"I..."
Just as I was about to speak, a low, deep voice came from behind me.
"Let's see. Is that the fellow?"
The crowd parted on its own.
A middle-aged man strode in.
His coat bore not a single gaudy ornament, yet with his restrained neatness, upright posture, and steady gaze alone, he quietly pressed down on the air around him.
The soldiers following him felt more like a backdrop.
Because the pressure and presence emanating from the man himself explained everything.
"Are you the one who used magic atop the wall?"
His gaze was fixed squarely on me.
Quietly, yet naturally cutting through the people, he approached and introduced himself in a calm tone.
"I am Hiram Valoren, lord of Mondark. A pleasure."
Sairen nearly jumped out of his skin and hurriedly bowed his head, and Aileen quietly bent at the waist after him.
Seeing even Valdic lower his head without a word, I didn't bother resisting and bowed mine as well.
"A mage who defended Mondark... Since taking charge of this city, I have heard such a tale only twice."
At those words, the surrounding soldiers seemed to tense.
His tone was courteous, but the atmosphere was by no means light.
So this... is what a noble really is.
"There is no need for that. I did not come to punish you."
The lord spoke in a low, weighty voice, almost as if he were laughing lightly.
But even that single sentence carried power.
Telling us we didn't need to bow assumed, at the very least, that he had the authority to allow it.
"Had it not been for your magic, the gates would have fallen much sooner. Thanks to you, many lives were saved."
I lifted my head slightly and answered briefly.
"...You praise me too highly."
It really was too much praise.
In reality, the bandits I dealt with were only a portion of them, and the ones who suffered the most at the front were the soldiers.
If I had to pick the person who contributed the most, it would surely be that gold-badge mercenary, Kalsia.
Of course, what I did might have stood out in terms of performance.
He looked at me for a moment, then nodded.
"Even so, apart from that, I will remember your name. As one of those who defended this city."
For a moment, something pricked at me.
Because those words felt like... a warning that he might have something more for me to do later.
"We shall speak in more detail another time. For now, recovery and reorganization come first."
After saying that, he quietly left again.
The people around waited in silence until his back had grown distant, then began returning to their respective places.
"......Whew, that was pretty tense."
When I muttered quietly, Valdic snorted.
"That's a noble for you. Even without a sword in his hand, one word from him can move ten soldiers."
I brushed off my shoulder and let out a small breath.
'...This really is the Middle Ages.'
Even if magic ran rampant and monsters roamed around, in the end, this world was still an age that bowed before power.
There were plenty of things that made no sense to modern sensibilities, but if I wanted to survive here, I'd have to get used to things like this too.
"Still, it's a relief. At least this time, you drew attention for a good reason."
At Valdic's words, I quietly nodded.
"Yeah. I didn't do anything wrong... probably."
Of course, that didn't mean my mind was at ease.
A noble's attention didn't always mean something good.
Today it might be praise, but tomorrow I could turn into someone he needed to possess.
That was the reality of this world.
***
After finishing our business, we headed back to the inn.
"But it isn't over yet, is it? Is it really okay for us to leave?"
Sairen asked quietly.
"That's true. There are still some of them left."
Valdic shrugged.
"But that's none of our concern. They don't have the money to handle us anymore either. They probably just paid us what they could and cut us loose."
"Ah..."
So that was why they paid the reward faster than I'd expected.
A brief silence fell, and then Sairen opened his mouth again.
"...Then can't we leave quickly?"
"We do have to leave."
Valdic answered curtly.
Sairen's expression was still dark.
The anxiety of not knowing what might happen was written plainly on his face.
The city appeared to have regained its peace, but that was only on the surface.
No one could guarantee when or what might happen.
"But because of the war, we have to go far away anyway, don't we?"
Sairen spoke cautiously.
"Right."
Valdic gave a short reply, then turned his head.
"What exactly is happening?"
Since I didn't know anything, all I could do was ask.
Valdic hesitated for a moment, then finally opened his mouth.
"It's a common dispute between territories. Adelfelit and Gausman to the north. Both are well-known domains."
"To be precise... is it like a territorial war?"
"Well, something like that."
He sighed.
"On the surface, it's a dispute over trade rights. In truth, it's a power struggle. Mondark is caught in the middle."
"Then is this place going to become a battlefield?"
"It already has, and there's a high chance it will again."
At those words, the pouch of silver coins I had received felt strangely heavier.
It felt less like simple compensation and more like a signal telling us not to run away.
"Then what happens to us?"
"It's better not to get too deeply involved. You said you were going to the Magic Tower."
"It's not exactly that easy."
Valdic gave a bitter smile.
His expression contained the words, 'That's why you're doing mercenary work.'
"Since the Mercenary Guild doesn't seem to be working anyway, where should we go?"
"Who knows. How about heading west?"
"West?"
"...There is one place we can't go, given our circumstances. That's off the table anyway."
"Mm."
That was true.
I didn't know whether an official wanted notice had been issued, but there was definitely one territory I had no reason to walk into and check for myself.
If we wanted to move safely, choosing another direction was the right call.
"Isn't there anywhere we could look for information?"
"There should be that Information Guild or whatever."
"Information Guild?"
I remembered hearing about it back when I traveled with Drek.
I didn't know the details, but I'd heard there were people well versed in that sort of work.
"Do you know where it is?"
"No, I don't. If you go poking around half-baked, you might lose your life."
"...It's that bad?"
I hadn't realized the Information Guild was such a frightening place.
That didn't mean I no longer wanted to visit it.
For example, information about the Magic Tower, or the state of affairs in this world.
There were mountains of things I was curious about, and right now, I didn't even have a clue that could help answer them.
The problem was that I had no one to ask.
Aileen was completely ignorant of that side of things, and Sairen was... even if he knew, I couldn't trust him.
Considering what he had done so far, even asking him for directions required verification.
"...Is there really no one who might know?"
At that moment, Valdic muttered from beside me.
"Information Guild... Information Guild... Ah!"
"Hm?"
"Wouldn't that fence bastard know?"
"Fence?"
"Dardan. The guy we saw in the port village."
"Ah! That bastard!"
I let out a bitter smile without realizing it.
That name was definitely one that stuck in my memory.
After all, the party had practically fallen apart because of him.
"...He definitely said he got it from the Information Guild."
"Who?"
Sairen, who had been listening beside us, tilted his head.
Well, that made sense.
Back then, it had only been Valdic, Drek, and me. The three of us traveling together.
"You wouldn't know. You weren't with us then. That fraud bastard."
Valdic spoke as if he were seething, but in truth, it had been a contest of nerves with each side holding the other's life in their hands.
That guy had been terrified, and we had been desperate.
"I saw him again in the outskirts. He was snooping around some market, though I don't know if he's still there now."
"...I saw him too. It was at some equipment shop, and he seemed pretty close to the owner."
I put a hand to my chin and fell into thought.
"But are we sure that bastard really has a connection to the Information Guild?"
"Who knows. He ran before we could confirm anything. But judging by how he talked and the things he had, I don't think it was complete nonsense."
"I went to that village I heard about before too, and I heard talk about the ruins there. Some of what I heard then overlapped with what Dardan said. So it wasn't all bullshit."
Garnian Village, where I had gone before.
Remembering the stories I had heard there, I nodded slightly.
"...Haa, so in the end, we have to run around again."
I sighed and muttered.
If we could just find Dardan again, we might be able to grab hold of a lead, whether it was the Information Guild or something else.
Of course, this time I'd have to grab him by the collar before he could run.
"For now, let's go to the place where I saw him."
"Yeah? Then let's start there."
Valdic said with a shrug.
Our next goal was decided.
Now the question was whether or not that bastard was still there.
"But if we do this, it means we're working as mercenaries together, right?"
On the way, Valdic asked casually.
His tone was relaxed, but his expression carried a subtle expectation.
"Well, I guess that's how it works out."
When I answered, he clenched his fist and shouted.
"Yes!"
For a moment, I felt like I shouldn't have said it.
He seemed so happy that I was the one who felt flustered.
'Was it that big of a deal?'
We had moved together several times before, but it had always been closer to being pushed together by circumstances. No one had ever suggested forming a party first.
And yet he was this happy.
Had things been that exhausting without me all this time? Or was he simply that affectionate?
It felt a bit awkward to ask, so I roughly averted my gaze.
"Don't get your hopes up too much. I still don't know how long we'll be traveling together."
"I know. I do know, but... still, having someone by your side is something to be grateful for."
At those words, I felt needlessly embarrassed.
Why did he have to say it so properly?
Scratching my head for a moment, I muttered.
"...Well, being alone isn't great for me either."
At that, Valdic grinned broadly.
He didn't say it, but his expression clearly meant, 'See, we ended up traveling together after all.'
This old man really was sentimental.
"Me too! I'm here too!"
"Ah, m-me too! Of course I have to follow you!"
Aileen and Sairen both rushed to speak up.
'Ah, right.'
Seeing Aileen reminded me of something.
"But actually..."
At this point, I had to tell him.
If we were going to travel together, I needed to be honest with Valdic too.
I carefully brought up the whole story of the request connected to Aileen.
As diplomatically as possible, without leaving anything out.
After Valdic finished listening, he was silent for a moment.
"......Can I cancel traveling with you, even now?"
"No."
"Damn it."
Valdic let out a hollow laugh and rubbed his chin.
He looked as if he had firmly resigned himself.
"In my entire life, I've met the two most exhausting people ever, and one of them is you."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment..."
Even as he said that, Valdic didn't run away.
He merely shrugged and let out a sigh.
"Still, I'm glad I heard in advance. If something suddenly popped out later, I might've really dropped dead from shock."
"Will you be okay? It might be dangerous."
When I asked cautiously, Valdic narrowed his eyes for a moment and looked at me.
"It's not something you can back out of at this point, is it? Then it's only right that we fight with you."
"..."
For some reason, I nodded silently.
At that moment, Sairen stirred beside us and stepped forward.
"But... if it's dangerous, then I can sit this one—"
"No."
"Aaaack!"
Cut off firmly, Sairen shut his mouth.
A brief silence flowed, and Aileen quietly filled the gap.
"...I'm sorry. Because of me, all of you got caught up in something like this."
It was a short sentence, but her shoulders trembled as she bowed deeply.
There was no sign of trying to run, nor was she forcing herself to act strong.
It was simply filled with sincerity.
Valdic slowly turned his head and looked at Aileen.
Then he gave a small laugh and said,
"Hey, what do you have to be guilty about? If we're tangled up in something, that's their problem. You don't need to make that face."
At those words, Aileen, unable to lift her head, simply nodded quietly.
I watched her in silence, then let out a small breath.
With this, our direction was more or less decided.
All that remained was to move forward.
"Is that the shop?"
"Yes, I think that's it."
"...It looks closed."
Just as Sairen said, the shop door was tightly shut.
A thin layer of old dust had settled on the door, and the window was covered from the inside with cloth.
It was impossible to tell whether it was simply closed for the day, or whether they had left entirely.
"...Were we a little late?"
"Do you think... they ran away?"
Just as we were staring at the closed door with hollow expressions—
"Are you looking for the owner of that shop, by any chance?"
A cautious, unfamiliar voice came from behind us.
When I turned my head, a middle-aged man who had been cleaning up a nearby stall was looking at us.
The apron hanging at his waist and the coal marks on his arms said he was a merchant from around here.
"Pardon? Do you know something?"
I asked.
"Yes. Everyone around here knows. It hasn't opened for the past few days. It was a shop that sold cheap equipment and secondhand goods, but suspicious customers came and went often."
"Suspicious customers?"
"People wearing hoods late at night, people who locked the door tight before talking... Well, this isn't the kind of neighborhood that cares about things like that."
I narrowed my eyes.
As expected, it might be true that Dardan had been hiding movements related to the Information Guild around here.
"Then do you happen to know where the shop owner went?"
"I don't know that. Some say they saw him moving luggage, others say he just ran off overnight."
It was a slightly disappointing answer.
But it was a clue.
At the very least, we had grasped circumstances suggesting he had been trying to avoid or hide something.
It meant that not only Dardan, but the shop owner as well had something to feel guilty about.
"...If we want to find him, we'll have to move around more."
"That bastard was quicker on his feet than he looked."
Valdic muttered, scratching his chin.
"For now, we need to gather other information. There might be someone nearby connected to him."
I said quietly, adjusting the waterskin at my side.