Chapter 18

When Aldis returned to the Stopover Inn, he called out to Kasuha, who was writing at the counter, and informed her that he intended to check out of the inn the next noon.

"Huh? A... Yes..."

Kasuha's eyes widened in surprise for a moment but quickly replied with an apologetic tone.

Aldis had noticed over the past few days that the gazes of other guests were mixed with a sense of aversion. At the same time, Kasuha's attitude had changed from her initial enthusiastic one, and she often wore a troubled expression. Her words seemed difficult to say, and she often appeared to want to say something but then held back.

Aldis suspected that rumors about the twins had started. The twins were always confined to their room, and Kasuha delivered their meals to the room. They rarely came into contact with others, but they must have been seen by other guests on their way to the bathroom.

Of course, Aldis had instructed the twins not to leave the room unless absolutely necessary and to never leave together. However, even though the twins always followed his instructions, they might not have been able to bear being separated and alone.

Aldis hadn't heard it directly from Kasuha, but he could feel that the inn was getting a bad reputation from the gazes and occasional snippets of conversation from the guests and the people around the inn.

The Stopover Inn was a small inn. If it gained a bad reputation, it could quickly lose customers, and even the procurement of ingredients could be affected.

Kasuha probably wanted to do something about the cause of the problem, the twins, but since she had taken them in, she found it difficult to speak up. It was understandable that she showed a look of relief when Aldis said he was leaving.

"Prepare dinner for tonight and breakfast for tomorrow. Also, I want to take a bath before dinner."

"Got it. I'll bring it later. ...I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I've caused you trouble. I'm sorry."

Aldis had ended his hunting with Grishe and the others early because of this. While it was just a rumor now, if he ignored the situation, it would eventually become more troublesome. That's why Aldis decided to check out of the inn and arrange a house for himself.

(Thanks to which, my wallet is almost empty.)

The gold coins he had accumulated over the past few days of hunting were almost gone.

Honestly, if Aldis were alone, a single room in a cheap inn would have been sufficient. But considering that the twins would remain in the room, staying in an inn with other guests was a concern for safety.

In a house where no one else could see them, as long as they didn't go outside, they wouldn't be seen by others. It would be a significant expense, but if he could leave the house with peace of mind, there would be better-paying jobs.

The next day, after finishing breakfast, Aldis lay down on the bed and took a nap until noon. Then, he put the twins in children's robes and left the Stopover Inn.

He went to the chamber of commerce that had arranged the house to pick up the key, bought a late lunch from a street vendor on the way, and headed to the new home.

The twins followed Aldis silently without complaining. Thanks to the deep hoods on their robes, no one would recognize them as twins.

Walking slowly to match the pace of the young twins, it took about thirty minutes to finally reach the house Aldis had contracted. It was an average-sized house in the city of Tria, with six rooms on two floors, which was too large for Aldis and the twins. However, the house was surrounded by a high wall, far from the slums, and there was a guard post nearby. Given the priority on safety, it was inevitable that other aspects didn't meet his expectations.

After inviting the twins into the new house, Aldis began to explain the situation to them.

"From today, this will be our home. Unlike the inn we were in until this morning, no one else will be here except for the three of us. From now on, you can move around freely inside the house. When you want to go outside, I'll accompany you. Inside the house, it's fine, but be careful not to be seen together when you go outside."

As usual, there was no response from the twins. They stared at Aldis intently while he spoke and nodded when he finished. Communication seemed to be working, but they might still be wary. The twins rarely spoke out loud.

Over the next three days, Aldis focused on setting up the living environment in the house. He bought beds for himself and the twins, a set of kitchen utensils, a table and chairs for meals, and various other household items from the chamber of commerce and the market.

Unlike the inn, which had built-in furniture and beds, Aldis, who didn't intend to settle in this house, didn't want to spend too much money, but he also didn't want to put the young twins in a poor environment. He bought the necessary items without hesitation, even though his wallet was almost empty.

"Listen, I won't be coming back every day from now on. There will be times when I'm away from home for several days. I'll stock up on food that lasts, and I'll prepare so that you don't need to go outside. So, learn to take care of yourselves."

Over the next five days, Aldis taught the twins how to start a fire, boil water, draw water from the well, and cook simple meals. Then, he began to think about returning to his daily life as a mercenary. For the first three days, he went on day trips, and then he started to stay out for a full day or even overnight.

Fortunately, the twins learned quickly and could take care of themselves without any problems. Normally, young children would feel anxious or lonely without adults, but perhaps because of their unusual background, they didn't show such signs. They seemed more at ease when they were alone.

Since they rarely complained, Aldis found it somewhat unsettling how smoothly things were going. Even when he returned home, they hardly spoke, but at least they could now say "yes" and "no."

They ate at the same table, but the twins wouldn't start eating until Aldis did. The beds he had bought for the twins were never used. When he checked their bedroom at night, he found them huddled together under a blanket in the corner of the room.

(I guess I'll have to take my time.)

Aldis couldn't take care of the twins forever, and he didn't intend to. But he planned to find someone to take them in during his mercenary work. He felt he owed it to his former comrades to do at least that much, given the debt he couldn't repay.

"See you. I'll be back in two days. I've stocked up enough food for five days, as usual."

"Okay."

The twins nodded, shaking their platinum blonde hair, which had been cleaned and now shone. It was a short response, but it was better than before. With that thought, Aldis left the house.

Without the constraint of day trips, Aldis had more options for the jobs he could take. He could take on short-term jobs like guarding or investigating, or he could go on longer hunts in various locations.

Hunting in the nearby grasslands for beasts was less profitable than hunting 'Hounds' or 'Whips' in the Cossus Forest. Thanks to this, his financial situation, which had once been depleted, was resolved within half a month.

"So, how about lending a hand with this job?"

A stern-faced swordsman approached Aldis with enthusiasm.

"Ted, Aldis is backing away. Don't get too close with that 'bad guy face' or he'll run away."

Orphelia's words made Ted step back with an annoyed expression.

"Come on, Orphelia. You can't call a party member a 'bad guy face,' can you?"

"Ha ha. But it's true. With Ted and Aldis, if someone doesn't know them, they'd only see a criminal and a victimized boy."

Norris laughed heartily.

"Ch, I can't accept that... But anyway, Aldis. Do you have any current jobs?"

"No, not really."

"Good, that's perfect. Listen up."

Ted led Aldis into a tavern and sat at a nearby table, immediately ordering a beer.

"Hey, Ted. We're supposed to be working!"

"It's fine, Orphelia. Just one cup. It won't make me drunk."

"Ugh..."

"Besides, what can you do? It's awkward to sit at a table without ordering anything. There's no other place to sit and talk."

"Then get fruit water or a light meal, not alcohol."

"Ha ha. Orphelia's right, Ted."

"Ch! It's fine to have a drink to boost morale, right, Aldis?"

"Rather, what's the job?"

Aldis prompted with a somewhat annoyed expression, as if to say, "Don't ask for my agreement in such a situation."

"You're no fun, you know."

Ted grumbled and then changed his attitude to speak to Aldis.

"About the job Norris got yesterday—"

Ted began to explain that they had received a search and rescue request. The targets were students from the Mariules Academy, who had come from the capital.

"Mariules Academy?"

"It's an academy in the capital that aims to discover and nurture talent."

Norris answered Aldis's question.

"Hmm, so it's for the children of nobles?"

"That's the royal academy. The Mariules Academy accepts commoners, so the children of nobles are only a small part."

"So, what happened to these students?"

"Right. It's a common story. The academy teaches them how to fight and use magic, but every year, some students overestimate their abilities and take reckless actions."

"Reckless actions?"

"They go out into dangerous areas without a guard and try to defeat monsters on their own."

"Are they stupid?"

"Ha ha. You're blunt, Aldis. I think so too."

"So, you're supposed to find these idiots and bring them back?"

"In simple terms, yes."

Orphelia continued Norris's explanation.

"The job we received is to search for and rescue students who didn't return by the scheduled date. The location is the Cossus Forest. They were supposed to return in four days, but they didn't come back by nightfall, so a search request was made."

"You think it's too late, don't you?"

Norris read Aldis's expression and interjected.

"Why the Cossus Forest? There must be more suitable places closer to the capital."

The Cossus Forest is a dangerous place where even experienced mercenaries can be killed if they let their guard down. It's not a place where inexperienced students could survive.

"They probably wanted to show off. They came all the way to Tria and entered the forest from here."

"Huh? They entered from Tria?"

"That's why the request came from here, not the capital. It's faster to search from this side."

The Cossus Forest is vast, and the level of danger varies by location.

The forest is home to various beasts and monsters, and their habitats are known to some extent. 'Whips,' which even veteran mercenaries avoid, are more common on the Tria side, while there are fewer on the southwestern capital side.

Therefore, the capital side of the Cossus Forest is relatively less dangerous compared to the Tria side. The monsters that appear on the capital side, such as 'Dual Sword Beasts' and 'Cloud Swarms,' can be handled by experienced mercenaries.

Of course, even relatively less dangerous doesn't mean it's safe. These are not opponents that mere students can defeat.

What foolishness. Aldis felt a slight dizziness at the level of stupidity that couldn't be described as mere 'youthful folly' or 'recklessness.'

"Well, I understand what you're thinking, Aldis, but this is a job. If rescue is impossible, the reward conditions include confirming their status and recovering their belongings."

Ted, who probably thought the students' survival was hopeless, said this.

"Normally, we'd let them suffer the consequences, but it seems the academy and the lord are offering a reward, and it's a substantial amount."

The stern-faced man grinned and said that the reward for a successful rescue was 150 gold coins, and 30 gold coins for confirming their status and recovering their belongings if the rescue was too late. For a search request involving unknown students, this was an unusually high reward.

Norris speculated, "Maybe there's a child of a powerful noble among the students?"

Indeed, that would explain the unusually high reward and the immediate search request.

Normally, if a mercenary's return is delayed, a search or rescue request isn't made immediately. Even if they don't return by the scheduled night, no one would send a rescue team for a mercenary.

"How about it, Aldis? I'd be happy if you could come with us. Even for us, carrying the students while encountering 'Whips' would be nerve-wracking."

"Sure... Yeah. I was planning to go to the forest anyway, so I'll join this time. But can I go home first?"

"Huh? Home?"

Ted tilted his head in confusion.

"Yeah, I finally arranged a house. Staying at an inn was making us too visible, and it was causing trouble. I signed a lease for the house. I told the kids I'd be back in two days, so I need to change the plan. Also, I need to stock up on more food."

"Really? Then we should have talked at your house. We wasted money here."

"Such a face, drinking the beer so happily, and then talking about wasted money? It's not convincing at all."

"True."

Aldis joked, "I don't even have any beer at home," and left the tavern to head home.

2017/11/02 Typo correction: "hope to meet" → "hope to meet"

2019/05/02 Typo correction: "mercenary home business" → "mercenary business"

2019/07/22 Correction: "talking about work" → "talking about work"

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