The atmosphere of the city I entered under the guidance of a soldier was as gloomy as expected.
Wooden barricades that looked to have been used until recently lay scattered around the city gate.
Behind the gate, makeshift tents stood in rows, and from inside came the sounds of people groaning in pain.
They were probably some kind of temporary treatment center.
Just what had happened for the city to end up in this state?
“You said you were mercenaries.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes.”
Flustered by the sudden question, I answered.
Why did he keep asking that?
“Follow me.”
“Where are we going?”
I asked, but the soldier walked ahead without answering.
Only the creaking of metal from his heavy armor echoed.
Something about this felt strange.
Surely he wasn’t dragging us back to prison, right?
Step, step.
The scent of what had once been a bustling trade city was nowhere to be found. Instead, an old, stale smell of burning had seeped into every alley.
People were still walking around, but their steps lacked strength, and deep worry hung over their faces.
As I followed the soldier’s back with dragging steps, a large building appeared before me.
That familiar emblem and exterior. It was the Mercenary Guild.
“Go in.”
The soldier jerked his chin toward the door.
His tone was blunt, but it wasn’t particularly threatening.
Still, couldn’t he have said it a little more kindly?
Creak.
When I opened the door and stepped inside, the familiar interior came into view.
But the atmosphere was entirely different.
When I opened the door and stepped inside, the familiar interior came into view.
But the atmosphere was entirely different.
The spacious hall, which was usually crowded all the way up to the second floor, was strangely deserted today.
Only a few people remained, murmuring in low voices, and tension was written across every one of their faces.
Even the air felt oddly heavy.
This wasn’t the atmosphere of simply accepting requests… What was about to happen?
The receptionist at the counter was the same as before.
Seeing her sitting at the desk as usual even in the middle of all this chaos made it feel even stranger.
As I approached the counter without knowing what was going on, the receptionist tilted her head and asked,
“Are you, by any chance… a mercenary?”
“Yes. Here.”
I took out the mercenary tag I had received before.
Catching the light for the first time in a while, it reflected the dull sheen unique to copper-colored metal.
Since I had barely taken on any guild requests, my rank was still unchanged.
“Copper tag, Mr. Riv… confirmed. Do you perhaps know the current situation?”
“No. What happened?”
I had been dragged here like a criminal, so there was no way I would know.
At my words, the receptionist nodded with a slightly apologetic look.
“Some time ago, there was a large-scale attack on the city.”
“On the city?”
“Yes. At first, we thought the bandits had lost their minds from hunger, but… the situation kept growing worse.”
A bandit horde.
At most, they should have looted a few times and run away.
Those kinds of people attacked a city?
I couldn’t make sense of it at all.
“Because of the news of war, many people left the city, and those with a certain amount of strength were taken to the front lines.”
“…Ah, so that’s why.”
With the strong people gone, the city’s defenses would have weakened. That explained it to some extent.
But that alone wasn’t enough.
“More than anything… they started using strange methods.”
“Strange methods?”
The receptionist’s voice lowered.
“At some point, they transformed as if they had become monsters and charged at us.”
“……”
“According to the church… it’s called ‘demonification.’”
“…Demonification.”
A scene surfaced in my mind.
The sight I had seen in Delhar, of perfectly normal people losing the light in their eyes and going mad.
Could it be that it had reached all the way here?
It was still too early to be certain.
It might just be a coincidence.
“Still, you managed to defend the city safely, didn’t you?”
The battle seemed to be over, and the city was still standing.
Even if there were wounds, they could be healed.
That was what I thought… but a shadow that would not easily fade had fallen over the receptionist’s face.
At my words, the receptionist slowly shook her head.
“We can’t quite say that. Most of them ran away.”
“They… ran away?”
“Yes. Once they were pushed back in a head-on fight, they scattered on their own. But the problem starts there.”
The receptionist’s voice dropped a little, as if she were wary someone might be listening.
“The master of the city, in other words, the city lord here… has no intention of ending it like this.”
“……”
“Those people could gather again somewhere and come back.”
At those words, I had no choice but to nod.
Anyway, if they couldn’t end it here, that meant…
“We intend to counterattack.”
“……”
“They’re conscripting soldiers again and gathering mercenaries as well. You could call it a second operation. You’re unlucky. To think you arrived at a time like this…”
Seriously.
How could the timing be this perfect?
…Couldn’t I just leave again right now?
“If there’s any consolation, since this is a trade city, there should be no shortage of pay.”
“……I suppose refusing isn’t an option?”
“……”
Aha, so it really wasn’t.
If I’d known this would happen, I should have just turned the carriage around.
I should have holed up in the mountains and lived quietly, digging up grass to eat. Why did I have to come to the city?
Just as belated regret washed over me, footsteps came from behind the counter.
“It’s been a while.”
A middle-aged man with black hair and a deeply weary look approached.
It was Kalren, the branch master of the Mondark Mercenary Guild.
“Branch Master!”
“Ah, Rina. You’ve worked hard. Could you step away for a moment? I need to talk with this friend.”
“Yes!”
As soon as the receptionist left her post, the branch master let out a heavy sigh.
“Phew… Right, you were Riv.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“I heard the rumors. You dealt with some troublesome fellows.”
Was he talking about the Black Hand I had taken care of back then?
Since he was the one who had assigned Kane to me, there was no way he wouldn’t know.
“…I didn’t do much.”
Kalren nodded with an expressionless face.
“In times like these, people like that are precious. Thanks to you, the city and I both had one less thing to worry about. I can’t exactly thank you, though. From now on, I have to put you to work because of it.”
“…This is about dealing with the demonified bandits, isn’t it?”
“You’re quicker on the uptake than I expected. That’s a relief.”
The branch master got straight to the point.
“You’ve probably heard the rough details. There are still some of them left in the forest outside the city. We’re going to organize a pursuit unit and wipe them out in one sweep. Soldiers alone won’t be enough. That’s why we’re mobilizing the guild’s full force.”
“So that’s why you were gathering people.”
“Right. Under normal circumstances, the soldiers would have taken command, but after discussing it with the city lord, it was decided that I would personally command the mercenary side.”
“Ah…”
No wonder he looked so damn tired.
…Or maybe that was just how his face always looked.
Kalren stared hard at my face.
“I also know that you use blue magic.”
“……”
Apparently, Kane had let that slip too.
For someone who looked so proper, his mouth was awfully loose.
As I lamented inwardly, Kalren added as if to reassure me.
“Don’t worry. I don’t know why you’re hiding it, but I won’t go around blabbing. However, this isn’t a personal matter. If we fail to deal with the bandits… this city will fall.”
I quietly inhaled.
Words that left me no room to back out.
And the fact that the branch master, who certainly knew that, had stepped forward like this meant the situation was that urgent.
“Can’t we just hold out inside the city?”
“Normally, yes. Defense is usually more advantageous. But right now, we don’t have time.”
“Time?”
“A piece of information came in. They say there are people on the bandits’ side who keep supplying them with those strange stones. In other words, those monsters could increase in number.”
…Damn it. If it was strange stones, then this really was the demonized.
In that case, attacking was probably the right call.
“What about the others?”
“Most have already been assigned to pursuit units and sent out.”
“Am I going into a pursuit unit too?”
“Not yet. You’ll be placed in the reserve group. The inside of the castle still hasn’t been sorted out. Since you’re a mage, it would be better for you to provide support from within.”
I felt a little relieved.
At least arrows wouldn’t be flying over my head right away.
Then I noticed Aileen and Silen standing awkwardly behind me.
“Could I take about two people with me?”
“Hmm, I’ll allow two. As long as they’re within the scope you can take responsibility for.”
Would it be all right? But it was already too late.
If we wanted to survive, we had no choice but to set foot on the battlefield.
“For now, understood. Then, about equipment and food…”
“The city lord did promise supplies to the mercenaries as well, but…”
The way he trailed off was enough for me to understand.
That was how people in high places were.
Their words were grand, but there was never much substance.
“Is there anywhere we can get things separately?”
“If you go behind the market, there should be people selling what they’ve quietly hidden away.”
“Understood.”
“When your business is done, come to the city gate.”
After finishing, the guildmaster turned and left first.
As he passed by, he exchanged a brief greeting with Aileen, then headed straight for the door.
Seeing him leave at once, it seemed he had something rather urgent to do.
“You heard, right? What are you going to do?”
“I… will go with you.”
“Me too! Please take me too!”
Aileen and Silen spoke almost at the same time.
If they hesitated even a little, they would obviously be dragged into a pursuit unit, so there wasn’t much of a choice.
“Then I’ll go to the church, so you two go to the market first.”
“Yes!”
“What? Just the two of us?”
Still, Silen had been a mercenary for a long time, so he should know how to judge goods to some extent.
I handed Aileen a pouch with a few coins in it and headed for the church.
The streets were far emptier than before.
With the bustling crowds gone, it was certainly easier to walk.
Of course, not everyone had left the city completely, so a few residents were still wandering the streets with anxious faces.
It was clear that the city’s vitality had died.
“Hey! What are you doing walking around by yourself?”
Occasionally, soldiers on patrol would pick a fight like that.
At times like that, if I took out my mercenary tag and showed it to them, they would mutter with irritated expressions and simply pass by.
After going through battle, everyone had definitely become sensitive.
When I arrived at the central plaza, the church came into view.
But its condition was… miserable.
“The church…”
Just what kind of attack had it suffered?
As if a bomb had gone off, the entrance had completely collapsed.
From the pillars to the marble statues, the entire front part of the church had caved in.
Even so, it didn’t seem they had completely abandoned the church.
Out front, workers were carrying stone fragments.
I noticed them moving the rubble with difficulty, their faces soaked in sweat.
Since I had to report the completion of my request, I approached the nearest worker.
“Excuse me?”
“Yes?”
“Do you know where the priests are?”
“The priests? Go to the front of the city gate. They’ll be at the treatment center.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Ah, right.
In this world, priests were healers.
In that case, they were probably treating the wounded at the front of the city gate, which was no different from the front lines right now.
I turned back.
The market was on the way anyway, so it would be better to stop by, pick up Aileen and Silen, and go together.
As I headed toward the market, a familiar commotion began to reach my ears.
So the market still functioned even on the eve of battle.
However, I couldn’t find the things I was looking for there.
Food, equipment—only display stands that had been completely emptied remained.
I went straight past the market street and headed to a secluded area in the back.
…He had been right about people quietly hiding things away to sell.
Behind the market, between old warehouses and walls.
On stalls crudely made by tying together tents, merchants had laid out their goods.
The items being traded here were no longer luxuries, but merely tools for surviving until tomorrow.
And in the middle of it all, just as expected, were two people.
“No, why are you picking that? Anyone can see it’s heavy!”
“They said this has the best defense! It’s better than cheap cloth armor!”
Silen and Aileen were red-faced and arguing over something one of them was holding.
Silen was holding a large iron breastplate, while Aileen stood with her arms crossed, frowning fiercely.
“What are you going to do if you can’t even run and fall behind?”
“What are you going to do if you wear thin clothes and get cut? Are you going to block it for me then?”
At that, Aileen seemed at a loss for words and clamped her mouth shut.
I quietly approached and stood between the two of them.
“What are you doing?”
“Riv! Silen is trying to buy useless equipment—”
“What do you know! You’re not even a mercenary!”
When the two who looked about the same age started fighting, it was so noisy I couldn’t even understand them properly.
Did I bring a couple of problem children with me?
“Both of you, stop. Practicality comes first with equipment. Buy only what you need.”
“…Yes.”
“Okay.”
Phew… At least they listened.