Mistra Merchant Guild (1)
“I asked the wrong way. It seems I’d have a hard time checking all of this information myself.”
“Then how may I help you?”
After a moment spent sorting through his thoughts, Lawrence spoke.
“Aren’t there mercenaries who are setting off for the north for the first time? Information you provide to them would be a tremendous help to me.”
“So you’d like the basic information. Understood. If you don’t mind, I can also explain it to you here.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
The receptionist pulled down a stack of paperwork tall enough to rival a tower.
From among it, she took out several wooden tablets and set them back on the counter.
“The northern region is a land where bitter cold lurks everywhere. The weather is so frigid that snow never melts, even in the middle of the four seasons, and beneath the thick ice there is a sea. If you ever find a place where there’s a hole, you must be careful not to fall in. If you do, you won’t just struggle to get out—you’ll freeze to death right there.”
“That sounds almost like you’re saying the sea itself has frozen over.”
It was an astonishing story.
Lawrence had seen how vast the sea was in France.
The sea was nothing like an ordinary river.
For something so boundless to freeze over…
He couldn’t even begin to imagine how cold the north must be.
“If you put it that way, then yes, there are frozen seas. But the ground is always covered in snow, so it’s hard to actually see the earth beneath.”
“If it’s that cold, it must be hard to see any animals as well.”
It was not something to take lightly.
The beasts and fruit one encountered along the road were welcome friends when it came to solving the problem of food.
“Not necessarily. That’s the mystery of nature, I suppose. I don’t know what they eat, but apparently all kinds of animals can be seen even in that extreme cold. Which is unfortunate, because that also means there are plenty of dangerous monsters as well.”
The receptionist gave a wry smile.
“In the north, the places where you can use a carriage are limited. So most people travel by dog sled.”
“What’s a dog sled?”
“Think of it as a means of transport that replaces a carriage. I’ve heard trained dogs pull the sled. They say it has a charm all its own, different from a carriage.”
A sled pulled by dogs…
He couldn’t quite picture it.
“If you go north from Winterglen, you’ll come to Saint Wall. At the fortress of night, the Watchers of Winter wage an endless war against the northerners. In the north, they respectfully call the Watchers of Winter by another name: Watchers.”
“I’ve heard rumors, at least. Honorable soldiers guarding the northern front line.”
“They’re not hard to recognize. From head to toe, they wear black cloaks designed first and foremost for warmth and insulation. On the collar and cloak, they carry the crest of White Fang, the symbol of the Watchers of Winter. They’re elusive. Whenever trouble breaks out in the north, big or small, they always seem to appear on the scene.”
She went on, “Though that might just be gossip.”
“The minorities who live in the north claim that the dogs that pull the sleds inherited the blood of White Fang. White Fang is a gigantic beast in the shape of a wolf. According to rumor, the higher-ranking officers among the Watchers of Winter can even communicate with White Fang.”
“Is that true?”
She nodded.
It was nothing short of astonishing.
He had never even heard such a thing at the magic tower, where mages gathered.
“Everything I’ve told you is recorded here. Take your time looking through it, then return it to the guild when you’re done. The borrowing period is one week. You can extend it any time you come to the guild, so you needn’t feel rushed.”
The receptionist handed him the tablet.
“I thought guild property couldn’t be taken out. Is this tablet all right?”
“We can’t treat every mercenary equally. After all, a guild naturally favors its outstanding mercenaries. The treatment you’re receiving now is the result of the achievements you’ve built yourself, Lawrence.”
Without meaning to, the corners of his mouth lifted.
“Thank you. And I have one more favor to ask. I’d like you to introduce any subjugation requests happening around Mistra.”
It was time to return to the work of a mercenary.
There had been one thing he had regretted while staying at the magic tower.
There had been nowhere he could gain real combat experience.
No matter how much he honed his magic, the only target had been a practice board.
He had never had the chance to handle magic against a monster that actually moved.
“Subjugation requests, you say. Understood. Do you have any particular conditions in mind?”
“I’d prefer something that doesn’t take me beyond the city’s outskirts. If possible, I’d like requests I can finish in a day.”
“The public order around Mistra is quite stable. It may take some time to find a request that fits those conditions. Would that be all right?”
“That’s fine. I’ve already accounted for that.”
It was better to think of combat experience as something he built up little by little.
Besides, it wasn’t as if he could set out for the north immediately anyway.
If he could loosen up the stiffness in his body before then, that would be more than enough.
“Understood. If a good request comes in later, I’ll introduce it to you.”
“Thank you. If there’s anything else I’d like to know, I’ll come back.”
“I hope you continue to show such fine spirit. I’m personally looking forward to it as well.”
With a smile, the receptionist saw Lawrence off.
* * *
After taking care of lunch at a restaurant, Lawrence headed for the Mistra Merchant Guild.
“Handle it carefully! People can rest, but things don’t get fixed just because they’ve had a break!”
The street was crowded beyond measure.
Laborers loading cargo onto carriages, and overseers managing them.
A man who looked like a guild clerk was recording entries in a ledger.
“Excuse me. Where is the Mistra Merchant Guild?”
“The Mistra Merchant Guild? The building deepest inside the road is the merchant guild. You’ll probably know it the moment you see which one it is.”
The merchant had been right.
Set back at the end of the lane, the Mistra Merchant Guild was a mansion of enormous size.
White pillars stretched along at regular intervals.
Between the barred walls, a garden could be seen.
There was a four-story fountain, and neatly trimmed ornamental trees.
Perched atop a roof that rose like a tower was a stately hawk statue.
It looked, in every sense, like a nobleman’s villa.
Two soldiers stood before the ornate doors.
Even the noise around them failed to draw so much as a glance.
Their disciplined bearing didn’t look mercenary at all.
It was unlikely, but they almost seemed like regular troops from a guard unit.
“Excuse me. Is this the Mistra Merchant Guild?”
“What business do you have here?”
He’d come to the right place.
At the guard’s utterly businesslike tone, Lawrence answered.
“I’ve come to meet a peddler affiliated with the Mistra Merchant Guild. His name is Lionel. He was in the magic tower on business just a few days ago.”
“Whom should I say is looking for him?”
“If you tell him Lawrence is here, he’ll know.”
“Please wait a moment. I’ll confirm it.”
The guard shook a bell hanging above the door.
Jingle.
A short while later, someone came out of the mansion.
“Is there a problem?”
“Someone looking for Mr. Lionel has come by. He says to tell him Lawrence is here. Do you know him?”
“Lionel? Lawrence… Lawrence, you say… Could you be the one from the magic tower?”
“Yes. It’s only been a few days since I arrived from the magic tower.”
The man had an absurd mustache.
He idly stroked the mustache curling into his mouth.
“Oh? Ohhh. So you’re the one… You’re even more impressive in person than the rumors made you sound.”
His gaze was almost like he was appraising merchandise.
After leisurely sizing Lawrence up, the man held out his hand.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Oswin of the Mistra Merchant Guild.”
“I’m Lawrence. Is Lionel inside?”
“Lionel stepped out for a bit. I’d imagine he won’t be back until evening.”
The sun was still a long way from setting.
He should have stayed at the mercenary guild a little longer.
“Would it be possible to tell exactly when Mr. Lionel will return?”
“Hmm. Even I don’t know the exact time. I was told it wasn’t an urgent consultation, and if you want to get the goods for even a slightly lower price, that kind of talk can go on for a while. Though perhaps you already know this, Lionel’s way with words takes time, for better or worse.”
“Ah… yes, he does talk a lot.”
“If you know that, this becomes much easier. Once he starts talking, he can go on forever—that’s a flaw, if it’s a flaw at all. But it’s also part of what makes him charming.”
Stroking his mustache, Oswin continued, “Why don’t you come inside instead of standing here? On behalf of the guild, I’d like to have a more productive conversation with you as well, Lawrence.”
“……”
He didn’t have to think long.
“Very well. I’ll impose on you for a while.”
Waiting here for Lionel didn’t look particularly graceful either. He would accept the invitation quietly for now.
“Impose? Not at all. You shouldn’t think of it that way. If we have the chance to invite someone as outstanding as you, Lawrence, then there’s no reason for our guild to refuse. Please, come inside. I’ll guide you.”
Lawrence followed Oswin into the merchant guild.
* * *
The Mistra Merchant Guild’s reception room had a calm atmosphere.
There was a table and chairs arranged for guests.
Above the fireplace, a decorative shield and sword crossed one another.
Framed landscape paintings and portraits hung on the walls.
And on the floor lay a blanket-like cloth.
“This is called a carpet. It’s an item from a distant foreign land that came through Albrade Port. They say cloth like this is easy to find there.”
Oswin personally poured the tea.
On the tray, there were cookies to enjoy with it. Their sweet scent whetted the appetite.
“Interestingly, this thing called a carpet may be similar from one piece to the next, but no two are exactly alike. They say each one is made by hand by a craftsman. No matter how faithfully they match the patterns, tiny differences always remain.”
“You’re quite knowledgeable, Mr. Oswin.”
“This hardly qualifies as being knowledgeable. Shouldn’t I at least know what it is I’m handling? But somehow this world works so that the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know.”
Lawrence understood what Oswin meant.
Magic was like that—just when you thought you’d grasped it, it slipped farther away.
The workings of the world moved toward a greater mystery the more one learned.
Before the vastness of the world, people were painfully small.
“Please, drink,” Oswin said, handing him a teacup.
“Orel tea.”
“It’s standard to serve Orel tea to anyone from the magic tower.”
“I suppose you’ve heard who I am from Lionel.”
“Of course. Bronze Plate mercenary Lawrence. Or, by another name, the famous Shadow Mage.”
With the corner of his mouth lifted, he went on, “I hear you’re tremendously skilled.”
“You flatter me. Most people simply don’t understand magic very well.”
“That’s exactly what Lionel said after seeing you use it. He said he’d never seen anyone use magic as naturally as you do, Lawrence. And that it all flowed straight into actual combat, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.”
It wasn’t a conversation he particularly wanted to have.
Lawrence silently cursed Lionel’s loose mouth.
“Isn’t the bard who came with Mr. Lionel at the guild?”
“The bard?”
“Her name is Miriam. Don’t you know her?”
“Hmm… Miriam…”
As though he wasn’t sure, Oswin rested his hand on his chin.
“The bard with light brown hair.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know her. Mistra is such a big place that there are plenty of bards here. It’s hard to tell who’s who from hair color alone.”
“Is that so?”
“It is indeed. A city being too large is something worth considering from time to time.”
Strange.
Miriam had said she was coming to the guild with Lionel.
But from the way Oswin reacted, it seemed she hadn’t even visited the guild at all.
Could something have happened between the two of them?
He felt an unnecessary unease.
Lionel had taken a liking to Miriam.
His heart quickened, and he couldn’t help worrying that in his haste, he might have done something rude.