Chapter 13
“Kgh!”
Apparently realizing that he was not getting any better at all, the boy stifled a sob.
Afraid he might wake the others, he swallowed his tears.
It was a sight that practically inspired pity, but Jade’s gaze remained cold.
-There may be a way, which is why we’re going to the Kingdom of Arhan, but can he really reclaim his position?
-He doesn’t have to be outstanding himself. Recruiting talent and handling people are abilities, too.
-Poor thing.
Silestin wore a sympathetic expression.
It was easy to guess how the boy felt just by looking at his face.
But unlike her, Elestera’s expression was calm.
He wasn’t even her contractor, and since Jade was only traveling with him for temporary convenience, she had no particular interest in him.
“Phew!”
The boy, who had cried for a while, soon regained his composure.
As cautiously as when he had gotten up, he returned to his bedroll, wiped away his tearstains, and closed his eyes.
His shoulders, however, were still trembling.
It seemed he was angry at his own inadequacy.
-Reality is merciless. Changing it requires blood-and-sweat effort. Still, this isn’t the worst possible outcome. At least he knows what he has to do from here on.
-Jade really is quite optimistic at times like this.
-Not exactly. There are countless children worse off than him even on Earth.
Jade closed his eyes.
He had no real need to sleep, but he closed his eyes anyway.
Many things surfaced and vanished in his mind.
“A-at last!”
“It’s a village!”
At the sight of the old but fairly sturdy-looking walls, the knights shouted without meaning to.
That was how welcome such old walls were.
Haines and the woman, however, were startled for a different reason.
Since Jade had taken over as their guide, they had not encountered a single monster on the way here.
‘Are all Spirit Mages like this?’
The woman stole a curious glance at Jade.
Jade, however, pretended not to notice her gaze and kept looking only at the walls of the Morkas Domain.
“Who goes there!”
“We’re a mercenary band operating in the Kingdom of Polstein! We entered the Great Forest for a commission, but we urgently need supplies, so we’ve come here!”
“Hmm, a mercenary band?”
The spear-wielding sentry atop the wall eyed the group suspiciously.
Then he saw the staff with a mana stone set into it and nodded.
It was difficult to tell whether they were a band of brigands or mercenaries without a mage, but things were different if a mage was among them.
Since mages capable of aiding in combat usually belonged to noble houses or accomplished mercenary bands, the sentry waved to a subordinate.
“First, let’s check their mercenary badges.”
Creak.
As the firmly closed gate opened, the group entered with Haines at the front.
As he did, Haines took out the mercenary badges they had prepared in advance.
“Here they are.”
The sentry’s eyebrow twitched for an instant when he received the badges.
Haines had slipped something into his hand beneath the badges, prompting the involuntary reaction.
“Ahem! Go on in. Welcome to the Morkas Domain.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.”
Haines grinned and went inside, having completed a covert transaction that was not quite a transaction.
But he did not know.
The sentry watched them until they disappeared from sight.
“First, we secure a place to stay.”
“Yes!”
The knights, who had been marveling at the sight of people coming and going, answered smartly.
They were pretending to be a mercenary band, but they were knights through and through.
Moreover, they were currently escorting someone of noble status, so everyone straightened up.
“Do you know of anywhere?”
“I don’t stay anywhere in particular.”
Haines asked Jade in a markedly different tone than before.
All traces of his initial wariness had vanished, replaced by a gaze full of trust.
And in a way, that was only natural.
Jade had proven his abilities on the way here, so Haines had let go of almost all his suspicion.
‘I wish he would come with us all the way to the capital. I’ll have to discuss this with the young lady later.’
Having experienced firsthand just how useful a Spirit Mage could be, Haines did not want to let Jade go like this.
He had realized how much could change with even a single Spirit Mage accompanying them, so if possible, he wanted Jade to travel with them to the capital of the Kingdom of Arhan—and even onward to the Kingdom of Polstein.
The knights seemed to hope for the same, though they did not say so aloud.
“Let’s go to that inn over there.”
“Understood.”
While Haines was seriously considering Jade, the woman found an inn.
They had not properly washed even once in the Great Forest, so a bath was urgent.
Of course, they had occasionally washed their faces or feet, but that was nowhere near enough to wash away the discomfort.
“Sir Jade, please come with us as well. You’ve come all this way. I know you’re comfortable in the Great Forest, but I’d like to treat you for at least a day.”
“Understood.”
Jade already had something else he wanted.
So he readily accepted the woman’s offer.
There was no reason to refuse when she was offering him hospitality.
-Wow! It’s an inn!
Kyu-uuu!
Whid was excited, too, since it was also his first time at an inn.
New places stirred his curiosity in every way, so Whid nestled snugly in Jade’s arms, his eyes sparkling with wonder.
“Let’s all wash up first and meet afterward. We’ll eat after that. We can resupply tomorrow morning.”
“All right.”
As they assigned the rooms one of the knights had secured, Haines spoke.
As he did, he exchanged a meaningful look with the woman.
They both wore expressions that said they had something to discuss.
After her bath, Rainy wore a thoroughly refreshed expression.
Unlike usual, she had to wash alone without even a maid to help her, but she was happy nonetheless.
Simply ridding herself of the grime that had plagued her for days was enough to satisfy Rainy.
“Aren’t you enjoying this a little too much?”
“You don’t like it?”
“I like it too, just not as much as you, Sis.”
“Cleanliness is incredibly important to women. Of course, I understand that circumstances were difficult, but it was still hard. I was the only woman in the group, after all.”
Rainy grumbled at her younger brother, who had already washed and returned to the room.
There were certain circumstances unique to women that men could never understand.
Of course, being grimy was still better than dying.
“I suppose it must have been uncomfortable.”
“But did you really wash properly? You didn’t just give yourself a half-hearted wash because you were alone, did you?”
“Do you think I’m a child?”
“You look like one to me. Maybe I should have washed you.”
“W-what kind of nonsense are you talking about!”
The boy recoiled in horror.
The very thought was horrifying.
At the same time, the boy crossed his arms over his chest as if to protect himself.
Judging by his sister’s expression, she seemed serious rather than joking.
“We used to bathe together all the time, remember?”
“That was when I was very little!”
“I even used to wash our little Lloyd’s willy. And I scrubbed his bottom clean, too.”
“Stop!”
“Hee-hee!”
Rainy giggled at Lloyd, whose face had turned red enough to burst as he shouted.
He might not remember it well, but she remembered it vividly.
Though things were certainly very different now.
“Why are you bringing up something from so long ago!”
“You’ve grown so much when I look at you like this. And back then, you had nothing to worry about.”
“……It’s all that bastard’s fault. The son of a concubine!”
“But he drove us out. Even though he’s the same age as you, he firmly established his base of support.”
Grit!
Lloyd ground his teeth with a furious expression.
But he did not deny it.
He knew perfectly well how carelessly he had lived until then.
While the Second Prince was sharpening his blade in the shadows, he had done nothing.
Knock, knock, knock.
“It’s me, my lady.”
“Come in.”
Haines came to see them while Lloyd was still unable to quell his anger.
He had quietly come to visit the siblings’ room alone.
“Excuse me. Ah, it seems I’ve come too early. I’ll come back in a little while…….”
“It’s all right. My hair is just still damp. What about the others?”
“They’re each resting. The medicine Jade made must be working well, because everyone’s condition has improved considerably.”
“They ate well on the way here, too.”
Haines nodded readily.
Clearly, eating and sleeping well made a difference in their recovery speed.
As a result, they arrived at the Morkas Domain sooner than expected.
“I’d like to hear your thoughts, Princess.”
After confirming that all the windows were closed, Haines spoke.
He also used his aura to block sound waves.
He was making sure the conversation among the three could not leak outside the room.
“Before that, I’d like to know what you think of Jade. Honestly.”
“To be honest, I’m still not sure which side of him is genuine. His movements and posture make it clear that he has learned the sword. He even wears a sword, though it’s old and worn. But, as a matter of common sense, it’s hard to believe that a Spirit Mage would also excel at swordsmanship. One thing is certain: he hasn’t shown his full strength yet.”
“At the very least, he’s an intermediate Spirit Mage.”
“That’s right. Judging by common sense, it would be correct to assume he’s an advanced Spirit Mage. That alone would put him at a level worthy of the history books.”
“Would an advanced Spirit Mage be on the level of a Master?”
Rainy asked seriously.
Given her status, she had read quite a lot of books.
But most of them contained stories that felt more like novels, so she could not gauge exactly how much power an advanced Spirit Mage possessed.
“He would be weaker than a Master in a one-on-one fight, but he’d wield even greater power on a battlefield. Of course, that’s only my personal opinion. Just as Masters vary enormously in skill, I believe Spirit Mages do as well. Not every advanced Spirit Mage will be at the same level.”
“So, based on what you’ve felt, Commander, you’re saying he’s a Master-class powerhouse?”
“Yes. And anyone who could survive alone in the Great Forest would have to be at least that strong.”
“Hmm!”
Rainy’s expression grew serious.
Lloyd, sitting beside her, was no different.
Having seen Haines in person, he knew all too well what a monster a Master-class powerhouse could be.
“But why would he live alone in the Great Forest? Someone of Master-level ability could easily secure a position even in the Empire. Besides, he’s young.”
“Considering the known tendencies of Spirit Mages, it isn’t strange that he would remain in the Great Forest. They’re human, but supposedly have dispositions similar to elves.”
“Ah!”
Lloyd nodded.
If he really had a disposition similar to an elf, it was not strange that he would stay in the Great Forest, where humans were scarce.
“You’re thinking positively about recruiting Jade, Commander.”
“He’s a Master-class powerhouse, and not just anyone. He’ll certainly be a great help.”
He had been very wary at first, but that wariness had now eased considerably.
Moreover, he liked Jade’s serious and cautious personality.
What had swayed him most, however, was the power Jade possessed.
‘I’m already seventy. If we kill the marquis and restore the kingdom, we’ll need someone to take his place.’
The Kingdom of Polstein’s only two Masters currently had their swords drawn against each other.
In other words, one of them was certain to die.
If that happened, the Kingdom of Polstein’s strength would decline sharply, so Haines believed he absolutely had to recruit Jade.
For Lloyd and Rainy—and, beyond them, for the Kingdom of Polstein.
“I feel the same way, Commander.”
“I agree. If Sir Jade joins us, he’ll certainly be a tremendous help.”