Surviving as the Emperor's Assassin

Chapter 5. I Became a Mercenary.

“Hmm……”

The mercenaries who had briefly straightened up at the girl's appearance slumped back down again.

Their reaction indicated that the request wasn't very profitable.

3 silver coins.

I had roughly grasped the currency value here by peering into shops earlier.

One silver coin could buy a bread filled with meat.

Meat bread seemed to be quite a luxurious meal, but it was still just one meal.

The reward for hunting goblins essentially covered only the cost of food.

It made sense that they wouldn't be interested.

“Isn't there any mercenary willing to work!?”

The girl shouted again.

The strength was draining from her voice.

The mercenaries chuckled and laughed.

“Question.”

As I raised my hand and spoke, the girl snapped her head around to look at me.

Tears welled up in her eyes, looking ready to spill any moment.

“If I do it alone, do I get all 9 silver coins?”

Receiving the reward for three people wouldn't be such a bad condition.

“Hey, stop it. If you do annoying jobs like goblin hunting for such petty cash, it sets a bad precedent.”

“It’s a nuisance to others too.”

“Yeah. Tell her to handle goblins herself. Why ask a mercenary to hunt goblins?”

Seeing that I seemed intent on accepting the request, voices of dissuasion rose from the surroundings.

“The client is my type.”

I stated the excuse I had prepared.

A burst of laughter erupted in the guild that had momentarily fallen silent.

It was a joke I tried casually, but it landed quite well.

“Huh……?”

The girl gaped, seemingly unable to understand the situation.

“Let's go. Client.”

I stood up from my seat.

There probably wouldn't be many requests I, with unproven skills, could take.

As someone who wanted to minimize my time in the city if possible, doing something was better than waiting for another request that might never come.

‘Pointlessly setting a gloomy mood.’

Stepping out of the Mercenary Guild, the bright light dazzled my eyes.

Phew, perfect weather for work.

“I haven't heard the detailed explanation of the request yet.”

I spoke to the girl still frozen in front of the Mercenary Guild.

“Huh? Ah? The request?”

The girl jumped in surprise and turned back to me.

She had come all the way to the Mercenary Guild to post a request, yet her reaction seemed as if she had forgotten about it.

“Th-That's right! You'll accept the request, right?!”

“Yes. As long as you promise the payment.”

Did I really need to state this clearly for her to understand?

I wondered if it was okay for her mind to be so elsewhere.

“I'll explain on the way! Follow me!”

The girl, having regained her senses, walked ahead with awkward steps.

* * *

“My name is Nilia. I live in Merbon Village, down below that Kezoc Mountain you see there. It's an ordinary village that farms wheat, but recently, goblins keep coming down from the mountain, causing trouble. They've built nests near the fields, so we can't even go farm.”

I let the place names flow past.

I probably wouldn't visit twice anyway.

Only one piece of information was important.

They built nests near the fields.

Would dealing with the ones in the fields be easier than those in the mountains?

Weak monsters and advantageous terrain.

It overflowed with consideration for a novice mercenary.

“But, about what you said earlier……”

Nilia fidgeted and asked.

“What words are you referring to?”

I wasn't entirely clueless about what she meant, but I feigned ignorance and asked back.

“Well, that I was your type……”

It was something I said to avoid being ignored by the mercenaries, but it might have sounded rude to Nilia.

I couldn't give a bad impression to my precious first client.

“It was a joke. I apologize if you were offended.”

Quick acknowledgment of fault and apology.

Basic rules for social life.

“Ah, a joke.”

The girl's voice turned cold.

It was clear I had definitely overstepped.

Until we reached the city gate, the girl didn't open her mouth.

“Nilia? You're out already?”

Bill, still standing guard at the city entrance, acknowledged the girl.

“Did you find a mercenary willing to exterminate the goblins?”

Knowing even the details of Nilia's request, they seemed quite close.

“Yes!”

Nilia puffed out her chest proudly and answered.

“Nah, no way. For that price? Where would such a sucker……”

Bill, who was mocking Nilia's words, frowned upon seeing me standing behind her.

“We meet again.”

I gave a slight nod.

I had just entered the city moments ago, and coming out before the guards even changed shifts felt a bit awkward.

“Birds of a feather flock together, huh.”

Bill sighed softly.

“Well. For a first request, it's not too bad. Gaining experience is more important than the amount. Makes me nostalgic. I started with goblins too.”

As expected, he was a senior.

However, the fact that he switched to being a guard meant he failed as a mercenary, so perhaps there was no need for respect.

“Wait. First request?”

The girl asked as if she had heard something she shouldn't have.

“Didn't you know? This fellow is a fresh-faced rookie mercenary who just arrived in the city this morning.”

At Bill's words, the girl's expression hardened.

Despite trying to hire a mercenary for peanuts, she seemed anxious now that I was a beginner.

Honestly, I lacked confidence too.

Could I, who had never even killed a mouse before, hunt goblins?

Still, with this sturdy body and a sword, I should manage somehow.

If I couldn't even clear this beginner quest, the path to survival in this world was remote.

“You can tell just by looking.”

“How would I know something like that!?”

“Can't you tell by the state of his equipment?”

“It was dark, so I didn't know. I just thought he was a kind person……”

“Where in the world is there a kind mercenary?”

“There might be!”

“You clearly don't know much about mercenaries. A kind mercenary is either dead or about to die.”

Bill and Nilia bickered.

They looked almost like father and daughter.

Feeling somewhat excluded, I averted my gaze.

“Let's go! Prove that my choice wasn't wrong!”

Nilia, after being scolded by Bill for a while, pointed a finger at me, fuming.

Scary.

She looked ready to report me to the Mercenary Guild if I didn't perform the request properly.

Not that the Mercenary Guild would likely pay any attention, but being ignored felt unpleasant.

“Since you've taken the request, handle it properly. I'm counting on you, mercenary.”

Bill tossed a silver coin to me.

As expected, Bill, with his mercenary experience, knew how to handle mercenaries.

To motivate a money-driven mercenary, giving more money is the best way.

“I will follow your command.”

I bowed respectfully towards Bill.

“I'm the client!”

Nilia snapped and grabbed me, shaking me.

“You haven't paid yet.”

I am simply following the money, like a mercenary should.

“Ugh……!!”

Nilia, unable to readily offer money like Bill, trembled with a face full of anger.

Well, if she had that kind of money, she would have set a higher fee for the request from the beginning.

“Just hurry up and move!”

For just 9 silver coins, she was a demanding client.

* * *

The village came into view in the distance.

However, Nilia, who was guiding the way, turned direction midway.

It seemed she intended to head straight to the fields without stopping by the village.

Her heart seemed quite set on it.

“Hey there, young man. Haven't seen you around before.”

While walking along the path for a while, I was stopped by an old man.

The skinny old man's eyes were full of wariness towards an outsider.

It seemed the exclusive atmosphere typical of rural villages was the same in this world.

“He's the mercenary I brought!”

Nilia inserted herself between the old man and me to explain.

“Mercenary?”

The old man's lips protruded about a finger's width.

He was clearly displeased with the situation of bringing a mercenary.

“We can't go to the fields because of the goblins. This mercenary uncle will take care of them.”

Nilia puffed out her chest proudly, as if asking for praise.

‘Uncle?’

Nilia certainly had a youthful face.

She was definitely younger than me.

Still, wasn't ‘uncle’ a bit too much?

“Where did you get the money to hire a mercenary? I told you we could handle it ourselves.”

The old man scolded Nilia.

It seemed the goblins here were tame creatures, not very dangerous even to farmers.

The pressure regarding the request lessened considerably.

“Because of that, Uncle Wilson sprained his back and is laid up! Things like this should be left to professionals…….”

As Nilia said the word 'professional', her voice trembled slightly.

She seemed to be pondering whether it was right to call a mercenary on his first request a professional.

“Professional, my foot. Bringing some bandit-looking fellow.”

The old man grumbled, looking me up and down.

The old man's description was sharp.

The clothes I wore and the sword at my waist were gifts from bandits.

It was only natural I looked like a criminal.

“Well, since you're here, it can't be helped. If we tried to send you back now, there might be a knife fight, so we'll entrust the goblin hunt to you.”

There was a sting in his words.

A mercenary with a sword.

If I went berserk because my trip was wasted, the farmers would have no way to handle it.

It was the rational thinking of an old man who had survived long in this town where the law is far and the fist is near.

“And, I'll go to the fields too.”

Ugh.

The old man groaned loudly and started walking.

“Grandpa, why you? You can barely get around with a cane, what are you going to do where goblins appear? Just go home and rest.”

Nilia tried to stop the old man.

Even to my eyes, the old man had difficulty moving.

Going to a place where monsters appear with a body that struggled even to walk, let alone run, was reckless.

“I may not be helpful in hunting goblins! But I need to watch and make sure that fellow doesn't ruin the wheat fields!”

Clearly displeased about paying me, this stubborn old man was determined not to lose even a single extra coin.

Saying it loud enough for me to hear seemed intended as a warning.

I subtly tapped my sword hilt, expressing my displeasure, but the old man didn't even look back.

I felt his certainty that this wouldn't be enough to make me draw my sword.

“Creepy old geezer.”

Not being a particularly nice person myself, I threw a comment at the old man's back.

The old man accurately understood the sensitive points of mercenaries.

They make a fuss over even one or two silver coins regarding financial losses.

However, for mercenaries who sometimes deliberately act fierce for smooth negotiations, being treated as a ruffian was akin to being acknowledged as a proper mercenary.

‘Is this old man also a mercenary senior?’

The bandits had also said they became bandits after failing as mercenaries.

Perhaps it was a profession everyone went through at least once in this world.

Anyway, the number of people accompanying me increased.

The pace slowed down to match the old man's stride.

* * *

After walking for some more time.

We arrived at the field Nilia mentioned, where the goblins had settled.

The field was in a terrible state.

The old man worried I would ruin the field, but there wasn't much left to ruin.

“Damn it, those fry-and-die bastards……!”

The old man couldn't contain his anger and cursed profusely.

I worried the already dying old man might collapse from high blood pressure.

“Over there.”

Nilia pointed to a corner of the field.

I could see something like dugout huts clustered together.

The goblins' nest.

Green bodies could be seen squirming around.

Their number was easily in the dozens.

With that many, even rabbits couldn't be dealt with easily.

And they intended to handle this with mercenaries hired for peanuts.

What utter thieves' mentality.