Chapter 57

New Recruits
With that, the negotiations concluded, and the following morning, Teres departed for the Frostwind Company's base alongside his companions.

After that, our usual daily life continued, surprisingly enough.
I was a little worried that the news of the Frostwind Company's destruction might depress everyone, but at least on the surface, no one appeared shaken.

Rather than the Frostwind Company being wiped out, what everyone was actually talking about was the fact that they had abandoned the caravan they were escorting and run away.

"We know how terrifying those bizarre monsters are, too, so I do feel bad for the Frostwind Company, but..."

Korn shrugged his shoulders.

"Still, ditching their clients to run away is pretty bad. When other mercenary outfits pull stunts like that, it inevitably brings down the credibility of mercenaries as a whole."

"Well, we have caravans that favor us and plenty of trust, so I doubt we'll run out of work."

Toma agreed with a sigh mixed in.

"Even so, nasty rumors could easily start spreading in town..."

The two of them were grumbling more in exasperation than anything else.

In a way, it is a drier reaction than I expected.
They're so much tougher than me.

But... maybe that's also because, in this world, people dying from monster attacks or mercenary companies getting wiped out isn't an uncommon thing...

As I pondered such things, the days flew by in the blink of an eye.

And then, four days later.

Teres finally returned to the Black Iron Claws' base, bringing the new recruits along with him.

◆

In the plaza in front of the rectory, Valdo, Carion, and several company members were lined up, including Korn and Toma.
Sitting neatly at Valdo's feet, I trembled from the cold while gazing at the three horse-drawn sleighs with excitement.

With a creaking crunch on the snow, Teres's large sleigh swayed.
Then, two young men stepped down from the cargo bed.
Both of them had bandages wrapped around their heads and arms, but their footsteps were steady.

One was a slender, tall young man with his black hair tied back loosely.
He had narrow eyes and a light smile playing on his lips.
Carrying an elusive, carefree air about him, he wouldn't have looked anything like a mercenary if he were anywhere else.
Even from a distance, however, the numerous knives hanging at his waist alongside a longsword caught the eye.

The other was a large young man with closely cropped chestnut hair and bright green eyes, standing a full head taller than Valdo and Carion, with broad, sturdy shoulders.
He carried no sword at his hip, shouldering instead a thick club that looked as if it had been carved straight out of a tree trunk.
Just silently scanning his surroundings gave off an intimidating presence, and combined with his curt, unapproachable expression, it was as though a rocky mountain had started walking.

How should I put it... they really are quite a contrasting pair.

Setting aside my impressions, Teres gestured toward the two of them as he made introductions.

"Boss Valdo, thank you so very much for this. This dark-haired fellow is Keith, and the big one here is Daz. Both of them are dependable fighters. Come on, you two, introduce yourselves."

"Hey there, I'm Keith. Lookin' forward to working with you."

"... I'm Daz."

In contrast to Keith, who bowed lightly with a casual grin, Daz merely stated his name and fell silent once more.
Even more than their looks, their personalities seem completely opposite.

Once they finished introducing themselves in their respective styles, they both straightened their backs simultaneously and stepped forward before the commander, Valdo.

It happened right at that moment.

Keith's eyes were drawn straight to me, sitting by Valdo's feet.
He widened his eyes as if witnessing something impossible.

"... Huh?"

The next instant, a shout shook the plaza.

"W-Why is there a monster here?!"

At Keith's bewildered cry, the air in the plaza instantly grew tense.
Standing next to him, Teres grabbed his shoulder in a fluster, saying, "H-Hey, Keith...!"

Daz remained silent, but his eyes were slightly wide.
Apparently, he had only just noticed my presence thanks to Keith's shout.

As for me, faced with such an unexpected reaction, I had no idea what to do and simply froze on the spot.