Chapter 28

Ulrika's Perspective

“Haaa…”

I messed up.

I never thought Mongrel’s past would be so difficult...

I was told I didn’t have to talk much about myself, and I took advantage of that. How could I barge into Mongrel’s personal matters like this?

I was told not to worry, and from their reaction afterward, they probably really don’t. But I still can’t shake the feeling that I’ve done something wrong. Haa.

Now I’m on my way back. I drank and ate with Mongrel. We spent time together, hearing various interesting stories, including tales from their past, before parting ways.

It’s not even noon, and I drank a bit too much. But since I don’t have any real work to do right now, it’s fine... I feel bad about it, though, for the rest of the Artemis team.

“I’m home.”

My residence is in the Artemis Clan House.

It’s a fairly large mansion owned by Artemis, and most of the single members live here.

Of course, I asked if it was okay for a single man to stay here, but Seina allowed it. I’m grateful for that.

“Oh, Ulrika, welcome back.”

“Huh? Seina and the others are already back?”

When I went to the Clan House’s lobby, I saw several members sitting at the conversation table in front of the fireplace.

Seina and the others, who were supposed to have gone to the guild early this morning, were also there.

“Well, since we’re here, Ulrika, you should listen too.”

“Eh, but is it okay for me to hear this? Isn’t this mission quite confidential?”

“It’s fine. It’s not a problem for you to know.”

The mysterious female swordsman, Brigitte, who appeared at the guild yesterday.

She is probably a noble and a headache for the current Regal branch.

“The investigator the guild sent to the noble district last night easily gathered information. Brigitte’s true identity has been revealed.”

“Who is she?”

“Brigitte La Samseria. She seems to be the illegitimate child of the Samseria Baron’s family, who fled from the noble district.”

“Huh? It’s not a pseudonym?”

“She probably thought she could pass herself off as a noble by just giving her name.”

“Yeah… that’s pretty sloppy…”

“She’s a woman who rarely appears in public, so the investigator couldn’t gather detailed information about her social life. However, she often practices at the knight training grounds and is quite famous in that circle. As a female knight, she’s more than capable, and she can even outperform most male knights.”

“Wow…”

What a powerful noble.

Many men pour their hearts into martial arts, but it’s rare for a woman.

“The Samseria family seems to treat her quite well, despite her lack of interest in family affairs. She’s only focused on swordsmanship, so they find her easy to handle.”

“Originally, she would have become a female knight and served some noble lady. But recently, she seems to have questioned her future.”

“Questioned it?”

Nastasha is unusually smiling wryly.

“Apparently, she said, ‘I don’t want to just guard women. I want to live in a place where I can use my sword skills.’ And with that, she left home.”

Wow. To abandon a promising career and run away from home… I can’t believe she had the nerve to do that. She’s definitely a strange noble.

“The Samseria Baron tried to persuade her, saying things like, ‘Human combat and monster combat are different,’ and ‘You won’t succeed elsewhere.’ But Brigitte said, ‘I won’t know until I try.’”

“So, she came to the guild...”

“That’s dangerous.”

“She’s a dangerous person...”

“That’s what the investigation revealed. She’s been a bit of a topic in the noble district. They figured it out quickly, especially with the same name as a hint. The baron’s family has even sent a request to the guild.”

Hmm, so the Samseria Baron’s family sent a request... Even though requests from nobles are common, this one doesn’t seem like a simple fur pelt.

“Make Brigitte join a boring extermination mission and instill a sense of disappointment in her guildman duties... That’s what they want.”

“Haha...”

“In other words, they want us to do inefficient work, like spending a whole day in the forest and getting nothing... I’d rather not do that. If it weren’t for Artemis, I’d refuse such a job.”

To stop Brigitte from becoming a guildman, they want her to join a boring mission... I see.

I understand, but it’s not nice to think our job is boring.

“But the reward is quite substantial. There’s no gender specification for the companion. The Samseria Baron is really trying hard to get his illegitimate child back.”

“Is it out of parental love...?”

“Hardly. The baron’s family probably wants to produce a court knight. Brigitte is so skilled that they see a bright future for her.”

It’s all about the parents’ convenience. I can’t blame the nobles, but I feel a bit sorry for Brigitte.

But that’s separate from our job. We won’t let a good job slip away.

“I get it. So, we’re taking the job, Seina?”

“Yes, I’ve already made the commitment. If you want to join, you’re welcome to. The reward is substantial, and you’ll get a share of it.”

“What’s the schedule?”

“The day after tomorrow. We’ll patrol the Baroa Forest and exterminate any stray goblins we find wandering outside in this cold weather.”

“Another rush job... I’m free, so I can go. Oh, is Gorilliana okay with it? Is she free the day after tomorrow?”

“...I’m fine. I have no plans, so I’ll join...”

That’s good. It’s reassuring to have Gorilliana, our front-liner, with us.

Monsters that wander outside during this season are often hungry and aggressive, so there’s always a risk.

“Hmph. But, well. The Baroa Forest...”

“? Nastasha, is something wrong?”

Nastasha seemed to be deep in thought.

“...Seina, I think we should hire a skilled melee fighter from outside for this mission.”

From outside? Hire? These are unfamiliar terms.

“Since Nastasha suggested it, there must be a good reason.”

“The reason can’t be revealed yet. I think we should invite Mongrel, who joined us on a previous mission.”

“Eh?”

I was a bit surprised to hear that name.

“What’s wrong, Ulrika? Is there something about Mongrel?”

I was just surprised to hear that name.

“No, I was just with Mongrel at the Hunter’s Tavern earlier...”

“Eh, really?”

“We just had a light chat about recent events and missions, including their plans for today and tomorrow.”

Not really. I also heard some heavier stories and learned about Mongrel’s favorite foods. ...Most of the information wasn’t very useful, but I’ll tell Lina later.

“That’s convenient. If you know Mongrel’s schedule, Ulrika, can you contact them tomorrow?”

“Yeah... I know where they’ll be tomorrow, so I can do that...”

“Then I’ll ask them to join. A one-day mission with a substantial reward, they shouldn’t refuse.”

Mongrel doesn’t seem to have much money, but will they take this kind of mission? They seem to be quite serious about avoiding nobles, so I doubt it.

“I’ll help with the persuasion.”

“Oh, then I’ll go with you. Is that okay?”

“Sure, I think two people should be fine... But I’m not sure if we’ll get a positive response from them...”

I could already see a future where they reject us outright.