“Apologies, sir. My man was skilled. He slayed all the guards. However, fates turned, and a wandering mercenary killed him and his bandits.”

  “So, they were just bandits after all. Your plan was lacking in the most important of details. And what of the monsters we received from the east to set loose in Luvierte?”

  “I’ve yet to receive any reports. However, since the first plan has already failed, it’s unlikely the second will shake Viscount Luvierte. The odds are even better now that he will handle the monsters.”

  “Damn!” Tryton’s face contorted. “Well, even so, I imagine two giant basilisks will at least rack up a hefty number of casualties.”

  Celsika nodded in agreement. “But why would His Highness Dakares want to cause turmoil in Luvierte?”

  “Who can say? Perhaps it’s a demand from the east. They’re protecting His Highness’s back after all. If Luvierte were to fall in line with Dakares’ faction, it would reinforce the east’s position and allow him to focus his attention on Revlon to the west. We have so much trade with the east, so it would benefit us as well.”

  “True. Luvierte currently supports the west, putting him in His Highness Sekt’s camp. We haven’t yet publicly committed to any position, so it’s doubtful they know about our involvement in this incident.”

  “If no one knows, then we shall leave it that way. It’s more important that you secure the products. We need to send them out soon. For now, focus only on nobility within the kingdom that we’re certain are paying attention to us. No matter what, we need to ensure that Her Highness Yuriarna does not learn of this.”

  Tryton shifted his heavy frame, pulled a cigar from a desk drawer, and lit it. Smoke billowed out of his mouth with each exhale. Between puffs, he asked Celsika about the status of the products.

  “We currently have four of the elven…products…in the basement of the shop. We have a group out looking for more now.”

  “It’s growing harder and harder to get our hands on them it seems. Perhaps they’re finally becoming suspicious. I want you to speed up your efforts. And where is that idiot son of mine? I haven’t seen him around lately.”

  “Master Udolan? When I checked on him this morning, he was wearing his sword. He may have accompanied the group to acquire more elves.”

  A vein bulged in Tryton’s forehead when he heard this response, and he pounded his fist down on the desk. “That idiot! This isn’t a game! He can hardly use a sword as it is, he’ll be nothing but a hindrance in the elf forest! I’ve heard enough. Leave at once.”

  Celsika responded by bowing courteously and quietly slipping out of the room.

  Tryton took a deep pull on his cigar before aggressively extinguishing it in his ashtray. He glared down at the papers splayed across his desk.

  Chapter 2:

  The Wandering Mercenary

  I woke up the next morning to the sounds of people bustling about as they walked along the thoroughfare.

  I’d come back to the inn again, spending another night on the creaky wooden bed with my back against the wall. After loosening up my stiff joints, I picked up my bags and went downstairs.

  The counter was unmanned, just like yesterday. After exiting the inn, I merged into the crowd of people on the thoroughfare and made my way toward the east gate.

  Today, I was heading to the village of Rata—about a half day’s journey by horse—to carry out the job I’d taken from the mercenary guild office.

  I passed through the morning market and refilled my water skin at the aqueduct in front of the east gate. Nearby, a group of armored men stood gathered together, watching me out of the corners of their eyes. The town’s mercenary troupe, perhaps?

  At the gate, I showed my travel pass and was waved on through, just like the day before. After crossing the stone bridge, I walked along a raised dirt path that ran between the wheat fields and the moat, following along the town wall as I made my way north.

  Every time I ran across a farmer, they would bow their head and step out of my way. They probably assumed I was a royal knight from some far-flung region, so I made sure to nod my head and acknowledge them as I passed.

  Once I reached Luvierte’s northern boundary, the dirt path grew into a much larger road that stretched off into the distance. I continued following it, and, once I was out of the fields and could no longer be seen, I began using Dimensional Step to quickly traverse the picturesque landscape.

  After traveling north for a bit, I hit my first juncture in the road—the landmark I was looking for. The bear had told me yesterday to take a left and follow the road into the village. Looking ahead, I could see one of the paths had massive stakes running along both sides. In the other direction, a dirt path covered in undergrowth stretched off into the northwest. It was more of an animal trail than a road, though in my world, neither of these options would have passed for roads.

  I continued teleporting along the animal-trail-like path until I saw a field surrounded by a wooden fence and an empty ditch. Beyond the field lay a village surrounded by a moat, and inside that, a large mound of dirt with logs bound together and stacked on top formed a wall. The gate consisted of several massive logs strapped together and suspended over the entrance by a sturdy-looking rope. The villagers would probably cut the rope to drop the gate whenever they were under attack.

  Outside the gate, two old men with poorly made spears talked animatedly. One of the men noticed my approach and notified the other. They both began babbling and gesticulating wildly as they watched me.

  Eventually, one of them made his way over to me, tottering along with his bent back and using the spear as a cane. To be honest, these men didn’t seem like the best choices for gate guards.

  “Sir Knight! May I ask what business you have with our simple village?” the old guard spoke in a stilted, high-pitched voice. He must have been nervous.

  “Please don’t misunderstand. I am a simple mercenary. I came here to perform a job at the request of a Miss Marca.”

  “Marca? Seona’s eldest daughter, right?” The old man blinked several times, the look of surprise at my unexpected response apparent on his face.

  “Could you please show me the way to Miss Marca’s home?”

  “R-right away! Follow me.” The old man replied excitedly and led me toward the gate, gesturing to the other guard as we passed to let him know everything was fine. I finally entered Rata.

  All eyes were on me in an instant. Not only was it likely rare to have an outsider come visit, but they were probably put even further on edge by my armor. The reaction was consistent everywhere I went.

  In contrast with the wooden houses I’d seen back in town, the dwellings in the village looked more like mountain cabins. The old man walked up to one of these dwellings and knocked on the large wooden door before announcing our presence.

  “Seona, you in there? You’ve got a visitor!”

  I heard a woman reply and, a moment later, saw the door open a crack. However, there was no one there.

  I lowered my eyes a bit and noticed a girl of around ten staring up at us. She wore her blonde hair in a bob and regarded the old man and me with large, brown eyes.

  “Hello, Herina. Where’s your mother? This knight here has some business with her.”

  “Umm…”

  The young girl—Herina, according to the old man—shook her head slightly and frowned. She stepped back, as if to hide in the darkness behind the door.

  “Oh, right. She’s probably working in the fields.” The old man scratched his head and made a face, as if deep in thought.

  I could hear the sound of someone approaching. Then the door flew wide open.

  “Mother is in the fields right now. Whaddya want?”

  The new girl who’d appeared was older, around thirteen or fourteen. She was probably 150 centimeters tall and had light brown hair tied into shoulder-length pigtails. With her tanned skin and well-worn clothes, she certainly looked the part of a farm girl. She stared up at the guard with large, clear blue eyes.

  As her gaze shifted from the old man to me, her eyes grew even larger. “Whoa! Are you the one who took my job, Mister Knight?”

  Her eyes lit up when she realized what I was there for, though as she looked me over, she began tilting her head to the side, growing more uncertain. I imagined my armor didn’t really fit the image of a mercenary; she’d even referred to me as a knight.

  “My name is Arc. I am no knight, just a simple mercenary. Are you Miss Marca?” I tried to put her at ease by asking her name.

  She hurriedly bowed her head and took a step back inside before replying. “Yes, that’s me! P-please, come in!”

  The gate guard bowed once and turned back toward the gate.

  “Thank you.”

  Once inside, I could see that the house was quite small. Immediately next to the entrance was a cooking area, consisting of a stone-lined hole surrounded by compacted earth with a pot suspended above it. Several wooden utensils were organized neatly in a simple cupboard. Farther inside, the floor was flat and lined with stones, on top of which rested a sparse few pieces of wooden furniture, including a table, four chairs, and two beds in the back.

  “Herina, Mister Knight and I have some business to discuss. Go play for a bit, okay?”

  The young girl—likely Marca’s younger sister—hid behind Marca as her large, brown eyes looked me over with great interest.

  “Please sit down, Mister Knight.” Marca motioned toward one of the chairs in front of the table. I thanked her and did so.

  Marca sat in the chair across from me, looking up at me as she spoke. “Didja really agree to take my job? The guild told me they weren’t sure anyone would want to. I could only put up what little money I had in my allowance.”

  The girl still seemed uncertain about what she was seeing. If our roles had been reversed, I would also have a hard time believing a person like myself would work for such an amount.

  “Please, call me Arc. I’m simply interested in the art of picking medicinal herbs.”

  Upon hearing my reason for taking her request, the girl looked surprised. Then a smile spread across her face, her cheeks flushing a light pink. She bowed her head again, her pigtails moving with the gesture.

  “Thank you! So, um, Mister Arc… Are you ready to go? I just need to grab a few things.”

  I nodded, which sent the girl off running. She grabbed a large cloth hanging from the wall and wrapped it around her neck like a scarf, then picked up a basket near the door. Finally, she took Herina’s hands, looking her straight in the eyes as she spoke.

  “Herina, Sissy’s heading to the forest. Can you keep an eye on the house for me?”

  “No problem!”

  Herina puffed out her chest and gave a sharp nod in response. Marca smiled and patted Herina’s head, running her fingers through the little girl’s hair.

  “Mama will be back soon. Tell her I hired a bodyguard to take me out into the forest, so there’s no need to worry.”

  “Okay!” Herina replied again with a firm nod.

  I followed Marca out of the house while Herina watched us from the door, waving the whole time. Marca waved back to her sister then led the way toward the village gate.

  “Did you not tell your mother about this?” I looked down at the young girl, her basket firmly on her back.

  She responded by turning around to look at me, a slight frown on her face. “I mean, there’s no way she’d let me go if I told her.”

  Marca ducked out of the village gate, her face set in a slight scowl. The two old men guarding the gate from before bowed and watched as we left.

  “People have been seeing large monsters in the fields near the village lately. But that was only after I made this request and paid the guild.”

  “And your father?”

  Marca’s pace slowed slightly as she walked north along the village wall.

  “Papa was real sick. He died last year. Mama, my sister, and I work in the fields, but things are pretty tough.” Marca’s face clouded over, and she averted her eyes, though her ever-present smile remained.

  “I apologize for my thoughtless question.”

  She responded by breaking into a slow run. When she finally turned around, her sad expression had been replaced with the same cheerful look from before.

  “It’s okay! ’Sides, I wanna surprise Mama and help her out!”

  I could tell she was just a normal, happy young girl, no different from anyone else her age. She also had a beautiful smile.

  “The herbs are used for making medicine. I can sell them for a pretty good price in town, which will really help Mama. I used to go out with Papa to pick herbs, then we’d go into town to sell them.”

  The look of nostalgia on her face made me want to do whatever I could to help her out. At the same time, she also reminded me of what I was like at her age, much to my chagrin. I laughed quietly under my helmet.

  I’ve gotta help this girl and her family, I thought as I adjusted my outlook. This was no longer a simple pleasure jaunt.

  “Well then, we’ll just have to collect a ton of herbs to make things easier for your mother.”

  “Definitely!” The girl exuded excitement, her mind focused entirely on her family.

  “Are we heading somewhere dangerous?”

  “The forest up ahead stretches way out to the southwest, along the base of the Furyu Mountains. Deeper in the forest, I heard there are wyverns, dragons, and other dangerous monsters. But Papa said it’s safe as long as you don’t go too deep into the forest.”

  Still, it seemed like there were more monsters than usual in this forest, so it’d be best not to overstay our welcome.

  I continued walking behind Marca as she explained where we were. Apparently, the steep, snowcapped peaks I could see to the northeast were part of the Furyu mountain range.

  The empty plain soon gave way to the occasional tree, the vegetation growing denser and denser as we walked on toward the forest. I decided that if we encountered any monsters I couldn’t handle, I’d escape with Marca using Dimensional Step. I continued following in her footsteps with my head on a constant pivot, scanning for any dangerous monsters in the area.

  ***

  On the western side of Rata, a woman stooped in one corner of the vast fields outside the village, tending to vegetables.

  Her long, curly blonde hair was tied into a ponytail that draped past her shoulders, and her bright blue eyes and freckles gave her face a gentle look. She stood around 170 centimeters tall and wore a patch-covered dress. The woman stopped her work to wipe the sweat from her brow before looking up at the sun; she was certain she’d heard someone call her name. She scanned the tree line to the north.

  “Did you hear something?”

  She looked over at the muscular woman working next to her. The second woman stopped her work as well.

  “I didn’t hear a thing. What was it, Seona?”

  The first woman, Seona, listened closely as she once again scanned the surrounding fields. Just then, she saw two men—hunters, judging by their garb—rushing, panic-stricken, from the forest to the north. She could see several villagers emerge from the fields to surround the hunters, but she was too far away to hear what they were saying.

  “I wonder what happened.” Seona’s voice betrayed her concern as she looked back to the woman next to her.

  “Maybe it was one of the fang boars that came by before. Why don’t we go see?”

  The brawny woman also looked worried jogging toward the hunters and villagers. Seona took off after the woman, feeling a sense of unease deep in her own chest.

  “I’ll go tell the village chief!” One of the villagers who had been talking to the hunters sprinted back toward the village.

  The rest of the villagers drew closer to the hunters, who were now sitting on the ground catching their breath.

  “What happened?”

  One of the hunters looked up at Seona’s question, his voice a mixture of fear and excitement.

  “A monster! It was a huge monster!”

  Hearing this, the woman who had come with her looked back skeptically, cocking her head to the side. “You mean the fang boars?”

  The other hunter responded this time. His face was pale and white, though he was just as worked up as his comrade. “Not even close! This one was real huge, nearly eight meters long! I never seen nothin’ that size before!”

  The nearby villagers’ expressions changed to looks of shock and concern.

  “You mean you saw that massive thing this close to the village?”

  “Maybe that’s what’s been chasing the fang boars out this way?”

  “If we report this incident to the viscount, I wonder if he’ll send his troops out.”

  The other villagers looked concerned as they chattered among themselves. The burly woman glanced at Seona, a worried expression on her face.

  “It’s just your girls at home, right, Seona? You should go make sure they’re safe.”

  “You’re right. I’m going to head home right now!”

  The other woman’s words had no sooner left her mouth than Seona was running back to her spot in the field. She threw her tools into her basket and hoisted it up onto her back. Then she took off along the dirt path toward the village.

  The guards at the gate looked confused as Seona approached, but she ignored them and ran straight to her home. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a young man on a horse galloping out of the village. The chief had probably sent a messenger to notify the viscount of their impending emergency.

  Seona threw the door to her house open and rushed inside. Seona found Herina sitting on a chair at the table, kicking her legs about. Herina looked surprised at first, but her face lit up as soon as she recognized her mother. She dashed to the door and threw her arms around Seona.

  “Mama!”

  Seona pulled the girl in close and picked Herina up, her eyes scanning the house for her other daughter.

 

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