Chapter 28

Since I received a comment about the effective range of the radar, I have revised it.

Two days after receiving the previous reward.

As usual, I was at the mercenary guild's counter, chatting idly with the old man Loanz while carefully examining the next request.

"So, right now, the most common request is for escorting merchant convoys."

"Yeah, it seems the military and police are going all out to hunt pirates. The wanted posters for pirates are disappearing one after another."

The old man looked a bit tired, as if to say, "This will put us out of business."

However, it's only natural for the military and police to deal with pirates.

The problem is why they are going all out. But there's nothing we can do about it even if we think about it.

"But if that's the case, they don't need to hire escorts, right?"

"Well, pirates haven't completely disappeared. Buying safety with money is a very reasonable idea."

The old man showed me the screen.

He probably meant for me to search for myself.

"Then, is there anyone who meets the conditions... Oh!"

"What's wrong?"

At the sound of my voice, the old man, who had a mineral water instead of coffee, called out.

"This. It's the house that favored that Hero. This time, they have a group of 10."

Probably because his sister became a criminal, they terminated the exclusive contract.

"That Hero has become quite a big deal, so this time they're putting out a proper request."

The old man didn't say it outright, but he was definitely hinting at something.

"I don't think anyone will take it, though."

Given the severity of what happened before, it would be quite strict.

Ignoring the request from the blundering marquis, I continued to browse the job listings on the screen, and my eyes stopped on one.

"Oh, there's a merchant convoy escort with a deadline today. The recruitment number is 6, the meeting is tomorrow at 13:00 in Room No. 53. Departure is at 9:00 AM three days later, and there's one more person needed. Yeah, the reward is average, so I'll take this one."

"Don't be late for the meeting."

The meeting is a planning session for small-scale, multi-person requests like merchant convoy escorts.

In the past, they did things on the fly, which led to many troubles and mistakes.

The departure date is not the day after the meeting because there might be disputes during the meeting that require re-recruitment.

After completing the procedures, I headed to the docking area to inspect the "Patchwork" again.

The next day, I finished my lunch early and came to the area of the mercenary guild where the meeting rooms are located.

There are 120 meeting rooms here, which can also serve as emergency shelters.

The meeting room for this time is... No. 53... here it is.

By the way, arriving 10 minutes before the scheduled time is the key to not being late.

I thought no one would be here, but I knocked just in case.

"Come in."

I was surprised to hear a response.

I didn't expect anyone to be here so early.

"Excuse me."

"Hello. Are you here for the Neima Chamber of Commerce escort?"

Inside were a clearly handsome young man and a beautiful girl with light green hair.

The young man smiled at me, but the girl had an expression that said, "You're ruining our alone time."

"Yeah, I'm here to participate. Are you two also involved?"

"Yes, we can introduce ourselves once everyone is here."

After the minimum necessary conversation, I sat in the seat farthest from them.

Five minutes later,

"Hey, you're early. I thought you'd be late."

An older man, probably even older than the old man Loanz, came in.

"Hello. Are you here for the Neima Chamber of Commerce escort?"

"Yeah, nice to meet you."

The old man plopped down in the seat opposite me.

Three minutes later, a young man in a tank top, cargo pants, and leather gloves entered silently.

When the serious young man spoke to him,

"Hello. Are you here for the Neima Chamber of Commerce escort?"

"Yeah, let's get started already."

He responded with a grumpy or show-off attitude.

"One more person hasn't arrived yet."

"Damn!"

But when he was told that not everyone had arrived, he grumbled and crossed his arms.

At 13:00, two minutes before the scheduled time,

"Sorry, sorry! I thought I had time and went to eat, so I got here late!"

A tall, muscular woman entered.

From her words, she seemed quite lax about time.

"You're late!"

"What? But I'm not technically late, right?"

The young man from the black market complained, but she ignored him.

"Are you here for the Neima Chamber of Commerce escort?"

The serious young man, looking a bit troubled, continued the conversation.

"Let's start with introductions. I'm Arthur Linguard. My rank is City Guard."

"I'm Seira Sainida. My rank is Soldier. I plan to become Seira Linguard soon."

The two who arrived before me seemed to be a couple.

"I'm Bernard Zag. My rank is Soldier."

At this, everyone except him had a look of "Why is the oldest among us a Soldier?"

"Yeah, I used to be a police officer, but I made a mistake and had to find a new job."

His explanation made sense.

"I'm Levin Griselle. My rank is City Guard. Just don't get in my way..."

The black market youth introduced himself with a sullen expression.

He's definitely a regular at the black market.

"I'm Molly Rotlue. My rank is Knight."

The last to arrive was a Knight, the same rank as me.

Tall and muscular, she definitely seemed like a skilled mercenary.

"I'm John Uzos. My rank is Knight."

After everyone introduced themselves, the serious young man, Arthur, looked at me and the last to arrive, Molly, and said,

"Let's start the meeting. Normally, the person with the highest rank leads it..."

At this, the light green-haired girl, Seira, seemed to be putting pressure on, as if to say, "No one is taking the leadership from Arthur."

"I'm not good at leading, so I'll leave it to you."

"Me too."

I'm not good at taking the lead, so I'll leave it to him if I can.

Arthur seems serious and won't push me too hard.

Molly is probably just lazy.

Seira seemed satisfied with the result and snorted.

"Let's start with the positioning for the escort. Is an octahedron formation okay?"

"With this number, that's the best."

The old man, Bernard, agreed while taking out a cigarette.

An octahedron formation means placing guards in front, back, left, right, and above and below the ship being escorted.

"Then, who will be placed where?"

"The top and bottom are usually the ships with the widest detection range. My ship has a detection range of 200 million km, so I can handle it."

"Mine is also quite wide."

When I spoke up, he glared at me with a fierce expression, but

"Then, the two of you will take the top and bottom. Thanks, Seira."

"Sure! Leave it to me!"

When Arthur called out to her, her expression immediately softened.

"My ship is tough but slow, so I can take the front."

"My ship has unmatched firepower and speed, so I'll take the rear."

The front and back were decided smoothly,

"Then, you and I will take the left and right."

"On the field, I'll make the decisions. Please ensure clear communication."

Thus, the meeting ended surprisingly smoothly without any major disputes.

This only makes me feel a bit uneasy.

Next is the escort.

Mercenaries have a general atmosphere of being able to do anything.

I would appreciate your opinions, comments, and any corrections.