Ch.23The Mercenary Captain Who Dislikes Women (4)

How strange.

According to my knowledge of the original story, Adelheid should definitely like me.

Could something have changed when I possessed this body?

No, that’s impossible.

What influenced Adelheid’s personality formation happened in the past, long before my possession.

So right now, Adelheid is…

“Enough.”

When the mercenary captain raised her hand, the mercenaries who had been trampling me backed away.

I spit on the floor and saw blood mixed in.

“Damn it.”

As I whispered quietly, a smile appeared on the mercenary captain’s face.

“You’re quite an interesting one. You look like a coward on the outside, but you have unexpected courage.”

“Thank you.”

“Right, your name was Jack, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, Captain. A common name.”

“I’ve heard the rumors. They say the potions you make have caused several remarkable things.”

“Exactly what rumors have you heard?”

“That you made crops grow in fields and caused fish to overflow in rivers. Isn’t that right?”

She’s talking about feed and fertilizer potions rather than Healing Potions?

What’s going on?

Is the Remugen Mercenary Corps finally giving up their wandering lifestyle and settling down here?

No way.

They’re the type who would rather raid another village than spend time farming.

There seems to be something else going on, but what…

“Answer me.”

“I did use some tricks with my potion-making know-how.”

“Then what about slaughtering thirty goblins?”

“Pardon…?”

What is she talking about?

I quickly racked my brain and remembered something.

A few days ago, when I was coming down from Odelin City, Liberone defeated a troublesome group of goblins we encountered.

Is that what she’s referring to?

I can’t think of any other incident connecting me to thirty goblins.

If that’s the case, then Adelheid’s question is essentially asking if I have a potion that can help slaughter thirty goblins.

I see. That’s it.

They kidnapped me in the middle of the night thinking I had potions that could enhance combat ability.

That makes sense.

The mighty Remugen Mercenary Corps wouldn’t be interested in potions for farming and fishing.

What should I do now?

Should I tell the truth that no such potion exists?

If I do, I’ll become useless and they’ll kill me here.

If they let me go, it would be like admitting they messed with the owner of an officially recognized potion shop in their territory.

Since there were no witnesses to the kidnapping, killing me here would cleanly resolve everything for them.

Alright. I’ll lie.

I need to survive first before I can escape or do anything else.

“I have used an experimental potion in an emergency. However, I didn’t do it alone—I was with several guards. There was even a Holy Knight present.”

“You mean it’s not a finished product?”

“Yes. The recipe isn’t properly completed yet. There are many unstable elements. We got lucky that time and it worked, but now it might even act like poison.”

Adelheid silently stared at my face.

She seemed to be looking for any lies in my words.

But Adelheid doesn’t have mind-reading abilities.

No matter how intimidatingly she stares, she won’t be able to tell.

“I see. So that’s how it is.”

“Yes, Captain. It seems you intend to enhance your mercenaries’ combat ability…”

“One month.”

“Excuse me?”

Adelheid held up one finger.

“I’ll give you one month.”

“Are you saying I should complete the potion within a month?”

“You catch on quickly.”

One month, huh.

That’s unexpectedly generous.

I thought even a week would be too much.

Let’s accept for now.

With a month, I should be able to figure out some way to escape from here.

I’m Jack, the potion shop owner.

I absolutely won’t die so pathetically.

“Understood, Captain. Please provide me with a room that has cooking equipment. I will definitely create that potion within a month.”

When I made this bold claim, Adelheid’s smile widened.

“I like that.”

“You like me? Then perhaps we could have dinner together every evening… Oof!?”

One of the mercenaries kicked me.

“Excuse me, but this is a matter between the Captain and me. As they say, when a handsome man and a beautiful woman meet eyes… Ugh!”

“Enough. Take him to the unused kitchen in the castle.”

At Adelheid’s command, the mercenaries roughly pulled me up.

“Captain. Please promise me. At least once a day, let’s meet face to face for a meal, or if not that, at least for a simple cup of tea.”

“You’re an amusing one.”

Adelheid gestured with her chin, and the mercenaries dragged me out.

I wonder if she took the bait.

I’m not sure.

If my knowledge of the original story isn’t wrong, she will.

If not, then there’s nothing I can do.

* * * * *

After the potion shop owner was dragged away, Adelheid remained seated, resting her chin on the armrest.

One of her officers cautiously spoke up.

“Captain. Do you really trust that guy?”

“If he succeeds, good. If he fails, it doesn’t matter.”

Adelheid answered coldly.

“He’s someone who modified potions to help a poor village become self-sufficient in food. He should be able to make something similar, whatever it is.”

“But what if he makes poison instead of a potion…”

“Even if he makes poison, unless he can feed it to all of us simultaneously, he’ll have no escape route.”

“What if he actually makes a real potion, drinks it himself, and goes on a rampage?”

Adelheid snorted.

“In the middle of our Remugen Mercenary Corps? Do you think that’s possible? That’s a completely worthless concern.”

Adelheid stood up from her chair with a clatter.

“Keep a close eye on him, but provide conveniences so as not to interfere with his potion research.”

“Understood.”

“Everyone, dismiss.”

After the officers left, Adelheid went out to the terrace.

The cool late spring night breeze ruffled her hair.

Under her fluttering hair, a small earring was slightly visible.

Jack, was it?

He seems like a nobody, but I feel like there’s more to him than meets the eye.

Given what he knows about me, he must know about our mercenary corps too.

To maintain such composure after being dragged to a mercenary headquarters in the middle of the night?

He really does seem like something more.

He’s clearly not just an ordinary potion shop owner.

Perhaps he has a background in the Imperial Knights or something similar.

There are often people who hide their illustrious pasts and live as ordinary citizens in quiet places.

But when I looked at his hands earlier, he wasn’t someone who used a sword.

The parts that should have had calluses were clean.

Then perhaps… a mage?

Suddenly, a chill ran down Adelheid’s spine.

If he’s a mage, the situation is completely reversed.

It wouldn’t be that the mercenary corps captured him, but rather that he deliberately came along thinking, “Let me see what kind of arrogant bastards these are.”

No, that can’t be right.

If he were really a mage, the subordinates sent to capture him would have been annihilated.

I don’t know his exact identity, but it’s certain he can’t overpower several mercenaries by force.

So what exactly is he?

Adelheid recalled what Jack had said to her earlier.

You’re a very beautiful and attractive person.

It’s affection. Naturally, people are drawn to beautiful things.

If I receive your gaze, my heart might melt and die.

Have dinner with me every evening.

As they say, when a handsome man and a beautiful woman meet eyes.

Meet face to face for a meal, or if not that, at least for a simple cup of tea.

“Crazy bastard.”

Adelheid’s muttering voice trembled slightly.

How dare he speak like that to the captain of the Remugen Mercenary Corps unless he’s out of his mind?

Is he really mentally unstable?

That possibility can’t be ruled out either.

But still…

Adelheid fiddled with her small earring.

He said I’m… beautiful?

I’ve never heard such words in my life.

Short-cut hair and a face full of scars.

Never worn a skirt, always in armor or masculine clothing.

Adelheid considered herself a man who was mistakenly born as a woman.

To Adelheid, femininity was something cumbersome that offered no help in leading a mercenary corps.

This was all because of her father, who was no longer in this world.

Her father had openly expressed disappointment that his only child to inherit the mercenary corps was a woman, so Adelheid acted even more like a man.

While girls her age played with dolls, she learned how to kill people and fought at the forefront of every battle.

Despite all her efforts, even in his dying moments, her father lamented not having a son.

Why was I born a woman…

Because of this background, Jack’s comments were a severe insult to her.

It was reasonable to interpret them as meaning “a woman unsuitable to be a mercenary captain.”

But for some reason, Adelheid couldn’t express her anger on the spot.

Perhaps she was too busy hiding her confusion at hearing such words for the first time in her life.

But going to him now to belatedly pour out her anger would be ridiculous.

Adelheid was the leader of over a hundred elite mercenaries.

She couldn’t show such emotional instability.

But she couldn’t help feeling angry.

However, the anger rising within her now was not directed at Jack, but at herself for being excited by such words.

“This fucking goddamn!!”

After shouting into the air, Adelheid swept her hair down to cover her ears and went back inside.

Standing in front of the mirror, Adelheid carefully examined her face full of scars.

Come to think of it, there was something else that suddenly made her angry.

When the subordinates beat him up for making advances, did that mean they believed his words were untrue?

She couldn’t tell whether his claim that she was beautiful was true, or if her subordinates were right to believe it was completely wrong.

Adelheid smashed the mirror with her fist.

Her face reflected in the broken mirror was quite grotesquely distorted.