The Second Race War, which erupted in the year 744 of the Sedes Calendar, lasted for several decades.

When a war drags on, it devastates lives.

War creates refugees who lose their homes, and those who should be working for a living end up on the battlefield.

With fewer workers, production decreases, and as production declines, so do taxes.

A dwindling number of soldiers and knights protecting cities also became a significant issue.

When the basic promise of “pay taxes in exchange for safety” was threatened, the people grew anxious.

This was when mercenaries began to rise in prominence.

Of course, mercenaries had existed before, but they weren’t a highly sought-after profession.

Whether it was monsters invading the city or demons appearing nearby, soldiers and knights were usually enough to handle it. So, mercenaries were more like seasonal workers, picking up odd jobs for others during downtime.

But as soldiers and knights weakened, people began using their taxes to hire mercenaries, and eventually, some people made mercenary work their primary occupation.

Those who bonded well with others formed parties, and as party numbers grew or multiple parties banded together, they formed mercenary guilds.

And during the Second Race War, there was one mercenary guild that became particularly renowned…

“…That’s how the ‘Liberty Mercenary Guild,’ the predecessor of the Free Mercenary City of Riverie, was founded.”

Journey chattered excitedly after they arrived in Riverie. Being in the mercenaries' stronghold seemed to make her more excited than usual.

She must have felt compelled to share Riverie’s history in Granik, a language she wasn’t fluent in, because of that enthusiasm.

But…

“I already know.”

“Oh, um, really?”

It turned out to be unnecessary trouble.

Even though I’m not particularly interested in history, I knew about the founding of Riverie—mostly because someone else had been talking about it next to me before Journey.

As Journey explained, the Free Mercenary City began as a single guild.

As the guild grew more influential, more people stopped paying taxes, which understandably didn’t sit well with the lords who collected them.

This led to a clash between the guild and the existing ruling class, and the result was Riverie, the Free Mercenary City.

So Riverie was originally the name of a mercenary guild, the name of the city, and also the name of the organization to which the mercenaries belonged.

I scanned the city with my eyes hidden under my hood.

Though I had heard about Riverie a lot, it was my first time actually seeing it, and the city was impressively large.

It wasn’t as grand as the capital of Grassis, but it felt much bigger than most cities, certainly bigger than Ordo.

‘Well…’

It used to be the capital of a small kingdom, so it made sense.

“How long do you plan to stay in Riverie?”

“I don’t know.”

I didn’t mind heading straight for the Sacred Nation, but Journey, who asked the question, didn’t seem to want that.

“Then, can we stay here for a few days?”

She persuaded me with various reasons, saying that while it’s good to hurry, rest is important, and we might as well sightsee since we’re here.

“Not too long, just four days, no—three days! Please?”

“Okay.”

“You’re really saying no to even three days? Then, um… Wait, did you just say okay?”

“Yeah.”

I did want to ask Edel a few things, but it wasn’t urgent, so there was no need to rush.

More importantly, I’m used to living out of wagons or on horseback for days, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy it.

Journey’s face lit up at my answer.

“Really? No take-backs? You’re not going to suddenly want to leave tomorrow, are you?”

“We could just leave today.”

“Oh, stop it!”

Journey playfully grabbed my hand and started leading me around.

She walked through the streets with a confident stride, as if she were quite familiar with Riverie.

“Where are we going?”

“To Riverie’s headquarters! Since I haven’t been here in a while, I wanted to report my progress and show you the headquarters.”

“Are you sure I can go?”

“As long as it’s not a restricted area, it should be fine. We’re only going to, um… the reception area! They handle requests and contracts there, so it’s open to the public.”

Well then.

As we made our way through the crowd, the massive castle that had been visible in the distance loomed closer.

Not only did they take over the capital of a kingdom, but they kept the castle intact to use as their headquarters.

If any royals of the fallen kingdom saw this, they might weep blood.

It’s better than some countries that were left with nothing but rubble.

Riverie’s headquarters was bustling, as one might expect of a place known far and wide.

There were the usual apostles but also many regular mercenaries.

Noticing me observing the surroundings, Journey crouched down to meet my eyes.

“Are you interested in becoming a mercenary? Maybe you want to join?”

“No.”

“Why? If it were you, you’d receive excellent treatment.”

“I don’t want to.”

I’d probably be well-compensated, but what use is that if I don’t want it?

If I needed money, I might have considered it, but I’d always made money without spending much.

Garid often nagged me to spend some.

When I did spend, it was mostly on food, but that didn’t put a dent in the money I made as a commander.

The royals were like annoying mosquitoes, but they paid me well.

I could thank his influence for that.

“…”

Thinking of the face I’d tried to forget put me in a bad mood.

Even Garid, who usually brushed things off, had been oddly uneasy around him.

I might dislike him, but objectively, he was one of the few royals with some sanity.

When I asked Garid why he disliked him, he never told me.

‘If you really want to know, try a bit of flattery. Then maybe I’ll tell you.’

“…”

He’d said that, but I wasn’t so curious to actually go that far.

Anyway, I neither crave fame nor need money, so I have no reason to be a mercenary.

And I don’t have a particularly good impression of Riverie either.

Journey seemed to have only casually suggested it, as she didn’t seem too disappointed by my refusal.

Looking at the line at the reception, Journey spoke in a somewhat apologetic tone.

“Looks like this might take a while… Kana, do you want to look around on your own? I’ll come find you once I’m done.”

“You’ll find me?”

We hadn’t set a specific meeting place, so how would she find me?

Journey pointed around us, and I nodded.

There’s no way I wouldn’t be found.

I’m not some monkey in a cage, so why are they looking at me like that?

The apostles watching me whispered, drawing curious gazes from other mercenaries wondering what was going on.

People drew more people, creating a cycle that could go on forever.

“Alright.”

They’d probably follow me wherever I went, but it was better than standing around as a spectacle.

Leaving Journey behind, I began exploring Riverie’s headquarters.

Antique interiors mixed with rough mercenaries.

It was an odd combination.

As I wandered, mercenaries occasionally blocked my path.

“This area is restricted. Show proof if you’re authorized.”

Even if I couldn’t understand the words, the gesture and stern tone were clear enough.

Whenever that happened, I’d turn away without hesitation.

If they say not to enter, I won’t.

If there’s no need to insist, why bother?

While I toured the castle, sightseeing and dodging spectators, I perked up at the sound of…

“…”

“Ha! Swing faster, faster!”

…a distant shout and the dull clang of metal.

Drawn by the noise, I made my way toward it.

The closer I got, the clearer the sounds became.

The source was a courtyard attached to the castle.

Before Riverie took it, it might have been used for plants, but now it was a training ground for mercenaries.

Some were beating on wooden or straw dummies, others sparring with weapons.

Among the training mercenaries, I noticed a few apostles.

I hadn’t expected them to be training like this.

‘That’s surprising.’

Their skills might be lacking, but their dedication is commendable.

It seemed the solo trainers were beginners, while those sparring were slightly more advanced.

And the ones with instructors were likely the most skilled.

I didn’t expect a place like this to be training people systematically.

“Hmm? …Take a break!”

The instructor who’d been barking orders noticed me and raised his hand, signaling the trainees to take a break. They sighed in relief.

He approached and addressed me in a gentle tone, in stark contrast to his earlier shouting.

“What brings you here? Are you here with an older sibling?”

“I don’t know Arkish.”

I repeated one of the first phrases I’d learned from Journey, and the instructor scratched his head.

“Hmm, a lost child? This is tricky…”

“…”

“It’d be dangerous if a stray weapon hit you by accident.”

The instructor, who’d been stroking his prickly beard in thought, gestured for me to follow.

If it were a general gesture, that probably meant “come along.”

I didn’t know where we were going, but I quietly followed him.

The instructor stopped in front of a door near the training grounds and knocked.

Knock, knock.

“Captain, may I come in?”

“Yes, come in.”

I followed him into what appeared to be an office.

A man sat behind a large desk, surrounded by paperwork.

“What’s going on?”

“I found a lost child. She seems to have lost her guardian, and it’d be dangerous to leave her in the training yard, so I brought her here.”

“I see.”

The man looked up from his paperwork.

Though his face showed signs of age, his good looks hadn’t faded.

In his youth, he must have turned quite a few heads.

And I knew his name.

“Aeron.”

His blue-tinged eyes met mine.

Confusion, surprise, disbelief.

In an instant, Aeron’s eyes went through three different emotions before settling into shock.

“No way, is it really…?”

“…Captain’s daughter?”

“…Daughter, huh.”

Aeron stopped his shock to give a bitter smile.

By then, he’d already risen from his seat.

“I’ll take it from here. You’re dismissed.”

“Yes, sir…!”

Once the instructor closed the door behind him, silence filled the room.

He was almost certain, but a sliver of doubt remained on Aeron’s face.

To help him out, I pulled down my hood.

My pink hair, concealed by the hood, tumbled down softly.

“It’s been a while, Deputy.”

“No, I…!”

Meeting my eyes, Aeron chuckled in disbelief.

The last trace of doubt vanished from his face as he looked at me.

“It’s truly been a long time.”

After a moment of hesitation, he continued.

“…Commander.”