Chapter 32

Since then, Aldis and the woman began to go hunting together.

Even if there was a lingering unease, the hunting with the woman was very smooth and efficient. While Aldis alone was sufficient for fighting, the task of collecting materials was a different matter. Even just having one more pair of hands greatly improved the efficiency.

Sometimes they would go to the grasslands to hunt Despair and Beast King, and other times they would enter the forest to hunt Whips and Lactor. At first, Aldis kept a distance from the woman, but as the days went on, his vigilance gradually lessened.

At least the woman did not show any hostile actions or attitudes towards Aldis. On the contrary, she actively supported Aldis's work.

Being a mercenary, whose livelihood involves trading lives and constantly grappling with death, after seven days of working together, a sense of trust gradually began to form. Time flowed differently for those who lived peacefully in the city.

When Aldis began to feel a certain level of camaraderie with the woman, thinking she could share dangers as a fellow mercenary, one morning, he woke up to find it raining.

"Aldis, it's raining."

"Aldis, are you going to work today?"

When Aldis looked outside the window at the sound of the twins' voices, the sky was covered in dark clouds, and the house, which usually had sunlight streaming in, was filled with a damp air.

"Yeah, it's been a while since it rained. Hmm, I think I'll take a break today."

It didn't seem like a temporary shower. Aldis decided to cancel the day's hunting on the spot.

"Yay! Aldis, let's play!"

"Read a book! A book!"

"Alright, after I finish cleaning up."

With a wry smile, Aldis told the excited twins and quickly finished preparing breakfast.

After finishing the meal, which was a bit more lively than usual, and clearing the dishes at the sink, Aldis was pulled from behind by the twins, who came running with a thumping sound.

"What is it?" When he turned around, they pointed outside the window and said,

"Aldis, the woman is drenched."

"Aldis, the woman with white hair looks pitiful."

When Aldis went to the window where he could see the gate and looked outside, he saw a woman standing in the rain, wearing a white hood.

"Aldis, does the woman not have a home?"

"Aldis, does the woman with white hair not have a futon?"

From the wetness of the hood, it seemed the rain had started in the middle of the night. Aldis thought the woman was being unreasonable for not staying at an inn on a rainy day.

"Aldis, the woman is still wet."

"Aldis, can't you bring her a towel?"

The twins brought a large towel and held it out to Aldis, who was looking out the window. They probably wanted him to take it to her. Compared to when they used to cower in the corner of the room, the twins had grown to the point where they could empathize with others, and Aldis couldn't help but smile.

However, he was still unsure about when to introduce the twins to the outside world. He couldn't hide them forever.

"Well... Let's start with that woman."

Aldis took the towel from the twins and went out the front door. The woman was standing motionless next to the gate. To an outsider, it might look like she was being punished or abused.

"Hey, how long do you plan to stand there drenched?"

"Good morning, my lord."

In response to Aldis's voice, the woman said with a composed face.

"You should stay at an inn on a rainy day. Besides, I didn't ask you to guard the house."

"Do not worry. This level of rain is no problem."

The woman said, letting water droplets fall from her wet hair spilling out of the hood.

"That's why I'm here. Seriously, here, use this."

Aldis gruffly handed her the towel, and the woman took it with both hands.

"I am grateful for my lord's consideration."

As she said this, the woman inserted the towel into her hood and began to dry her wet Alice Blue hair. Her closed eyes and water-droplet-laden lashes showed a delicate beauty that could rival a master painter's portrait. For a moment, Aldis forgot his vigilance and was captivated.

But the words the woman spoke next were enough to make him stiffen in surprise.

"Please convey my thanks to the young twins as well."

At that moment, a look of caution appeared in Aldis's black eyes.

"Hey, woman."

"What is it, my lord?"

The woman met Aldis's sword-like gaze head-on.

"Did you just say 'twins'?"

"Indeed, but what of it?"

Aldis's vigilance level increased. He had never revealed the existence of the twins to her.

"Why do you think there are twins?"

"This is a different matter. You can sense such things by probing the aura. If you cannot even determine the number of people you are guarding, you are not fit to be a servant."

The woman spoke as if it were a matter of course.

"Then, how many people, including me, are in this house?"

"Of course, my lord and the young twins, three in total, right?"

"Why are you so sure they are twins?"

"Their magic, shape, and size are completely identical. Such beings are usually twins."

"..."

Aldis glared at the woman in silence. His expressionless face was reflected in her sky-colored eyes.

Over the past few days, Aldis had come to understand that the woman did not have any hostility towards him. She called him "my lord" and referred to herself as a "servant," but her intentions were unclear. At least, she did not seem to have any intention of being an enemy.

However, Aldis was unsure whether it was appropriate to reveal the existence of the twins. If he believed what the woman said, the twins' existence was already known. Should he deny it or try to bring her over to their side? Aldis was conflicted.

After much deliberation, he asked a more direct question.

"...... What do you think of the goddess?"

"'What do you think' is a rather abstract question, and it's quite sudden."

"..."

"Hmm. What can I think of something that does not exist? It's a meaningless question."

"Does not exist? The goddess?"

"Not just the goddess. There are no gods, at least not on this planet."

"Planet? What's that?"

"The land, sea, and sky. The world as a whole. There are no gods in any of these. Perhaps there are in the distant reaches, but there are certainly none where humans can reach."

Aldis's eyes widened in surprise.

No one doubted the existence of the goddess. In a world where the goddess and her apostles directly intervene, it was unheard of for someone to outright deny her existence. If such a person existed, they would likely be called a criminal or a madman.

Aldis decided to press on.

"Then, what about the goddess that the church worships?"

"I have no idea about someone I've never met."

The woman casually denied the existence of the goddess.

"I hear that this so-called goddess abhors twins... Out of a hundred pregnant women, one set of twins is born. Whether or not there are gods, this is a natural law. Abhorring twins is a sign of a childish mind. Rest assured, I will not speak of the twins, and if they are under my lord's protection, they are also under my protection. I will do my best to ensure they are not harmed."

"...... Can you swear to that?"

The woman slowly removed her white hood and looked Aldis in the eye with her sky-colored eyes.

"I swear, my lord. By my birth and my mission."

With a face drenched by the rain, the woman declared.

"Alright. I'll believe your oath."

Aldis said, softening his expression.

"Let's go inside for now. We're both drenched."

Dripping water, Aldis and the woman stepped into the living room.

Usually, the twins would jump at Aldis's feet when he returned, but this time was different. After observing her from a distance for a few days, the arrival of a stranger was a different matter. The twins hid behind the sofa, peeking at the woman.

"Philia, Liana, can you bring some new towels?"

"My lord, that is unnecessary."

As she spoke, the woman extracted the moisture from their clothes and dried them with warm air. The twins' eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"That's amazing."

"I was surprised."

"Is it magic?"

"It's magic."

"It dried with a 'Pfft.'"

"It blew with a 'Whoosh.'"

"The woman is a magician."

"She's like Aldis."

Whispering to each other, the twins continued their conversation. Meanwhile, the woman straightened her posture and said,

"My lord, can you introduce those twins to me?"

"Sure. They are twin girls, as you can see. The one on the right is Philia, and the one on the left is Liana."

Aldis had only recently learned to tell them apart, but he still sometimes got them mixed up.

"Philia, Liana, this is—"

Aldis stopped mid-sentence.

"By the way, I haven't heard your name yet."

When he led her to the lord's mansion, he hadn't cared, but he couldn't introduce the twins to someone whose name he didn't know. In fact, it was a mistake to have called her "you" for seven days.

"I have no name, as I said before."

"You're not joking, right?"

"I do not hide my name from my lord in jest."

"Then, you really don't have a name?"

"That's what I'm saying."

"But... Then, what should I call you?"

"You can call me whatever you like. 'You' is fine as it has been."

"No, that's not right."

While it might be fine when they were alone, he couldn't introduce someone as "This is 'you'."

Aldis's argument was reasonable, but the woman didn't seem to care. Realizing this, Aldis had to come up with a name for her on the spot.

"Does she not have a name?"

"She doesn't have a name."

"Then, she's Nameless."

"Is she Nameless?"

"Is she not Nameless?"

"Because she doesn't have a name, she's Nameless?"

"So, she's Nameless."

"Is Nameless a name?"

"Nameless is a name."

"Then, she has a name, so she's Nameful?"

"She's Nameful."

"Yeah, she's Nameful."

The twins whispered to each other behind the sofa. Calling her "Nameless" or "Nameful" seemed like a prank.

"Nameless... Nameless... Nere..."

Aldis came up with the name "Nere" based on the sound of "Nameless." Feeling that it was good enough, he said it half in resignation.

"Alright, from today, I'll call you Nere. Is that okay?"

"I accept, my lord. From today, I will be called Nere."

The woman—Nere—accepted it without hesitation.

Was it really okay to accept it so easily? Aldis thought so, but ultimately, the desire to avoid trouble won out.

"Aldis is the mercenary, and you are Nere. The towel earlier was your concern, right?"

From behind the sofa, the twins peeked out, and Nere spoke her new name.

The twins, however, seemed more cautious about a stranger than curious. They didn't run away because Aldis was there, but they didn't approach her either.

"Hmm, well, it's fine. I'll wait for them to get used to me."

Nere didn't seem to want to force the issue.

"By the way, why did you think the towel was the twins' concern?"

"Over these seven days, just as my lord observed me, I observed my lord. I was aware that my lord was wary of me. My lord would not show such kindness to a clear enemy or a potential enemy, right?"

Nere said with a rare smile, sounding confident.

Aldis didn't deny it. Indeed, over the past few days, he had come to trust Nere as a mercenary. However, that was only one aspect of her. Her values regarding the twins were a different matter. Even if they recognized each other as mercenaries, if she showed any malice or harm towards the twins, she would become Aldis's enemy.

But from the moment Nere denied the existence of the goddess, she became less of a potential enemy and more of an ally in Aldis's eyes.

In the future, it would be fine to offer her a towel. Aldis thought this to himself with a light-hearted remark.

2017/11/01 Correction: "女は居住まいを正して" → "女は姿勢を正して"

2017/11/02 Correction: "伺って" → "窺って"

2019/05/02 Correction: "供に過ごし" → "共に過ごし"

2019/05/02 Correction: "傭兵家業" → "傭兵稼業"

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2019/07/30 Correction: "影に隠れ" → "陰に隠れ"

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