Homecoming (4)

Once the tents had been roughly packed away, I mounted my horse. Several people had suffered minor injuries while hunting the urg yesterday, so I had decided to give them my carriage. The knights protested that they could not possibly ride in a noblewoman’s carriage, but when I showed them the spacious interior and cushioned satin seats, they meekly accepted the luxury.

And so I was now riding alongside Sir Kaltz.

“So, in Madam’s eyes, His Highness is a son of a—”

“Please say puppy.”

“They mean the same thing.”

Kaltz grimaced as deeply as he could. He looked as though he had heard something truly unspeakable.

My cheeks reddened, and I pretended to look at the grass growing along the road. He had asked what we had talked about that morning, so I had answered honestly, but now that I had said it aloud, it was rather embarrassing after all.

Kaltz asked Raul indifferently.

“What nicknames does our illustrious Highness have?”

“The Nightmare of the Continent, the Calamity of the Eastern Kingdoms, the Black-Scaled Dragon, Walking Death…….”

“Exactly. But in our Madam’s eyes, he’s a son of a—”

“I said he’s a puppy.”

I protested quietly, but the two of them were no longer listening.

Raul stroked his rough chin with the exaggerated manner of a court poet.

“Still, what a magnificent expression. Son of a bitch……. It condenses all those nicknames into a single phrase.”

Leonard desperately cleared his throat to suppress his laughter.

Raul added shamelessly.

“Besides, the fact that his wife gave him that name is deeply significant. Are not most husbands sons of bitches by nature?”

Pfft. Kaltz finally failed to hold it in and burst out laughing. At the same time, the surrounding knights also snickered, their shoulders trembling. The fact that they covered their mouths for fear Victor might hear them was ridiculous.

I glared at them, the bridge of my nose turning red.

Seriously, it was not as though I could beat these people.

While chatting about one trivial thing after another, we arrived at the next village.

Once we dismounted and Kaltz entered the range of my sword, he obediently apologized.

“I am sorry for teasing you, Madam. Your words were simply so shocking.”

I narrowed my eyes and glared sidelong at the red-haired knight. Kaltz recoiled, saying I looked exactly like His Highness, then took the horses’ reins and went into the stable.

How could they tease Victor like that when they were so afraid of him? I let out a hollow laugh and looked around the village.

The streets were lively. The market was large, and there were several inns, so it seemed to be a fairly well-established village.

We intended to stop early and rest here today. We were tired from what had happened yesterday, and after camping for two nights already, I desperately missed a soft bed.

Dideric rented the cleanest inn and herded the knights inside like a flock of sheep. While they caused a commotion over taking baths, I secretly took my sword and slipped out of the inn.

They would notice soon, but it bothered me so much that I could not endure it any longer.

The cheapest tavern in the village, which I found after asking the innkeeper, had an intimidating atmosphere, just as expected. The dim hall smelled musty and was filled with people who looked rough at a glance. The moment I entered, they all glanced at me at once.

‘I should have worn a robe.’

I surveyed my surroundings with the coldest expression I could manage.

In one corner, a couple of old men were drinking strong liquor, while foreign travelers puffed clouds of hookah smoke on one side. The low-ranking soldiers occupying a large table were already thoroughly drunk and shouting noisily.

My gaze soon settled on two people sitting near the door. One was a short, stocky man carrying an axe, and the other was a tall woman wearing leather armor.

I walked straight toward them.

“I’ll buy you a drink.”

Two pairs of eyes scrutinized me suspiciously. I placed two gold coins on the table and ordered ale. The woman chuckled and tapped the coins with her finger.

“You know how to approach mercenaries. I thought you were some noble lady. Are you in the trade?”

“I quit after getting married.”

I answered vaguely and sat in an empty chair.

The man laughed heartily.

“If you quit, you should stay away from the likes of us. Why did you come all the way here?”

Instead of answering, I took out a leather pouch. They looked curiously at the slightly discolored pouch. I explained briefly.

“The venom gland of a nightmare urg.”

The grins vanished from their faces the instant I finished speaking. They exchanged startled glances, then asked me.

“You killed it?”

I nodded. Strictly speaking, I had not killed it, but since I had captured Victor, who had killed the urg, it was not entirely a lie.

The man cautiously examined the contents and made a horrified face.

“It is. And extremely fresh. How did you bring it here in such good condition?”

“We killed it on the plains just ahead.”

“Don’t lie.”

The woman furrowed her brow.

“I’ve hunted urgs before. They only live in high mountains. Why would one come all the way down here?”

“That’s what I want to know. Why was an urg in a place like that?”

A brief silence followed. I watched them anxiously.

Mercenaries knew more about monsters than anyone else. Large mercenary companies traveled across the entire continent to stop monster waves and wars, so they learned about monster movements faster than anyone. There was a reason people said to ask merchants which places were pleasant to live in and mercenaries which places were harsh.

After whispering to each other for a moment, the two spoke.

“……Actually, people have been saying for some time that the monsters have been acting strangely. Their numbers have increased too.”

“We ran into them several times on our way here.”

“It seems the defenses near the border may have weakened……. But we don’t know the details either.”

The woman added shortly.

“The mercenary company is investigating it.”

I nodded. If their entire company was investigating, they could not speak carelessly about it either.

I pushed the venom gland toward them.

“Thank you. You may keep that.”

“This is far too much.”

“It’s not as though I’m short on money.”

“What?”

The woman laughed boisterously and invited me to toast. I clinked cups with the two of them and drank my ale. The woman snickered.

“Good grief! If you were skilled enough to hunt an urg, you must have earned absurd amounts of money. What sort of layabout did you marry that made you quit?”

“Well, that just…… happened somehow…….”

I hurriedly hid my face behind my cup.

It was not as though I could tell them that my husband was the most famous knight in the Empire and a great lord who possessed an enormous territory.

Seeing me blush for no apparent reason, the man shook his head.

“Love has stolen another fine mercenary from us. The Mercenary King would lament.”

“Not necessarily. Who says she has to stay retired forever? Once that fellow stops earning enough, she can just chop him down and leave. Right?”

The two laughed loudly as they exchanged jokes that were thoroughly mercenary-like. I nodded ambiguously and merely sipped my ale. Hearing the mercenaries’ frivolous manner of speaking again after so long was rather enjoyable. I squeezed my eyes shut and swallowed the bitter ale.

Once I emptied this cup, I would return for dinner. I would wash myself with cold water, then order a large roast chicken and a pie…….

Just then, a familiar voice suddenly rang out behind me.

“Marion!”

I turned reflexively. Victor stood there, breathing heavily. My eyes widened.

“Oh, what brings you here?”

“That is what I wish to ask. What in the world are you doing in a place like this?”

He sighed and approached me. He must have rushed here immediately after washing, because the ends of his damp hair drooped over his forehead, making him look far younger than usual. He frowned and surveyed the surroundings.

“When I could not find you, I searched for you, and the innkeeper said you might have come here. What in the world happened?”

“Well, there was something I wanted to investigate…….”

While speaking, I suddenly came to my senses and looked at the mercenaries sitting before me. Their gazes were strange.

“Is that your husband?”

When I reflexively nodded, the two stroked their chins as though evaluating him.

“I see…… With a face like that…….”

“He might indeed be worth giving up a few bags of gold.”

“Where did you find such a handsome man? I’ve traveled the entire continent and never seen one like him.”

My face reddened, and I hurriedly rose from my seat.

Victor frowned.

“What in the world are they—”

“Be careful, brother. Once your wealth runs out, you’re finished.”

“The same goes if your beauty fades!”

“Let’s go back quickly, Victor!”

I hurriedly grabbed his hand and pulled him away. The thoroughly drunk mercenaries burst into loud laughter.

Victor furrowed his brow as though he had something to say, but I forcibly pushed him along and barely managed to get him through the door.

The woman called out from behind me.

“Hey! We work for what we’re paid. You paid us too much, so once the investigation is finished, we’ll tell you what we find.”

My eyes widened, and I turned to look at them. The woman jerked her chin.

“This fellow is Shorty, and I’m Lanky. Where should we go to find you?”

After a moment of thought, I answered.

“Come to Mort Castle. I’m Skinny.”