It did not take long. As expected of Jacksen. He had left the unit when the sun was overhead, and he returned before the sunset had even painted the land.
“That was fast.”
They had just finished a meal of pumpkin soup and well-cooked steamed pork hind leg. Rem asked as he patted his stomach. It seemed like he was teasing Jacksen about how good the meal was.
Without so much as a glance toward Rem, Jacksen looked at Enkrid and said, “I will guide you.” He was ready to depart at once.
“Sit.”
Enkrid said from his seat.
Jacksen hesitated.
He had found their location, but if time passed, they might realize they were being tailed. They might hide. Or, they could prepare for them.
Instead of hiding, wouldn't they intend to cleanly sever the threads of pursuit? That was a possibility. Was there any need to take an unnecessary risk?
If he were alone, if he were the one to make and execute the decision, these would not even be matters for consideration. All sorts of thoughts tangled in Jacksen’s mind when he heard the Squad Leader’s voice.
“The pumpkin soup here is delicious.”
Who didn’t know that? The inn’s name was ‘Vanessa’s Pumpkin Soup’. Of the four inns at the market crossroads, it had the best food.
“Krais paid for it. Let’s eat before we go.”
Only after Enkrid said it again did Jacksen sit down. For some reason, Rem, Ragna, and Audin said nothing either. Jacksen roughly brushed the snow from his shoulders and head.
The warmth of the fireplace heated the interior, and the snow melted quickly. Thanks to that, his outer clothes were a little damp. It was not unpleasant.
“Here, one portion of pumpkin soup and that barbecue we had earlier.”
“Your party has arrived! Yes!”
The waitress said in a cheerful tone. She was a lively one. Most of the men in the unit liked the pumpkin inn.
That was what having good food meant. It was a sorry thing to say to the ones in charge of cooking within the unit, but to borrow Ragna’s words, the meals in the unit were like abusing one’s mouth. Although sometimes they were edible.
That was just generally how it was. In contrast, the meals at Vanessa’s Pumpkin Soup were beyond excellent. It was a common rumor that the best cook in the Border Guard was here.
“It’s not good to waste time.”
Jacksen said as he sat in his chair. Enkrid nodded and replied.
“The snow hasn’t stopped yet.”
Did Enkrid want to do hard labor either? It was not even swordsmanship practice or physical training. To him, too, the snow was the devil’s dust.
No, everyone serving in the unit probably felt the same. If they were to strike the Thieves Guild now and return, the piled-up snow would be there to greet them. This was why Rem and the others had said nothing.
And for the same reason, Krais must have opened his purse. Jacksen understood everything.
“I see.”
After that, they focused on eating. When dusk began to creep in, Enkrid and the others finally got up from their seats.
“Let’s go.”
“Come again!”
The lively waitress said. Krais gave a slight nod. The two of them already seemed to know each other.
They had been seen whispering together a lot while they were in the inn.
“You know her?”
Enkrid asked.
“Name’s Leisa, seventeen years old, father’s a shoemaker and mother’s a weaver. Neither has ever joined a guild.”
A shoemaker was someone who made and sold shoes from leather and other materials. A weaver was someone who wove fabric. Both were common professions.
Since there were manufacturing and carpentry guilds in the city, the fact that they had never joined a guild must mean their skills were not particularly outstanding.
“Her dream is to one day go to the capital and open an inn. For now, her goal is to learn the cooking skills of Vanessa’s Pumpkin Soup.”
“She has big dreams.”
Rem chimed in. It was understandable. Running an inn was easier said than done, not something just anyone could manage.
It took a lot of krona, and having armed guards was also essential. When you sold alcohol and food, disturbances became a daily occurrence. Today was quiet because of the falling snow, but on a normal day, wouldn't there already have been a few people bickering?
Just a moment ago, as they were leaving, hadn't an armed guard glanced at them? To Enkrid, he looked like a retired soldier. Hiring a retired Border Guard soldier as a guard would be convenient in many ways.
Most disturbances could be handled through personal connections. If a bigger incident occurred, a single guard couldn't handle it alone anyway, and they would have to call the guards from the unit. Having connections within the unit would also allow them to call the guards more quickly.
For this reason, hiring retired soldiers as guards was a prerequisite in the Border Guard. On top of that, inns were taxed quite heavily, and by Border Guard standards, an inn had to have a hall for meetings, as well as special suites, a private training area, a restaurant, and a bar.
The Border Guard had no lord and no lord’s manor, so both large and small affairs were often conducted at inns. While there was a meeting room within the unit, it was a military facility. It was not a place that let just anyone in.
Naturally, it was an environment where inns were bound to develop. To open such an inn in the capital, it was indeed a stretch. But that was no reason to give up.
“You know a lot of details.”
Enkrid said as he walked behind Jacksen, who was leading the way.
“Because pretty women can all be future customers.”
Hadn't Krais said his goal was to open a noblewomen’s salon? A salon that only accepted women. Of course, he said all the servers would be men, and handsome ones at that.
What a creative bastard. To think of emptying the pockets of noblewomen with the beauty of men. Krais, looking uneasy, kept talking.
“But will the Lake Panther be okay? Does it not feel the cold? Why won’t it move when I tell it to follow?”
“Are you still after its claws?”
“No. I think I’d die before my time if I tried. They’re not expensive for no reason.”
Enkrid smirked at Krais’s words. It was obvious he was just saying that and still coveted them.
“You should give it a name. It seems you’ll be keeping it around.”
At Krais’s words, Enkrid inwardly nodded. He couldn’t just call it this and that forever without a name. As they talked, they found themselves deep inside a dark alley.
After turning so many times, even Enkrid, who had a good sense of direction, was starting to get confused.
“Hey, did you take krona from the Thieves' Guild and are you deliberately leading us into a trap?”
Rem taunted him for no reason. Jacksen cleanly ignored him.
“This bastard always ignores me.”
Rem grumbled, but Jacksen maintained his consistent attitude of ignoring Rem.
“Enough.”
Enkrid stopped Rem, who was about to say more.
“Are you treating me differently? It won’t be fun if I get upset.”
Picking a fight with Enkrid to hold himself back was a good sign. It meant he would end the argument here. It was quiet after that.
Ragna, seemingly bored, walked while kicking the ground with the tip of his foot.
“Winter is cold.”
That was all Audin said after seeing a group of beggars lying on the ground even in this cold. The snow had stopped, but a thin layer covered the hard-frozen earth. Tomorrow, the sun would melt it and create a muddy mess.
“This is it.”
It was after about half an hour of wandering through the alleys. A worn wooden door came into view. It was a common door that could be seen anywhere within the Border Guard.
The sun had set, but the faint moonlight made it easy enough to see. Just as Enkrid was about to push the door open.
“You want the left?”
Rem, who stood still with the moonlight at his back, said.
“I will take the right. I must earn what I have eaten.”
Audin accepted his words.
“Do whatever. I don’t care as long as they don’t come at me.”
Ragna yawned.
“You lazy bastard. Squad Leader, we have company.”
At Rem’s words, Enkrid turned his body. They were all men clad in rags. Looking closely, they were the beggars he had seen lying around on the way here.
The half-elf came to mind and then quickly vanished.
‘They’re twice as big.’
Enkrid idly ran his hand over the back of his belt. His fingertips brushed against a knife. It was not a common item.
He had swiped it from the body of the half-elf he killed. He also had the whistling throwing knife case securely on his chest. Looking at the item called the whistling throwing knife, it didn't seem like something that could be easily made.
So what should he do? Snatch it up, of course. He had taken all of them, from the ones stuck in the ground to the ones in the elf’s body.
“Looks like you weren’t taught well when you were young. You’re not supposed to come into places like this after the sun goes down.”
One of the beggars said. As he spoke, his front teeth were visible, and they looked not just yellow, but almost black. It was night, so it wasn't clearly visible.
Even though it was winter and they were a few steps away, it felt like a foul smell would waft over.
“Bullshit.”
Rem replied and moved. It was not a fast pace. He simply closed the distance with long strides.
The beggar who had stepped forward pulled a pocketknife from his sleeve. It was a knife with a blade less than a handspan long. Holding it, he made a stabbing motion.
“You’re gonna die.”
Those were his last words. Rem did not stop his steps, and the man thrust the knife. The beggar aimed for the stomach, but Rem snatched his wrist with his left hand.
Rem pulled the beggar inward and smashed his right elbow into the man’s head.
Crack! Crunch!
It was a bold and decisive blow. The beggar's head, struck by the elbow, bent at an unnatural angle.
Crunch.
At the same time, on the other side, Audin could be seen grabbing another beggar’s jaw with just his thumb, index, and middle finger and twisting. He twisted the jaw with just three fingers, and the neck snapped. It was a feat performed with monstrous strength.
“You crazy bastard!”
“Fuck!”
Of the remaining three, two raised their voices, while one looked around before trying to quickly retreat. Rem and Audin’s fights were short. Close the distance, ignore the knife, and strike once.
That was all. Rem struck the beggar’s Adam’s apple with the side of his hand, then followed up with a punch to the temple. With that, the beggar’s consciousness faded.
Audin was even simpler. He took a step forward with his left foot and shot out his left fist.
Whoosh, boom!
His fist was like a cannonball. A blow following the twisting of his waist that started from his toes. The man struck by the outstretched fist, which originated from the shoulder, lost his nose.
His face caved in, and he collapsed to his knees before falling sideways. A single blow had caved in his face. It was only natural that he would be knocked out and fall.
The one who had fled was handled by Enkrid.
Thud, smack!
“Gack!”
The fleeing man pitched forward, a dagger embedded in the back of his neck like an ornament. Rem, who had been about to give chase, turned his head back. Audin blinked a few times, and Ragna, who had been half-asleep, opened his eyes wide.
Jacksen’s brow furrowed and then smoothed out. In the midst of the heavy, cold air that enveloped them.
“Wow.”
Krais let out a short exclamation. Enkrid lowered his outstretched right hand and said, “What? Chasing him is a waste of time.”
“Since when was our Squad Leader so good at throwing daggers?”
Rem asked.
“I got better with practice.”
“It’s really strange.”
“Is this the time to be focused on the knife I threw?”
He was right.
Rem nodded.
Not a single person was surprised that five beggars had attacked them. Even Krais was calm.
“You weren’t surprised?”
Enkrid asked.
He had already known by looking at the lying beggars’ bodies and hands as they approached. He hadn’t survived as a mercenary for nothing. What does one need to survive for a long time with mediocre skills?
Quick wits.
Enkrid’s wits were also exceptional. He knew from the presence of the beggars that Jacksen was on the right path. If there were guards, didn’t that mean there was something to guard up ahead?
“Huh? Oh, I wasn’t surprised. What kind of beggar attacks an armed soldier? Their excuse was so flimsy. So it’s certain that this is either the criminal gang's hideout or they’re hiding something.”
Was it something anyone could have figured out? Or was Krais just clever? It seemed to be the former.
Still, he was bold. Although he was good at running away on the battlefield, Krais was still a soldier who had witnessed battle firsthand. This was nothing to him.
“It is surprising for a criminal gang, though.”
“What is?”
“Seeing how these guys who attacked us seem to be working in shifts, it’s too meticulous for a mere gang. That Gilfin guy must be really resourceful.”
Krais was clever, too. He knew how to think about what lay behind what he saw.
“That’s true, too.”
While the two exchanged a few words, Jacksen tried to open the door, then stepped back. Seeing him grab the hilt of his sword, it looked like he was about to cut it down. Just then, Audin stepped forward.
“I will knock.”
This was the hideout of a criminal organization. They wouldn’t open just because someone knocked.
Boom!
But Audin’s knock was a little different.
“Pfft, nice one, my preacher friend.”
Rem said in admiration. Enkrid was also inwardly impressed. Audin had pulled back his right shoulder, pivoted on his left foot, and slammed his palm into the door.
No, he slammed it and immediately pulled his hand back. It was a snapping strike. The door’s hinges lifted, and the door was blasted inward.
So, it was open. In other words, it was broken. A magnificent knock.