By the time the sun rose and people started stretching and walking out onto the streets, I said to the girls.

"Let's split up."

Shushruta and Linda looked at me.

"I'll go to the guild and get a mercenary tag, so Shushruta, you're in charge of transportation. Here."

I threw a jewel I had brought from Ophosis's tomb to Shushruta and said.

"Get a suitable carriage with that."

Shushruta held the jewel up to the sunlight and asked.

"Are we going by carriage?"

I nodded.

"It's a long way, so it's better to get one from the start and ride. Let's go comfortably."

The road from here to Maia is long, but the distance to travel within the Maia Kingdom is also considerable. Because the area is so vast. It is said that it naturally became that way because it is a barren land that no one covets, and there are many magical beasts. In short, it means the land is just uselessly large.

Anyway, it will be a long journey. In the long run, it would be better in many ways to go by carriage than on horseback.

Shushruta put the jewel in her pocket.

"Understood."

I turned my gaze to Linda.

"And Linda, you..."

Linda, who had been fooling around, looked at me with wide, innocent eyes.

"...."

I didn't feel very confident about giving Linda a task. As I was looking at her with such untrusting eyes for a moment... Linda raised her hand and pleaded.

"I can do it well! Entrust me with anything, Devil."

I thought for a moment, then nodded. I can't just treat her like a piece of luggage and take her with me forever. As a member of the party, she has to perform her role in this division of labor, in addition to killing enemies.

"Alright, then I'll trust you with it. You're in charge of food. It's the most important role."

"Okay, what should I buy?"

"Beef jerky."

"Beef jerky?"

"You don't need anything else. Just buy a lot of beef jerky. Got it?"

"How much?"

I handed Linda the bag and money I had brought and said.

"Enough to fill this bag."

"Okay."

"You're not stealing or taking it. You're buying it with this money. Understand?"

"Yeah!"

Shushruta interjected.

"Buy some dried fruit too."

"Beef jerky and dried fruit. A full bag?"

"That's right."

I looked at Linda, who had opened the bag and was putting her face inside. On the outside, she looked like an innocent girl who seemed to have no thoughts. But this girl was Mad Linda, a master of poison whose potential even the Heavenly Demon had recognized. A big shot in the underworld who was chased by all sorts of knights in Blake.

I was worried, so I decided to give her a quick mental education before sending her off.

"Ugh! Devil, my head is stuck in the bag!"

"...."

I looked at the flailing Linda with a pathetic expression, then pulled off the terrifying bag monster that had eaten Linda's head.

"Ah, it's off."

"Why did you put your head in the bag?"

"Huh? To see how much I should buy."

I sighed deeply, then grabbed Linda's shoulders and met her eyes.

"Linda, listen carefully."

"Yeah!"

"Never, ever use poison. You must not kill or injure anyone. Even if you get into a fight, don't kill them, just subdue them lightly. Unnecessary commotion is forbidden. We're leaving right away. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I get it, Devil! I'll keep it in mind!"

Linda, who was nodding her head eagerly with sparkling eyes. She looked very unreliable, but I decided to trust her once.

"Then, after each of us finishes our tasks, we'll meet here in the square before noon. Understood?"

"Yeah!"

"Then, scatter."

"Scatter!"

Linda repeated my words and then ran out into the street.

"...I'm very uneasy."

"I know, right."

We muttered as we watched Linda's retreating back.

"Nothing will happen, right?"

"We can't just take her with us forever. She has to be able to do this much on her own. She's not a child."

"That's true."

I or Shushruta can't be by her side forever. She has to learn to live on her own without carelessly poisoning or stealing from others.

"...?"

Suddenly, I looked at Shushruta, who was watching the direction Linda had disappeared in and clicking her tongue. This girl, who was talking so smugly, was the same clumsy Shushruta who had burned the beef jerky and looked at the map upside down. This girl was also quite clumsy, but next to Linda, a miracle occurred where she looked as reliable as beef jerky. Or had she grown up while taking care of Linda? If so, it was nothing short of a great development.

As if sensing my gaze, Shushruta turned to me with a puzzled face.

"What. What are you looking at?"

"...Nothing."

Shushruta, who had been examining my expression, unexpectedly raised the corners of her mouth and smiled.

"Hmph. I get it."

"...?"

"You were about to say thank you for coming with me, weren't you?"

"What?"

"Keep it. I'll just take the thought."

"...."

I stared at her, who was chuckling with a smug face, then pushed her face away with my palm.

"Meow! What are you doing!"

I took a few punches to the shoulder from her and said.

"Then let's split up too."

Shushruta patted my shoulder a few more times and then said.

"I'll go make an ID for Linda and me while I'm at it."

"How?"

"There's a way. Do you need one too?"

"No, I just need to get a mercenary tag."

I had gone to the mercenary guild and prepared the documents in preparation for this kind of situation. A man who learns from his past mistakes, that's me. If I had gotten a mercenary tag in advance and then fallen off the cliff, I wouldn't have been kicked out of the city gate and had to enter through a dog hole.

There will be no more entering through dog holes. A man who advances through a dog hole. That is not me.

"Well then, see you later. I'll get a map while I'm at it."

"Understood."

I parted with Shushruta and walked down the street in search of the mercenary guild. Walking on the street naturally mixed with people without covering my eyes, what should I say? It was comfortable, in a new way. It was possible because the nickname "Red-Eyed Devil" was an infamy that had only spread in Blake so far.

As I was walking down the street, I would often make eye contact with people... People would be startled and avoid my gaze after making eye contact with me, but no one looked at me strangely. No one ran to the guards to report me either.

Suddenly, the Heavenly Demon asked.

[You don't plan on staying here for long, do you?]

"Of course. I have a long way to go even after I arrive in Maia, so I can't waste time in a place like this."

The Heavenly Demon, who had been thinking deeply, said in a serious tone a moment later.

[Then it would be better not to kill any nobles here.]

I snorted.

"Master. Is that even a question? Of course I won't kill them. What do you take me for?"

[Are you leaving right away?]

"As soon as I get the mercenary tag and Shushruta and Linda gather the supplies."

[Good. Let's go see the faces of those magical beasts. Don't go beating up innocent people, just stay quiet and leave.]

"Yes, Master."

I enjoyed my freedom and walked down the street... and then asked people for directions to the mercenary guild, opened the door, and went inside.

As I went inside and walked straight to the reception desk... a big guy blocked my way.

"I haven't seen you around."

I looked at the guy's grinning face... and then calmly kicked his leg.

***

"Ah~ I'm bored, so bored. There are no decent requests."

A big man muttered, sprawled out in a chair.

Neyman, who was sitting opposite him, held out a glass and said.

"Let's just drink."

The two veteran mercenaries, who looked as if they had been through all sorts of things, clinked their glasses from the morning. The situation was not much different at the other tables. The unemployed mercenaries were killing time idly, as they always did. With the feeling of hoping something interesting would happen.

And so, as they were idly sipping their beer, the sound of a door opening made all eyes turn at once. A black-haired man was just walking into the building.

"Hoo..."

Most of the people who came to the guild were the same. All familiar faces. But this time, it was an unfamiliar face. He seemed to be an outsider.

"Alright."

He had found a target.

Daryl, the big man who had been sipping beer opposite Neyman, grinned.

Neyman, who was observing the man who had just entered the guild, frowned and said in a low voice.

"I have a bad feeling. Don't pick a fight."

Daryl ignored him, slammed his glass down, and stood up.

"Are you scared?"

"Look at his eyes. They're not normal."

"Just watch the fun."

Neyman shook his head as he watched Daryl stride towards the outsider.

As is often the case with those who live by the sword, everyone's attention was drawn as it seemed like an interesting spectacle was about to unfold.

Neyman thought he should stop them before someone got seriously injured and took a swig of his beer.

While Neyman's vision was obscured by the beer he was drinking, a dull thud was heard. When he put down his glass, Daryl, who had been crumpled up like a piece of paper, was stuck in a corner.

"What?"

Neyman was so surprised that he half-stood up without realizing it. To think that Daryl would be taken down like that in such a short time? Daryl wasn't a guy to be trifled with anywhere.

The faces of the other guys who had been watching were already filled with astonishment.

The next moment, when the unfamiliar man looked around, they quickly averted their gazes and pretended to be busy.

The man's eyes stopped at Neyman.

The man strode straight towards him.

"Are you going to fight too?"

Neyman slyly sat back down.

"N-no. I was just getting up to stop him."

He glanced at Daryl, who was stuck in the corner, and muttered.

"...Though it seems I'm already too late."

"You're late. But not that late."

Neyman stared at the man.

"...What do you mean?"

"Aren't you in the same party? Aren't you going to avenge your comrade?"

Neyman looked at the man's blood-red eyes.

...Gulp.

Looking at him up close, he could tell at a glance that he was not in his right mind.

Neyman quickly racked his brain.

"Revenge is not the only thing a comrade can do."

"Then?"

"I can also apologize on behalf of my comrade's rudeness."

"Oho?"

"Would you like a drink? My treat."

The man, who had widened his eyes slightly as if surprised, nodded and said.

"Alright. You're a strange one."

'Not as strange as you.'

Neyman barely swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

***

I submitted the rank certificate at the reception desk and then drank beer with the man who had introduced himself as Neyman while the mercenary tag was being made. Fortunately, it seemed they had a spare, so I was told it wouldn't take long as they just had to engrave my name. The certificate was worth its price.

"I apologize on behalf of Daryl."

The man who had introduced himself as Neyman said.

"He's a guy whose head is full of muscles."

Since I am a generous man, I nodded and graciously accepted his apology.

"There are guys like that everywhere. I understand."

The man named Neyman looked quite agile and had the impression that he would use a light sword.

He took a sip of his beer and asked cautiously.

"Are you a mercenary?"

"I am."

"Hmm."

"And a knight."

"...? A knight? You don't look like a knight at all."

"That's true. Let's just say I'm a mercenary. Being a knight is strange. Pretend you didn't hear it."

"Hmm..."

I had tried introducing myself as a knight as a test, but it felt as awkward as wearing clothes that didn't fit. As they say, you have to live as you look. I'll just be a mercenary. What's a knight to me?

Neyman asked.

"May I ask what your rank is?"

"Silver rank."

"...Silver rank? I'm also silver rank."

I pointed at the man named Daryl, who was crumpled in the corner.

"And him?"

"He's also silver rank."

"Aha."

To think that the guy I had just easily beaten was a silver-rank mercenary. In the past, it would have taken some time. I realized anew how much stronger I had become. Since I had been living among monsters in Blake, I didn't have a good sense of how much stronger I had become, but now that I had beaten him up, I knew.

Neyman stared at me and said.

"No matter how I look at it, you don't seem to have the skills to be in the silver rank. Aren't you gold rank?"

I sipped my beer and nodded.

"Could be. I haven't taken the promotion test."

"I see."

I drank my beer and observed the man named Neyman opposite me. When you've been a mercenary for a long time, you develop a certain eye for people. This man named Neyman seemed to be quite skilled. He also seemed quite cautious.

Suddenly, I had a good idea and asked.

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Do you know the geography of this area well?"

"I know it well."

"And you can drive a carriage?"

Neyman pointed at Daryl, who was stuck in the corner.

"That guy is good at that."

"Alright."

"...What?"

"Seeing as you're drinking from the morning, you must not have much to do."

I drained my beer in one go, then slammed it down and said.

"Would you like to take on a request?"

Neyman blinked his eyes.

"...What kind of request?"

***

I took Neyman and Daryl and went back to the square.

Shushruta, who was waiting on one side of the town square with the carriage, stared at Neyman and Daryl, who had followed me.

"...Who are they?"

I answered confidently.

"A human map and a coachman."

"...."

"Where's Linda?"

"She's not back yet."

While waiting for Linda, I introduced Shushruta and the two mercenaries.

"These are veteran mercenaries who will take us comfortably to Maia. Say hello."

Shushruta, who had glanced at me, greeted them first.

"I'm Shushruta."

The two mercenaries simply nodded their heads in place of a greeting.

"Neyman. This is Daryl."

"Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all ours."

After finishing the introductions and explaining how I had hired them, Linda still hadn't returned.

A sigh escaped me automatically.

"Hoo... did I make a mistake? Can't she even buy food properly?"

Neyman asked.

"Is your party a total of three?"

"That's right. The one in charge of food is not here yet."

"We also need to buy some food, so let's look for her on the way. What does she look like?"

I waved my hand.

"It would be faster for us to go. We've bought plenty of food, so you don't have to worry. Just watch the carriage."

I instructed the two mercenaries to watch the carriage, then went with Shushruta to look for Linda.

As we were wandering around, Shushruta suddenly pointed to an alley.

"I hear someone fighting in that alley."

"Let's go."

As we immediately entered the alley, we saw Linda, clutching a fattened bag, being beaten up by some guys.

Heat rushed to my head.

"...These bastards."

(End of Chapter)