“So, what were you trying to buy?”
“This!”
Sailun lifted the lump of metal he’d been holding since earlier.
At a glance, it looked like a crude breastplate.
Its weight was nowhere near balanced, the leather straps were all tangled, and anyone could tell it was secondhand junk picked up off a battlefield.
“Who’s supposed to wear this?”
“Um… you should wear it, hyung— Ack!”
“Ow!”
In the end, I couldn’t hold back and rapped Sailun on the head.
Since it wasn’t his money, he really just picked up anything.
“If I fought wearing this, I’d suffocate and die first.”
“But it’s better than having nothing… isn’t it?”
“You wear it. You don’t have any usable armor anyway.”
“Huh? But my advantage is being light on my feet…!”
I sighed and turned my head to see Aileen quietly smiling.
“We don’t need things like this. Look for light armor and sturdy helmets.”
“Helmets? They seem really uncomfortable…”
Sailun muttered as if complaining.
I spoke briefly and firmly.
“Then do that if you want your head flying off.”
“No, no. I’ll look.”
Seeing how quickly he changed his attitude, it seemed he did want to stay alive after all.
Aileen gave a small laugh at the sight of us and turned her gaze elsewhere.
She was silently looking over the surrounding stalls, but her eyes were more on the medicinal herbs and small daily goods than the weapons.
Well, everyone was looking for what they needed.
It seemed most of the goods had already been requisitioned.
There was almost nothing useful left, and the only things that caught my eye were an iron helmet and a few bottles of weapon maintenance oil.
Maybe the reason a place like this could still operate was precisely because it had nothing worthwhile.
The helmet looked a little worn on the outside, but it seemed usable enough.
I carefully placed it on Aileen’s head.
Perhaps because her head was small, it seemed to cover her vision a little, but it was still far better than nothing.
Curious about its durability, I lightly tapped it with my fingertips. Tunk, tunk.
“Mm…”
A small moan-like sound leaked out from inside the helmet.
Startled for a moment, I stopped my hand.
But she soon nodded lightly, as if to say she was all right.
“It’s good. I think this much will do.”
I put the helmet into a small box and shoved the oil bottles into my pouch.
Aileen and Sailun also seemed to have picked up some simple emergency rations and bandages in the meantime.
Their expressions were still light, but the things they held in their hands gave a strange sense of reality.
It seemed everyone already knew in their heads.
That something truly dangerous would happen soon.
“Let’s get going. We need to stop by the infirmary first.”
“Yes!”
“Yep!”
Watching the two of them answer brightly, as if they always had, I quietly let out a very small sigh.
…I hope that brightness won’t be broken even after this is over.
***
“Cough! Cough!”
“H-here first.”
As soon as we approached the temporary infirmary, the musty smell of medicinal herbs clung to the tip of my nose.
It wasn’t simply the smell of medicine.
It was damp, stale air, as if death were seeping through the cracks.
As we drew closer, the priests threw sharp looks at us.
One of them stopped what he was doing and approached warily.
“Are you patients?”
“No. We came to find Lady Luna. Is she here?”
Before I even finished speaking, the priest turned his head as if checking something out of the corner of his eye.
They were so busy that there was no time to get a proper answer.
We took advantage of that opening and quietly stepped inside.
The wounded lay on every bed.
Broken arms and legs, blood-soaked bandages wrapped haphazardly, pale faces.
This place was still no different from a battlefield.
Aileen frowned slightly, and Sailun drew in a breath while hunching his shoulders.
In one corner, a priest who had been winding red blood around the back of his hand raised his head.
Looking at us, he asked cautiously.
“What brings you here?”
“Is Lady Luna here? We came to report on a request.”
The priest’s eyes wavered for an instant, then he nodded and gestured silently.
We moved in the direction he indicated, and a small space separately set up inside the tent came into view.
It was roughly screened off by an extra piece of cloth draped over the cramped canvas, and inside were a makeshift desk and a single chair.
Luna was sitting in front of the desk.
Over her white robe, traces of white bandages wrapped clumsily around her were visible, and faint dried bloodstains had soaked into her wrists and the hem of her clothes.
Her complexion was pale, and she looked deeply steeped in fatigue.
Even so, only her eyes shone clearly.
Within the neatness unique to a person of religion, there was the quiet exhaustion of someone who had stayed up for several nights.
Yet even amid that fatigue, her sense of responsibility did not waver.
Creak.
When we approached, she quietly rose from her seat.
The voice that followed was low and gentle, but the strength within it was firm.
“You’ve come, Liv. The request… did you complete it safely?”
“Yes.”
At my short answer, her gaze moved to my wrist.
I felt her glance at the bandage wrapped around it.
“…It seems you weren’t quite safe. I would like to treat you, but… I’ve used up all my holy power.”
“It’s all right.”
It had already improved a bit, and once I gained a level or so, it would recover naturally.
That aside, she’d used up all her holy power… She must have been terribly busy.
“…And these two are?”
“They’re my companions. Sailun and Aileen.”
The two greeted Luna in somewhat awkward postures.
“I can guess why you’ve come.”
Luna nodded and indicated the seat inside.
We stood carefully before her.
“We delivered the letter safely.”
“Who received it?”
“Sir Lusein of Riverton received it in person.”
“…Yes. Well done.”
Luna’s expression loosened for a moment.
Was that relief, or was it weariness?
“When you met him, did he say anything? Anything suspicious?”
“He had also been attacked by fiends.”
“…I see. Understood.”
“And he asked me to deliver this.”
I took out the envelope I had received from Sir Lusein and handed it over.
Luna looked at the envelope for a moment, then quietly opened the desk drawer.
She took out a small pouch and handed it to me.
“This is the reward for the request. There is one gold coin inside. Please check it.”
Luna held out the small pouch.
One gold coin… Not bad.
…Or maybe, considering what I did, is it a bit little?
I still found this world’s currency confusing.
How many copper coins were needed for one meal, and how luxurious a life one gold coin could afford.
My body belonged to this place, but my senses still hadn’t escaped from over there.
She soon raised her gaze and looked at me.
Her voice was calm, but her eyes were clear.
“Would you take on the next request as well?”
I looked at her silently for a moment.
I knew she was serious, but I had a lot to think about too.
“For now… let’s hear it.”
At my words, Luna drew in a short breath.
“During this surprise attack, a holy relic was stolen. A separate tracking party is scheduled to be formed, and if you have any intention of participating—”
“I’m sorry, but I’m part of the standby group.”
I cut her off with a shrug.
My tone sounded like a light, passing joke, but my refusal was clearly contained within it.
When a line needed to be drawn, it had to be drawn.
No matter how I thought about it, this order was extremely incompetent.
The last request had seemed like it involved internal issues, and now they’d been attacked again?
On top of that, even from the few words I had just heard, alarming terms had come pouring out one after another.
Surprise attack, holy relic stolen, tracking party.
At a glance, they were all signals that hardship was waiting ahead.
And right now, I was not in the mood to volunteer for suffering.
If I got pointlessly involved again this time, it was obvious I’d end up dead.
Luna looked at me silently, then nodded.
“…I understand.”
Luna let out a small breath.
“Still… if you happen to obtain the holy relic, I would be truly grateful if you brought it to the church.”
Her tone was cautious, and somehow drained of strength.
She did not look visibly disappointed, but for some reason she seemed downcast.
“Yes, well, that much…”
I answered and gave a light nod.
Seeing her look so dejected made me feel unnecessarily bothered.
…No. Let’s just let this matter pass.
***
We left the infirmary and headed straight toward the castle gate.
After loitering in front of the gate for quite a while, some nearby soldiers approached us.
“Hey, you there. What are you doing?”
“We were told… we’re the standby group.”
At my words, the soldier’s expression changed.
“Ah, you’re that standby group. Come this way.”
The soldier, his attitude softening, gave a short laugh and led us inside.
Following him along the wall beside the castle gate, we came upon a stone building that rose fairly high.
“This is the watchtower. It’s also where the guards wait.”
The building was sturdily built of stone, and at the top were small windows and a wooden roof jutting outward.
Since it overlooked the castle gate, anyone could tell it was for surveillance.
“Go inside. The standby group can stay on the second floor for a while. The others will be here soon too.”
Saying that, he opened the door for us.
The inside was narrower than I expected, but it was neatly organized.
There was a weapon rack by the wall, and an old wooden table occupied the center.
On one side was a staircase, and faint voices drifted down from the second floor above.
As we climbed the stairs, the heat of people struck my face with a whoosh.
The second floor was already crowded with people.
There were more members of the standby group than I had expected.
All of them were armed, their faces tangled with tension and fatigue.
‘With this many… it looks like they put quite a bit of strength into defending the city.’
The sound of weapons being maintained, voices calling out names from a list, and people quietly resting with their eyes closed.
Even without speaking to one another, the atmosphere made it clear.
“Hm? More came in.”
“With this many, the city side should be fine, shouldn’t it?”
A soldier sitting in the corner raised his head and looked toward us as he spoke.
As if seeing our party for the first time, he showed a brief bit of interest before turning his gaze away again.
I quietly leaned against one wall.
Perhaps because I didn’t look particularly strong, no one paid me much attention.
“Newcomers, this way. You can put your names on the standby group list here.”
“I’ll go.”
Aileen walked to the table for checking the list as if she were used to it.
She was always composed, no matter when I saw her. Both in face and action.
I looked around for a moment, then narrowed my eyes when I saw a somewhat familiar face.
‘……Huh?’
Not far away, among the group, a man with disheveled blond hair was quietly inspecting his weapon.
His strangely short, sturdy build gave me a familiar sense of déjà vu.
He raised his head, and at last, as if sensing my gaze, his eyes met mine.
“……Liv?”
A face I thought I would never see again.
It was Baldik.
“…Baldik?”
He froze for a moment, then strode over with a clearly delighted expression.
“Haha, it seems the gods are helping me! How long has it been?”
“Baldik!”
His way of speaking was the same as before.
His armor looked to be in far better condition than before, but his short, solid dwarven torso was unchanged.
Even though his appearance hadn’t changed much, he somehow looked unmistakably exhausted.
After exchanging a brief handshake with Baldik, who had come closer, I spoke carefully.
“Don’t tell me you came all the way here alone?”
“Yeah. I got separated from the mercenary corps I originally belonged to. Things got a bit tangled.”
“……I see.”
He answered casually. I nodded.
“By the way, what are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to go to the Magic Tower?”
“No. I’m thinking of going to the Magic Tower later. Like you, Baldik, things got a little tangled, so I ended up staying in this city.”
Our conversation was short, but many emotions passed through it.
Anyway, it seemed Baldik was still working as a mercenary.
When I thought about it, there weren’t many things we could do in this world.
Whether using magic or holding a sword, in the end, we had no choice but to get by with our bodies.
“How did you end up joining the standby group?”
"Ah, I passed out from the booze, and when I woke up, the whole discussion was already over. They said they were short a few people, so I just joined in."
"······."
I let out a dry chuckle, dumbfounded.
This guy really was the same no matter where he was.
"Then why are you in the standby group··· Ah, right. Of course."
"Considering my profession···."
A mage belonged in the rear, after all.
"Tsk, I’m jealous. I’m just here to fill out the numbers."
"Then··· you know what happened, right?"
When I asked, Baldik nodded with a face full of excitement.
"Hm? Of course I do! I got here before you did."
"Really? Then··· were you here when the attack happened?"
"Of course! The city was a complete mess, I’m telling you!"
His tone made it sound as if he were recalling some amusing tale of heroics.
"It was that evening. Suddenly, a huge roar exploded from the direction of the church. I was drinking in the early hours, and I got so startled that the hand holding my cup started shaking."
"From the church?"
"Yeah. At first, I thought the army or the Order was training. You see that kind of thing often enough. But it was strangely quiet. Before long, smoke started rising from all over the city, and that was when it hit me."
Suddenly, I remembered what I had heard in Riverton.
They had said the church there had been attacked first as well.
A similar method, the same sequence of events.
'Could it be··· the same people?'
While I was lost in thought, Baldik continued.
"Everyone came running out in the middle of the night. But when we got outside, it wasn’t what we thought. There was a blade fight happening right in the middle of the street. And the bastards were moving in an organized way."
"Were they bandits?"
"Yeah. They weren’t just petty thieves. They felt trained. Their formations were somewhat arranged, and their weapons were uniform too."
His tone sounded calm on the surface, but there was a certain accumulated fatigue in his words.
"The fact that people like that struck the church first means they must have had some kind of objective."
"Then those bandits weren’t simple looters."
"Right. That night, fires broke out all across the city at the same time, and simultaneous attacks happened everywhere. That’s not something sloppy bandits could pull off."
I quietly nodded.
That night, the city had faced an attack thoroughly prepared by someone.
"Anyway, how did you all make it here?
"We went on a request and got trapped in the Black Forest···."
"Hm? Don’t tell me you broke through that forest?"
"Yes, well··· by chance, that’s how it turned out."
"Hah, honestly. You said you were a mage, but weren’t you an adventurer in your past life?"
Baldik laughed hollowly.
I laughed it off too, but inwardly, I wasn’t exactly in the mood to laugh.
He glanced sidelong at my arm.
What his gaze landed on was my bandaged wrist.
"Are you badly hurt?"
"It’s not serious. I can still use it for now."
"Then that’s a relief. In times like these, who’s perfectly fine anyway?"
Then Baldik’s gaze slipped past me.
It was Aileen, quietly writing up the list.
He turned his head back and asked.
"By the way, who’s that young lady traveling with you?"
"Her name is Aileen. Due to circumstances, she’s been accompanying me for a while."
"I see."
He didn’t pry any further.
It was just… as if he wasn’t particularly interested.
If anything, that felt very Baldik-like.
We stopped talking for a moment.
Beyond the second-floor corridor, the bustling crowd spoke of the tension gripping the city.
The atmosphere was such that battle could break out at any moment.
No one knew who would survive, or what would be lost.
But even in the midst of that, one familiar face was certainly becoming a small source of strength in this unfamiliar world.