Chapter 8

In the dining area of the night inn, which resembled a bar, the members of the Karejas mercenary group were drinking as if they were bathing in alcohol. Along with their leader, Uval, the nine rough men’s tankards never ran dry, but their conversation was about work, and they didn’t seem to be drinking happily.

“Leader, this time’s employer… is it the Viscount Dantres? Did you talk to him today? Can he be trusted?”

When one of the mercenaries asked, Uval, who was drinking more than anyone else, held up two fingers.

“He pays well, so we’re getting this much extra.”

“Two silver coins per person?”

“Two gold coins per person.”

“Huh!? That’s more than the initial reward!?”

Upon learning they would receive that much extra on top of the reward, the mercenaries’ drinking seemed to intensify… but instead, it stopped.

One gold coin was enough for a family to live on for a while. They could drink wine and ale for a week and still not use it all up.

Moreover, this was additional pay for their departure the day after tomorrow. The clearly high price made the mercenaries suspicious.

“He’s a graduate of the magic academy, so he must have money… but isn’t he paying too much?”

“Originally, the reward was one gold coin per person, right? Our group also has battlefield scavengers, so our share was a bit less… but to get two more gold coins as extra, what’s going on?”

“Who knows… it seems he really wants this war to end quickly.”

Uval drained his tankard with a serious expression.

He immediately poured more ale, but he just stared at the foaming ale without drinking it.

It seemed that Uval, like the mercenaries, had his own thoughts about this job.

“Haha! Is the important person coming for the inspection that bad?”

“Being scared of superiors is the same for nobles and us! Hahaha!”

With a laugh tinged with complaints about their superiors, everyone’s drinking pace returned to normal.

Uval, as if swallowing his doubts, gulped down the ale he had poured, making a gulping sound.

“Hey, there’s no better boss than me… I treat you to drinks every night, you know.”

“No, the leader isn’t that great.”

“You can just leave the leader behind.”

“We could even kill him and continue the mercenary group ourselves.”

“Hey, you guys are really underestimating me!”

The drunkards’ disrespectful banter, which didn’t seem to fit the relationship between a leader and his subordinates, was a common occurrence. Uval didn’t get angry even when his subordinates said such things.

“Leader is fine, but… Guriare is scary.”

“No kidding! If she gets angry, we’ll end up vomiting all the alcohol!”

“She’s a berserker in a woman’s skin!”

“Hahaha! She’s just a monster!”

The mercenaries were hyped up talking about their absent deputy leader, Guriare.

Uval joined in, laughing loudly, when—

“Hmm, did you not expect that berserker to come back?”

A graceful voice cut through their boisterous laughter, dominating the scene.

The laughter stopped abruptly, and no one met the eyes of Guriare, who was walking towards them.

The earlier boisterousness had vanished, and the mercenaries were as meek as children sipping water from a cup.

Guriare slowly walked around the now subdued mercenaries and sat next to Uval. No one dared to meet her gaze during this time.

“So, Uval? How does it feel to have a berserker sitting next to you?”

“Hey, what are you doing! Pour Guriare some drinks! You’re not being attentive! Hurry up!!”

“Yes, leader!!”

“Sister! Shall I massage your shoulders?”

“Sister likes wine, right!!”

The mercenaries, in perfect coordination, went out of their way to please Guriare and improve her mood.

It seemed they were so afraid of Guriare that if left alone, they would all grovel.

“So, how was it? The battlefield scavengers? You went to check on them, right?”

“Indeed, some of the children are anxious because the war is dragging on.”

“This time, the scale is small, but the enemy’s mage is doing a good job.”

“On the other hand, some of the children are calm, which is a relief.”

“I see…”

Upon hearing about the calm children, Uval thought of one in particular.

“Speaking of calm… hasn’t Kanata changed?”

“Kanata, the kid who collects magic dregs, right?”

“I saw him complaining about the employer today. I gave him a lecture, but he was protecting that kid Roa, who’s always with him.”

“Usually, Roa takes care of Kanata, right?”

“Yeah, that’s why I was surprised. He seemed uninterested in anything other than magic dregs.”

From Uval’s perspective, Kanata was a child who didn’t act like one.

When he was found, he was quiet, completed his tasks, and never disobeyed orders.

Now, he shows a childlike reaction when teased about magic dregs, but initially, he never expressed any childish whims and didn’t open up to Roa, who took care of him, until he started collecting magic dregs.

“Guriare, do you know anything? You like taking care of kids, right?”

“…No. While you guys only think about women and alcohol, I have been observing the children… but nothing particularly unusual has happened.”

Guriare, while hiding the fact that Kanata had somehow gained the ability to use magic and was still conducting experiments to sense magic, revealed her usual anger.

Since her anger was genuine, no one doubted her words.

“Damn, Deputy Leader is still angry.”

“I was just dragged along by the leader, Sister.”

“Hey, that’s unfair! I was too!”

“The leader’s invitation is something we, mere members, can’t refuse. This is what they call alcohol harassment these days.”

“Hey, you guys, I’m the leader! You’re giving up too quickly!”

Everyone was drunk, and Uval and the other mercenaries, who were desperately trying to please Guriare, didn’t notice what Kanata was doing behind the scenes.

The night of the Karejas mercenary group, who had to return to the battlefield in two days, passed in this manner.