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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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I needed to hand over some of my work to Athena, so I had to bring the two of them inside the castle.
“Well, if we can go inside, that’s good for me.”
“Yeah. Just keep that in mind for now.”
I had thought of a sufficient excuse for Thea’s illness.
I had just cured it this time too…
I headed to the castle with the map, report, and artifacts I had borrowed from Kuman.
Information
Upon hearing the news of my arrival at the lord’s castle, Summer immediately rushed to greet me.
“Don’t tell me you’ve already finished the request, Sir Jimnis?”
“Yes. Since it was the lord’s request, I did my best. I was also lucky.”
“Luck, you say?”
“Yes. I gained an unexpected collaborator.”
“When you say an unexpected collaborator…”
“A new comrade. Thanks to that, I was able to finish a few days early.”
I handed the map and report to Summer, and after examining what I had given him, Summer showed a slightly surprised expression.
“It’s quite detailed.”
“Hmm… Recently, the number of monsters has been increasing…”
“The locations of the territories also seemed to be changing slightly. Perhaps there is a possibility that the predators have expanded their territories.”
I had also written that in the report.
“Hmm, we can’t delay the development of the southwest…”
Summer muttered softly.
‘Is it because of competition?’
To secure more land than other pioneering territories, they had no choice but to hasten the construction of villages.
“Ah, excuse me. In front of you, Sir Jimnis…”
“No, it’s fine.”
“I will give you the request reward right away.”
Summer immediately brought me the request reward, and after receiving the payment, I left the lord’s mansion.
If I belonged to a mercenary guild or something, I would have to receive a completion certificate, but since it was a personal request from the lord, there was no such thing.
Since I had completed the request, I had to return the borrowed artifacts, so I headed to Kuman’s mansion next.
“Huh? Isn’t it Sir Jimnis? I heard you received a long-term request…”
The one guarding the entrance of the mansion was the low-level mercenary Disan.
“Ah, I was lucky and finished it early. I just finished reporting and I’m on my way back. I came to return the borrowed artifacts.”
“Ooh, as expected, Honorary Soldier is different.”
“I was lucky.”
I also revealed to Disan that I had recruited a new comrade.
“Are you saying you gained a new comrade while out on a request?”
“Yeah. Their combat ability is lacking, but their scouting ability is decent. They’re from a hunting background, so they’re also quite good at long-range support.”
“Oho. There aren’t many people who can skillfully use a bow, so you were really lucky.”
“It’s troublesome to manage, so I have them mainly use a crossbow.”
“Hahaha. A wise choice.”
It was a suitable excuse. It was true that Athena had recently used a crossbow, so I didn’t lie.
While we were conversing, perhaps because the news of my arrival had been conveyed, Albert came out to the entrance to greet me.
“You’ve arrived. You came earlier than expected.”
“That’s how it turned out. Ah, I made good use of the artifacts.”
“I’m glad they were helpful.”
“By the way, I heard you recruited a new comrade. If they are looking to procure equipment, please let me know. Since they are Sir Jimnis’s comrade, there will be some discount.”
“Ah, that won’t be necessary. I lent them Kayla’s spare equipment for now.”
“…Is your new comrade female?”
“Yes. Hmm… Amusingly, they are also somewhat connected to you, Albert.”
“…To me, you say?”
Albert showed an expression as if he couldn’t understand.
“It turns out she is Thea’s older sister. She said she came tracking Thea’s traces.”
“Thea, you mean the one Sir Jimnis purchased…”
“Yes. That’s right. That slave, no, she’s no longer a slave. I recruited her as a comrade on the condition of freeing that child.”
“Hmm.”
Albert showed an awkward expression.
After all, if you think about it, he had sold a defective slave illegally.
‘Well, in a world where it’s rarer for slaves to become so legally, it’s not strange.’
“Moreover, it seems she even knew about her sister’s illness and brought a cure.”
“…A cure, you say?”
“Yes. It seems there were some signs originally, so she procured a cure. I heard it wasn’t an ordinary illness…”
“Even the priest couldn’t identify it. Hmm. Well, if it’s a rare genetic disease or something, it wouldn’t be strange for her to know about it.”
“Anyway, since I formed a good relationship with her on the condition of freeing her sister, there won’t be any trouble later on.”
“We are indebted to you, Sir Jimnis.”
“Ahaha. Not at all.”
I naturally informed them of Athena’s recruitment on our side and fabricated the circumstances of Thea’s illness being cured.
Although the advantage of not being known disappeared, I gained autonomy at the same time, so it wasn’t a loss.
Since I had many things to do, it was a part I had to accept.
After returning all the artifacts to Albert, I headed to the house inside the castle.
I didn’t forget to make a dinner appointment with Disan, judging by his look.
‘Since I received the request payment too.’
I could just call it a drinking appointment.
The interior of the house I arrived at wasn’t as empty as before.
The process of building connections and filling the interior of the house with this and that had been effective.
‘Ah, since the sisters are coming too, I need to place an additional order.’
There was no problem since I had smoothly informed them of the recruitment.
So, for the first time in a while, I visited Bedwig’s woodworking shop and ordered additional furniture, and went to the blacksmith to purchase more lacking tools.
As I purchased various necessary items in preparation for the sisters’ arrival, the appointed time had already come, and I headed to the tavern, the promised location.
“Oh my. It’s been a while, Sir Jimnis.”
“It has. Have you been well, Angolf?”
“Of course. Hiya, being an honorary soldier is indeed different. The lord himself gave important instructions. There are rumors that in the near future, Sir Jimnis will become a new knight.”
Although it was nominally a request, from their perspective, it must have looked no different from a noble’s order.
Therefore, instead of correcting Angolf’s words, I joked around.
“My, your flattery is excessive. Did you already hear the news?”
“Hahaha. Danian has already been here. He said he would take responsibility for our tavern’s sales today.”
“He’s indeed quick-witted. Take it easy on me. I can’t blow all the reward I barely received in a single day.”
Of course, it was a light joke. Even though I had recently been spending money like water, 1 gold wouldn’t be reduced to mere drinking money for a day.
Of course, I didn’t know how much Angolf had received as the request fee, but considering it was a long-term request given by the lord, there was no way the payment would be small.
“Hehehe. Don’t worry. I’ll keep it moderate. Since everyone likes alcohol regardless of the type, I’ll bring out the cheapest and most plentiful ones.”
“Thank you.”
It seemed he had some stocked-up alcohol.
Angolf guided me to a corner of the tavern.
It seemed he had prepared in advance since he had heard the story through Danian.
Since I was famous as an honorary soldier, he seemed to have specially prepared a secluded spot for me to drink comfortably.
It was a small consideration of his, having noticed through a few interactions that I didn’t particularly like noisy places.
Angolf immediately started setting the table, and by the time the food began to be served in earnest, five people entered the tavern.
“Oh my, you arrived first.”
“I apologize. Work ended late.”
“Hey, it’s been a while, Sir Jimnis!”
All five were low-level mercenaries belonging to the Pipis Mercenary Corps, and they were people with whom I had formed quite close connections.
Since they often stood guard, they inevitably met me frequently. There was Disan and Raus, who had to meet me often, Danian, the mercenary for whom I had first bought a drink, and Mallon and Godga, whom I got to know through Danian and Disan.
We ended up gathering like this due to a promise I had made before receiving the request.
“I don’t know if it’s okay for us to receive such treatment.”
“Hahaha. Sir Jimnis isn’t such a stingy person. How generous he is! Even when I first met him…”
“You’re not even drunk yet, so why do you already seem drunk, you crazy bastard? And I’ve already heard that story before.”
Mallon responds to Danian’s bragging as if he’s tired of it.
“Hear it again, hear it again. Isn’t it thanks to that incident that we got to know each other like this?”
Danian began to speak again, regardless of Mallon’s attitude.
I stopped Danian and said,
“Enough, let’s have a drink first. Angolf specially prepared these dishes. You all came at just the right time.”
The five mercenaries didn’t refuse the alcohol I offered.
There was no such thing as a toast. We lightly clinked our cups and drank first.
With Danian’s continued praise bordering on flattery, my first impression when I met him, the lord’s request, and such topics, short chitchat was exchanged in a light atmosphere as everyone filled their stomachs and drank.
As the atmosphere ripened, Danian said to me,
“I heard you brought in a new comrade this time. And it’s a woman, right?”
“That’s right. Didn’t Disan tell you?”
“Hehe. That sneaky bastard heard it directly.”
“Hmm… Well, you can think of it as a coincidence and good fortune coming together. I just happened to encounter the older sister of the slave I bought before.”
“Come to think of it, there were rumors that you bought a slave for household use before Kayla.”
At Godga’s words, Danian nodded his head.
“I heard a rumor about it. They said she had good looks but was ill.”
“That’s right. But she’s all better now.”
The mercenaries all showed surprised expressions upon hearing my fabricated explanation.
“Wow, then there are three women by Sir Jimnis’s side now.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Although one of them is almost in a position of being protected and isn’t helpful in combat.
“Moreover, two of them are capable of fighting… I’m envious. There isn’t a single woman in our mercenary corps. And they must all be beautiful…”
“Surely you’re not even touching that younger sister and the newly recruited one, are you?”
“Well, that’s right.”
The other mercenaries showed quite surprised expressions when I said I wasn’t touching anyone.
“I had heard about it before, but… Are you really not touching them?”
“Yeah. Ah, don’t misunderstand, it’s not that I’m impotent or have unusual tastes.”
It’s just that my survival instinct is stronger than my sexual desire.
If I let my lower body do the thinking, there was a high possibility of ruining everything.
‘…Come to think of it, it doesn’t seem like any of them would refuse even if I asked…’
I had no intention of unnecessarily approaching first and creating trouble when I was in a relatively superior position.
“Wow, if it were me, I would have played with them every night, taking turns.”
“Of course you would. Your brain is attached there. Yet your ambition is small.”
“What did you say, bastard?”
“If you’re going to play, you should call them all at once and play. Ah, are you unable to do that because you’re a premature ejaculator and get exhausted after cumming once?”
Danian and Mallon’s quarrel made Raus and Godga snicker and egg them on.
Even for them, being mercenaries, this level of lewd talk was a daily occurrence.
‘Well… Female mercenaries are no joke either.’
Since it’s an occupation where lives are at stake, both men and women tend to have strong sexual desires and tough personalities. If one of those two were a woman, they might have really fought in bed tonight.
As time passed, the tavern gradually became noisier, and my companions were all making lewd jokes while half-drunk.
“When I first met Sir Jimnis!”
“You premature ejaculating bastard, you talk too much! Wanna fight?”
“Hehehe. Idiots.”
Amidst that, Disan was relatively sober.
“You’re drinking a bit less than usual today.”
“Ahaha. It’s because I have the first shift tomorrow. I’m controlling myself.”
“Hm? Wasn’t it your night shift today? But you’re saying you have the first shift tomorrow again?”
“Ah, it’s not guarding the main gate. Checking the second passageway…”
Disan flinched and stopped talking.
“Second passageway?”
“Ah, that’s…”
“Hm? Is it a secret to me?”
After pondering for a moment, Disan finally spoke with a smile.
“Ah, ahaha… Hmm… Well, there’s no need to keep it a secret even from you, Sir Jimnis. You’re also Sir Kuman’s biggest collaborator, and you even directly receive requests from the lord. Still, since it could be problematic, please keep it a secret that I told you. Don’t tell anyone else either.”
“Of course.”
“Hmm… The second passageway is that. A secret passage. This is a frontier territory, so it’s a place where danger can strike at any time, isn’t it? That’s why there’s a separate passageway to escape in case of an emergency.”
Disan said that anyone with a bit of a brain would have already guessed that there’s no way the nobility and upper class would be here in such a dangerous region without a way to protect themselves.
“Since it’s the final bastion where lives are at stake, we periodically check its condition. Of course, it’s a secret to the villagers, and only a few people know of its existence. We know about it because we have to escort the clients when escaping.”
‘…Alcohol is indeed a problem.’
No matter how much I’m treated as a squire and I’m Kuman’s most important client, it’s only been a few months since we’ve been together.
Moreover, even Kuman or the lord shouldn’t carelessly divulge this level of information, let alone an ordinary mercenary.
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