Chapter 36

Part 11: Still, I Did Take Revenge (2)

In an alley a short distance from the inn where Martin had stayed, there was another inn.

I inspected the inn from all angles, tilting my head in confusion.

The sign was freshly painted, and the building's walls were clean. The smell of soft bread wafted from inside the inn.

‘It is an inn, but...’

It was different from the hotels of my previous life, looking as if it had just jumped out of a fantasy novel.

Until now, the inns I had seen were very realistic, with mercenaries flying around and food splattered everywhere, making this inn feel very unfamiliar.

Even after entering the inn, the unfamiliar feeling continued.

The first-floor restaurant was clean, and the waiters' uniforms were neat.

However, it seemed that there were not many guests staying at such a good inn.

‘Why are there so few people in such a nice place?’

Looking around with a puzzled expression, I asked a passing waitress.

“Is there a guest staying here named ‘Phoenix Hunter’?”

‘Phoenix Hunter’—what a childish nickname.

I couldn't hide the blush on my face as I spoke.

The waitress looked at me with amusement.

“You're not just a kid. They are here now. Should I call them?”

Fortunately, they were at the inn.

“Yes.”

“Father! A guest has arrived! Please call Phoenix!”

The waitress called out loudly to the inside and led me to an empty seat.

It seemed that the nickname wasn't as strange as I thought.

The waitress, or rather the innkeeper's daughter, showed me the menu with a friendly smile.

“Since you're a guest of Phoenix, there's no need to worry... I'll take your order.”

I didn't understand the meaning of her previous words, but before I could ponder it, I was shocked by the menu.

‘Why are they so expensive!’

The prices listed on the menu were surprising even to me, who had lived without much.

It made sense that there were few guests. If the accommodation fees were this high, ordinary mercenaries, not nobles, would surely run away.

‘It’s like a five-star hotel in the middle of a market.’

But that wasn't my concern.

“I'll have two servings of whatever Phoenix Hunter usually eats.”

“Good choice. Phoenix won't feel burdened either.”

Ah, did she think I would pay for the food and she wouldn't?

Well, it made sense.

I had taken off my hood, but my body was still wrapped in a cloak, so there was no way to tell what I was wearing underneath.

I had also wrapped the new sword I received from the marquis in cloth and dragged it, so I probably looked like a young porter.

Only then did I understand the strange look the waitress had given me.

‘It’s fortunate they didn’t kick me out.’

While I was thinking this, I heard footsteps from the stairs.

Turning my head, I saw a woman descending the stairs.

She had short red hair and looked somewhat androgynous. She was quite good-looking.

She walked straight toward me.

‘Is this what a cloaked mercenary looks like?’

Her husky voice would suit her, but it was different from the tough image I had initially imagined.

She seemed more like a slender knight or a handsome scribe.

Well, she was a woman, so it made sense.

“A bit late, but I'm glad you came at the right time. The estate is noisy, and I was considering moving elsewhere.”

She sat down in front of me and waved to the waitress.

“I ordered two servings of what Phoenix Hunter usually eats.”

“Good choice. Ha ha, the nickname is a bit... But there are stranger nicknames than mine.”

“Why, our father was called ‘Great Sword King’ when he was young.”

The waitress, who had just brought the food, said this.

Hmm, ‘Great Sword King’—a very straightforward nickname. Just hearing the name, you could probably find the person.

“Ah, so Phoenix Hunter...”

I looked at the red hair of the woman sitting in front of me.

“Isn’t it well made? When I see those red hairs, no other nickname comes to mind.”

The waitress, who had placed the food, shrugged.

It seemed the person who gave the nickname was the waitress in front of me.

‘So, she’s been using a nickname given by the inn staff since coming to this estate?’

That meant she either didn't use a nickname before or was hiding her original nickname.

‘Does this woman have some secret too?’

I sighed. Every person I met seemed to have something unusual about them.

The food served was quite appetizing. The warm stew, bread, and meat didn't seem much different from what I had eaten at the lord's castle or mansion.

With the food in front of us, Phoenix... stared at me intently.

Ah, I hadn't introduced myself.

I had no nickname and no reason to give one.

I said my name.

“I am Alex de Gracia.”

She tilted her head at my words.

“You're a noble?”

“Half-noble. A bastard.”

“Aha, that's why. Now I understand.”

She didn't seem particularly surprised by my noble status, and her attitude toward me didn't change when I said I was a bastard.

If she were a mercenary, she would have been shocked or used honorifics.

I had noticed before that she was not good at deceiving others.

She didn't flinch at the sight of a noble and didn't look at me with prejudice when she learned I was a bastard.

‘Is she an enlightened noble? Or someone in a position where nobles can't easily interfere, or someone with great skills?’

Just seeing how she handled the female mercenary Noah, her skills were impeccable.

After hearing my name, she picked up a piece of bread and dipped it in the stew.

Then she looked at me with surprise.

“Wait a moment. Weren't the nobles who visited recently the Gracia Dukes?”

Indeed, rumors spread slower in this life than in my previous one, or she had just noticed.

“Yes, I came with them.”

When I confirmed, she put her hand on her head instead of eating the bread in the stew.

“What's going on?”

What's going on? The situation I had been watching from afar had landed right in front of me.

“Rumors are circulating that mercenaries attacked the marquis family and were massacred, and soldiers are patrolling the streets with fire in their eyes.”

She pointed at me.

“The kid who was running away from the mercenaries that night was a guest of the marquis family. If the rumors are true, I fought with the mercenaries who stormed the marquis family to save the kid?”

Her expression twisted.

“Was the girl who was with you that night also a noble?”

“She was the marquis' daughter. We were to be engaged this time.”

She stared at me blankly.

While she was looking at me, the bread in the stew sank.

I picked up a piece of bread, dipped it in the stew, and tried it.

Oh, it was very delicious.

Seeing me eat the bread, she came to her senses. She sighed when she saw her bread had sunk in the stew.

“Trouble. This isn't the time to relax. From the looks of it, I'm not just involved in this matter.”

Indeed, she was deeply involved. If someone recognized her, the surviving mercenaries and soldiers would surely come looking for her.

I hadn't asked for her help, and it was due to her interference.

“I'll pay for this meal as a thank you for your help.”

“Ah, you don't have to. It's not that expensive... No, thank you.”

Oh, she finally remembered she was a mercenary.

Anyway, this meal wasn't that expensive. I gained one more piece of information.

“What happened? No, never mind. It's better not to know. It's a noble matter, and listening to it here would only cause more trouble.”

She was right. There were many troublesome matters.

“Where should I go?”

“Don't you have a place to go?”

“I didn't expect to move so suddenly.”

Hmm, it seems things will go smoothly?

“Then, how about coming to the Gracia Duke's estate?”

“Huh? Are you inviting me to the duke's estate?”

“No. It's impossible for a bastard. I'm just recommending the next estate you should go to.”

She shook her head at my words. Indeed, things weren't that easy.

“It's too far. Besides, I haven't decided on a specific place to go, but I need to find something while traveling.”

While speaking, she stroked the sword leaning against the table.

Finding something and the sword... Hmm, let me try.

“Is the thing you need to find related to that sword?”

She flinched at my words. I didn't need to hear the answer; it was clearly correct.

“Then I might be able to help. I don't remember clearly, but I saw the emblem on the sword in the estate. It was a flying bird.”

She excitedly pulled out the sword halfway at my words.

The emblem of a flying bird engraved on the blade caught my eye.

I confirmed the emblem and nodded.

“Yes.”

She was very excited by my words.

“I'll pack up quickly and follow you. How can I contact you when I arrive? Can you give me a rough idea of where it is? Was it an object? Or a wall? Not a book, right?”

The effect was too good, almost scary.

But she quickly regained her composure.

She immediately called the waitress.

“I'm checking out! I'll leave tomorrow!”

“Hmm? Since the amount is large, it's difficult to refund the room fee tomorrow.”

Wait, this inn offers refunds? And she had booked for several days, making it difficult to get a refund?

“I don't need it.”

“Hmm? Really?”

The waitress's face brightened at her answer. How much money was it?

But the waitress's face quickly darkened.

“I can't take it from you. I'll put it aside. You can take it when you come back or stay for free for that period.”

“Father!”

The waitress screamed when a man came out from the inside.

He was a middle-aged man with a robust build, fitting the stereotype of a former mercenary who now runs an inn.

However, his hands and muscles looked more like those of a knight than a mercenary.

It seemed that the Phoenix Hunter and he were old acquaintances.

I watched the Phoenix Hunter talking to the innkeeper.

Her face was hard to read, but I thought she was in her 20s, though she might be older than I expected.

While she was busy packing and skipping meals, I calmly finished my meal.

It was worth the money.

After making an agreement with the Phoenix Hunter, I left the inn.

A sign was swaying above the inn entrance.

The inn's name was very ordinary.

But it was clearly not an ordinary inn.

No, no, I can't let it get to me. This is just a fancy and expensive inn.

I had no reason to worry about it, as I had no plans to return.

Not long after leaving the inn, I encountered something I hadn't finished.

“I didn't expect it to be a child.”

The female mercenary Noah was blocking my path again.