Episode 11 – Travel Preparations
When I came out of the mercenary guild, Barus was waiting with his arms crossed.
“You’re done?”
“Mm. Things went well.”
“Things going well usually means you broke something.”
“Not this time. Only people.”
“…I don’t even want to know.”
We walked back through the marketplace, stopping at stalls to buy a few supplies. Rope, oil, dried meat—nothing that would stand out.
The trip to the capital wasn’t going to be a simple sightseeing tour.
“Do we really need all this?” Barus asked, watching me weigh a coil of rope in my hand.
“Preparation is the difference between coming back and not.”
He grumbled something under his breath, but helped carry the packages.
When we returned to the annex, the twins were waiting.
“Big brother!”
“You’re back!”
Their faces lit up, and I felt my mood soften. No matter how messy the day was, these two were like sunlight through a window.
“Did you finish your studies?”
“Yes!”
“And the sword drills?”
They exchanged a glance. “…Almost.”
I sighed. “Which means no sweets after dinner.”
“Aw!”
“Rules are rules.”
While they pouted, I went to my room and laid everything out on the table—
the sword from Topers, the mercenary tag, the letter of recommendation, the travel supplies.
The capital was going to be a different battlefield entirely.
Nobles, merchants, informants, knights… and whoever sent the last set of assassins.
A knock came at the door.
It was one of the estate messengers.
“Young master, the marquis’s carriage will depart at dawn the day after tomorrow. Please be ready.”
“Understood.”
When he left, I sat back in my chair.
Two days. That was all the time I had left to prepare—
and to tie up anything that might explode while I was gone.
That night, I called Barus into my study.
“You’ll guard the twins while I’m away.”
“…What about you? The capital’s dangerous.”
“I can take care of myself. You just make sure no one gets close to them.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “Fine. But if anything happens to you—”
“It won’t.”
I gave him a list of people to watch in the estate,
and another list of names I wanted him to quietly investigate through Rohan at the guild.
Barus scanned the paper, then gave me a strange look. “You’re really going to use him?”
“He’s already mine. He just hasn’t accepted it yet.”
Barus muttered something like remind me never to owe you a favor and left.
The next morning, I went back into the forest.
There was one more thing I wanted before leaving—
and the best place to find it was where magical beasts wandered.
If I could get my hands on the right materials,
a certain old blacksmith might just be able to make something special for me in the capital.
And when I returned from the festival,
I intended to be far more dangerous than when I left.
