Twist (1)
Maiden.
As one of the trading cities, it was a large city that showed a developed form such as a neat exterior and maintained roads.
Countless merchants, tourists, priests, mercenaries, and countless other people came and went, bringing constant vibrancy to the city.
As so many people passed through, a lot of information naturally gathered, and as a result, the requests posted on the Mercenary Guild’s bulletin board continued to be updated day by day.
“hahahaha, now, another drink!”
“Get there. We must start soon.”
“Who took the request here first?!”
“Whoever catches it first wins. Why are you worried about that?”
There were so many mercenaries gathered here that it was incomparable to the Findel branch that Irvin belonged to, and there were many mercenaries who belonged to the Maiden branch, but there were also many who were not.
Since it was a trading city, it was intended to receive escort requests or delivery requests to the destination along the way.
Other than that… … They were the ones who flowed here after being pushed around because they couldn’t produce proper performance here and there.
“Hey, he’s really there. Hey, road, look over there?”
“I look good too, so don’t make a fuss about it. Not a good thing.”
The man called Gil wasn’t in a good mood. How did he, who was called a promising player, end up like this?
Could it be that he is a reactionary who has continued to win and win since he started working as a mercenary? After the request failed once, the party was disbanded due to repeated failures.
I tried to gather people again, but only three of these idiots gathered to myself, who was on the decline. It was not easy to receive the request because even those who were not at the level of the road at all.
If you accept a request that is too easy, the earnings are not good, and if you receive a request that is a little more difficult, you are afraid of the penalty for failure.
Without being able to properly settle down like that, he earned a living day by day and came to this place, Maiden.
“sh*t.”
Facing the rumored request that led me this far, disgust naturally flowed from my mouth.
It was a request that guaranteed high returns compared to the difficulty level they had hoped for. and… … It was also something that stayed in one place for several months.
Because the place was a place, people avoided it, so it remained until now, and the road was not pleasant either.
“Really, how did I fall into the position of accepting a request like this? Why did you come all the way here… … !”
“But if you finish this, you won’t have to worry about money for a while, right?”
It’s a problem because it seems to end with just that.
Gil held back what he was about to say and thought about the future a little more, but he couldn’t find a clear answer.
Even if the commission was quite large, it was barely enough to not worry about the income for the time being.
I came here in a hurry by stealing money and borrowing horses… … It was hard to shake off the skeptical thought that this could be something.
“I guess we’re lucky though. There are still some requests left, and you picked up some bird lizard corpses on the way. Isn’t that a sign that things are going to work out from now on?”
Gil nodded his head inadvertently at the words of his colleague, who was just as optimistic as if he was aware of such feelings.
why did i nod?
Along with those questions, Gil naturally recalled the events that had happened on the way to this place.
When I saw the carcasses of bird lizards lying around near the road, I thought it was a windfall. I didn’t even pay attention when I was doing well, but I don’t know how glad I was.
In the midst of thinking that I had earned money thanks to this, I found a tourist nearby and approached to earn a little more.
I never even imagined that I would meet the mercenary king there.
It’s a shame because I know the face, I would have almost retired as it was.
But I was really lucky to get here.
Really luckily, someone else didn’t take the request.
What if all of this is a sign of a long-awaited leap forward?
“Yeah, it’s finally here.”
It wasn’t luck that things didn’t work out until now.
Feeling the flow of luck flowing towards him, Gil vigorously removed the request form attached to the bulletin board.
“It starts right away tonight. Tell them both to finish preparing unconditionally.”
Gill, who had instructed him like that, stared at the large letters written at the top of the request form.
‘Investigation of the cause of sewage noise’.
* * *
Arriving at Maiden was earlier than expected around evening.
It was the result of urging the horse in order to let Rize, who had become accustomed to riding to some extent, experience the high speed.
Somehow I felt cool at the thought that I could live comfortably in a big city, but Douglas, who was next to me, had a very sad expression on his face.
“Hmm, sorry I wanted to eat more of your cooking. Could there be a better restaurant here?”
Apparently, my outdoor cooking suited my palate. Where is the delicious house in Maiden?
As he looked around to recall his memories, he saw Rize, who was looking similarly, turning his head around.
After all, let’s go to a restaurant that Lize would like more than Douglas.
Because it was a place where various people gathered enough to be called a trading city, the types of restaurants were also diverse.
“How are you?”
“Smells delicious!”
“Rize seems to like it, so let’s go here.”
When we recommended the most delicious restaurant we had visited in Meiden, it passed without objection.
I wanted to eat right away, but there was a problem with no stables.
Still, I knew there was a decent accommodation nearby, so I decided to book a room in advance.
When I returned to the restaurant after leaving the horse, I could easily see Rize even in a crowded place.
The table was empty and it seemed that no food had been served yet, and Irina spoke to us as we sat following the guidance of Rize, who kindly removed the chair.
“Irvin, over there.”
Let’s see where Irina pointed her eyes… … I saw the four mercenaries I met while camping two days ago.
I didn’t want to see it after that, but it seemed that I had arrived here ahead of me.
“this way… … enter… … .”
“There is no map… … .”
“Okay… … deadline… … .”
The surroundings were noisy, so I couldn’t understand exactly, but it wasn’t difficult to see that they were talking roughly about the request.
Hmm, maybe I was suspicious of those who came all the way here to work diligently.
I suddenly thought of that, but I immediately shook my head.
As I told Rize, it was about Rize’s safety, so I had no regrets about my choice.
“The food you ordered is here.”
Just in time, the waiter put the food on the table… … Well, it was a lot more than I thought.
The nobleman, who was worried that the dish would not taste as good as mine, was already reducing his portion.
I also moved my hand and reduced Rize’s share as I looked like I would take everything if I stayed as it was. After receiving the food, Rize took a bite of the well-cooked pork and made a bright expression.
“Is it delicious?”
“huh! Super delicious! The restaurant I go to with my dad is always delicious!”
Then, as always, he gave me a point.
While having such a satisfying meal in many ways, the mercenaries did not appear to have left. After we finished our meal, we went back to the dorm.
“Okay, keep it that way.”
As soon as he arrived, Douglas headed to the backyard and began training Rize in swordsmanship.
Even if it was education, it was all about correcting posture as it was a journey. That, too, was done until there was still time left to wash.
But it was also a little sad to see from the side.
It’s not easy to ride a horse all day, but it was hard to train again like this.
“Reese.”
When I called for Rize, who had finished one movement, her serious eyes turned to me.
“Would you like to visit the night market?”
In an instant, Rize’s eyes twinkled, and Douglas sent a dissatisfied look. Still, he didn’t say anything, just let out a strong snort.
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Rize, who seemed like she would answer right away, thought about it for a moment, then calmed her eyes again.
“No, I will do this now.”
After saying that with a slight shake of her head, Rize slowly took her next stance and added her words.
“You can play here on the way back.”
“… … .”
The moment was so special that I almost burst into tears.
In the end, he watched Rize’s swordsmanship training from the sidelines until the end, and returned to his room only after Irina came to call.
It’s been a while since I’ve been alone with Douglas, so I asked a question I had in mind.
“How about Rize?”
“There is nothing better. However, if you continue like this, you will soon feel that your skills have stagnated.”
I nodded at the answer I expected and waited for the next word.
“As you know, Lise is a child who understands ten things if you teach her one thing. perhaps… … Maybe even more genius than my daughter. However, the fact that the growth rate is so fast is rather flawed.”
“You want to say that the growth of the body can’t keep up with swordsmanship, right?”
Douglas smiled wryly when I got my answer ahead of time. No matter how genius he was, it was the first time he’d seen something like this, so he understood.
After all, swordsmanship was about moving the body, and as of now, the body had not fully grown yet, there were limitations.
Usually, swordsmanship grows similarly to the growth of the body, but Rize’s gap was too great. So it was clear that the limit would come earlier than others.
“He’s a good guy even if you leave him alone, so you can’t intentionally slow down his growth. That is why I planned this field trip.”
“I agree with broadening my horizons through various experiences. I also want to teach you some other weapon skills.”
“Huh, I’d rather have them run around, though. If you try to teach a child too many things, it will be difficult.”
As an experienced person, Douglas gave me such advice, but I just shrugged.
“If you leave it alone, he will try to do more. It would be better for me to teach you one more thing.”
“You are suffering more than me. My daughter could have just taught me a sword.”
As a father with a daughter, I naturally shared my grievances. I never thought I’d have a conversation like this with Douglas before.
Still, I had in mind to give Rize a variety of experiences.
If it hadn’t been as dangerous as this time, I would have welcomed it with open arms.
Why did I bother to move around and do pre-work? It was to make time for Rize.
What weapon skill would you like to teach Rize next to the sword?
“Then I will come downstairs for a drink. Would you like to?”
“I’ll join you after a little rest.”
“Yes, if you have any thoughts, come. If I’m late, go to bed first.”
When Douglas left, silence lingered in the room where he was left alone. Looking around the room slowly, I stopped laughing.
It wasn’t anything else, it was because every time I came to Maiden and stayed at this inn, I always shared the same room.
I couldn’t help but feel something strange. It was like that in other villages besides here, so I wondered if there really was such a thing as fate.
Looking out the window, I saw a lot of people walking around even late at night.
The night market that I asked Rize to go to earlier would be open, and the bar for those tired of traveling would be active.
Watching this, I naturally remembered an incident that would happen a few years later.
As I said before, it wasn’t a big deal.
It’s just that it’s a city with a lot of people, so confusion was easily caused, and the situation itself was quickly sorted out without me stepping out.
It was also because the number of mercenaries residing here was also quite large.
“Is it perfect for Rize’s experience?”
At that time, it was time for Rize to experience actual combat to some extent, and the monsters themselves weren’t very strong, so I thought it would be perfect.
Shall we plan a trip according to the timing? Coming only here is a bit, so think about other things around you… … .
“huh?”
In an instant, the scenery he was watching changed feebly.
There was no change in the visible distance, but the surrounding atmosphere was gradually changing.
It was clearly familiar to me.
“Damn it.”
I could see the confusion that had started from far away gradually spreading, and without delay, I grabbed my sword and equipment before popping out and checking the next room.
Rize did not seem to have returned yet, so she hurriedly descended the stairs and, similarly sensing an abnormality, joined Douglas, who had been out of the inn beforehand.
“Something seems to have happened.”
Unlike Douglas, who was not fully aware of the situation, I knew very well what had happened.
as soon as… … .
It was a ‘swarm of rats’.