The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary
chapter-348

“Well, what do we do now?”

Loren muttered, not expecting an answer.

They were still at the same place, but Yuri was not here anymore. After explaining the situation, the man had left as he had other things to do.

No wonder, Loren thought.

They were still in enemy territory, and must still be pursued even though their enemies might be slow. Yuri, who was leading an army, must have a lot of work to do.

The three of them were the only ones left in the tent, but Loren, somewhat shocked by what he had heard, was still sitting in his chair while Gula, who was nearby, had started to sleep soundly in her chair before long. Lapis was the only one who promptly got ready for bed.

“I guess it depends on what you want to do?”

Even as she worked, Loren’s mutterings seemed to have reached her ears, and without pausing to rest her hand or look at him, Lapis gave him an answer.

“I’m sure you have at least an idea of what you’re going to do, don’t you?”

Loren scratched his head when Lapis told him that with an easy expression on her face.

It was true that he was not completely without an idea of what to do. However, there were only two choices in front of him: Go back, or continue on.

If he were to think as a mercenary, he could only conclude that there was very little merit in going all the way to the destination, which was known to be dangerous.

As for his background, there was no good in clarifying it.

According to Yuri, finding Loren’s real name and using it to command him to speak would make the man talk about what he had promised not to tell, so it did not seem a bad way to think about his real name without forcing himself to continue on.

In that case, however, finding out why Magna was looking for him would not sever his relationship with the guy. It would simply mean that he would know why Yuri did not want the guy to meet him.

So, if Magna was definitely at the end of the road, he should continue on and confront the guy, which might solve the root cause of the problem.

However, this option was also accompanied by the danger of having to meet the person Yuri did not want him to meet to the extent that he had destroyed his mercenary group to prevent it. In the worst-case scenario, the situation could come to a boiling point when Magna discovered that Loren was the very person he had been looking for.

In the end, both options were fraught with problems, and since there was no information at hand to help them decide which one was better, they would have to let Loren’s thoughts to decide their future course of action, as Lapis had said.

“It’s alright if it’s just me, but…”

“Proceed or withdraw. I’ll follow you, alright?”

Loren believed that to Lapis and Gula, his upbringing was an irrelevant topic. He thought they would not bother to get involved when there was known danger, but Lapis told him this before he could say anything, as if it was a natural thing.

“Is it about the debt?”

Loren owed a tremendous amount of money to the Great Demon King, the head of the demon race. It was Lapis’ role to work with him until he paid it back.

He knew that this time, too, she would use it as an excuse to insist on accompanying him. But for Loren, this was a completely personal matter, and he did not like the idea of involving others in it.

“That’s certainly one reason. But don’t you think it’s too bad that after working together all this time, I’ll be left out of the loop from here on out?”

“Maybe, but it’s dangerous. I didn’t see it that way before, but that Magna bastard is the one that the Commander didn’t want me to have anything to do with, even if he had to throw away the group.”

Loren thought it was fortunate that nothing had happened to him so far. But that good fortune would not last forever, and this time, he was aware of the danger.

He believed this danger was far greater than anything he had experienced in the past.

“Well, I get that from Yuri’s explanation.”

Lapis was making a bed in the tent as she answered. It was just a few sheets of cloth with a sleeping bag on top of it though.

Since they could not be sure when the enemy would attack, they could only prepare things that could be quickly put away or discarded at any time. But for Loren, just having a cloth under the sleeping bag made a big difference in sleeping comfort.

While adjusting the cloth to make it more comfortable, Lapis asked.

“But how is he compared to me?”

Loren was at a loss for words as Lapis said this with a serious expression.

It was true that Magna was a dangerous existence that Yuri was so vigilant about. But Lapis, who was always by his side, was from the demon race that was abhorred throughout the continent. Her mother was a Demon King, and she was also acquainted with a higher being, the Great Demon King.

If they were to simply consider the degree of danger, it could be said that she was so dangerous that no human being could possibly compare to her.

Although that was his thought, Loren of course was not so stupid that he would say it in front of the person in question.

“That… Well…”

“Loren, you’re not thinking straight to begin with. What we need to be thinking about here is not how dangerous Magna is.”

Loren tilted his head at Lapis, who was beating the cloth she had laid out, in order to soften it.

He might have been a little short on thinking about the level of danger without comparing it to Lapis’, but if he was told that his point of view was off, then the question arose as to what was the right thing to think about at present.

“The only thing we have to consider here is how to meet Magna in a private situation.”

[‘That’s right, onii-san!’]

A smile, which seemed to be evil for some reason, began to appear on Lapis’ face as she said this, and Shayna voiced her agreement in Loren’s mind.

It was hard to say whether the two of them also shared the same expression, but as Loren wondered about what Lapis and Shayna were trying to say, Shayna told him as if to push the issue.

[‘As long as no one is watching, I can fully demonstrate the power of the King of Death and protect you, onii-san!’]

“If no one is watching, I’ll be the one to put an end to this worry. I’m going to get rid of Magna rather seriously. Yes, we don’t need such an obstacle in our way.”

Loren, somewhat taken aback by the fact that Shayna and Lapis had begun spouting very disturbing lines in his head and in front of his eyes, asked aloud.

“I thought you already did before?”

“Until I heard what Yuri said, I thought it would be okay to let you handle it.”

Gula, perhaps sensing unrest in the atmosphere, rubbed her eyes as she roused from her chair. She looked at Lapis, who was preparing the bed, and, with a twitch of her face, tried to pull herself up only to fall backwards with the chair.

Without even looking at Gula, who was writhing due to the heavy blow her head had received, Lapis looked at Loren with a steady gaze, the corners of her mouth twisted up into a smile.

“If you cannot be at peace as long as he exists, then there is only one thing I have to do.”

“May I ask what that one thing is, just to be sure?”

As he asked, Loren noticed that there was a bit of a commotion outside the tent. The soldiers were beginning to stir, perhaps because some of them had noticed the aura Lapis was exuding inside the tent.

As if oblivious to this, Lapis answers Loren’s question with a light clenching of her fists.

“There is only one thing left to do – exterminate him.”

“Just for example, but what would you do if I asked you to tone it down a little this time and I’ll do what you and your mother want when it’s over?”

Loren asked, trying to put a damper on Lapis, who was full of enthusiasm. If possible, he did not want Lapis to exert too much of the demon race’s power.

It was true that it was an effective means for the current situation, but if word leaked out from somewhere and Lapis’ true identity became known, he would feel very bad about it.

If Lapis were to be unable to operate in the realm of the human race as an adventurer because of her involvement in his personal matters, it would be irrecoverable from Loren’s point of view. That was why he dangled a term that she would jump at in front of her.

Lapis looked at Loren with a puzzled look on her face, then gently shrugged while laughing scornfully.

“I don’t mean to doubt your word, Loren, but people who offer such terms are usually dead by the time the thing is over.”

“Ah….”

“I’d still like to be an adventurer, too, you know. I won’t do anything reckless unless I am absolutely sure that I won’t be discovered.”

As if to reassure Loren, Lapis smiled at him, the unpleasant aura she had been exuding completely gone, but he understood exactly what she was saying.

In short, Lapis was declaring that she would not restrain herself once she was completely sure that she would not be found out.

Loren had not seen any of the Kingdom’s residents since entering its territory. Under such circumstances, the Empire army would be hesitant to march deeper into the Kingdom, and as a result, if they tried to advance from this point, there would be fewer and fewer eyes on them. If Lapis stopped restraining herself because of that, there was no way he would be at ease.

“But anyway, let’s go to bed for the time being. You must be exhausted from all the things you’ve been through, and tiredness makes your judgment dull.”

“Hey Lapis-chan, I… would like to ask you about the beds you’ve prepared. Erm… if my eyes are working correctly, there’s only one, isn’t there?”

Gula hesitantly asked Lapis, who was fluffing a sleeping bag.

Lapis answered in a tone of voice as if it were a matter of course.

“Yes, because I only prepare one.”

“I thought you wouldn’t prepare one for me, but what about Loren?”

Lapis responded to Gula, who was somewhat resigned, with a serious face.

“I’m sure Loren must have been greatly shocked by what happened. This is to heal him, of course… Well… Loren, share a bed with me and let me gently heal you… Loren?! Why are you trying to sleep directly on the ground at the edge of the tent?”

“Nig, do something about that.”

Loren whispered to his shoulder as he laid on the ground, and Nig, who was clinging to him, turned his abdomen in the direction of Gula and Lapis.

“Eh?! Me too?!”

“Loren?! That’s not very nice!”

Loren turned his back and closed his eyes, not caring about the accusations he heard.

He could feel Nig spitting threads from his shoulder, and he could hear Lapis and Gula cursing and yelling, but he ignored them and fell into a sleep, feeling Shayna’s bitter smile in his mind.