Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Mercenary Guild.

It was an association formed by people who handled combat and adventure-related work.

Battles.

Wars.

Escorts.

Exploration.

In other countries, countless different guilds existed with almost no unified management.

But in the empire...

A single Mercenary Guild headquarters managed nearly every adventurer and mercenary in imperial territory.

There were many rumors that the imperial family secretly stood behind the guild.

Still...

Mercenaries had few complaints.

The guild paid properly and managed jobs well.

The empire itself often used mercenaries to control its enormous territory.

But the mercenaries currently gathered in the Imperial Capital were not large mercenary companies.

Most were small parties hoping to earn money escorting people traveling for the coronation.

So when the two knights entered the guild building, the first floor was filled with small groups talking around tables.

Unlike a military mercenary company, there was no single commander they could order to silence everyone.

Fortunately, the two knights had experience working with mercenaries.

BANG! BANG!

"Everyone, listen!"

Mana flowed into one knight's sword.

He struck the floor.

The entire building trembled.

The noisy mercenaries instantly stopped talking and turned toward the sound.

A few instinctively placed hands on their weapons.

The moment they realized the person striking the floor was a knight, however, those hands immediately dropped.

A guild employee recognized the knights and tried to approach.

But the knight had no intention of repeating himself unnecessarily.

"Swordsman Conrad! Are you here?"

His booming voice filled the entire first floor.

The mercenaries' gazes all turned toward one corner.

Seven people sat around a round table there.

Six looked toward one man.

"Why me?"

A broad-shouldered young man stared at the knight in confusion.

"Captain, did you cause some kind of trouble?"

A woman standing behind him asked teasingly.

"Like our stiff-necked captain would ever cause trouble."

Another man laughed.

"Jessica, didn't you steal from some noble passing by?"

"Hmph. If I'd stolen something, no one would've noticed."

Jessica shot back.

"Maybe our eternal Second Circle mage over there caused the explosions a few days ago."

The sharp joking between the party's only woman, a thief, and the mage continued until the knights reached their table.

"Are you Grade 3 mercenary, Swordsman Conrad?"

The party members had been watching with amused expressions.

Then they noticed the knight's sword.

Their expressions froze.

It was no ordinary weapon.

A golden dragon was engraved on it.

The crest of the imperial family.

These men were Imperial Guard knights.

"Yes. I am Conrad."

After Conrad answered, the knight confirmed his identity with the approaching guild employee.

Once the employee verified it, the knight produced a written decree.

"In the name of the imperial family, Grade 3 mercenary Conrad is hereby invited to the coronation of the Eleventh Emperor of the Palatino Empire."

He continued.

"By order of Crown Prince Eligos Saal Andras."

The sudden appearance of an imperial command left everyone confused.

Some lowered their heads out of respect.

One person nearly slammed his head onto the table.

Another stared blankly at the knight.

Someone else simply stood there with his mouth hanging open.

Normally, the knights might have shouted and drawn their swords.

But they had come to deliver good news.

So this time, they showed some flexibility.

"Everyone, lower your heads and show respect!"

The mercenaries quickly obeyed.

Once they raised their heads again, quiet murmuring spread throughout the guild.

Some people had realized what was happening.

"My god... A Coronation Invitation."

The middle-aged mage stared at their captain in shock.

Some of the party members around the table had never heard of such a thing.

But the explanation quickly spread.

Soon, everyone understood.

"Whoa! Isn't that the invitation where you can become a noble all at once...?"

Jessica excitedly slapped Conrad's back.

Then her hand suddenly stopped.

She was sharp.

She had already realized what this meant.

"Is this really a Coronation Invitation?"

Conrad did not notice Jessica's hand stopping.

No.

From the moment he heard the words Coronation Invitation, he had stopped hearing almost everything else.

"Correct."

The knight nodded.

"You must prepare to attend the coronation. Pack only the minimum belongings you need and come outside quickly."

He continued.

"The imperial family will provide everything else. Hurry as much as possible. We will wait outside."

The knight handed Conrad an invitation engraved with the golden dragon crest.

Then both knights immediately left the guild.

They had worked with mercenaries before.

That did not mean they enjoyed spending time around them.

"My god..."

Conrad stared at the invitation.

"My god. My god..."

Despite being unusually serious for his age, he could now do little but repeat the same meaningless phrase.

The party members celebrated with him.

Only the mage and Jessica were unable to fully share that joy.

The mage shook his head bitterly.

Jessica watched Conrad's back with trembling eyes.

And events unfolded exactly as the mage and thief expected.

"What are you talking about?! Disband the party?!"

After the congratulations ended, Conrad announced that the party would be dissolved.

Every member jumped to their feet.

It was not a large mercenary company.

Still...

They had spent between one and four years together.

And unlike the many parties that existed in name only...

They were a proper adventuring party.

Several times each year, they entered the Great Forest to explore dungeons.

Of course they were angry when Conrad suddenly announced the party would disband.

But eventually...

They understood.

Receiving a Coronation Invitation meant becoming sponsored by the imperial family.

It meant entering government service.

And if the rumors about becoming a noble were true...

Conrad could no longer remain with them as before.

Unlike many mercenaries...

Conrad's lifelong dream had always been to become a knight.

More specifically...

An Imperial Guard knight.

Everyone in the party knew that.

"I'm sorry."

Conrad lowered his head.

"I'll divide all the party assets I personally own among you."

That apology finally erased the other members' anger.

They were old companions.

But in the end...

They were only a party.

There was no permanent contract.

No organization binding them forever.

Compared to parties that broke apart in hatred and even ended with people drawing weapons...

A captain who gave everything he owned to his former members deserved praise.

"You're still an idiot right to the end."

Jessica criticized Conrad while watching him immediately organize the assets and send everyone away.

"The Imperial Palace will support me anyway."

Conrad shrugged.

"So it doesn't matter."

"You could've just gone to the coronation first."

Jessica frowned.

"Then send a letter later or tell everyone afterward. The party would've naturally faded apart."

She crossed her arms.

"We could even drink together later. No one would've cursed you, and you wouldn't have had to give away everything like an idiot."

"I couldn't do that."

Conrad shook his head.

"They followed me because they trusted me."

The mage who had left the table was already among the other parties, increasing his value by advertising his availability.

The remaining members had taken their share of the money and left to drink together.

They had been close for years.

Yet the moment the relationship ended...

They quickly became strangers.

Watching those former party members only made Jessica think her childhood friend, who had been their captain until moments ago, looked even more foolish.

Swordsman Conrad.

Thief Jessica.

Like the protagonists of some ordinary adventure story, they were childhood friends from a small village.

Conrad's father claimed to have once been a free knight.

Jessica was the daughter of the village hunter.

They had been close from childhood.

Once they became old enough, they left the village together in pursuit of dreams and adventure.

Conrad wanted to become a knight.

But he did not know how.

So he became a mercenary to improve his skills.

Jessica wanted to experience the adventures she had heard about from Conrad's father.

So she became a thief.

Fortunately...

Both possessed talent.

And neither had particularly bad luck.

Together, they built a stable party.

Unlike many other groups...

They spent several years experiencing real adventures and improving their abilities.

"I'm sorry I decided without talking to you first."

"What difference would it have made?"

Jessica shrugged.

"Everyone gathered because of your skill anyway."

Jessica herself was an excellent thief and ruin explorer.

However...

Because she was a woman and because thieves were considered a specialized profession, it was difficult for her to become famous.

Conrad was different.

He possessed outstanding talent with the sword.

At a young age, he had already reached Grade 3.

He was also one of the few young mercenary swordsmen capable of using mana.

Like the other party members...

Even the rare mage had joined mainly because of Conrad.

"So I guess we're going our separate ways too."

Jessica looked at Conrad with regret.

Conrad stared into her eyes with a serious expression.

Then he spoke.

"While I'm at the coronation..."

He paused.

"Will you quit being a mercenary and stay with me?"

Jessica looked shocked.

A moment later...

She gave him a mischievous smile and shook her head.

"Your timing is terrible."

She sighed.

"And you know me better than anyone. You're seriously proposing by telling me to stay trapped at home like some noble lady?"

Jessica smiled.

"I'm grateful, but no."

"But it'll be difficult for you to find jobs alone."

Conrad was right.

The mercenary world was extremely male-dominated.

Jessica had only avoided many problems because Conrad had protected her.

Even then...

There had been more than one dangerous situation.

"I'll handle that myself."

Jessica poked Conrad's chest repeatedly with one finger.

"You just worry about yourself."

Conrad stared at her with obvious concern.

Eventually...

He left the guild after saying one last thing.

"Wait for me. Once I've established myself, I'll contact you immediately."

Conrad still had not accepted her refusal.

Jessica, however...

Was certain this was goodbye.

"Congratulations on achieving your dream."

She watched him leave.

"Become an amazing knight."

Her smile turned softer.

"And live happily with a beautiful wife."

Memories of everything they had experienced together passed through her mind.

For a moment, her expression became distant.

Then she rubbed her face with both hands and forced herself back to reality.

Sentimentality could wait.

Reality had already arrived.

The party was gone.

Her childhood friend was gone.

She possessed useful skills.

But surviving alone among rough mercenaries would not be easy.

Only a few minutes had passed since the party disbanded.

Already...

More than ten men had looked her over with dirty eyes.

Should I head straight back toward the Great Forest?

That was where she normally worked.

She knew many people there.

Perhaps another party would take her.

It was a rather optimistic hope.

Still...

Going toward the Great Forest did seem like the best choice.

Now that the party had broken apart...

Escort jobs related to the coronation were no longer possible.

There was no real reason to remain in the Imperial Capital.

In the end, this is a huge loss.

Returning to the Great Forest frontier without earning anything was a disaster.

She had come here because her savings were already low.

By the time she reached the frontier...

She might truly be penniless.

Jessica searched for merchant escort jobs heading toward the Great Forest.

There were none.

Neither the guild employees nor the job board had anything.

Even traveling with a merchant group without pay would have been useful.

But because of the coronation...

Every such job had already disappeared.

In the end...

With her shoulders slumped, Jessica left the guild.

She entered the tavern beside it and ordered a strong drink.

The innkeeper looked surprised by the sudden daytime drinking.

Several drinkers who apparently heard about her situation began slowly approaching.

In Jessica's current mood...

Starting a huge drunken fight did not sound particularly bad.

But the first person to approach her was neither a drunkard nor the innkeeper bringing alcohol.

A handsome boy with brown hair sat down across from her.

Then he spoke.

"I want to hire you as an exclusive escort to the Great Forest."

He placed a heavy money pouch in front of her.

"For two months."