Chapter : 02
Sniff sniff.
Today, it smelled like a dish with tomatoes. The scent teased my nose from morning, and I got up from my seat.
Kaisa had given me the room in this house because I had been more helpful in securing it. Thanks to the only room in the house being mine, Kaisa’s “room” naturally became the old sofa in the living room.
But that was fine. I was learning to live content with small things here. You could say I was aiming for a fully minimalist life. If something wasn’t there, so be it; if it was, I’d make do. Besides, we didn’t have the luxury of a maid, so all household chores fell to me and Lord Kaisa.
We were even more pressed for time since the two of them needed to save up their passage fare. By now, we had perfectly divided the housework.
Cooking was Lord Kaisa’s responsibility. I was genuinely hopeless in the kitchen…
Once, after tasting something I made, Lord Kaisa had slammed down his spoon.
“This is an insult to the ingredients. If you play with food, you will be punished, Milena.”
He had said he would show me how well he could cook, and indeed, he made something far beyond my expectations. The skills Lord Kaisa had learned from camping trips turned out to be surprisingly useful. Learning anything in advance always proves handy—just like how the Sierne language I learned for emergencies became crucial for our survival.
I had learned it in case I needed to exile myself to Sierne if I ended up on the original story’s death route. Life really doesn’t let you see a step ahead.
Anyway, I took care of everything except cooking—cleaning and laundry. Lord Kaisa handled cooking, washing dishes, and taking out the trash.
After washing up, I went down to the first floor and found Lord Kaisa waiting with the food prepared.
“Milena, I need to talk to you.”
“What is it?”
I sat down and picked up a fork naturally. It was fried rice with tomatoes. Simple to make, yet delicious. Even by camping standards, it looked top-tier. Maybe I should have employed him in a kitchen instead of mercenary work…
No, that would have been a waste of pay. Mercenary work comes with hazard pay, making it far more lucrative.
As I shoveled food into my mouth, Lord Kaisa spoke with a serious expression:
“I don’t know how many days you’ve gone without doing laundry. There’s nothing to wear right now. You’ll have to wear yesterday’s clothes again today. Can I ask when you’ll do the laundry?”
“Cough!”
His nagging nearly made me choke. I accepted the glass of water he handed me and muttered in a timid voice while drinking.
Now it was my turn to shrink away.
“I’ve been busy, that’s why. I was going to do it tonight anyway.”
“Hmph. Even if busy, I’d like you to make time. That’s part of our agreement, after all.”
Lord Kaisa said with a slightly uncomfortable expression. I glanced at his firm gaze, pouted my lips, and replied,
“I’m sorry. I’ll definitely do it.”
Ha… really. I will. I will do it.
While Lord Kaisa continued mercenary work, I got a job at a bakery.
It was the largest bakery on the street, and they happened to be hiring floor staff. The best part was that if you worked until closing, you could take home any unsold bread, which helped a lot with food expenses.
I had applied for the job with that in mind from the start.
Meanwhile, Lord Kaisa joined the largest mercenary group at the harbor. Even though he was poor at speaking, the group had seen his swordsmanship and still hired him.
Before I headed to the bakery, we stopped by the mercenary group together.
The first-floor bulletin board at the headquarters was plastered with requests that needed translation. Lord Kaisa didn’t know how to communicate properly, nor could he read the language.
After three weeks, I had grown somewhat accustomed, and the staff at the counter greeted me warmly.
I skimmed the bulletin board, picking out requests that seemed manageable alone. Since Lord Kaisa couldn’t communicate well, teamwork missions were difficult.
Anything requiring guarding someone or heavy interaction with others was ruled out.
Phew.
Those jobs paid more, since group tasks were higher in difficulty. It was a pity, but I had no choice. I selected a manageable one and gestured to Lord Kaisa, holding two request forms in my hands.
“Which of these two would you prefer? The one on the right is to exterminate three wyverns spotted in a nearby village. The one on the left… needs a team, but only two people. You’d have to take just one person…”
“I’ll take the right one.”
I pursed my lips and glared at him.
“How long are you going to keep avoiding it? The pay for the left one is much higher.”
“The right one.”
He didn’t seem to hear me. Lord Kaisa spoke in a low voice. Now is the time to show off, huh? Show off while going alone because he doesn’t understand!
“…Definitely the right one.”
Sigh. Stubborn as a pumpkin.
I pinned the rejected request back onto the board with a loud thud, handed his choice to Lord Kaisa, and headed to the counter.
“Kaisa wants this one.”
“Three wyverns… can he handle that alone?”
“Yes. Fortunately, Kaisa was a top-ranked knight in Luikaron. It won’t be difficult.”
“Tsk tsk. If he could communicate even a little, he could take on more work. What a waste to underutilize that skill.”
“Well, what can I do?”
While Lord Kaisa was getting the request stamped by the mercenary group, I looked around.
Actually, we had a reason for coming to this mercenary group. The sailors who saved us had told us this group had connections with smuggling ships. Those boarding the smugglers apparently used this mercenary group. Since crossing the monster-filled seas was dangerous, they took plenty of mercenaries—and always from this group.
I even heard that the mercenary group amassed wealth this way.
So far, everyone seemed normal. No strange signs.
When will they arrive? Of course, coming all the way from Luikaron isn’t easy. I sighed with disappointment, and Lord Kaisa called my name.
“Milena.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll give you a ride. Come out.”
“Yes, Lord Kaisa.”
While walking with Kaisa, I tried practicing reading the signs, but I hardly improved at all.
Wow, my brain really has stiffened. He’s so good with swords, after all. And his strategy and work skills are exceptional. Maybe some people are just naturally brilliant in certain areas.
I stared at Lord Kaisa, and he said in a low voice:
“I am a great knight, and the master of the House of Laurencia.”
“And…?”
Is that relevant now? You can’t even memorize the words! Being busy isn’t an excuse. I’m busy too.
“…But I’ve never seen such an insulting glare. I’ll memorize five words today.”
“Seven.”
“…Six.”
I sighed. How can he always try to reduce even a single word! I glared at Lord Kaisa, then nodded.
“All right.”
At least memorize those six words. Think of the effort I put into making the vocabulary list!
