CH 194

Chapter 194

Those Who Take Each Other's Hands : Three Dragon Knights, Part 1 — Preconceived Notions

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

Thump——

A sound like a heartbeat is heard. It is loud, powerful, and very unsettling to listen to. Originally, the beating of another person’s heart is supposed to reassure people, but the sound, similar to that of a heartbeat, was very unsettling to those who heard it.

Is it because the sound is not a real heartbeat? The man wanted to discuss the sound with someone, but there were only a few people who knew about it besides himself.

「Why, why doesn’t anyone want to hear this sound…」

The man who was listening to the sound muttered to himself. It is such a loud sound, if one listened carefully, one should be able to hear it. Perhaps because there’s no sign other than the sound, or maybe because no one is smart enough to listen. But the man who heard the sound thinks. By the time the masses realize this, it will already be too late. This is a certainty.

He was convinced that the fact that he was the only one who heard the sound must’ve been a sign from heaven. He believed that he had been chosen by fate.

「Then I have no choice but to do it. Even if it means going down the path myself as a matter of course.」

The man who had heard the sound didn’t ask for anyone’s consent, but made up his mind alone.

＊＊＊

「So, Alfie, how do you plan to build your mercenary group?」

「Eh?」

Alfiris and her friends were drinking at the inn’s tavern. It was the fifth day of their journey on the North Road.

The horses brought from the prairie with Aerial were very fast. With more than twice the physical strength of an average horse, the journey was much faster than expected. From Febran, we passed through Ramlissa and headed north on a single track.

To be frank, even the two main roads other than the central road aren’t safe. Three govern the Northern Highway. The portion of the road that is governed by two of the eastern countries, Romansland, is still safe. But the remaining one-third of the country runs through a disputed area where small states are in turmoil. Skirmishes are still raging in this area, which is one of the most unsafe areas in the eastern part of the continent. There were also many fiends, and it was also the area where the Church of Arnelia and mercenary guilds were most likely to receive requests for dispatches.

The group was staying for two days in a city called Brügal, in Vindal, a province of Romansland, in order to improve their financial well-being, equipment, and luggage before entering the area. The plan was to purchase supplies while adding to the street bank by fulfilling requests as mercenaries here.

Alfiris and her team succeeded in getting the request to defeat fiends, so they were able to raise the roadside money faster than they had expected. So now they were all having a drink to restore their energy. Of course, Ilmatar has already been put to sleep. Lisa’s sensors would sense every step of the way, including even sleeping in, so she felt at ease and even joined Gwendolf for a drink.

When all the women drink together, they, like most of the town’s girls, talk about love. Normally, they would have liked to play along with Fenna’s past story or tease her about Kazas and Nia, but now that they didn’t know if Fenna and Kazas were safe or not, they couldn’t say anything careless.

With the new additions to the group, they were in the midst of being teased that the love life of Alfiris would be the main topic of conversation here. Euthy is always trying to bring up Lisa’s story, but each time she’s doing well at it, she always brushes it off. And surprisingly, Kaede became very talkative when she was sober. She took the initiative to start talking about her views on love, as if she had a drinking problem.

「Even I…even I, right? I at least have an ideal man!!!」

「L–Like what?」

「It’s okay to be a Mouthless, isn’t it! Why can’t I have an honest love life? The other day, the other day, my seniors went out drinking with the men of the Templar Knights without telling Kuchinashi-sama! And I’m the only one who’s not an adult yet, so I’m left out!!」

「No, that’s…」

「Who let Kaede drink alcohol?」

Only Miranda was laughing amusedly as she poured more sake into Kaede’s cup, as if to agitate Kaede, who wasn’t at all engaged in the conversation.

As the drinking session was getting lively, Miranda suddenly talked to Alfiris about the mercenary group.

「So, Alfie, you know, I’m asking how you plan to form a mercenary group.」

「I’d be interested in that too. After all, I’d have to leave Gruzald to join.」

「Lisa is no stranger to this, so let’s hear it. I would be willing to participate, depending on the terms.」

「I have decided to follow Alfie. I’ll be there no matter what.」

「Me too.」

「I–I heard that Miranda will be joining us.」

「Okay-okay, Kaede, go to sleep now.」

「E–Ermm…」

Alfiris was stumped. She have a lot on her mind, but Alfiris has only been out in the world for about two years. Since she have only been a mercenary for a short time, the figure she envisioned doesn’t quite come with a real sense of reality. So, to speak honestly…

「I–I don’t know…」

At that one word, everyone gasped.

「Fuu…」

「I thought Alfie might have a chance of saying that…」

「What the heck, you dressed up for the occasion and now you’re doing that?」

「Ahhaha, as expected, Alfie never bores me.」

「I–I can’t help you know?」

While each of them gave Alfiris a white eye, Alfiris was mortified. Seeing Alfiris like this, Lisa and Miranda began to explain.

「Well, let Lisa explain the procedure to create a group of mercenaries. Because it seems that this big woman needs to be trained, or rather, educated.」

「Right. I think I may know some old information, so I’ll let Lisa handle this one.」

「I find Lisa’s wording somewhat disturbing, but… please.」

Alfiris bowed her head. Perhaps somewhat put in a good mood by this, Lisa began to explain the situation while sipping on some Kukus juice.

「First, to be registered as a mercenary group, you must apply to the Guild. There are several requirements for application, but first, the number of people」

「Number of people?」

「Yes. It makes sense to apply as a mercenary group. The advantage for the employer is that if they call on that group, they will immediately have a certain number of people. So, to register as a mercenary group, you need at least 10 people who belong only to that group.」

「10 people…」

Alfiris is troubled by the words.

「Can a Beastkin be even there?」

「There’s a mercenary group of beastmen, and it will not be a problem. However, Euthy may not be possible.」

「What the hell～」

Euthy pouted as if she was left out of the group.

「It is up to the Guild to judge whether or not Euthy will be included in the number of people. Therefore, Lisa is unable to make a decision on this matter. After all, it’s not usual to let fairies who belong to nature get involved in such a bloody business as mercenaries.」

「That’s true, too. So, I’m going to assume that Euthy doesn’t count, and I’m going to calculate…」

Alfiris looks around at all of them. The ones who seem to count are Aerial, Rana, Lisa, Nia, and, although they’re not here, Kazas. Miranda and Kaede can’t because they belong to the Church of Arnelia, and it would be reckless to count Gwendolf and Ilmatar. She was sure Fenna can’t either, since she is royalty to begin with, even more than she’s a Seeker.

Leaving Nia and Kazas aside for the moment, Alfiris realizes that there are only four of them, including herself.

「That’s not even close.」

「Yes. So it would be better to talk to more and more people who might have something to see during this trip.」

「But what should I say to them to ask them out?『I am being targeted by very strong people, so you have to help me!』Something like that?」

No one could immediately refute Alfiris’ words. If they join her, they may face that Lifeless and others. She thought it might be deceitful to call out to them, knowing that they might be in such danger.

「That… well, that depends on how Alfie convinces them to do that.」

「Don’t worry, Alfie. Mercenaries are, to put it bluntly, a hive of outcasts who have lost their way in life. That’s exactly what happened to me.」

Miranda taps Alfiris on the shoulder as she stirs her drink.

「That’s why mercenaries are always ready to disappear with the dew of battle. Alfie doesn’t have to worry about that. What is important for mercenaries is how fulfilling the present is. That is the most important thing. Some of them are out in the service purely to make money, though. For this reason, it is more important that the mercenary group is comfortable. That will depend on your ability as the leader.

And in the end, I think the battle will involve the Arnelian Church and the nation. Alfie and the others need not be the only ones bearing the brunt of this.」

「I agree. And the possibility of confronting them, why don’t we just ask everyone when the time comes? We are not going to fight them, at least not yet, and if it becomes definite that we are going to fight them, then we can ask each of them again what they want to do.」

「The first priority is to establish a group. That’s one way of thinking.」

「I see, you have a point there.」

Gwendolf’s words seem to have convinced Alfiris. Miranda continues her words.

「If that’s how we’re going to make allies, I’d like to fill in the gaps in the talent we’re lacking right now.」

「For example?」

Alfiris asks.

「First, the mages. Each of us uses magic, but we are too much on the offensive, so it is troublesome when we encounter enemies who use magic like entangling hands. Even though Lanna can handle some of this, it would be better to have a diversity of attributes as well.」

「Having said that, I’d also like someone who can specialize in vanguard. Alfie, Miranda, and Aerial will do the vanguard while I go back to Gruzald. The three of you are versatile. That’s why, if we are led away and all are dragged to the vanguard, there will be no one to protect Lisa, Euthy, Ilmatar, and Lanna behind them.」

「That’s a possibility. There are certainly more people in the rear guard to protect, so this is a tricky issue.」

「Hmmm.」

Nia and Aerial’s words caused Alfiris to drop her head. Furthermore, Lisa continues.

「We need someone else with a pure mercenary background. Of these two, Miranda and Lisa have pure mercenary experience, but Miranda was a mercenary a long time ago. Lisa also didn’t take most of the requests that would come out of Mysia. But from now on, the requests we receive as a mercenary group will include wars between humans. With that in mind, we need at least one person in the group who has experience in warfare. Because until Nia joins, there’s no guarantee that there won’t be a war request.」

「War, huh? Do we have to accept such a request too?」

Alfiris looked at Lisa with an uncomfortable look. Lisa also agreed with Alfiris,

「It would be impossible. If you are going to create a mercenary group, it is an unavoidable problem. We don’t know if we’re dealing with humans or fiends.」

「Is that really so～」

「Can I say something about that, as someone who has been on the battlefield?」

Nia raises her hand.