Chapter 83

# Episode 83: The Tin Knight and the City of Strife (2)

The Mercenary Captain was right; there were indeed plenty of monsters around.

The classification of monsters is rather ambiguous. For example, a dog with a bloody snout after devouring a hearty chicken could be labeled “evil beasts craving blood” at the drop of a hat by someone yelling about it.

The same went for the “thieves” he mentioned. Travelers could easily switch to that profession at any moment. The difference between merchants and thieves was merely whether they paid with money or drew a sword. In reality, the mercenaries themselves were half-thieves, so there was no need to look far for their kind.

At least the captain was honest—he didn’t lie about anything.

He continued talking with warmth and consideration.

“It looks like you’re travelers. How sad would your parents be if you were to wander around unprotected and find yourself in danger? We can provide you with an escort to prevent that tragedy.”

Of course, they weren’t exactly philanthropists, so “reasonable compensation” would be required for the escort service, but that was a minor detail.

While it was unlikely an actual monster or thief would attack, that didn’t matter much.

“It’s always a bit shady, no matter the angle,” Hindler thought, making a sour face as he listened to the captain’s sales pitch.

It’s not like he felt guilty about this robbery—uh, escort charge. He thought it was a roundabout way of doing things, but he figured that if they tried to extort money without even a flimsy pretext, they’d certainly get rounded up like a band of thieves themselves, so it was just the way things had to be.

But what really bothered him was the knight’s silence next to him. The knight was so clad in armor that not even a scrap of skin was visible, making it seem nearly impossible to penetrate unless he unleashed his sword mastery. And a capable sword master wouldn’t be found wasting his time alongside such an ambiguous mercenary group.

An adventurer of the Silver rank would be treated like nobility in most territories, so what was he doing here in such an inefficient money-collection scheme?

“Yeah, yeah! We guarantee your safety!”

“Or I can carry you on my back. Don’t your legs hurt? Hmm?”

Only Hindler seemed to be the one worried about a potential fight breaking out. Most of his colleagues were too busy grinning and admiring the beauty of their potential customers, demonstrating classic street thuggery behavior.

Hindler had to suppress the urge to ask them, “Can you even survive if that knight draws his sword?”

It was about the average competence level of their mercenary group, so he figured it was better not to say anything and attract more attention to himself.

“Hmm.”

The Black-dressed Beauty, standing at the front, scanned their group with casual indifference. Her gaze wasn’t exactly complimentary, but due to her unique chilly aura, even that felt like a painting—a feast for the eyes, in a way.

“This guy is enough for escort.”

That was a firm rejection.

Of course, the captain wasn’t going to back down easily.

“Haha. Well, I must say, that knight looks quite capable. But he’s alone, isn’t he? And carrying heavy baggage besides—seems he might be a little short-handed to protect multiple people.”

At face value, it was a simple concern. But the underlying message was rather threatening. What he said could apply not only to the thieves but also against their own mercenary group.

“Don’t be a fool trying to save a few coins only to end up harmed yourself. Why not just hire us instead at a low price?”

“True, your body is more valuable than money,” the Black-dressed Beauty chuckled softly.

Feeling the atmosphere shift favorably, the mercenaries themselves also sported smiles.

“Is it really that dangerous ahead? Enough to need an escort?”

“Yes, yes! Quite dangerous indeed.”

“Are you in danger as well?”

“Huh?”

The captain seemed momentarily caught off guard by that question.

In order to show confidence, it was best to say ‘no problem at all,’ but on the flip side, admitting there was danger would increase the price they could charge significantly. A truly tricky dilemma.

The captain went for the latter option.

“Ahem, well, yes. There are indeed quite a few formidable foes in these parts. But—”

“Then we’ll gladly provide escort, so how much will you pay? I happen to need some cash.”

“Huh?”

The captain’s expression became a bit blank.

“Haha. Miss, you’re quite the joker.”

“This isn’t a joke.”

“…You can’t mess with adults like this.”

“I’m not messing with you!”

The warm atmosphere vanished, replaced by a chilling air.

The captain, with a fierce expression, responded, “Ha! Come on now, why be so cruel when someone’s offering kindness? An escort? Do we look like we need to be protected—*cough!*”

In a flash, Hindler bolted forward, elbowing the captain’s side.

And with that forced interruption, the captain’s unfinished sentence was complete.

“—weaklings! Oh, we are forever grateful for your offer!!”

“T-this bastard’s lost his mind…!”

With his eyes turning red, the captain attempted to grab Hindler by the collar, but as he saw the desperate look in Hindler’s eyes, something clicked, and he glanced around.

And there, he beheld the sword radiating its mastery, oozing from the knight’s blade.

The captain’s waist folded like a smartphone in half.

“Y-yes indeed! We are truly weaklings! In our haste, we might have had to resort to… lies!”

“What? Huh?”

“Captain? What are you doing?”

“Hey, you lot! Didn’t you hear? These fine folks are offering us protection! Get to bowing and greeting them right away!?”

Though the mercenaries continued to flub their responses, confused as ever, they complied with the captain’s repeated orders and awkwardly greeted the strangers.

The Black-dressed Beauty, Dorothea, offered a bittersweet smile and said, “Alright, I accept. Can you also help carry some burdens while you’re at it?”

***

[The ‘Tin Knight’ is baffled as to why they can’t just eradicate the thieves if they need money!]

At the Tin Knight’s words, Dorothea replied with ease, “Well, they call themselves mercenaries, not thieves. Plus, even if they are thieves, killing someone just to rob them feels a bit off, doesn’t it?”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ wonders if thieves aren’t just human-like monsters!]

“What are these lunatics babbling about?”

Truthfully, Dorothea had noticed that these self-proclaimed mercenaries were rather suspicious.

She had realized from the get-go that they approached with quite impure intentions.

Yet, the reason Dorothea didn’t smash them to bits was simple.

“For one thing, they haven’t drawn their swords.”

If they had outright attempted robbery, Dorothea would have retaliated without hesitation, but they had simply played at the edges of impropriety and hadn’t crossed the line.

Besides, if they planned to squeeze her for protection fees under the guise of labor, there was no particular reason for Dorothea to kill them outright.

“Damn, that was close.”

Hindler, who had been eavesdropping from a distance, felt chills run down his spine.

While he could only hear Dorothea’s part of the conversation, that was enough to gauge the situation.

He swallowed hard at the thought that had he been just a bit late in stopping the captain, their heads might have been rolling too.

What was even more infuriating was that his other teammates were completely unaware of how perilous their situation had become.

“Um, captain? Are we really paying the escort fees? Is this right?”

“Damn it. It’s not even your money, it’s from the fund—my money!”

“Whoa, this is heavy. Why on earth are they lugging around logs and rocks? Can’t they just toss that junk?”

“Absolutely, under no circumstances are you to even think about throwing that away! That baggage is your life!”

“Heh heh heh. You poor fools, can’t you see the captain’s grand design? Once dusk falls and it gets shady—the fun will begin—*cough!*”

“Shut up, you idiot!!”

Hindler shook his head.

He had previously entertained thoughts of “I could replace him pretty easily” when watching the captain’s usual antics, but in this moment, he couldn’t have been more relieved not to be the captain.

Had the Tin Knight seen it, he surely would have agreed that being a member of the group was way more comfortable than being the leader.

“Excuse me. Can I ask a quick question?”

Desperate for this uncomfortable journey to end, Hindler was approached by a girl with green hair from their group.

“Uh, sure! Ask away! I’ll answer as best as I can. Hehe.”

Hindler quickly rubbed his hands together and bowed repeatedly.

Who knew? If he could bond even a little with one of them, when that other fool got into hot water and faced the guillotine, perhaps they’d think, “Well, that guy isn’t so bad—let’s spare him.”

“Are you all active in this area?”

“Yep.”

“Then do you have any idea what that dust cloud over there is?”

“Yep?”

Hindler felt a spike of curiosity.

Dust cloud? He hadn’t seen anything like that around here at all.

But then,

“What the heck is that?”

Over there, beyond the horizon, he noticed a dust cloud rising.

Their group seemed to have noticed it as well, starting to murmur among themselves.

“Is it a stampede of monsters in heat?”

“Could it be marauders from the Federation?”

It didn’t take long for them to figure out that their assumptions were completely off-base.

As the distance closed, the figures at the forefront of the dust cloud began to come into view.

Shining armor glinting in the sun, elegant cloaks billowing, and large, fine steeds.

No matter how you looked at it, they didn’t resemble monsters, nor did it make sense for any marauders to be decked out in such flashy gear.

The strangers seemed to have noticed them as well, shifting their course to head directly towards them.

—Neigh!

“Whoa, whoa.”

Among the twenty young men who stopped nearby, the one in front looked down at Hindler and his group with an arrogant gaze.

He spoke up.

“Seems like you aren’t traders; what’s your deal, then?”

It was an abrupt insult and a strange question.

Yet, the tone and attitude were so natural that Hindler and the mercenaries found it hard to retort.

Their clothing and what appeared to be well-tended, smooth skin clearly suggested they were nobility.

The mercenary captain cautiously turned his attention to Dorothea, but when she didn’t step in, he nervously replied.

“We are the Iron Spike Mercenary Group. Do you have business with us?”

“A mercenary group? What brings you to this part of town?”

The man didn’t answer the captain’s question and instead continued with more inquiries, leaving the group’s members feeling uncomfortable.

“Protection… because of that.”

The captain hesitated to outright say they were “being protected,” so he left it vague.

The man shifted his gaze to Dorothea’s group before swinging back to scan the mercenaries.

He spoke to his comrades.

“Hmm. Something about this feels off. What do you all think?”

“We feel the same way. Never heard of the Iron Spike Mercenary Group before.”

“These days, even lumberjacks are claiming to be mercenaries, huh?”

“Well, in this backwater, the quality of personnel is pretty predictable. Farmers also double as soldiers and street ruffians act all high and mighty as adventurers. It’s just how it is.”

A blatant round of laughter rang out.

The mercenaries’ faces turned bright red as they listened.

As they seethed in humiliation, the man leading the group stepped forward.

He approached Dorothea and said, “Did you hire these guys for protection?”

Dorothea replied with a frown. “I didn’t hire them; they got hired by me.”

“What? Hahaha! Turns out not only are you pretty, but you’ve got a good sense of humor too. I like that.”

Thinking Dorothea’s response was a joke, he laughed heartily.

He then said, “Seeing a single flower struggling in this wasteland, I can’t simply walk by. Come along; I’ll give you my special escort.”

He extended a hand.

It seemed he didn’t even consider the possibility of being rejected.

Dorothea, eyes closed while stretching her neck, suddenly opened her striking blue eyes and said,

“If you need flowers, go to a flower garden. You uncouth, ignorant, and senseless fool.”

---