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“Yes. It’s quite unsettling.”
“Gasp…!”
The man who had been rambling on was startled by the sudden unfamiliar voice and tried to get up. Or rather, he would have if not for the hand gently pressing down on him from behind.
Rohan, who had moved in the meantime, was standing silently behind the man. The same was true for Arpel. The other man who had been listening until just now shuddered as if about to faint at Arpel, who had sat down in the empty spot without making a sound.
“I’d like to hear more details about what you were just talking about.”
“W-What are you doing now…!”
“Of course, it’s not for free.”
Five gleaming gold coins were placed on the table. Although Rohan had also been seated next to Arpel for a while now, it seemed he hadn’t caught the attention of the two whose gazes were fixed on the gold coins.
The man who couldn’t hide his wavering eyes squeezed them shut.
“Still, acting so rudely like this-“
Honorifics had suddenly been added to his speech. He didn’t seem to even realize it himself. Towards him, Rohan…
Held out five more gold coins.
“…”
Gulp. The sound of swallowing dryly could be heard from here. The other man, who had just been forced to refuse without saying a word, was now sending intense looks to his companion. It was close to a look that said, ‘Just try to refuse.’
“…I’m Jake. Pleased to meet you!”
“I’m Colvin!”
“Hey! I’m the one talking, why are you introducing yourself?!”
Their attitudes flipped as quickly as turning over a hand. As soon as the men exchanged glances and nodded, they began introducing themselves with truly loyal attitudes.
Soon they even started bickering lightly, arguing about how to split the money. It was a moment that gave an idea of how much ten gold coins, which Rohan had just given to the two, meant to commoners.
Of course, this situation only lasted for a moment, as the two shut their mouths on their own, unable to withstand Rohan’s obvious gaze. It was because they received an unspoken urging to start talking, as he wasn’t interested in how they divided the money.
Finally, the man who introduced himself as Jake began to unfold his story.
“Actually, my friend is working as a mercenary. But my friend’s friend…”
For several minutes after that, his story continued at length.
In truth, the conclusion drawn from listening to the story wasn’t much different from what they had overheard earlier. Nevertheless, the ten gold coins were certainly not regrettable because…
“It doesn’t seem to be a lie, right?”
“Yeah. Definitely.”
It was because they confirmed that he hadn’t made up the story with lies. A brief conversation passed between the two as they left the tavern after paying for the food.
Despite the explicit warning that they would pursue him to the end and exact double the price if his lies were exposed, he didn’t withdraw his statement even though his face turned pale. It means he seemed somewhat trustworthy in his own way.
Rohan turned his head for a moment to look back at the tavern. An unpleasant sensation kept nagging at his heart. As if he intuitively sensed that something ominous was happening.
“If you’re worried, should we go to the mercenary guild?”
Arpel, who had been watching Rohan from the corner of his eye, asked. When he gently smoothed out Rohan’s slightly furrowed brow, the golden gaze quickly followed.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Yes.”
Despite the subtly coquettish question, there was no hesitation in Arpel’s answer. In the end, Rohan, who burst into a soft laugh, chose to hold Arpel’s hand in response instead of answering.
“Thank you. But, before that.”
Let’s go eat first.
There was a slight awkwardness in his whispering voice. It might be due to the small hope that… hopefully, the next restaurant would have food other than carrots.
***
Perhaps Rohan’s tiny wish came true. The second restaurant they visited was quite successful.
By the time they finished a hearty meal, it was quite late even considering it was their second meal, but still, they moved towards the mercenary guild. As befitting a place where various requests gather, it was lit regardless of day or night.
After entering through the door, they pondered how to obtain useful information. Should they grab anyone and ask? Should they catch the receptionist at the counter and ask? Should they search through the request board?
Or it might be fine to ask the person at the reception desk. Although this wasn’t one of the ‘branches where cooperation could be sought’ that Lexia had pointed out, since they had an S-class mercenary badge, showing it might help them get some assistance.
It was then that a vaguely familiar voice was heard.
“Mr. Rohan? Mr. Arpel?”
Arpel turned his head to look at the person who called them. A middle-aged man with blurry features was standing there. …He couldn’t remember the name. What vaguely came to mind was only that he was the man with distinctive dark circles under his eyes who was always beside Lexia.
“That’s too much! You didn’t remember me before either!”
It’s Dein! Dein!
Seeing the two people just staring at him blankly without saying anything, Dein seemed to notice something and shouted loudly. His voice, ringing around the surroundings, was full of indignation.
“Ah. It’s been a while.”
“Hah…”
Arpel, who had been standing blankly, belatedly greeted him. Dein’s face, exhaling a deep sigh, somehow looked sad.
“I’m sorry. We’ve had a lot going on recently.”
It was Rohan who offered a proper apology instead. He too couldn’t remember Dein’s name, but that was beside the point.
Of course, he had another matter to discuss.
“But what brings you here…?”
Doubt clouded Rohan’s face. After all, until now, he had only encountered Dein when visiting Lexia or when meeting him. But now Dein seemed to be here for a different purpose.
“Well… Since I’ve told Lady Leriana, I suppose it’s alright to tell you two as well.”
“Leriana? You met her?”
“Yes. I met her in this town a day ago… Is there a problem?”
As soon as Leriana’s name was heard, Rohan’s expression subtly hardened. As if intuitively sensing that something had happened between the two, Dein’s belated added question trembled precariously.
Dein continued his explanation after Rohan shook his head. The obvious sigh that accompanied it felt like relief – was it just imagination? Arpel narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at Dein.
“The reason I came here is… Cough, hack! Ahem!”
Just as he was about to start speaking, he happened to meet Arpel’s eyes and choked severely. A coughing fit erupted that was enough to send one person away, causing the mercenaries who had been waiting behind him with their mouths shut tight to panic.
Is that look in his eyes simple displeasure, or is it a signal that he won’t let this slide? Dein read the ominous air flowing from that gaze. It was possible because he had been observing Arpel for a long time and knew his unique aspects.
“…Ahem, hem.”
After the coughing completely stopped, he cleared his throat once, and awkwardly checked Arpel’s expression a couple of times. Only after completing this series of processes…
“Do you know about the recent incidents of mercenaries going missing?”
He was able to begin explaining the purpose of his visit here, which he hadn’t been able to finish. It seemed the story about the “disappearance of mercenaries” would continue from there.
“Just a moment.”
At least until Rohan, who had been quietly listening to Dein’s words, interrupted him.
Rohan, to whom the topic of Dein’s story was not unfamiliar, opened his mouth recalling the information he had learned so far. The imperial palace’s request, the missing mercenaries, and even the story of the hidden mastermind.
“…I didn’t know you were already aware.”
All Dein could do was nod. The surprised look that flashed across his face was brief, and he added with a hardened expression.
“Then the explanation will be easier. We came to this town for the same reason. It means what you’ve heard isn’t just groundless rumors.”
Dein nodded towards the back. They were the ones who had caught his eye from the moment he encountered them upon entering the mercenary guild. Judging by the different colored mercenary badges hanging at their waists, they seemed to be mercenaries following Dein.
“On Lord Lexia’s orders, we started tracking the missing mercenaries, and arrived in this town recently.”
“That means…”
“Yes. This town is where the missing mercenaries were last seen.”
At those words, Rohan smiled bitterly. He suddenly recalled the voices of mercenaries who had been talking about a ‘special imperial palace request’ at the mercenary guild he had briefly visited before starting this journey. He had dismissed it as irrelevant to him, but the momentary unease he felt then had finally snowballed and come to face him.
Whether this is coincidence or fate, it’s hard to say…
“I’d like to hear about this matter in as much detail as possible.”
One thing was certain – there was a lot they needed to know.
Given that not one but several people had disappeared simultaneously, it was as good as a foregone conclusion that the imperial family was involved.
So they needed to find out as much as possible – how this imperial palace request was carried out, who participated, who among them went missing, what were the differences between those who disappeared and those who didn’t. Their status, personality, skills, appearance, family background… They needed to uncover everything they could. Only then would they be able to respond to whatever might come their way.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
