Just Call Me Casually
The Aceto Canyon that Sera had warned me about before.
Not far from that canyon lay the Red Mushroom Colony.
The request was to gather at least twenty Red Mushrooms, a common alchemy ingredient used in brewing potions.
Just hearing it made the job sound more like gathering than fighting, but it seemed goblins and wolf-type monsters appeared pretty frequently near the mushroom colony.
It was a suitable request for E~F rank mercenaries, offering a reward of about six to eight Ether Gems per person.
Of course, any alchemy materials or monster byproducts naturally belonged to us personally.
As we entered the area around the colony, Sera turned her head and spoke to me in a listless tone.
“This is a request I only take once in a while when I’m in the absolute worst condition imaginable.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“So if you can’t even handle this much, I’ll just abandon you. Understand?”
“Understood!”
“Good. At least your voice is loud.”
Once we reached our destination, Sera immediately drew her sword and shield without hesitation.
Grrrrr….
Large wolves that had been hiding among the rocks and bushes slowly emerged, taking up defensive stances.
Just what I could see with the naked eye came to eight of them.
I had no idea how many more might be lurking nearby.
I readied my own gear and positioned myself slightly behind Sera.
Before entering the colony, we had agreed I would take rear support.
In that short time we had already been naturally surrounded.
With a howl from one of the wolves, the assault began without warning.
A swarm of wolves charged at Sera all at once.
Was it really okay to let them all rush in together like that?
While I was thinking that and stealing glances—
Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-shk!!
Sera’s sword arm accelerated in an instant, drawing razor-sharp arcs through the air.
There wasn’t a single thrust among them.
She swung so fast her ponytail whipped wildly, carving through the entire forward area where the wolves were in a rapid, sweeping onslaught.
I could clearly see her maximizing her cutting speed by channeling ether.
On top of that, the faint glow clinging to her weapon and shield told me they weren’t ordinary “tool”-grade equipment like mine—they were definitely artifacts.
Sera’s whirlwind of strikes showed no sign of slowing.
Whenever a wolf’s claw found a momentary gap and tried to dig in, a heavy clang rang out as her buckler smashed into its head and took its life.
Even using the same gladius-and-buckler combination, the difference was obvious.
If I was the type to focus on one-on-one fights and concentrate on a single opponent at a time, Sera was purely offensive, swinging as if she weren’t even holding the buckler.
Wow. She looks like the most talented mercenary I’ve seen so far.
When we had chatted briefly on the way here, she told me her rank was D and her stage was 1st Realm Middle Stage.
But even at a glance, her fundamentals were on a completely different level from K’Kant, the guy who had tried to kidnap me.
I calmly handled the few wolves that came at me.
Block, stab, dodge.
All while slowly measuring distance….
They were definitely trickier than the goblins from my first request.
Their movements were faster and their bodies larger.
After the two of us made examples out of more than ten ferocious wolves, the rest let out pitiful howls and fled one by one.
“Whew~”
Sera gave her body a light shake, then slowly walked over to me.
She looked at the three wolves lying around me and the corner of her mouth curved into a subtle smile.
“I caught a glimpse of what you were doing. Honestly, I didn’t have even a speck of expectation… But you’re at least above the basics. Not getting pushed back in clashes means your strength isn’t bad.”
“……!”
Maybe it was because Sera was so skilled, or maybe because I had been feeling withdrawn ever since Alex kicked me out of the party—her single line of praise sent my joy meter straight to maximum.
“Right?! I’m not bad, am I? I’m useful, aren’t I?”
“Ugh…! Shut it, you idiot. Back off.”
“Ah, sorry. Ehehe…”
“…What are you, some kind of oversized dog?”
Even though she said that, I felt the distance between us had closed considerably.
Until just before we entered the colony she had walked far ahead, but now she didn’t complain.
The request went smoothly, leaving only the gathering portion.
Naturally, I was the one who went around collecting every last Red Mushroom.
By thoroughly searching the area I managed to harvest seven extra beyond the required twenty.
Meanwhile Sera sat nearby, resting comfortably.
“Sera, rest a little longer. I’ll handle skinning and taking out the magic stones too.”
“Really? If you’re offering, go ahead. Doesn’t look like any more monsters are coming anyway.”
Five minutes… Ten minutes….
I had grown skilled enough at dismantling that I had already finished six of them.
The work continued in that relaxed silence.
Then I felt a strange gaze and looked up slightly.
Sera was staring straight at me.
“Um… Did you have something to say?”
“No, it’s just… you’re different from what I expected.”
“Different? How?”
I tilted my head while prying a magic stone from a wolf’s chest.
“How should I put it… Yeah. Not to brag, but I’ve had more than a couple guys approach me with weird intentions. Especially pretty boys who look like you.”
“…………I don’t think that way.”
Hearing her words brought back all the direct and indirect suggestions about selling my body, and it was hard to just laugh it off.
My suddenly wounded expression must have been funny, because Sera burst into giggles and continued.
“That’s why I said you’re different from what I thought. Hey, and just call me casually. From what you said earlier it sounds like we’re the same age, so why are you still speaking so formally?”
“Ah, so we are the same age… Still, our ranks as mercenaries aren’t the same…”
“Tsk, it’s awkward, so just call me whatever.”
“Uh, um. Got it. Then I’ll call you Sera from now on.”
“There we go.”
Every time she clicked her tongue I couldn’t help flinching….
Well, keeping too much distance wasn’t good either.
Once the monster dismantling finished without a hitch, Sera told me to sit nearby, so I did.
We chatted about all sorts of things.
When I had come to Fletur, what requests I had taken, and so on.
When Sera advised that taking some long-term requests would be better, I naturally ended up telling her about my rare illness.
I also mentioned how I owed a huge debt to the priestess from the Asteros Order and wanted to repay it somehow.
“Hmm~ So while the priestess was treating your disease and manipulating ether, you stumbled into an opportunity? You actually became a practitioner. Must’ve been pretty rough until now.”
Her voice stayed the same, but a hint of pity flickered in Sera’s eyes.
I felt awkward and scratched the back of my neck.
“So what about you, Sera? Tell me your story.”
“Me? Well~~~ …I’m an orphan. End.”
“What—”
“Ahaha, sorry. But it’s not a joke. After I lost my parents to monsters when I was little, I learned the sword and drifted from place to place. Eventually I made it to Fletur… Oh, have you heard of the Black Ibis Mercenary Group?”
“Black Ibis Mercenary Group… I have.”
After Alex kicked me out, I had looked into a few of the well-known factions.
The Black Ibis Mercenary Group was the second strongest mercenary force after the Lucarion Raid Team.
Groups like that only cooperated with the mercenary guild I belonged to; they maintained their own independent power.
“I was with them until recently, but due to various circumstances… well, various circumstances, so now I’m working alone.”
“I see… I’m sorry about your parents, Sera.”
When I offered proper condolences, Sera let out a small snort of laughter and quickly waved her hands.
“It’s fine. How many mercenaries even have decent family backgrounds anyway? Alright, enough depressing talk! Oh right, tell me more about that interesting story from earlier.”
“Interesting story?”
“You know, how you almost got messed up by three guys on your first request. What exactly happened?”
“Ah, that… It seems they were trying to kidnap me and sell me. You know… for my body…”
“What? ……Ahahahahaha!!”
Sera exploded with laughter at my words, tried to hold it in once, then stared at me again and clutched her stomach laughing even harder.
Damn it, I shouldn’t have said anything….
.
.
.
We caught a cargo carriage making its rounds from the outpost and headed straight back to Fletur.
After completing the request at the mercenary guild, we stepped back outside.
I walked straight to the fountain where Sera stood and spoke to her.
“By the way, what should we do with the leftover mushrooms and monster materials? Want me to go to the market and sell them?”
“The market?”
Sera’s eyes widened, then she let out a soft “Ah” as if she had realized something.
“It’s better to go to an alchemist guild like the Silver Moon if you can. They buy materials there too. If the condition is good they’ll give you a fair price. It’s also good for building connections.”
“Ah, I see… I’ve been pretty short-sighted until now.”
“Everyone is at first. I was too.”
I had thought we were heading into the guild building in the central district, but that wasn’t the case.
Sera said she knew someone at the Silver Moon Guild’s 3rd Workshop, so we took a carriage and rode for about ten minutes.
When we arrived, a single building came into view.
A wide, wooden mansion set apart from the other structures.
It had a plain, unassuming appearance, but the emblem and name symbolizing Silver Moon were displayed on the signboard and on both sides of the door, making its presence known.
I followed Sera as she walked inside without hesitation.
“Ah, Sera! Welcome!”