Chapter 8. I Became the Contract Mercenary of the Duke's Daughter (3)
The promised week passed.
I organized my belongings in the hut I had grown fond of.
In fact, there wasn't much to pack.
A sword I had gotten quite used to, a few daggers, and the three newly obtained 'Ahisha's Eyes' were everything.
Just like 10 years ago when I lost everything and was carried on Captain Barkas's shoulder, I was a stranger ready to leave at any time.
When I opened the hut door, a familiar face appeared along with the cold northern wind.
"Hmph, are preparations done?"
It was Lady Lorraine's guard, Kailey.
Only then did I examine her appearance a bit more specifically.
Sophisticated black bobbed hair revealing the neckline clearly.
The bangs were parted and swept to the side, and the ends cut straight as if measured with a ruler showed her resolute personality.
Every time she moved, her hair rustled, emitting a luster like a well-sharpened blade.
Sharp cat-like eyes with tails slightly raised.
Her pupils were the color of shining obsidian, giving off a sense of cold reason that seemed to pierce through the opponent.
No matter how you looked at it, there was no reason not to call her a beauty.
'This girl, her hair and eye color are similar to mine.'
She scanned me with sharp eyes as usual, then snorted as if displeased.
"A guy like you will suffocate just smelling the air of the Duke's residence and run away before even a week is up. How about giving up even now?"
I chuckled and walked past her.
"Why, do you want me to run away? So you can monopolize the Lady?"
Instantly, Kailey's face turned beet red up to her ears.
She waved her hands and shouted in panic.
"W-W-W-What?! Monopolize! I just do it out of loyalty…!"
I just threw the words out there… what's with this reaction….
Wow, don't tell me….
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Ro-pan had things like that.
The subtle current between a noble lady and the female knight protecting her.
I wondered if this was what they called 'Yuri.'
Once I realized it was the Ro-pan genre, Kailey's reaction didn't look ordinary.
'Damn it, surely not… it must not be….'
Kailey soon stiffened her expression and continued in a more serious voice than I expected.
"It's not… a joke, Danel. The Lady… truly has a narrow standing within the family. The cynicism of the knights and other siblings is beyond your imagination. Just by standing next to her, you could become the enemy of the entire family. It will be hard to endure."
It was unexpected.
She, who was wary of and ignored me, was actually worried about Lorraine being left alone if I left.
Kailey, too, was a comrade who had received countless wounds while protecting Lorraine in this prison called the massive Duke's residence.
"Isn't that why I'm going, to try and improve that?"
"B-But… it will be really hard. Even I would have run away long ago if it weren't for the Lady…!"
At her words pouring out emotionally, I unknowingly reached out and lightly patted Kailey's head.
"...!!!??"
Kailey was startled and tried to draw the sword at her waist.
But my hand was faster than her.
I roughly ruffled her hair once and said calmly.
"You suffered a lot alone. Let's share that burden with me now."
"...."
Kailey's hand stopped.
Her face, which should have been burning with anger, was dyed with a completely different kind of red this time.
She opened and closed her mouth, then suddenly turned her head away and huffed.
"L-Let's go! T-The Lady must be waiting! If we're late, it's your fault!"
Handling a girl like this is easy.
If you acknowledge her hard work so far, her heart will melt away.
Kailey walked ahead, moving her arms and legs in unison like a broken wooden doll.
I chuckled watching her back.
"Hey, you're moving your arm and leg on the same side?"
"T-This is my un-unique training method! Mind your own business!"
Well, she doesn't seem like a bad kid. No, I should say she has quite a cute side.
Finally arrived at the Ashuhalt Duke's residence.
'Should I call this… a mansion? Why don't they call it a castle?'
Its scale far exceeded my imagination.
The territory occupied by a single family was larger than most walled cities, and the castle built of marble exuded an overwhelming sense of intimidation.
Giant cannons and magic amplifiers were deployed all over the castle walls, and armored knights moved busily like a swarm of ants.
Lorraine gave me a small room prepared in the annex of the castle as my quarters.
"This is where Danel will stay. Originally, the guard duty… was solely handled by Kailey, but now that Danel has come, it feels reassuring."
Lorraine smiled brightly, but I could read the fatigue hidden behind that smile.
Even the servants of the Duke's residence mixed subtle disregard when dealing with her.
"Hmm, understood. As a hired mercenary, I will be faithful to my duty. First, I need to grasp the relationships within the family."
Kailey began explaining the Ashuhalt family tree and power structure as if she had been waiting.
The ruthless Duke, along with 8 wives and 12 children.
'They sure had a lot…. I suppose it's natural…?'
After hearing all the explanations, my head throbbed.
This wasn't a family, but practically a kingdom of animals in the middle of a jungle.
However, it wasn't that nothing bothered me.
'Hmm… Treating their own flesh and blood like this just because she can't lift a sword? That doesn't make sense….'
No, does it make sense because it's Ro-pan.
Since it's a world where settings take precedence over probability.
"It will take too long to improve these relationships. It would be faster to just smash through and climb up."
At my monologue, Kailey looked at me in horror, but I responded with a sound from my stomach instead of an answer.
Growl—
My body reacted honestly after moving without eating a single meal since morning.
The sound of my stomach clock echoed in the quiet room.
"Ah, sorry about this. I skipped breakfast."
Lorraine couldn't hold back and burst into laughter with the sound of rolling silver beads.
"Fufu, let's go eat. Ashuhalt's food is famous for being quite delicious. Kailey, guide Danel to the common dining hall and eat together. I'll be organizing documents in my room."
"Will you be alright? Staying alone…."
When Kailey asked worriedly, Lorraine's eyes sank coolly for a moment.
"Watch your words, Kailey. This is inside Ashuhalt's territory. Ashuhalt is written in my name, so it's not to the extent that I have to worry about my safety within the family."
"I-I apologize."
Lorraine's cool pride.
But the aftertaste was bitter as those words seemed to prove conversely how dangerous this place was.
Anyway, hunger was unbearable, so guided by Kailey, I headed to the common dining hall used by mercenaries and soldiers.
Just walking inside the Duke's residence was exhausting. Passing one hallway felt like crossing three average training grounds.
The sounds of knights training and metal clashing came from all directions.
'Damn it, a single family is bigger than some village.'
Just as I was walking in admiration, a girl popped out from a hallway corner.
"Huh? I've never seen your face before?"
Silver hair just like Lorraine's, but the atmosphere was the complete opposite.
If Lorraine was a calm lake, this girl was like a raging flame.
Hair tied up in a ponytail and slender but solidly built arm muscles.
My eyes read instantly that the sword at her waist was not an ornament.
"Greetings, Lady Arisa."
Kailey hurriedly bowed and greeted her.
Arisa Ashuhalt.
The name I heard just moments ago.
Three years younger than Lorraine, but a genius youngest daughter with overwhelming talent called a 'prodigy' within the family.
"Sister Lorraine's new servant? No? You're wearing a sword. A guard?"
Arisa's sharp gaze scanned my entire body.
I nodded calmly without being flustered.
"For now, yes."
"What did you do outside? Your atmosphere is different from a knight."
"I did some mercenary work before coming here."
"Mercenary? What's your name."
"It's Danel."
At my name, Arisa's eyes opened wide.
She fell into deep thought for a moment, then pointed her finger at me and shouted.
"Danel?! Ah! You're that Mercenary King Danel! The human who does the most requests in the North!"
Thanks to Arisa's booming voice, the gazes of knights and soldiers near the dining hall fixed on me all at once.
I heard the sound of my plan to quietly dig for information shattering on the first day.
"Hey! Fight me once!"
Arisa suddenly grabbed her sword hilt and took a stance to rush in.
Kailey blocked her path in panic.
"Lady Arisa! Right now, Danel is on his way to eat after touring the castle interior. Please show some consideration."
"Ah? Really? You haven't eaten? If you're hungry while fighting, you won't have strength. Let's go! Our dining hall meat is really delicious. I'll wait for you to eat!"
Arisa didn't even listen to my answer and dragged my arm.
It was a tenacious strength.
Heavy brute strength unbelievable for a seventeen-year-old girl.
I was dragged along by her with a hollow laugh.
Even sitting in the dining hall, Arisa's chatter didn't stop.
"Is it burdensome to eat because of me? Should I turn my head for a moment? Or should I feed you?"
"...It's fine. I'll just eat."
I silently cut the steak and put it in my mouth.
As rumored, the taste was exquisite.
It would have been better without the genius girl sticking right next to me with sparkling eyes, though.
"For Sister to find a guard, and the Mercenary King at that. It's amazing? Everyone is reluctant to be Sister's guard, so why did you agree? Is it because of money?"
Still, seeing that she didn't openly call her sister 'Ashuhalt's Disgrace,' she might not be a bad kid.
I stopped my spoon and looked at her.
I didn't feel malice. Just pure curiosity filled her eyes.
"Money is important too, but the Lady is worth that much."
"Worth? Hmm…. Well, I'll know if I check later. Anyway, eat up. Meanwhile, I'll explain a bit more about what kind of place our family is."
Arisa started rattling off about Ashuhalt's history and the value of the sword.
Boring stories about knightly honor, purity of mana, and so on. But at the end, her eyes changed sharply in an instant.
"In the end, it means the sword is everything in our family. If you can't prove it with a sword, you aren't Ashuhalt. Danel, did you understand what I said?"
She raised the corner of her mouth fishily.
Her words were a warning.
Meaning if you want to stay inside the Duke's residence, you must prove your qualifications with a 'sword' first.
Clatter—
I put down my spoon and stood up.
Wiping the grease from my mouth, I looked down at Arisa.
"Where is the sparring ground."
At my short answer, Arisa looked blank for a moment, then slammed the desk with a manic smile.
"Kyahahahaha!! You're really hot-blooded! I like it! Let's go! If you're the Mercenary King, you should have at least that much guts!"
Everyone in the dining hall buzzed and stood up.
"Hey, there's a spectacle."
"Can that guy handle Lady Arisa?"
"Seems difficult…."
"That guy looks like he's going home on the first day."
It wasn't in the plan, but this isn't bad either.
I tapped the sword sheath at my waist and followed behind Arisa.