Chapter 89

"Sister Solte. I've brought the mercenary who will take on the request."

The room to which Father Fukami led them appeared to be a dining room for the staff.

Several long tables, capable of seating over twenty people at once, were lined up, and simple chairs were neatly arranged along them.

Inside the room, which was imbued with the solemn atmosphere unique to a church but decorated modestly, a young girl welcomed Ardis and the others.

"Thank you. I'm sorry to trouble you."

"No, it's not a big deal."

Responding to the girl's gratitude in a friendly manner, the priest left the room.

"Please, take a seat. I apologize for the location."

The girl gestured for Ardis to sit down.

She was a short girl.

Her appearance gave the impression of fragility, and her pale pink eyes were clearly filled with anxiety.

"It's been a while. Thank you for saving my life back then."

As Ardis sat down, the girl bowed from the other side of the table.

Her light pink hair, tied back, swayed with the movement.

"Thanks are already more than enough. Let's get to the point."

This girl, Solte, and Ardis had met before in the Kossus Forest.

She and four other classmates had recklessly ventured into the forest on their own and were in a dire situation when Ardis and Ted rescued them.

Since this was a search and rescue mission, as long as the promised reward was received, it was sufficient for a mercenary.

Of course, the contract as a job and the courtesy as a person were separate matters.

At the very least, this girl seemed to feel grateful for being saved.

That's why, despite his reluctance, Ardis decided to listen to her.

After all, a certain noble's son had never even uttered a word of thanks, so it was only natural that his impression of the girl would improve in reaction.

"Yes."

With a troubled expression at Ardis's blunt words, the girl in the nun's habit also sat down.

"I've only heard from Jean that it's a bodyguard job. Surely, you're not planning to go into the forest again, are you?"

"N-no, that's not it."

At Ardis's words, Solte hurriedly shook her head.

Apparently, she had no intention of repeating such a reckless act.

"This time, it's a request related to church duties."

"Church duties?"

"Yes. Are you familiar with the development of the northern hills of the capital?"

Recently, the Nagras Kingdom had begun developing the hilly areas north of the capital.

The settlement of this region, rich in heavy metal veins, was a major project fully supported by the state.

"I've heard about it."

To be honest, it was Ardis who had initially cleared out the 'Bell-Dependent' monsters that inhabited the hilly area.

In a sense, it could be said that the development was both due to and because of Ardis.

"Several villages have been established with the aim of developing the heavy metal mines, but there isn't enough room to build a church yet, and there are no resident priests."

"I see, that makes sense."

"Therefore, the church regularly dispatches priests and nuns from the capital to these villages. The dispatch is on a rotating basis, and it's Solte's turn this time."

"But you're still a novice, aren't you? And you're still a student."

"Exactly for that reason."

Solte smiled wryly.

As a candidate for the future Holy Maiden, Solte was treated differently from other nuns and was allowed to attend the academy. This was a special privilege, to put it mildly.

Therefore, she felt it was her duty to take on such a role.

Her surroundings thought so, and she herself believed it was only natural.

"Hmm. Being a Holy Maiden candidate must be tough."

When Ardis said this with a lack of interest, the Holy Maiden candidate girl showed a troubled smile.

"So, you want me to be your bodyguard on the journey?"

"Actually, it's not exactly a bodyguard... ..."

Suddenly, Solte's voice became awkward and dropped.

By the end, it was barely audible.

"Huh? What did you say? I couldn't hear you clearly."

"It's not a bodyguard... but a porter."

"Porter?"

Ardis's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected role.

"The priest said I could hire one porter, but not a bodyguard..."

"What's that supposed to mean? Are they telling you to go without a bodyguard? That's asking for trouble. Is this the priest from earlier?"

"No, it's a different priest."

Solte quickly denied.

"It seems... the bodyguards are already in place. The church has hired them. However... as a person of the cloth, I know it's improper, but... I'm just... afraid of the bodyguards."

It turned out that Solte had already met the bodyguards, and the encounter had only heightened her anxiety.

"Then why don't you change the bodyguards?"

At Ardis's suggestion, Solte shook her head.

"If I were to change the bodyguards now, it would inconvenience many people. However, hiring one porter was deemed acceptable..."

"Then why don't you ask one of your friends who were with you back then? If you're going to travel together, it would be better to have someone you know, right? I remember there was another girl."

"After that incident, we were all banned from leaving the city until graduation."

"Oh... I see. Well, that makes sense. After all, a reward of 150 gold coins was paid to rescue you five. Even if it was to save a noble's foolish son and a Holy Maiden candidate, it's not a sum to be taken lightly. Naturally, the scrutiny and penalties you face are understandable."

"This time, I was specially permitted to go on church duties, but I had no one else in mind who could fight outside the city... Even if I were allowed to bring someone, it would be a bit..."

"So, that's why you're asking me?"

"Yes. I've heard of your reputation at the academy."

"I understand the situation. I get that you're feeling uneasy, but aren't you overthinking it? After all, these are bodyguards hired by the church. They're not some cheap mercenaries."

This was a formal bodyguard request issued in the name of the church, and the job was to protect a future Holy Maiden.

It wasn't the kind of work that would hire thugs for a few coins.

Despite his lack of enthusiasm, Ardis spoke as if it were someone else's problem, and Solte pressed on, on the verge of tears.

"Please. I'll carry all the luggage. I just need you to come along. If you refuse, I have no one else to ask. I don't have the time to send out a new request, and I have a final meeting before departure today. But I feel so alone..."

Seeing the girl pleading with tears in her eyes, even Ardis couldn't bring himself to refuse.

Reluctantly, he agreed to accompany her to the meeting, but he emphasized, "I haven't decided if I'll take the job yet."

When faced with a child desperately seeking help out of fear, even Ardis couldn't bring himself to turn her away with cold words.

About an hour later, the mercenaries hired to guard Solte arrived.

When Ardis, who had accompanied Solte to the pre-departure meeting in the dining room, saw the mercenaries, he thought it must be a mistake.

There were five mercenaries in total.

At the center stood a swordsman with a cheerful smile and dimples, flanked by two axemen, a bowman, and a mage.

At first glance, they seemed well-equipped and not amateurs.

They appeared to be competent individuals.

But that wasn't the issue.

Ardis frowned because all of them were young men.

Solte was a young girl, and her beauty was well-known even in the capital.

To have a party of all men guarding such a girl was unusual.

If the guard was for a group that included men, like a family, it would be fine.

But for a single girl, the absence of women in the party was highly unusual.

The northern development area Solte was heading to was still in the process of being developed.

There were no established inns, so they would have to camp along the way.

In such a situation, being surrounded by young men was like entrusting a sheep to five wolves.

"You? ... Oh, you're the porter. Man, we don't need that."

When the men noticed Ardis, their eyes showed a look of annoyance.

"Yeah, there's not much luggage. Just leave it to us, Sister."

The men smiled and began to speak to Solte in a friendly manner.

But Ardis could see through it. It was the predatory gaze of a hunter, not the protective gaze of a guardian.

Even a man like Ardis could recognize it.

For a woman, who is naturally more sensitive to such gazes, Solte must have noticed.

This explained why Solte was anxious and why she didn't want to bring a female classmate along.

"Kid, think it over. This isn't a game. You could die, and we won't be responsible."

The dimpled man spoke to Ardis in a high-handed, almost threatening tone.

They appeared to be between twenty and twenty-five years old.

It was understandable that they treated Ardis, who looked fifteen, as a child.

"I'm not a kid. I'm Ardis. I'm a mercenary, in case you didn't notice."

"Hmph, a novice mage. If you're going to carry a useless sword, you might as well wear better armor."

The dimpled man, seeing Ardis's attire, assumed he was a mage.

At the same time, Ardis realized these men were outsiders.

Since the three major demon slayings, Ardis had become a minor celebrity in the capital.

Even people who had never met him would recognize the name 'Ardis' and the 'black hair' as the wielder of sword magic.

But these mercenaries showed no reaction to his name or the sword at his waist, which was his trademark.

They must have recently arrived in the capital or usually operated from other cities.

(Suspicious.)

Ardis concluded.

The capital, being the capital, had a large number of mercenaries based there.

If they were well-known mercenaries, it would make sense to hire them, but there was no reason to hire outsiders.

Ardis couldn't understand what the church was thinking in hiring such mercenaries as guards.

(I can't just leave it.)

Sighing inwardly, Ardis turned to Solte, who was cowering in fear surrounded by the men.

"So, when do we leave? Where's the meeting point?"

"A-Ardis! Really?"

Joy instantly lit up Solte's eyes.

"Fine. I'll take the porter job."