly.
I gently stroked its fur. Warm body heat was transmitted through the well-dried fur.
"I want to eat pork kimchi stew. Do you remember when I mentioned kimchi stew before?"
Lump seemed to understand and let out a small squeak.
"My mother, even if she couldn't do anything else, could make chicken stew and pork kimchi stew incredibly well."
At the soft whisper, Lump held its breath. Its eyelids slowly lowered under my gentle touch.
"I guess you want to eat something spicy. Jjamppong, tteokbokki, kimchi porridge, aguijjim, well, that kind of thing."
Now quite used to the situation, Lump didn't care what I was rambling about and scratched my thigh with its head.
"I want to eat rice noodles too. There's a place in Sinchon that's seriously amazing... I never even touched rice noodles in my entire life, but after eating there, I became completely addicted."
Just as Lump’s eyelids began to softly close, the door suddenly burst open.
"Done?"
"Almost."
Floating through the air and entering the room was, of course, Ellen. The girl was wearing only pants and a shirt, still half-closed eyes.
"Hey, you slept so deeply and you're still sleepy?"
"Don't start an argument."
Ellen responded in a low voice, handed me a towel, and then plopped down. I looked down at the towel and let out a hollow laugh.
"Is it automatic now?"
"Quickly."
Damn, they said she'd become more and more bold.
After shaking my head, I carefully moved Lump to the bed and started drying Ellen's hair with the towel.
The now-familiar lime fragrance filled the room. I quietly took a deep breath and thoroughly dried Ellen's hair. After finishing brushing, her hair was as fresh as a canola flower field after rain.
"Okay, done."
"Mmm."
I put on my gauntlets and shin guards, then fastened my belt.
Ellen wore a leather vest, slung a bag over her shoulder, and also put on a robe. Then she let out a small yawn and sat on my arm.
"Let's go."
Today was a rest day.
There were two reasons for this. First, the Amias group needed reorganization.
After a week of intense schedule, the six mercenaries had acquired big and small wounds and fatigue. So they needed a day to comfortably receive treatment at the church and check their equipment.
The second reason was because of Ellen.
"You seem excited?"
"Huh? No, I'm not."
Ellen turned away while playing innocent, but her expression, awakened by the wind, was filled with an undeniable excitement.
"Are you that excited about going to someone's laboratory?"
"...I'm not exactly excited, but it's quite a rare occurrence."
Right now, Ellen and I were walking towards the lord's hall. We were heading to the laboratory of Master Caslight, the territorial magician of Longville.
"A magician who invites people with whom they have little acquaintance to their laboratory must be quite rare."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. Seems like a kind-hearted person."
I had already met Master Caslight. We had dinner together through the Baroness's introduction, and I could tell at a glance that she was a good person.
We arrived at the laboratory situated next to the lord's hall. It was a brick building with three chimneys, with a woodshed attached to one side.
After knocking on the door two or three times, a middle-aged woman appeared.
"Lord Phoenix, Miss Ellen!" Master Caslight was a lady who would make anyone feel warm at first glance. Her half-white hair neatly combed back, ample body, and a large, playful smile were impressive.
"It's a beautiful noon! Come this way."
Master Caslight's laboratory was, well, somewhat like a sophisticated kitchen.
Shelves covering three walls were filled with various herbs and ingredients, and on one side, firewood was neatly stacked six layers high. There were large and small cauldrons, an hourglass, a bellows, a mortar and pestle, transparent glass bottles, thick books, all neatly organized.
While I was blankly looking around the room, the lady guided us to a tea table. The table was spread with all kinds of food.
Peaches, nuts, figs, honey preserves mixed with ginger, scones baked golden brown with apple jam, cookies mixed with whole wheat and eggs baked in butter, chocolate sprinkled with herbs...
These were luxurious foods rarely seen in this world. Of course, for a middle-aged magician whose only joy was making delicious snacks and sharing them, it wouldn't be too burdensome.
At the luxurious snack-filled tea table, a guest who had arrived earlier was seated.
"The Baroness is here, I see."
"Nice to see you, Lord Phoenix."
While I was exchanging greetings with the Baroness, Ellen, and Master Caslight had already begun an in-depth conversation. It was a conversation in Milanol, but I couldn't understand what they were saying at all.