Chapter 21

　　So he wasn’t leading a faction for nothing. Sure, an ordinary mage usually preferred the comfort of a group and the royal treatment that came with it, but they didn’t step up to lead an organization themselves.

　　Yet Cadel had become the captain of a mercenary group by his own will. He handled a highly capable warrior, a man who could easily become a double-edged sword, as effortlessly as a ball in his hand, and threw himself into a highly dangerous incident without a second thought for his own safety. All solely to raise his mercenary group’s name. Every single one of his actions was the exact opposite of an ordinary mage’s disposition.

　　The mages Lumen knew were passive in both relationships and combat. Those who occasionally wielded bold magic usually had such shitty personalities that few stuck around them. They were a breed that found it easier to follow orders than to achieve anything on their own. The epitome of passivity, really. Regardless, they were nothing like Cadel.

　　The breathtakingly magnificent magic he had displayed. His bizarrely accurate intelligence on the enemy they faced. Even his sheer determination to immediately pivot to a backup plan when the first one failed.

　　Honestly, Lumen wanted him. If Cadel hadn’t been the captain, Lumen would have gladly pulled him into his own faction right then and there.

　　It’s a shame.

　　It truly was a shame. If only Cadel were leading a proper knight order. If he had been, Lumen might have actually considered bowing his head to him.

* * *

　　[Knight Lumen Dominic’s Affinity has increased by 10.]

　　[Current Affinity: 15/100]

　　Hmm?

　　Cadel’s face fell into a foolish expression when the affinity window popped up out of nowhere.

　　What’s going on?

　　Even when he looked at the system window again, Lumen Dominic’s affinity had definitely increased. Why? Just a moment ago, Lumen had been talking to Van. And it was mostly Van giving a one-sided apology while Lumen practically begged him to stop. So why would Lumen’s affinity suddenly go up?

　　Beyond baffled, Cadel turned around to look for Lumen. However.

　　“…Lumen?”

　　Lumen, who should have been following right behind them, was nowhere to be seen.

　　Cadel stopped and quickly scanned his surroundings. But Lumen’s presence couldn’t be felt anywhere in the pitch-black forest.

　　“Lumen! Where are you?”

　　He called out loudly, but there was no answer. Beside a flustered Cadel, Van clicked his tongue as if he had expected this.

　　“He looked like an idiot anyway, Captain. He must have gotten lost.”

　　“No, we’re walking this slowly and he lost us? Could there still be remnants of the demons left…?”

　　Right as he bit his lip, seized by an ominous premonition—

　　With a loud crack of snapping wood, the violent rustling of leaves crashed over them from all sides like a massive wave. There was no time to assess the situation.

　　“Captain!”

　　He blinked once, and saw Van’s face as the knight tackled him. He blinked twice, and felt the dull impact of rolling across the ground. He blinked a third time, and…

　　[Knight Lumen Dominic has left the mercenary group.]

　　[You have lost the Knight Lumen Dominic.]

　　“…What?”

　　It was the most absurd notification he had seen since possessing this body.

　　“Are you hurt? Are you hurt anywhere, Captain?!”

　　Cadel, staring blankly at the system window, belatedly snapped back to his senses. He was sprawled on the ground, wrapped in Van’s arms. Van frantically checked Cadel’s face over and over to ensure he was truly uninjured before finally getting up. Cadel took Van’s outstretched hand and slowly rose to his feet.

　　He was still dazed. Was it because he had let his guard down, thinking everything was over? Nonsensical events kept happening one after another, leaving his mind hazy as if he were in a dream.

　　He only managed to scrape his thoughts together and face reality when he noticed the sight unfolding over Van’s shoulder. At the disastrous scene, a hollow laugh finally escaped Cadel’s lips.

　　“How on earth did this many trees… Look at the cross-sections, Captain. This could only have been done intentionally.”

　　He agreed. Before his eyes, seven diagonally severed tree trunks were piled up, having fallen precisely toward where he and Van had been standing. If Van hadn’t tackled him and rolled away, he would have been crushed instantly. Even if he had luckily survived, he would have been crippled.

　　His breathing came out ragged. Cadel forced himself to steady it and placed a hand on Van’s back.

　　“Van. The female believer?”

　　“Ah…! I-I’m sorry, Captain. I forgot I was carrying her…”

　　He couldn’t scold him. Van had only thrown himself to protect his captain. No, there was no reason to scold him anyway. Cadel pulled his hand away from Van’s back and clenched his fists. It had been a long time since he’d been so pissed off that the back of his neck throbbed.

　　Perhaps misunderstanding Cadel’s icy expression, Van’s eyes drooped pitifully.

　　“I should have been more careful. To think I killed the believer we worked so hard to save…”

　　“No. That bastard stole her.”

　　“…Excuse me?”

　　“That bastard Lumen took the female believer and ran.”

　　Cadel forced down his temper with great difficulty and flashed a strained smile. Understanding the implication a beat later, Van quietly covered his mouth.

　　Lumen Dominic. He hadn’t trusted the man from the start, but he didn’t want to bring that up now and further sour his captain’s mood. Van remained silent, stealthily studying Cadel’s reaction.

　　If Lumen had stolen the believer, his intention was clear. Just as he had originally planned, he would go to the temple and claim that subjugating the Witch was entirely his own achievement. Without any means to refute that claim, all the rewards would go to Lumen. And as far as Van knew, they had no other proof besides that female believer.

　　“Haha…”

　　Through the clearing left by the felled trees, Cadel’s hollow laughter echoed powerlessly.

* * *

　　Should I be happy about this, or pissed off?

　　Two days later.

　　Cadel sat in the tavern ‘Emily’s Hood’, downing glass after glass as his insides burned with frustration. Sitting across from him, Van seemed to have given up on stopping Cadel’s drinking and quietly pushed a plate of snacks toward him.

　　“I heard Depolo Temple officially bestowed a blessing? That’s amazing. To think the temple would bless a mere mercenary group instead of a knight order.”

　　“It might be related to those grim rumors. Why else would they suddenly bestow a blessing on a mercenary group that hasn’t done anything?”

　　Perhaps his stomach could have settled if he hadn’t heard the news. Cadel slammed his empty glass onto the table and ground his teeth.

　　What kind of twisted logic is it to hog all the rewards for himself, but still give the credit to the mercenary group he abandoned? Here’s that superficial fame you wanted, so don’t come looking for me —is that what he’s trying to say?

　　That was right. The current hot topic buzzing through the tavern, the streets, and even among the neighborhood kids running around was ‘the foreign mercenary group blessed by Depolo Temple’. And it was none other than the Red Scale Mercenaries.

　　Lumen, who had stolen the female believer and fled, had apparently secured the temple’s reward without issue. As if doing them a favor, he must have introduced himself as a member of the Red Scale Mercenaries. That was likely why the bishop had personally stepped forward to bestow the blessing. Of course, that wasn’t a bad thing in itself.

　　My reputation went up by 15 all at once. With 37 reputation, I should be able to easily recruit most low-rank knights. But…

　　He felt like shit!

　　Van reached out toward Cadel, who was grinding his teeth and trying to order another drink. His distressed face was already on the verge of tears.

　　“Captain, please stop drinking!”

　　“I’m burning up inside, I can’t stand it!”

　　“That piece of trash has probably tripped, broken his nose, and bled to death by now! There’s no need for you to ruin your health being so angry over him, Captain.”

　　“Then some other bastard probably stole the massive pile of gold coins off his corpse! I’m so pissed!”

　　He was furious. Seriously, what kind of knight raised his affinity by 10 right before deserting? They had fought together right up until the end, and the guy even owed Cadel his life!

　　Cadel still couldn’t forget Van’s empty back and those seven felled trees. In fact, every time the memory resurfaced periodically he wanted to beat his chest in frustration.

　　Shouldn’t he have at least given me a chance to raise his loyalty?! Sure, I thought he accepted joining a bit too easily for a guy with 5 loyalty, but did he really have to pull a hit-and-run so ruthlessly?

　　If Lumen had just waited a little longer, Cadel could have bought him good weapons, fitted him with armor, shown him trust, and built a friendly relationship. Was it the regret of being just one step too late? Shaking off Van’s attempts to stop him, Cadel stubbornly ordered another drink. He was so pissed off that instead of getting drunk, his anger only flared higher.

　　Van sighed as he watched his captain huffing and puffing in rage. If he had his way, he would track down that rotten bastard right now and tear him limb from limb. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave, knowing Cadel would drink himself into a stupor in his absence. He grabbed Cadel’s arm just as the mage tilted his empty glass all the way back, trying to pour out one last drop, and spoke.

　　“Don’t be too upset. If we leave for another town, we won’t have to hear about that traitor anymore, and we’ll be able to take on new requests.”

　　“Leave? Who said anything about leaving?”

　　Cadel shook off Van’s hand and glared at him out of the corner of his eye.

　　“Don’t tell me you’re planning to track that bastard down—”

　　“As if I’d do that for him!”

　　“Then there’s no reason to stay, is there?”

　　No reason to stay? On the contrary, there were too many reasons, and that was the problem.

　　In the game, before proceeding to the next main quest, sub-quests for sufficient leveling would usually appear, giving the player an opportunity to stay in the area. Back in Vils Village, they had been forced to flee unexpectedly because of Viscount Stra, which was the only reason they couldn’t stay and take on requests there.

　　But the situation was different now. Since the temple had officially classified their mercenary group as a trusted faction, their prospects here were actually quite promising. Finding it humiliating to even view the situation Lumen had created as ‘promising,’ Cadel scowled deeply and snapped.

　　“We’ll have a reason to visit the temple again soon. And when we do, I’m making damn sure we secure our piece of the pie.”