Chapter 5

“You mean… you actually farm in Lium? In that wasteland surrounded by mountains…?”

It was a natural reaction.

If not for her foolish longing for her parents, Heidi herself would never have thought to cultivate such a remote mountain territory.

“Well… Lium has a special meaning for me. I’ve been farming there for two years now.”

Of course, it wasn’t something she could easily explain to a mercenary she had just met, so she brushed over it with a vague answer.

“I see…”

Ber’s thick brows twitched for a moment before settling down again. He didn’t seem fully convinced, but decided not to press further.

Instead, he asked a different question.

“Lium is right behind Mount Aurum, isn’t it? Have you ever been in danger there?”

He was probably asking to check how safe his potential workplace would be.

The fact that he was carefully assessing even that told Heidi something about his character—Ber was cautious and thorough.

And people like that usually do their jobs well, she thought.

She was starting to like him more and more.

“Actually, no! Strangely, only low-level monsters ever come down from Aurum into Lium.”

“You’ve been living in a place where even low-level monsters roam freely?”

His blue eyes widened in surprise. Heidi scratched her cheek awkwardly.

That was the usual reaction.

Most monsters were hostile toward humans. Even the weakest ones could be disastrous to normal folk.

Of course, Ber—who had once served as a mercenary of the Blue Dragon order—could probably cut through them with a yawn.

“Well… they’re actually pretty docile, surprisingly.”

Heidi thought of Theo and the Horam-squirrels as she spoke.

“Docile? Monsters?”

“…”

“…”

“I’m serious.”

Ber’s gaze wavered with confusion, then settled with sudden understanding.

What’s he thinking…?

Heidi felt a little uneasy.

“I understand now. Truly fitting of the daughter of such brave nobles. After all, with enough strength, even low-level monsters can be tamed easily.”

He flexed his thick arm with confidence.

“….”

It seemed he had misunderstood her words, taking “docile” to mean she had beaten the monsters into submission.

But that was something he would realize once he actually met her monster companions in Lium, so she decided not to correct him for now.

“Ahem, well then… do you have any other questions about Lium?”

“No.”

“Then let me explain the job. Right now, it’s peak strawberry season, so I need extra hands to help harvest them. The fields are too large for me to manage alone. The job will last about a month.”

“That seems simple enough. But will I only be helping with the strawberry harvest? Nothing else?”

An employee asking if there’s more work to do? How responsible!

As his (future) employer, Heidi was almost moved to tears.

But she composed herself.

“Well, I might also ask for help planting other crops, fertilizing the fields, that sort of thing. But it’ll all be within an eight-hour workday. Six days a week.”

Empire labor laws had to be respected—and after years of endless overtime as a civil servant, this was something Heidi took very seriously.

“Understood. And what about other conditions?”

“For starters, I’ll provide room and board.”

She remembered Henry calling Ber a wandering mercenary, so she offered this without hesitation.

Her Primavera mansion had plenty of empty rooms, after all.

Normally, she might have hesitated to let a man live in a house where she stayed alone, but since Ber came with the Duke of Vaclav’s guarantee, she felt safe enough.

“As for pay—it’ll be the legal minimum wage to start. But if I make good profits from selling the strawberries, I’ll pay you extra bonuses.”

Heidi said this nervously, watching his reaction.

Henry had said Ber didn’t work for money, and it was true that Ber himself had brought up the idea of taking this request because of his past ties with her parents.

But still—wasn’t her offer far too humble for a top-class mercenary, one with Blue Dragon credentials?

“Hmm…”

As expected, Ber’s brows furrowed.

“…I don’t think there’s any need for bonuses. The base wage will be more than enough.”

Only then did Heidi let out a relieved breath. Though at the same time, she felt guilty—almost ashamed—that he was willing to settle for so little.

“Still, farming isn’t easy. I’ll make sure you get a bonus later.”

“No need. I don’t do mercenary work for money.”

That made Heidi curious. If not for money… then why? Duty? A personal goal?

But it wasn’t something she could ask a man she’d just met.

“Well then, we’ll figure that out later. We’ll sign the contract once we arrive in Lium. For now, do you have any more questions?”

“No. Just… when do we start?”

“Not today. If we leave now, we’ll get there around sunset. Better to rest first.”

“Agreed. Then shall we head to the carriage station?”

“Sure. Do you have much luggage to bring?”

“No. Everything I need is on my back.”

Heidi glanced at him. Just a white-bladed sword and a small pack. Pretty light for a wandering mercenary—but it looked almost romantic.

Their business in Rayben complete, Heidi turned to Henry.

“Mr. Henry, I’ll be back soon to sell my strawberries at the wholesale market, so I’ll see you again then!”

“Got it. Travel safe! And hey—next time, bring Ber with you. I want to see him more often!”

“…I’ll think about it.”

Ber answered stiffly, his tone as awkward as his aloof expression. Clearly, Henry’s fondness for him was one-sided.

“Hey, don’t be so cold! You’ll make me too sad to sleep tonight!”

“…”

Ber stayed silent.

Watching the exchange, Heidi chuckled. Now she understood their relationship—Henry was the clingy one.

And honestly, if left alone, Henry might brood about it all night.

“Come on, Mr. Henry, you need your rest at your age! I’ll convince Ber to come along next time.”

“Ha ha! I knew I could count on you, Baroness! Take care!”

“Bye, Mr. Henry!”

Out on Rayben’s main street, Heidi scanned the line of carriages at the station.

Yup. There it is.

She spotted the three-meter-tall ostrich and sighed deeply.

Relief at having transport home… mixed with despair at what that ride would be like.

“Mr. Ber.”

She looked up at her new employee with solemn eyes.

“Yes, boss.”

“…Wait. Why’d you suddenly switch from ‘Lady Heidi’ to ‘boss’?”

“A proper title matters. From now on, you’re my employer. ‘Boss’ is appropriate.”

She had no comeback for that—he wasn’t wrong.

“Well, um… let me ask you. Do you like thrills?”

“Thrills? Not particularly. I don’t go out of my way to seek them.”

“I see. Well… you’re about to.”

“…What do you mean?”

She smiled meaningfully, then strode toward the ostrich carriage.

“Mr. Ostrich!”

“Ohhh! Welcome back, dear customer~!”

The flamboyant coachman waved energetically, his frilled tunic sleeves fluttering in the wind.

…Were you a princess in a past life or something?

Heidi forced herself to keep her expression neutral.

“I’d like a return trip. Two passengers this time.”

That Afternoon, Lium

“Ughhh…”

Heidi groaned, clutching her aching back as she climbed down from the carriage.

Feels like I bounced between heaven and earth thirty times…

The world spun around her, but as the boss, she couldn’t show weakness in front of her new hire.

She leaned casually against a nearby tree to steady herself.

“Well? How was your Lium initiation?” she asked brightly, turning to Ber behind her.