Bronze Plate Mercenary (1)
“If we include the livestock trade, how many more days will it take?”
“We’re not leaving today. We’ll head to the ranch tomorrow morning, so we should arrive by late afternoon at the earliest. And if we’re taking the cattle to market as well... well, I’d say it’ll all be wrapped up in about three days.”
Three days.
Compared to the time they had already spent, it didn’t sound all that long.
“Then, just in case something happens, I’d like us to stay and see the request through to the end. Considering the wounded, it’d be much better for us in terms of fighting strength, too.”
“So you’re choosing the route that comes with extra trouble.”
“There’ll be extra pay to make up for it. Mupla is a man you can trust.”
The others didn’t seem to dislike the idea, either.
That went without saying for Isolde, who had been in the rear.
Garik and Ronan had nothing more than a few minor cuts.
The one Lawrence worried about was Balik, who had taken the bugbear’s club head-on.
But as if to prove that Silver Plate mercenaries didn’t earn their rank for nothing, he looked perfectly fine.
“I’d already decided staying was the better call. Gaud was injured, too, so he must be feeling the strain in one way or another.”
“Gaud? Really? That’s a little surprising.”
“He’s human, too. Still, he got hurt trying to save his comrade, so I doubt he regrets it.”
As the one responsible for the lives of his companions, a leader had burdens that had to be carried.
Watching the mercenaries care for the injured, Lawrence realized he had been thinking about them the wrong way all this time.
Mercenaries were not all the same.
Some were as selfish as the mercenaries in Spider Forest, while others cared about the good of the whole party and the completion of the request.
Which kind was the exception would become clear from here on out.
The decision was made for the Ulvanie side to buy the bugbear’s remains.
The only part worth any money was the hide.
Unlike Forest Spiders, there weren’t many valuable parts to be had.
Even so, the hide alone was worth more than silver by a comfortable margin.
The bugbear Gaud had brought down was in such bad shape that, hide and all, there was almost no chance of getting a proper price for it.
But the bugbear Lawrence had killed with Shadow Spear was in comparatively good condition.
Aside from the fact that its upper and lower halves had been split apart, the body itself wasn’t badly damaged, and the hide had very few scratches. By all appearances, it counted as a high-grade specimen.
In any case, bugbear hides didn’t come up for sale often, so they were easy to move. One way or another, they succeeded in getting a fair price for it.
The problem was how to divide the money.
Anyone could see that Lawrence had killed the bugbear.
If one wanted to put it simply, it wouldn’t have been wrong to say the hide belonged to him.
But if one thought it through, every mercenary gathered there had worked together to bring the beast down.
In other words, this was not a situation where any one person could claim ownership.
“I’d like it divided fairly. Not just among us, but with some of the money going to the mercenaries who were injured in the fight, too.”
Sensing that everyone was only trading glances and waiting for someone else to speak, Lawrence stepped forward.
The boy remembered what had happened in Spider Forest.
Back then, too, the bugbear’s equivalent among the Forest Spider haul had caused a huge uproar among the mercenaries.
Jealousy and envy.
No matter how decent a person was, money could turn them into someone else.
Money was reality.
For mercenaries who had thrown themselves into the trade simply to survive, there was nothing more important than their lives.
And besides, the request still wasn’t over.
These were comrades he would likely meet again even after the job was finished.
If this one task could leave him owing not only his companions but other mercenaries as well, there was nothing to lose by it.
He did not want to experience being hunted by mercenaries a second time.
“Are you sure? If you want to claim ownership, we won’t argue.”
After all, Lawrence had made the greatest contribution to killing the bugbear.
Shadow Spear had been a devastating power no one else could imitate.
“It’s fine. We did all work together to bring it down, after all. I collapsed after using magic, didn’t I? If everyone hadn’t protected me then, something far worse could have happened.”
This wasn’t the time to be dazzled by a few coins in front of him.
However much he liked money, that only mattered when he was alive to spend it.
With a faint smile, he spoke, and the awkward mood melted away.
“That’s Lawrence for you!”
Taking that as an invitation to celebrate his good judgment, Isolde ruffled Lawrence’s hair hard enough to make it a mess.
“I like it.”
“See? You can’t just let any old person become a mage.”
This was the right choice.
Lawrence watched his companions laugh and chat and felt satisfied.
* * *
Leaving behind a few casualties, their first request in the swamp came to an end.
Fortunately, there had been no major incident after they reached the ranch.
There had also been no trouble during negotiations with the merchant buying the cattle.
For now, the injured were given first aid at the ranch.
It was little more than a hurried application of medicine and some bandages, but it would be enough to see them back to the village.
The road back to Remington after completing the request was much easier than the journey into the swamp.
They no longer had to keep constant guard, and since they weren’t moving with a herd of cattle, no jaguars came charging at them.
Come to think of it, sending the other mercenaries back first meant their own steps felt lighter, too.
“There it is. Remington Village.”
“That request was cursedly long. Guess I can finally live like a person again.”
It had been nearly two months since they accepted Mupla’s request and set out for the swamp.
Lawrence had never imagined that coming back to Remington would feel so welcome.
“Anyone going to the guild to report?”
“That’s the leader’s job.”
“I’m passing. My little brother’s waiting for me.”
Little brother?
Isolde clasped her hands together as if asking for understanding.
“I know. I was asking if anyone was going with me.”
“I’ll go. There are a few things I want to ask.”
Lawrence stepped forward.
He was tired too, of course. But if Balik, a Silver Plate mercenary, was by his side, he might be able to learn a bit more.
“Then this is where we part.”
“You worked hard on this request.”
“See you next time. Lawrence, you’ll be staying here for a while, won’t you?”
“I think so, probably.”
There was the matter of the Lost Sanctuary.
He still had to ask Ignatius about a number of things at the monastery.
Even if he thought of it as a pilgrimage, if the sanctuary was inside the swamp, it was obvious he would have to stay at Saint Dominic Monastery for the time being.
“That’s good news. Let’s do another job together sometime.”
“We usually stay at the Remington inn. If you ever feel like it, come find us.”
“I’ll do that. I hope we get the chance. May the goddess’s blessing be with you all.”
“Haha. Right. And may the goddess’s blessing be with you too, Lawrence.”
The three of them waved casually and disappeared down the quiet street.
Lawrence headed to the Mercenary Guild with Balik.
As expected in the daytime, there were hardly any customers, and the reception counter stood empty.
The same clerk from before was on duty.
Their eyes met, and he greeted Lawrence as if they were already acquainted.
“You’ve had a rough time, Mr. Lawrence. I heard about it from the mercenaries who came back first. You ran into a bugbear, I hear?”
“So the rumor spread already. Thanks to that, it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing.”
He had never imagined that the first request after arriving in the swamp would turn out like this.
“I can see Lawrence, but I guess I can’t see myself.”
“Ahaha. Mr. Balik is always such a reassuring presence, isn’t he? Mr. Gaud said the same thing. He said he owed him his life because of you.”
The clerk went on with the ease of someone who had said the same line a hundred times before.
“He also said he still has five more lives to repay, so he hopes you’ll keep working hard.”
“Maybe I should’ve just let him die. That bastard never had anything but a mouth on him.”
Anyone could tell from his tone that he didn’t mean it.
Balik took the wooden tablet from the clerk.
It was the same tablet on which he had written when he first registered as a mercenary.
Lawrence had wondered why he was being handed that, only to see Balik begin writing the details of this request on it.
“Once a request is complete, you can file a report. When you’re only a Wood Plate or Bronze Plate, people often don’t really know better and just skip it because it’s a hassle. But reports are tied to the guild’s performance, so it’s better to write one even if it’s a day or two late.”
“If you want to rank up quickly, use the system often. Even if you’re not a mercenary, the client can file a report too, but that doesn’t happen very often. And it’s all right if you can’t read or write. Any branch will have a clerk draft it for you if you ask.”
Now that he thought about it, he remembered hearing something like that.
Didn’t Lionel say he’d file the report for the guild instead?
“What happens if someone writes a false report?”
“You needn’t worry about that. There’s a process for verifying whether what’s written in the report is true. If it turns out to be false, several kinds of penalties are imposed. In serious cases, your mercenary license can even be revoked.”
The guild had to handle at least that much basic protection.
The clerk smiled, as though to show each branch was doing its part.
“The mercenaries who returned first have already filed their reports. You don’t need to go into the details of what happened earlier.”
“Then I only need to focus on the later part about the cattle run.”
Since the request had lasted so long, there was plenty to write down.
While Balik filled out the report, the clerk took something out from under his desk.
“You could call it one of the useful functions of the report. Mr. Lawrence, congratulations on your promotion to Bronze Plate mercenary.”
“You’re telling me this right away?”
It was a Bronze Plate engraved with Lawrence’s name.
Just as his companions had said, thanks to his performance on this request, he had risen from Wood Plate to Bronze Plate in one leap.
“That just shows how much the guild expects from you, Mr. Lawrence. From here on, you’ll be able to accept more requests, and your pay will rise accordingly.”
“Considering what you did on this request, it’s only natural.”
Balik, still writing the report, joined in as well.
The clerk asked, clearly intrigued by his reliable tone, “But is it true you killed the bugbear in a single blow?”
“It was an excellent strike. I didn’t realize magic could be that powerful until that day. No mercenary currently active in the swamp could kill a bugbear in one shot. And yet the one who did it was this guy right here, Lawrence.”
Balik slapped Lawrence on the shoulder.
His attitude made it seem as though modesty was unnecessary, and Lawrence felt his face grow a little warm.
“Normally there’d have to be a verification process, but if that’s Balik saying it, we probably don’t need one. As it is, there isn’t anyone in the village who hasn’t heard by now. I had no idea you were capable of using magic that powerful, Mr. Lawrence.”
“He’s a mage who works as a mercenary, isn’t he? Of course he’d have something to rely on, since he’s out there making a living as one. Isn’t that right, Lawrence?”
“You’re praising me so much I don’t even know what I’m supposed to say. Still, things did work out this time. No matter how strong magic is, it’s useless if you can’t hit. If Balik and the others hadn’t drawn the bugbear’s attention, it would’ve been dangerous.”
He hadn’t killed it alone.
It had been possible only because everyone had been there.
Balik’s hand tightened on his shoulder.
“That’s exactly right. We trusted you, so we were willing to risk our lives fighting at the front. There’s no ally more valuable than a comrade you can trust with your back.”
Reports submitted to the guild were proof of results.
By acknowledging everyone’s contribution, Lawrence hoped this would benefit his comrades even a little.
“And Lawrence used several kinds of magic besides that. He handled a whip of fire and even floated a sphere of light at night to illuminate the darkness.”
“That was already in the report. More than anything else, could you tell me exactly what that sphere of light was? From what I heard, using it keeps the swamp insects away....”
Lawrence went on speaking with the clerk for quite a while.
He kept the conversation as restrained as he could, avoiding revealing more than necessary. Apart from the request itself, he didn’t think it was wise to lay everything bare before the guild.
More than anything, mages were creatures of mystery.
The reason people feared mages was because they knew so little about them.
Ten out of ten people had never seen magic, let alone understood what kind of beings mages were.
Mages were the sort of thing people only heard about in old stories.
If he became famous, the number of people who dared to target his back would likely decrease, but on the other hand, he couldn’t rule out the possibility of being targeted precisely because of it.
He still had a long way to go.
“I see. From here on out, targeted requests will start coming in as well. Your record includes the fact that you killed a bugbear in one strike, along with magic that’s especially useful in the swamp. I suspect your price is going to rise quite a bit for a while.”
“Targeted requests?”
“Yes. Special requests that name a specific mercenary. Generally, you don’t see those until someone reaches at least Silver Plate. But you’re a special case, Mr. Lawrence.”
Compared to ordinary requests, it was a completely different matter in terms of raising his standing, the clerk said with shining eyes.
“I appreciate the explanation, but I’m not planning to take any requests for the time being.”
He had lived in the swamp for nearly two months.
More than anything else, he wanted a comfortable bed and hot water right now.
“We’re planning to rest for a while, too.”
Balik felt the same way. He didn’t say it, but he was probably just as exhausted as Lawrence was.
“I understand. When you do become active again, please feel free to let us know anytime.”
Perhaps thinking there was no need to rush, the clerk bowed with that same polished business smile still in place.