Chapter 14 - Horos Village
Horos Village was quite small compared to Redanthus.
Instead of stone walls, the village was surrounded by a wooden palisade.
Here and there along the palisade, you could see watchtowers that looked out over the surrounding area.
To Lawrence, those structures seemed almost like a physical manifestation of the villagers' fear of monsters.
Hilton Village was relatively safe since humans and Underwolves had divided up territory, but seeing this village before him made it clear that such an arrangement was far from normal.
As they drew closer to the village, people began to appear.
Among them were traveling merchants pulling wagons like Lionel, and mercenaries trudging along with heavy footsteps.
Every one of them was carrying thick sacks over their shoulders, giving the strong impression they'd made some decent profit.
"Now that we've made it this far, we can finally catch our breath. You've really been through a lot."
"You've had a tough journey too, Lionel. Things turned out to be a far cry from an easy trip, didn't they?"
"That's the merchant's life for you. No matter how often you travel a certain road, you just never know what'll happen. That's what makes it interesting, don't you think?"
Lionel curled his lips into a grin.
"Anyway, since we've arrived, how about we grab a meal together? All we've had is soup and jerky, so my mouth feels like it's full of dust."
"Are you treating me this time, Lionel?"
"You're stating the obvious. But nothing too expensive, alright?"
A hearty laugh burst out.
Looking back now, traveling with Lionel hadn't been so bad after all.
Of course, I do wish his mouth knew how to take a break every now and then.
At the entrance to the village, four gatekeepers were checking people coming and going.
Shouts and curses filled the air. Rough, grating voices rang out constantly. Just like at the checkpoint in Redanthus Village, there was never a moment of peace here.
"Can't you move it along? We're all exhausted, so quit dragging your feet!"
"Shit, you think I'm hanging back because I want to?"
"Shit? Have you lost your mind? Who do you think you're swearing at?"
"You're the crazy one. Getting all high and mighty, are you…?"
A commotion in the marketplace was nothing compared to this.
Amid the crowd of jostling mercenaries, harsh words flew back and forth Fortunately, thanks to the gatekeepers, things didn't escalate into a bloody mess, but even they weren't making much effort to intervene beforehand.
Good thing there's a separate line for wagons. If we'd had to line up with the mercenaries, there definitely would have been a few more pointless scuffles here and there.
"Well, look who it is! Is that you, Lionel?"
"It's been a while. I hope you've been well."
Does Lionel know the gatekeeper?
Lionel exchanged a hug with the gatekeeper who recognized him.
"Same as always. Did you bring anything good with you this time?"
"No, actually. I'm here to buy. This place is always crawling with Forest Spiders, isn't it? The price for their paralyzing stingers has been pretty nice lately."
"Talk about good timing. Head over to the Mercenary Guild—you'll find more paralyzing stingers than you'll know what to do with. You could set out again tomorrow if you wanted."
"They say timing is everything, huh? Seems I've got a knack for showing up at just the right moment."
Lionel nudged the gatekeeper in the side. In his hand, he held several copper coins, their dull gleam visible.
"You've always got the tough end of the job. After your shift, buy yourself and your buddies a drink."
"Ahem! This is why I like you. Have you checked the whole wagon?"
"Are you blind or something? Can't you see I'm in the middle of it?"
"If everything looks fine, just let them through. He's a regular, comes by all the time."
"What? Well, that makes things easy for me."
The gatekeepers, who had only been giving the wagon a cursory inspection, stepped down.
"And who's this guy?"
"He's a mercenary I hired. Looks young, I know, but he's really something. If it weren't for him, I'd probably be dead five times over by now."
Lawrence bowed his head slightly.
"By the way, why are there so many mercenaries around here? It's nothing like the usual."
"Don't even get me started. The Spider Forest is a real mess right now. Honestly, wiping every last one of them out is impossible, but leaving them all alive is trouble too. If you think about it, the reason our village manages to get by at all is mostly thanks to those things, isn't it? The lord, on the other hand, wants to use the trees. It's a sad but funny situation."
The gatekeeper clicked his tongue and raised his hand.
"One wagon coming through!"
"Wagon's clear!"
"Clear!"
The inspection was little more than a formality. At the gatekeeper's signal, they were given the go-ahead.
"Hey, aren't you being a little too lax?"
It was Lionel who ended up surprised.
He hadn't expected they'd be let through so quickly.
Lawrence hadn't even had his belongings checked yet.
"If it's you, I know there won't be any problems Or did you bring something dangerous with you?"
"It's not that, but don't you think you should at least follow proper procedures? This isn't convenience—it's..."
"Neglecting my duty, huh? In that case, I ought to give you a real thorough search. Got it. Just be prepared not to get into the village before nightfall."
"Oh, come on! Can't you take a joke?"
Just one mischievous joke was enough. Lionel lowered his voice as much as he could.
"Are you sure it's really fine for us to pass?"
"It's fine. If you're feeling that grateful, just treat me to a meal next time."
He'd said enough already; lingering any longer would just be rude. Plenty of wagons were waiting their turn behind them. Lionel patted the gatekeeper's shoulder and thanked him.
Lawrence, who had ended up passing through the gate more easily than expected, spoke up.
"You must come here far more often than I thought."
"Didn't I tell you? It's a good village for making a quick buck."
After leaving their wagon at the temporary storage lot, the two of them stepped out onto the street.
Garbage rolled along the sides of the road. The buildings were spread out with wide gaps between them. Street vendors sat right in the middle of the road, hawking their goods.
It became immediately obvious why the gatekeepers at the checkpoint had seemed so indifferent to all the commotion.
"What the hell! Are you kidding me? This is a scam!"
"A scam? Don't talk crap—if you don't have money, get lost, you beggar."
"There he goes again. Didn't I tell you to cool it?"
"Whatever. I've still got one shot left. Didn't I tell you last time? The one who wins at the end is the real winner."
"Sure, and you know that won't be you."
Behind the alleyway, gambling was going on in broad daylight. All along the streets, mercenaries were constantly getting into fights. The guards responsible for keeping order only stepped in when things got truly serious; for the minor scuffles happening around them, they simply turned a blind eye.
"What a lovely town… Not that it looked inviting from the outside, but even from within, it doesn't exactly seem like a great place to live," Lawrence remarked.
Lionel replied, "Still, once you get used to it, it's just like any other place where people live. No matter how tough life is, there's no such thing as a place without a human touch, is there?"
In fact, he insisted, neighborhoods like this were where people became closer. With that, Lionel led Lawrence to a restaurant.
The battered, tattered sign out front left a strong impression.
Inside, the noise from loud chatter easily drowned out the sounds of people eating. If the outside was chaotic like a marketplace, then in here it was utter mayhem. The place was so crowded and noisy that, to Lawrence, every customer seemed to resemble Lionel.
In the narrow spaces between tables, scantily dressed serving girls darted to and fro. As they passed, mercenaries reached for them with their hands, aiming for their chests and hips, but the girls, moving almost like they were dancing, deftly dodged the groping and delivered dishes unbothered.
Lawrence found himself frowning a little, memories of the monastery flooding back. The young faces of the serving girls reminded him of the older sisters he'd worked alongside. The thought of Sister Joan or Sister Edith returning to the village and ending up with a job like this left a bitter taste in his mouth.
In any case, the place was so popular it was nearly impossible to find an empty seat.
There was no hostess to help find a spot, so chaos reigned.
After weaving their way through the drunks several times, the two finally managed to grab a seat and sit down
"I didn't expect it to be this crowded. Sorry about that."
"It's no trouble. If there are a lot of customers, that usually means the food's good."
"You know your stuff. Excuse me, miss, we're ready to order!"
"Yes, just a moment!"
After an acknowledgment, a moment later, a waitress approached their table, her chest fully exposed.
"Hello. What can I get for you?"
"Are you still serving the Lamb Butter Roast?"
"Of course, sir. It's our signature dish."
"That's good to hear. Then we'll have two Lamb Butter Roasts and two hot Cream Soups. One Roast Turkey, and two cold ales, please."
"Oh, I'll have milk instead of ale."
Milk, far more familiar than the liquor he never drank, sounded much better to him. Drinking milk brought back memories of the monastery, gently warming his heart.
"Milk? You came all the way here and you're ordering milk?"
"Yes. I just really like milk."
"Well, this is a first. Never met a mercenary who prefers milk. Alright then, bring us one ale and one milk. Both cold, please."
"You're a funny one. Understood. And if you find yourself lonely tonight, please look for Sylvia."
With a playful smile, the waitress left their table.
"Seems like women prefer younger men after all. At this rate, how could an old guy like me even stand a chance?"
Lionel couldn't take his eyes off the waitress's retreating figure.
Lawrence didn't entirely grasp what her words meant, but he had a vague idea about the sort of games that went on between men and women at night.
Trying to hide his blushing face, Lawrence spoke up.
"I'm not interested. If you are, Mr. Lionel, why don't you go see for yourself?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Sylvia singled you out just now, not me. I'd just get myself kicked out for being a shameless old man, and that's not a wound I care to bear."
"…A wound?"
"Listen, my boy. There's nothing sharper or scarier than the cold words of a woman you like. You'll understand when you're older."
A woman I like?
He'd only known the waitress's name for less than a minute.
"I don't really want to know, to be honest."
It was all he could do just to take care of himself in this world. The last thing he wanted was to get tangled up in woman trouble.
"Looks to me like you don't know much about women yet. Well, this is as good a chance as any. Anyway, if you're going to do it, it's better to be with someone who enjoys it. Didn't I tell you? In Horos Village, women are rare. What do you think? Sylvia seems like she'd treat you well."
"That's enough. I don't have any money in the first place."
Seeing Lionel's sly grin, Lawrence shook his head.
Starting tomorrow, he would have a mountain of work to do.
He needed to visit the Mercenary Guild to learn more about the Forest Spiders and add a hood to his Robe. If possible, he also wanted to find out what actual Forest Spiders looked like and observe how other mercenaries fought them.
This wasn't an overreaction. In fact, jumping into a real fight unprepared was the one thing he absolutely had to avoid. He didn't mind spending as much time and money as necessary for that sake.
No matter how much he liked money, it all ended if he died. Since he'd be risking his life, he needed to increase his chance of survival, even just a little.
"Here's your ale and milk."
"Thank you."
When the waitress came to their table, Lawrence deliberately avoided making eye contact. Perhaps sensing that Lawrence was uncomfortable, Lionel dropped the subject of women.
"Well then, here's to a safe journey up north!"
They clinked their glasses together. As the cool milk slid down his throat, Lawrence felt instantly refreshed.
"Ah! This is the life!"
"Ahh!"
The words of admiration just slipped out naturally.
Suddenly, their eyes met. Without either one knowing who started it, they both burst into laughter.
"Now you're starting to act like a real mercenary."
"Haven't I always been one? Just on this commission alone, I must have killed dozens of goblins."
"Look at you! Weren't you the one grumbling about 'just goblins' not long ago?"
"Now that I think about it, I was mistaken. If I'd left a few goblins for you, Lionel, I could have seen your skills in action."
"What a thing to say! You'll get us in trouble talking like that!"
Then the Cream Soup and Lamb Butter Roast arrived. They melted in his mouth. Just as Lionel had said, the Lamb Butter Roast had a rich, savory flavor that was nothing like pork.
As Lawrence was about halfway through the Lamb Butter Roast, the Roast Turkey was served as well First of all, he liked how the table was almost entirely covered with generous portions. For Lawrence and Lionel, who until now had only eaten jerky and thin soups with barely any solids, this truly felt like a feast.
In the end, after they polished off what must have been enough food for four people, Lawrence and Lionel finally stood up from their seats.
"Well then, I'll see you next time. I'll file the report with the Guild. If you're willing, I'd love to hire you as an escort again—you did an excellent job."
"You take care too, Mr. Lionel. If you just cut back on the talking a little, I'd be happy to work with you anytime."
"Then next time, you'll have to team up with a mercenary who talks even more than me, eh!"
And just like that, Lawrence's first commission came to an end. After saying his goodbyes to Lionel, Lawrence checked his earnings.
Three shiny silver coins.
He was so happy, he almost teared up. This wasn't money from odd jobs, but from real mercenary work.
It felt like just yesterday he would bow and scrape for a few coppers, but now, all of this was thanks to learning magic through his dream.
If he'd only had his crossbow and spear, he wouldn't have made it this far.
Deep down, the thought that he always had magic as his final safeguard was what kept Lawrence going.
He could never thank Red Eyes enough for teaching him the Shadow Spear. If it weren't for Red Eyes, he wouldn't have dared dream of a journey this safe.
Did someone somehow hear the feelings of this young boy's heart?
After nearly two whole months had passed, the dream that came to Lawrence led him to a scene he had never witnessed before.