Chapter 48

The Commercial Guild was next to the Mercenary Guild, with over a dozen wagons parked around it. In a town like Kilnarek, it seems you can entrust your wagons to the Commercial Guild, so the guards don't have to keep watch over them.

Men dressed like merchants, in tunics, were bustling in and out of the Commercial Guild.

We pushed through the crowd and entered the guild.

Gai caught a young man who seemed to be a staff member and told him we were looking for a caravan heading north. He pointed to a few merchants and said, "Those are the ones heading north," and Gai went to negotiate with them.

After talking to a few merchants, he brought back a middle-aged man with a thinning head of hair.

"This is Mr. Norton. He's leaving for the north tomorrow morning and has agreed to let us travel with him."

"I am Henry Norton. It is an honor to travel with the famous son of the Rockhart family."

"I am Zacharias Rockhart. I am grateful for your permission to travel with you. I look forward to working with you."

I bowed slightly but maintained a somewhat arrogant attitude.

(I might not want to act too arrogant, but being too humble also seems odd. What's the best way to handle this...?)

"According to Mr. Norton, we need the approval of the mercenary guards. I'll go meet them now, but what will you do, Sir Zack?"

I was unsure what to do.

(I should probably meet them, but they might complain that our presence increases the risk... No, it's better to deal with it now rather than tomorrow morning. If we can't convince them now, we can still try other caravans...)

I decided, "I'll go with you."

Our destination was a nearby inn, and I followed Norton and Gai. Once inside, Norton called for the mercenary leader.

A sturdy man in his forties soon appeared. He was about two meters tall and broad-shouldered, exuding the air of a seasoned mercenary. However, he immediately made a visibly unpleasant face when he saw us.

"Norton, this isn't part of the contract, is it? We agreed not to add any more cargo. These guys are clearly dead weight."

Norton maintained his polite smile.

"Byron, that's not very respectful. This is Sir Guy Jakes, a squire to the famous Lionheart, Sir Gowan Rockhart. The other one is a fourth-class adventurer and a healer."

(Lionheart? Is that Grandfather's nickname? I've never heard of it. But it seems like they might refuse to let us travel with them...)

Even after Norton's explanation, the mercenary called Byron didn't change his displeased expression.

"Sure, this guy might be capable, and the woman might be useful as a healer. But I don't want to take along a noble's kid. They're not just useless; they'll be a nuisance and a liability."

Gai looked like he was about to lose his temper.

"I don't like this! Sir Zacharias is the grandson of the late Sir Gowan Rockhart. It's disrespectful to treat him like any other noble's child."

Byron and Gai glared at each other, and Norton's smile was starting to waver.

(Not good. Gai gets angry when someone insults me or Grandfather... But this Byron doesn't seem to be just a tough exterior. He's a veteran who has led his men for years. He's not just a brute. So...)

I decided to play a role to persuade Byron.

"Byron, you said I'd be a liability. Can you tell that without even seeing my abilities?"

I thought this man was more level-headed than he appeared. He probably didn't want to take us because he thought it would increase the risk. If I could make it so he had no choice but to accept us and reduce the risk, he might agree.

(If he's just a brute, traveling with us would be more dangerous. In that case, I'll just have to make a fool of myself to get another caravan to accept us.)

Byron just snorted and ignored me. People were starting to gather, and some of Byron's men were joining them.

(He can't back down now that his men are here? Fine. Some of his men look short-tempered, so I'll try to get him to play along...)

I called out to Gai while provoking Byron's men.

"Gai, let's back off. This guy can't even judge a person's abilities. Mercenaries led by such a man can't be any good. Traveling with them would be more dangerous... Mr. Norton, I appreciate the offer, but we'll have to decline..."

One of Byron's men reacted to my provocation.

"Can't let that slide! Captain, can I strangle this brat?"

As I said this, I started making preparations.

Gai glanced at me and then responded to the young mercenary.

"Strangle me? You!"

Everyone's attention was momentarily drawn to Gai.

I was waiting for this moment.

I took advantage of the brief distraction, drew my dagger from my belt, and lunged at Byron.

Byron was wary of Gai's outburst but hadn't been paying attention to me, who was about five meters away.

I secretly used magic to enhance my leg muscles, performing a burst of movement similar to a "shrink step."

Byron reacted slightly when he saw me out of the corner of his eye, but underestimating me as a child, I managed to get close to him.

I stopped with the tip of my dagger pressed against his heart.

Everyone, including Byron, froze.

"Can't keep up with that kind of movement... Gai, let's go!"

Gai responded, "Understood, Sir Zack," with a satisfied smile.

I nodded to Norton and started to leave the inn.

"Wait!"

As I was about to leave, Byron tried to stop me.

Without turning around, I replied in a displeased tone.

"You don't deal with kids, right?"

"Wait! I can't let you go like this."

I slowly turned around.

"What? You want to fight a kid seriously?"

"I can't continue this job if I let a kid mock me. Let me see the skills of the grandson of Lionheart Gowan."

"Do I need to? You said I'd be a liability just by looking at me. At the very least, if you don't admit you were wrong, there's no reason for me to be here."

Byron muttered, "Damn, what a brat," and then said,

"I apologize for my earlier words. Would you consider a sparring match, Lord Rockhart?"

He even changed his tone and bowed to me.

(If I show him my magic, he'll let us travel with them...)

I accepted his apology sincerely.

"I accept your apology. As for the sparring match, I'm still a novice with swordsmanship. It might be better to show you my magic."

Byron muttered, "A mage..." but quickly nodded and bowed, saying, "Let's see it at the guild's training ground."

Lidi looked exasperated, and Sharon was still in shock.

We led Byron and a few of his men, along with the onlookers, to the mercenary guild's training ground.

Many mercenary guild branches have a training ground, often the size of a small gym. The Kilnarek branch had a training ground about thirty meters square, where a few mercenaries were exercising.

I asked Gai, "Is there a place where I can cast magic?"

"There's an archery range. Would that be suitable?"

After saying this, he bowed and said, "I apologize for earlier. If I had been more composed..."

I laughed and said, "It's fine."

"It would be convenient if rumors spread that the second son of the Rockhart family is somewhat capable. This was a good opportunity. You figured out my plan halfway through, right?"

He smiled and nodded.

The archery range was a simple setup with a raised earth mound and a wooden target.

Sharon and I stood about twenty meters from the target.

I whispered to Sharon, "Can you cast Air Hammer?"

She looked surprised and asked, "Air Hammer? Not Swallow's Blade?"

I grinned and said, "Air Hammer is more flashy... Plus, I don't want to show my original magic."

Swallow's Blade was an original magic spell that could change its trajectory. According to Lidi, tracking spells were uncommon, so I wanted to avoid showing it to others, including the academy.

Sharon seemed to not fully understand my reasoning but nodded in trust.

As the audience gathered, Sharon began her incantation.

"O god of the winds, grant me the mighty hammer of compressed air. I offer my life force to you. Smash my enemy! Air Hammer!"

Spiritual energy gathered around Sharon, and a gust of wind swept through the archery range. A mass of air then struck the target.

The target was blown away from its base, and part of the earth mound was also blown away, creating a small cloud of dust.

Byron and the onlookers were amazed by the magic of a ten-year-old girl.

"Good job. Now it's my turn," I said, patting Sharon's head.

I let the pleased Sharon step back and began the same incantation for Air Hammer.

"O god of the winds, grant me the mighty hammer of compressed air. I offer my life force to you. Smash my enemy! Air Hammer!"

I infused more magic power than usual, casting an Air Hammer with power equal to Sharon's.

The training ground, which had a roof for rainy days, echoed with a loud boom and the sound of the wall shaking. My spell hit the wooden target, cutting the earth mound in half and blowing the target away.

(I might have overdone the power a bit... But there's no damage to the facility, so it's fine.)

This time, I infused the spell with enough power to blow away a medium-sized bear.

My wind magic level is twenty-three, not a beginner but not a high-level mage either. The reason I could achieve this power was due to the nature of the Air Hammer spell.

Air Hammer is an attack spell that releases compressed air to strike the target. The power depends on the amount of air and the compression rate. Since the amount of air depends on the magic power invested, I focused on increasing the compression rate.

I imagined a compressor plus an air tank, visualizing the air tank as a cylinder and releasing it just before the target.

This causes the high-pressure air to be pushed out in a narrow area, making the impact greater than usual.

As the dust settled, a large gouge in the earth mound was visible, and the onlookers let out sighs. More people gathered to see what had happened.

Byron was speechless, shaking his head.

"By the way, both Sharon and I have combat experience. Wolves and goblins, mostly."

Byron finally snapped out of it and dramatically knelt on one knee.

"Sir Zacharias, I apologize. A mage of your caliber would not be a liability. And your incredible speed earlier. Truly, you are the descendant of the Lionheart. I would be honored if you would travel with us."

I found his gesture a bit theatrical.

(What's his goal? Is he trying to cover up the fact that I got close to him earlier? That I'm a genius because of my grandfather's blood... It's possible. If he can think this far, traveling with him should be fine.)

I extended my right hand to Byron.

"Call me Zack. And no need for formalities. Gai, I think I can travel with Byron, but the decision is yours."

Gai responded, "If you recognize Sir Zack's abilities, I have no objections," with a mischievous smile only for me.

Byron hesitated but took my hand. I shook it and nodded at Gai, who nodded back.

(It seems Gai thinks I handled it well.)

After the onlookers left and Byron, Norton, and Gai had a brief discussion, we set out into the town again.