"Sister Salte. I took the mercenary who received the request."
One room, which seems to be the dining room of the people concerned, was guided to Father Fukumi.
There were a number of long desks that could seat more than twenty people at once, and simple chairs were lined up along the desks without any disturbance. A girl greets the Aldis in the room, which has a solemn atmosphere peculiar to the church but is dyed with simple decoration.
"Thank you. I'm sorry to bother you."
"No, it's not a big deal."
When she responded in a friendly manner to the girl, he left the room.
"Please call me. Sorry for this place."
The girl pushes a seat to Aldis.
She was a short girl. His appearance made me feel like she was flying when she blows, and her pale red eyes seemed to have a color that seemed uneasy for some reason.
Section "It's been a long time. Thank you for saving my life."
When Aldis sits on a chair, the girl stands in front of her desk and her head lowers. The light cherry-colored hair tied behind my head shook together.
"Thank you for giving me many times at that time. Let's end the story quickly."
This girl-Solte and Aldis have previously met in the Caucasus Forest. Five classmates, including her, reluctantly went to the forest of Caucasus alone with students, and Aldis and Ted saved the place.
As long as it is a search and rescue at the request, it is enough for a mercenary to get the reward as promised. Of course, contract as a job and courtesy as a person are different. At least this girl seems to be grateful for being saved.
That's why Aldis wanted to listen to the story, albeit reluctant. Because no boy ever said that he was a noble brother or child, he did not say words of gratitude, so it was natural that the reaction would improve the impression of the girl.
"Yes"
The expression of the disturbing expression of Aldis's words makes the girl in a monk's uniform sit down.
"I hear from Jean's guy that it's just an escort job.
"Yes, no. That's not the case."
In the words of Aldis, Salte shook his head in a hurry. He doesn't seem to be going to try that recklessness again.
"This is a request for church work."
"Working?"
"Yes. Did Aldis know about the development of the northern capital city?"
Recently, the kingdom of Nagras has begun developing hills north of the capital city. The settlement of the area with heavy iron-rich veins is a major undertaking with full government support.
"Oh, I've heard the story."
No matter what you hide, it was triggered by Aldis's defeat of a monster called Suzuyori, which originally inhabited the hills. It was thanks to Aldis and in a way Aldis.
"Some settlements have been created for the purpose of developing heavy iron mines, but there is still no room to build a church, and no priest is stationed."
"I guess so"
"That's why the church regularly sends priests and sisters to such settlements from the royal capital.
It is said that the turn came to Salte this time.
"But you still look like an apprentice? In addition, you're a student."
"That's why"
Sorte grinned.
Salte, a promising candidate for the future saint, is specially sent to school unlike other sisters. It was a special treatment even if expressed in a conservative manner.
That's why these roles must be fulfilled. People around me think so, and she seems to take it for granted.
"Hmmm.
Aldis seemed uninterested, and the girl of the candidate became a grinful grin.
"So you want to ask me for a guard on the way?"
"It's ... not exactly an escort ......"
Immediately, Salte silently drops his voice. I could hardly hear it at the end.
"Huh? What did you say? I couldn't hear my voice so well."
"It's not an escort ... it's luggage."
"Have luggage?"
Aldis rounds his eyes to a surprising role.
"Because the priest told me that I would hire only one person with luggage, not an escort ..."
"What is it? You say you can go without an escort? There's a lot of recklessness. Is that priest just that?"
"No, it's a different priest than the one I mentioned earlier."
In a hurry, Salte denied.
"That's that ... there's escorts. There are those hired by the church. But ... that .... I know it's a real thing for a priesthood person. ...... The guards are inevitably scared. "
I heard that Salte had already met the escorts. However, it seemed to have resulted only in her anxiety.
"What if you changed your escort?"
Salte shakes Aldis's suggestion.
"If we were to change escorts now, we would inconvenience a lot of people. However, we only had to hire one luggage holder ..."
Attentive "Well, why don't we talk to our colleagues at that time? If you are going to be with us, you'd better be a known person? Surely there was one more girl"
"After that, we were all banned from leaving the city until graduation."
"Oh, that's what it is. Well, that's the only thing that matters ..."
One hundred and fifty gold coins have been paid to rescue the five Saltes. No matter how much you want to save a noble stupid son or a candidate for a noble lady, it is not enough to laugh. Of course, the line of sight for the Saltes will be severe, and it will be inevitable to take a penalty.
"This time, I was given special permission to work for the church, but I didn't know anyone other than my classmates who could fight outside ... It's a bit to take ... "
"So why ask me?"
"Yes. Aldis's rumor had reached the school."
"I understand the situation. Well, I know it's meager, but don't you care too much? No matter how much the guard hired by the church. It's not strange."
An escort request officially issued in the name of the church is also a job to protect future Saints. You shouldn't call me a mercenary who can be hired for two or three sentences. Aldis, who was reluctant to speak, said himself as a stranger, and Sorte fell down with a crying face.
"I'm sorry. I have all my luggage. I just need to follow me. If Aldis refused, there was no one else to ask. I can't afford to make another request. After today, we have the last meeting before departure.
The girl who pleaded with her eyes moistened couldn't refuse Aldis. After reluctantly agreeing to accompany the meeting, he reminds Salte, "I don't know if I'll get a request."
For children who are desperately anxious and desperately seeking help, Ardis couldn't be slammed by cold words.
About an hour later, mercenaries arrived for the escort of Salte.
Aldis, accompanied by a pre-departure meeting at the cafeteria, saw the mercenaries and wondered if something was wrong.
There are five mercenaries in all. There are two axes, mainly a swordsman with a smiling face with a dimple, and the rest are archers and magicians. At first glance, they are well equipped, and they are not amateurs. They are people with a certain ability.
But the problem is not there. Aldis frowned because they were all young men.
Sorte is a young girl, and she is doing something rumored in the capital. What does it mean that there is no woman in the party to escort such a girl?
If the escort target is multiple people including men such as couples and parents and children, that is fine. However, it is usually unthinkable that there are no women to accompany a member to escort a single girl.
As the name suggests, Salte's northern settlement is currently being reclaimed. Naturally, things like post towns are not maintained. I will have to encamp along the way.
In such a state, only young men are around. It's like leaving a sheep escort to five wolves.
"What about you? ... Oh, do you carry your luggage?
In the eyes of the men who notice Aldis, the colors appear to look like disturbers.
"Yes, I don't have a lot of luggage. It's all up to us, Sister."
When the men smile, they start talking to Salte happily. But Aldis was spotting. It is not the gaze of the escorts to be guarded, but the gaze of predators directed at the hunted prey.
Even the man Aldis notices. Even more sensitive to such gaze is a creature called a woman. Sorte cannot be noticed. This shows that Salte is worried and obviously didn't try to accompany her classmates.
"The kid. It's time to stop now. It's not play. I'm gonna die."
A dimpled man speaks at high pressure as if threatening to Aldis.
These five are apparently between twenty and twenty-five. It would be inevitable to treat Aldis, who looks like fifteen, as a child.
"I'm not a kid. It's Aldis. It's a mercenary."
"Hmm, you're a sorcerer magician. Just wear hanging swords that you can't use, and you'll wear good armor."
A dimple man who looks at Aldis's attire and decides himself as a magician.
At the same time, Aldis realized they were strangers. Since the defeat of the three great devils, Aldis has been a little celebrity in the royal capital. Even people who had never met him were so well known that hearing the name "Aldis" in "Black Hair" would immediately remind him of a sword magician.
But these mercenaries aren't responsive when they hear their name in front of Aldis or look at their hip sword, which is even Aldis's trademark. Perhaps the party has just arrived in the capital, or is usually a party based in a city other than the capital.
(suspicious)
Aldis concluded that.
Just because it is a royal city, the number of mercenaries based in this city is higher than in other cities. Aside from being a well-known mercenary, there's no point in having a stranger escort. Aldis had no idea what the church people thought and hired these mercenaries as escorts.
(Can you leave it alone)
Aldis sighed inwardly and asked Solte, who was surrounded by men, showing fear.
"And? When is the departure? Where is the meeting place?"
"A, Aldis! That's it!"
Joy is instantly floating in the eyes of the salt.
"It can't be helped. I'll take your luggage request."