Chapter 3
2. It’s Only Natural Not to Know
The mercenary my brother mentioned turned out to be someone fairly high-ranking in the guild—an official examiner in charge of rating other mercenaries.
He wasn’t particularly strong himself, but his innate ability made him perfect for that kind of work. This sort of request was exactly his specialty.
Fortunately, once he finished his current job, he said he’d be willing to come all the way to Herba. So I spent the next three weeks diligently preparing his commission fee. My brother said he would handle it and that I didn’t need to set anything aside myself—but I couldn’t just let him do that.
I’d originally thought about offering some herbs used in potion-making, but then, when I went hunting with my brother to find fabric materials for Susanna’s wedding dress, we got lucky and caught not one, but two royal-horned mountain goats.
We’d actually set out hoping to find the soft-fleeced moamoa forest sheep, which are usually everywhere—but that day, not a single moamoa showed up. Instead, those ridiculously hard-to-catch mountain goats kept appearing. We had to use traps to finally succeed.
The horns of royal-horned goats are extremely valuable. They’re used in alchemy and magic potions; since demand is high and supply is low, people are willing to pay outrageous sums. When I asked if he’d rather have gold or the horns, he chose the horns, so I agreed to give him three.
The last one I’ve already sold and deposited into the Imperial Bank. To be honest, there aren’t many stores in our territory anyway, so even when I do earn money, there’s not much to spend it on. The noble ladies in more bustling estates are always sighing about how their allowance is never enough—but me? I’ve got gold piling up.
The adults say that when I get older, I’ll have so many expenses it’ll give me a headache, so I should save up while I can. That’s why I sometimes jot down how much I have in my diary. Just in case I forget.
“Ugh, enough already. This cursed lace! Maybe I should just attach it to the hem and be done with it. No matter how much I weave, there’s always more.”
“Susanna, let’s just use the magic circle Hesila drew. We still have to make the bridal veil, too. If we keep going like this, it’ll take until spring to finish.”
“Should we?”
Susanna, who had a bold and breezy personality, wasn’t really suited for delicate work like lace-weaving. She could do it, but if you asked her to sit and do nothing else all day, she’d hate it.
She was much better at hunting and cooking—so much so that she ranked in the top three among all the noble girls in the territory.
But she couldn’t exactly skip wearing a wedding dress at her own wedding, so Hesila gave her a magic circle that would automatically produce lace as a gift. She’d learned it from a mage who specialized in everyday enchantments.
After spreading out a large sheet of parchment on the floor, Susanna placed a small spool of thread on the circle.
“I’ll do it. It’ll be good practice for my magic, too.”
“Just don’t overdo it. Use your mana sparingly. You know how dangerous magic depletion can be, right?”
“Yeah. I’ll really only use a little.”
“Alright then, I’ll go hang the laundry.”
Apparently too restless to sit still, Susanna quickly bustled out of the room.
I placed both hands on the magic circle and channeled my mana into it with as much focus as I could. The white thread began to unspool and twist itself into pretty lace, bit by bit.
It was a slow process, but once it was activated, it would keep going until my mana ran out, so that was fine.
I clapped the dust off my hands and stood up from the floor.
My shoulders felt a little chilly. Peeking out the window, I saw that it had started to snow. I pulled on a thick cloak, then glanced out again—and spotted a silhouette approaching the manor.
A guest?
Something told me this was the person I’d been waiting for. I bolted downstairs without a second thought.
- ◆ ◇
B-rank mercenary and guild grading examiner Austrella Ende was surprised to see how neat and pretty the Herba estate was. She’d traveled all over for work, but had never seen a border territory this well-maintained.
“Not a single broken patch on the road. Makes it easy for carriages and horses to run. If it weren’t stuck right up against the Chepan Mountains, there’d probably be several times more people living here.”
Its only flaw was how remote it was. Even though she’d hurried as soon as she got the request, it had still taken quite a bit of time to reach the estate.
Snow had started falling, leaving the roadside empty of people. But the manor where the lord lived was unmistakably grander than the other houses, so there was no need to ask for directions. As she nudged her horse to a faster pace, she spotted a familiar face waiting at the door.
“Long time no see, Rector. Or should I call you the Herba viscount heir here?”
“Call me whatever you like. Thanks for coming, Examiner Ende.”
“I owed you a favor anyway. Plus, I was curious about that hot spring your Dragon Mercenary Corps kept raving about. But… why are you holding that ball of fluff?”
“Ball of fluff? This is my client—my little sister. Come on, Rivi, say hello.”
From within the soft, fluffy fur, a tiny hand and round face peeked out.
“Riventitia Herba. Welcome to our estate.”
Large green-gray eyes, soft-looking cheeks, lips the color of ripe berries. She clearly resembled her brother, yet felt like a completely different species—she was so cute it was disarming.
“I’ll go tie up the horse. Head inside with Rivi.”
Rector set his sister down, took over the reins, and went around to the stable behind the manor.
Austrella Ende accepted the plump little hand offered to her and walked into the manor. Warm air filled the house, cozy enough to make cloaks and coats unnecessary. The young heiress quickly shrugged off her own fluffy covering.
Black hair with a greenish sheen spilled over her small shoulders.
She’d just turned ten not long ago. Though she was average height for her age, seeing her next to her massive brother made her seem even tinier.
“We have tea ready in the parlor. It must have been a tiring trip.”
“I used the teleport circles at the guild branches, so it wasn’t too bad. Examiners have to travel all over the continent, so I’m used to it.”
“Where were you before you came here?”
“The capital. I was testing three hundred new mercenary applicants. You get extra points on the rank exam if you have an ability. My job is to confirm they actually have the ability they claim on their forms.”
“So people lie about it sometimes.”
“Sure. The pay changes with rank, so it happens. I heard you found out you’re an ability user at your birthday party?”
“Yes. Honestly, I still don’t know what my ability is.”
“We’ll figure it out quickly. The fact you’ve had no incidents means it’s probably not anything dangerous to you or anyone else. No need to worry.”
The young heiress looked up at her and broke into a bright, beaming smile. That grin was so charming that Ende immediately understood why Rector—the famously foul-tempered S-rank mercenary—treated his sister like a precious treasure.
◇ ◆ ◇
“This cream pie is really delicious. It’s on par with the ones from the fancy bakeries in the capital.”
“Please have another. My brother baked three trays of them this morning, so there’s still plenty.”
“Huh, your brother? You’re telling me this beautiful, elegant three-color fruit cream pie is Rector’s handiwork?”
“Yes. Rector is really good at making pastries.”
Hearing my answer, Ende, who had been devouring her pie without a care, set it down and stared at my brother sitting next to me with a shocked expression.
“No way! How can that bear of a man make something so pretty and tasty? I’d sooner believe the baron’s daughter baked it with fairy magic!”
“I’m human, so I can’t use fairy magic. I didn’t have time to bake while I was working as a mercenary, but at home I do it pretty often.”
“No one at the guild would ever believe me if I told them this.”
She shook her head in disbelief, then promptly picked up her pie again and started wolfing it down.
Ende apparently needs to be full to use her ability. When she’s on guild duty, she has to pile food next to her and eat between checking people one by one.
After demolishing an entire pie herself, she stood and rummaged through her bag, pulling out white paper and a pencil.
“I’ll explain my ability first and then start the test. My power is ‘Discernment.’ Basically, if I hold the other person’s hand, I can tell what kind of ability they have. I need the paper and pencil because I don’t speak it aloud—I write a poem that describes it.”
“So if we read the poem, we’ll know what kind of power it is?”
“Yes. Honestly, my ability has a pretty high cost and it’s really inefficient. After checking three or four people, I’m starving to death, and since it comes out as poetry you have to interpret it.”
“If you check a bunch of people, your hand must hurt too.”
“Exactly. Every time I do rank assessments, my fingers get so sore that I asked for a nicer pen this time, but that stingy guild master ran off claiming they were broke! Can you believe that? He’s supposed to be the master. It’s just a pen!”
“Two hundred fifty gold isn’t exactly nothing though…”
My brother chimed in with something he’d heard, but Ende just exploded.
“Why don’t you try writing three hundred poems in three days? Ugh, anyway, that’s why I’m planning to sell the horns your sister is giving me and buy one myself.”
I’d sold mine for a hundred twenty gold each, after fees, so if Ende sold them directly she’d easily have enough left over even after buying an emperor-worthy 250-gold pen.
“All right, hold out both hands.”
I stretched my arms forward with my palms up. Ende took my hands and closed her eyes. A faint golden light began to glow around her fingers.
After about a minute, she released one hand to grab her pencil and began furiously scribbling across the white paper.
It ended up being quite a few long sentences, but since it was upside down to me I couldn’t tell what it said. The scratching of the pencil finally stopped—and so did the test.
◇ ◆ ◇
“So soft. Oh, your hands are chubby and cute.”
“The test is over, so can I let go now?”
“You’ve had to shake hundreds of those grim mercenaries’ hands. They all end up like this, just like mine.”
“Rivi’s hands will wear out! My little sister is not a cat, you know?”
They bicker, but it’s not a bad relationship. I ignored their teasing and picked up the paper to read the poem.
No harm shall come, no pain nor fear,
For power within will disappear.
Mana, gods, and gifts you wield,
Return to naught, your shield revealed.
The path ahead shines full of light,
Walk strong and true with all your might.
A gift divine, both strong and bright—
A power given, born to fight.
“Ende, how do you interpret the poem?”
“Hmm, my ability isn’t common, but there are plenty of research materials. There’s a book recording ability names with corresponding poems. Usually, just from a poem, I can tell what ability it is, but I’ve never seen one like this.”
Someone who tests hundreds of abilities a year and doesn’t know this poem? My heart started pounding. Ende pulled out a thick book from her bag and began flipping through it quickly.
“It’s defensive, related to vitality, and controllable with practice… I thought it was Absorption, but no. If it says ‘given by the gods,’ it’s usually a rare ability. Found it! This is it.”
She turned the book toward me so I could read.
“Nullification?”
“Yes. Returning to naught. That line appears only in this ability’s description. It’s so rare it shows up maybe once in a hundred years, so the explanation is scant.”
According to the book, a Nullification ability user can withstand attacks from magic, divine power, and abilities without injury. Their body immediately absorbs the attack to protect itself.
“It’s completely different from just defense. No wonder your family didn’t know. Healing or blessing magic, all divine magic, still works on you. And since the lady grew up in Herba, you probably never faced magic attacks.”
“It’s not like a shield spell that blocks all damage, right? That would be better.”
“If it blocked physical attacks too, your family would have known long ago. But this power is still quite good. It lets you protect your own body. There are a lot of bad people in the world!”
I read somewhere that people who get greedy get punished.
Artifacts that block magic or ability attacks tend to be very expensive. Without one, you have to use your own magic, but defensive magic is usually intermediate or advanced level, so it’s hard to learn.
Ende was right—being able to use this power without learning it is something to be thankful for. Yeah, definitely.
◇ ◆ ◇
“If it’s a common ability, I can tell you how to use it and what to watch out for. That’s why my fee’s so high. But nullification—I don’t really know much about it, so I can’t help much there.”
“That’s okay. It can’t be helped. The book said abilities like this don’t have teachers; you have to study on your own.”
“Exactly. See the phrase in your poem, ‘Act with will’? That means with training, you can control your ability at will.”
“How do I train?”
“By wanting it strongly. Willpower is the mind’s drive to accomplish something.”
Ende explained a lot to me. Usually, powers grow stronger with practice and as your body grows. She warned me that my ability isn’t all-powerful—getting hit by a dragon’s offensive magic could still be deadly.
“If the attacker’s human, it shouldn’t be much of a problem. My poem doesn’t just tell the type of ability but roughly its strength too. Words like ‘great,’ ‘strong’ or ‘overwhelming’ mean the person’s power is at a level that could conquer continents.”
“Has anyone you’ve tested shown those words besides me?”
“Yes. Someone you know—the Emperor himself.”
Whoa, the Emperor! I didn’t even need an explanation.
The Emperor of my empire has a terrifying ability called climate control. Even back to when he was just the Crown Prince, he’s used it every year to manage the empire’s most important farming regions. Thanks to him, the wheat harvest is always bountiful. The current Emperor is praised as the greatest ruler in our empire’s history.
“Wait, how did you get to test the Emperor’s ability?”
“My younger sibling is a royal knight, so through some circumstances, I got a chance to meet His Majesty. The Emperor is very interested in unusual abilities and asked to try mine out.”
Ende was way more amazing than I thought—and somehow she even came all the way out here to our small territory.
After hearing everything, it was time to pay. I gave her the three big horns I’d saved.
“Ah, these are big enough to put at auction, with perfect curves. Thanks for settling the fee so quickly. If I got paid like this every time, I’d have no complaints.”
“I was lucky this time. Royal horns live deep in the mountains. They rarely show up near the parts I can reach.”
“Wait—did the Baron’s daughter hunt the mountain goat herself? Those horns are from a full-grown goat, not a kid.”
“Yes. I used my bow and magic, then lured it with a trap. My brother only helped carry it home.”
“Our Rivi’s an excellent hunter. That fur coat you were wearing earlier? It’s made from a bear she caught herself.”
Ah, he’s bragging again over nothing. Anyway, my brother is such a proud dad type. Ende across from us shook her head with a strange look like she knew what I was thinking.
◇ ◆ ◇
“One, two, three, four. Wait—where’s the last one? The Dragon Company has exactly twenty members.”
“He’s doing the dishes. He’ll be up soon.”
“We finished eating ages ago—why is he still scrubbing?”
“He only said he’d help downstairs; he’s actually in the kitchen flirting with his fiancée.”
“Good grief. He loves her so much—and still managed to live as a wandering mercenary.”
“Long-distance romance makes those moments burn brighter, you know.”
Their teasing was sharp but affectionate. Austrella Ende fell silent at that—she knew Rector as the notoriously gruff S-rank mercenary who’d never been in a relationship. Somehow, that fit perfectly.
Austrella herself, with her glossy dark curls and intelligent black eyes, was surprisingly single. Her mercenary work kept her too busy for romance.
“I’m not going to explain it twice, so tell the others later. For now, the disbandment request is approved, and we’ve processed the retirement papers for the ten who requested them—Rector included.”
“Faster than I expected. I thought it’d take another two weeks.”
“The Guild Master cried, honestly. Three S-ranks and eight A-ranks—that kind of roster usually needs over a hundred people to pull off.”
“You piled all the tough contracts on us because we were top-tier. Honestly, I blame the Guild Master twenty percent for me quitting.”
“Everyone says that. Do him a favor and tell him directly. He whines every time I see him—so irritating.”
“I guess the capital’s off-limits for a while. Although, I had no plans to visit.”
The Kalan Empire’s capital, Gravis, was incredibly far from Herba. Nobles with estates in the provinces rarely went there unless major business called them.
“What about the others? They’ll keep taking contracts, right? The Guild Master said I must ask.”
A-rank mercenary Krook answered for the group.
“We’ll rest this winter and start again in spring. After Victor’s wedding, we’ll get back on the road.”
“Planning to make a fortune so you can relax forever, huh? Krook, didn’t you say you wanted to live hand-to-mouth? You okay with a whole season off?”
“Every time Rector and I went to the bank, I saved a bit. Somehow I ended up with surplus. Plus, we split the disbandment funds, so now I could buy a small house near the capital if I wanted.”
“What, are you dying? Since when did you start saving? Do you even know what ‘saving’ means?”
“I’ve known since three years ago!”
Krook’s sudden defensiveness was priceless—three years ago, he didn’t even know the word.
“Tell me, who taught you about saving three years ago?”
“Miss Rivi. Actually… here’s what happened…”
Despite her noble upbringing, Rivi had fit right in with the mercenaries. They loved her so much that whenever she stretched out her arms, they dropped everything to scoop her up and hug her.
One day, while Krook was peacefully resting by the stove, he’d teasingly asked her, “Will you marry me when you grow up?”
“Wow, that’s confidence. But where’s your conscience? You left it in the dungeon?”
“Hey, it was a joke! But just as expected, I got an immediate ‘no.’ Ugh. But she did have a point—you need a house and the ability to raise children if you want to get married…”
“So you heard you were ‘unreliable.’ Fair enough. But Rivi was only seven at the time. It took you that long to realize you’d wasted your life?”
“Ugh, yeah. Miss Rivi told me to follow this book if I wanted to marry her. So that winter, we read it together until I memorized every word.”
The book in Krook’s hand was “Betty the Penniless Black Bear.” A children’s economics story usually read by kindergarteners.
“So the moral is, the baron’s daughter saved this scoundrel’s life. Got it. I’ve read it to my nieces and nephews too: Brown Bear Dodo collects two hundred smoked salmon and buys a brick house.”
“Exactly. I want to buy a house like Dodo.”
“Mmhmm. Real estate’s good.”
The sight of a two-meter-tall mercenary clutching a picture book and shining with enthusiasm was oddly unsettling. Austrella Ende quietly turned her gaze away.
◇ ◆ ◇
Only after finishing all the tasks requested by the Mercenary Guild did Austrella Ende finally let out a sigh of relief. The night was deep and late, and the mansion was quiet—most of the people inside must have already fallen asleep.
“Wow, it’s really snowing hard. How am I supposed to get out the day after tomorrow? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have ridden the horse—I would’ve just used magic.”
Trying to save mana, she had rented a horse, but the weather was worsening fast. She regretted ignoring the rental clerk’s warning at the last territory to just fly instead. If things got worse, she might have to drink a potion just to keep both herself and the horse afloat.
As she stared out the window, worried, there was a soft knock.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
“Come in.”
The surprise visitor in the dead of night was the very person who had called her here in the first place.
“What’s the matter?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
Like a shadow, Rector quietly slipped into the room and spoke in a low voice. He asked her not to tell anyone about his sister’s ability.
“Part of why my fee was so high is because I keep things confidential. It’s my discretion that’s kept you alive until now. We know each other—why are you making such a big deal out of this?”
“If she masters her nullification ability, it would make her an ideal tool for knights or soldiers who need strong defense. But I want Rivi to be free to choose her own path.”
“So you want to keep it a secret to protect her from people who might try to use her.”
“Given how rare her ability is, I think that’s absolutely necessary.”
“Hey, Rector, aren’t you worrying too much about things that haven’t even happened? Rivi’s ability is pretty limited—she can only protect herself. Honestly, that sounds safer to me than the healing types. Besides, wasn’t your father once a royal knight? He’d know it’s nothing to worry about.”
At her puzzled question, Rector recalled painful memories. He’d thought the same back then—that nothing would happen; that his little sister running wild in the Chepan Mountains was safe.
But carelessness cost him dearly. He had learned his lesson the hard way. Late regrets were useless.
“To get promoted as a mercenary, you need skill and results. Any mercenary without achievements starts at grade D. I was no different. Even a rookie can’t reach grade A in less than eight years, unless it’s a very special case.
So that’s why I’m still grade B. Our guild makes no exceptions, even for officers. A good guild.
I’m probably the weakest among S-grade mercenaries. My physical strength is barely grade A. But I got promoted quickly because I completed many difficult missions without losing anyone. My life is precious, but in this mercenary business, surviving means keeping your comrades safe, too. The Dragon Mercenary Company has a 100% survival rate because we always prepare at least five contingency plans.”
Rector’s secret to fast promotion was making sure to double-check every step. The higher the survival rate, the more bonus points on missions; the harder the mission, the more bonus points added. Meeting both, he earned the fastest promotion to S-grade in the guild’s history.
“I learned the hard way that you never know where a betrayal will come from. Austrella Ende, do you think the future will go the way you want?”
“No. Sometimes effort isn’t enough.”
“That’s why I came.”
“You came all the way here at night without using your S-grade privileges because you don’t want the guild to know.”
Rector smiled faintly, seeing she understood without further explanation.
“That’s right.”
“You really are a dark soul, you know that? So annoying. Retired, not resigned, so I can’t even curse you. Ugh. Infuriating.”
“S-grade mercenaries can never leave the guild. Our names are on the main plaque at headquarters forever. What do you want me to do?”
“When I go to the capital, I’m definitely changing that stupid rule. I’m tired now, so get out.”
Austrella Ende mockingly replied as Rector left, silently cursing inside. The stingy guild master, the sly S-grade Rector, and those supposed superiors—both were bad for her peace of mind.
Only the adorable Lady Rivi from the Baron’s family could heal her—her best client who paid well, fed her well, and gave good gifts.