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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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After Chrom left, Bern Midas, who was left behind, fell deep in thought.
‘Was he always like that?’
The last bloodline of his departed first wife.
A card he might be able to use someday.
That was the extent of Bern Midas’s perception of Chrom.
He had many people to meet and things to do, and several other households to maintain.
He had never paid much attention to Chrom.
He had merely sent him along with his subordinate, figuring it was time for the boy to observe and learn.
But his subordinate had failed, and the boy, whom he had considered a bonus, had cleaned up the mess.
No, not just cleaned it up, but exceeded expectations.
A maturity, composure, and audacity beyond his years.
‘He’s certainly more useful than his older siblings.’
Of course, it was too early to jump to conclusions.
Apart from the two who had already fallen out of favor, there were other children of his wives who were just as capable as Chrom.
He was still young and didn’t need to rush the selection of his heir.
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“You bunch of idiots! Drinks are on me tonight! Drink all you want! Except for you, John! Stick to juice if you don’t want your wounds to fester and kill you!”
“Hahahaha!”
Cheers and laughter erupted from the members of the Brown Wolf Mercenary Company at Captain Clark’s words.
One member, with his thigh heavily bandaged, blushed.
Others bore minor injuries, and some wore somber expressions, remembering the empty spaces left by their fallen comrades.
But the overall atmosphere wasn’t bad.
Contrary to their expectations of being shortchanged or denied payment for failing to protect their client, the Midas Trading Company had paid them nearly three times the original fee.
The excuses of compensation for the deceased, reward for fighting bravely despite unfavorable circumstances, and so on, didn’t matter.
What mattered was that their pockets were filled with a hefty bonus, and for that, they were more than willing to appreciate the Midas Trading Company’s generosity.
A family that betrayed their nation?
Unscrupulous nouveau riche who only cared about money?
Who cared?
Money was raining down on them right now!
“So, I tell you, I dodged that bastard’s sword by a hair’s breadth and landed a counter right in his gut…”
“You just tripped over a rock and fell forward, accidentally hitting him. Stop bragging.”
“Huh!? And what did you do besides piss yourself in fear?!”
“I didn’t piss myself!!! That’s the enemy’s blood! How many times do I have to tell you?!”
“Bullshit!”
“Wanna fight!?”
“Bring it on!”
“Shut up and eat, you morons.”
After smacking the two large but childish idiots on the head, Clark stepped out of the boisterous tavern.
Seeing the girl sitting alone on a bench in the darkening street, he sighed in exasperation.
“And when did you manage to snag all this?”
A loaf of bread stuffed with vegetables and bacon was one thing.
But the wooden plate piled high with various cheeses and sausages, two ripe apples, and a thick turkey leg was a bit much for one person to eat on a bench.
Especially the turkey leg, which was the main dish and highly sought after.
He was impressed she had managed to sneak it out without anyone noticing.
He had only managed to grab one himself, using his captain’s privilege.
“Why out here? Why not eat comfortably inside?”
“Listening to a bunch of drunk men repeating the same embellished stories dozens of times would make even a captain lose their appetite.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
Clark shrugged, picked up an apple from the plate, and took a bite.
Regret glared at him.
“Hey, don’t glare at me for eating one apple out of this mountain of food. I’m the one paying for it.”
“……”
“…Alright, alright. I’ll get you another one later, so relax.”
Grumbling about whether she was his subordinate or his boss, Clark said,
“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t all be laughing and chatting like this.”
“I didn’t do much.”
“You don’t expect me to believe that flimsy excuse, do you?”
Regret didn’t reply and took a bite of her bread.
Her sullen expression as she munched on her food was typical for a girl her age, but Clark knew what she was capable of.
It was six months ago.
A joint operation with another mercenary company had resulted in a dispute over the distribution of rewards, and the offended party had targeted Clark.
Outnumbered and separated from his comrades, he had been prepared to die.
If it weren’t for a certain little girl who, despite being threatened herself for simply being near him, had slaughtered all of his attackers, he would have been dead.
“How’s the contract with Midas?”
“Not bad. It seems they’re setting up a new branch in Caranth City soon. They want to hire us as security.”
Clark replied to Regret’s question with a smile.
“It’s a fairly large city, so it’ll be comfortable to live in, and the offer is good. They really are a family that digs money out of the ground.”
“What about the others?”
“They’re thrilled, of course. Especially those who are starting to worry about their old age. A lot of them want to get out of the mercenary life.”
He didn’t mention that many of his members, after witnessing their comrades die, had developed a stronger desire for a safer life.
It was something she already knew.
“Good,” Regret said, nodding indifferently.
At her detached attitude, as if it were someone else’s affair, Clark said,
“Regret, you too…”
“Captain, I’m leaving the mercenary company.”
Clark’s eyes wavered.
Not because it was unexpected, but because it was something he had anticipated but didn’t want to hear.
“…Do you have somewhere to go?”
“The Kingdom of Morian. I might try dungeon delving or monster hunting.”
“Monster hunting? Do you think monsters are like neighborhood dogs? Even in our company’s prime, we avoided anything with the word ‘monster’ attached to it. You’ll get yourself killed.”
“I’ll figure it out. If not, then so be it.”
Holding the now-empty plate in one hand, Regret stood up.
“Don’t worry, I still have to prepare, so I’ll be around for another six months or so. But I thought I should tell you in advance.”
As the girl walked away, Clark asked,
“Why do you insist on doing such dangerous things? You finally have a stable life guaranteed ahead of you.”
Without turning back, Regret replied curtly,
“I’m just curious.”
Clark didn’t understand what she meant.
It was precisely because he couldn’t understand that was probably the reason why she was leaving.
That was the nature of exceptional talent and a special destiny.
He silently prayed that someone, somewhere, would understand this girl who had saved his life and whom he had come to regard as a younger sister, even if only for a short time.
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A few days after my meeting with Bern Midas, I headed to the Brown Wolf Mercenary Company’s lodgings.
I had wanted to come sooner, but Bern Midas had ordered me to submit a detailed written report of the incident, which took some time.
It was supposed to confirm that there were no contradictions with Dorf’s story while he was receiving treatment, but being unfamiliar with such tasks, it took longer than necessary.
When I told Captain Clark that I had something to discuss with Regret, he gave me a strange look but called her nonetheless.
The mercenaries’ expressions as I left their lodgings were a bit unsettling, like they had discovered something juicy to tease someone about… Forget it, it wasn’t what they thought.
Fortunately, Clark seemed to have intervened, and no one followed me.
After walking a good distance away from the lodgings, I made sure no one was around before telling Regret my business.
“…A personal bodyguard?”
Regret asked, sounding puzzled. I nodded.
“The compensation will be much better than what you get as a mercenary. And depending on the circumstances, it could increase further.”
Since I don’t have any separate income yet, I can only rely on the family’s allowance for maintaining my dignity—honestly speaking, it’s my pocket money. But even that is far more than what an average mercenary earns.
As expected of a renowned nouveau riche family, even the children’s allowances were on a different level.
Regret stared blankly at me for a moment before chuckling.
I smiled back.
Good, the atmosphere was amicable. This was going to go well…
“No.”
Damn it.
“If it’s about the money, I can offer more.”
“I’d refuse even if you doubled it.”
“Five times?”
“…No.”
“Ten times.”
“…It’s not about the money.”
Even as she said that, I didn’t miss the flicker in her eyes.
Muttering, “Do they really dig money out of the ground or something?”, she asked with a sullen expression,
“What’s your real intention?”
“I told you, I want you to be my personal bodyguard.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
Regret said incredulously.
“There are plenty of people far more skilled than me. If you offered that much money, they’d be lining up to take the job.”
“I need you.”
When I said that with conviction, she fell silent.
Hmm, maybe she understood at least a little of my sincerity?
Regret narrowed her eyes at me, then said, as if realizing something,
“Is this… that kind of thing? I’ve heard that even rich nobles who look decent sometimes disguise themselves and visit shady places.”
“Pfft!! Cough! Cough!”
I choked on my own spit and started coughing at her sudden bombshell.
Shouldn’t it be something like, “Do you like me?” at this point?
‘Damn it, she’s a mercenary, after all.’
Even in my previous life, dirty jokes were a staple among hot-blooded men.
It was unlikely that people in a fantasy world, whose job was to fight with swords, drink, and brawl, would use polite language in front of a girl.
“No, no, it’s not like that at all!”
“Not that it’s a bad thing. It’s not like you’re some wrinkly old geezer. We’re about the same age.”
“That’s not the point!”
I caught my breath and continued,
“You’re right, there are probably people more skilled than you. But it’s rare to find someone as strong as you at your age.”
“Hmm, so you want to get me now, betting that I’ll become even stronger in the future?”
“Yes, or rather, let me be more precise.”
I looked directly into Regret’s eyes.
“Let’s climb to greater heights together, Regret.”
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