Chapter 14
“Lord of the castle?”
“Yeah! Our lord is a great spirit who serves the divine beast! He’s asleep right now, but he still blesses this land of Parmahal!”
When Yurein blinked and asked in surprise, the mercenary waved a sausage on his fork and shouted energetically.
“Hey, Hengel! You think this kind of old-fashioned story is interesting to a lady?”
“What’s wrong with our lord, huh?”
“That’s why you’re still single and stuck here!”
At that, the mercenary called Hengel turned bright red, snorted angrily, then burst into laughter.
The mercenary who had teased Hengel turned to Yurein and asked,
“Hey, miss. You’re not with that guy today!”
“Yeah, what’s up? Got tired of him already?”
To mercenaries, love stories were always entertaining. A young man and woman staying together for a long time at an inn—of course, that became a hot topic.
At the sound of their boisterous laughter, Yurein firmly set down her fork.
“I just wanted a little time to myself. You know how it is sometimes, right?”
She said with a hearty laugh.
The men who had spoken to her burst out laughing again.
“Man, when I first saw you, I thought you were some noble’s daughter—so proper-looking!”
“Come on, do I really look like a noble to you?”
Yurein laughed out loud, speared a sausage, and tore into it roughly—nothing like a noble lady’s manners.
The men roared with laughter again.
A young, well-bred-looking lady acting like a mercenary—it was funny to them.
In the midst of their loud, raucous laughter, Yurein quietly sipped her drink.
The creaking wooden floor, the rowdy mercenaries lost in their revelry—
Most of the people gathered in The Crooked Crow’s Cry Inn were mercenaries.
Naturally so—Parmahal was a city of mercenaries.
Most of the mercenary bands in the Velteron Empire had been founded here.
It was their cradle, their hometown.
So, for mercenaries, this city was precious.
Every year, like salmon swimming upstream, they would return to Parmahal when their missions ended.
When Yurein had first met them, the rough-looking men’s loud laughter and constant chatter had been overwhelming.
But after getting used to the atmosphere, she found it wasn’t so bad.
And more than anything else…
Yurein rolled her eyes around the room.
‘That mercenary said he had a silver badge last time. That one too… silver badge.’
She sipped her drink, lost in thought.
They might look like ordinary rabble, but none of the mercenaries gathered here were average.
Only outstanding mercenaries received “badges” from the guild.
In other cities, it was rare to even see one.
But here…
‘Not even the lowest bronze badges—so many of them are silver. And on top of that…’
She took another sip.
Thud!
A red-haired mercenary with short-cropped hair slammed his beer mug onto the table.
Among the older, more seasoned men, his youthful face stood out—he looked barely past twenty.
And with his handsome features, he easily drew attention.
“Back in my day—!”
“Arsen, if you start a story with ‘back in my day,’ someone’s gonna punch you.”
The innkeeper shook his head.
Arsen laughed brightly.
“Hey, I’ve got a ‘back in my day’ too!”
Yurein watched him closely—not because he was young or good-looking.
That man, Arsen… she’d heard he was a gold-ranked mercenary.
And there were only three gold-badge mercenaries in existence.
Which meant this man…
Yurein was deep in thought when—
“Miss, you’re here.”
Rebecca’s voice came from behind her.
Yurein stiffened, shoulders tightening.
Rebecca quietly sighed and sat down beside her.
‘That face… she’s made up her mind.’
Her gentle eyes now had a sharpness that said she’d reached her limit.
‘Today, I’ll get the truth out of her—no matter what.’
Her expression was filled with determination.
“Miss, what on earth happened?” Rebecca asked, worry creasing her brow.
‘Well, she’s not wrong to worry,’ Yurein thought, sighing softly.
From Rebecca’s perspective, her lady had suddenly ridden off on horseback, ordering her to stay behind at the inn. Of course, she must have been worried sick since then.
Feeling Rebecca’s warmth and concern, Yurein smiled faintly.
And indeed, Rebecca’s worries were justified.
Her lady had gone off alone—and returned with strange men.
Then she learned all the men in that group had died, except the two who came back alive…
‘It must have been dangerous.’
Thinking that, Rebecca’s eyes dimmed sadly.
Her lady had saved her life, yet she herself wasn’t someone the lady could confide in.
That thought hurt Rebecca’s heart.
“And who are those men, anyway? Miss, I’m so worried…”
At that moment, someone appeared beside them.
“Ah, you’re back.”
Yurein’s eyes softened as she smiled.
“Yes. I’ve returned,” said the newcomer.
Rebecca immediately bristled.
“You!”
She hated this man.
Black hair, black eyes, sharp gaze.
When their eyes met, she gasped softly.
Even so, she couldn’t easily speak to him.
His finely sculpted face carried an air of dignity that made it difficult to approach.
But today, she was determined.
“Just who are you people, and what have you done to my lady—!”
Her voice was raised in rare defiance.
“Rebecca, that’s enough.”
Yurein gently grasped Rebecca’s arm.
Her touch was soft, but her meaning clear.
Rebecca bowed her head.
“…Yes, my lady.”
“I’ll explain everything soon.”
Yurein smiled kindly.
“Would you wait for me in the room for a bit?”
Rebecca hesitated, looking at Yurein again.
Meeting her lady’s firm eyes, she nodded quietly and rose from her seat.
As Rebecca left, Zarkal turned his head toward Yurein.
“You haven’t told her yet?” he asked quietly, sitting across from her.
His black eyes met hers, steady and respectful.
He had spoken politely to her since the day they first met.
“You are a Guide. You deserve my respect.”
Even when Yurein told him to speak casually, he refused with a shake of his head.
“No, not yet,” she answered.
So Yurein also continued to speak politely with him.
She looked at him for a moment, then sipped her drink.
‘You really don’t like being called a prince, do you?’
That was why she hadn’t explained things to Rebecca yet.
“Hey there, pal! You’re back!”
The innkeeper plunked a mug of beer in front of Zarkal before heading off again.
Zarkal nodded and took a sip.
His natural ease made Yurein smile unconsciously.
‘Who would ever think he was a prince?’
Of course, even the way he drank was graceful.
But no one would believe the second prince of the Empire was sitting in a shabby inn drinking beer.
Naturally, he didn’t like being introduced as royalty.
Yurein quietly studied him.
It wasn’t often she got to talk to him like this.
He blended naturally into the lively scene—
and yet somehow, he still drew every eye.
Come to think of it…
his jawline looked a little sharper than before. He must’ve been through a lot lately.
But his once cold, dangerous gaze had softened.
He almost looked like a loyal, gentle dog.
Her eyes followed the smooth line of his face, drawn in by his calm, handsome features—
those long, sharp eyes, and the deep, dark gaze within them.
When their eyes met, Zarkal quickly averted his gaze.
