He’d better get her some armor. Anyway, he poked at her back with his index finger.
“Hey!?”
‘Hmm, solid.’
He pressed briefly; her muscles were firm yet supple. He couldn’t touch longer because she quickly spun around, clearly annoyed.
“What do you think you’re doing? Touching a girl’s skin like that is sexual harassment!”
“Cut it out. I was checking your back muscles.”
Anyone overhearing would misunderstand.
“You need muscles to use a bow.”
To draw a bow, you don’t pull with your arms, but with your back muscles. So you have to check the muscles on the back to see if she’s suited to archery.
“You’re saying you didn’t touch her skin under false pretenses!?”
Explaining it only made her more annoyed.
“Hey!”
“Ouch!?”
He couldn’t hold back and flicked the crown of her head.
“Waaah…”
Vurdika wailed, but it was just pretend crying. Thinking she was an attention-seeker, he watched as she gripped the axe in one hand and swung it up and down.
Swish!
The air cut sharply. Despite the axe’s weight, her wrist showed no strain. She maintained enough weight for cutting power, but the balance was distributed well to ease the user’s burden.
“There aren’t many axe craftsmen these days.”
With firearms as the primary weapons these days, Demand for close-combat weapons like swords, spears, and axes had dwindled. Even knights favored swords and spears mostly. The shortage of ranged firepower was compensated by rifles.
“Clunky weapons like axes have almost no demand, so craftsmanship has declined.”
So a weapon this well-made was a rare sight. It was an overly high-grade weapon for a mere student. Such weapons were usually treasured family heirlooms.
“You brought this from home?”
“Oh, you know your weapons, huh?”
Vurdika smiled proudly at the question. This must be a precious family heirloom. She placed her hands on her hips and said, “This is actually the handcrafted work of the famous blacksmith—”
“A Dwarven artisan’s masterpiece.”
Eugene interrupted, causing her to stop. As expected, this axe was made by a dwarf blacksmith. Only dwarves on this continent were truly serious about axes.
“No human blacksmith alive today can craft an axe this well.”
The blade was likely made of adamantium with balanced elasticity, hardness, and density. The handle was probably an old branch taken from the empire’s frontier mountain range. The rough texture was from some creature’s leather wrapped around the handle. Probably finished with the volcanic salamander leather from the dwarves’ homeland.
“Wow… even the materials?”
Vurdika’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Have you met dwarves yourself?”
“My old friend was a dwarf.”
“Whoa, that’s awesome! There aren’t many dwarves left in the empire these days.”
That was true. Dwarves had settled in the empire’s northwest border about 50 years ago, establishing an autonomous territory. Most dwarves living in the empire had moved there en masse.
“But this is the first time I’ve seen a dwarven axe as a family heirloom.”
Dwarves rarely give away weapons they make. They loved minerals and cherished the weapons made from them. Especially a masterpiece like this, the maker probably wouldn’t give it to just any human.
“Hehe… actually,”
Vurdika scratched her cheek and confessed.
“I’m a dwarf quarterbreed. My maternal side is half dwarf.”
“Ah, that explains it.”
That made sense. This axe was probably part of her dowry, explaining her slender but dense build.
“Dwarves have muscle density several times that of humans.”
So even the same volume of muscle would deliver far greater strength. A hundred years ago, dwarves were mercenaries smashing demon heads. With such blessed genetics, this girl’s potential was huge.
“Anyway, let’s stop by a weapon shop and buy a bow and some arrows.”
What she needed now was a ranged weapon as backup. Getting a gun now would be complicated with permits. Buying a bow was simpler.
“Next…”
“That’s me.”
The third was Memilia. She brought a magic staff. It was as tall as she was, topped with a gemstone.
‘Magic isn’t really my specialty.’
He knew a few spells but wasn’t versed in magical theory. So he couldn’t judge the quality of magical equipment. He only pointed out what was necessary for survival.
“The staff’s fine.”
“Huh?”
“Try casting a fire spell without chanting.”
“Whaaat!?”
Memilia’s face showed disbelief. It wasn’t a difficult request, so Eugene wondered why she reacted like that. She explained with an embarrassed look.
“Fire spells are complicated; they’re hard to cast without chanting… Most seniors at magic university can’t do it either.”
Really? Witches could summon fire with a gesture, wasn’t it that hard? And in the wild, who has time to chant? You have to be able to cast spells instantly.
“But I can do it.”
Flare!
A ball of fire flickered above his palm.
“Whoa.”
Memilia was speechless at the sight of the flame. The others stared in surprise as well. They probably hadn’t expected the mercenary to casually wield magic.
“Is that really fire?”
“… Don’t you see? Want to touch it?”
“Rian, touch it and tell us how it feels.”
“How’d he do that?”
Since it wasn’t a spectacle, Eugene quickly extinguished the flame. Even he could summon fire without chanting when smoking. A mage should be able to do at least this much.
“Reflect on that, understood?”
“Y-Yes…”
Memilia sulked, and Eugene turned to the last student, Rian. He’d brought a well-sharpened longsword. It had no magical enhancement but was well balanced. The blade had enough weight but didn’t strain the wrist when swung.
“This is well made for supplied gear. Did you bring it from home?”
“Huh? Uh, haha… yeah…”
He stammered, so it was probably from the royal armory. He couldn’t reveal his true identity, so he dodged the question. But it was a little disappointing he only had one blade.
“Do you know how to shoot a bow?”
“I learned a bit when I was young…”
“Then you should get a bow too.”
Naturally, one weapon isn’t enough. You need at least one melee and one ranged weapon. A bow didn’t need to be a masterwork; they could buy one at a town stop.
‘There’s a lot to fix for all of them.’
But for now, there wasn’t much he could do. First, get their equipment right, then start training to hunt demons as a team.
“That’s all for today. Rest up.”
At that, the kids packed their equipment and organized their things. It was time to let them rest properly. There was nothing to do here anyway, so he planned to go outside.
‘Better check on other mercenaries too.’
It’d been fifteen years since he last visited the demon territory. He needed information from mercenaries who’d recently been there. If there was a place where mercenaries gathered, he could get information there.
“Rian.”
“Yes?”
Rian answered the call and ran over. Before going out, Eugene had to give instructions about access control. He threw an arm around Rian’s shoulder and whispered.
“I’ll take a walk. Let’s set a password.”
“Huh? Password?”
“Yes. If you ask ‘owl,’ I’ll answer ‘night owl.’ Anyone who can’t answer, don’t let in.”
It was rare for someone to come to their compartment. If someone came, they’d be suspicious unless they were part of the same group. Even the train staff wouldn’t come unless it was an emergency.
“If someone tries to force their way in, shoot them, got it?”
“Yes, yes…”
Rian nodded. Eugene left the room, entrusting his back to the boy. In the corridor, Iluh, who had been silent, said, [They’re too green to send on an adventure, aren’t they?]
‘They are indeed green.’
[Some of them will die.]
‘Don’t say stupid things.’
I’ll be the only one dying.
[So where are you going now? Do you know where mercenaries gather?]
‘There’s gotta be a tavern somewhere.’
The company operating this train was profit-driven. And alcohol was a high-margin business. Besides, this train was crawling with mercenaries who drank a lot.
[That little brain’s working well.]
‘If you want to say nonsense, stay in the compartment.’
That threat seemed to work; Iluh shut up. God was always so talkative and frivolous. But he was still the best companion to talk to in a long time.
[Have you realized the charm of the luggage?]
‘Shut up.’
Walking down the corridor, Eugene asked patrolling staff for directions. Finally, he reached a sign that read PUB.
‘Ugh, I can smell the booze even outside.’
[Cheap liquor, and it stinks.]
He could imagine what awaited beyond the door. But he had to get information, so he braced himself. He grabbed the doorknob and turned.
Creak…
With the hinge’s squeak came the noise of the tavern.
“Wahaha! Back in my day…”
“Hope we make a good haul this time!”
“Hmph! Just surviving is lucky enough!”
The tavern’s noisy voices poured out.
‘Reminds me of old times.’
*****
“Ahh…! Finally some rest!”
Rian threw himself onto the bed. They’d packed up at dawn and walked to the train station, so he was more sleep-deprived than usual.
‘That guy makes me nervous.’
The mercenary he met today was somehow scary. Though in his twenties, his eyes pierced right through people. Earlier, Eugene nearly let slip he was from the royal family while checking weapons.
“Hey, Squad Leader.”
“Hm?”
As he tried to sleep, someone called. Turning his head, he saw the silver-haired nun crossing her arms and looking down at him.
‘Oh no, not again.’
Sylvia was a battle nun studying in the Holy Empire. Because of her job back home, she was strict and quick-tempered. He braced himself for a reprimand, burying his face in the pillow.
“Ah, why…”
“Why what?”
“Ugh!?”
Suddenly, his throat was grabbed and he struggled to breathe. The nun had grabbed the back of his neck, pulling his face forcibly into the pillow.
“What are you doing!?”
He barely held back cursing. No matter how much he hid his identity at school, he never imagined being dragged by the scruff like this.
“Oh my, sorry. If I hadn’t done that, you would’ve stayed asleep forever, Squad Leader.”
Sylvia said shamelessly, releasing her grip. He had to revise his earlier assessment. Maybe she wasn’t strict but crazy?
“… From now on, speak instead of grabbing, alright?”
“Yes, yes. But I have something to ask.”
Still shameless, she pressed on.
“Is that mercenary trustworthy?”