by Funa
“Gyaaaaaaaah!!!”
The next morning, screams rang throughout the bedrooms of the palace, and in the homes of the nobles all around.
***
“Previously, I indicated that we would be invading the kingdom of Marlane by crossing the border at the forest. However, I have decided to put that plan on hold. I have judged that our land is not yet sufficiently prepared to enact such a plan.”
The king seemed somehow disturbed as he gave his statement, and the ambiguous expression upon his face suggested there was something he could not say. But for some reason, all of the ministers and upper-ranking officers in the conference room seemed to have no reaction to this, only nodding silently. Though there were a few who had initially dissented against the king’s sudden declaration of war against their neighbors, most of them stood to gain from it. So why did none of them object to this equally sudden change of plans?
A portion of those in attendance found the king’s change of heart peculiar. But, they thought, if the bulk of the most powerful higher-ups and the king himself were in agreement, then any objections they might have were meaningless. If they spoke up, they’d just get labeled as an opponent of these important people.
Thus, the plan for the forest invasion was scrapped, and the conscription of peasants, along with the recruitment of mercenaries, hunters, and thugs was halted. Naturally, the peasants were overjoyed. The mercenaries, having accepted contracts through their guild, were entitled to penalty pay for breach of contract, but the hunters and the local thugs, who had taken their jobs on independently, had their contracts unilaterally abolished without a single copper in compensation… On top of which they became the laughingstock of their colleagues, who had told them not to bother with such jobs in the first place.
And so, the upper brass of the kingdom lost all interest in invading the kingdom of Marlane through this route…for the time being, at least.
Mile’s speech to the commander had specifically concerned the destruction of the forest. Ostensibly, what had angered “Visibiel” was that the forest was being destroyed—not the possibility of one country invading another, or other such conflicts between men. All the Crimson Vow cared about was not causing trouble for the people of Mafan. They owed no loyalty to Marlane as a whole, and sweeping demands such as, “You may never invade any other countries ever,” was sure to see the terms of their agreement broken—sooner rather than later. By setting a smaller goal of the forest not being interfered with, they improved the chances that their terms might be upheld indefinitely. There were plenty of other routes for soldiers to take across the border, after all.
In the morning, after hearing all about Mile’s covert operation (from a slightly peevish Mile), the members of the Crimson Vow decided to pack up, leave the inn, and move on to another town at once. While all their loose ends had been tied up for now, the royals and nobles were still in a tizzy about a number of things, and the atmosphere of the capital itself was not ideal. The prominent merchants who’d lost money from the proceedings, the more middling merchants who had hoped to benefit from the leftovers, and the mercenary bands and thugs were becoming brazen in their lobbying of the officials, with those in weaker bargaining positions resorting to more outrageous acts to voice their discontent.
Most importantly, however, the Crimson Vow worried about what might happen if Mile were to be active in the capital. No matter how drastically she had changed the color of her hair and eyes, she had still shown her face plainly to the king. The chances of an average C-rank hunter getting to meet a king were almost zilch, but one never knew what might happen. The king might decide to leave the palace and happen to spy her from the window of his carriage or something. The other hunters had urged them to move on from the get-go, so there was nothing wrong with leaving before taking on any proper jobs.
And so, the Crimson Vow left their inn fairly late. After a slightly early lunch, they stopped by the guild branch to find that the recruitment notice from the palace had been torn down and replaced with a notice that recruitment was being halted. They heard from a well-informed hunter that the conscription notices sent out to the peasants had been rescinded—and with that, the Crimson Vow said their goodbyes to the Guild staff and the assembled hunters, safely leaving the capital behind.
Chapter 74:
Getting Stronger
“What? You say the neighboring country has stopped their operation?”
Rumors had been flying at both the military barracks and the Hunters’ Guild in the town of Mafan. They had been hard at work, bribing the Hunters’ and Mercenaries’ Guilds of not only the towns closest to the border, but even the country’s capital, along with some ordinary citizens—all for the sake of gathering information. Of course, there was no way that they could obtain a complete report on anything bigger than a mid-sized operation, but any reports at all were a boon.
Low-ranking soldiers, villagers, and thugs—the types who did not recognize the importance of information—were liable to talk their heads off. The transport of supplies and mobilization of troops was easily spotted, and the solitary messengers that carried messages over long distances traveled much quicker than
any troops, making it easy to eavesdrop on relevant information with so many such individuals in your pay. Their enemies might have maintained the element of surprise if they could pretend they were gearing up for a normal “monster drive,” but judging by the scale of the military mobilization, and the number of peasants who were being conscripted, the people of Mafan could tell that they intended more than just simple harassment this time.
“I was worried whether we’d be able to hold out until the reinforcements got here, but… Well, if that’s true, we gotta get out a messenger right away! We were wrong to call for mobilizing that many troops—we have to call it off right now! If we have to pay expenses, rewards, and apology gifts to each of the lords’ militaries, we’ll all go bankrupt! Hurry up! Get all the information you can!”
Compared to what would happen if a true war were to break out, this was a relief. The best outcome here would be to end this safely and without wasting money.
So thought the lord of these lands, dispatching messengers to gather information as quickly as possible.
***
“We’re pretty far from the capital now. I think we should probably be all right,” Reina muttered.
“Yes,” Pauline agreed. “I think we’re far enough to be safe. I’m pretty sure that word of what Mile did probably won’t get around much, either…”
For the past few days, the Crimson Vow had marched on, sleeping in the open to prioritize getting as far as possible as quickly as possible. As a result, though they had yet to make it over the border, they were already a great distance from the capital. They decided it was time to stop in at the next town and see what intel they could gather at the local guildhall.
“There’s nothing!”
There were no interesting jobs, no lucrative jobs, and no jobs that would provide them with good experience. This was, of course, normal. If any jobs like that cropped up in a little town like this, they would be snatched up by the local parties.
“I guess we’ll just stay here tonight and then head on to the next town.”
If they were going to kick up their feet for a while, it would be better to do it in a bigger town. The other three nodded in agreement with Mavis’s suggestion.
“…Huh?”
As they left the guildhall and walked down the main road in search of an inn, a particular signboard caught Mavis’s eye:
Sword lessons. Observers welcome. Short-term drill sessions also available. Former knight of the Imperial Guard, Ladimarl.
“…”
“……”
“………”
“Okay, okay! You wanna go, so let’s go!” Reina sighed in resignation, seeing how Mavis stared at the sign, not moving a muscle.
“Mrnn…”
The four members of the Crimson Vow sat in the corner
of a training hall, observing the sword instructor’s lessons. Every now and then, Mavis grunted.
“All right! What is it?” asked Reina.
Clearly deeply moved, Mavis replied, “He is certainly someone worthy of his former title. His skill and his methods of instruction are exceptional. My father and older brothers are very skilled, but they’d prioritized the pursuit of their own goals, so none of them were very good at teaching. Plus, I was just a little girl back then. Now that I think about it, they probably treated sparring with a child as a game. I can’t really say that I ‘learned the art of the sword’ from them.”
Mile and the others would never think such a thing, but as Mavis observed the swordsmanship and teaching acumen of this former knight of the Imperial Guard, she suddenly felt that her own skill with a sword was little better than that of an amateur.
She gazed fixedly upon the former knight’s demonstrations, her eyes alight.
Ah, she’s hooked! thought the other three.
Anyone with sufficient drive and the slightest bit of discernment would want to learn from this man. It was probably his confidence in this fact that had lead him to allow observers into his classes. And it was for the sake of those who were unable to study under him for long periods that he offered “short term focus sessions.”
“The fee’s gonna be super expensive!!!” Pauline groused, but even she knew that Mavis improving her skills would be beneficial for the whole party. “Fine! We’ll pay the fee out of the party bank!!!”
Hearing this, the receptionist, a refined older woman, gave a satisfied smile. More than likely, she was the instructor’s wife.
“That will be three half-gold a day for each of the two swordfighters.”
“Whoa! That’s expensive!!!” all four hunters reflexively replied. The woman only smiled and asked, “Do you realize the value of being able to say that you’ve received instruction from a former knight of the Imperial Guard—without being a formal pupil? Are you aware of the kind of money and connections normally involved in obtaining the tutelage of such a person?”Even Pauline was wondering if this might actually be a bargain. The instructor had to be a good-natured man. He could have easily found employment as the teacher for the children of any noble, and yet here he was, teaching commoners in a place like this for just three half-gold…
“But he teaches more than ten people at once! And he has the pupils spar against each other while he just sits back to watch! These lessons are only two, three hours tops, so if he runs two groups of students a day, that’s over sixty half-gold!!!”
As Mile did the math, the woman averted her gaze.
“He’s making a killing!!!” shouted the other three, and throughout the hall, the students engaged in their sparring bouts all suddenly froze.
“Is that so…?”
After the incident in the hall, the woman explained to the Crimson Vow that there were various tiers of training fees, and there was a big difference between the tuition for beginners and most experienced folks. For penniless commoners, orphans, and the like, they charged only a nominal fee—and after the lessons were through, they even provided them with meals. If they did not collect the bulk of their fees from those who could afford to pay them, they would not be able to continue serving the poorer ones as well. Satisfied with this explanation, the members of the Crimson Vow had no choice but to accept.
The woman, who had initially thought that both Mavis and Mile would be taking lessons, was a bit disappointed to learn that her expected revenue would be halved. She strongly urged Mile to take lessons as well, but Mile told her that despite her gear, she was primarily a mage. Moreover, Mile claimed, despite studying the sword for over a year and a half at the academy, she still had yet to grasp even the basics, so studying for just a few days now would do her no good. Although the woman looked regretful, she seemed to give up.
“Well, I guess while Mavis is taking lessons for the next few days, the rest of us can go do a few jobs or just kick back for a bit…” said Reina.
The receptionist interrupted her train of thought: “I should let you know that in a town two days’ walk from here, there’s a place where you can receive magical instruction from a former court mage. What do you three think of training over there? He allows observation and offers short-term focus sessions as well.”
“Huh?” asked the three in perfect unison. As fellow party members, they had a way of reacting in sync.
“Are they some kind of affiliate?” asked Mile.
The woman answered without a hint of hesitation. “We have no direct affiliation, though the master there was a friend of our master here back during his years of service at the palace. Plus, any student who carries a letter of referral from us receives a five percent discount on their tuition. And we receive fifteen percent of their tuition fee.”
“We figured it would be something like that!!!”
In the end, the three other members of the Crimson Vow headed out of town, leaving Mavis. Much as they might gripe, they were all curious to see what kind of power and teaching style this former court magician possessed.
Before they departed, Mile had insisted to Mavis again and again, “If anything happens, please call us right away!” That being said, the town seemed relatively orderly, and it was hard to imagine that anyone would bother Mavis, a hunter armed with a sword. The town that the trio was traveling to was only two days away, and there had not been talk of any bandits appearing in the area for several years at least. Perhaps, they theorized, the towns were a little too close to each other to provide adequately lucrative hunting grounds for brigands. An extermination force would be quick to appear from either side.
Mavis’s short-term lessons were to run for the next five days, though she could extend her stay as much as she wanted. The idea was that this period would be long enough for her to be made aware of her own power and her own current shortcomings. Afterwards, she could take her time training in the particular areas where she stood to grow the most—under Mile’s capable supervision.
For his part, the sword master was thrilled. Not only was he happy to find a customer with a bit of money, but it had been ages since he had had a pupil of such promise, one who showed potential even after a short trial. His short-term students were usually self-taught, with absolutely vulgar technique.
Plus, she was a young beauty, with a prim and tidy appearance—in terms of attracting other customers, her presence was priceless. And then there was the fact that, if the three other girls went to the mage’s place, the swordsman would get a cut of the three half-gold tuition for three people over several days. If things went well, they might get six or seven, even ten or more half-gold.
The looks of satisfaction upon the faces of the master and his wife were only inevitable.
***
“Godspeed Blade!”
Smack!
“Gah!”
“That’s enough!”
Mavis stepped down as her sparring bout with one of the senior disciples came to a close.
Here in the training hall, there was a clear distinction between true disciples, and the short-term customers, the latter being referred to only as “students.” The students would leave once they were through and have nothing to do with the school again. As such, they were not deserving of the name of “disciple.” Similarly, the disciples referred to their primary instructor as “Master” rather than as “Teacher” as a way of separating themselves from their fellow students. Certainly, the short-term students would never refer to the disciples as their fellows.
However, for some reason, Mavis was being treated as a disciple by the end of the first day’s training and so was permitted to refer to the other disciples as her seniors. None of the disciples seemed unhappy about this and in fact doted on Mavis, their little junior.
Mavis, entering into this world for the first time in her life, was overjoyed.
My seniors! Brethren, walking the path of the sword together!!!
Meanw
hile…
A young, beautiful lady! She’s elegant, and judging by the worldly topics and martial matters she speaks about, she’s clearly from a well-off noble family. She’s honest and good-natured. This is a gold digger’s paradise!!! So thought the disciples.
She’s getting the disciples fired up, and more short-term hopefuls are going to come flocking in! thought the master. Plus, she’s a hard worker and good tempered. And though she can only maintain her concentration for a short while, she has that tremendous “Godspeed Blade” technique, which allows her to make rapid, continued strikes. It’s a shame that she’s only enrolled short-term! She is in the middle of a journey with her allies, though, so I suppose there’s nothing to be done for it.
She is chivalrous, the sort of person who would never sully her hands with foul deeds. I’m certain that one day she will grow into someone truly splendid and find herself wedded to a person of great status. If I can advertise the fact that she was my disciple, when that happens…
Everyone had their own way of looking at the situation, but as long as none of them were in direct conflict, everyone was happy, and that was fine.
“Master, roughly how strong do you think I am compared to other hunters?” asked Mavis after their lessons.
Master Ladimarl, the instructor, stroked his beard, mulling over the very straightforward question before finally issuing his reply. “Hmm… In standard terms, I would say you’re in about the top twenty percent of C-rank hunters. You told me that you learned from your father and older brothers, but you’re also earnest and disciplined. You haven’t any bad habits. Most hunters are self-taught, with a wasteful, vulgar technique. Compared to them, you’re doing quite well. Also, your blade is incredibly fast.
“However, though your strength and endurance is impressive for a lady, you still have a woman’s slight frame, without the sort of musculature that female rogues carry. Considering those setbacks, you’re not quite at B-rank, though your speed is good… That said, when you use that ‘Godspeed Blade’ of yours, I think you could rival any B-ranker. If you were to rattle them enough, or strike them while they were down, you might even have a chance against a lower A-rank hunter. It pains me that you cannot stay on for very long, but I will say that I rarely get to spar one-on-one with a student for such an impressive length of time.”