episode_0088

The inn that Wade is indebted to, ‘Forest Night’, is a fairly well-known inn even in Darville.

The inn’s owner, Anton, was originally a mercenary.

It was also quite famous.

In this place where mercenaries from all over the continent gather, Anton, a mercenary who was skilled enough to have a fairly high reputation in Darville, suddenly announced his retirement one day.

Many people were surprised because he was still old enough to be active and his skills at the time were completely unwavering.

There were even people who tried to stop him from retiring.

However, despite some people’s dissuasion, Anton decided to retire.

Then, he built an inn in Darbil using the money he had saved while working as a mercenary.

Those who knew him and what he was like during his mercenary days visited his inn even though they were puzzled by the unexpected inn.

Not simply because Anton was a famous mercenary, but because he thought well of him.

Among the mercenaries who were rough and overly free-spirited, Anton was a rare man who knew how to keep faith and give to others.

His friends, those who received help from him, those who admired him, and those who had heard of his reputation.

Quite a number of people visited the inn.

The boom in ‘Night in the Forest’ that came like that was not temporary, but continued even after time had passed.

It was not simply because of the loyalty of the mercenaries.

This was because ‘Night in the Forest’ was such an attractive inn.

The inn’s facilities were good for the price, and the chef’s skills were also excellent.

That alone would be a reason to become a regular, but the good things about ‘Night in the Forest’ didn’t end there.

What differentiates ‘Night in the Forest’ from other inns is the service it provides for mercenaries and adventurers.

Among them, a service that specifically arranges requests.

No matter how much work there was in Darbil, in the case of new mercenaries, there were cases where they could not even receive the work, and as a result, there were many cases where they had trouble making a living.

Anton did not forget the time when he was a rookie and provided this service for new mercenaries.

The service, which initially started with good intentions and on a small scale, grew in scale over time, and at some point, it became a specialty of ‘Night in the Forest’.

The inn’s owner, Anton, was originally a famous mercenary, and the mercenaries who caused problems were well managed, so the public perception of ‘Night in the Forest’ was quite good.

Wade also owed a lot to Anton and ‘Night in the Forest’ while living as Andel.

Because he used to bring me appropriate requests that weren’t difficult and dangerous.

Of course, Wade had no problem with difficult requests or anything else, but these were requests of a very appropriate level for him who had to play an ordinary mercenary.

Anyway, for that reason, the first floor of ‘Forest Night’ was always quite crowded with many people in the morning.

It was the same today as well.

Wade, who was snooping around the first floor thinking that he had nothing to do and would like to handle a request today, found Anton talking to someone at the counter.

‘Has something big come in?’

This wasn’t always the case, but most of the time, when Anton dealt with customers directly, it was usually a big issue.

Or, it may be a request that is difficult to receive.

It’s good that business is doing well.

Wade pretended not to notice and was about to pass the two of them.

A customer who was talking face to face with Anton happened to look away and make eye contact with him.

At that moment, the client’s eyes widened.

“Huh? you are… ?”

“What, do you know?”

Anton looked at Wade and the client alternately with puzzled eyes.

Because we know each other.

Is it okay to say this because we know each other?

While he was thinking about the answer to that.

“… I’ll take this person!”

The client said something unexpected.

***

“… So, Miss Andel, you want to entrust the request to this guy?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… … .”

Anton, who came out to the room where he was shown only when a more detailed conversation was needed and summoned the client and even the escort, stroked his chin and began to worry.

However, the worries did not last long.

“No. This guy is a new mercenary who has only been working for a month. I’m too immature to take on a request from a young lady.”

Anton’s conclusion was rejection.

And the answer to Anton’s words came not from the woman who was the client, but from the escort next to him.

“You’re a new employee who’s only been there for a month? miss. It would be better to do as the innkeeper says here.”

The expression on his face was one of sincere worry and anxiety.

however.

“… no. I’ll take this person.”

The woman’s opinion did not change.

“Lady… !”

The escort even shouted loudly, but the woman’s expression did not waver. As if he was a person with a firm decision.

At that stern expression, Howie sighed and shook his head, but said nothing more to the woman.

As if he thought there was no meaning beyond this.

“Your will seems strong. But that still doesn’t work. Even if you want it, I have no intention of allowing it.”

But despite the woman’s expression of intention, Anton still shook his head.

“To begin with, this guy doesn’t even know much about the forest. Even if you take him, it won’t be of much help. So, use someone else.”

Although I did not hear the details, it is possible to guess the general content from the flow of the story.

Perhaps the woman came here to find a mercenary or adventurer to accompany her into the forest.

Then Anton is right.

It’s not that I haven’t been into the forest at all, but I’m too inexperienced to take on a full-scale request.

In the first place, it is rare for someone who is only a month old to receive a request to go into the forest.

“No. I’ll take this person.”

However, despite Anton’s repeated persuasion, the woman did not give up her opinion.

“… Phew. I don’t know what I saw that made me fall in love with this guy so much.”

Anton sighed slightly and shook his head at that hard will.

“But no matter how much you want it, you can’t do it. Aside from not being helpful, this guy’s life is in danger.”

“… … .”

At those words, the woman swallowed for the first time.

It may be that I became aware of the gravity of the fact that the life of the person receiving the request was in danger.

In that situation, I opened my mouth for the first time.

“What is the content of the request?”

“Hmm?”

Anton’s head turned towards me.

“I want to hear your story. Shouldn’t I know something?”

“… Hmm. I would like to tell you not to pay any attention if possible.”

Anton showed a disapproving look.

at that time.

“This is a request to accompany you to the forest.”

The woman who was the client opened her mouth.

“I want to explore the forest, but since I come from a foreign country, my knowledge is bound to be shallow. So I came here to get some help.”

“I see.”

Hearing that, I nodded silently.

“It’s not at the level of simply entering the forest. According to what the girl said, you will have to overcome the first part of the forest.”

Anton quietly spoke.

Only then did I understand why Anton was so stubbornly opposed.

The forest itself is dangerous to begin with, but the deeper you go, the greater the danger becomes.

And the moment you get out of the beginning, the level of risk increases to the point where there are even talks of a complete change in the atmosphere.

Even for skilled mercenaries, there are quite a few deaths.

Moreover, in Anton’s eyes, Andel and I are newbies who have just become mercenaries.

You probably think that accepting a request like this is essentially putting yourself out there on a limb.

“Anyway, this guy can’t do it. Either do it with other guys, or do it with other guys.”

Anton consistently cuts off the client’s wishes.

As I looked at him, I thought he was a good person.

If you think about it, there is no reason for Anton to refuse so stubbornly.

Simply put, he is in the position of arranging the request, and honestly, it has nothing to do with the mercenary receiving it.

Still, he is shaking his head like this.

For none other than myself.

Although he is hidden by his rough appearance and appearance, he is definitely a good person.

That consideration and warm heart were clearly conveyed.

but.

“I will accept that request.”

I decided to refuse that consideration.

“… … !”

“… What?”

The woman’s expression brightened, and Anton, on the other hand, frowned.

“… Are you telling me that you know how dangerous this request is?”

Anton’s frown was clearly grim.

Even so, he always has a sharp look.

When he even distorted his expression, the feeling of intimidation that emanated was considerable.

“This is a place where even those who are called veterans, who have been rolling on this floor for several years, die if they make a mistake. You want to go to a place like that?”

He asked in a low voice, like a growling beast.

“You don’t have to worry too much about that. Dorothy here is a very talented person.”

At that time, a woman intervened.

As soon as I met Anton’s sharp eyes, I immediately closed my mouth.

His eyes landed on the woman, and then immediately escorted her… It was probably given to someone named Dorothy.

“… It certainly seems like your skills are outstanding. It’s not at the level of an escort.”

Dorothy, that is, the woman who appeared to be the client’s escort, was definitely an outstanding person.

At first glance, he has a face that looks more than innocent, but at least his skills are real.

Is his age roughly around mid-20s?

If you have that level of skill at that age, you are definitely a type of person worthy of being called a genius.

“However, the story is different after the beginning of the forest. It’s probably more dangerous than you can imagine.”

But Anton’s will was also strong.

Even though he recognized that Dorothy was an extraordinary person, he seemed to have no intention of giving in.

“… In the end, isn’t the opinions of the parties most important?”

The woman must have decided that it was impossible to persuade Anton, so she changed the topic.

Anton seemed to have nothing to say in response to this, but instead turned his gaze to me.

“Think carefully. You are still young.”

Then he gave some serious advice.

Perhaps, he truly cares about me.

I was grateful for Anton’s heart.

but.

“I will accept it.”

However, I had no intention of changing my opinion.

I was reunited with the woman I had saved by chance.

And, the woman wants to entrust a request to me.

I felt like the time had finally come.