Ch.33Dark Elf Mercenary Red Hood #4

“Hey. You look like a kid, why don’t you get out of here?”

No sooner had I stepped into the tavern than I was greeted with an order to leave.

I had just opened the door, and the only people inside were the sharp-featured owner and myself.

That’s why the emptiness and silence felt so palpable.

I ignored the owner’s dismissal and took a seat at the counter, positioning myself where I could look him directly in the eyes.

The reason I didn’t leave obediently was partly because I couldn’t be bothered to find another tavern, but mostly because I liked that they didn’t serve children.

There seemed to be plenty of people who would fleece even a child’s pockets if given the chance.

“Hey. Didn’t you hear me? Get the hell—”

But when someone keeps refusing, it becomes impossible to continue the conversation.

So I pressed my dirk against the neck of the scowling man and smirked.

Needless to say, it was a weapon I had concealed inside my black tailcoat jacket.

My reason for pulling the knife was simple. I wanted him to cut the unnecessary talk and quietly serve me as a customer.

“Haah—. What a son of a bitch. Hey, do you even know how to use that knife?!”

“I stuck it in plenty of bandits’ necks before coming to this territory.”

“Still pulling this crap…”

I threw the dirk, letting it graze the heated man’s neck by a hair’s breadth.

I merely flicked my wrist lightly as if discarding trash, but the result was quite brutal.

The blade drew a thin red line across the owner’s neck before embedding itself in the display shelf behind the liquor.

“I deliberately made it just graze you. Next time, it’ll be your head. If you don’t want to die, accept me as a customer.”

“You bastard…!”

The man seemed furious, his face flushed red as he tried to lunge at me, but when I slightly revealed the inside of my jacket, the color drained from his face.

The change was so dramatic that one might have thought his previous anger was just an act.

Only then did I consider him ready for conversation, so I took out three silver coins from my pocket and placed them on the counter.

“What’s this?”

“Give me a beer. The rest is your tip.”

“A tip…”

The man shook his head with a sour expression but quickly pocketed the silver coins. Then he served me a beer.

I don’t particularly enjoy alcohol, but I ordered it as a courtesy.

I took a sip of the beer from the rather large mug.

I hadn’t planned to drink much anyway, but its lukewarm taste made me reluctant to take another sip.

So I set the sloshing mug down with a thud and asked the man who was quietly watching me:

“Actually, I’m a merchant. The civil war in the Blue Nail Kingdom has lasted longer than expected, and I came to make some profit… If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear whatever rumors you’ve heard.”

“Tsk. So this money is for information.”

“That should be enough. I’m not asking for classified information, just the current situation and rumors going around.”

“…I suppose I have no choice.”

The man began telling me what he knew, earning his payment with a gruff tone.

He seemed rather stiff-necked for a businessman, but he was much more friendly than before.

That was enough for me.

The current war situation has reached a strange stalemate.

Three factions are fighting over a strategic high ground, with the largest factions—those of the First and Third Princes—having formed an alliance to occupy it.

The factions of the Second and Fourth Princes have also allied to block them.

As I listened, I was reminded of the hill battles during the Korean War.

Perhaps it was because it overlapped with that history, where countless lives were sacrificed fighting over a single hill until blood flowed.

“So they’re essentially trading blows over that territory, but the alliance between the Second and Fourth Princes is just as unstable. They say that the moment they capture the high ground, they might split apart.”

“Hmm…”

Having joined hands temporarily, they could let go at any time without surprise.

However, if that happened, the threat from the defeated First Prince would likely grow.

Exploiting divisions was a perfectly natural strategy.

The man told me various other things, from how each prince was faring to the corruption occurring both openly and secretly…

“Ah, and I heard that Red Hood played a significant role in the current stalemate?”

Then, from his lips came the information I wanted most—news about Ellen.

She is currently attached to the First and Third Princes’ alliance, defending their positions and secretly protecting their supply lines.

She was essentially being worked day and night.

But Ellen is a woman who contracts by the job, not by time period.

So while I couldn’t say there was no forced mission execution, it seemed clear that her own will was the biggest factor.

Otherwise, she would have left immediately.

“I see. Thanks for the good information. I’m in your debt.”

Having heard the most important information for me, there was no reason to stay longer.

So I bid farewell without hesitation and headed to the agreed meeting point.

I thought I would be the first to arrive, but many people were already gathered there. It was unexpected.

“Welcome. Did you find anything useful?”

“Yes, I did. Actually…”

I shared information with Dex’s group, who had somehow managed to sell all their provisions in this short time.

The overall situation wasn’t much different from what I’d heard, but I learned more detailed information.

For example, who held the reins of power within each faction.

“The area we entered is relatively far from the battlefield, so it’s stable, and the flow of goods hasn’t completely stopped. But… our purpose isn’t just to do business, is it?”

It would be good to make a profit if possible.

But I completely agreed with Dex’s statement that business wasn’t our goal.

Trading was merely a means to avoid suspicion; our purpose was to approach Ellen.

“You’re right. And it would be too dangerous to bring many people to the battlefield. Since profit isn’t our goal, there’s even less reason to go.”

“So… what do you plan to do now?”

What to do, indeed.

I lowered my head for a moment, lost in thought.

It would take a few days to reach the battlefield from here.

To continue posing as a merchant, I would need to procure more goods, having sold everything already.

But obtaining goods within the Blue Nail Kingdom seemed difficult.

With the country in a prolonged civil war, it seemed unlikely that necessary supplies would be available in large quantities, and even if they were, the prices would certainly be exorbitant.

It might be better to return to the territory and come back again.

Above all, if we continued trading, these people would be in real danger. I couldn’t let that happen just for the sake of maintaining a cover.

“…I’ve just made a decision. Let’s go to suitable lodgings first. I’ll explain there.”

◎◎◎

From here on, I move alone. That was the conclusion I reached.

So after staying one night at a suitable inn, I sent Dex and all personnel back to the territory.

They were very worried about my decision to move alone, but I somehow managed to convince them.

They understood my explanation that moving as a group would attract more attention and be more dangerous.

After sending everyone back, I visited a decent clothing store and bought some clean clothes.

I thought the tailcoat was too conspicuous for driving the small cart loaded with camping supplies I had received.

While it had been fine until now, I felt it would be more comfortable to dress this way going forward.

Indeed, wearing loose-fitting clothes made me feel much more at ease.

I could also sense that the gazes directed at me had noticeably decreased.

I wrapped the dirk I had previously hidden in my tailcoat in cloth and put it in my pocket, and loaded the rest of my things in a corner of the cart.

Though I might have felt uneasy with less armament than usual, hand-to-hand combat was my specialty anyway.

So I didn’t feel much burden.

“Sleeping alone feels strange.”

Late at night, I camped at the edge of a forest. Blue Nail seemed to have forests everywhere, perhaps because of all the trees.

It made things eerie, but finding firewood was very easy.

I pitched a tent beside the cart, lit a fire, and fed the horse. Then I lay down in the cart bed and looked at the sky.

Though partly obscured by leaves, the beautiful night sky couldn’t be hidden.

The night with the Milky Way stretching across it had always been there, but I’d never felt it as close as tonight.

Perhaps it was because I’d been so busy since being born in this world.

Taking care of Helena, training, doing chores… I was truly busy.

“Oh right.”

In the midst of enjoying this leisure, I suddenly got up in alarm.

Since I had to sleep alone, I needed to set up simple alarm devices around me.

Though my hearing had become sharper enough to wake me if there was bustling movement, it wasn’t reliable enough.

So I crudely tied strings between trees and around the tent, hanging small blackened bells at intervals.

The memory made me nauseous, but it was a necessary measure.

“Ah…”

The sun had set and the night had deepened, and there was nothing to do alone.

So all I could do was gaze at the night sky and then crawl into the tent to sleep.

The fire would go out on its own, and even if it did, it wouldn’t be a problem in summer.

Even now, warm air was circulating inside the tent.

How long had I been unconscious?

As I slept making small breathing sounds, I lifted my heavy eyelids at the sound of rustling bells.

Additionally, feeling an unfamiliar presence outside the tent, my sleep-tired brain instantly awakened.

I thought this might be another example of human potential manifesting in urgent situations.

Or maybe I was just startled awake.

“Hmm…”

It could be bandits, or it could simply be passersby.

Since I couldn’t just throw a knife and kill someone without knowing, I held my breath inside the tent and listened intently.

I thought they might speak, and I could judge based on their voices.

—Shit?! We’ve been spotted!

—Don’t panic like an idiot! If we’re spotted, just stab him now!

Damn it.

I sighed as I heard the whispering amid the sudden commotion.

Unfortunately, they weren’t passersby but bandits. A normal person might not know what to do, but at least they wouldn’t talk about stabbing someone.

“Hoo…!”

So before the tent could be damaged, I quickly slipped outside.

Of course, before that, I steadied my breathing and grabbed the dirks I had hidden in the tent. Two in my hands, two in my pocket. Four in total.

“Shit! He’s awake…!”

With moonlight filtering through the dense leaves, and my eyes having adjusted to the darkness, it was easy to identify the opponent.

Moreover, I could clearly sense their presence. Thanks to that, I knew exactly where to throw my dirk.

The dirk I threw pierced the upper abdomen of the man, near the solar plexus.

I had wanted to pierce his heart or neck to cut off his breath, but it was a disappointing result.

So I immediately lunged toward the collapsing man and plunged the dirk in my hand into his neck.

“Guh, guhhh…!”

As a result, the man finally seemed to have his breath cut off as he slumped to the ground.