Chapter 15
The bandits failed to reach the merchant caravan before the Rangers caught them.
Those who tried to flee farther away were struck by bolts in their backs, arms, and legs.
The others surrendered.
"Impressive, aren't they?"
An older mercenary spoke proudly as they passed beside the Rangers tying up the bandits.
"Our Lutetia Rangers."
Jessica pouted.
"Bragging about your territory again?"
She glanced toward the Rangers.
"They do a better job than most places, sure, but they argue with us mercenaries all the time."
The older mercenary came from Lutetia.
Perhaps because of that...
He constantly bragged about his homeland to Jake, the outsider.
"That can't be helped if they're going to keep law and order."
The man sighed dramatically.
"Ah... if I hadn't injured my knee when I was younger, I could've joined the Rangers too."
He shook his head with regret.
"What a waste."
Jessica immediately cut in.
"What a lie."
She laughed.
"Everyone knows you failed because you weren't skilled enough."
The two bickered for a long time.
The Lutetia Rangers.
Just as the older mercenary said...
They were the mountain combat force Lutetia Territory was famous for.
Unlike the imperial family and most other territories, which relied mainly on knights and ordinary soldiers...
Lutetia operated specialized mountain troops.
Rangers.
Instead of plate-armored knights carrying swords...
And soldiers equipped with spears and shields...
The Rangers crossed mountains wearing leather armor and carrying weapons such as heavy swords and crossbows.
There was a reason Lutetia had developed Rangers instead of relying on ordinary knights.
The territory stood beside the massive Central Mountain Range, commonly called the Great Forest.
A land overflowing with monsters.
In order to enter the Great Forest and hunt monsters...
And defend against the monsters that occasionally poured outward...
The local soldiers and knights had gradually transformed into mountain troops.
Rangers.
Because of that...
Even ordinary law enforcement inside Lutetia Territory was handled by Rangers instead of normal knights and soldiers.
Mana-using knights still existed.
But in Lutetia...
They usually served as commanders of Ranger units.
"Things must really be bad if Rangers are patrolling outside the territory."
Jessica looked thoughtful.
"Well..."
The older mercenary shrugged.
"It's not like there's some wall between one territory and another."
"If they leave bandit groups alone, those bandits will eventually enter Lutetia too."
After some time...
The Rangers disappeared from view.
A little later...
The merchant caravan finally entered Lutetia Territory.
At first glance...
It did not look especially different from neighboring lands.
Still...
The merchants and mercenaries visibly relaxed.
Lutetia was known as one of the safest territories in the entire empire.
Constant warfare against monsters had created an extremely powerful military.
And that military strength allowed the territory to maintain excellent security.
Several days later...
Jake and Jessica separated from the merchant group, which was heading toward a nearby village.
The two continued toward Lutetia City.
The city of Lutetia stood on the eastern edge of the territory.
It was where the lord's castle was located.
More importantly...
Lutetia City was famous as the gateway to the Great Forest.
It was the easternmost city of Lutetia Territory, which itself stood at the eastern edge of the empire.
A massive wall enclosed the city's eastern side.
Not long after separating from the merchants...
Jake and Jessica arrived.
"Ahhh!"
Jessica stared at the western city wall with an emotional expression.
"I'm finally back!"
The western wall was not as enormous as Lutetia's famous eastern barrier.
Still...
Even from here, the outer wall looked incredibly sturdy.
Rangers were inspecting travel permits at the gate.
Jessica passed without any trouble.
Jake's permit also caused no problems.
Once they entered the city...
Jake looked around in surprise.
As expected of a city built around adventurers...
Mercenaries were everywhere.
Jake had heard there were many ordinary civilians in the northern districts.
But here in the southern mercenary district...
There seemed to be more mercenaries than civilians.
The two headed toward the guild first.
Jessica needed to report her return.
The guild stood in the eastern part of the city, near the center of the mercenary district.
When they arrived...
Jessica left Jake and the cargo wagon outside and entered alone.
The Mercenary Guild here looked larger than the headquarters in the Imperial Capital.
And the mercenaries entering and leaving were far more intimidating.
Even after more than a month of training...
Jake looked like a rookie among them.
A short while later...
Jessica emerged with a gloomy expression.
To report her return...
She had been forced to explain that her party had broken apart.
The guild employee listened with sympathy.
That expression forced Jessica to face reality all over again.
Her mood dropped.
But she was not the kind of person to remain depressed.
"All right!"
Jessica quietly cheered herself on.
Then she walked toward Jake with a bright expression.
"Oh, you're back?"
"Just arrived."
A passing mercenary greeted her.
"Nothing happened, right?"
"Where's the captain? Drinking somewhere?"
"Ah... something came up."
"Oh, you're back!"
Another mercenary called out.
"Perfect timing. I've got some work. I'll come find you later."
"Sure. Anytime."
As Jessica walked toward Jake...
She exchanged greetings with several mercenaries.
Most asked about her captain or party members.
Jessica answered without changing expression.
"Should we go?"
She reached Jake.
"The inn I used to stay at makes incredible food."
By the time she climbed onto the wagon...
Her expression looked cheerful again.
Jake watched her forcing herself to remain positive.
Then he pointed toward her eyes.
"You've been crying."
"What?!"
Jessica immediately rubbed at her eyes.
There were no tears.
Only dust.
"There aren't any!"
"Huh."
Jake looked innocent.
"I must've seen wrong."
"You little—!"
Jessica's face turned bright red as she shouted.
But perhaps because of that...
The stiffness in her expression disappeared afterward.
"Little old man."
Jessica muttered while driving the wagon.
Jake pretended not to hear.
She stopped the cargo wagon near the residential district beyond the mercenary streets.
"Here."
Jessica smiled.
"This is the inn I've been staying at all this time."
She looked almost proud.
"It's practically my second home."
"So it's basically a boarding house."
Jessica frowned.
"There you go saying weird things again."
This world did not really have the same concept as a boarding house from Jake's previous life.
Naturally...
Jessica did not understand.
She shook her head and jumped down from the wagon.
"Put the horse in that stable."
She pointed.
"You can leave the wagon roughly in front."
Then she immediately rushed inside.
"I'm back!"
Jake watched her disappear and shook his head in disbelief.
"I can't tell who's the employer and who's the mercenary anymore."
Their relationship had moved far beyond the normal employer-and-hired-mercenary dynamic during the journey.
Still...
Sometimes Jessica became far too casual.
Jake was slightly worried.
"She'll probably settle down eventually."
Jessica was obviously treating him as some kind of replacement for her childhood friend.
That feeling would surely fade soon.
Still...
At the moment...
Jake felt a little unfairly treated.
"The problem is that she always acts like this at times like these."
Even while complaining...
Jake obediently led the old horse into the stable.
He also moved the wagon aside.
After dusting himself off...
He entered the inn.
It was not yet dinner time.
The first floor was nearly empty.
Jessica was already sitting and chatting with a teenage girl who looked like a waitress.
A large man was coming out of the kitchen.
"You traveled a long way. You must be hungry."
He frowned at Jessica.
