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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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The atmosphere inside the guild instantly froze. Judging by my appearance, I probably wasn’t seen in a positive light usually, but having just witnessed a guild guard being beaten, the crowd was clearly intimidated.
“What should we do, Platoon Leader?”
“Hold on, Lumia.”
I stopped Lumia from moving. It wasn’t our time to intervene.
Whatever the reason, for the City Guard Captain to act so aggressively, there must have been some conflict with the guild. Coupled with the earlier record freeze, something didn’t smell right.
It smelled like trouble.
I led Lumia away from the reception desk to a corner. I was thankful we weren’t in uniform. There was no point in disguising ourselves if we were going to attract attention.
And as expected, as soon as we moved, Lamur slammed his fist on the reception desk.
“Shakov! Bring him out!”
“Calm down, Guard Captain Lamur. You’re scaring the merchants.”
Just then, a man emerged from the back of the reception area. He looked to be in his forties, with prominent wrinkles on his face, but his gaze was as sharp as Lamur’s.
‘Is that Guild Master Shakov?’
His clothes were distinctly different from the other clerks. If he wasn’t the Guild Master, he was at least a high-ranking official.
“What the fuck is this?!”
My suspicion turned into certainty as the Guard Captain grabbed the man by the collar and growled, “Shakov, are you trying to get us both killed?”
“You should let go of me. Weren’t you planning to slip away and leave me to die?”
“…You bastard!!”
The Guard Captain raised his fist. Was violence his go-to solution? I was starting to understand why he was in cahoots with thugs.
Just as I thought I might have to intervene, an invisible wall blocked Lamur’s attack. A clear surge of mana. Green ripples shimmered in the air.
“Causing a scene like this will only harm you, Guard Captain.”
“Ugh…!!”
Guard Captain Lamur finally looked around. Not just us, but everyone present was watching them. Even if he had brought guards, he couldn’t just kick out customers without a valid reason.
He had lost the upper hand.
“Damn it, let’s talk inside.”
“Would you mind dismissing your soldiers? They’re disrupting business.”
“Go back. I need to talk to the Guild Master privately.”
“But…”
“That’s an order. Go.”
The guards reluctantly withdrew. Lumia leaned in and whispered,
“For someone who brought heavily armed guards, he doesn’t seem intent on causing too much trouble.”
Her warm breath tickled my ear, but I ignored it and replied,
“It seems like it’s a conversation his guards shouldn’t hear. And it feels like the Guild Master and the Guard Captain both have something on each other.”
I pondered the Guild Master’s words. …You were planning to slip away and leave me to die… It was highly likely that the sudden freeze on the guild’s transportation records was related to that statement.
‘I should meet the Guild Master after the Guard Captain leaves.’
There was no need to pry too deeply. It would be best to introduce myself as being from the 3rd Battalion and ask about the reason for the record freeze.
It was a reasonable question from someone requesting military supplies.
As the two disappeared inside the guild and the intimidating guards dispersed, the tense atmosphere began to dissipate.
Merchants left to unload their goods, and those who had come for transactions or exchanges resumed their lively bargaining as if nothing had happened.
And among them was our silver-haired magic non-commissioned officer.
“So, with the records frozen, either lower the transportation fees or the unit price.”
“Th-that’s a bit difficult…”
“I’ll relay that to our Battalion Commander and the Logistics Officer. They’re already upset about the recent fee increase, and they might actually come here and tear this place apart.”
“A-Alright!! Then I’ll reduce the rate. Please sign here…”
Was it just me, or was leveraging our position a bit too enjoyable?
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“Here you go~!”
“Thank you!”
“Hey, you look familiar. Have we met before?”
“Ah, yes…”
I answered vaguely. We had decided to have lunch at the restaurant Belle Meyer had taken me to before, but I had momentarily forgotten about my disguise.
“Hmm, well, it’s not like I don’t have a lot of customers. We must have met sometime! Hahaha! Enjoy your meal!”
“Ah, ahahaha.”
It wouldn’t be a big deal to reveal my identity, since he was in the food service industry, but it was too much of a hassle to explain. Fortunately, our cheerful owner didn’t pry further.
“Did you know about this place too, Sergeant Lumia?”
“Belle… Sergeant Belle told me about it. I’ve been here a few times when I came to the city.”
“You both get around quite a bit.”
“…Sometimes, when things get too tough, just coming to the city is enough…”
Lumia said, putting food in her mouth. She chewed a few times, and her purple eyes sparkled.
“Ah, this is good.”
“The food here is always delicious. This is a real gem.”
“Right?”
Lumia nodded with a happy smile.
“Then, I’ll dig in.”
I followed suit and started eating. Last time, since it was breakfast, it felt like brunch, but this time, it was a proper meal. It reminded me of Korean home-style restaurants. The really good ones usually only had one set menu option.
There was warm beef soup, white bread, and crispy chicken cutlets.
‘This is so damn good.’
Just like the saying, “Even exploring the Diamond Mountains starts with a full stomach,” a good meal was essential for a successful spy hunt.
Since we had plenty of time, it was important to gather information discreetly. And enjoy some good food along the way.
If we were discovered, everything would be for naught. We had to enjoy these moments of leisure so that no one would suspect anything.
“Platoon Leader.”
“Yes?”
“…Thank you.”
“What? Cough, cough! Hack!”
I choked on my food, startled by the sudden expression of gratitude. Lumia quickly brought me some water.
“Platoon Leader! Water, water!!”
“Cough! Hack, hack!! Ugh, cough!!”
I gulped down the cold water, and the burning sensation in my throat subsided.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes… Ugh, I’m fine now.”
“I-I’m sorry. I startled you.”
“No, it’s okay. There’s no need for you to apologize.”
I wiped off the spilled food. Both the table and my clothes were a mess. I cleaned my clothes with a napkin. It was a good thing I was wearing a cheap robe like Lumia.
If I had been wearing my uniform or the new clothes I bought the other day, I would have been devastated.
“But why did you suddenly thank me?”
“I… I don’t think I properly thanked you for what happened with Sergeant Rex.”
“It was just two days ago. And seeing you overcome it was enough for me.”
Lumia stared at my face. Did I miss a spot while wiping off the food?
“Is there still some food on my face?”
“N-no! It’s not that…”
Lumia hesitated before finally speaking, “I… I think you’re the first officer who… No, I think you’re truly amazing.”
Lumia put down her utensils.
“We’ve never had a platoon leader who cared for us this much.”
“Well… I’m a newly commissioned officer. It’s only natural that I wouldn’t abandon my first platoon members.”
“No, you’re special, Platoon Leader. I thought you would definitely accept Colonel Sony Zeppelin’s offer when she tried to scout you.”
“I thought you would think that, too.”
I chuckled. I had answered while being fully aware of the platoon members’ reactions.
“But I really want to do my best with this platoon for the next year.”
“I’ll do my best to follow you, Platoon Leader. I trust you. Please trust me, too.”
“Of course.”
I could feel a strong bond forming between Lumia and me.
The useless platoon. They were called derogatory names, neglected and unprotected.
Since one of my goals was to make them into proper soldiers in the remaining year, I intended to impart all my knowledge from countless hours playing Hearts of General.
Even if we were destined to part ways, no one knew when, where, or how we might meet again. Five years wasn’t a short time.
“But Lumia, do you smell something burning?”
She sniffed the air. Her delicate nose twitched, and her face scrunched up.
“You’re right. It’s a strong smell, and it doesn’t seem to be coming from the kitchen…”
As she stood up, sensing something was wrong,
-Crash!
“Oh no, something terrible has happened!”
The tightly closed restaurant door burst open, and a pale-faced man rushed in. The burning smell intensified as the door opened.
This was a fire.
“There’s a huge fire at the Merchant Guild building! We need to evacuate! It’s about to spread to the whole market!!”
As soon as we heard the man’s frantic cries,
“Lumia!!”
Lumia and I dashed towards the guild building.
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