The Regression Of A Grand Mercenary - 95 - Spring Festival Days - Market Fair

People will say that I can be harsh sometimes…that my methods, my actions can hurt people…

Well, this world continuously hurts people…people hurt people…monsters hurt people…

But I’m not trying to follow that sense of justice or whatever you call it. Simply put, I can be hard on people because it is what needs to be done to resolve an issue. Sometimes hurting people can give results that kindness can’t give. You learn that the hard way when you are constantly fighting forces that brings out the desperate in you.

In this instance, it was clear that I hurt the man called Oswal. I hurt his pride as a blacksmith…or whatever is left of it anyway.

As everyone made their way back to their room, Reginald on the other hand stayed behind and invited me to his private quarters to have a small drink. It seems that he wanted something to talk about.

I followed him, and when I arrived…I saw an office that dignified what people call a man cave. Armors were put on the corner of the walls for display, swords were placed over the chimney as the flames were alive, and books were piled on the table and desk, almost as if the maids have not been managing the placement of those books in weeks.

“Do you like reading?” I asked him as he went to his desk to pour two glasses of whiskey for us both.

“Oh, uh…no. I was just looking for answers on a problem I was cornered with.”

“What kind of problem?” I asked.

“It’s nothing…just a personal matter.” he said as he handed me a glass full of whiskey.

“Thanks.”

“Anyway, l asked you to come here because I wanted to apologize on Oswal’s behalf. Despite what happened, he is still my friend.”

“How did you two meet for you to become such close friends?” I asked.

“Well, when I was still adventuring, Oswal was the one who provided me with his skills in maintaining my equipment. Not a day goes by that I didn’t come back from a mission where my armor or sword wasn’t damaged. Oswal always fixed it the next day…” he said as he looked ever so reminiscent.

“What happened to him?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I wouldn’t have known that he was a blacksmith if you had not mentioned it. I can tell that he hasn’t held a hammer in years. He hasn’t made anything worth calling an armor or a weapon…I bet.”

“Hmm, your eyes never fails to amaze me. You truly are a great blacksmith…that much is true. Compared to you, he is a lost cause. Well, in truth…he might have been as good as you if he didn’t have such a large ego…if he had let go of his anger.”

“Whatever it is…he’s responsible for his own life. You don’t have to be worried about someone like him.”

“But I feel responsible either way. He’s like family…he’s saved me at my worse days, its only right that I should have saved him at his worst day.”

“Oh…I see.”

“Thill…I know this may be me overstepping myself, but out of everyone that I know of, you might be the only one who can help him.”

“What are you asking?” I asked.

“He’s too far gone for anyone else to save him…but you…when you started talking to him about how you made your armor, for once in his life, he started listening again. It was like every word that came out of your mouth was a blessing in his ears.”

“…He didn’t even understand a quarter of what I said.”

“True…but he listened anyway. It was like he was willing…he was never like that with anyone else. But for some reason, you got through to him.”

I knew where this was going…from how different his tone was.

“*Sigh*…what do you want me to do?” I asked.

“I don’t know what he wants, but if he ever comes back, if he ever ask for something…anything, please help him!”

“…”

“I’m asking this not as a father to Evelyn, but as a friend…and my friend needs help. You’re the only one who can.”

Having listened to his plea, I felt oddly reminiscent of my past.

My past…

“…” for a moment, I stayed silent. As if I was deep in my own thoughts.

But soon, I gave my answer.

“The man seems hopeless to me, but…I’ll do what I can.”

***

By the next morning, I found myself asleep next to Evelyn again.

“You know, you should really stop sneaking into my room.” I said.

“Hnn~~ It’s fine, I came around when my parents were already asleep.” she said.

“Still, its not safe. What if they find out?” I asked.

“It’s okay…its not like we’re messing around. We’re just sleeping together.” she said as she continue to bury her face on the pillow.

“Right…okay. Anyway, today’s the second day. So you have to go and participate in the Market Fair and the Exhibitions. I also remember that at night, you also have to attend the masquerade ball.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I’m still tired from yesterday.” she groaned at the thought of work.

“Well, at least we won’t have to meet with any nobles in the morning. Remind me again, what exactly are you going to do today in this market fair?” I asked.

“Well…in the market fair, our family is sponsoring a few stands that sells all sorts of items. From swords and armor, to even tools that would inspire what my father calls the ‘future’. along with that, we also handle selling food to the thousands of people who are roaming the streets.” she said as she rose up from the bed.

“Right, a typical fair of sorts. But what about the Exhibition?” I asked.

“That’s a bit tricky because the kingdom itself is hosting a competition that showcases the talent of the craftsmen who will show their masterpieces they made this year. All sorts of armor, swords and artifacts are going to be shown from all points of the country. They say that when an item is found to be quite an interest, it will be sold through an auction.”

“I see…is your family participating as well?” I asked.

“Of course, well not exactly my family, but a family of blacksmiths who we sponsor. They are going to be showing off a new item that they have been working on since last year. They even kept it a secret from us, so my father is very excited to see what they made today.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Of course. Last year’s festival, they were able to claim third prize for creating a shield that creates the effect of turning people to stone. Isn’t that amazing?”

“It is. Hmm, now I’m curious what they have in store this year.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see.” she said as she tirelessly got up to the mirror.

When she got to the mirror, she started fixing herself. First was that she comb her hair.

“And as for the masquerade ball, I don’t know what will happen. This isn’t going to be taking place in the king’s castle, but instead…its going to take place at the center of the city. At the largest plaza.” she said.

“Have you ever participated in this ball?” I asked.

“No actually. Only people who were personally invited get to attend. And since this was our family’s first time being personally invited by the royal family, it’ll be a great honor.”

“You know, it may seem odd, but we didn’t get to meet your sister yesterday.” I said.

“I know, it such a shame, but what can you expect working at the military. The knights here at the kingdom are very strict, they care more about their position more than any warrior in the country. And knowing my sister, she fits perfectly right in.”

“Do you think we can meet her in this fair?” I asked.

“I don’t know. With how full the streets are, my sister can’t just leave her post.” she said.

As Evelyn was fixing herself in front of the mirror, all of a sudden the door to my room opens and we both saw her mother walking in with a gentle smile on her face.

“M-mother…? W-what are you doing here?” said Evelyn as she was a bit taken aback by her sudden entrance.

“It’s okay. Don’t be too surprised. I knew you went here last night when your father fell asleep. Anyway, I came here to tell you great news.”

“What is it?” asked Evelyn.

“Your sister and Escanor will be coming by the fair to eat with us at the Red Rose Resto.” she said.

“Really? That’s great news! We were just talking about them.”

“Yes, now come on you two, get ready…breakfast is nearly prepared downstairs.”

“Okay, we’ll be there.” she said.

***

Somewhere deep in the trenches of the slum, a group of trench-coated men came to the witness of a pile of dead bodies near the sewers.

With rats crawling around the sewage and dead corpses, it was hard to even think of eating, but early morning…these men barely cared for breakfast. What they only cared for was the truth…or at least an answer.

One of those men was a simple looking man who seemed oddly out of place. He showed no menacing features, but his entire demeanor on the other hand showed him to be quite intriguing.

A part of the Guard Hounds…the simple looking man named Orion.

“…What do you think?” he asked.

Then man who stood beside him was an Apostle of the church who showed interest in the incident. The man he once partnered with when they came to investigate a plague incident in a far-off village near Samsel City.

“Hmm, its clearly a different demon. Compared to the clown demon who invited desperate hungry men to inact evil, this demon is targeting lustful men…they all looked disheveled, like their souls were sucked by a succubus.”

“So it’s a succubus?” asked Orion.

“Maybe, but look here…see how their genitals were untouched. If a succubus did attack these men, their usual motive would have been to devour their balls…for sustenance.”

“That’s a rather rough language for an Apostle to say. Haha.” said Orion as he was a bit taken aback by what the Apostle said.

“I know, but what else should I have described it? The balls on these men were untouched.”

“What if it’s not a demon? Maybe it’s a roaming monster?”

“That’s unlikely.”

“Why?”

“I can sense traces of demonic energy seeping out of these bodies. They were used for something demonic, that’s for sure.”

“A ritual?”

“Hmm…maybe. Look across the entire slum area, we might be able to find a clue of where these men were attacked.”

“Right…”

As their investigation moved forward, all of a sudden, the sound of heavy footsteps were heard. And when the trench-coated men turned their heads to where these heavy steps were made, they came to the sight of a half-giant, wearing full-plated golden armor, and a spear that was just his height.”

“…You must be Elgor. I heard from my captain that you would come by to aid in the investigation.” said Orion as he knew this man.

“The enemy you are looking for isn’t here anymore.” he said blatantly.

“Really? You just got here. How would you know?” asked the Apostle.

“I just do.” he said as he then moved pass them and made his way deeper to the slums.

“What’s his deal?” asked the Apostle.

“Hmm, I don’t know. But my captain said that he was asked to aid in the investigation since someone from a powerful background recommended him. They said that in this particular incident, he was the best possible choice to fix the problem. I don’t know anything else other that.” said Orion.

“Hmm, let’s hope your captain is right. If this incident gets anymore bigger than it already is, it won’t only be the slums that will be affected, but the other district as well. We have to resolve this issue as fast as possible.”

***

A few hours went by and, we were now out in the streets to participate in the festival. With the market fair, a lot of items were put before the streets to be sold. Items that were found even from outside of the country.

I could see different types of swords displayed…some were oddly curved and other were oddly long. Armors were oddly larger than some, and some looked ever so revealing for a female armor.

‘Hmm…that’s some crazy bikini armor.’ I thought as I stared from the distance while I was accompanying Evelyn on her walk.

Compared to yesterday, I didn’t wear my armor, instead, because of the trouble it brought last night, Reginald had to ask me about hiding the armor. I had to agree that it was best that I hide my armor for now…because if I didn’t, it might just attract unwanted attention in a place like the market fair.

So for now, I was given a different set of armor that was good enough to accommodate for Evelyn’s safety. With my skill, even the most basic of armor was enough.

“…Look here Thill, there’s this odd looking fish in the tank.” said Evelyn as she was admiring one of the vendors on the street.

“Yeah…it is weird.” I said. For some reason, the fish had horns like that of a bull…and he was staring at me like I committed a sin of sorts.

“If your curious miss, this fish was caught at one of the most harshes part of the middle deep sea.”

“Eh? Someone actually went to the middle deep? I thought that the only one capable were serfmen.”

Serfmen…a different race of humans who adapted to living underneath the oceans. Like elves who adapted to living in nothing but the nutrients given by the forest, the serfmen evolved simply to accommodate the space of the seas.

They live in the ocean, but mostly in a place called the Middle Deep sea where, beneath its depths lies a city of serfmen with a population that was the size of two countries. Their population was so large due to the fact that unlike humans who gave birth only once every nine months, serfmen breed like fish, where they hatch and fertilize their young through eggs. They come in many numbers, the least being around a dozen. So its no surprise that their numbers come around twice the size of a country.

But despite their size, serfmen don’t come out of the ocean. Because they are incapable of breathing air forr long periods of time. Through centuries of evolving, they let go the aspect of living like man.

Seeing that this kind of fish was being sold by the vendor , it could only mean that the serfmen were providing these fish.

“…Keep it a secret between you and me, but these fishes were traded by me and the serfmen.”

“Eh? Isn’t that a common thing?” asked Evelyn.

“Trading with serfmen for common goods is what mostly happens on the seas, but these fishes are rare. Without permission from the law, these items might be confiscated.” I said.

“Huh, you know a lot about these trades kid. Do you work as a merchant or something?” asked the vendor.

“No, its just what I heard from a friend.” I said.

“Hmm, so what do you think miss? Do you want ot buy one as a pet?” asked the vendor.

“No thanks…I’m not really looking for a pet. Goodbye.” said Evelyn as she walks away.

As we left, the vendor looked sad that we didn’t buy his fish.

“Are you sure you don’t want to buy that fish? Although it’s rare, it doesn’t really look like trouble.” I said.

“Hmm, I’m not really looking for a pet to own right now. Besides, I’m just looking around the streets for a potential market my family can play in. Business at the seas isn’t really something my father is interested in.” she said.

“I see.”

“Also, I just want us to enjoy this day. We haven’t really spent time together with just us two. If anything, this is our first date right?” she asked.

“Ah…now that you think about it, you’re right. This is our first date.” I said.

“Right, back at the village, we didn’t really have much time to enjoy ourselves in the public. Also, there isn’t much to do there except for work. So lets make this day count.” she said as she quickly grabs me by the arm and pulled me to one of the vendors again who were selling something sweet.

The focus of this day was simple…to have fun with her.