Chapter 6: The Second Member

On the bed in the inn room, a pile of gold coins gleamed under the light, each reflecting it from a different angle.

One, two, three… As my finger touched the tenth gold coin, the corners of my mouth crept up unconsciously.

“550 gold coins. To think they really gave it all to me.”

I murmured, enjoying the cool touch of the metal at my fingertips.

Just a few days ago, I was in a state where I had to worry about my next meal with only 12 silver coins.

Now, I held more cash than a decent lord.

There was no way I could carry all this money around. I decided I should deposit it in a bank tomorrow.

Anyway…

“Your name, are you still not going to tell me?”

The silver-haired girl, sitting by the window and tending to her sword, shook her head.

She definitely seemed to understand the word ‘name’.

Over the past few days, I had asked whenever I was bored, but her answer was always the same.

Seeing her keep her mouth shut despite understanding the question, she must have some story she’s hiding.

“Alright, I surrender. I’ll give you one.”

As I explained with a mix of hand and body gestures, the girl stared into space for a moment before giving a small nod.

“Aria. How about it?”

The girl seemed to roll the name around in her mouth a few times. Then, she faintly raised the corners of her lips.

“Aria. Aria… Name.”

“Great, Aria. Shall we go earn some money today too?

Several days passed like that.

“Bandit group subjugation, complete!”

The guild receptionist stamped the confirmation seal and handed over the reward.

5 gold coins.

For money earned by just the two of us in a single day, it was quite good.

Over the past few days, Aria and I had been steadily completing small-scale requests.

Rumors about us had spread quite a bit, so getting requests wasn’t difficult.

An Expert-level mercenary, no less.

She wasn’t just any knight, but a talent who should have been a knight commander, working as a mercenary.

Of course, that didn’t mean we took on dangerous jobs.

Beast subjugation.

Arresting petty criminals.

They were all jobs we could handle without any trouble.

“What should we eat today?”

I sat across from Aria in the inn’s dining hall and had dinner.

Instead of the old black bread and thin soup, we could now eat freshly baked bread, thick stew, and even steak.

Aria still didn’t speak, but we could communicate well enough just through her expressions.

Seeing her express gratitude with small gestures now and then warmed my heart.

“But to become a real mercenary corps, we need at least six people.”

I murmured while looking out the window. We couldn’t go on as just the two of us forever.

“Welcome! Ah, who do we have here!”

The s*ave trader’s eyes went wide as soon as he saw us.

“Could that young lady be the one from the rumors that you bought last time…”

His gaze turned to Aria.

Cleaned up and wearing proper clothes, Aria looked completely different from before.

“That’s right.”

“I never imagined she was a real knight! Hahaha…”

The s*ave trader laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.

“Isn’t it a waste? To have sold such a talent for a mere 10 copper coins.”

The s*ave trader shook his head at my words.

“Not at all! She was a s*ave we were going to dispose of anyway. I should be thanking you.”

In that moment, Aria’s red eyes flashed coldly.

It seemed she understood the word ‘dispose’ among the few words I had taught her over the past few days.

A murderous gaze was directed at the s*ave trader.

“Heek!”

The s*ave trader stepped back with a terrified face.

“Have a good shopping trip!”

He hastily bowed and scurried away from us.

After the s*ave trader disappeared, I slowly began to look around at the slaves.

I examined the faces visible beyond the iron bars one by one, but…

“Hmm…”

It was as I expected.

Most of them were individuals with average or below-average talent.

Aria was watching quietly from my side.

She also seemed to have a vague understanding of what I was looking for.

“Talent isn’t common, after all.”

I muttered quietly and moved on to the next section.

“If you’re looking for combat-specialized slaves, please look this way.”

Another s*ave trader guided me.

The slaves here were certainly well-muscled and knew how to handle weapons.

However…

“They’re ugly.”

It was my honest impression.

When viewed with my Talent Visualization ability, their appearances were merely so-so.

Or even below that.

They might have ordinary combat skills, but I couldn’t sense any special talent.

There were no slaves who could handle mana either.

Then again…

Someone who could handle mana was unlikely to become a s*ave.

Aria was a special case.

“This one is 8 gold coins. He’s skilled with a sword.”

“That one with the axe is 12 gold coins.”

And yet, for what they were, proper combat slaves were ridiculously expensive.

I had no intention of wasting my money.

Adding a few low-level combat slaves who couldn’t even handle mana didn’t seem like it would make us much stronger.

It would be like adding a rabbit to a team with a tiger and a pit bull.

In the end, I trudged back with nothing to show for it.

Cold beer flowed down my throat. The golden liquid Aria poured for me instantly quenched the thirst that had built up all day.

A drink poured by a former knight who was both an Expert and an incredibly beautiful girl. This had to be the greatest luxury of my life.

I poured her a beer as well.

“Cheers!”

A pleasant time passed.

It was the moment I was about to lay my back on the bed.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

When I opened the door, the bald owner of the tavern was standing there.

“You have a visitor, Young Master Leon.”

“A visitor?”

Was there anyone who would come looking for me?

I tilted my head in confusion.

“Who is it?”

“A rather… old-fashioned carriage came with them. They seem to be a person of high status, so I’ve shown them to the reception room downstairs.”

My suspicion grew.

A noble visiting me, a fallen noble, at a shabby inn that smells of mold, of all places.

“I’ll go down and see.”

When I gestured to Aria, she silently fastened her sword to her waist and stood up.

The faint sound of steel scraping against leather. It was a movement to prepare for any situation.

When I went down the stairs, an unexpected person was sitting in the reception room.

Lucia Adelheit.

My half-sister.

“Lucia?”

The girl with neatly braided blonde hair saw me and stood up from her seat.

When was the last time I saw her? It must have been at least two years.

“Brother, can we talk somewhere quiet? I have something urgent to say.”

“Alright. Let’s go up to my room.”

The scent of warm tea spread through the room. Lucia took a sip of her tea and let out a long sigh.

“You’ve heard, haven’t you, brother? That our mother’s political faction is completely finished.”

I answered with silence. A nod was enough.

The Adelheit family was a great house. And the current duke was notorious for having many wives, and for casting them aside like old shoes once their families fell from political grace.

My current state is proof of that.

“The faction backed by my mother’s side of the family has been completely ousted from the court. Thanks to that, my own standing within the family has become much more precarious.”

“But your expression isn’t that dark.”

“Well, that’s because my magical talent remains.”

A small flame flickered to life at her fingertip. The orange fire danced, pushing back the darkness. I could feel a fairly stable flow of mana.

“Hoh.”

“An intermediate-level mage at fifteen. That can be called a considerable talent.”

“By the way, weren’t you at the magic academy?”

“It’s break, so I was on my way back from a brief visit to the main house.”

She put down her teacup for a moment and continued cautiously.

“I know you were kicked out of the family, brother. About sister-in-law… that incident.”

A hint of pity tinged the end of her voice.

“Of course, I also know there’s no way you would have done that.”

“It was a classic frame-up. I mean, f*ck, why would I have an affair with a woman nearing forty when I have nothing to gain?!”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“And it makes no sense that they kicked only me out and left that woman alone!”

“I also heard what happened next. That you caught the famous wanted criminal, Bull Jack, and that you acquired an Expert-level s*ave. I was half in doubt at first, but it seems to be true.”

It seemed the rumors had already spread far and wide.

Well, of course.

Even I, the person involved, still feel bewildered, so how must it sound to others?

“Brother… do you have any thoughts of returning to the family, using that Expert-level s*ave as leverage? With a talent like that, even Father would have to reconsider you.”

Begging to be taken back while hiding behind a woman… my pride wouldn’t allow such a thing.

I shook my head without hesitation.

“None. Leon of the Adelheit family is already dead.”

At my firm answer, I saw Lucia’s shoulders slump slightly.

“But, brother…”

“Lucia, I am no longer a member of that family.”

A cold air seeped between the two of us.

“And I have no intention of going back. When I was kicked out like that, who reached out a hand to help me? No one. Not even you.”

“Back then… I’m sorry, brother. I was too young, and I was studying abroad, far away….”

I saw her flinch slightly.

“I know. I’m not blaming you. It’s just that my path no longer lies there.”

For a while, I just stared out the window without a word.

Lucia suddenly lifted her head and stared straight at me.

“Then… will you let me join your mercenary corps, brother?”

My eyes widened slightly at the unexpected question.

“You? In a mercenary corps? What about the academy?”

“Actually…”

“Actually?”

“I dropped out.”

It was a shocking statement. Didn’t she just imply she was still attending?

“Why?”

“I told you. My position in the family isn’t what it used to be. My allowance was recently cut in half.”

I gave a bitter smile.

That was a bit harsh.

To cut the allowance in half for someone with such precious magical talent, just because her political value dropped.

It was no different from a silent pressure telling her to get out!

I slowly studied Lucia’s face.

Shimmering blonde hair, large eyes beneath it, and delicate, harmonious features.

She was a beautiful girl.

And to me, that had a very clear meaning.

Talent.