The Banished Black Swordsman Wants a Peaceful Life with the White Saint in the Frontier ~Huh? You Want Him to Come Back with the Saint? It’s Already Too Late~ - 48

Chapter 48: Extra: The Hero’s Search for Companions 1

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Even after dawn broke, the restlessness in his chest did not subside. Julius splashed his face with cold water at the sink and glared at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were red. Even he could tell that he had not slept. His temples throbbed with a steady, rhythmic pain.

I’m not the kind of person who ends here. It’s just that those people weren’t worthy of me. There are definitely companions out there who are worthy of me.

Clinging to that thought, he told it to himself over and over. What had happened last night was not something that could be forgotten so easily. He had never imagined that the party would be half-destroyed in a single night… No, the party was completely destroyed. And not because they had been defeated by enemies, but because they had lost members due to an attempted rape by an ally. Who could have possibly imagined that?

Every single one of them was so useless it made him furious.

If it was about lust, they could satisfy that with any woman lying around. He could not understand why they would try to vent it on allies. Elena and Fran had come out unharmed. Surely that should have been enough to forgive them, yet they had deliberately picked a fight with Julius. It was not something an intelligent woman would do.

Carrying that irritation with him as he headed back to his room, the very culprit himself, Garo, came walking down the hallway toward him. The burn marks had faded somewhat, but his movements were still heavy. When he entered the room, he greeted Julius with only a jerk of his chin.

“Julius-sama, what’s the plan for today?”

“It’s decided. We’ll look for new companions. We can’t stop our activities as heroes here.”

After saying it out loud, his chest felt terribly dry. Only the force in his voice barely preserved the image of his former self. Bringing in other companions and resuming activity. This was the answer he had reached after sleeping on it.

If they brought allies who were more useful than Elena and the others, everything would be solved. As for His Majesty the King, it would be enough to say that the two had died in battle and that they were searching for replacements. Garo shrugged.

“I work for the royal capital, y’know? I don’t have any connections for gathering people. I can’t even use my subordinates’ connections. His Majesty would find out.”

“No need to worry. We’re a hero party officially recognized by the kingdom. If people can join that, anyone would jump at the chance.”

Even as he said it, he felt a slight wavering in the lightness of his words.

Is that really true though? 

For a brief moment, that anxiety surfaced even within himself. Even so, he did not want to turn back toward the royal capital. The very option of retreating here felt humiliating to Julius as he was now.

“…Yeah, yeah. Then I guess mercenaries, for starters. Luckily, there’s a mercenary guild here.”

There was a hint of exasperation mixed into Garo’s voice, but Julius pretended not to hear it and nodded. The two of them then headed for the town’s mercenary guild. Not every town had a mercenary guild. Basically, they were organizations that set up bases in regions plagued by frequent wars or monster damage, and they handled the registration, mediation, and supervision of mercenaries who were usually scattered across various areas.

This was strictly a “supplier of combat-specialized personnel,” and the range of requests it handled was narrow. It did not accept mundane troubles such as helping with farm work or searching for missing persons. Those kinds of miscellaneous requests had to be handled by adventurer-wannabes in town, local militias, or private individuals.

One of the roles of the mercenary guild was to “secure personnel who could be used in war,” and so it kept mercenaries on hand at all times so it could respond immediately if conscription orders were issued by the kingdom or a lord. In other words, what could be obtained here were “people who were only good at fighting.” That suited Julius’s purpose perfectly.

The building facing the central plaza of the town they were staying in was a two-story mercenary guild with exposed heavy beams and an attached tavern. Even though it was still before noon, the moment he pushed open the door, the smells of ale and sweat, burnt oil and animal fat rushed at him all at once.

Men in crude armor and leather gear rolled dice, wrapped arms around women’s waists, and laughed raucously. The atmosphere was rough and chaotic. And Julius looked almost absurdly neat and out of place. Behind the counter stood a black-bearded guildmaster, flipping through a ledger with a small cup in hand. Julius stepped forward and briefly introduced himself.

“I am Julius, the Hero. I’ve come to recruit personnel.”

For good measure, he displayed the “Hero Certification Seal” he had received from the king. The seal bore the royal crest and served as proof of being royally certified. He felt the air around them subtly change at the sound of his voice and the sight of the seal. Gazes gathered. Curiosity, wariness, mockery. All of them were the kinds of looks he was used to. Yet today, for some reason, there were many that felt like thorns stabbing directly into bare skin.

The guildmaster set his cup down and narrowed his eyes.

“…The party of Hero Julius-sama, is it. I’ve heard the rumors. It’s more honor than we deserve to be relied upon by such a hero, but we don’t exactly keep only people versatile enough to be entrusted so easily.”

“Of course, I understand that. However, our members have suffered serious injuries right now and won’t be able to return to the front lines for some time. But we are heroes. We can’t afford to neglect our duties, can we?”

Plausible reasoning flowed smoothly from his throat. Strictly speaking, depending on how one put it, it was not a lie. Even so, the guildmaster’s eyes grew more suspicious.

“…Hmm. So, what kind of mercenaries are you looking for?”

“Someone who can use healing magic, and also a mage.”

“Understood. We’ll make introductions, but… We don’t accept complaints. People worthy of a hero party aren’t that easy to find. Please wait over there for a bit.”

The master sent someone through the door behind him. After waiting in the guild for an hour, the first candidate appeared. The first candidate was a brawny warrior monk. He wore chainmail hidden beneath his clerical robe, and an iron long staff was strapped to his back. His arms were as thick as logs, his fingers knotted with calluses. White teeth peeked out from between his unkempt beard, and his chin was lifted defiantly.

“Hero Julius-dono, I’ve heard the story. It may sound boastful to say it myself, but I am skilled. I can handle talismans and healing magic for the most part. I should be of use to you, Hero-dono.”

“Oh? That’s reassuring.”

“However, I have several conditions.”

The warrior monk spoke in a slightly overbearing tone. Julius felt a flash of irritation, but this was not the time to lose his temper. He forcibly suppressed it.

“Fine. Let’s hear them.”

“Seventy percent of the payment up front. The rest upon completion of the mission. Also, I want all spoils I personally obtain to belong to me. I must donate them to the church, you see.”

The noise in the guild seemed to recede slightly. Julius frowned involuntarily.

“…Seventy percent up front? And all the spoils go to you?”

“I am entrusting my body, which serves the gods, to you, Hero-dono. Naturally, offerings must be made to the gods, must they not? Therefore, I will prioritize my duties of faith.”

“That makes no sense.”

He could tell his voice had gone cold. Behind him, he sensed Garo’s presence shift slightly. The warrior monk shrugged and snorted.

“Then the negotiation ends here. There are plenty of others who would like to hire me.”

The moment he watched that retreating back turn away, something burned hot in the back of Julius’s throat. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.

Refusing to join a hero party? Presenting conditions to me? Is he mocking me?

For a moment, he considered slaughtering that monk on the spot, but Garo sensed the danger and grabbed Julius by the shoulder. Shaking his head as if to say that “Mercenaries are just like that so you should give it up,” Garo restrained him. Indeed, he could not cause a scene here. Julius swallowed his anger. The guildmaster let out a breath of relief.

“My apologies. He is skilled, but he’s a bit too obsessed with money. I’ll bring someone else.”

After waiting a while longer, the second candidate appeared. The second was a thin mage. The eyes peering out from beneath the brim of his hat had lost their color, like dry sand, and the corners of his mouth seemed perpetually twisted with sarcasm. After a brief greeting, he leaned forward as if peering behind Julius and deliberately spoke in a loud voice.

“By the way… Oh? What happened to that black swordsman, Lloyd Valt?”

A sensation like ice sliding down his spine ran through Julius. He could not understand why the mage suddenly brought up Lloyd’s name. The mage continued.

“And what about Elena Luibel, the so-called genius mage, and Fran Arcury? Don’t tell me all three of them were seriously injured, so you came to recruit replacements?”

The gazes around them grew even more intense. The vibration of suppressed laughter traveled up through the tabletops.

“Well, well. If even Lloyd Valt, Elena Luibel, and Fran Arcury, who supported Hero-sama’s party, are seriously injured and forced to withdraw from the front lines. I can’t imagine I’d be of much use in such a dangerous fight.”

The final words coming out of his mouth were sweet and soft, yet merciless. After flashing a mocking smile, the mage shrugged and walked away from the counter.

This bastard…!

That mage probably had no intention of joining from the start. He had come solely to mock Julius.

“…Please keep it in check, Julius-sama.” 

Garo warned him in a low voice. He knew that without being told. If he lashed out, he would no longer be introduced to mercenaries, and the honor of the hero would be tarnished. He had no choice but to endure it. Julius’s lips slowly tightened into a shape of self-restraint. He did not even want to show a tremor. Showing it would mean defeat.

“Hmph… This just shows how uneducated these mercenaries are. Not a single one of them understands the honor of becoming my companion.”

That was all he could manage in retort. However, as if to seize on that remark, a nearby mercenary laughed exaggeratedly.

“Honor, huh!”

“Sounds like the hero-sama’s short on manpower these days!”

“We don’t care about honor. As long as we get paid.”

“Money against your life, idiot. No matter how much you’re paid, who’d take a job that’ll get you killed?”

Crude jokes and similar remarks spread like waves. They stabbed into his ears and would not come out, pressing against his eardrums from the inside.

Why? Why does no one understand my greatness? I’m a hero certified by the king…!

His fists trembled. He wanted to go on a rampage right then and there, to execute every last one of these mercenaries. But if a hero caused trouble here, he would only become a laughingstock.

“Looks like the hero title isn’t as conveniently useful as you’d think.” 

Garo said quietly, curling one corner of his lips. Julius shot him a sidelong glare. He wanted to snap back, but the heat in his throat refused to turn into words.

Why? Why am I being mocked like this? Nothing was wrong until yesterday.

The feeling he did not want to acknowledge was that the situation had somehow changed from yesterday. Could it be that Elena and Fran had spread information? No, those two should not have had the time. He shook his head after thinking that far. This was not the time to dwell on such things.

“…Who’s next?”

He turned back to the guildmaster and asked. The master let out a small sigh and called for another staff member.

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