Reason – Part 03

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Translator: Kell


After Secrecy and the others returned to their respective jobs, Lily sat down outside Mercenary’s room, listening to what was happening inside.

Pained grunts. The sound of the man rising to his feet. Legs dragging across the floor. Slamming into the wall. The pieces of shattered glass from when he smashed the mirror still lay on the floor; every step he took, there was a clink.

A knock came at the door from inside, and Lily jumped to her feet.

“Is anyone still there?”

“M-Me! Lily!” Lily quickly answered.

“I see,” Mercenary said. He sounded much calmer than before. “Perfect. I was going to call for you.”

“Me? Why?”

“I want something with flavor. This bread doesn’t taste like anything, and it’s so hard. I can’t eat it.”

“O-Okay! I’ll go make lots of yummy food!”

Mercenary laughed. “A little will do. I don’t think I can eat a lot in this body anyway. You know that potato soup I always make? I want that. You can make it to my taste, right?”

Lily felt a stab in her chest. She realized that he was afraid that his sense of taste had changed. Born in a tavern, Mercenary dreamed of one day owning one. He traveled to various countries and towns, learning how to cook various dishes. He felt happy when his traveling companions said his cooking was delicious. But if his taste buds were radically altered, he might never be able to cook properly again.

“Um… It might taste a little different,” Lily said. “And I might not be able to make it as good as yours…”

“That’s fine.”

Lily clenched her fists. “All right! I’ll do it! Just wait. I’ll make it right away!” She scurried off toward the kitchen.

Unfortunately, no one in their right mind would give a rat Beastfallen foodstuffs. While Lily was at a loss, Barcel—Gemma’s attendant—appeared in the kitchen. After listening to what she had to say, he made some accommodations.

Lily thought the man was untrustworthy, but she realized now that he was surprisingly kind. She was simple-minded, indeed.

She was kicked out of the kitchen, so she had to cook over a bonfire in the cold weather. Barcel followed along, watching Lily cook with fascination.

“I’m fine on my own,” Lily said.

“Ah, sorry. I couldn’t help but stare,” Barcel said. “I’m just impressed at how dexterous you are with your tiny hands. Wait, why are you looking at me like that? Why do you always act like I’m some kind of a pervert?!”

“Because you’re dirty.”

“D-Dirty?! I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but I’m an archer, and my job is to blend in with the landscape and shoot my target. If I wore brand-new Knights Templar uniform, I’ll draw attention.”

“Still dirty.”

“I mean, I guess, but still…” Barcel frowned in frustration, and Lily looked away from the man.

Barcel sighed, resigning himself to the ruthlessness that was natural for a young girl of her age—believing that cleanliness and beauty were unconditionally good, while the opposite was bad. Nothing less from the Knights Templar, who saw purity of heart as a virtue.

“Besides, it’s not a good idea to shoo me away, young lady. Delivering food to the merc means you have to open the door. If you’re alone, you won’t be able to stop him if he tries to escape.”

“He won’t escape.”

“After howling all night to let him out?”

“He asked me to cook food for him. If I bring him food, he will eat it. He won’t run away.”

“What I’m saying is, that could be part of his plan.”

“I don’t care, stupid.”

Lily did not think for a moment that Mercenary might be trying to trick her. She refused to listen to Barcel’s words.

The attendant was perplexed. He could just say let her be and leave, but it would be a huge problem if Mercenary actually escaped. Lily would be deeply hurt as well.

Barcel decided that it would be much better to follow Lily and have his heart hurt a little instead. Such was his nature—even when turned away, he stayed.

Lily carried the finished soup, pot and all, and hurried to the mercenary’s room. But the pot full of soup was huge and heavy for the small and weak Lily. In the end, Barcel carried the pot, while she settled for carrying the tableware.

“See? Aren’t you glad I’m here?” Barcel smiled.

Lily gave a reluctant nod. “Still dirty.”

“I washed my hands and face.”

When they removed the latch and opened the door, they found Mercenary sitting quietly on a bed in a room illuminated dimly by a few candles.

“Now that I take a closer look, this place feels like a prison cell,” Barcel said, setting the pot on the table.

“Big brother! Soup’s ready!” Lily climbed up on a chair and served soup into three bowls.

“Hmm? I can have some?” Barcel asked, his face saying he thought he was getting kicked out.

“I really want to,” Lily said. “But I don’t like leaving others out.”

Barcel laughed. “Your benevolence is admirable.” He gave Lily a gentle, casual pat on the head.

Lily scowled, holding her head as she glared at him.

The attendant gave a troubled look. “D-Did I do something wrong? Your head was at the right place. I couldn’t help it.”

“No! You’re not my father!” Lily said. “You make the same face he does, so definitely no!”

“You’re not making any sense! Fine, I’m not doing it again.” Barcel walked up to Mercenary. He actually had business with him. “Here’s some change of clothes and a coat that the priest asked me to get. Your body has shrunk, but you’re still the bigger type. Finding the right fit for you took some work.”

“What’s this?” Mercenary froze after taking a look at the clothes packed in the bag.

“Like I said, a coat. It’s bear fur. The head part is a hood, so it’s pretty warm on its own. I guess it’s also a bit of a joke on you to keep your mind off of things.”

It was a huge black bear skin that could be used as a carpet.

Mercenary ran a hand through its fur. “My fur was much better than this.” He gave a dry chuckle. His casual joke suggested he had calmed down enough.

“The soup’s getting cold!”

Mercenary stood up, pulling the hood over his head. It hid almost his whole face, showing only his mouth. Rather than getting creeped out, Barcel felt relieved. The human face revealed too much. It was better that Mercenary’s face, tight from despair, was hidden from his eyes.

When they sat down at the table, Lily urged Mercenary to try the soup. Besides the fact that his hand was injured from his outburst, Mercenary also couldn’t move his hand well yet. Nevertheless he grabbed a spoon and carefully scooped up the soup. Barcel and Lily watched with bated breath as he put it in his mouth.

Mercenary stopped moving. “I can’t eat with you two staring at me.”

They immediately started on their own bowls. Still, they couldn’t help but stare at the Mercenary’s expression as he brought the soup to his mouth and his throat went up and down.

“H-How is it? Does it taste good?” Wagging her tail uneasily, Lily also looked at Barcel.

“I think it’s just as good as the soup Merc makes,” the attendant said.

“Is this what it usually tastes like?” Mercenary asked.

Lily looked more and more anxious. Mercenary let go of the spoon, picked up the bowl, and gulped its contents down.

“B-Big brother?”

“It tastes a thousand times better than usual. Also, I can handle hot food.”

A bright smile appeared on Lily’s face. “R-Really? Really, really? It tastes good? The food you make is very yummy! Please get better soon so we can cook together. You’re opening a food store in Wenias, right?”

“You can also just keep being a mercenary,” Barcel said. “I’m currently looking for a partner.”

“No! Big brother is opening a store! And I’m gonna help him!”

“Uh, I hate to say this, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for a rat Beastfallen to work in a restaurant. Ow!”

Mercenary hit Barcel with his fist. The attendant cradled his head, regretting his remark.

Lily hung her head down, clearly hurt. “I know that,” she said. “Rat carry diseases. I shouldn’t be eating with you like this. Big brother is now human. He shouldn’t be eating food I made.”

“I, uhh… didn’t mean it that way! It’s just, uhm… general opinion? Like it’ll affect sales…”

“This is your problem, lackey,” Mercenary said. “Wait till the priest hears about this. You’re in for some serious trouble.”

“Wh-Why him?”

“Because he’s acting as the squirt’s guardian. Just imagine what you’d do if someone insults the Captain.” Mercenary shrugged as he poured himself another bowl of soup from the pot.

Barcel turned pale. “I’m dead! Socially killed!”

“Sounds like you’ve done plenty of social killings yourself. But don’t worry, the priest prefers to do his killing physically.”

“Oh, shit! You’re right. I was right there when he crushed Orlux’s knees!” He looked at Lily. “Young lady. Please keep this between us. I’m really sorry!”

“I forgive you,” Lily said magnanimously.

Watching their exchange, Mercenary suddenly gave a soft smile.

“Merc?”

“Nah, it’s nothing. Just thinking how eating warm food and talking like this made me feel a little better.”

Barcel chuckled. “Unfortunately, and fortunately, that’s how humans are. Anyway, that’s good to hear. Everyone’s worried that you’re gonna randomly hang yourself. I’m sure they’ll be very relieved to hear what you just said.”

“Why do you think I’m gonna kill myself?”

“Well, you wanted to charge into hordes of demons in sub-zero temperatures unarmed. It’s only natural to think you’re suicidal.”

Hearing the word “unarmed,” Mercenary shot a glance at the sword propped against the wall. After gulping down another bowl of soup, he stood up and grabbed the sword. It was too big for a human hand.

He couldn’t lift it up with one hand, but he barely managed to do it with both. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like he could swing it around as easily as before.

Sighing, he set the sword back down and rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess I have to get used to this body. I can’t even hold a weapon properly.”

“Even I can’t wield that big a sword,” Barcel said. “I’ll get you a wooden one for training. It’ll be a great help to all of us if you can wield a sword to some extent before we leave.”

“A normal human can ride horses, right?”

“Well, you have to be coordinated. If you fall off a horse, you’ll be badly hurt.”

Barcel glanced at Mercenary’s right hand, sticky with dried blood.

Mercenary raised his right hand to his chest. “I regret my actions, so can I ask for treatment now? The wound opened after lifting the sword.” His voice held the usual lighthearted tone.


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