A Boring Mission Invitation
Ulrika's POV
「Siiigh...」
I messed up.
I never anticipated that Mongrel-san's past was that difficult... Even though he told me that I didn't have to talk much about myself, I took advantage of that. And here I was, barging into his personal matters. He did say not to worry about it... and judging by his reaction afterward, he probably wasn't really bothered. But I still couldn't shake off that feeling of 「I messed up.」
Haaa.
I was on my way home. I had been drinking and eating with Mongrel. We spent time together, listening to some of his old stories and other interesting tales, and then we parted ways. Even though it was just before noon, I might have drunk a bit too much. But well, I didn't have any real work at the moment, so it should be fine... Though I felt a bit guilty towards everyone at Artemis.
「I'm back!」
My residence was in Artemis's clan house. Artemis owned quite a big mansion, where most of the single members lived. When I first arrived, I did ask if it's okay for me, a guy, to stay there, and Sheena was kind enough to permit it. That was a relief.
「Oh, Ulrika, welcome back.」
「Huh? You guys are already back, Sheena-san?」
When I went to the clan house lobby, there were a few members sitting around the conversation table by the fireplace. Among them were Sheena and others who had set out to the guild this morning.
「Yes, since you're here, you should stay and listen too, Ulrika.」
「Eh, but is it really okay for me to listen? Isn't this kind of confidential?」
「It's fine. It's something that doesn't cause any issues even if you know.」
Yesterday, a mysterious female swordsman, Bridget, appeared at the guild. She's likely a noble and is currently a nuisance for the Regor branch.
「Apparently, a guild investigator dispatched to the noble district brought back information right away. We found out who Bridget really is.」
「Who?」
「Bridget de la Samseria. Seems she's the child of a mistress in the Samseria barony. Apparently, she sneaked out from the noble district.」
「Wait, so it's her real name, not an alias?」
「She must have thought she could hide her status just by announcing her name.」
「Wow, that's really sloppy.」
「She rarely makes public appearances, so the investigator couldn't find much about her social relations. However, she's quite famous in certain circles for frequently practicing at the knight training ground. She's more than capable as a female knight, able to beat most men.」
「Wow...」
What a powerful noble. Though it's common for men to devote themselves to martial arts, it's rather rare for a woman to do so.
「It appears the Samseria family treats her rather well, as she shows no interest in family conflicts. She's only concerned with swordsmanship, so she's easy to handle for them.」
「Normally, she would have become a female knight and served some lady. However, recently, it seems she started questioning that path for her future.」
「Questioning?」
Nastasha wore a rare, bitter smile.
「It seems she said, 'I don't want to just take a job protecting women. I want to live where I can use my sword skills.' With that, she left her home.」
Wow. She blew her career path by running away from home like that... How did she pull that off? Definitely a peculiar noble.
「It's said the Samseria baron tried to persuade her, saying that swordsmanship for fighting people is different from that for monsters, or that things won't go well elsewhere. Yet, Bridget said, 'You won't know unless you try cutting.'」
「And so, she came to the guild...」
「Yeah, she's a dangerous person.」
「She's a dangerous one, indeed.」
「That's what the investigation revealed. It was a bit of a topic in the noble district, which is why it got figured out so quickly. We had a hint because her name matched. We also got a request from the barony to the guild.」
Hmm... So a request from the Samseria barony came in the end. We occasionally get requests from nobles, but this time it didn't sound as simple as securing a clean piece of fur.
「They want us to have Bridget accompany a boring mission, making her feel disillusioned with guild work. What an insulting request.」
「Hahaha...」
「So basically, they're asking us to purposefully do inefficient work? Spending a day in the forest and gaining nothing... Even just thinking about it feels wrong. If it's not work through Artemis, it's just unpleasant work.」
To discourage Bridget from wanting to join the guild, they plan to have her tag along on a dull mission... I get it, I get it, but being told our work is boring is a bit...
「But the reward would be generous. They don't specify a gender for the companion. The Samseria baron is going to great lengths to retrieve his illegitimate child.」
「Parental affection... I guess.」
「No way. He probably just wants the pride of having his family's knight at the court. Bridget seems to be quite skilled and has a promising future.」
Parental convenience, huh? Being a noble, it's inevitable, but it does make me sympathize with Bridget. Well, that aside, we can't miss out on a well-paying job.
「I get it now. We're taking the job, right, Sheena-san?」
「Yes, we've already signed up for it. If you want to join, Ulrika, please do. The higher the participation, the better the success bonus.」
「When is it scheduled?」
「In two days. We'll explore the Baroa Forest and hunt down stray goblins wandering out in this cold. It'll likely be that kind of mission.」
「It's rather sudden... But I have free time, so I can join. Oh, is Gorillana available the day after tomorrow?」
「... I'm available. I have no plans, so I'll join...」
Good. Having Gorillana up front gives peace of mind. Monsters roaming outside during this season are hungry and aggressive; anything can happen.
「Hmm. Speaking of Baroa Forest...」
「? What's the matter, Nastasha-san?」
Nastasha seemed to be deep in thought.
「... Sheena-san, I'm considering hiring a skilled melee fighter from outside for this mission.」
「Outside? Hiring someone? Isn't that a bit unexpected?」
「Given it's Nastasha, she must have her reasons.」
「I can't disclose them just yet. However, I'd prefer to bring in Mongrel, who has accompanied us on previous missions.」
「What?」
「What's wrong, Ulrika? Is there something with Mongrel?」
I was a bit caught off guard by the mention of his name.
「Uh, well, I was just drinking at the hunters' tavern with Mongrel-san until a little while ago...」
「Really, is that so?」
「Yeah, we just lightly talked about things like our recent activities and some missions. We also talked about our plans for today and tomorrow.」
That's not entirely true. We did talk about heavier topics, and I heard about his favorite dishes too. The information was oddly unhelpful but might be worth telling Raina later.
「That's convenient. If you know Mongrel's plans, Ulrika, could you make contact with him tomorrow?」
「Um... Yeah, I know where he plans to go tomorrow...」
「Then let's recruit him. Surely he wouldn't refuse for a well-paid one-day mission.」
I wasn't sure if Mongrel would join this kind of mission. He seemed genuinely intent on avoiding nobles, so it felt unlikely.
「I'll join in persuading him.」
「Oh, then I'll go with you too, if that's alright.」
「Well... going with too many people would be overwhelming, but if it's just two of you, it should be fine... I wonder if he'll have a positive response...」
Somehow, I could already foresee him refusing from the get-go.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Welp, Ulrika knows that Mongrel doesn't like dealing with nobles.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】