Campfire Chaos
"Huh?"
"Get over here. Time to earn your keep!"
Tch, how much could I possibly eat anyway? Grumbling all the while, I had no choice but to do as Shabel ordered.
In this mercenary band, Shabel's word was law.
She was the one who'd ultimately decided to escort me all the way to Bailan, after all.
Anelia had suggested it, but without Shabel's approval it would've been impossible. For now, I supposed I had to count her among my benefactors.
"Light it up, kid."
She kept calling me "kid" instead of using my actual name. It was starting to grate on me.
"Adore!"
[Hmm? Hmm? Hup! I'm heading back.]
Night had fallen deep, and the others were unpacking for camp.
Shabel, of course, hadn't missed the fact that I possessed a very convenient skill.
The moment Adore was summoned above the campsite, it quickly scanned the surroundings—then immediately tried to flee back to the spirit realm.
Coming here was easy, but leaving wasn't. I kept the mana link steady.
"Not happening."
[You're just going to use me for Light again, aren't you! I can't stand doing such menial work!]
"You only did it once yesterday."
[It's not my aptitude!]
"You're a spirit, for crying out loud… Fine, how about this. Help out properly, and once we're done I'll give you some free time. Sound good? I know you like sightseeing in the human world, Adore."
[Really? Truly? Promise?]
"Of course. Don't you trust your master?"
Three minutes should be plenty.
[It's not my fault my master isn't very trustworthy.]
"So you're refusing? Then I guess there's no helping it. Off you go! Who knows when I'll call you next…"
I deliberately reduced the flow of mana toward Adore. Its form began to blur.
[I'll do it! I'll do it, I said, Master!]
"You should've said so sooner."
I was only recently getting the hang of handling spirits.
Some, like Undine, didn't need cajoling, but others like Adore required a bit of back-and-forth.
Once Adore cast Light, the area brightened enough that torches weren't necessary. The mercenaries bustled about beneath the glow.
They moved the valuable cargo we were escorting to the center and arranged their bedrolls around it. Small campfires flickered to life here and there.
"Adore? You can rest now."
The moment permission was granted, Adore—clearly itching to escape—shot off toward the distant forest with a whoosh. What a free spirit. I wondered who it took after.
"Hey, go help over there this time."
I'd barely had a chance to think about resting when Shabel shoved me toward the area where food was being prepared. My cheeks puffed out in protest.
"……Aren't you working me a bit too hard?"
"Those who don't work, don't eat."
This is child labor! You know that, right? Do you have any idea how high-class my abilities are? I had plenty to say, but I swallowed it all.
Was this the misery of running away from home? Technically I'd just gotten lost, but… either way, having no allies was enough to make anyone feel small.
"Tch, what a pain. Undine?"
[Master. I've been waiting for your call.]
Among the mercenaries, Undine was far more popular than Adore.
She was the reliable one who provided clean drinking water. In the mountains, securing water was always a priority, and Undine solved that problem effortlessly.
I went around filling every pot and kettle to the brim. Preparing meals for twenty people required a surprising amount of water.
While I worked, a few mercenaries tried to touch Undine out of curiosity, but spirits weren't physical beings. Only their summoner could touch them.
You could cut them with a mana-infused blade, but an ordinary sword would simply pass through water.
"This is the last pot. Fill this one with clean water too, please."
[Yes!]
Adore would've complained about the boring task, but Undine smiled brightly and obeyed without a word.
"Oh, right—Adore!"
I finally remembered the spirit I'd released earlier. As I glanced toward the direction Adore had flown, Kenta strode over and held out his massive palm.
What now?
"Yeah?"
I thought he might be offering something, but his hand was empty. I looked between his palm and his face.
Kenta was the mercenary closest to me after Anelia.
He had a body twice the size of most men, packed with muscle. He could split boulders the size of fists with his bare hands.
In my previous world, splitting an apple barehanded would've been considered superhuman strength. Here, the standards were simply on another level.
The difference came down to mana. It was a power that let humans surpass human limits.
"Listen, little spirit master. I've got a favor to ask."
He used to call me just "kid," but once he learned I was a Spirit Master, he'd switched to this ridiculous nickname.
"A favor?"
"Lend me the snake."
[Shaaak!]
Of course Rai was the most popular.
Kenta and Rai had been natural enemies since their first meeting. They sparred often, but neither had ever claimed victory.
I knew exactly what would happen if I handed Rai over, but I still pulled him from my robes and placed him in Kenta's hand.
"Thanks, little spirit master!"
[Aaaagh! This is too much, Master!]
"Come back stronger! Whoever wins, we're on their side!"
They said lionesses raised their cubs by pushing them off cliffs. Fighting skilled mercenaries would be good experience for Rai too.
There was no better real combat training than sparring with people who excelled at hand-to-hand combat.
Rai wailed, but my rest time had finally arrived.
Humming to myself, I headed toward Anelia's tent with light steps.
***
"What the—?"
"Why aren't they serving the food?"
"Hey! Food! Give us food!"
"Aah, just a moment. The meat isn't fully cooked yet."
The cook, who had a large scar running from his forehead to his mouth, answered politely enough.
Despite the grumbling of mercenaries demanding their rations, he stubbornly kept the pot lid pressed down—though the lid itself seemed to be rattling as if alive, trying to lift.
[These bastards! Graaah!]
Rai?
[Shak! Shaaaak! You rotten humans! I'll twist every last one of your necks!]
The venomous voice was definitely coming from the direction of the cooking pot.
Blinking, I stood in the serving line and glanced at Kenta. He pointedly looked away, pretending not to notice.
So I was right. These people… were trying to make snake soup with Rai.
"Oh! Looks like it's done! Everyone, get ready—this meat is special today!"
"Haven't had snake meat in a while, huh?"
"They say the tougher the snake meat, the better it is for stamina."
At some point, the pot had stopped shaking.
Rai wouldn't die from being boiled, so he was obviously playing dead.
These idiots…
What were they thinking, taking someone else's pet snake and turning it into soup?
Now I understood why Anelia was always so worried.
I was frowning when the lid slowly began to open. Eager eyes all turned toward the pot's interior.
I quietly took a step back.
Rai was terrifying when angry.
"Huh? Where'd the meat go?"
The cook tilted his head in confusion and peered inside.
In that instant, something pitch-black and elongated shot out of the soup, latched onto the cook's nose, and hung there, thrashing.
"Gwaaaah!"
[Shaaaaat! I'll kill you all!]
"Aaaagh! Somebody help! Hrk! H-hot, hot!"
"Kerk!"
Apparently the cook's name was Kerk. Having a scalding-hot metal mass clamped onto his nose must have been excruciating.
While I watched with a mix of sympathy and morbid curiosity, a startled Kenta tried to pry Rai off Kerk.
[You! You're next!]
Rai instantly switched targets to the one he resented most. Had anyone ever seen a snake fly before? Because I was witnessing it.
Still latched onto Kerk's nose, Rai suddenly launched himself through the air and coiled around Kenta's neck in one fluid motion.
Uh, that looked dangerous.
The crushing strength Rai could exert with his elongated body was enough to snap thick tree trunks in an instant.
He'd already crushed a man's wrist once before.
The vast quantities of metal he'd absorbed over time gave him tremendous weight and durability, which translated directly into raw power.
Even without my mana support, Rai was a formidable weapon.
"Rai!"
"Fight!"
"Woo-hoo!"
"Get him! Get him!"
I rushed forward, certain this was about to turn into a disaster, but the other mercenaries immediately started cheering and placing bets.
This was why mercenaries were the worst!