Surviving as the Emperor's Assassin

Chapter 8. I Got a Nickname.

“Oh. Good morning. Are you back from handling the goblins?”

Bill greeted me warmly in front of the city gate.

Just my luck.

Do the guards in this town not even rotate shifts?

“Yes. That's right.”

I avoided Bill's gaze.

Simply rinsing the clothes soaked in goblin blood was completely useless.

They were torn in places too, looking wretched.

Was it fortunate that I managed to salvage the goblin ears and the Hond Wolf horn?

Submitting the goblin ears to the guild would count as proof of accomplishment as a mercenary, and the Hond Wolf horn could supposedly fetch a decent price if sold as a magic ingredient.

“Damn. You had more talent than I thought.”

Bill took out a silver coin from his pouch and tossed it to the guard standing with him.

“Thanks, friend. I believed in you.”

The guard, grinning as he received the silver coin, clapped my shoulder familiarly.

Apparently, these two had made a bet on the success or failure of my request.

Bill had bet on me failing.

Was the silver coin he gave me when I came out after taking the request not a tip, but consolation money?

“Can't charge a toll to a friend who's worked hard. Go on in.”

The guard, cheerful from winning the bet, pushed my back.

Since every coin mattered to me, I decided to be purely happy about saving the toll fee.

As I entered Dejong, I felt eyes on me.

“What's that? Monster blood?”

“Ooh, looks like someone had quite a wild night.”

“Dangerous person. Don't make eye contact.”

Whispering voices reached me.

Apparently, my appearance, clearly indicating I'd been in a fierce battle, was attracting attention.

It wasn't red, but anyone would stare if a blood-soaked person walked around.

‘Need to buy clothes first.’

The clothes stolen from bandits weren't of quality to be worn for long anyway.

Thinking of it as buying something I should have bought in the first place made it seem not so bad.

However, not knowing the exact prices in this world, I wasn't sure if the few silver coins from the request reward would be enough to buy clothes.

‘And if I'm buying, I want proper clothes.’

Having more money broadens the choices.

I decided to stop by the Mercenary Guild first, sell the Hond Wolf horn to secure funds, and quickened my pace.

‘At least the mercenaries will accept this appearance naturally.’

Since fighting monsters is their job, this much must be a common occurrence for mercenaries.

Probably.

Acting nonchalant, I headed towards the Mercenary Guild.

Creak.

The Mercenary Guild door was still stiff.

Opening the door with effort, I stepped inside, and a scene almost identical to yesterday greeted me.

A shabby space filled with slumped mercenaries.

“……”

There was no particular reaction even though I entered the guild.

I walked slowly, naturally.

Just as I almost reached the reception desk.

“Pfft.”

Someone burst out laughing.

That was the start.

Sounds of stifled laughter came from here and there, as if held back until now.

Soon, everyone in the Mercenary Guild was slapping their knees and tables, laughing heartily.

“What's with that look!”

“Hey! Did the goblins beat you up good?”

“You've turned quite green!”

“Aigo, didn't you even have spare clothes?”

Interest poured in from the opposite direction compared to the general public.

“See, I told you he'd come back having failed!”

“Damn it! Couldn't even catch a few goblins?!”

Silver coins flew through the air as if some people here had made bets too.

Perhaps because entertainment options were significantly scarcer here than in modern Earth, betting on others' affairs seemed to be their life's joy.

“I completed the request.”

I corrected the mercenaries' misunderstanding.

There was no problem at all with hunting the goblins.

The problem was the variable called Hond Wolf that popped up afterward.

“What? You show up looking like a defeated soldier and claim you completed the request?”

“Then I won the bet! Give me my silver!”

“Got proof you completed the mission?! Bring the proof!”

“Stop changing the subject, money!”

The most intense reactions, as expected, came from those who had bet.

Can't these gamblers just all die?

* * *

“Sorry for laughing.”

A middle-aged mercenary with a bushy beard apologized politely.

“We naturally thought you failed the request and came to get a new one. Your appearance…… isn't exactly great, you see.”

Despite not being particularly large, the man possessed a strange sense of pressure.

The scars etched on his sturdy forearms spoke of a life far from smooth.

“It's alright. Misunderstandings happen.”

It was surprising that he stepped forward to apologize even though he wasn't the only one laughing.

What was stranger was the reaction of those around.

No one refuted the words of the man who seemed to represent the mercenaries here.

It indicated the man held considerable influence among the mercenaries in this area.

“Came for a new request? Or perhaps…… obtained some loot worth selling?”

At the man's words, the Mercenary Guild suddenly fell silent.

Nothing valuable could be obtained from goblins.

In other words, obtaining something valuable meant hunting a monster other than goblins.

“Does that make sense? For a newbie, even defeating goblins is considered talented.”

“He caught a monster worth looting on his first request?”

The mercenaries murmured, seemingly unable to believe it.

“How did you know?”

The man's eyes held certainty.

Since there was no reason to deny it, I simply nodded silently.

“It's not some great insight. When a mercenary rushes to the guild without even changing clothes, it's usually about money. Since you said you successfully completed the request, you probably didn't come because you lacked money immediately…… Isn't it reasonable to assume there was some extra income?”

The man explained with a grin.

Hearing that, it was indeed something that could be inferred from my actions.

Of course, even so, it was considerable insight.

“You're right. In the process of hunting goblins, I dealt with another monster.”

I took out the Hond Wolf horn I had kept in my clothes and showed it to the man.

“Hoh.”

The man let out a soft exclamation.

“This is a Hond Wolf horn. And quite a large specimen too……. Excellent condition. Clearly a fresh horn, cut not long ago.”

Despite the dim guild interior, the man recognized it immediately.

“Hond Wolf?”

“He caught a Hond Wolf with that kind of equipment?”

A stir went through the Mercenary Guild.

“Hond Wolves usually travel in packs.”

“Was it an individual separated from the pack?”

Unlike the merely annoying goblins, Hond Wolves seemed to be considered proper monsters.

The mercenaries who had ignored me moments ago found it hard to accept that I had defeated a Hond Wolf.

“The appearance of a rookie who defeated a Hond Wolf single-handedly.”

The man grinned widely.

He seemed to quite like me.

“It was nothing.”

I replied with a smile honed by social life.

Attracting excessive attention should be avoided, but among rough mercenaries, excessive modesty only invites disdain.

Spreading the story that I defeated a Hond Wolf would likely be beneficial to me.

“What's your name, friend?”

“It's Ben.”

At the man's question, I gave the alias I had decided on beforehand.

“Ben. Ben, huh. Defeating a Hond Wolf makes you a proper mercenary. You'll need a nickname.”

The man nodded.

“No, you really don't have to……”

A nickname.

Like 'Sword Saint', nicknames were often more famous than real names here.

Especially for mercenaries, it was like a brand name; having a nickname meant you were a proper mercenary.

Having a nickname makes it easier to get requests and introduce yourself elsewhere.

But for me, who didn't plan on staying here long, it didn't mean much.

“You are……”

The man scanned my body up and down, as if trying to grasp a characteristic.

“Since you're green, from now on, I'll call you ‘Green’.”

“Pardon?”

I blinked at the uninspired nickname.

* * *

Green.

I was definitely green.

Because I was wearing clothes soaked in goblin blood.

Is he mocking me right now?

“““Green! Green Ben!!”””

The mercenaries in the guild chanted in unison.

It seemed to be an expression of their acceptance of ‘Green’ as my nickname.

“Green……”

A nickname utterly devoid of coolness.

Well, coolness isn't the most important thing, but…….

“Are you perhaps dissatisfied with the title bestowed by me, Thorn Shield, the Guild Master of the Dejong Mercenary Guild?”

The man scowled and glared at me.

“No, not at all……”

So this guy was the Guild Master here.

The guild sure runs well.

“Normally, it's tradition for the mercenary who received a nickname to buy everyone a round of drinks, but looking at your state, it's hard to expect that.”

The Guild Master chuckled.

Giving someone a weird nickname and now he's laughing?

“Can't be helped.”

“How about the Master treats us instead!”

“Drinks! Bring drinks!”

The mercenaries clamored noisily.

Anyone would think a festival was starting.

‘I need to leave here immediately.’

Didn't even earn much money, just got a weird nickname.

I had planned to perform a few requests here, earn some operating funds, and then leave, but that thought vanished.

Let's go to another city.

Let's go and start fresh.

“Quiet, you lot! No drinks for you! Go find some work!”

“Boo. Tyranny!”

“Boo hoo. Evil Master!”

The mercenaries jeered back at the Guild Master's shout.

Putting it nicely, it was horizontal; putting it badly, it was chaos.

“Could you please proceed with purchasing the Hond Wolf horn quickly? I'd like to go buy clothes to change into.”

I couldn't even go to another city looking like this.

Buying new clothes was the top priority, and for that, I needed money.

Even if I wanted to escape this place, I couldn't until the transaction was complete.

“Ah, right. The Hond Wolf horn.”

The Guild Master took the horn from me and handed it to the staff at the reception desk.

A pouch filled with money was quickly passed over and came into my hand.

“Friend.”

The Guild Master's voice stopped me as I was about to leave the guild.

“What about your mercenary tag?”

“Can that be issued right away?”

A mercenary tag is an item proving one's identity as a mercenary.

There are various ranks of tags, carrying the meaning that the Guild Master guarantees the mercenary's skill level, allowing one to receive treatment appropriate to their rank anywhere.

As such, I knew it could only be obtained after accumulating a certain amount of accomplishments.

“It's usually something that comes along when a nickname is decided. Of course, there are a few processes involved in issuing it, so I can't give it out immediately. But if you want, I can start the procedure right away.”

Having a mercenary tag would certainly make things easier.

For one, the chances of my identity being questioned would decrease significantly, and even in other cities, I could receive proper requests instead of unprofitable ones like goblin extermination.

It was an item that would be helpful for survival in many ways.

The deliberation was short.

“Then I'll take you up on that offer.”

This time, the Guild Master was favorable towards me and offered first, but there was no guarantee such luck would strike elsewhere.

Even if my feet were tied here until the tag was issued, it was worth enduring.

“Alright. I'll make sure to write down ‘Green’ Ben clearly.”

……It had better be worth it.