Horos Village
Horos Village was quite small compared to Redantus.
Instead of a city wall, it was surrounded by a wooden palisade.
Every so often along the palisade stood a watchtower, built so the guards could see beyond the village.
To Lawrence, it felt almost as though the villagers’ fear of monsters had been given shape and nailed into the earth.
Hilton Village had been relatively safe, with human territory and Under Wolf territory clearly divided, but one look at the village ahead made it obvious that such security was anything but normal.
As they drew closer, people began to appear.
Some were peddlers like Lionel, hauling wagons behind them; others were mercenaries dragging themselves forward with heavy, exhausted steps.
Each and every one of them looked as though they were carrying a sack of hard-earned money on their shoulders.
“Now that we’ve made it this far, we can finally breathe a little. You’ve had a rough trip, truly rough.”
“You’ve had it rough too, Mr. Lionel. By some odd twist of fate, this certainly wasn’t what I’d call a comfortable journey.”
“That’s trade for you. Even the roads you’ve traveled a hundred times can throw something unexpected at you. That’s what makes it fun, isn’t it?”
Lionel’s mouth curled upward.
“Still, now that we’re in the village, let’s share a meal before anything else. I’ve had nothing but soup and jerky, and my mouth’s gone all dusty and dry.”
“You’re paying, Mr. Lionel?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course I am. But nothing too expensive.”
Warm laughter rose between them.
Looking back now, Lawrence found that the journey with Lionel hadn’t been so bad after all.
Though he did wish the man’s mouth, which never seemed to know when to rest, would stop moving for once.
At the village entrance, four gatekeepers were checking arrivals.
Shouts and curses.
Harsh, grating voices rang out without pause.
Much like the checkpoint in Redantus, the commotion never let up.
“Could you hurry it up? We’re already half dead from exhaustion, so what’s with all the dawdling?”
“The hell? You think I want to be stuck here?”
“The hell? Have you lost your mind? Who the hell are you cursing at?!”
“The one who’s lost his mind is you. A nobody like you ought to know his place before barking at people—”
Market-place chaos didn’t even begin to cover it.
Rough voices traded back and forth among the mercenaries as they shoved and jostled one another.
Fortunately, it never escalated into bloodshed thanks to the gatekeepers, though the men who were supposed to intervene beforehand didn’t exactly lift a finger either.
Thankfully, the wagon line was separate.
If they’d had to enter together with the mercenaries, there would have been several needless fights along the way.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Is that you, Lionel?”
“Long time no see. I hope you’ve been well.”
Had he known the gatekeeper already?
Lionel embraced the man who had recognized him.
“We’re the same as ever. So, did you bring anything good this time?”
“No. This time I’ve come to buy. The Forest Spiders here are always such a nuisance, aren’t they? Lately, paralysis stingers have been selling for a nice price.”
“Your timing’s perfect. Go see the Mercenary Guild. There are so many paralysis stingers around that you could leave tomorrow morning if you wanted.”
“Well, speak of the devil. I do seem to have a knack for arriving at the right season.”
Lionel jabbed the gatekeeper in the ribs.
His hand held several dull copper coins.
“You’re always the one doing the hard work. Once the day’s over, have a drink with your friends.”
“Ahem! This is why I like you, really. Have you checked every wagon?”
“What, do I have no eyes? Can’t you see I’m checking them?”
“If there’s nothing strange, just let them through. He’s a regular.”
“What? In that case, this is easy for me.”
The gatekeepers, who had been poking around half-heartedly, stepped away from the wagon.
“And this one?”
“A mercenary I hired. He looks young, but he’s incredibly skilled. If it weren’t for him, I’d have died at least five more times.”
Lawrence lowered his head slightly.
“But why are there so many mercenaries? This is nothing like usual.”
“Don’t get me started. The Spider Forest is a complete mess. Frankly, wiping them all out is impossible. But if you just leave them be, that becomes a problem too. Strictly speaking, our village only survives at all because of those things, doesn’t it? It seems His Lordship wants the timber, though. A truly bitter kind of joke.”
Tsking under his breath, the gatekeeper raised a hand.
“One wagon through!”
“Wagon cleared!”
“Pass through!”
The inspection was little more than a formality.
At the gatekeeper’s signal, the wagon was allowed through.
“Hold on now. Isn’t that a bit too sloppy?”
This time, it was Lionel who looked flustered.
He seemed to have expected a longer wait. In fact, Lawrence hadn’t even been searched for his belongings yet.
“If it’s you, then it’s fine. Unless you’ve brought something dangerous with you?”
“Not that I’m aware of, but there are procedures, aren’t there? This isn’t just a matter of convenience, it’s—”
“Neglecting duty, you mean? In that case, I’ll have to shake you down properly. Fine, then. Just make sure you don’t get into the village today.”
“You little—can’t you take a joke?”
One wicked joke was enough.
Lionel lowered his voice considerably.
“You’re really letting us pass?”
“Why wouldn’t I? If you’re so grateful, buy me a meal sometime.”
When he put it that way, it would have been rude to linger any longer.
There were plenty of wagons waiting behind them.
Lionel gave the gatekeeper’s shoulder a few firm pats and thanked him again.
Lawrence, having passed through almost by accident, spoke up.
“I suppose you come here much more often than I thought.”
“Didn’t I say as much? It’s a good village for making a profit.”
The two of them left their wagon at the temporary storage lot and stepped out onto the street.
Trash rolled and skittered along the roadside.
The buildings were sparse, with wide gaps between them.
Stalls were set up right in the middle of the street, crammed together wherever there was room.
One look around the village was enough to explain why the gatekeepers had been so passive about the noise at the checkpoint.
“This fucking thing! How is this even possible? It’s a scam!”
“Scam? Don’t spout bullshit. If you don’t have money, get lost, you fucking beggar.”
“There he goes again. I told you to take it easy.”
“Damn right. I’ve still got one round left. Didn’t I tell you before? The one who pulls the last card is the final winner.”
“Oh, sure. And that sure as hell won’t be you.”
Behind the alleys, gambling dens were operating openly.
Mercenaries picking fights could be found everywhere on the street.
The guards in charge of public order only stepped in when things became truly serious, choosing to ignore the smaller disputes around them.
“A good village… From the outside, it looked that way too, but inside, it doesn’t exactly seem like the kind of place where people live comfortably.”
“And yet, once you get used to it, it’s still a place where people live. Where in this world is there a place that doesn’t smell of human life just because life is hard?”
In fact, places like this often brought the residents closer together, Lionel said, leading Lawrence to a restaurant.
The sign hanging above it was so worn it looked ready to fall apart.
This was the kind of place where rowdy shouting drowned out the sound of meals being served.
If the street outside was a market, then this place was its own special brand of chaos.
The noise was so deafening that everyone inside the restaurant seemed to be Lionel at first glance.
Between the narrow gaps, half-naked waitresses hurried back and forth.
Every time they crossed between tables, mercenaries would reach out with hands aimed at their chests or hips, and yet the girls carried the menu with an easy, swaying grace, slipping past those groping hands as though they were dancing.
Lawrence frowned a little.
It was because of his memories of the monastery.
The faces of the girls, still young enough to retain a childlike softness, reminded him of the elder sisters he had worked alongside.
If Joan or Edith had returned to the village and taken jobs like this, the thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Still, the restaurant was clearly popular; finding an empty seat was difficult.
There wasn’t even a waitress guiding them to a table, so the whole place was a crush of bodies.
After threading their way through several drunk patrons, the two men finally managed to claim a seat.
“I didn’t expect it to be this crowded. My apologies.”
“Not at all. A place with lots of customers means the food must be good.”
“You know what you’re talking about. Order here, miss!”
“Yes. Just a moment!”
After a brief answer, a waitress came over.
Her upper chest was left completely bare.
“Hello. What would you like to order?”
“Do you still have the lamb roasted with butter?”
“Of course, sir. It’s one of the restaurant’s signature dishes.”
“Good. Then I’ll have the butter-roasted lamb and two bowls of warm cream soup. Bring one roasted turkey and two glasses of ale as well.”
“Oh, I’ll have milk instead of ale.”
He preferred the milk he knew to a drink he had never even tasted before.
Whenever he drank milk, memories of the monastery came back to him, and his heart would grow warm in some quiet corner.
“Milk? You came all the way here and you want milk?”
“Yes. I like milk.”
“Well now. You’re the first mercenary I’ve ever met who says he likes milk. Fine. One ale and one milk, then. Make them cold, of course.”
“You’re an amusing one. Very well. If you get lonely spending the night alone, come find Sylvia.”
With a sidelong smile, the waitress left the table behind.
“So women do like younger men after all. At this rate, honestly… how is a middle-aged man like me supposed to get a word in?”
Lionel couldn’t tear his eyes away from the waitress’s receding hips.
Lawrence didn’t understand the exact meaning of her words.
But he did know, roughly, what kind of secret nighttime game she was implying between men and women.
As if trying to hide the red creeping into his face, Lawrence spoke.
“I’m not interested. If you are, Mr. Lionel, you can look into it yourself.”
“Don’t say dangerous things like that. Sylvia was clearly talking to you, not me. I’d be mistaken for some shameless old lecher and thrown out for sure. I’ve got no desire to be wounded over something like this.”
“…Wounded?”
“Listen, kid. There’s no sharper blade than the cold words of a woman you like. You’re still young, so you wouldn’t know.”
A woman he liked?
It hadn’t even been a minute since he’d learned the waitress’s name.
“I don’t especially want to know.”
It was hard enough just taking care of himself in this world.
He had absolutely no desire to suffer over women.
“Looking at you, you really don’t know women yet. What a fine opportunity, then. In any case, if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it with a woman you like. Didn’t I say it before? Horos Village is short on women. What do you think? Sylvia seems like she’d treat you well.”
“Forget it. Besides, I don’t even have the money.”
Lawrence shook his head at Lionel’s sly grin.
From tomorrow onward, he had more work than he could shake a stick at.
He needed to go to the Mercenary Guild and learn the habits and weaknesses of the Forest Spider, and his robe still needed a hood attached.
If possible, he also wanted to see what a real Forest Spider looked like, and how other mercenaries fought them.
It wasn’t paranoia.
On the contrary, he had to avoid going into a real battle unprepared.
However much time or money that took, it would never be a waste.
No matter how good money was, death made it meaningless.
Since he was staking his life on this path, he had to increase his chances of surviving, even if only by a little.
“Your ale and milk.”
“Thank you.”
He deliberately avoided meeting the waitress’s eyes when she came to the table.
Perhaps sensing his discomfort, Lionel didn’t bring up women again.
“Then let’s toast to a safe trade!”
They clinked their glasses together.
As the cold milk slid down his throat, Lawrence felt instantly refreshed.
“Ah! Now this is living!”
“Khh!”
Admiring sounds spilled out of him before he could stop them.
At some point, their eyes met.
And then, without either of them meaning to, laughter burst out.
“Now you’re finally looking like a proper mercenary.”
“When wasn’t I? In this request alone, I killed more than a few dozen goblins.”
“Would you look at this fellow? Didn’t you say before they were only goblins?”
“It seems I was wrong. If I’d left a few goblins alive, I could have seen Mr. Lionel’s skill as well.”
“You little monster, don’t say things that will get you killed!”
Soon after, the cream soup and butter-roasted lamb arrived.
It melted in his mouth. Just as Lionel had said, the butter-roasted lamb had a rich, savory flavor that pork simply couldn’t match.
By the time he was halfway through the lamb, the roasted turkey arrived as well.
For now, Lawrence was simply pleased by the generous portion that filled nearly half the table.
For the two of them, who had been living on jerky and soup with barely any substance in it, this was a feast long overdue.
In the end, it wasn’t until they had cleaned up what would have easily been four full servings that Lawrence and Lionel finally rose from their seats.
“Then I’ll see you again next time. I’ll report this to the guild. If you’re willing, I’d hire you as an escort again whenever I could. You were excellent.”
“You take care too, Mr. Lionel. If you could just ease up on the talking a little, I’d be happy to work with you again any time.”
“Next time, you should travel with a mercenary as talkative as I am!”
And so Lawrence’s first request came to an end.
After parting with Lionel, Lawrence checked his pay.
Three gleaming silver coins.
He was so happy his eyes nearly stung.
This wasn’t money from some menial chore, but earnings from working as a proper mercenary.
It felt like only yesterday that he had been bowing and scraping for a few copper coins, and all of this was the result of learning magic through his dreams.
If all he had carried were a crossbow and a spear, he never would have come this far.
Always, somewhere in his heart, magic had been the final line of defense holding Lawrence upright.
No amount of gratitude would ever be enough for the red-eyed one who had taught him Shadow Spear.
Without the red-eyed one, he would never even have dreamed of such a safe escort job.
Perhaps the boy’s heart had been heard after all?
Nearly two months later, the dream that came to Lawrence led him into a landscape he had never seen before.