Chapter 22. It was all according to plan.

“I've come on behalf of Lord Tober. By any chance, is Mr. ‘Green’ Ben here?”

At the boy's words, the Guild Master immediately looked back at me.

I leisurely stepped forward in front of the boy.

“I am Ben.”

Lord Tober, he said.

It was the first time I learned his real name, not that ridiculous title of Blood Knight.

“Ah, thankfully you were here. I was quite flustered when you weren't at the inn you're staying at.”

The boy seemed to stroke his chest in relief, then took out a carefully wrapped package from his bosom and held it out.

“This is the item Lord Tober asked me to deliver.”

“My apologies. I didn't expect you to come while I was away for a moment.”

In truth, I had deliberately left my post to receive the swordsmanship manual at the Guild.

The only places I would wander to in this city were pretty much the Guild and the inn.

I could fully anticipate that he would come looking for me here if I left the inn vacant.

“Anyway, I have delivered it for sure.”

The boy immediately exited the Guild with brisk steps.

It was very apparent that he didn't want to get involved with the mercenaries.

“What is it? What's that?”

“Lord Tober sent something?”

Hearing Lord Tober's name, the mercenaries stealthily approached.

Since it was an item from a great knight, they seemed to assume it was something equally great.

“Ah……. Um. It’s a swordsmanship manual. I heard that ‘Sleeping Wolf’ Joshua learned his swordsmanship with this.”

I pretended to be troubled as I unwrapped the package and revealed the swordsmanship manual in front of everyone.

The very reason I accepted the swordsmanship manual was to secure a justification for using swordsmanship in front of others.

Therefore, there was no point in obtaining it secretly.

Swordsmanship was a privilege of the few.

Just as the entire city was turned upside down by mere traces of swordsmanship, all hell would break loose if a rookie mercenary who suddenly appeared was seen using it.

I would probably have to explain the circumstances of how I obtained the swordsmanship manual and even get confirmation from Lord Tober to get past it.

‘Because it's something that can be prevented by all means.’

To avoid such a bothersome situation, it was better to let it be known in advance that I had obtained a swordsmanship manual.

However, the method was the problem.

It would be strange for me, who had been keeping my distance from others, to go around boasting that I had received a swordsmanship manual, and entrusting it to Pol was unsettling.

Therefore, to spread the story naturally, I had to stage a ‘mistake’.

“A swordsmanship manual?”

“Good heavens. Why give him that?”

The mercenaries' expressions changed.

Even if they learned a shoddy form of swordsmanship, they could raise their Mercenary Ranks by one level.

However, learning swordsmanship was like a dream for ordinary mercenaries.

The swordsmanship of knights was passed down through a thoroughly verified system of tradition, and humans who had perfected swordsmanship in their own way were unlikely to easily release their secret techniques.

In that sense, a swordsmanship manual was a hard-to-find treasure.

An item that allowed one to learn swordsmanship directly, and even if not, could be sold for a large sum of money.

It was because Lord Tober was a rigid knight that he gave it away so simply without knowing better; if he had been a greedy man, the story would have been different.

The proof of that was right before my eyes.

“Can I see it for a moment?”

“No, let me see it.”

“You don't even know how to read...!”

Desire squirmed.

The mercenaries couldn't even think of putting on a pretense.

Except for Pol and me, there was only one person maintaining their composure.

“Hold on. Ben. Let's have a talk.”

The Guild Master pushed through the mercenaries and approached.

* * *

The place the Guild Master led me to was his room, located in the innermost part of the Guild building.

The Guild Master instructed a Guild employee to prevent anyone else from approaching, then locked the door and sat down on his chair as if collapsing.

“That was a rash act.”

“Pardon?”

For now, I feigned ignorance.

“I'm talking about showing the swordsmanship manual to the mercenaries.”

“Is that such a big problem?”

I don't know.

I don't know anything.

“Right, it's only been a few days since you became a mercenary. Damn it. Just picking up goblin subjugation requests that don't pay well, not even knowing where to get treatment….”

The Guild Master came to an understanding on his own and ruffled the back of his hair in annoyance.

The rookie mercenary label was a constraint at times, but in moments like this, it was convenient.

The reason I hadn't been particularly suspected so far was also thanks to being perceived as an ignorant person.

“What would you do if you found a gold nugget on the street?”

“I'd pick it up?”

“What if multiple people found it?”

“A fight might break out, I suppose.”

I roughly understood what he was trying to say.

It would have been sufficient to just say that the swordsmanship manual was a valuable item and that there might be people after it, without needing to use a metaphor.

“Right. That's exactly the situation you're in now.”

“Ah……. I understand.”

Of course, I had been aiming for that situation from the very beginning.

“Anyway, be careful for the time being. Being a mercenary is a job where you sell your life for money, isn't it? In other words, it means they're guys who would do anything for money. There's no guarantee that someone won't go crazy over it.”

For someone who was the Guild Master of the Mercenary Guild, he was quite cynical.

Then again, it was an open secret that mercenaries were just a step away from being criminals.

“Hmm.”

I twisted my lips, pretending to be contemplating.

I had already decided on an answer, but I couldn't openly reveal that fact.

It had to look like a conclusion reached after deep consideration.

“It's an item Lord Tober entrusted to me in good faith. If I were to have it stolen, I wouldn't have the face to see Lord Tober.”

I started off with a plausible-sounding remark.

The reason didn't matter anyway.

The Guild Master would probably notice that it was just a convenient excuse.

As expected, the Guild Master had an indifferent face as if to say he'd just hear me out.

“I was thinking about hiding for a while to learn swordsmanship. Once I'm able to use swordsmanship, I should be able to handle most things on my own…….”

“Seclusion, eh. Not a bad idea. You don't always have to break through problems head-on. Sometimes, avoiding them is a part of life's wisdom.”

It was called seclusion to sound nice, but it was just about running away.

The Guild Master simply nodded his head.

“In that sense, could you perhaps introduce me to a place to stay?”

Thinking it was the right time, I brought up the main topic.

“Where would a guy like me go? The only place I know is my hometown, but isn't it a bit embarrassing to go right back to the hometown I kicked aside, vowing to become a mercenary……. I don't know how I'd explain the situation either.”

“It’s not that I don't understand that sentiment…….”

Tsk, the Guild Master smacked his lips.

The fact that it was shameful to go to the city dreaming of success only to return in failure was no different on Earth or here.

No, it was an even more fatal problem, as relationships with neighbors were much tighter.

The emotional persuasion seemed to have worked to some extent. Next, it was time to add a logical explanation.

“Above all, there is no one in my hometown who knows how to read. Even if I took the swordsmanship manual with me, I wouldn't even be able to read it.”

“Tsk.”

The Guild Master frowned as if he was fed up.

In this harsh world, being illiterate was not unusual.

Especially for mercenaries, a profession without roots, it was natural for the illiteracy rate to be high.

“It's not a difficult request, is it? While I'm learning the swordsmanship—it will take a few days at the shortest, and a few weeks at the longest. I don't expect any material support, just writing a letter of introduction would be enough. I'll find someone to teach me how to read somehow…….”

It was all a lie, though.

In the end, it was just an excuse to hide myself.

The Empire, having failed to capture me, would try to re-examine the places they had already investigated.

In the midst of that, even though it was found to be a misunderstanding, the story that Luke had hidden here had just come out.

It was obvious that a re-investigation would begin, so I couldn't dawdle in Dejong.

I needed a place to hide my body, at least until the storm passed.

At the same time, I couldn't look like I was hiding to evade the investigation.

Because I would attract suspicion that I had something to hide.

That was why I needed a ‘reason to run away’.

“I'm begging you.”

I bowed my head to the Guild Master.

The Guild Master contemplated for a long while before finally consenting.

“……Alright. I'll look into it.”

“Thank you!”

It's not like writing one letter of introduction was a difficult task, yet he played hard to get.

If I learned swordsmanship, it would mean one more capable mercenary for the Guild, so it was also a gain for the Guild Master.

It was almost certain that he had intended to do it from the beginning but was just making a show of it.

I left the Guild Master's room and caught my breath.

“Hoo.”

With that, one matter was resolved.

It was a relief that the Guild Master wasn't greedy for the swordsmanship manual.

Had even the Guild Master aimed for the swordsmanship manual, I did have a Plan B to execute, but I wanted to avoid that path as it would inevitably involve bloodshed.

Of course, the possibility that the Guild Master had no interest in the swordsmanship manual was high.

Unlike the mercenaries who walked a tightrope every single day, the Guild Master was in a position with much to lose.

To learn swordsmanship himself, he was already in a position retired from the front lines, and financially speaking, the assets he had accumulated from running the Guild were as valuable as the swordsmanship manual.

If he were a man foolish enough to risk becoming a criminal while already living well, he wouldn't have become the Guild Master in the first place.

‘Until things quiet down suitably, I should just gather information.’

After the identity of ‘Mercenary Ben’ was established, it would be time to earnestly pursue Luke.

While hiding, I shouldn't do anything that would start rumors, but preparing for future activities was entirely possible.

* * *

The morning sunlight was dazzling.

Coming outside the city walls, the air felt refreshing.

I didn't know what the difference was, since it wasn't as if cities in this world were full of exhaust fumes.

“Is there a need to be in such a hurry?”

Pol grumbled, swallowing a yawn.

I had just received the letter of introduction from the Guild Master a little while ago.

“We're going into hiding to avoid trouble, so we should minimize any chance of being tailed.”

It was just last night that I showed them the swordsmanship manual.

It was incredibly bothersome because of the mercenaries who kept clinging to me until right before I returned to the inn.

If the Guild Master hadn't quickly written the letter of introduction, I would have had to stay in the city for a few more days, and in that time, the number of guys flocking in after hearing the rumors would have increased.

It was the same concept as dealing with a fire.

It's good if you can extinguish it early, but if that's not possible, you have to at least run away quickly.

“*Sniffle*.”

Pol sniffled.

Looking closely, the corners of his eyes were also moist.

It didn't seem to be from yawning.

“Are you crying?”

“Having to leave a city I've grown fond of, my heart is all aflutter…….”

There's a limit to being sentimental.

Was it enough to cry over after staying for just a few days?

“Are you not feeling anything, Brother?”

“Not at all.”

Did I have any memories in this city?

What did I even do here?

I took on a dog-like goblin subjugation request, got a beggar-like nickname, and pointlessly fooled around with a sword at night, which escalated things to the point of killing someone.

On top of experiencing only things that could cause trauma one after another, I was on pins and needles every day, worried that my identity would be exposed to the Imperial army.

Overall rating: Half a star.

“Don't whine, we'll be back soon enough anyway.”

I didn't want to return if possible, but after receiving a letter of introduction from the Guild Master, disappearing completely would be the same as giving up on living as ‘Ben’.

How could I, after even receiving a mercenary tag.

I even killed someone to get rid of suspicion.

The story of ‘Mercenary Ben’ must continue so that the turn of ‘Emperor-Slayer Luke Ivers’ doesn't come.

I'll have to stop by once in a while to report that I'm alive, then make another excuse to run away.

“Let's go.”

A land of hope filled with freedom, equality, peace, and happiness…… it wasn't, but it was a place where I could find a moment of tranquility.

To the ‘ranch’ owned by an acquaintance of the Guild Master.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.