After the news of the young lady’s imminent arrival spread, the entire estate was filled with excitement.
Well, it makes sense.
The servants here have been loyal followers who’ve watched her grow up since childhood.
It’s only natural they’d be thrilled that she’s returning.
As for me…
Having just come out of the infirmary, I’m basking in the garden, soaking up some sun for the first time in a while.
Since the young lady is arriving this weekend, I plan to take it easy for a few days.
On top of that, the estate’s even agreed to repair my worn-out buff coat.
I’ll wait for that too.
Whine…
The only thing different today is the ball of white fluff sprawled on my stomach.
It refuses to leave my side, so I’ve just given up.
From what I’ve heard from the maids, when I’m off training or away for some other reason, it plays perfectly well on its own.
Yet, the moment I’m around, it’s desperate to cling to me.
“Oh my~ You two seem to get along so well.”
That said, when I’m lying like this, the maids tend to gather more often than before.
Not for me, of course—Whitey has become the center of attention.
“Not a sibling, but… never mind.”
At this point, I’ve surrendered to the nickname “younger sibling” they keep using.
Fine, call it that.
Come to think of it, I wonder what my biological siblings are up to.
They managed to outcompete me in the struggle for survival and weren’t sold off, so they must be doing fine—farming or something.
“Aw, how cute….”
“When did its eyes open?”
“I suppose its teeth will grow in soon.”
While I was lost in thought, the maids had already surrounded Whitey, chattering away.
“Just recently. Not long ago.”
Whitey opened its eyes not too long ago.
Now that it can see, it’s started to distinguish its surroundings a bit better.
Though, as you can see, it still insists on lying on top of me.
Come to think of it, I should get up.
I’ve got a quick errand to run, so I picked up Whitey by the scruff and placed it on the ground.
Whimper…
“Oh my, so adorable….”
“Look at that!”
Ignoring the maids’ fussing, I brushed the dirt off my clothes.
This little thing keeps crawling back onto me, and my clothes get filthy because of it.
“Please watch Whitey for me.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“I’ll be right back.”
It’s about time I paid a visit to the Mercenary Guild.
Last time, I descended from the mountains alone; I should touch base with Jevan now.
“You do know the young lady is arriving this weekend, right?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”
There are still a few days left, aren’t there?
I don’t plan to be gone long anyway.
“Before you go, let us fix your hair.”
“…My hair?”
“Oh, um, we’ll comb it for you.”
After a quick grooming session courtesy of the maids, I stepped out of the estate.
“Hah…”
Leaving Whitey behind, I strolled through the streets with a lighter heart.
Thinking about it, will I have to start taking Whitey for walks someday?
Wolves are canines, so I imagine they’d need walks to relieve stress.
Would it be weird to walk a wolf through the streets?
Then again, pet wolves are trendy in the northern regions, so it should be fine.
Besides, Whitey looks like a mere pup for now, so it probably wouldn’t stand out too much.
Anyway…
When I arrived at the Mercenary Guild, I pushed open the doors and stepped inside.
The guild was bustling with mercenaries as usual.
Ignoring the curious gazes directed my way, I headed toward the tavern area.
I’d come at a time when Jevan was likely to be around.
Hopefully, he’s here.
If not, I’ll have to ask the staff to pass along a message and schedule a meeting.
“Ah…”
In the corner of the tavern, I spotted Jevan surrounded by his subordinates, letting out heavy sighs.
Lucky for me, he’s here. Saves me the trouble of coming back.
“What’s got you sighing so deeply?”
I approached him and spoke.
“Who… Oh!”
Jevan turned at the sound of my voice, startled, and quickly stood.
Judging by the bandages on both him and his men, the last battle must have been intense.
Well, considering how many Giant Wolves we faced, it’s no surprise there were injuries.
“How’s your body holding up?”
“I’m fine.”
I’d been injured during that fight too, but I’ve fully recovered.
The bandages are off, and outwardly, I look perfectly fine.
“That’s a relief.”
“Disappointed?”
“N-no, not at all!”
When I joked, Jevan flinched, clearly panicked.
His reaction confirmed he hadn’t actually been hoping for the worst.
“Our captain was quite worried about you, Cain.”
“Hmm? Well, that makes sense.”
After all, he’s counting on me to teach him Fleet.
For Jevan, it’s in his best interest that I return alive.
“We’ll continue the Fleet training during the next mission.”
“The next mission…?”
“Bring me one after this weekend.”
With my injuries healed and Whitey’s eyes now open, I’m ready to take on another mission.
It’s time to gather materials, earn some money, and upgrade my gear.
The last battle made me realize the importance of proper equipment.
Facing high-altitude monsters would also be excellent training.
Compared to sparring with Darren or Kaiden at the estate, this would be far more productive.
The estate’s head guard is an Aura user, but he’s not keen on sparring with me.
Being in charge of the entire security team, he likely doesn’t want to waste time.
“Understood. I’ll prepare a mission.”
“And don’t bring me anything absurdly difficult like last time.”
“Th-that wasn’t my intention…”
What was that last mission?
The difficulty was borderline insane—enough to wipe out most mercenary teams.
“Well, then. I’ll be going.”
Having said what I needed, I turned to leave.
“W-wait a moment!”
Jevan called out, stopping me just as I was about to step out.
“What is it?”
“That… well, some of my men were injured in the last mission.”
“Oh, really? Were they hurt badly?”
“Yes… Some are still confined to the infirmary.”
Now that I think about it, their numbers do seem a bit reduced.
It appears the battle with the Giant Wolves was even more intense than I had imagined.
“Hmm.”
A reduced team is a bit troublesome.
Silver-ranked mercenaries are a valuable asset, after all.
One of the main reasons I rely on Jevan is because he leads such a capable group.
“Here, use this for the medical expenses.”
With that in mind, I pulled out a handful of silver coins from my pouch and handed them to Jevan.
I’d earned a decent sum at Gareth’s forge recently, so I could afford this small investment.
“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that…”
“Then what do you mean?”
Even as he tried to protest, Jevan accepted the silver coins with a grateful bow.
Mercenaries—they never pass up money.
“Well… I was actually thinking about recruiting some new members.”
“To fill the gaps in the team?”
“Yes. I’d been considering it for a while, and now seems like a good opportunity. It’ll cover the losses until the injured recover.”
“Fine, but you don’t need to report every little thing to me.”
Did he think I was their actual captain? That’s not my role.
Still, expanding the team would be a good thing. The larger the group, the less work falls on me.
“I just thought you should be informed….”
“Alright, I get it.”
Even though I’m essentially holding the Fleet technique over Jevan as leverage, I have no intention of micromanaging his group.
Why meddle when he’s more experienced at leading mercenaries than I am?
“Next time, just handle it on your own. I’m leaving for real now.”
“Understood. Safe travels, Cain.”
Having finished my business, I returned to the estate without any other errands to attend to that day.
**
And a few days later.
Before I knew it, the weekend had arrived at the mansion.
“Puppy!!”
The young lady, wearing her uniform and her ponytail bouncing behind her, came running toward me.
“It’s been a while, young lady.”
“I missed you!”
Without hesitation, she crashed into me.
Even though she’d grown quite a bit, I easily caught her.
“How have you been?”
Pat, pat, pat.
She immediately started ruffling my hair, so I leaned my head forward to let her.
“How’s school, young lady?”
“Hmm, no problems!”
She sounded confident, though I glanced at her expression to make sure.
Being bullied?
Unlikely.
Who would dare mess with a Boyd family member, let alone the marquis’ daughter?
If anything, the opposite might be true—she might find all the attention a bit overwhelming.
“Puppy hasn’t changed one bit!”
After thoroughly messing with my hair and face, the young lady turned her attention to the doghouse.
“Everything seems fine… huh?”
She stopped, noticing a smaller doghouse placed beside the main one.
“What’s this? A new room?”
“Well, about that…”
It was time to introduce Whitey to her.
“Actually…”
“Young lady, there’s a new addition to the family.”
Lowell interjected, saving me from fumbling with the explanation.
“A new addition?”
“Yes, the puppy brought it in all on his own.”
With that, Lowell went to the smaller doghouse and picked up Whitey, who had been napping peacefully.
Whimper…
“What is that?”
The young lady’s eyes widened in shock as she looked at Whitey, then back at me.
“Did you… have a pup?”
…What?
That’s an absolutely shocking conclusion.
Does she genuinely think I’m a dog?
“No, young lady. That’s not the case.”
“Right, just kidding.”
She said with a playful grin.
“So, you found it?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
She paused, thinking for a moment, her eyes darting as if weighing something.
And then…
“Then it’s your little sibling?”
Her conclusion was eerily in line with the rest of the estate staff’s jokes.
…Terrifying.
How does she always come to this kind of conclusion?
As expected, the young lady’s thought process felt different.
“Yes, young lady. A younger sibling.”
“Then you better take good care of it, Puppy!”
And so, with the young lady’s return, the estate was once again filled with energy.