At last, the day of the commission dawned.
Because I had woken earlier than usual, a yawn slipped out.
Come to think of it, I don’t think I’d ever slept in since coming here.
No one was waking me, yet for some reason my eyes opened easily.
It wasn’t as if there was anything to be nervous about, but seeing my body react first like this...
If I had to say, maybe it was because my stamina had improved.
When I went out to the lobby, I saw mercenaries already eating breakfast.
Seeing me come down, someone gave a slight bow of his head.
Was it Jeminik?
I think that was his name.
Last night, after dinner, he had come to see me separately.
He had come to apologize for not warning the mercenaries in advance.
At first, I wondered why he had bothered to come, but as I listened, he did have his reasons.
Apparently, the mercenaries had made a bet among themselves on whether that rookie would get beaten by me or not.
...How very mercenary of them.
In that kind of atmosphere, since I kept my mouth shut for no reason, it seemed to provoke them even more.
On top of that, since I was hiding the fact that I was a mage, they might have looked down on me even more.
Thinking about it, it wasn’t really a situation where anyone was particularly at fault.
Perhaps he thought so too, because he apologized plainly without unnecessary words and left.
Still, thanks to that, the awkward atmosphere had been cleared up to some extent.
I finished my meal lightly.
The bread was especially dry today, and the soup was watery.
Was it a matter of mindset?
Barret was already waiting where the carriages were standing.
He was stroking a horse while retying one of the loads.
When I approached, he only shifted his eyes slightly and nodded.
“You’re out early.”
“I couldn’t sleep today for some reason.”
“Haha, it makes me uneasy when a mage says something like that.”
He threw out a joke as he straightened the luggage.
I glanced over the carriages.
“There are three carriages.”
“It takes at least this much for them to entrust a commission to us. In truth, even this number of men is on the small side.”
“There are nine of us, and it’s still uneasy?”
“Bandits push with numbers, so it can’t be helped.”
Barret had newly brought in three mercenaries this time.
There was only one whose name I knew.
Tral. The guy who had picked a fight with me yesterday.
A human troll who truly lived up to his name.
I had no idea where they had picked him up, but my first impression of him was terrible.
I asked Barret about him in passing.
“He’s a fellow who came up from some backwater saying he wanted to be a mercenary, but he handles a club fairly well.”
“Is that so?”
“I heard something happened yesterday. I apologize once again.”
As Barret bowed his head again and again, I waved my hand.
Even after going through that, he had chosen him purely for his skill?
...Well, I wasn’t a member of this mercenary band anyway, and I wasn’t in a position to say anything.
But a club, huh...
Putting aside whether it suited a medieval fantasy or not, it seemed like it would really hurt if you got hit by it.
“The luggage is all loaded!”
At someone’s shout, Barret turned his head.
“Good. Everyone, board!”
At his words, the mercenaries headed to the carriages one by one.
There weren’t many seats left.
In the end, it seemed only Barret, me, and about two others could ride.
I felt a small pleasure at the sense of being treated somewhat well.
I slowly moved my feet as well.
The sound of horseshoes, the creaking of wooden wheels, and the mercenaries’ chatter mixed together, creating an oddly tense atmosphere.
Now, we were really setting out.
As I climbed into the carriage and leaned back, the body lurched with a thud.
It seemed we would depart soon.
It was quiet now.
But it had been the same before.
Things always happened when it was quiet.
How big of a problem would happen this time?
I was a little expectant, and also a little uneasy.
Our destination was Delhar, a village on the southern frontier.
Now, we were departing.
***
Contrary to expectations, nothing happened until that evening.
It was time to light a fire and make do with dinner.
The meal was roughly settled with hardtack and jerky I had brought in a pouch.
It was neither especially tasty nor inedible, just so-so.
“Why are you such an asshole?”
A low, subdued voice reached my ears.
When I turned my head, Tral and another mercenary were glaring at each other.
A strange tension flowed between them.
“This is confidence. You’re just incompetent.”
Tral smirked and set down his spoon.
The metal struck a rock with a sharp clack.
As the opposing mercenary’s hand moved toward his waist, Barret quickly stood up.
“Stop.”
His voice was low, but firm.
“If a fight breaks out here, we’re abandoning the commission and all going back together.”
Both of them withdrew their gazes without a word.
Even Tral, who had been so full of momentum, eventually picked up his spoon again.
...What a shame. It could have been an amusing spectacle.
I looked at the darkness beyond the underbrush.
Just then, mixed into the wind, I heard something brush by with a rustle.
Wait. Was it an animal? Or...
“......”
Barret also turned his head in that direction.
Without a word, he raised himself slightly and sent a glance to a mercenary sitting nearby.
One man quietly stood and disappeared beyond the firelight.
It became quiet again.
Was it a bandit, or an animal? I wasn’t certain.
Still, I couldn’t help my body subtly stiffening.
Not long after, the mercenary who had disappeared into the darkness returned.
“I don’t see anything.”
“Hmm...”
Barret stroked his chin and fell into thought for a moment.
...Was it just the wind?
“Is something the matter?”
At that moment, Doren, who had been camping with the merchants on the other side, approached.
“Hmm, I sensed some kind of presence, so we were investigating.”
“A-a presence?”
Doren, who had looked timid, startled at those words alone.
He really was quite cowardly.
Barret looked at him and smiled briefly.
“It may have just been my imagination.”
But unlike his smile, his face looked a little darker.
A presence, or whatever it was—there definitely seemed to have been something there.
Doren nodded with a bewildered expression.
“Then, is everything all right?”
“Yes, for now, it’s all right.”
Barret spoke gently.
“However, we do need to be careful.”
A quiet silence passed for a moment, and everyone sat back in their places and began eating again.
However, Barret’s eyes continued to stare somewhere for quite a while.
Then, another mercenary spoke to him.
“Do you think bandits have latched onto us?”
“They might have, or they might not.”
Barret said it as though making a light joke, but a deeper meaning was hidden in those words.
Everyone ate cautiously, feeling the tense atmosphere.
Fortunately, that night passed quietly.
***
Clack—clack—
The sound of the carriage wheels rang out slowly, breaking the still morning.
Nothing had happened overnight, and everyone seemed to have had a more peaceful night than expected.
As the sun rose, the mercenaries all got up at once and began preparations.
They put out the fire, boiled water, and prepared to set out.
Unlike yesterday, it was clear today would be a longer day.
I sat atop the carriage, blankly looking at the scenery outside.
A few merchants who had woken early were also organizing the carriages and loading luggage.
Dust and wind scattered over the road as everyone took care of their own tasks.
Barret approached my side.
“We need to be careful today.”
His voice was more serious than yesterday.
That subtle presence from last night still lingered in everyone’s minds.
He murmured softly.
“...This feels uneasy.”
Instead of answering, I nodded. It wasn’t as if my tension had eased.
Today, and tomorrow as well, uncertainty would continue to follow us.
A little while later, Barret gave the order.
“Everyone, board the carriages. We’re departing.”
As the carriages set off one by one, the sound of clack—clack—rang out over the road once more.
The carriages proceeded without incident, and before long, the sun was high in the sky.
‘Will we arrive around evening?’
The carriages were running down the road at a steady pace.
Sunlight pierced down and illuminated the scorched ground, and the air gradually began to grow hotter.
The mercenaries were guarding the carriages from their respective positions, and a few stared blankly outside.
Tral was still complaining as he talked with someone beside him.
By now, the pace of travel was gradually becoming familiar.
The road that had felt unfamiliar at first somehow felt comfortable today.
But a sense of tension still remained in one corner of my heart.
I couldn’t know what was to come.
‘If what they said about arriving around evening is true, will it be peaceful until then?’
I took a deep breath once more to calm my uneasy heart.
Then I looked again at the road unfolding alongside the sound of the carriage wheels.
‘Hm? What’s that?’
Far ahead, something suspicious could be seen on the road.
At a glance, it seemed to have been covered with leaves, but the way it was done felt unnatural somehow.
The covered spot was irregular, and even though the weather wasn’t that hot, only that area felt dark.
It was definitely strange.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one who noticed, because Barret signaled to the front and had them slow down.
As we drew a little closer, the identity of the suspicious object was revealed.
It was a rope.
As if blocking the road, a rope was stretched out long across it.
At a glance it seemed like nothing, but it was in a position dangerous enough for a carriage passing through.
Just then, Barret came up beside me and followed my gaze.
“You see it, right?”
His voice was tinged with tension.
“It may be a trap left by bandits. Everyone, arm yourselves!”
As soon as Barret’s order fell, the mercenaries immediately strengthened their guard and slowed the carriages.
In my heart, I hoped we would get through this safely.
And at that moment, an ominous premonition dug into my chest.
Sweeek—
Crack!
Arrows flew in with that familiar sound of cutting through the air.
Because everyone was on alert, the arrows embedded themselves into the carriages.
“Damn it, it’s an ambush!”
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
Barret’s voice rang out from the front, and the mercenaries immediately began taking formation.
The merchants flinched in panic, but the mercenaries’ composure allowed them to feel at least somewhat relieved.
‘Damn it, are bandit attacks a common event in this neighborhood?’
Even though their ambush had ended in failure, the bandits revealed themselves.
The number of bandits who appeared seemed to be more than twice our own.
Still, compared to last time, this should be nothing.
Then, the person who seemed to be the leader of the bandits stepped forward.
“If you just quietly leave the goods behind and go, we’ll let you live.”
“......”
What bullshit.
Inside the carriage, I quietly drew up my mana.
[Water Bullet]
Conveniently, there was an oak barrel filled with drinking water right in front of me.
Water slowly rose from within it and gathered at my fingertips.
I poured enough mana into it to fire about four shots and shaped it.
However, from a certain point onward, the mass of water no longer grew larger.
It was about the size of a head.
If I forced it any bigger than that, the form became unstable.
It seemed this was the limit of my current ability.
...Which meant I needed strengthening.
Gurgle, gurgle.
The Water Bullet, swollen to its limit, wavered precariously like a balloon about to burst.
If I didn’t concentrate, it seemed ready to fly off on its own.
Just controlling it made sweat bead on my hand.
I turned my head toward the outside of the carriage.
The bandit leader, wearing shabby cloth armor, was talking arrogantly with his arms crossed.
“Are you not going to answer? Then it can’t be help—hm?”
Damn it, he noticed.
Well, if a lump of water the size of a head were floating in the air, even an idiot would find it strange.
But it was too late.
Without hesitation, I thrust out my hand.
Shwaaaak—!
Thwack!!
The lump of water flew, tearing through the air.
With a sharp sound, it struck the leader squarely in the abdomen.
“Kek, khgh—!”
As the bandit leader spat bloody foam and went flying, the battlefield instantly became chaotic.
As expected, you have to deal with the head first.
“W-what? It’s an ambush!”
“The boss is down! Attack!”
Unexpectedly, the bandits didn’t scatter.
They were startled, but they didn’t seem to have any intention of running away.
As expected... they must be trusting in their numbers.
“Form ranks!”
Barret’s shout spread like an echo.
His voice was resolute, and at that single command, the mercenaries moved in perfect order.
This side was certainly professional.
Inside the carriage, I drew up mana again and prepared the next Water Bullet.
‘I should aim for the archers.’
Because I had put effort into the first shot, my insides were burning in a strange way.
My mana was decreasing, and my fingertips were gradually going numb.
...At this rate, I’m going to be exhausted in no time.
At that moment, a huge shadow advanced from the opposite side, plowing through the bandits.
‘...Tral?’
It was Tral.
“Come at me, all of you!!”
Gripping a heavy club studded with iron nails in both hands, he charged in alone.
He quite literally forced his way into the midst of the bandits.
The club he swung shattered a shield and came crashing down onto a bandit’s shoddy armor.
Bang.
The dull sound of bones being crushed could be heard even from quite a distance away.
‘...Ah, is that really a person?’
For a moment, that thought crossed my mind.
But the bandits weren’t pushovers either.
Three—no, four of them rushed at Tral at the same time.
A thrust from the left, a slash from the right, pressure from front and back.
It was a coordinated attack straight out of a textbook.
I have to help him.
[Water Bullet]
Whoosh! Thud!
Strike. Fortunately, this time I managed to hit the head.
“Morrison! You fucking—!”
“You goddamn mage bastard!”
When one of them collapsed from the water bullet that came flying in, Tral kicked off the ground without hesitation.
With those absurd legs of his, he crushed the earth beneath him and broke straight through the front.
There was no evasion, no defense.
“Uaaagh!”
“Damn it, this bastard won’t stop!”
He drew breath like a growling beast and swung his club like a baseball bat.
Its trajectory drew a massive semicircle, and one bandit was sent flying whole.
It felt less like a person had been hit and more like a sack had been launched through the air.
At that moment, the remaining two exploited the opening.
Slash!
“Ghk—!”
A short, deep wound appeared on Tral’s back.
He gritted his teeth and rolled forward, escaping as he was.
Blood sprayed, and the ground was dyed red.
The wound cut across his back was clearly visible.
Oof, that has to seriously hurt.
I don’t have the confidence to experience something like that firsthand.
...Maybe I really am suited to being a mage?
“Graaahhh!!”
In the end, Tral broke through the encirclement.
He roared and raised his club again.
The more blood he shed, the sharper his gaze became.
At that moment, Barrett moved.
He did not hurry toward the enemy’s rear.
He was watching the flow of the battlefield.
One step ahead, aiming for a single opportunity.
His two-handed sword cut through the wind as it swung.
Whoooong—!
Crack!
A bandit was cut down and sent sprawling without even managing to scream.
A brief silence settled over the place where blood had sprayed, and the three bandits watching the scene instinctively took a step back.
“Tral. The one on the left has a shield. Aim for his legs first.”
Barrett’s command was short and decisive.
“Grrgh...!”
Tral ground his teeth briefly and adjusted his grip on the club.
Without a word, his massive frame shot forward like an arrow.
Dust rose beneath his feet.
Bang.
The sound of the enormous club crashing into the shield rang across the battlefield.
At the impact, like a hammer striking an iron plate, the opponent’s shield was driven back a step.
...Good thing I didn’t take the bait at the inn.
If I’d let my pride get the better of me and fought him, I’d probably be eating dirt through my nose by now.
Of course, if I fought while keeping a certain distance, I might be able to win.
If I fired Water Bullets, held out with Water Current Barrier, and wore him down while maintaining range.
But that was only if the conditions were right.
If we had suddenly clashed in a cramped space, like that day.
...I would have lost, no question.
Magic or not, the moment even one proper hit landed, it would have been over.
While Tral hammered at the shield, Barrett did not stay idle either.
Barrett raised his sword and lowered his stance at an angle.
His movements were not fast.
But there was no wavering in them either.
It was as if he were a man whose blade had no such thing as “hesitation.”
No unnecessary motions, and only as much strength as was needed.
“Haaap!”
One bandit charged in, swinging his blade sharply.
But Barrett did not step back.
Instead, he took a half step forward.
In that instant.
Ting!
His sword deflected the bandit’s blade as if crossing it.
Then he slipped right in and pierced the bandit’s neck in one breath.
“Grrk—”
As the sword was pulled free, the bandit collapsed limply.
Immediately after, another blade came flying in from the side.
Without the slightest hesitation, Barrett guided that blade upward and away.
Ting! Ting!
The sound of metal striking metal rang cleanly through the air.
“Uaaagh!”
“Y-you bastard...!”
Facing the two who rushed in one after another, Barrett did not swing his sword right away.
Instead, he twisted his upper body slightly, as if he were about to slash.
After drawing the enemy’s gaze with the feint.
Thud.
The tip of his foot shot up and struck the bandit hard in the groin.
The moment the bandit sank to the ground with a breathless expression.
Only then did the sword move.
Without unnecessary motion, short and concise.
Ssst.
A sharp line traced through the air, ending as it cut along the bandit’s collarbone.
Whoooong—crack.
The sword had not been swung in a wide arc, but that short slash split straight through the abdomen and laid the enemy on the ground.
The last one instinctively stepped back.
Fear gathered in his eyes.
Strong Sword. That nickname hadn’t been given for nothing.
Inside the carriage, I refined a Water Bullet and watched him.
...A sword really does look cool, I thought.
The battlefield was still chaotic.
The bandit leader going down at the start had been a big factor.
And Tral and Barrett had created definite openings.
Numbers.
We were still losing in the numbers game.
That simple difference in manpower always pressed down on the battlefield.
In a roughly even fight, more than flashy equipment, numbers were ultimately the best advantage.
If we started getting pushed back one by one here, then we would collapse without even being able to counterattack.
What we needed now was a variable.
I had used too much mana keeping the archers in check.
If I fired just one or two more shots here, my mana would hit rock bottom.
Once my mana dried up, I was nothing more than a civilian.
In that case.
What I needed now was a different spell.
[Water Current Barrier]
The spell I had invested the most in.
No matter how I looked at it, this was my main weapon.
I steadied my breathing and poured mana into my fingertips.
Mana flowed smoothly from the ends of my fingers.
The water from the barrel gathered, rising before me like a thin film.
The faintly vibrating membrane began to envelop me.
‘There’s no time to rest. Let’s go.’
Holding a sword I still wasn’t used to.
I stepped out of the carriage.