“Why are you doing this? Get up.”
I was momentarily taken aback to see Jevan suddenly prostrate before me.
What is this? A new ambush tactic?
As I tried to figure out what the mercenary captain was thinking—
“Oh no!”
“We’re sorry!”
The other mercenaries, following Jevan’s lead, began bowing their heads one by one.
“…What’s going on here?”
Unable to make sense of it, I eventually asked.
“Please don’t cut us down!”
“We did everything you asked, didn’t we?”
The mercenaries spouted nonsense out of nowhere.
Cut them down? Oh.
“Because of the sword? It’s just that this thing doesn’t have a scabbard.”
I casually untied the sword and set it on the desk as I spoke.
Was that what scared them?
Well, I suppose if someone who usually doesn’t carry a sword suddenly shows up with one—and without a scabbard—it’d be intimidating.
Especially if they were an Aura user.
“Oh, s-so that’s what it was?”
When I explained the misunderstanding, the mercenaries sheepishly got up from their places.
“Whew… phew…”
Jevan, too, stood up, like the others, but he was drenched in sweat. His expression wasn’t one of embarrassment but rather of relief at having survived.
…How strong was his will to live?
Well, I suppose such survival instincts are what make someone a Gold-ranked mercenary.
“Everyone, sit comfortably. You’ve got the identity prepared, right?”
“Yes… it’s all ready here.”
As I sat down at the desk, Jevan promptly pulled an ID badge from his pocket and set it down.
“It’s legitimate, right?”
“Yes, it’s the ID of a recently deceased Bronze-ranked mercenary.”
“…Did you kill them for it?”
“Oh, no, no! That’d be a huge problem in the capital. We compensated the family and just didn’t report the death officially.”
“Ah, I see.”
Certainly, using the ID of someone deceased was better than forging a fake one.
“What’s the identity?”
“The name is Cain, age twenty-five.”
Twenty-five?
…That’s seven years older than me.
But maybe that’s actually a better fit.
“Cain, I like it.”
It wasn’t bad. The name was distinct from mine but had a certain similarity, making it easy to remember.
“And this is the mercenary badge.”
Next, Jevan pulled out a Bronze-rank mercenary badge.
“You can use this to verify your identity as a mercenary.”
“Hmm. What’s the limit for Bronze rank?”
“For most cities within the same kingdom, it’s sufficient.”
I’d heard that from Silver rank onward, you could even enter cities across national borders.
Considering the future, I’d need to aim for that level eventually.
“You’ve officially registered me with your mercenary guild, right?”
“Yes, you’ve been formally inducted through proper channels.”
“Good, you’ve done well.”
I’d have Lowell double-check the details later, but judging by Jevan’s earlier reaction, he didn’t seem like the type to take risks in matters like this.
Given his apparent survival instincts, I doubted he’d mess around with something that might cost him his life.
“Alright, I’ll verify this when I get back.”
“Um, and about the reward you mentioned…?”
“Once everything checks out, I’ll tell you.”
I fully intended to teach him Fleet as promised.
“R-really?”
“Of course. I’m someone who rewards and punishes fairly.”
Fleet might be a prized technique, but it wasn’t so rare.
Everyone and their dog seemed to know it.
The challenge was becoming an Aura user in the first place.
Fleet was just one of the fundamental techniques.
“Now, let’s wrap this up. By the way, you guys know the Kaine Mountain Range well, don’t you?”
“Uh, yes? W-we do, of course.”
Perfect timing.
I needed to gather materials anyway, so why not enlist the help of some experts?
“Let’s do a job together.”
“A job?”
“You’re heading out on a mission soon anyway, right?”
“Y-yeah, that’s true…”
“You’re going to the Kaine Mountain Range, right? Let’s go together.”
Searching for materials in the Kaine Mountain Range on my own would have been daunting.
If I went with veteran mercenaries, it’d be much easier.
“…Together, you mean?”
“Yeah, I’ll help you out.”
All I needed was to gather materials.
From the mercenaries’ perspective, having an Aura user like me accompany them was certainly a bonus.
“Uh… sure.”
“Take on a tough mission if you need to. Just bring the request.”
“By when…?”
“By next week.”
I still needed to finish healing, and Lowell needed time to verify my new identity, so next week seemed like the perfect timing.
“…But about my mercenary badge…”
“I’ll give it back once the identity is confirmed.”
Ah, right. I’d taken Jevan’s mercenary badge earlier.
To be honest, I forgot to bring it today.
It’s probably sitting in the doghouse.
That’s where I usually keep my miscellaneous stuff. I even have a personal box stashed under the cushion.
“Alright then, see you next week.”
Having said everything I needed to, I got up from my seat.
“Y-you’re leaving?”
“Yeah.”
Truthfully, I’d considered heading straight to the mountains today, but—
Throb.
The slight pain from my injury, which had been bothering me since I jumped off the terrace earlier, was a clear sign.
The wound must’ve reopened a bit. I’d need to get it treated again.
And so, I left the guild, stopping briefly in the upscale commercial district before returning to the estate.
“Where have you been?! You’re not a child anymore!”
I was immediately greeted by an irate healer.
“I brought you a gift.”
I handed over a gift—a universal cheat code for avoiding scolding—but…
“Keep it. Now lie down!”
…It didn’t work.
Don’t women usually love gifts?
**
A few days into recovery…
“Can I go back now?”
“Technically, yes…”
The healer gave me a skeptical look, but my wound had healed enough for me to return to daily activities.
“You heal remarkably quickly.”
“I’ve always been like this.”
Well, ever since I took those strange drugs back in the Colosseum.
The Magic Tower had given them to me as part of an experiment. Now, I can’t help but wonder what kind of medicine it really was.
“Still, don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Got it.”
After enduring the healer’s nagging to the very end, I left the infirmary and returned to the doghouse.
Whew.
Ah, I actually missed this place.
The infirmary was nice, but it felt stifling.
Now, I’ve grown so used to the open, airy doghouse in the middle of the yard.
When I stepped inside, I was greeted by the sight of a well-cleaned interior.
Even though I’d only stopped by briefly to grab clothes last time, I could tell the maids had kept the place spotless in my absence.
I made a mental note to thank them properly next time as I checked around the familiar space. Then, I stepped out, picking up the sword I’d left leaning beside the doghouse.
I had nowhere else to put it, and bringing it to the infirmary would’ve likely sent the healer into a fit, so I’d left it here.
Sure enough, no one had touched it.
Well, the staff here are discreet and trustworthy.
After all, this estate belongs to the Boyd family, and it houses their cherished young lady.
Nobody here would steal a sword or make a fuss about me carrying one.
Still, I made a mental note to get a proper scabbard as I strapped the sword to my waist and headed toward the training grounds.
“Oh, Rain! You’re back!”
As I was walking, I ran into a group of maids.
“Oh, hello! How have you been?”
“We’re the same as always~ We heard you’ve been helping out the healer lately?”
The maids seemed to assume that my absence was due to assisting the healer.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“How’s the healer? We live in the same estate, but we never get a chance to see her.”
Catching on, they started asking about the healer.
The Boyd family’s infirmary and its surroundings were off-limits to other staff, so it made sense that they were curious.
“Hmm.”
I paused to think about the healer.
Honestly, she strikes me as someone who overreacts a lot… but I couldn’t just say that outright to the other staff.
“She’s a skilled healer.”
“Well, of course, that goes without saying.”
“She’s energetic as well.”
“Really? Wow, that’s not the image we had of her at all.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, yes. We thought she was very cold and serious.”
…Serious?
I recalled how she scolded me just yesterday for sneaking in some training.
Not serious at all.
“Well… she does have that side to her.”
Denying it outright would’ve sounded strange, so I brushed past the topic with a vague reply.
What I really wanted was to test the sword I’d borrowed.
I might get scolded by Lowell if I overuse the dummies, but I needed to see how the sword performed.
It felt solid and well-balanced, with a finely honed edge—on a completely different level from the weapons I’d used before.
With that thought in mind…
“Well, I’m off to train now.”
I ended the conversation with the maids a bit abruptly and made my way to the training grounds.
“Rain!”
“It’s been a while since you’ve been here!”
When I arrived, the guards were deep into their drills.
With the young lady of the house away, they seemed to have a bit more free time.
“I’m here to train for a bit.”
“That sword…?”
“It’s a newly borrowed one.”
“Oh… it looks impressive.”
Unlike the maids, who saw me as more of a pampered puppy, the guards treated me with a degree of caution and respect.
“Here, you can use this!”
“Feel free to take it!”
Without me asking, they quickly set up a practice dummy, ready for me to use.
“Oh, and Lowell said not to overuse the dummies.”
“Please apologize to him in advance.”
“What?”
“I plan to go all out on the dummies today.”
With the Boyd family’s wealth, losing a few practice dummies shouldn’t be an issue, right?
“…Really?”
“Yes, everyone, step back.”
Standing before the prepared dummy, I drew the longsword from my waist, twirling it once before resting it on my shoulder.
Now then…
I focused my Aura entirely on the blade.
Even though my mastery of Rush was still lacking, this sword seemed sturdy enough to handle any amount of Aura I could channel into it.
Pouring Aura into the blade bit by bit, I steadied myself.
“Hyaah!”
With a sharp shout, I brought the sword down in a powerful strike.
Boom!
The dummy shattered into countless pieces, scattering debris across the training ground.
“Wow…”
“The dummy just… exploded.”
I heard the guards’ murmurs of awe as I examined the sword.
Despite the overwhelming force of the Rush technique, the blade remained unscathed, its edge still pristine.
“Phew.”
This sword was even better than I expected.
Honestly, I didn’t feel like giving it back.
