Chapter 46
The mistress swallowed once, as if nervous.
“Well… it’s a bit difficult to say…”
“Our husband, right?”
I hesitated to answer the mistress I was meeting for the first time.
She immediately glared at me with the look one gives to a mistress caught in an affair.
“He’s not really my husband.”
“Then please tell me the truth. If he’s not your husband, I’ll help you.”
Hearing the mistress’s earnest voice and offer to help, I hesitated for a moment before struggling to speak.
“He’s Abel, the mercenary captain.”
“The captain? Why the captain…?”
“Just… well…”
The mistress relaxed and smiled warmly at my words.
It seemed the suspicion she had was cleared.
“I see… That was an unexpected answer. Not just anyone, but the captain… Well, people have their own tastes.”
She put on that kind and gentle smile I saw earlier.
“What’s your name?”
“Ah, my name…”
I couldn’t openly reveal the name ‘Pliche’ here.
“My name is Rice.”
Not wanting to impersonate anyone fully, I only gave the latter part of the name.
“That’s a pretty name. So, Rice, when will you start working?”
“Can I start today?”
The mistress nodded with a very kind smile at my words.
It was the third day since I started working at the inn.
Getting off at the street where I could see the Paringa Alley, I took tired steps with aching legs.
‘I haven’t even seen the captain’s face yet…’
In the past two days, I hadn’t met Abel, the mercenary captain, even once.
He was always said to finish his early morning exercise and then have alone time in his room, never stepping outside.
Thanks to that, I worked my butt off for two days straight, and my whole body was sore.
Even though I secretly used magic while working, my fragile body made it difficult.
“Then, Susan… be here at 5 o’clock… don’t get caught. Got it?”
“Miss, you look really pale…”
Wearing a brown cotton dress, I painfully raised my uncooperative arm to fix my hat.
“Hurry up and go.”
I waved my hand slowly, then lowered my head and trudged toward the inn.
The knights who stood guard at the same time had gotten used to me coming to work and paid no attention, just chatting among themselves.
“I’m here.”
With no strength in my arms, I opened the inn’s door with my shoulder.
“You’re here? Let’s do our best again today.”
The owner, always full of energy, greeted me loudly.
And the mistress, who usually would wave with a bright smile, was beckoning me from the corner of the lobby.
“Rice, come here for a moment.”
“Huh?”
Speaking in a small voice as if to share a secret, the mistress made me quietly head to the corner.
“What’s wrong? Is there something?”
“Can you hear the noise from the vacant lot over there?”
Focusing on the mistress’s words, I heard the sounds of people beyond the inn’s wall.
“Could it be…?”
“That’s right. The mercenaries are training on the vacant lot right now.”
“So…?”
My eyes lit up with anticipation.
“Yes. The mercenary captain is also out there on the vacant lot.”
The mistress was stomping her feet excitedly like a girl in love.
“I-I’ll go take a look.”
“Good. We prepared some herbal drinks. Take them naturally with you.”
The mistress’s offer to help wasn’t just empty words; she had created an opportunity for me to go naturally to the mercenaries.
She pointed to a barrel by the back door of the inn that led to the vacant lot.
“Okay!”
My heavy steps from earlier suddenly felt as light as flying.
Heading toward the mirror on the lobby wall, I adjusted my hair while looking into it.
“Finally. Finally, I can meet Abel.”
My tired eyes now brimmed with vitality.
“Ugh… why is this so heavy…?”
Unlike before, I was sweating profusely, carrying the heavy barrel toward the vacant lot.
The barrel full of drinks was too heavy for me to carry, and I almost had to put it down on the ground with every step.
Exiting through the inn’s back door, I arrived at the vacant lot connected to the inn.
The mercenaries were gathered around the vacant lot, watching something in the middle.
“Wow, drinks, huh?”
At one mercenary’s shout, their eyes turned toward me.
“Hey, go help her.”
At someone’s call, a burly man approached me.
“I’ll carry it.”
At that welcome sound, I immediately put the barrel down.
‘Wow, I almost died.’
I tapped my shoulder, and followed the man carrying the barrel toward the vacant lot.
‘Abel, now I just have to find Abel.’
I planned to casually pour drinks, get to know faces, and then stick close to him to ask questions.
First, I had to understand who Abel was.
That way, it’d be easier to raise his affection for me.
‘It’s a paid membership after all. Raising affection should be easy.’
Maybe just by giving drinks, I might unlock a route.
I looked around with a hopeful face.
“But… what are they doing?”
The first thing that caught my eye in the mercenaries’ gathering wasn’t Abel with his red hair.
In the middle of the vacant lot, two men seemed to be fighting a match.
A big man laughing freely, and a blond man with wounds all over his body except his face.
Those two.
“Haha, amazing you still have strength to stand.”
The big man, as big as a noble’s front gate, laughed heartily while looking at the blond man who looked ready to collapse.
The blond man looked like he was about to fall.
‘Where have I seen that guy?’
Blond hair, blue eyes, very pale skin that stood out among the mercenaries, handsome.
I tried to recall where I’d seen him but couldn’t remember.
‘If they made a character like that the protagonist, it’d be so popular. Totally my type…’
Blond hair, blue eyes, sharp nose.
Prince-like looks with catlike upturned eyes.
Too good looking to be just an extra.
“He’s still… not down yet.”
“Heh, stop now. No one can beat me barehanded, let alone with a weapon.”
Though tall and strong, the blond man looked inferior compared to the big man.
The blond man shouted again, refusing to give up, and rushed at the big man.
“Ugh!”
Thud.
The blond man’s fist didn’t even reach the big man.
The big man’s long arm reached the blond man faster, and the blond man collapsed lifelessly on the ground.
‘Wow, getting hit by that fist…’
Thinking of being hit square in the face by a fist almost as big as your face was dizzying.
“Hey, give up. You’ll die if you keep this up.”
“Stop it.”
“Hey, drag him out.”
People stopped the blond man from standing again.
‘Still planning to attack after that…’
I shook my head at the reckless youth and headed to the drinks barrel I had brought.
“Um, excuse me.”
I called to the man who had just put the barrel on the small table.
“Yes?”
“Where’s the mercenary captain?”
I asked casually while naturally pouring a cup of drink.
“Oh, you’re bringing drinks? The captain said he’d be back from his room soon… Ah, there he is.”
The man pointed toward the annex building connected to the vacant lot.
Turning my head in the direction he pointed, I saw two men coming out of the annex door.
One had short red hair tied messily and walked out first.
Despite the pretty face, his black eyes radiated charisma.
Not very tall but lean.
And the long sword at his waist suited him well.
‘Found him.’
My male lead.
The new male lead who would get me out of this game.
The one whose affection I needed to raise.
There stood Abel, right in front of me.
“Th-thank you.”
Carefully holding the drink in my hand, I took a step toward the annex.
As Abel and I drew closer—
