Mob #27: “Hello. You here for the Neima Trading Company’s escort job?”
Two days after receiving the rewards for the territorial war sparked by a painting between the Roselo Count’s family and the Grient Baron’s family.
As usual, I was at the mercenary guild’s counter, chatting with Old man Roans while considering the next request.
“Well, right now, the most common one is escorting merchant fleets.”
“Yeah, it seems like the military and police are really going all out on pirate hunting. Pirate bounties are disappearing left and right.”
Old man Roans wears a tired expression, as if worried that our work might dry up.
But normally, it’s expected for the military and police to deal with pirates.
The issue is why they’re so determined. However, there’s no use pondering over it.
“But if that’s the case, do we really need to hire escorts?”
“Well, pirates haven’t been reduced to zero. It’s a perfectly reasonable idea to buy safety with money.”
Old man Roans shows me the screen.
It’s clear he wants me to find a suitable job myself.
“Well then, let’s see if there’s anyone who meets the criteria… Ah.”
“What’s wrong?”
Instead of coffee, Old man Roans, holding a bottle of mineral water, addresses me.
“This. It’s a request from that favoritism-loving Duke’s family. This time, it’s for 10 people.”
Probably because his sister became a criminal, they terminated their exclusive contract with Hero kun.
“Hero kun got into some serious trouble, so this time they’ve put out a decent request.”
Old man Roans doesn’t explicitly say it, but he’s definitely hinting at that.
“I don’t think anyone would take it.”
Given the mess he caused before, it’ll be tough for him.
Ignoring the screw-up Duke’s request, I browse through the job requests on the screen. My eyes land on one specific request.
“Oh, there’s a merchant fleet escort with a registration deadline today. They’re looking for six people – the meeting is tomorrow at 1 PM in meeting room #53. Departure is in three days, at 9 AM the day after tomorrow, and they need one more person. Hmm, the reward is decent, and it’s evenly split. Should I go for this one?”
“Don’t be late for the meeting.”
Meetings like this are where we discuss escort plans for small-scale requests, such as escorting merchant fleets.
In the past, they used to do things on the fly, leading to frequent troubles and mistakes.
Also, the reason the departure date isn’t the day after the meeting is to avoid conflicts during the meeting, and in case a redo of the recruitment is needed.
After completing the procedures, I headed to the docking area to inspect the “Patchwork.”
The next day, I had an early lunch and arrived at the Mercenary Guild’s meeting room area.
There are 120 meeting rooms here, which can also serve as emergency lodging facilities.
Let’s see, this time it’s… Room No. 53… right here.
By the way, arriving 10 minutes before the meeting time is the key to not being late,
even if I think no one is here, I’ll give a knock just in case.
“Come in.”
Surprisingly, there was a response.
I didn’t expect someone to be here this early.
“Pardon me.”
“Hello. Are you here for the escort from the Neima Trading Company?”
Inside were a clearly handsome young man and a beautiful girl with light green hair.
The young man gave a refreshing smile, but the beautiful girl seemed to express something like, “Interrupting our alone time.”
“Oh, you must be the participants. Are you two related? “
“Yes, we’re participants. Let’s save introductions for when everyone gathers.”
After the necessary minimum conversation, we all took seats, with them choosing the farthest one.
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Five minutes later,
“Oh, you’re early. Thought I was late.”
A man much older than me, and probably even older than Old man Roans, showed up.
“Hello. Are you here for the escort from the Neima Trading Company?”
The handsome young man greeted him as he did with me.
“Yeah. Nice to meet you.”
The man took a seat across from me.
Then, three minutes later, a silent young man, dressed in a tank top, cargo pants, and leather gloves, as if he hangs out in the black market, walked in.
When the handsome young man spoke to him,
“Hello. Are you here for the Neima Trading Company’s escort duty?”
“Yeah, let’s get started already.”
I replied with an annoyed or perhaps slightly pretentious tone.
“There’s still one person missing.”
“Tch!”
But when it was mentioned that not everyone had arrived yet, the other guy Levin clicked his tongue, crossed his arms, and fell silent.
And then, at the last minute of the meeting time, at 1:00 PM.
“Sorry, sorry! I thought I had time and ended up eating lunch, making me late!”
A tall, muscular woman entered.
From her statement, it seemed she was quite lax with time.
“You’re late!”
“Hm? But I didn’t technically arrive late, did I?”
That youth levin complained, but it was brushed off.
“It seems you’re definitely here for the Neima Trading Company’s escort duty.”
An attractive young man, though looking somewhat troubled, proceeded with the conversation.
“Let’s start with introductions then. I’m Arthur Lingard. I’m a rook.”
“I’m Seira Sainidda. I’m a soldier rank. I’m planning to become a Seira Lingard soon.”
The two who arrived before me seemed to be lovers.
“I’m Bernard Zag. I’m a soldier rank.”
Everyone, except the person himself, looked surprised at his statement – the oldest among us, wondering why he was just a soldier.
“Oh, I used to be a police officer until recently, but I messed up. So, I got a new job.”
With his explanation, everyone seemed to understand.
“I’m Levin Grissel. I’m a rook. I hope you won’t get in my way…”
The black market youth introduced himself with a sullen expression, clearly annoyed.
He’s definitely a regular at the black market shopping district.
“I’m Morize Rotlwa. I’m a knight.”
She, who came last, was a knight like me.
With her wild hairstyle, brown skin, tall and muscular stature, and cheerful demeanor, she seemed like a great mercenary with a sense of ease.
“I’m John Uzoss. I’m a knight too.”
Once everyone finished their introductions, the handsome young man, Arthur, glanced at me and the barely tolerable girl, Morize.
“Well, let’s start the meeting. Normally, the highest-ranking person would lead, but…”
he began.
Beside him, the girl with light green hair, Seira, seemed to pressure us with an air of “I won’t allow anyone to take the leadership from Arthur.”
“I’m not good at leading, so please, go ahead,”
“Me neither,”
Since I’m not good at taking leadership, I’ll let them handle it if they can.
Arthur seems serious, so he won’t ask for anything unreasonable.
Morize, on the other hand, is purely lazy.
And as a result, Seira looked satisfied, sniffling triumphantly.
“Now, about the positioning of the escorts, is a regular octahedron okay?”
“Considering the number of people, that seems best,”
Bernard, lighting a cigarette, agreed.
A regular octahedron means placing the escorts around the ship, both in front, behind, and on all sides.
“Now, who should be positioned where?”
“Having a ship with wide-range detection above and below is standard. My ship’s detection range is 2 billion kilometers, so can I take care of that?”
Seira volunteered in response to Arthur’s question.
“Ah, my ship has a similarly wide range,”
I chimed in, but she glared at me intensely.
“In that case, can you two handle above and below? I’m counting on you, Seira.”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
Her expression melted instantly when Arthur addressed her.
“My ship is sturdy but slow, so should I take the front?”
“My ship lacks in firepower and speed, allowing no one to catch up. I’ll be waiting at the back!”
With front and back positions decided smoothly, Arthur turned to me.
“So, you and I will take the sides.”
“I’ll be making decisions on-site. I need reliable communication.”
With that, surprisingly, the meeting ended without any major disputes.
But that somehow made me feel uneasy.
TL ramble :
It’s unfortunate that the goal only reached few days after the deadline had passed. But worry not, the first 7 chapters[1] will be posted daily starting today. After that, the rest of the of volume 2 will be posted weekly as usual.
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eyy the ln has new chapter nice