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Chapter 65
“If anything happens at the guild, people will curse your name, Nini.”
“Th-That can’t happen!”
“Nini will do fine! There’s no problem!”
Aref and Nibelia shouted in turn.
Soles calmed them down.
“We’re just preparing for any eventuality. Even your mother didn’t use her own name; she created the new name ‘Rubeo’ for the company, right?”
However, Soles didn’t completely oppose Aref’s suggestion.
“Then, how about Pellea?”
“What’s Pellea?”
“It’s your name, Nini. Your original name was made by combining Nyx and Pellea.”
“Nyx-Pellea?”
“We just refined it a bit, Nibelia.”
A snow cat.
A cat as white as snow.
The cat that Saint Muniel loved so dearly.
And the cat whose death signaled the end of the Crepartna War forty years ago.
“The ‘Meow Guild’ was cute, but isn’t ‘Pellea Guild’ also kind of classy? Easy to pronounce, and it means cat.”
“I think it’s wonderful.”
Aref agreed with Soles’ suggestion.
“And you, Miss?”
Now, both were waiting for the final decision from the ultimate authority.
“Pellea…”
Pellea, Pellea.
Nibelia murmured her other name.
Soon, a satisfied smile spread across her face.
“I like it!”
And so, the Pellea Guild was born.
“Pellea Guild? That’s a really cool name.”
Kaleo hurriedly registered the new name.
Now, the Pellea Guild truly belonged to Nibelia.
Just in case, they also registered the trademarks “Pellea Shop” and “Pellea.”
“The ‘Meow Guild’ was nice, but I think Pellea Guild is even cooler. It sounds mature and classy.”
“Right? Nini thinks so too!”
“Congratulations, Guildmaster Pellea.”
Kaleo knelt on one knee and extended his hand.
Nibelia pretended to be grown-up and placed her tiny hand on top of her father’s.
“Thank you, Marquis.”
“Hahaha!”
“Now Nini can make a lot of money, right?”
“If I try.”
Kaleo lifted his daughter high into the air and pressed a kiss full of encouragement onto her forehead.
“This time it’ll work. I believe in you.”
Even after countless failures, you never gave up and kept going.
His heartfelt encouragement gave Nibelia great courage.
As the scorching heat of summer began to ease,
preparations for the opening of Pellea Guild accelerated.
“Thanks to Sister Ceri, we were able to get a great carriage. Networking really pays off.”
Armifera managed the funds Nibelia had brought in meticulously.
Two sturdy wagons capable of traveling the western territories, eight healthy horses, and four guild staff including experienced workers.
And to this, they added some very special personnel.
“…….”
“…….”
The children stared blankly at the unfamiliar figures. All of them were muscular and had rough, intimidating appearances.
It was obvious at a glance.
They were mercenaries.
However, they had left all their weapons at the entrance.
“Everyone, introduce yourselves.”
Armifera introduced them personally.
“They work with your aunt.”
“Aunt’s subordinates?”
Nibelia asked.
“Let’s say they work with her rather than call them subordinates.”
“But your aunt is the Mercenary King. She’s the leader.”
“They’ve been comrades even before she became the Mercenary King. If you try to act like a king with these guys, you might lose your head.”
“This doesn’t sound like something I should say in front of the kids.”
A woman with short crimson hair glared at Armifera as if she thought her foolish.
Realizing her mistake, Armifera cleared her throat and changed the subject.
“These people will protect the Pellea Guild. They’re skilled, know the routes well, and even know how delicious the stone mushrooms are.”
“Wow! Cool people!”
Nibelia beamed.
Armifera then introduced the children to the mercenaries.
“These are my nieces and nephew: Soles, Aref, and Nibelia. And this stylish girl, Nibelia, will be the owner of the Pellea Guild, whom you’ll be protecting.”
Nibelia stepped forward and extended her hand to the mercenaries.
“Hello! Please take care of us.”
Her kind face paired with a slightly cheeky attitude made the mercenaries burst out laughing.
The leader of the group lowered himself and shook Nibelia’s hand.
Short silver-gray hair, with a dimple on his left cheek.
“Pleasure to meet you, Guildmaster.”
His voice was deep and smooth, almost like an opera singer.
“My name is Falcone. I am a bodyguard mercenary hired by the Guildmaster.”
“Bodyguards protect, right?”
“Exactly. I will do my best to safely transport the stone mushrooms to the capital.”
“But don’t get hurt. Okay? It’ll hurt if you do.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
There were four mercenaries in total: Falcone, Lupinus, Marte, and Mustela.
“All animal names?”
Soles asked.
Mustela, the crimson-haired one, nodded.
“These are all pseudonyms. Mercenaries rarely reveal their real names. Your aunt also has a different name she uses when she’s a mercenary.”
Armifera shrugged.
“What’s your aunt’s name?”
“Panthera.”
“What’s that?”
“A fierce beast strong enough to devour reptiles. Like a relative of a cat, you could say.”
“Of course!”
Nibelia smiled knowingly.
“Cats are strong!”
“Exactly. Very strong.”
Armifera’s golden eyes glittered dangerously as she answered.
Now, all preparations were complete.
“Pellea Guild!”
At Nibelia’s shout, the guild staff replied briskly, “Yes!”
Today, the Pellea Guild departs for the western Latro.
As the guildmaster, Nibelia came out early in the morning in her pajamas to see off the traveling staff.
“Bring lots of stone mushrooms!”
“Yes, Miss.”
“And don’t get hurt. Okay?”
Nibelia looked at Deter.
Deter handed the items he had been carrying to the guild staff.
“These are prepared by the young lady for all of you.”
A few days earlier, Nibelia had written a letter to the Great Witch.
Of course, Deter had written it on her behalf, but the important thing was the gifts Nibelia had prepared for the staff.
Ointments and medicines.
“If you get hurt, apply this. If your stomach hurts, take the red one, and also, umm…”
She had ordered medicines for various symptoms in preparation for emergencies.
They were even made by witches. The quality and effectiveness were far superior to those sold by ordinary apothecaries.
“Guildmaster…”
The staff looked at Nibelia with moved expressions.
Slightly embarrassed, Nibelia tapped the floor with her shoe tip.
“Nini is the leader. A leader has the duty to protect their subordinates. All of that responsibility is on my shoulders, so I’ll protect everyone diligently!”
In truth, the staff had considered the Pellea Guild a bit amusing.
They thought it was just the whimsical desire of a rich noble child.
Still, they tolerated it because the guild provided better treatment and pay than elsewhere.
But the guildmaster was sincere.
The four-year-old leader, determined to guide and take responsibility for the staff, was incredibly trustworthy.
“Take care of everything!”
Nibelia trusted her staff.
“Yes.”
So, the staff trusted their little leader.
“We, the Pellea Guild, will complete our mission safely and return.”
“So, Ferado went along too?”
Kaleo frowned upon hearing the news of Pellea Guild’s departure.
The secretary reporting nodded.
“They’re accompanying them only as far as the capital gates.”
“I wish they’d just leave as they are.”
“You say things you don’t mean.”
Seletina, sitting on the office sofa and drinking tea, chuckled.
She was working from home with her husband to discuss the pharmaceutical company’s upcoming opening.
“The young lady takes care of the children. Thanks to her, you, your mother, and father have more free time.”
“The maids, Deter and the others, always took good care of them anyway.”
“But the young lady teaches them things the maids can’t.”
“They mostly just learn bad habits…”
Still, Armifera took good care of the children.
The children followed her well.
Her adventures were cruel, yet unique and original—experiences only the Mercenary King could have.
Especially Nibelia, who was never shy, even running to her aunt first to play.
“Thanks to that, your mother and father can go out more often.”
Seletina rested her chin on her hand, wearing an apologetic expression.
“I feel sorry you couldn’t use your time properly because you were taking care of the children.”
“Celi, the two of them went out quite a bit before anyway.”
Kaleo said she didn’t need to worry.
The secretary, who had quietly been listening, interjected.
“Marquis, a letter has arrived from the intelligence office.”
Seletina stopped what she was doing and looked at Kaleo.
He found her rushing over quite cute.
Only after she arrived did he open the letter.
“What is it about?”
“Oh, nothing special.”
Reading it, Kaleo said,
“The situation in the north has been unusual recently.”
“The north?”
Seletina’s eyes gleamed sharply.
The north—the news made something come to mind.
“Could it be the Perennial Snow Duck?”
