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Chapter 11
The Ludwig Territory in the west was as enormous as the scale of its mansion.
Bordering the western port, it had prospered through trade and tourism to the point where its nickname had become “The Empire’s Station.”
It was always crowded with people, but there was one place in particular that stood out even among all that bustle.
“Soluna.”
It was a famous establishment beloved by both tourists and locals alike.
During the day, it operated as a restaurant and cafeteria.
At night, it became a pub.
No matter the hour, it was packed with people.
Tonight was no different. The inside of the establishment was overflowing with customers.
“Hey, Tom!”
“Gale!”
The man who had just greeted employee Tom glanced around the room.
“Packed again today, huh?”
“It’s always like this. Ah, would you like to play a quick game today as well?”
“Then maybe I’ll drink for free again tonight!”
At Soluna, guests could enjoy light games as well—legal games, the kind where people merely bet the price of their drinks.
That too was one of Soluna’s charms, which was why people enjoyed themselves so freely there.
“There are some gentlemen from the East over there. What do you think?”
At Tom’s question, Gale flashed a toothy grin.
“Take me to them at once! Wahaha!”
Unlike the bustling first floor crowded with people, the underground level of Soluna was completely quiet.
Occasionally, muffled noise from upstairs drifted down, but that was all.
The space had been filled only with the intermittent sound of pages turning when suddenly—
Creeeak.
The sound of a door opening echoed through the room.
The man buried in paperwork lifted his head to see who had entered.
“Vice Captain? What brings you here in the middle of the night without any notice?”
At Hobbs’s question, Kendrick shrugged.
“When have I ever been the type to give notice?”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
The underground headquarters of Illinia beneath Soluna.
Having stepped into the place that had become more comfortable than home itself, Kendrick casually threw himself onto a sofa.
“So what really brings you here?”
“Nothing in particular. I just came to rest.”
“Hm? Then why not rest at home instead of coming all the way here?”
“……”
At Hobbs’s question, Kendrick fell silent.
Quietly, he recalled what had happened with Owen.
“If you keep pacing around by the window like that, what are you going to do if that woman starts suspecting something?”
“There aren’t any shadows on this side of the curtain.”
“Sure, sure. Whatever you say. Anyway, it’s bothering me, so either go read a book in your room or head downstairs and practice swordsmanship or something. Stop gloomily spying on the house next door.”
Gloomily?
Me?
I’m gloomy?
Kendrick had been dumbfounded… and then found himself speechless at the sight of his own behavior.
He had been standing pressed tightly against the curtain, staring toward Julieta’s annex.
Doing nothing but sneaking glances at the neighboring house—
To anyone else, there was probably no better word for it than “creepy.”
But—
‘What am I supposed to do when I’m worried?’
The woman who had made a deal with him was living right next door.
In that case, wasn’t it only natural—
To wonder how Julieta was doing. Whether she was being bullied too harshly. Whether she was having trouble adapting to Ludwig, that place like the belly of some giant beast.
Wasn’t worrying about such things only basic courtesy as the other party in their agreement?
Still, somehow it felt like he was just making excuses, so he simply left the house.
If he buried himself somewhere else, at least he wouldn’t end up “gloomily” peering through the curtains again.
“Still, your timing is good.”
“Why? Did something happen?”
“The Captain sent word.”
“The Captain?”
“Yes.”
As he spoke, Hobbs rose from his seat, only to frown.
He glanced once at his right ankle planted on the floor, rotated it lightly, then resumed walking.
“…Did it flare up again?”
“It only hurts occasionally.”
Hobbs answered calmly before adding,
“My ankle got blown apart and reattached. I should expect at least this much aftereffect.”
“When you put it that way, true enough.”
Kendrick let out a small laugh and sat upright to receive the letter.
The tiny staff symbol drawn on the envelope signified that the sender was the Captain.
“You already read it, didn’t you?”
“More or less.”
“What does it say?”
“Well, about the same as always.”
About the same as always…
Then it probably wasn’t good news.
And indeed, Kendrick’s assumption was correct.
The letter, written in the code used internally by Illinia, contained only a single short sentence.
“We failed to find the treasure.”
‘So there were no results again.’
Resting his chin on the sofa, Kendrick recalled the Guild Master’s face.
The first time they met had been during the Ashlade War.
“A child this young on the battlefield? The world’s truly gone to hell.”
That had been the Guild Master’s very first remark upon seeing the young Kendrick.
At first, Kendrick had disliked him, thinking he was looking down on him.
But gradually, he opened his heart to the man.
The Guild Master protected young Kendrick like a son—or perhaps a younger brother.
He was one of the few people Kendrick could entrust his back to, and there had even been times when he thought he wouldn’t mind dying for him.
‘There were actually a couple of times I almost took a sword for him.’
Experiences shared at the risk of their lives had forged an unshakable trust between them.
Enough trust to confess even the secrets hidden deep inside.
One of the greatest secrets the Guild Master revealed to him in that way was Illinia itself.
“I’m searching for something incredibly important. Something more precious than my own life. Illinia is the guild I created to find it.”
“Should you really be telling me something like that?”
“Of course I should! Who else would I tell if not you, brat? Hahaha! Speaking of which, once you return home, come work for me if you’ve got nothing better to do. Since you saved my life, I’ll even make you Vice Captain!”
“…No thank you. I’m not going to do anything.”
“Huh? Seriously?”
“I’m serious. Once I safely return home, I plan to do absolutely nothing and live quietly, keeping my head down.”
“…Hm. Is that your way of protecting what’s precious to you?”
“Yes. That’s my way.”
“Oh ho, look at this arrogant little punk!”
After saying that, the Guild Master flicked Kendrick on the forehead.
Then he advised him:
“You idiot! Without strength, you can’t protect anything! Haven’t you ever heard that the best defense is offense?”
As though to prove those words true, that very night—
The Imperial Army’s defensive line was ambushed, and many allies lost their lives.
Kendrick survived only after endlessly cutting down enemy soldiers.
Killing people was horrifying.
But if he wanted to survive, he had to keep cutting them down.
…Because the best defense was offense.
“See? Hiding won’t protect anything, you foolish brat.”
Leaving the utterly exhausted Kendrick lying there, the Guild Master gathered the corpses of their fallen comrades.
Among them were men who had shared food with them just the night before.
‘The sky…’
The night sky had been painfully clear.
Why was it that the sky was always so beautiful on the days when people lost something precious?
As though such tragedies meant absolutely nothing to the gods.
Staring at the countless stars spilling across the sky, Kendrick declared that he would join Illinia.
While the Guild Master searched for his treasure, Kendrick too would gain the strength to protect what mattered to him.
“Run, Ken! Hurry!”
“N-No, Rion!”
“I’ll survive! I’ll definitely survive and come find you! Meet me beyond the hill later!”
…Because losing precious things was unbearably exhausting.
Having briefly recalled those terrible memories, Kendrick pressed a hand against his aching eyes and regained his composure.
“Are you alright, Vice Captain? You don’t look so good.”
“I’m fine. More importantly, was the request Miss Janet entrusted to us resolved?”
“Of course. Here’s the money Gale collected.”
“And what’s that gambler doing now?”
“Probably upstairs emptying customers’ pockets.”
Gale’s primary duty was gathering information by frequenting gambling dens and similar places.
Possessing exceptional sleight of hand, he had the talent to manipulate wins and losses freely.
“As Miss Janet requested, let’s store it in Illinia’s vault for now.”
“Yes, understood. And regarding the gift you mentioned, Vice Captain…”
“Yes. Why hasn’t it been sent yet?”
How long had it been since he ordered jewels, dresses, and accessories sent to Miss Janet?
At Kendrick’s words, Hobbs clicked his tongue.
“You requested so many things that it took quite a while to gather them all.”
“You’re too slow. Move more quickly.”
…This is exactly what higher-ups are like!
Muttering inwardly about the sorrows of being a subordinate employee, Hobbs irritably nodded his head.
