Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 76

Chapter 76

“Is that enough now?”

“…….”

It wasn’t just the soldiers who were taken aback by the quietly spoken question. I, too, could only gape in stunned silence.

The chocolate-colored skin, the tousled raven hair. Surprisingly, the person revealed from within the hood was none other than Trowell.

“To not even wait a moment, you must be truly dedicated to your profession.”

At his smile, the soldiers averted their gaze, faces reddening. Even I, who was used to it, couldn’t look directly at him. It was only natural that ordinary people couldn’t handle it.

I swallowed a sigh of relief, yet still looked at him, bewildered. When our eyes met, he gave me a playful wink. I didn’t know how he did it, but it was clear he had taken some special measures.

“Ahem, you also look quite suspicious. What are you?”

“As you can see, I’m a mercenary.”

“I can hardly believe that. You’ll have to come with us and be investigated.”

The soldiers were trying to force the issue again. Just then, someone stepped forward in front of us. It was Huesen.

“There’s no need for that. I don’t know what misunderstanding has occurred, but these two are definitely members of my company. They are not suspicious people.”

“How can we believe that?”

“I’ll vouch for them on the honor of my mercenary band.”

“Ha! Honor?”

The soldier sneered openly. His contemptuous gaze swept over Huesen from head to toe.

“I’m telling you this because you seem ignorant. The criminals currently wanted are highly likely to be disguised as mercenaries. In other words, all of you here are suspects.”

“Should we properly verify our identities, then?”

“Hmph, if you’re thinking of showing your mercenary guild affiliation plaques, forget it. Temporary wooden plaques like that can be forged easily enough…”

While the soldier muttered dismissively, Huesen silently produced his affiliation plaque, proving his identity. The soldier, who had been looking down with a sneer, now wore an expression of shock.

“A, a gold plaque?”

The soldier looked back and forth between the golden plaque and Huesen’s face in disbelief. The other soldiers also seemed greatly agitated. As if used to it, Huesen calmly accepted their gazes and said,

“I am Huesen of the Champagne Mercenary Band.”

“Cha, Champagne Mercenary Band? Could it be that you are the very Huesen? I have heard much of your fame. I’m sorry! I didn’t recognize you.”

It seemed that mercenaries with gold plaques were treated as knights. The soldiers’ attitude changed in an instant, and the mercenaries around them all looked at Huesen with respect. Amidst the ever-changing atmosphere, Huesen maintained a consistent expression from beginning to end.

“Do you believe my guarantee now?”

“Ye, yes. Of course. It’s Huesen of the gold plaque, no need to verify. It seems there was a great misunderstanding. To suspect members of your company, I am truly sorry.”

“It’s alright, you were just being diligent in your duties.”

“Thank you for understanding. Then we’ll be on our way…”

Perhaps sensing their disadvantage in the rapidly changing situation, the soldiers showed signs of hurrying back. The faces of the people, which had been tense, now relaxed. It seemed that everything was coming to an end. Taking advantage of the lull, I spoke to Trowell in the spirit language [a form of telepathic communication].

『Trowell, what did you do? What about Isana?』

『Ah, below.』

『Huh? Below?』

Confused for a moment, I soon realized the meaning of his words and froze. Below where we were standing, meaning underground. Trowell looked a little apologetic and said,

『I had to hide him in a hurry. It’s okay. I made sure there’s space to breathe. He was probably a little surprised to be buried without any warning, though.』

『Ahaha…….』

When you get to know him, Trowell is probably the scariest of us all. Thinking of Isana, who must be terrified underground right now, I offered a silent prayer.

As the soldiers’ attention completely dissipated, Trowell returned Isana to his original spot. Fortunately, perhaps because everyone was so distracted, no one noticed him suddenly disappearing and reappearing.

“Isana, are you okay?”

“Umm.”

In response to my soft question, Isana nodded with a dazed expression. It was hard to believe that he had just been buried underground. Perhaps that’s why he didn’t seem to fully realize what he had just experienced.

Just then,

Bang!

“Innkeeper! Report to the lord’s mansion! Immediately!”

Suddenly, the door of the inn was violently thrown open, and a group of people rushed in. They were about half a dozen men dressed as laborers. Everyone stared at them in surprise, for they were all covered in blood. The soldiers, who were about to leave, also approached them in confusion.

“What on earth happened? Where did you…!”

“Oh, soldiers! Please help us! It’s a demon beast! A demon beast has appeared!”

“A, a demon beast?”

The word caused a stir in the hall. A demon beast was a creature from the Demon Realm, a being superior to monsters. They rarely appeared in the middle realm, but occasionally one or two would stray through the passages used by the demons. In such cases, the area would suffer great damage until the demon beast was subdued.

“It’s huge and ferocious! We were tending the fields when it attacked us! We barely managed to escape from among a dozen workers. We have to go help the others right now!”

At the worker’s words, the soldiers exchanged glances with pale faces. Then, as if struck by an idea, they shook themselves off and cautiously stepped back.

“So, soldiers?”

“We regret to say that we have another mission and cannot help.”

“What, what do you mean! You are soldiers of this empire!”

“Well, we told you our role is different. Go ask the city’s security forces for that. Now, we’ve wasted too much time. Let’s go.”

“Th, that’s…!”

Pushing away the grasping hands, the soldiers hurriedly left as if being chased by something. It was clear to anyone that they were running away in fear. Everyone stared blankly at the door that closed mercilessly. Some even cursed openly.

“Damn it, the soldiers of the empire can’t even protect their people, instead running away.”

“What kind of ruler is this, working for the people? We were deceived by the Grand Duke! He started his regency as if he would do everything, but he can’t even handle something like this properly!”

“You have to know who to trust. The imperial family of this country ended a long time ago. It’s rotten to the core!”

Isana quietly clenched his fists at the grumbling words. Even without seeing his face, I could imagine his dismayed expression.

“What did the demon beast look like?”

“It was very large and had huge fangs! It looked like a leopard, but it had white fur and three eyes. All the eyes were red!”

“White fur and three red eyes…”

“Wait, could it be a Behemoth?”

At that moment, the commotion among the people grew even louder. Judging by their rapidly paling faces, it must have been a very powerful demon beast.

“This is really bad. If it’s really a Behemoth, this place isn’t safe either. We shouldn’t be standing here; we should run away quickly.”

“I agree. Even dealing with a high-level monster is difficult, let alone a demon beast. If it comes here, we’ll all die in vain.”

“Damn it, what a disaster on our first day here. I thought we could finally relax.”

Everyone paced around anxiously. The drinking party was completely over.

Meanwhile, Huesen was silently checking his weapons. The other Champagne mercenary members also began to equip their gear, as if by agreement. Cowell of the Cocktail Mercenary Band looked at their busy movements with a bewildered expression.

“Hey, what’s going on, guys? You’re not going to hunt the demon beast, are you?”

At his question, the surrounding noise stopped, and everyone’s attention turned to the Champagne mercenary members. Huesen replied without taking his eyes off his weapon.

“The Behemoth is a demon beast that the Hunter’s Guild has designated as the highest level of danger. And this city of Halberk has a small security force compared to its size. There’s no time to wait for a subjugation force to arrive.”

“Wait a minute. I understand your feelings, but can you make such a decision on your own? The merchant won’t allow it. We’re bound by contract.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

“Right? So, put down your weapons and…”

Cowell seemed relieved, thinking he had persuaded them. But Huesen’s words didn’t end there.

“Then, unfortunately, we’ll have to consider this request unfulfilled. Please apologize to the merchant on our behalf. We’ll pay the penalty later through the guild.”

“Gack, are you serious? You’re really going?”

Cowell asked again in disbelief, but Huesen turned directly to the workers as if he didn’t think it was worth answering.

“Where did the demon beast appear? You don’t need to guide us; just tell us the approximate location.”

“Are you really going to help us?”

“There’s no guarantee that things will get better just because we go. But let’s go and see.”

“Oh, thank you, mercenaries! Thank you so much!”

The workers bowed deeply and soon explained where the incident had occurred. Huesen unfolded a map and carefully checked the direction several times. Glancing over his shoulder, I saw that it wasn’t far from here.

After a while, the Champagne mercenary members, having finished their preparations, grabbed their weapons and stood up. A tense atmosphere filled the air as people watched them.

“Then, we’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Hey, even if you’re skilled, isn’t this too reckless? It’s a demon beast! You could die!”

Cowell shouted again, but none of the Champagne mercenary members paid any attention to him. Rather, Cowell seemed more daunted by their calm demeanor. He was the only one even pretending to dissuade them; the others couldn’t even dare to interfere.

“It’s dangerous, so you and Lai should stay here.”

Before leaving, Huesen turned to me and said. But before I could answer, Isana stepped forward.

“No, we’ll go with you.”

Perhaps stimulated by the people’s words earlier, he looked more determined than ever. Huesen’s face twitched slightly at his words.

“This is not a place for children to recklessly follow. Even if something happens, I won’t be able to protect you.”

“It’s okay. I’ll take care of myself. Please let me come with you.”

“What are you going to do without any weapons?”

“…I can use some spirit magic, though it’s weak.”

A murmur spread among the people at Isana’s answer. Everyone around, including the Champagne mercenary members, looked surprised. It was only natural, since they had learned that the child, who had been just an ordinary errand boy, actually possessed a special ability. Herol was particularly interested in his words.

“Heh, spirit magic? Is that like magic? The kind that can create fire and shoot water?”

“You idiot! That’s what people who don’t know anything say. Spirits have their own elements. And each spirit mage can control different elements.”

“Really? Then what can Lai control?”

“Ah, I can control water…”

“Ooh, a water spirit mage? That’s very rare among spirit mages.”

“Is that true, Iril? Wow, that’s amazing! Why didn’t you tell us about such a great ability until now?”

Isana seemed embarrassed by the outpouring of admiration. Seeing him glancing at me, I suppressed a smile. Now that he had boldly revealed it, he seemed to be worried about the aftermath.

But in fact, I didn’t have any thoughts. I didn’t expect him to reveal it like this, but I didn’t want to scold him for taking courage. After all, the subject of this journey was Isana, not me. Actively changing meant that he had found confidence, which was something I welcomed.

“Captain, why don’t you just take him with you? A spirit mage could be a great help.”

“That’s right, we’re not really in a position to refuse right now.”

“…….”

Despite the encouragement from the surroundings, Huesen only looked at Isana in silence. His expression was complicated, as if he was thinking about something. When Isana met his gaze steadily, he finally sighed.

“Okay, but if the situation gets worse, you must retreat immediately. Understand?”

“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”

As if pleased with the firm answer, a comfortable smile briefly appeared on Huesen’s face. But when he turned around, his face had returned to that of a fierce warrior.

“Then let’s go.”