Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Mercenary King

After confirming where the footprints ended, we hurried down the mountain.

“Was this in the original story too?”

“Probably. We can’t completely ignore the butterfly effect, but we’ve stayed around here the whole time, so there shouldn’t be much of one. Then was my first guess right?”

“Your first guess?”

“One possible ending for the childhood friend. Dying early and becoming fuel for the protagonist’s awakening.”

“Come on, you really think it’s that? I have a different idea.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“In the original story you described, I was still a noble. If our territory had been destroyed and my parents killed, my personality wouldn’t have been the same as it is now, and I wouldn’t have been an ordinary noble either. Right?”

“That’s true. If that had happened, you’d be closer to the survivor of a ruined noble house.”

“So maybe the bandits never came this way, or if they did, they were remnants who’d already been defeated somewhere and were easily dealt with.”

“That’s possible. But considering the locations of the nearby villages and the direction those footprints were heading, they were definitely going toward our village. And let’s think about this further.”

All right. Our current protagonist is the sort of person the academy would forcibly enroll while shouting, ‘Oh! To possess such talent yet refuse admission is a grave act of truancy!’ But what about the original?

“Could an ordinary daughter of some rural baron really enter the academy?”

“Probably not? Commoners can enter too, but only if they possess incredible talent and stand out.”

“Right. But without me, would you have been able to do that?”

“Couldn’t I have awakened my talent after getting admitted?”

“Of course. That happens too.”

Getting accepted through family connections, then awakening after regression, possession, or reincarnation, and so on.

“There are just too many possibilities. I really should’ve read the original.”

Novels have clichés. But there isn’t just one cliché. There are countless ones, and there are even clichés about subverting clichés.

That’s why I think novels eventually become even harder to predict precisely because they’re predictable.

“Still, I think the most likely possibility is an awakening event. Something that gives you a reason to enter the academy by awakening divine power, spirit magic, or something similar.”

“Henry, what if it isn’t that?”

“What?”

“There’s one possibility you’re overlooking. One of those clichés you mentioned. Boy meets girl.”

Right. That existed too.

“What if I met someone here, they protected me, and we formed a connection? Then later, when I became curious about the academy and decided to enroll, I could receive help from the person I befriended here, or we could meet again and have that ‘You’re the one from back then!’ kind of development.”

“That makes! Sense.”

If so, it might actually be safer. It would show the heroine’s first meeting with a male lead while also creating a reason for him to fall in love with her at first sight because she did something for him here.

“But wouldn’t it already be too late for that?”

“True? I wasn’t home today.”

“Or maybe he’s already at your house.”

As we descended while throwing out various possibilities, we found the village bustling with activity.

“What’s going on?”

Armored knights were visible throughout the village, along with mercenaries we normally never saw.

“Doesn’t look like good news, does it?”

“I’m not sure. Nobody looks miserable or distressed.”

As we looked around and headed toward the lord’s manor, one of the sisters who managed the orphanage stopped us.

“Henry, and Young Lady. Where are you two rushing off to?”

“We found signs of bandits.”

“Bandits?”

“Yes.”

“Henry found them, so we were hurrying to tell Father.”

“Ah, then that’s fortunate.”

“Fortunate...?”

Rose and I looked at each other, tilted our heads, then turned back to the sister.

“Please stop living on the mountain and come into the village once in a while.”

“We come to the village often.”

“You always say that even though you know what I mean.”

The sister sighed, shook her head, and explained.

“You saw the knights and mercenaries in the village, right?”

“Yes.”

“Bandits have been running rampant lately, so the kingdom sent troops to wipe them out, and the remnants apparently fled this way. The people chasing them came here and are staying in the village.”

Rose and I organized our earlier theories in our heads and spoke at the same time.

“I was right that the bandits had already lost somewhere.”

“And the fact that knights and mercenaries are here means the boy-meets-girl possibility still exists.”

“At the same time, like you said, the bandits could attack here, I could show my talent with the sword, and I might encounter some opportunity.”

“But you already showed your talent with the sword.”

“Then what’s our best option?”

We closed our eyes, opened them, looked at each other, and spoke simultaneously.

““Tell them the bandits are nearby and prevent the incident before it happens.””

It was now certain there had been some bandit-related event. The problem was what exactly had happened. Since we didn’t know, we would prevent it in advance.

“Though normally this might have drawn the attention of mercenaries or knights, we can’t let that happen.”

“I know. Other opportunities are one thing, but that would attract attention.”

“Yeah. At our current level, we can’t hide our abilities properly.”

“Then nothing has changed.”

“Right. Let’s hurry. Thank you, Sister.”

“You’re welcome. I don’t know what that was about, but I’m glad I helped.”

The sister had long since grown used to our strange behavior, so she bowed and left. Rose and I started running toward her house.

Rose and I had agreed on one thing beforehand. Until we entered the academy, no matter what kind of talent we had, we would absolutely never stand out.

There were several reasons, but the biggest was the suspicion and attention overwhelming talent would bring.

This world was a romance fantasy, but it was also harsh reality. The moment overwhelming talent revealed itself, the world would take notice. And that attention would not always lead somewhere good. We might be captured, eliminated, or restrained by some faction.

So we decided to hide it. Ironically, in a romance fantasy, the academy was both an extremely dangerous place and one of the safest places. So that was where we would reveal our talents.

***

After reaching the manor, Rose threw open the door and charged straight toward the study.

Of course, a maid tried to stop us, but who could block the path of the lord’s only daughter and resident tyrant? She could only flutter helplessly aside like a fallen leaf in the wind.

Finally reaching the study, Rose slammed the door open with a bang! and made her grand entrance. She looked like a victorious general returning from war.

“Dad.”

Then she strode forward with her hair swaying proudly, looking like the nephew-killing villain making his entrance in that famous physiognomy movie. The only problem was that the person opposite her was her own father.

“Rose! We have guests, what are you...”

Apparently, the lord was receiving visitors. An old man with a thick head of white hair sat before him, while beside him stood a black-haired boy around our age with a scar near his eye.

His face had a sharp, wolf-like appearance, and he wore clothes and a cloak made of animal hide. In short, a male lead had appeared.

“It’s fine. Children are best when they act like children.”

When the thick-haired old man rose and turned toward us, I felt a strange pressure beneath his warm appearance.

“What adorable children.”

“One is my daughter, and the other is her childhood friend.”

“Oh, I see. Nice to meet you. I am known as the Mercenary King.”

That kid is definitely a male lead!!! The Mercenary King is here!

The Mercenary King. Yes, the title given to the strongest mercenary in fantasy stories because of his achievements. I’d heard he was somewhere between Stage 5 and Stage 6. Apparently, he even held the title of count.

Anyway, that meant Rose’s prediction had been right. The Mercenary King was probably moving under an imperial commission to deal with the bandits and happened to stop by this territory.

While silently screaming inside, I made my face look as surprised as possible.

“The Mercenary King??”

“Hoho, yes. I am indeed the great Mercenary King!”

Rose, however, simply gave the Mercenary King a polite nod before looking toward the lord.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mercenary King. However, I have something to tell my father. From what I understand, you stopped here while pursuing bandits, so I hope you enjoy your rest.”

“Oh? You look quite young, yet what impressive spirit.”

Behind the surprised Mercenary King, his grandson? raised an eyebrow with interest. Well, normally my reaction would be the expected one when meeting the Mercenary King.

The lord, however, seemed flustered and shot me a look.

“Henry. Could you take Rose outside? In return, I’ll ask our guest to take a look at your adorable little training.”

“No, no. Surely they have something important to say. I am merely a guest, and being invited by the lord is already a privilege.”

“If you say so. Rose, what is it?”

“Henry and I were on the mountain when we found bandit footprints. They don’t seem to be far away. Please take precautions, just in case.”

The one who answered was not the lord, but the Mercenary King.

“Impressive. For such a young child to notice something like that. Do not worry. I will guard this area through the night, and when day comes, I shall search the mountain and deal with the bandits.”

“Thank you.”

Apparently pleased by her behavior, the Mercenary King nodded and smiled. Then, as if reconsidering something said earlier, he closed his eyes, stroked his beard, and turned toward the lord.

“Come to think of it, what did you mean by training?”

“It is nothing significant. Just childish training the two of them do together. They say they want to attend the academy someday, so they spar with swords and such.”

When the lord quickly explained, the Mercenary King burst into hearty laughter.

“Indeed! Indeed! I quite like these little ones! So, how old are you?”

“We’re both thirteen.”

“Hoho! What a coincidence. My grandson is also thirteen! And I plan to send him to the academy when he turns nineteen. Perhaps you could become good rivals.”

“Grandfather.”

At those words, his grandson spoke with a slightly displeased expression. His unexpectedly deep voice for his age gave me a small shock.

“Tch... Yes, yes. He thinks he’s a genius and gets all prickly about it.”

“Your grandson certainly appears quite talented.”

“Does he? He is indeed a gifted brat. He’s already nearing Stage 3.”

“Stage 3! That’s remarkable.”

“No, no. Anyone can reach Stage 3 if they put in enough effort.”

“But even prominent nobles usually only reach Stage 3 around the time they enter the academy.”

“My grandson has followed me through battlefields and brushed with death, so reaching near Stage 3 is an exception.”

“Congratulations.”

“No, no. Like I said, anyone can reach Stage 3. The real problem is Stage 4. And then Stage 5 after that.”

The Mercenary King shook his head and looked toward his grandson.

“Don’t worry, Grandfather. I’ll fulfill your wish by reaching Stage 6 and make my name known across the world as an Axe Master.”

“Reliable as ever. Ah, look at me. That wasn’t what I meant to say.”

After saying that, the Mercenary King stood and looked at Rose and me.

“Since I’ll be staying here anyway, would you mind if I repaid the lord’s hospitality by helping our two little ones with their training?”

“That would be an honor! Rose, what wonderful luck. Henry, you as well.”

The lord smiled broadly as if this were an honor to the entire family, while the grandson looked reluctant but unable to object.

Then Rose and I looked at each other, and the exact same expression appeared on both our faces.

‘He’s going to notice our level. We’re screwed!’