Chapter 52. < 24. The Queen's Kingdom, Rhodesia (2) >
"Crash right in?"
"Let's go! There's no time! Competitors are increasing by the moment!"
"Huh, huh?"
Morgan moved. His movements were fast and efficient.
No matter how many competitors there were, he had no intention of meeting just any woman.
While not as discriminating as Lumian, his standards were also quite high. He went in and out of countless shops, trying to find women who met his criteria.
And after a while.
"Found them."
"Found what...... Oh!"
Lumian exclaimed in a small voice.
He could immediately tell who Morgan was referring to.
Two female mercenaries sitting in one corner of the shop.
They appeared to be in their mid to late twenties, with a refreshing, straightforward charm.
'A completely different feel from the Academy ladies.'
Of course, that was only natural. Their upbringing, nationality, and age were all different.
But that point was actually refreshing and pleasant.
The biggest issue, age, wasn't a problem for Lumian at all. Originally, he was 60 years old, after all.
However......
"But aren't there already men there?"
That was the problem.
There were already men sharing the table with the two beautiful women.
Lumian looked at Morgan and asked.
"So what are you planning to do?"
"It's fine. The table is big, and there are empty seats, aren't there? Two chairs are sitting unused."
"No, I mean......"
"Looking at the men's status, we don't lack anything at all. Looking at the women's expressions, I can sense they're slightly bored."
"Even so, barging in between them is......"
"Didn't I tell you?"
Morgan turned his head toward Lumian.
A fearsome intensity could be felt from his eyes.
"Try first, and if not......"
"I was joking, you son of a bitch."
"Good attitude. I'll take the lead."
Having finished speaking, he walked steadily toward the female mercenaries.
The people at the table who made eye contact with him wore puzzled expressions. Customers from other sides also unconsciously looked at Morgan.
At that moment, Morgan leaped vigorously and performed a midair somersault.
Whirrrrr-
Thwack!
Morgan sat down so magnificently and flamboyantly that even a marketplace clown would weep in admiration, then deliberately put on a greasy expression.
With his chin propped on his hand at a tilted angle, he spoke to the women.
"There are no seats, so would it be alright if we join you?"
"Pfft, pfha, hahahaha!"
"What is this guy!"
"That's a laugh of permission. Ah, I have a younger brother too. That's okay, right?"
No sooner had Morgan finished speaking than Lumian jumped vigorously.
Whirrrr-!
Chak!
"Woaaaah!"
"What the, that's cool!"
Lumian displayed a somersault stylish enough to rival Morgan's.
All the customers in the shop burst into laughter and applauded.
The women at the table were no exception. The black-haired woman with cat-like eyes spoke while laughing.
"Sure. Let's drink together. That's fine, right?"
"Haha, if there are no seats, it can't be helped."
"Of course, naturally."
The men originally at the table nodded with sour expressions.
Especially the second man. He clenched his back teeth tightly when saying 'naturally.' Lumian looked at Morgan with an anxious expression.
But he didn't look at Lumian. Morgan's eyes and mouth were already focused on the female mercenaries.
'......Well, it'll work out somehow.'
Downing the quickly served beer, Lumian thought.
If successful, good. If not, it's experience.
***
'Crazy bastards.'
The female knight, Sir Linnell, who had been sipping fruit wine at the shop, looked at the two men with a dumbfounded expression.
She wasn't unaware that lustful men had been flocking to the city lately, but these guys were special. She had never seen such a shocking proposal for sharing a table in her life.
That made it even more interesting.
'Worth coming out to watch.'
Sir Linnell wore an interested expression.
Whenever she had no duties, she occasionally visited the city's taverns. And she watched outsider men struggling to woo women.
Recently, it was hard to find anything more entertaining than this.
The guys who failed and made sour faces, the guys who kept wandering without giving up, the guys who succeeded and disappeared somewhere with women - they were all amusing.
She realized for the first time how fun it was to watch other people's affairs.
And among them, today, these guys were special.
She had a feeling something very entertaining was about to happen.
'Doesn't matter if trouble arises. I'm on holiday anyway... suffer, security force and my junior!'
I'll enjoy today!
Sir Linnell, who snickered, sipped her fruit wine again.
Whether the original men win, or the newly appeared crazy bastards win. Or both lose. She only hoped either would make her laugh.
***
"Really?"
"That's what I'm telling you. I was there......"
"Ahaha, that doesn't make sense! How could that......."
"......."
About 30 minutes after joining the table.
The atmosphere at the table had somehow shifted to Morgan's side.
The two women were listening to Morgan's stories without paying attention to their surroundings. The expressions of the men originally sitting there were changing like volcanoes about to erupt.
The problem was that Lumian also wasn't achieving any particular success.
"......."
'What should I do?'
Lumian drank beer with a stiff face.
Honestly, this situation was too difficult.
It was more challenging than blind dates, more challenging than balls.
Following Morgan and sitting down flamboyantly was fine, but after that, he really couldn't think of a single thing to say. He had to do something, but......
'Damn it, Morgan, you bastard!'
He said to just trust him.
Seeing him only satisfying his own desires made him feel frustrated. He ordered more alcohol.
"Oh my, are you okay?"
"Right. You're young too...... aren't you pushing yourself?"
"Haha, I'm fine. I can hold my liquor."
"Hey, you don't have to act tough in front of us older sisters."
"I'm really fine. No need to worry."
Having finished speaking, Lumian downed the alcohol again.
In truth, he could hold his liquor well. Ryan Promhart was a heavy drinker that all the knights of Zenas would concede a step to.
But there was one thing he was mistaken about - the fact that his current body was different from his previous life's body.
"Haha, don't worry. My brother here is actually a stronger drinker than me."
Morgan had also overlooked this fact. That was why he didn't stop Lumian from continuing to drink.
What he was worried about was something else.
'Now I need to set the stage for big brother.'
Morgan wore a serious expression.
As a result of 30 minutes of hard work, he had achieved his own purpose.
He had succeeded in gaining the favor of one of them, the blonde woman. He was a man whose self-love was as certain as his respect for his senior, so this process had to come first.
Anyway, now that things were starting to look good for himself, it was time to take care of his senior.
'How should I connect them......'
His worries continued. Then the atmosphere subsided slightly. That was because Morgan had been leading the drinking session alone until now.
At that moment, one of the original men who had been quiet until now started speaking.
"Ah, by the way, you said you were interested in the Keyes Forest subjugation, right?"
"Right! We were talking about that earlier."
"That's true. The entrance of these gentlemen was so intense...... what should I do! Should I just give up?"
"Ahem. If there were only orcs, I wouldn't know, but trolls also appear frequently there, so it is dangerous."
"Exactly. Sigh."
The black-haired woman with cat-like eyes sighed.
Before Lumian and Morgan arrived, they had been talking about a large-scale request posted in the city.
The base pay was quite substantial so she wanted to participate, but the risk seemed too great - that was the black-haired woman's concern.
'Then don't do it!'
Morgan wanted to say that, but he didn't voice it.
As advice from a senior mercenary, it might be appropriate, but it was certainly not something a man full of hidden motives should say. Even if he had achieved his purpose, he shouldn't do that now.
The original men were thinking the same thing.
The narrow-eyed man who first changed the topic spoke again.
"Still...... there's no need to worry too much. Even if it's a medium-sized monster, there are ways to deal with it. As long as you follow those properly, there won't be any problems."
"Oh, really? Have you ever killed a troll?"
"Hmm, not me personally. But the senior next to me here...... was once called the Troll Slayer. Senior, why don't you tell the ladies some old stories?"
"Hmm, it's a bit embarrassing to talk about in front of others."
The bearded man who had clenched his jaw at their first meeting showed reluctance.
Of course, that was just for show.
When the women pestered him a few times to tell them, he struck a pose and immediately began spinning tales of his exploits and information about strategies.
'What kind of bullshit is he spouting.'
Morgan frowned slightly.
Honestly, it was absurd.
What the guys were saying wasn't wrong in itself. But as someone who had reached Sword Master, he had already grasped the men's true abilities.
"Their strides are large but their reactions are slow, so if you just change directions well......"
'Crazy bastard, do you know how tremendous a troll's intimidation is! At your level, your body would freeze just hearing their crying!'
Morgan was dumbfounded.
But the inexperienced women didn't catch on to the bearded man's bravado. Rather, they perked up their ears and focused their eyes to remember the information he was sharing.
Perhaps liking that sight, the bearded man showed a slightly excited expression. His shoulders also squared up.
That was the problem.
Lost in the attention he hadn't received in a while, he kept going, continuing his explanation.
"Speaking of which, that happened...... when I took a request in the Amarina River basin. Trolls that gathered smelling blood......"
"Ah, I see."
"To face three trolls simultaneously, I...... what I felt at that time was...... and yet, to collect troll blood which has value like gold...... the important point here is......"
"Ah, hahaha...... you're really amazing."
"Wow, woaah! So cool!"
The female mercenaries continued their compliments with smiling faces.
But Morgan could tell. They were now extremely bored.
Thanks to their naturally kind nature, they weren't cutting him off, but they were already in a situation where their bodies were itching to talk about something else.
The blonde woman occasionally glanced at Morgan. She must mean for him to cut in. But Morgan didn't meet the woman's expectations.
There was someone else who should step in here.
'Now, big brother.'
Morgan gave Lumian a signal.
Right now was the moment.
Now that Narrow-eyes and Mustache had made a huge mess of things, unless he said something really strange, the women would happily receive the conversation.
Whether reading Morgan's thoughts or not, Lumian cleared his throat with a hem-hem.
Instantly, everyone's attention turned to Lumian.
With a slightly flushed face, he spoke with an expressionless face.
"Why make killing a troll so complicated? Just draw an Aura Sword and stab it in the head, and it's done."
"......."
"That way you don't waste blood either, no problem at all."
A brief silence.
The mustached man who had been speaking lost his words, and the women also showed frozen expressions like statues for a moment.
But that was only for a moment.
"Pwahahahaha!"
"Ahahaha, what! He's saying that with such a serious face!"
The women who heard Lumian's story burst into laughter.
Nevertheless, Lumian didn't change his expression one bit.
He added one more thing.
"Well, if you add fire attribute to the Aura Sword and cut the neck...... that way the cut surface gets cooked so blood doesn't flow, making collection convenient."
"Pfft! No, I've never seen someone bluff this expressionlessly before!"
"Right, so he does know how to make people laugh subtly."
'Good, it worked well!'
Morgan clenched his fist under the table.
A gentle and quiet-looking boy who didn't seem like that at all, matter-of-factly spinning lies.
That contrasting appearance created a strangely funny atmosphere.
At least that's how it seemed to those women. Honestly, he just thought so-so.
Of course, his own sense of humor wasn't important here.
Only the women's reactions mattered.
'Well done, big brother!'
Morgan looked at Lumian with proud eyes.
To pull the atmosphere to his side so splendidly. He felt like his worries were washing away.
'What? Why are they like this?'
Lumian couldn't understand why the women were laughing.
Right now, he was drunk. That's why, without any particular intention, he had simply told his thoughts truthfully.
To kill a troll, an Aura Sword is enough - what need is there for petty methods?
So he just said his method as it was, and he was only puzzled that the reaction was this good.
'If the reaction is good, then good.'
He didn't know why, but if the reaction was good, he had no choice but to continue.
He continued to share his experiences. Stories about monsters he encountered while on external missions, and stories about fighting demons.
The women who heard his words continued to burst into laughter.
A kid who didn't even blink and kept telling even bigger lies was both funny and cute to them.
"You tell lies so naturally."
"It's not a lie?"
"Ahaha, right! Huh? But your body is quite nice."
"Right. Your face looks completely like a young master, but your arms are totally...... wow! So solid!"
"Really? Let me...... oh my, it really is."
"Wait, is everything you said until now not true?"
"Pff. Stop it, really."
The women felt considerable interest in Lumian's other reversal charm.
A refined appearance rarely seen among mercenaries, yet despite that, quite developed muscles.
Seeming quiet and shy, but then telling jokes without changing expression when needed.
They wanted to talk a bit more.
The women's gazes directed at Lumian gradually deepened.
'What is this, these women! Why are they so bold!'
Lumian was flustered.
A woman touching his body first! Poking his arm, stroking it!
It was the first time in his life. Of course, it was very welcome.
'Good. Good. I did well to listen to Morgan.'
Lumian felt happy.
It was different from blind dates.
Now there were no damn rumors. The women didn't look like lesbians either.
If things continued in this good atmosphere a little longer, a new chapter might be written in his life.
Just as the corners of Lumian's lips were about to rise with such thoughts.
Bang!
"No, this is going too far!"
The forgotten disruptors raised their voices.
The narrow-eyed man who slammed the table stood up abruptly and pointed his finger at Lumian.
"How long do you plan to keep telling such nonsensical lies? You brat who still has milk behind his ears......"
"......?"
"How dare you show off in front of someone! Huh? Do you know who this senior next to me is!"
An atmosphere that rapidly turned cold.
In the midst of it, Morgan lightly shook his head.
'But do you even know who this senior is?'