Ch.10Chapter 10 – Eve Lavencha (1)

‘What’s wrong with this woman all of a sudden?’

Haven, the leader of the adventurers facing off against the bandits, broke into a cold sweat.

Seeing his employer suddenly pointing her rapier in strange directions while muttering something made him wonder if she had some hidden mental illness that was suddenly manifesting.

He had accepted what he thought would be a simple merchant escort mission.

The task was to leave their country, travel overseas to load trade goods, and return.

Being a long-term assignment, it was bound to be quite demanding.

But things had gone much more peacefully than expected.

Before departure, the employer had rejected their proposed route and suggested a strange one instead, saying:

The original route would have been dangerous due to monster appearances.

“Monsters won’t appear.”

Surprisingly, no monsters did appear.

As it turned out, it was a period when the paladins of the Emiris Order had conducted their regular extermination, making it safe as most monsters had been wiped out.

When they were concerned about bandits appearing on the road back, she had said:

“Bandits won’t appear.”

And indeed, no bandits appeared.

However, she occasionally deviated from the main road on the return journey.

Each time, they discovered the corpses of bandits.

While the money had been taken, most weapons and equipment remained untouched.

Usually, both money and equipment would be looted, so taking only the money seemed bizarre. But the employer had proposed collecting the equipment to sell and split the proceeds fairly.

“In return, will you trust me no matter what dangerous situation arises?”

So far, following the employer’s instructions had never put them in danger.

Haven accepted her proposal.

As they were traveling peacefully on the road, she suddenly headed toward a mountain path.

“Huh? Aren’t we going into Glasston?”

“Not right away.”

It was an unexpected mountain trek, but he had to follow his employer’s lead.

There had been no danger while escorting her so far, so he believed there would be none now.

After walking for about two hours, the employer suddenly spoke.

“Haven, do you remember what I said before?”

“What do you mean, all of a sudden?”

“When I asked you to trust me no matter what dangerous situation arises.”

Haven was a high-ranked adventurer despite appearances.

Perhaps that’s why he felt a chill run down his spine at those words.

Thanks to that, he was able to spot the attackers in time.

“Battle positions! Now!”

About twenty bandits had tried to ambush them, but the surprise attack failed because Haven and his party members noticed them first.

Soon they were facing off against the bandits.

Since they were outnumbered, even the employer drew her rapier and joined the fight.

During the battle, two bandits approached the employer before Haven could move to protect her.

However, she parried with her rapier a few times, then stabbed one to death and wounded the other, forcing him to retreat.

Haven noticed that her swordsmanship was more refined than expected, indicating she was stronger than he had thought.

But luck wasn’t entirely on their side.

The least experienced member of his party was eventually overwhelmed by the sheer number of opponents, surrounded, and ultimately injured.

“You bastards!”

He quickly rushed to rescue his party member, knocking one bandit down with his shield and slashing another.

The other party members also rushed in, quickly rescuing their injured comrade while cutting down several bandits.

After a brief chaotic battle, several bandits were killed or injured, and his party member was extracted, though wounded.

Fortunately, the enemy also seemed to think they had suffered too many casualties, resulting in a standoff.

However, the bandits still outnumbered them.

And now they were down one person.

The bandits would soon press their advantage.

“Hey, you should hide! You might get hurt!”

Ravi, the only woman in the party, shouted to the employer.

But the employer suddenly took something out from her pocket.

She seemed to be checking the time.

‘Is this really the time to check the clock?’

Haven couldn’t hide his anxiety.

Though confident in his skills, he would struggle to protect the employer if four or five bandits attacked simultaneously.

Fighting fifteen men while protecting the escort target, the cargo, and an injured comrade.

‘Not exactly ideal.’

Haven extended his sword to keep the bandits at bay.

And then, she suddenly exhibited strange behavior with her rapier.

She raised her rapier, pointed it in various directions, and started muttering something.

Both the bandits and Haven’s party briefly stared at her, wondering what she was doing.

“What’s with that lady?”

“Has she gone mad from fear?”

“Miss, instead of waving that sword around, maybe you should wave something else later?”

“Yeah, you’ve got a pretty face!”

“And a nice body too!”

The bandits’ crude remarks could be heard.

Ravi’s face turned red.

Being a woman herself, she probably couldn’t let such comments slide.

And our employer quietly began to smile.

“This is bad. Ravi, take her and—”

He was about to prioritize the safety of his client, the employer.

“It’s alright.”

The employer was just quietly smiling.

“The dangerous part is already over.”

As Haven was about to ask what she meant,

a man appeared behind the bandits.

A man with burn scars on one side of his face.

+

“What? You’re…”

The bandit at the very back couldn’t finish his sentence.

-THWACK!

“What the?!”

The bandit next to him noticed his comrade collapsing after being hit by a mace and shouted in surprise, but I ignored him and immediately struck down with the mace.

In an instant, the heads of two bandits were caved in.

“What’s happening? Behind us!”

“An ambush?”

“No, what’s one guy doing?”

Well, that certainly got their attention.

Judging by their quick reactions, they seemed to have considerable experience living as bandits.

Still, they were only slightly better than the bandits I’d seen before.

There was no need to fear them at all.

I gripped my mace firmly.

Seeing the bandits backing away from me, I charged forward.

I fought by kicking away axes, breaking swords and spears.

When I saw one trying to escape, I threw my mace, hitting him in the back, then kicked up an axe lying nearby, grabbed it, and threw it at another bandit’s head.

I drew a sword to counter an attack, then took a broken spear shaft and stabbed it into the shoulder of an enemy trying to attack from behind, before punching him in the face. By this time, the dazed adventurers had begun to join the fight.

Before long, the number of bandits was reduced to four, and soon they began to flee without looking back.

Deciding not to chase them, I sheathed my sword and retrieved the mace I had thrown earlier.

Until then, the adventurers were watching my actions closely, still not putting away their weapons.

When I looked in their direction, I heard someone make a small startled sound.

They must have just noticed my burn scars.

‘I should probably tell them I don’t intend to fight.’

As I was about to speak, thinking the situation might be tense after the battle…

“You can put your weapons away now, everyone.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. You should tend to the injured first, right?”

The silver-haired woman had already sheathed her rapier and was calmly speaking to the adventurers.

She showed no sign of discomfort at seeing my face.

Then she began walking toward me, but one of the adventurers stopped her.

“I can’t take responsibility if something happens, really.”

“It’s fine, Haven.”

At her words, the adventurer called Haven seemed to hesitate, then exchanged glances with another female adventurer behind him, before finally sheathing his weapon and following her.

Eventually, she and I stood face to face.

“First of all, thank you for your help.”

The woman bowed her head slightly in greeting.

She folded her left hand toward her right chest and shoulder in an elegant manner, giving the impression of an old-fashioned noble.

I briefly wondered if she might actually be nobility.

“I’m Eve Ravencha. You can call me Eve. I’m a merchant.”

“You can call me K.”

When I gave my name, Eve’s eyes widened slightly.

But soon, she smiled as if finding something amusing.

“Well then, K. If you don’t mind, could you spare me some time?”

Eve was smiling.

“For what purpose?”

“I’d like to hire you.”

Employment, huh.

Before I could think about what this was all about, Eve told Haven to check on the injured person’s condition first.

Soon, he approached his comrade, checked on the injured person, and returned.

“Miss, our guy seems to be okay, but what should we do with these bandits’ bodies?”

“We’ll dispose of their equipment in Glasston and divide the proceeds fairly, just like before. What should we do about the money?”

Eve appeared to be thinking.

“Half for me, half for K as compensation. In exchange, I’ll cover all medical expenses for the injured person. How does that sound?”

“Those bandits probably don’t have much money on them anyway, but let me discuss it with my party members first.”

“Let me know if there are any objections.”

“So I can negotiate,” Eve said, and Haven nodded before heading toward his party members.

I thought they might complain about Eve’s proposal, but they didn’t seem to have any objections, suggesting that Eve had treated them well as an employer.

“While Haven is away, shall we talk for a bit?”

“Sure. Should I call you Ravencha?”

“You can call me Eve, K.”

I nodded at her words.

I asked what I wanted to know most.

“Eve, did you know I would be there?”

“Oh, I meant you could drop the formality when addressing me.”

“Is that important?”

Eve was smiling.

Since earlier, this woman had been wearing a gentle smile.

At a glance, she seemed frustratingly, yet somehow impressively, composed.

Even when the bandits attacked, she had remained calm to an almost frightening degree.

“It makes me sound old. So would you please call me by my name?”

What is this woman saying?

I was dumbfounded as she chuckled.

“To answer your question, yes. I knew you would be at that place, at that time, today.”

That was something I couldn’t ignore.

“At that time, at that place?”

“Yes. I also know that you want to bypass Glasston and that you’re trying to leave this country.”

I tensed up.

Could she possibly know about the experimental facility too?

That was the first question that came to mind.

“Ah, I don’t know why. I just saw it.”

“Just saw it?”

“I only know three things about you.”

Just get to the point, will you.

I complained inwardly, but she didn’t seem to hear as she held up three fingers.

“First, you would be here, at this time, today.”

“Second, you’re trying to secretly leave the Triagiena Holy Kingdom by bypassing Glasston.”

“Third.”

Eve paused before revealing the third point.

“If I don’t get your help, I’ll die.”

“What do you—”

“That’s the scene I saw.”

Eve sighed as she explained.

“If I leave the Triagiena Holy Kingdom without meeting you, I’ll die.”

Despite the content, her tone was remarkably flat.

Hearing her speak so calmly about her own death made me wonder if she might be insane.

“I don’t want to die, you know.”

“…Couldn’t you just not come here?”

“It doesn’t matter if I find out after I’ve already entered, does it?”

Eve said with a smile.

“Do you know how popular the Holy Kingdom’s fabrics are in the Kingdom of Mikea? A merchant can’t miss an opportunity to make a profit!”

It was a somewhat sinister smile.

But she wasn’t wrong.

“Money is important.”

“Money is important.”

Eve’s face returned to normal.

“Well, it’s a chance to make a profit, but I don’t want to die. After worrying for days about how to survive, I saw something about you.”

“Let me ask what I couldn’t earlier. What do you mean by ‘saw’ and ‘found out’? And how exactly will you die that you need my help?”

Eve put her hands together and smiled.

“That information comes with a price.”

This woman…

“I’ll give you a small preview though—it’s very convenient but not entirely under my control. It’s quite random.”

“You have many secrets.”

“Well, secrets are weapons for women and merchants.”

Eve smiled again.

“We’ll have to discuss the detailed conditions later. Haven is about to return.”

“By the way, Haven doesn’t know about this,” Eve added.

…I suddenly felt the urge to shout to those adventurers that they’d been deceived.

“I need my life. You need a way out of this country. Isn’t that fair?”

“So you want me to be employed by you?”

“Yes. Just accompany me to the Kingdom of Mikea.”

What should I do?

As I started thinking after Eve finished speaking, I saw Haven turning around in the distance.

It seemed the discussion with his party members had ended.

“Miss, my party members are fine with it. They say if it weren’t for this person, we might have had more injuries.”

“Yes, then may I trouble you with this?”

“Already collecting.”

Looking where Haven pointed, I saw the other two party members gathering equipment and money from the corpses.

Watching this, Eve extended her hand to me.

“Will you come with me?”

Honestly, it’s too sudden.

Somehow, it seems she’ll live if I’m with her, and I can leave this place.

‘Should I take this offer?’

I hesitated briefly.

“I’d recommend taking my hand.”

Eve looked at me calmly and said:

“If both of us want to live.”

Her tone was serious.

I looked into her eyes for a moment, trying to find any reason to trust her.

Finally, I sighed.

In the end, I was the one at a disadvantage.

“Alright.”

I took her hand.

Eve smiled brightly, seemingly satisfied.

Unlike before, her smile now seemed genuine.

“Contract established. We’ll discuss the details later.”

The foolish thought crossed my mind that she had quite a pretty smile.

The hand I grasped was warmer than I expected.