novelraw Chapter 78 : Reunion
Chapter 78 : Reunion
Chapter 78: Reunion
Before leaving the Domain of Count Wilcock.
Robin exchanged greetings with Theodric.
“I’ll be going. When I come back, I’ll probably be coming together with the mercenary band.”
“You’ll take care of things on your own. And Imelda.”
“Yes?”
“Take care of yourself.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t be fighting on the front lines, and even if I do fight, I’ve gotten stronger thanks to Grandfather, so nothing serious will happen.”
Imelda assured him.
Theodric tried to add a few more words, but closed his mouth.
“If you’re done saying goodbye, hurry up and get on.”
When Serena urged them on, Robin and Imelda climbed into the carriage.
With Imelda bowing her head deeply toward Theodric as the last gesture, the carriage set off.
Compared to infantry marching all the way to the front lines, it was quite a privilege.
Watching the carriage grow distant, Theodric muttered,
“I hope you don’t become intoxicated by blood.”
The sound of hooves and wheels gradually faded away.
It took three days to reach the western front.
When he stretched his stiff body and set foot on the ground, a sense of alienness washed over him.
A sturdy barricade made of packed earth and stakes.
Tents pitched densely together.
Shouts cutting through the stench of filth.
Above all, the blood-soaked smell刺激ing his nose made it feel real that he had arrived at a battlefield.
“So this is it. The battlefield looks like this.”
“Serena, you could have stayed in the rear, but you’re really choosing hardship.”
“You said we’d win anyway, right? Seeing it in person makes me feel like I was deceived, but whatever. This is all experience too.”
Serena had followed the Admiral on the condition of staying in the rear, but then changed her mind and decided to follow Robin.
Since having a spirit mage was always an advantage, the Admiral readily agreed.
The talk that Wilcock had devised a strategy that would guarantee victory also played a part.
‘Will I get to see the war weapon shrouded in mystery.’
Because they had been told to keep this confidential, the three of them harbored a quiet expectation.
As the three stood at the camp entrance, a soldier approached.
“Are you Robin, Imelda, and Serena sent by Count Wilcock?”
“Yes. We were added as mercenaries.”
“I will guide you to your tent.”
Without another word, the soldier led them to a round tent.
It was small, but it had been prepared just for the three of them.
“You three will be assigned camp management duties. You won’t be heading to the front lines, so you can rest easy, but don’t let your guard down too much. This is a place directly adjacent to the enemy, after all.”
The soldier’s explanation stuck to the essentials.
Meals and sleep followed fixed schedules, and guard duty would be assigned later.
When the brief explanation ended, the soldier exited the tent.
With only the three of them left inside, Serena lay down on a simple cot.
“I’m exhausted after being in a carriage for three days straight. I’ll get some sleep, so wake me up if anything happens.”
With that, Serena fell asleep almost immediately.
‘It’s not even surprising anymore.’
“I’m going to look around the camp. Would you like to come along, Miss?”
“Yeah. It’s better to adapt quickly.”
After putting down their luggage and leaving the tent, the two walked at an unhurried pace.
The land stretching along the front lines was so vast that its end was nowhere in sight.
Once again, he felt just how immense Count Wilcock’s power was.
After wandering through the crowded encampment for about thirty minutes.
A familiar voice tugged at Robin’s ears.
“Move faster, you ox. I’m starving to death.”
“How much do you even shove into your mouth in a day, anyway.”
“Beautiful women are supposed to eat heartily.”
A burly, muscular man and a woman with red hair tightly tied back bickered as they carried a cauldron.
Robin stopped for a moment and looked at their backs.
Just like in his old memories. Unchanged.
‘They look exactly the same as when I saw them last year.’
Perhaps sensing his gaze, Mirian came to an abrupt stop.
“What is it, you said you were hungry. Why did you put the cauldron down?”
Mirian slowly turned her head, and her eyes met Robin’s.
“…Robin?”
“Long time no see, Sis.”
Torgen also turned his body to face Robin.
His face was filled with surprise.
Mirian walked slowly toward Robin.
Robin approached as well.
When they were close enough to touch if he reached out, Robin awkwardly opened his mouth.
“I don’t know if you got my letter. Somehow, I ended up all the way here. It’s a long story if I explain…….”
“Come here.”
Mirian pulled Robin into an embrace.
It was snug and warm.
Unconditional affection flowed through him.
“You had it hard, didn’t you?”
“…A little.”
“You did well.”
Mirian saw through the hardships he had never told anyone about at a glance.
Just a few words were enough.
The bridge of his nose tingled.
When the few-second hug ended, Imelda and Torgen had approached.
“I heard you were coming, but what’s with that hair color?”
“Black hair stood out too much. Doesn’t it suit me?”
“Blond suits you too.”
Torgen offered a simple greeting.
Robin averted his gaze so his reddened eyes wouldn’t be noticed.
Mirian didn’t miss the chance to tease him.
“Did you miss this big sister’s arms? You’re still such a kid.”
“I-I didn’t!”
When Robin vehemently denied it, Mirian and Torgen burst out laughing.
Imelda was seeing this side of Robin for the first time.
He always felt so dependable, yet he couldn’t hold his ground in front of Mirian.
As the laughter subsided, Mirian’s gaze turned to Imelda.
“So this young lady here is Imelda Tefir?”
“Yes. I’m Imelda Tefir. Nice to meet you.”
“You’re even prettier up close. Ah, I’ve seen you before. I was curious how Robin worked, so I secretly watched him. You probably didn’t see me, though.”
“What? When did you do that?!”
Robin protested to Mirian, apparently unaware.
Mirian just smiled broadly and didn’t answer.
Admitting he couldn’t win, Robin changed the subject.
“Where is everyone else?”
“You can’t meet them right now. They’re out there.”
Mirian pointed beyond the barricade.
Calimacos, Paul, Brandok, and Felix were active on the battlefield.
Mirian and Torgen had returned to the encampment to rest, and by good timing, they met Robin.
When Robin showed a disappointed expression, Mirian mischievously smiled and slung an arm around his neck.
“Let’s go inside and talk about everything we missed. Have you eaten yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Perfect. I’ll show you how this big sister’s been living. Follow me.”
As Mirian dragged Robin along, she shouted to Torgen.
“You can move the cauldron without me, right? I’m counting on you!”
“T-that demon of a woman…….”
As he sighed and tried to lift the cauldron.
Imelda came over to help.
“You’re Torgen, right. I’ll help you.”
“Imelda… thanks. Ah, it’s better not to expect polite speech around here. It’s all rough types.”
“That’s fine. I’m not a noble anymore, after all.”
“That’s refreshing. Robin really made a good female friend.”
“Th-that’s not it…….”
Imelda hoisted the large cauldron high and passed by Torgen.
The girl, her nape flushed red, didn’t even realize how heavy the cauldron full of stew was as she hurried after Robin with quick little steps.
“I thought you were dating now that the wall of status had collapsed. Are you still in an employer–servant relationship?”
Watching the girl emitting a pink-tinged atmosphere even on the battlefield, Torgen let out a snort of laughter.
The place Mirian led them to was an encampment where several large tents were clustered closely together.
Five tents large enough to house about twenty people were pitched in a semicircle.
Standing in front of the third tent, Mirian spread her arms and said,
“This is where I stay.”
“It’s pretty big.”
“Right? It looks simple on the outside, but once you go in, there are private beds and everything you’d need.”
“It can’t be easy to arrange private quarters in the army. They must have put in quite a bit of effort.”
“That’s because this big sister has to stay beautiful. I suffer every day fending off mercenaries who have their eyes on me.”
It was self-praise, but Robin more or less agreed.
Objectively speaking, Mirian was beautiful.
Though given the situation, it was hard to imagine anyone harboring romantic feelings.
“You probably heard in my letter, but I’m serving as the leader of our mercenary band’s 3rd squad. I’m more capable than you thought, right?”
“You said all the early members became squad leaders, didn’t you? Paul, Torgen, Brandok, Felix. Then doesn’t that mean I could be a squad leader too?”
“What? Puhahaha… What am I supposed to do with this cute little guy.”
Mirian wrapped an arm around the back of Robin’s neck.
Robin tried to resist in his own way, but Mirian’s strength refused to let go.
As he bent at the waist and struggled to escape from her heavy embrace, mercenaries came out of the tent.
“Squad Leader of the 3rd, who’s that pretty-looking kid?”
“Everyone, say hello. He’s my younger brother. Somehow, he got added as a mercenary.”
Only then did Mirian release Robin.
Robin caught his breath and greeted the mercenaries.
“Hello. I’m Robin. I was assigned here by order of Count Wilcock.”
The mercenaries approached and alternated their gazes between Mirian and Robin.
One of them asked in a disbelieving voice,
“Squad Leader of the 3rd, you had a younger brother?”
“That’s right. He’s so handsome it leaves you speechless, doesn’t it?”
“That too, but… why on earth is he on this battlefield……?”
“There were circumstances. I also came to see my sister’s face while I was at it. I have connections with the Captain and the other squad leaders as well.”
The mercenaries’ reactions varied, but they had one thing in common.
Curiosity.
It was surprising enough that a boy who looked like a noble young master had voluntarily come to a battlefield, but they were also curious about what kind of ties he had with the squad leaders, the core members of the mercenary band.
Just then, Torgen and Imelda stepped into the encampment carrying the cauldron.
Unlike Imelda, who carefully set it down, Torgen slammed it onto the ground with a thud and shouted in a booming voice.
“Hey, you lot, the stew’s here! Anyone who wants to eat, get out here quick!”
Mercenaries poured out from the tents of the 2nd squad that Torgen managed.
They all lined up in perfect order, holding empty bowls and spoons.
As they began ladling stew one by one with precise movements, the mercenaries of the 3rd squad also started bringing out bowls from their tents.
One mercenary, reading the situation, set down four bowls.
Torgen handed them to Mirian, Robin, and Imelda and said,
“Let’s eat too.”
“You worked hard, Torgen. I’ll help next time too.”
“Just hearing that is thanks enough. You’re better than your sister.”
“What?! I don’t skip meal duty either, you know?”
“What do you mean you don’t skip it. I did almost all of it last week.”
Bickering back and forth, Torgen and Mirian perched themselves on a log near the tents.
Seeing how natural it all was, Robin could roughly picture how the mercenaries usually ate.
Robin and Imelda also sat down side by side and picked up their spoons.
It was salty, but with generous amounts of meat and vegetables, it was more than enough to fill the stomach.
As warmth spread through them, Torgen, Mirian, and Robin let their pent-up stories bloom.
Listening to the three of them, Imelda got a sense of what Robin had been like before coming to Regiville.
It was like watching the youngest sibling shrink in front of older brothers, and a faint smile came to her lips.
“When our sweetheart tried to comfort me and totally messed it up, my heart went thump. Even now, just thinking about it makes my heart melt.”
“…How long are you going to keep talking about that.”
“Of course I’ll keep it up for my whole life!”
“Robin does have a cute side, despite how he looks. He’s good at acting cute too. You’re still using that cat-like aegyo, right?”
“Sis, Torgen, please stop…….”
As the two squad leaders teased the suddenly appeared boy, the mercenaries couldn’t help but steal glances.
That was because Torgen and Mirian, who fought like demons on the battlefield, were chatting with relaxed expressions.
It wasn’t that they lacked human warmth, but the longer one experienced war, the more dulled emotions inevitably became.
Death inevitably followed war, and becoming accustomed to death was part of that.
As the cheerful meal was drawing to a close, Robin spoke up.
“Sis. If you have time, how about sparring with me.”
“I don’t have duty today, so time is fine, but with me?”
“Yeah. I’m curious how much stronger you’ve gotten.”
Mirian smiled as if she found him cute.
“Me? Or you?”
“Both.”
A competitive light settled into Robin’s eyes as he looked at Mirian.
They hadn’t fought yet, but he could tell.
Compared to seven years ago, Mirian’s presence had changed.
The same went for Torgen.
Robin was curious about the saying that war changed people.
As the two were about to look for a suitable spot, a mercenary approached.
“You’re the squad leader’s younger brother, right. If you don’t mind, how about matching up with me first.”
He was a mercenary of average height with solidly built muscles.
Robin looked back at Mirian.
“Kel, I know you’re trying to look good in front of me, but my little brother is stronger than he looks.”
“I know. Just at a glance, he’s trained with the sword for a long time. That’s exactly why I want to cross blades with him even more.”
After replying politely to Mirian, Kel looked at Robin.
Mirian shrugged her shoulders.
It meant the decision was Robin’s.
“What’ll it be? Kel’s one of the top five mercenaries in the 3rd squad.”
‘I want to trade swords with Sis first, but this isn’t bad either.’
“You said your name was Kel, right. I’ll learn a thing or two from you.”
“I should be the one saying that. I’ve been curious for a while just how capable the squad leader’s younger brother is.”
Kel drew his curved blade.
It was similar in shape to the sword Mirian used.
The mercenaries gathered around, centering on Robin and Kel.
There was no spectacle more entertaining than a sparring match.
Watching, Torgen opened his mouth.
“Don’t just laze around because you’ve got nothing to do, finish it quickly. The dishes are piling up. If you’re ready, start.”
A mercenary who had been through the wringer on countless battlefields charged toward Robin.