Ian looked around at the Mercenary Guild, which he hadnât visited in a while.
The staff were still moving about busily, but they seemed to have found quite a bit more composure than before.
Having received the guildâs official notice to collect the reward money, Ian visited the guild the following day and was able to receive the City Councilâs reward through a very simple procedure.
Had they been a high-ranking, famous mercenary group, they might have been invited to a victory event attended by the mayor and council members, but...
The Ian Mercenary Group was still an unknown D-rank group.
They likely lacked various qualifications to participate in such an event.
"Alright, the Ian Mercenary Group is over here."
Ian took the pen and signed the documents.
Naturally, it couldnât be compared to the amount settled as a distribution, but considering it was just a reward, it was a decent bonus.
"Then weâll skip the ceremony.... Here is the reward money. Check it."
What Ian received was a reward that the City Council had delivered to the Mercenary Guild in bulk.
Since the council couldnât inspect and commend every mercenary group individually, it was a budget provided with the intent that the guild should select and distribute it as they saw fit.
According to formal procedures, the Mercenary Guild should have held an award ceremony and conducted its own event, but...
It was already a busy time with various tasks to handle.
There was no staff member who wanted to waste time on such useless things, nor a mercenary who particularly wanted to attend such a bothersome event in this guild.
Letâs just pretend we did it and take the gold.
Under that mutual implicit agreement, Ian was able to simply sign and receive the pouch of gold coins.
"Itâs correct."
When Ian checked the contents and nodded, the investigator left his final signature and closed the file.
"By the way. There are quite a few requests addressed to you. Are you aware?"
"Requests?"
"Since you havenât opened a line of communication at the counter, theyâre flying in from all over asking me to mediate."
They likely submitted proposals through the guildâs counter, but since Ian hadnât accepted any such contacts.
They must have eventually had no choice but to ask someone within the guild.
"There were also hiring proposals from the Defense Force side..."
He picked up the letters on his desk and fluttered them.
"Thereâs even a place that wants to acquire your group as a subsidiary mercenary group. If youâre interested, Iâll connect you."
"Iâm not interested."
"I thought so. Even in my eyes, it looks like your value could double. Youâll be promoted soon, after all."
The investigator nodded as he spoke.
Promotion...
He had no intention of selling the mercenary group, but hearing about the promotion made Ian fall into a bit of deep thought.
The time to prepare for promotion was slowly approaching.
* * *
Thanks to all the useless procedures being skipped, Ian simply received the reward and walked down the stairs.
Ian looked around at the first floor of the guild, which he hadnât seen in a while.
Recently, he hadnât been able to visit the guild for quite a long time because he was handling work at the base.
The task of moving supplies from the underground waterway was almost finished.
Since most of the organization of the base was also completed...
Should I start looking for the next job?
With that thought, Ianâs gaze shifted toward the mission board.
Ian, who intended to check the remaining long-term missions, discovered a familiar face talking to someone in a corner.
A tall mercenary with rough, spiked blonde hair tied back carelessly.
Almost at the same time Ian discovered Rebecca, Rebecca also noticed Ian and their eyes met.
Since Rebecca was in the middle of talking to someone else, Ian intended to just give a casual hand wave and pass by.
However, Rebecca, whose eyes had met his, waved her hand toward Ian first.
"Yo. Hey there."
Since it seemed Rebecca had something to say to him, Ian approached Rebecca, who was waving at him.
"Hello, Ms. Rebecca."
"I heard the rumors. Youâre doing well lately, arenât you?"
"Thanks to you."
Ianâs gaze naturally drifted toward the person Rebecca was talking to.
Rebecca was in the middle of a conversation with a mercenary Ian had never seen before.
Red hair, and an impression that looked a bit sharp.
Seeing the well-equipped gear, she seemed to be a mercenary of a reasonably high level.
Given that her appearance didnât trigger any memories, she likely wasnât a guild employee or an important NPC. She was probably just an ordinary mercenary.
Perhaps because Rebecca acknowledged him first, that person also seemed to show a bit of interest in Ian.
Seeing the two exchange glances, Rebecca stepped in and introduced them to each other.
"This girl is Lia. Sheâs a C-rank mercenary."
Rebecca, who introduced the mercenary named Lia first, then pointed at Ian and introduced him to Lia.
"This is Captain Ian of the Ian Mercenary Group. Heâs D-rank now, but heâll be moving up to C-rank soon."
D-rank?
There was no verbal response, but Ian felt that murmur in Liaâs gaze.
Lia, who seemed to show a bit of interest for a moment, appeared to lose interest instantly upon hearing he was D-rank.
However, whether she didnât notice that strangely chilly atmosphere.
Or if she knew and was just ignoring it...
Rebecca seemed to want to encourage the two to keep talking.
Ian and Lia.
Rebecca, who was glancing back and forth between the two while thinking of something, nodded as if a good idea had struck her and said.
"Captain Ian, arenât you looking for more recruits?"
"It is about time I got some."
"How about this one? Lia doesnât have a mercenary group right now."
"...Wait a minute, Ms. Rebecca. Iâm not interested yet."
When she tried to connect her with Ian, the mercenary named Lia eventually spoke to Rebecca without hiding her discomfort.
"Is it because of the D-rank? The future is really bright here. Itâll be to your advantage to join in advance, you know?"
"I appreciate it, but Iâll find a mercenary group on my own."
Having said that, Lia gave a slight nod of greeting to Rebecca.
Without even giving Ian a glance, she turned around and left the guild.
Watching Liaâs back as she left without listening further, Rebecca grinned toward Ian and spoke.
"Sorry. That one, her skills are decent, but sheâs got absolutely no manners."
Rebecca shook her head while watching Liaâs retreating figure.
Ian asked about the mercenary named Lia who had just left.
"Did you say she has no affiliation right now?"
"Ah, yeah. Well, itâs not like she caused any trouble."
Since it was another mercenaryâs past, Rebecca hesitated for a moment whether to tell him or not, then lowered her voice slightly and spoke to Ian.
"A while back.... I taught her a bit about how to fight. Since she was a rookie overflowing with motivation."
Not that she was exactly a disciple, though.
Recalling things from a while ago, Rebecca muttered with an awkward laugh.
"But she has talent. She learned too well."
Rebecca likely intended to only teach her a bit of how to fight...
But Lia, who received the teaching, grew so rapidly that she reached a level where no one in her mercenary group could keep up.
To the point where the original mercenary group could no longer hold her.
"So thatâs why she left?"
"Yeah. Thatâs better for both sides, after all."
Whether it was Lia intentionally matching the level of the mercenary group, or the mercenary group taking on unreasonable missions by relying on Liaâs skills, there was nothing good in it for either of them.
A mercenary group and a mercenary whose levels no longer matched would eventually have had no choice but to part ways.
"But she hasnât been able to find a new group for months. She says thereâs nowhere she likes."
"You seem to be quite concerned about her."
"Itâs because itâs a waste. Her skills are good but.... Good grief, as if sheâs in any position to be picky about which group to go to."
Ultimately, Lia still hadnât joined a mercenary group and was currently active by joining requests that urgently needed extra personnel as a short-term hire.
Was it because she was a mercenary she had taught, even if only a little?
Rebecca seemed to want to find a good place for Liaâs next mercenary group no matter what.
Rebecca, perhaps wanting something.
Kept sending a peculiar gaze toward Ian.
"It would be perfect if she entered Captain Ianâs place. She could get some etiquette training too."
"We donât do that kind of training."
"Sheâll learn something just by being nearby."
Rebecca recalled the members of the Ian Mercenary Group she had met before.
If her personality were even half as good as theirs, there would be nothing to worry about in the future.
"Iâm not just saying this.... It wouldnât be a bad deal, would it?"
While receiving Rebeccaâs subtle suggestion, Ian also recalled Liaâs stats he had briefly checked just a moment ago.
Certainly.
If he could recruit her in the current situation, she was a member who would be significantly helpful.
They were still a D-rank mercenary group, but as Rebecca said, it wouldnât take that long to promote to C-rank.
If he could recruit a C-rank member in advance, even if it was a bit of a stretch, it would be a huge help.
Unlike the E-rank mercenaries scattered around the recruitment centers, there werenât many paths to actually hire mercenaries above C-rank.
However, unlike low-level mercenaries where giving money was enough, these kinds of mercenaries required satisfying somewhat tricky hiring conditions.
In a case like Lia just now, she would likely demand high fame or traits like [Chivalry].
It was a typical characteristic of mercenaries with high-pride personalities.
When Ian was lost in thought without flatly refusing, Rebecca, thinking he had become interested, whispered softly in Ianâs ear.
"That girl, sheâs staying at the Starfall Inn. If youâre interested, go find her."
"...Is it okay for you to just tell me that?"
"Say you ran into her by chance while passing by. Donât say I told you."
If you say you saw her by chance on the street, whatâs she going to do about it?
Rebecca gave a smirk like that and tapped Ian on the back as if to say âgood luck.â
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Name: Lia
Level: 24
Affiliation: None
Traits:
[Physical Augmentation C] [Swordsmanship B] [Intuition E] [Steel Cleaver]
[Attack Power Increase B] [Weapon Mana Infusion D] [Fire Affinity E] [Confectionery D]
[Pride] [Exhibitionism] [Masochism]
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