Chapter 21
“Well, on the other hand, I could lead this group.”
The innkeeper smiled wryly as he stroked his beard.
Yurein didn’t react at all, merely offering a gentle look with her eyes.
At that, the innkeeper nodded to himself.
Of course. With monsters attacking like this, how could a noble lady possibly handle it…
‘…I can see exactly what you’re thinking.’
Yurein lifted the corner of her mouth in a small smile.
“You’re just a little girl, so do this, do that.”
Ever since her previous life, and even before her reincarnation—no, even before running away from the Tarvargen mansion—she had been told this over and over.
And now, to hear that tiresome nonsense again…
‘Ah… what a moving moment,’ she thought sarcastically.
She had been entrusted with full authority, yet apparently that was only possible because of the mercenaries.
Without them here, was she just “a little girl”?
Yurein bit her molars lightly, then smiled brightly.
“Thank you. For now.”
At her words, the innkeeper replied with a chuckle.
“Oh, well… nothing to thank me for—”
Yurein’s smile widened further.
She had no intention of giving up control, not even a little.
“Then let’s move, taking all the supplies with us.”
Yurein cut him off firmly.
The innkeeper frowned. He had expected compliance, but instead, he looked a bit annoyed.
Raising his voice slightly, he said:
“Miss! There’s so much food here! Where do you think you’re going?”
Yurein calmly met his grim expression and said:
“To the center. The city center.”
At that, the innkeeper’s expression turned menacing.
The previously good-natured look was gone, replaced by a grim severity that even the mercenaries would think twice about.
“I don’t understand why we’d move now! Why would we go all the way to the city center? How do you plan to move? Do you expect to take all these people outside while monsters could attack at any moment? Are you out of your mind, miss?”
The innkeeper snapped at Yurein sharply.
“No! I’m not out of my mind!”
Rebecca, standing beside Yurein, frowned and shouted.
“Our lady—”
“Rebecca. Stop.”
Yurein quickly restrained her.
People were already uneasy about having to relocate.
As expected, those nearby overheard their conversation and started to stir with anxiety.
Murmurs spread. We’re going outside in this situation? Are we supposed to be torn apart by monsters?
Fear descended quickly.
“This area is on the outskirts, so the risk of monsters attacking is high.”
Parmahal was a circular city, and this inn, popular with travelers, was located near the city’s entrance.
“If monsters enter the city, where do you think they’ll attack first?”
Yurein, who had been staring at the innkeeper, turned to the people around her.
“Where do you think there’s the strongest smell of humans? Isn’t it here? Since people have evacuated, the fresh scent of prey will be overwhelming.”
The people listened to Yurein with faces full of fear.
Indeed, monsters had highly sensitive senses.
It was only natural that they would follow the scent of humans to the inn.
Gradually, the people began to believe Yurein’s reasoning.
Yurein raised her hand and pointed to the basement door.
The solid wooden door was so heavy that even a group of adult men could barely open it.
Various items had been stacked there to reinforce it against monsters.
But Yurein knew the monsters too well.
How immense their grip strength was. How terrifying their power could be.
“That won’t even slow the monsters down. If they swing their hands a few times, it’ll break instantly. Are you just going to sit there and get eaten?”
Yurein said calmly.
She could see that the people were slowly being persuaded by her words.
“That’s why we have to move to the ‘center.’”
“What? I still don’t understand how we’re supposed to get to the center!”
The innkeeper shouted, exasperated.
Nearby, a young errand boy trembled nervously.
Meeting the innkeeper’s sharp gaze, Yurein calmly replied:
“This inn is connected to the city center, isn’t it?”
The innkeeper’s eyes widened. How does this girl know that?
But Yurein had no intention of answering.
In truth, she couldn’t.
How could she explain that she had seen this scene in the original novel?
A supporting Esper led the people to escape this way, and shortly after, the ‘angelic’ Ayla saved that Esper.
What was that Esper’s name…? Her memory was hazy.
No, that’s not important now.
The people began to murmur. If this inn really was connected to the city center… then hope seemed possible.
Though confused, they were gradually finding hope.
Yurein watched them quietly, though her fingertips trembled slightly.
She remembered the monsters she had seen recently, the same as before.
Even after multiple battles in her previous life, monsters never became less frightening.
In fact, the more battles she faced, the greater her fear became.
Especially remembering how she had died—stabbed through the stomach by a monster—she still felt that sensation vividly.
Yet, still:
I have to do this. I must fight too.
She was the guide, after all.
To support the Espers in battle and ensure the fight went smoothly.
The guide’s role was just as important as the Esper’s.
That’s why she had trained with various weapons and honed her crisis-response skills in her past life.
She might not fight directly, but she bore the responsibility for the battle more than anyone else. That was her definition of a “guide.”
Yurein clenched her trembling hands tightly.
I can do this.
Only the strong help others. That wasn’t true.
Even a young, weak girl could help.
She knew perfectly well how the others looked at her.
Their gaze reminded her of the people in Tarvargen: a useless child, better sit quietly in place.
A small, delicate girl, only to sit prettily like decoration.
She was sick of that role.
So Yurein resolved to fulfill her role.
To save these people.
And to prove her worth.
She clenched her fists, and felt the texture of the item Zarkal had given her earlier.
It warmed her heart slightly.
“That’s why we have to go to the city center immediately. The defenses there are perfect, and…”
Yurein looked the innkeeper straight in the eyes.
He still looked sulky.
At that moment, a clear voice interjected between them.
“That’s right.”
A woman stepped out from the crowd.
Her gray hair, tied high in a single ponytail, swayed as she walked forward.
Yurein was a little surprised—not because of her bulky frame; in a city full of mercenaries, that wasn’t unusual.
It was because she was holding a silver emblem.
“Why are you surprised?”
The woman smiled and shook the silver emblem. Noticing Yurein’s gaze on it, she teased:
“Didn’t expect a woman could be a mercenary?”
She raised her crooked smile.
Though women were physically weaker than men, they were by no means weaker in skill.
Yurein shook her head slightly.
“No. I didn’t expect there would be someone capable of fighting here.”
The woman laughed, eyes sparkling.
‘Ah, this little one. Says things just right.’
Rarely did someone refrain from asking about being a mercenary on the first meeting.
The woman raised her head slightly and continued:
“I’m a member of the Mercenary Guild. As you can see, I have some skill. I can’t spare too many people to protect everyone, so I came myself first.”
At that, the innkeeper in front of Yurein shook his head.
“Hah… Edern.”
“And this pot-bellied man—”
The woman called Edern grabbed the innkeeper’s arm in an instant.
The silver emblem in his hand caught the light. He was, like her, a mercenary with a silver emblem.
So he wasn’t just an innkeeper…
