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Chapter 49 – The Princess and the Escort (2)
Chapter 49 – The Princess and the Escort (2)
Chapter 49 – The Princess and the Escort (2)
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 49 – The Princess and the Escort (2)
“There’s nothing to do.”
Ketal lay on the bed, scratching his stomach.
He hadn’t gone to the guild hall for the past few days because there were no more commissions to take on.
He decided to enjoy some leisure time as Rosa had suggested since he had enough money.
He toured the territory, saw a lot, and experienced a lot.
But the territory wasn’t very big.
He had tasted all the food, read all the books in the library, and essentially enjoyed almost everything there was to enjoy.
“I’m grateful they don’t reject me, but…”
The people of the territory no longer feared Ketal and kept their distance.
However, they didn’t try to get close either.
This subtle distance meant Ketal couldn’t get any closer.
One of his dreams was to sit and drink with new acquaintances, but he was quite disappointed.
In the end, there wasn’t much for him to enjoy within that peculiar boundary.
“Have I become addicted to stimulation?”
Some people would love this extremely ordinary life.
But Ketal was bored.
He wanted more excitement, more fantasy.
The White Snowfield was a dreadful place, but at least in that aspect, it was overflowing with excitement.
“I wonder what those guys are doing.”
The barbaric and foolish barbarians of the White Snowfield.
His comrades.
They didn’t keep their distance from Ketal.
They genuinely shared their lives and survived the Snowfield together.
What were they doing now?
They were probably living foolishly as always, but also enjoying themselves.
‘I miss them.’
When Ketal thought about it that far, he hurriedly shook his head.
“No, that’s crazy.”
Missing the White Snowfield?
That’s a mad thought.
He never wanted to return to that dreadful place.
Just because he longed for excitement didn’t mean he should think about the White Snowfield.
That was a barbaric thought.
He needed to keep a civilized mindset.
Ketal emptied his mind.
But even so, there was still nothing to do.
As Ketal lay there idly, a thought struck him.
‘Come to think of it, is the quest over now?’
Since the moment he first became aware of himself in the White Snowfield, a quest window had always been by his side.
At first, he thought he was dreaming when he saw the quest window.
He wondered if he was having a lucid dream from yearning for fantasy so much.
It wasn’t a wrong thought since he had experienced such cases a few times.
But the biting cold that froze his flesh and the monsters that appeared to devour him made it clear this was a harsh reality.
‘The first quest was to survive for a week, wasn’t it?’
After that, various quests appeared.
For him, suddenly thrown into the bitter cold from modern society, they served as milestones.
But since leaving the White Snowfield, no more quests appeared.
‘Is it only in the White Snowfield?’
Those annoying quests that popped up incessantly were now quiet, which made him feel a bit bored.
He never figured out their true nature, but they definitely helped him.
‘Are they guides leading me into the fantasy world?’
He wasn’t sure, but he was grateful.
Thank you, system window.
‘I will enjoy this world as you intended.’
Ketal got up from his seat.
“There should be something now.”
Ketal headed to the guild hall.
He hadn’t gone because the available commissions were all trivial, things he had done before.
Now that a few days had passed, something new must have appeared.
“You’re here.”
Rosa greeted Ketal as always.
“Have you rested enough?”
“I did rest. I’m just bored now. Is there any new commission?”
“Hmm… let me show you.”
Rosa handed over the commission sheet.
Ketal murmured as he scanned it.
“Nothing special. Aren’t there any new dungeons?”
“Dungeons don’t appear that easily.”
The occurrence of dungeons ranged from at least several months to years.
It was natural.
If dungeons appeared every few days, the surroundings of the territory would become a field of dungeons.
In the end, there were no new commissions.
The remaining ones were just errands from the territory’s people.
Ketal scanned the commissions to the end with a bored expression.
“Hmm?”
And then he saw it.
“An escort commission?”
“…Oh. I forgot about that.”
Rosa scratched her head as if she had forgotten.
“What is an escort commission?”
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. You need to protect the client or goods to their destination.”
“Hmm.”
Ketal’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“Is that all?”
“For more detailed conditions, you need to take them to the guild hall at the destination.”
“Is it impossible without a guild hall?”
“No. If there’s no guild hall, a guild manager will be waiting at the destination. You can confirm with them.”
Rosa continued speaking.
“And all the preparations for the journey to the destination must be done by the mercenary.”
A escort commission would take at least a few days.
Naturally, during that time, many things would be needed, such as lodging, food, and clothing.
The mercenary had to prepare all of that in advance.
“Of course, you’ll also have to handle all the obstacles and interruptions you encounter on the way to the destination.”
“It requires a lot of effort.”
“But the pay is high.”
The reason you could only hire one mercenary even after spending a gold coin was because of this.
Not only did they have to be dragged along, but the mercenary also had to handle all the basic preparations, which required initial funding.
And because of that, not just anyone could accept it.
“Basically, those below D-rank cannot accept escort commissions. Trusted E-rank mercenaries can take them, but they are very few.”
Rosa smiled wryly as she said that.
“But it’s not a popular commission. It’s a hassle.”
Despite the high pay, you have to be dragged around for at least a few days.
You also have to prepare everything for the journey yourself.
There weren’t many mercenaries with such strong organizational skills.
“What are the criteria for a successful commission?”
“To arrive at the destination without any damage to the client or the goods. That’s the basic requirement. Beyond that, it depends on the client’s discretion. There are quite a few cases where you still get paid even if there’s some damage.”
Rosa whispered softly.
“I’ve mentioned before that simply having skills isn’t enough to become a B-rank mercenary, right? You need to be acknowledged by someone of status. That usually happens through these escort commissions.”
“A stepping stone?”
“You can see it that way.”
Escort commissions are expensive.
Ordinary citizens find it difficult to use them.
Nobles often commission the mercenary guild for things they can’t do publicly.
If you show good performance and earn their trust, you can become a B-rank mercenary.
Ketal read the commission sheet.
[Escort Commission]
[Client: One woman. One old man.]
[Destination: Capital of the Denian Kingdom.]
“The Denian Kingdom, huh.”
“It’s quite far.”
“Hmm.”
Ketal stroked his chin.
It smelled fishy.
And that made Ketal smile.
“Can I take this commission?”
“What?”
Rosa was surprised.
She never expected Ketal to take an escort commission.
“…You want to take this commission?”
“Yes. Is it impossible?”
“No, it’s not that…”
Rosa said, flustered.
“…Honestly, it’s suspicious. It smells very fishy.”
The Denian Kingdom is far from here.
To get there, you have to take a roundabout route.
There are several territories larger than the Barkan territory in between.
If you were going to commission an escort job, it made more sense to do it in one of those territories’ guild halls.
The mercenaries there are on a different level.
But the old man specifically came to this remote territory and placed the commission at night.
“It’s dangerous.”
Rosa opened her mouth.
“It’s not a normal commission. We accepted it because the client’s identity was verified, but I had no intention of handling it.”
Aaron hoped Rosa would find mercenaries, but Rosa didn’t plan to help.
One of the receptionist’s jobs was to quietly bury such suspicious commissions.
“It’s too fishy.”
“You don’t understand, Rosa.”
Ketal smiled.
“That’s the good part.”
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
“Is it?”
“Absolutely.”
A remote territory.
A commission to protect a woman and an old man.
And the old man came in shabby clothes, wearing a black robe, only at late night.
The woman didn’t show herself.
How suspicious and attractive a situation is this?
The old man was likely a servant.
The woman probably held a noble status, which is why she didn’t show herself.
Coming only late at night means they had to hide their presence.
It implied they were being chased. They needed to stay hidden.
There was no need to deduce further.
Such a storyline was something Ketal had seen countless times in the previous world.
And it made Ketal’s heart race.
A noblewoman being chased to the limit.
An old man serving her until the end.
A mercenary saving them.
It was the quintessential fantasy narrative.
Of course, he had experienced similar narratives before.
But this was different from those times.
This was the main character’s storyline.
His heart pounded like a child’s.
All his previous boredom vanished.
“I’ll take this commission. Please arrange it.”
“Well, there’s no reason to refuse, but….”
Rosa couldn’t stop him anymore since Ketal’s determination was too strong.
“Just one thing: as a C-rank mercenary, the commission fee might not cover your expenses. Are you okay with that?”
“No problem.”
“Then… understood. I’ll inform the client when they come back and confirm it with them.”
“Thank you.”
An escort commission.
The destination was the Denian Kingdom.
The Denian Kingdom.
Ketal had heard of it somewhere before.
As he searched his memory, he realized:
‘The Akasha family’s Milena.’
The ambitious woman he had met in the White Snowfield.
She belonged to a merchant family.
She had challenged the White Snowfield to save her crumbling family and seize power for herself.
Although he didn’t know the details, it seemed she had succeeded, given the occasional news he heard.
‘Considering that, they might be B-rank mercenaries by now.’
The mercenaries who had protected her.
The Akasha family was a reputable merchant family.
If they were escorting such a family, they would be at least B-rank mercenaries.
Thinking about it, they were quite capable individuals.
How was she living now?
She was one of the few strangers he had a meaningful conversation with in the White Snowfield, so he was curious.
Ketal reached into his pocket and grasped an ornament.
Milena had given it to him, saying he would be welcome if he ever visited.
‘This is perfect.’
He could meet Milena while traveling to the Denian Kingdom.
Suddenly, he was looking forward to the coming days.
Ketal smiled joyfully.
As Ketal accepted the commission and the paperwork was processed, he suddenly froze.
“Is something wrong?”
“No. It’s nothing.”
Ketal shook his head.
After finishing all the formalities, he returned to his quarters, looking puzzled as he stared into the empty space.
“Why is this appearing now?”
A translucent window was floating in mid-air.
[785th Quest.]
[Escort the clients to the Denian Kingdom.]
The quest window that had always been with him in the White Snowfield.
It had never appeared since he left the White Snowfield, so Ketal thought it was exclusive to that place.
But now it had suddenly appeared.
“Was it not limited to the White Snowfield?”
Ketal frowned, a habit he had when he was contemplating.
‘But why now?’
The timing was too sudden.
After being silent all this time, why now?
‘Is there something special?’
Was there a reason the quest window appeared for this escort job?
But Ketal wasn’t sure.
He didn’t know why the quest window appeared.
After pondering for a moment, Ketal shook his head.
One thing he had learned while surviving in the White Snowfield was that worrying with insufficient information was utterly useless.
He knew the escort targets were hiding something, but he didn’t know what it was.
He would find out as he escorted them.
In the end, nothing had changed.
He just had to enjoy the escort mission.
Ketal cleared his mind.
“Alright, let’s get ready.”
He hummed as he stood up.
* * *
That night, when everyone was asleep and the guild hall was closing.
Aaron came to the guild hall as usual.
“How is it today?”
He didn’t expect much as he asked.
He had been unsuccessful for days.
He had resigned himself to the possibility of leaving alone.
But Rosa’s answer made his eyes widen.
“A mercenary has accepted the commission.”
“W-what?”
“A C-rank mercenary. He’s known for diligently handling commissions within the territory. There’s no issue with reliability. Will you accept him?”
“A C-rank mercenary?”
Aaron was shocked.
A C-rank mercenary was on a different level from a D-rank.
Why was such a mercenary here?
No, why did he accept the commission?
As if reading his thoughts, Rosa spoke calmly.
“I’m just relaying the information. The choice is yours. What will you do?”
“Of course, we’ll take him!”
Aaron said hurriedly.
Rosa, as if expecting this, began preparing the acceptance paperwork.
“Then, we will schedule a meeting soon. You can discuss and coordinate directly with the escort mercenary.”
“Understood.”
Aaron hurried back to the quarters.
He knocked on the door roughly and opened it.
Seeing his breathless state, Elene was startled.
“Aaron? What’s wrong? Are the pursuers…?”
“The commission has been accepted!”
“What?”
Elene’s eyes widened.
“Someone accepted it?”
“Yes, and it’s a C-rank mercenary!”
“What did you say?”
Bang!
The wall was pounded, but this time, neither Elene nor Aaron paid it any attention.
Aaron spoke joyfully.
“It’s true. The only C-rank mercenary in the territory has accepted our commission! We’ll meet with the mercenary tomorrow to discuss the details.”
“That’s amazing, Aaron!”
Elene knew well the level of a C-rank mercenary.
They were strong, in a completely different league from D-rank mercenaries.
Such strength would be a great asset to their journey.
“But we don’t have the money to hire a C-rank mercenary….”
“You don’t need to worry about that. The mercenary said it wouldn’t be an issue.”
“Really? I thought all mercenaries were greedy….”
“I don’t know either. It’s a very unusual case.”
For now, a major problem was solved.
The two of them rejoiced.
With a grunt, the wall was pounded again.
Only then did they whisper quietly.
“We’re meeting tomorrow, so let’s get a good night’s sleep. We’ll probably be busy.”
“Yes, yes.”
Elene lay down with a happy expression.
‘A C-rank mercenary, huh.’
Objectively, it wasn’t exceptionally strong.
But in her current situation, even that level was a great help.
More than anything, there was something else that made her happy.
The amount Aaron had given as the commission fee was barely enough to hire a D-rank mercenary.
It was far from sufficient for a C-rank mercenary’s fee.
But the C-rank mercenary had accepted her commission.
It felt as if they were extending a favor, not just taking a job.
That made her heart race.
It felt like a prince from a fairy tale coming to save her.
‘What kind of person could it be?’
Maybe they’d have a slightly sharp look.
That’s how mercenaries usually were.
Their body might be covered in scars, but that would only add to their charm.
Elene blushed slightly as she indulged in her daydreams.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]