*

　Huh, Sif let out a sigh to the ceiling.
　As it was, he closed his eyes and massaged his eyeballs over his eyelids.
　Sif is in the mercenary guild's base away from the center of Sylvania the office of the guild.
　The building in which it is based has an appearance that seems to embody the word "simple and robust".
　The office is no different.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it.
　I left the construction of the base to Elaine.
　No, I had to rely on her.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what to do with it.
　Whether building or renting, money is involved.
　Money is life.
　The mercenaries in the guild risked their lives to gain it.
　That's why we can't waste a single brass coin.
　You shouldn't deal with people you can't trust.
　We have done so in the past and we will continue to do so in the future.
　Elaine Shinar is a trustworthy person to keep her word.
　I'm sure that's because of the rebelliousness with which the guildmasters of the Free City State Cluster have treated him.
　I'm not like you guys.
　It's an insignificant feeling.

''It's not that I don't like it, but...
What's not to like?

　Sif was asked a question and looked at the front.
　He was surprised to be called out unexpectedly, but he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

'Don't surprise me, Bear,'

　Sif called out the man's name.
　Bear has the look of a dwarf stretched out vertically, and he is in charge of one of the escort units.
　Sif is from the Yu, the most outspoken tribe in the Confederation of Tribes, and Bear is from the Mu, the second most outspoken tribe after the Yu.
　They've known each other for a long time, but they weren't brought in as second in command.
　Before I knew it, he had established his position as Sif's second-in-command in Sylvania.
　No, I should say that he had become the cohesive body of the escort unit.
　He has a stern appearance, but when he smiles, he is charming.
　He is well taken care of, and does not forget to be attentive to his surroundings.
　Counting up his virtues, he realizes that he is in his current position as much as possible.

''What's going on with the Banded Wolf?''
We haven't been to the frontier villages since we killed three or four of them. It's not so hard to chase them off, but you can't hunt them out.

　Bear said in a tone that could be taken as a throwback.

'I see. How are you getting along with the Marquis of Erakis' soldiers?'
Serious people who have no clue how to get along.

　Bear cowered his shoulders.

'Enough of a face-to-face meeting for now.
For now.

　'Oh,' said Sif, nodding.

'Well it's about the migration.

　Bear broke off the words and glanced around the corner of the room.
　There is a spell implement placed there.
　The spellcasting tools placed in various parts of the building serve as wards to prevent spirits from entering.
　You can cross them by force, but if you can, you'll soon find out.

How do you keep it all together?
Yeah, we had some bargaining chips.

　Sif propped his elbows on the desk and crossed his hands to hide his mouth.
　First, now that they had begun trading with the Holy Argo Kingdom in earnest, mercenaries were essential for escorting them.
　Secondly, prepare for when Sylvania becomes autonomous by a collegial system.
　And finally..........

''Quite the great grandson of the Great Sif, isn't it?
The end result is that I'm working as a maid in a magistrate's office.

　When Sif cut back, Bear gave him a bitter smile.
　The Great Sif was Sif's great-grandfather.
　His great-grandfather created the forerunner of the Mercenary Guild, and his grandfather established a reputation that the mercenaries of the Bethel Mountains were not afraid of death and would not betray their employers.

''My father is a fool,''
Ah, the Presbyterian Church.

　Bear held his temples as he tried to endure the headache.
　The Presbytery must be a headache for Bear as well.
　The Council of Elders was made up of the tribes of the Bethel Mountains the elders of the four tribes.
　Sif's father was made an elder by his great-grandfather and grandfather, and he is delusional about using Sylvania as a foothold to reclaim his land and regain his tribal pride.
　But they can't do more than that.
　The Federation of Tribes is represented by Sif, and the Mercenary Guild is not owned by the Federation of Tribes.
　The current Presbytery is just an honorary position with no real power.

''Looking at those people, I even feel like they can't help but be called barbarians.
That's harsh.

　With that said, Bear does not deny it.
　At the dawn of the Cepheus Empire, ten tribes were driven into the Bethel Mountains.
　Even if they tried to raise livestock, there was little land suitable for grazing, and even less land suitable for cultivation.
　The ten tribes fought savagely over what little land they had.
　Three of the tribes perished in the conflict, and the seven surviving tribes made a pact of non-war.
　After a long time, the three tribes took advantage of the chaos and invaded the Empire, while the four tribes chose to remain in the Bethel Mountains and live as mercenaries.
　The three tribes that invaded the empire were driven into the Areos Mountains, and now only the Roux tribe was left.
　Once again, they killed each other.
　It's like a curse.
　A curse on flesh and blood.
　This curse is consuming Sif as well.
　The curse is also affecting Sif, as he has been plotting to reduce the Presbytery to an honorary position with no real authority, and has been using the guild's code as an excuse to kill those inspired by the elders.
　Land. I want land, Sif clenched his fists.
　Not the way my father told me to.
　You can't escape this curse unless you get the land in a way that everyone agrees with.

'By the way, what did you use as a bargaining chip to get me to agree to emigrate?
...our lives.

　Bear's eyes widened lightly, as if surprised.

'That guy sold you a lot of money.

　'Oh,' said Sif shortly.
　The last bargaining chip is our own lives.
　They risked their lives for Sylvania.
　In return, they were given permission to emigrate and settle the country.
　They would have to pay for the cost of the settlement themselves, and they would have to pay taxes in either money or crops, but all of these were reasonable demands...no, they were unbeatable terms considering how many times they had been boiled by the guildmasters of the Free City State group.
　Well, that man doesn't think he bought it too high, Sif chuckled.

'What are you laughing at?'
No, I guess I'm just getting old.

　Looking at Crono reminds me of how dirty I've become.
　It's odd that I'm thinking about such things.

''I have to take care of the barbarian sword wolf thing first.
Yeah?　Yeah, I know.

　Bear replied one tempo too late.

*

　You managed to make it to the end of the year, Sif looked at the mercenaries coming down from the ship.
　The newly arrived mercenaries consisted of fifty ... twenty of the Yu tribe, fifteen of the Mu tribe, ten of the Fu tribe, and five of the Nu tribe.
　This ratio represents the pecking order in the Confederation of Tribes.
　The pecking order is determined by the contribution of the tribe to the Confederation, and is closely related to the population of the tribe.
　The larger the tribe's population, the more mercenaries it produces, and the more mercenaries it has, the greater its contribution to the Confederation.
　It also means that the U tribe has been killing other tribes and monopolizing the rich land.
　The mercenaries completed the prescribed formalities at the reception desk at the end of the pier and followed the guidance of Bear and his men to the mercenary guild.
　Wester and Rona smoothly inquire about the roster and hand over their permission slips.
　Compared to when Sif came to Sylvania, the number of onlookers is small.
　Kane and Elaine are not there.
　They must both be busy with their work.
　Following the mercenaries, the hunters came down from the ship.
　The status of the hunters was low compared to the mercenaries.
　This is because the mercenaries have a strong sense that their income supports the people's livelihood.
　That's just it, Sif chuckled as he remembered his old self.
　Perhaps it was because he had grown up listening to his grandfather's and great-grandfather's stories of heroism.
　He had always thought mercenaries were cool.
　That kind of admiration boosted the status of mercenaries in the tribe.
　One or two hunters got off the ship, and at the tenth one, Sif couldn't believe his eyes.
　The tenth hunter was a girl with an old dog.
　The girl wore a hooded cloak.
　She was short and thin enough to be visible even through the cloak.
　With the hood pulled over her eyes, it's hard to tell how old she is, but it's unlikely she's older than her own daughter (Quanto).

''Wait ... wait.''
.....

　When Sif called out to her, the girl stopped with a ping and straightened up.

'Take the hood off,'

　The girl gave a small nod and removed her hood.
　It revealed shaggy hair that looked like it had never been combed before.
　Her face could hardly be described as well-groomed.
　All I can see are large eyes that are busy scurrying around.

'What's your name?'
...Rollo of the Nu Nu, sir.

　
　His tone was tragic, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.

'What did the one who sent you say?'
Mm. He said I could be of service to the village.

　Less talk, Sif let out a sigh.
　Normally, when you hunt ravenous beasts, you form a team.
　Letting them come all the way alone would be like asking them to die.
　It's hard to deny that the gnu tribe is the lowest in the pecking order the poorest tribe.

'Go, may I?'

　Oh," Sif nodded.



　All tribes are treated equally, no matter what tribe they come from.
　That is Sif's credo.
　As the guildmaster of the mercenary guild and representative of the Confederation of Tribes, he can't overtly favor his own tribe.
　Sif was facing Kane on the second floor of the deputies' office.
　Westa and Rona are not there.
　The magic item for communication is covered with a thick cloth.

'You know what I'm going to say when you tell me to pay people off?

　Kane let out a deep sigh.

'Didn't I tell you at Quanto's that you could bake, boil, or skin them as you please?
He disowned me. I'm not surprised.

　Kane looked up to the heavens as if to say he didn't understand.

'So, you want me to be accommodating to a kid named Rollo?
I'm not asking you to be accommodating. I'm asking you to show them the ways of this city.
I don't understand.

　Then Kane scratched his head.

'I have my place.'
That's funny. I've got something for you, too.

　Kane said ridiculously.

''As the Guildmaster of a mercenary guild, it's not good to favor one individual as the representative of the Confederation of Tribes.
Then we'll have a study group.
It's already done.

　'That's about the only thing I have to do on the ship,' Sif added in his mind.

'It would be best if the gnomes could take care of us, but...'
But what?
'I had a feeling Rollo was going to be isolated. If he died in a failed hunt, I'd give up, but it's a bad way to wake up and die in the wild.

　Kane made a reluctant face.

'You're doing the math, aren't you?'
No, I mean it.

　Schiff asked back.
　'Of course, I understand Kane's background,' he said.

'All right, all right. I don't want to see the kid dying in the wild, either. I'll tell Rona that, just so you know. So deal with it, too.
Yeah, it's fine.

　I've already planted roots in Bear.



　As it turned out, Sif's fears were unfounded.
　Rollo was an excellent hunter.
　Although he was inferior to the other hunters on his team in terms of the number of prey, he seemed to make enough money that he and the old dog didn't have trouble eating.
　Perhaps because it was the end of the year, the tavern of the 'Sinner Trade Union' was empty.
　Sif sat at a seat in the corner and looked at his wine glass.
　His vision faded unexpectedly.
　You can find out who's here by smelling their perfume without having to look up.

'Oh, don't you want a drink?
You came here to talk business?
That's true.

　With that, Elaine took a seat across from me.
　She is wearing a highly revealing dress.
　

'First of all, should I say congratulations?
Yeah, you did. I appreciate it.

　I don't ask what it was against.
　I wouldn't be surprised if Elaine would know that Sif had been given permission to move and settle.
　More work for the mercenary guild, and mercenaries with artisanal backgrounds could return to their former jobs.
　The Confederation of Tribes was able to secure a place to settle.

''It's fine, it's a job,''
But still.

　Sif thinks about the future.
　He must recruit those who wish to emigrate and begin to settle.
　We will have to ask for the help of the 'Yellow Earth Temple' to make the settlement successful.
　We have to do something about the housing as well.
　We can't just use the tents we're using in the Bethel Mountains in terms of reconciliation.

I hope you will continue to help us.
Of course I do.

　Elaine smiled lustily.

''Well then,''

　Elaine crossed her legs gracefully.

'Why did that girl allow us to emigrate?
Because without us, there would be no trade.

　Hmm, Elaine narrowed her eyes as if trying to see through our minds.

''You've been thinking about it for a bit.''
....

　Sif doesn't answer.

You can't trade without your guards. But I don't think you would want to lose your job, either, so I thought there was another reason. ─ I don't want to see you lose your job, so I thought there might be another reason.

　Elaine rested her elbows on her thighs and poked her cheekbones.

'For example, in case Sylvania goes to council, for example. I feel like this one is weak, too.'
....

　Sif didn't answer.
　I just felt like sticking my tongue out.
　If I could, I would put myself up against the idea that it was the end of the year and no one else would be there.

''To protect Sylvania, this doesn't feel right either. The Holy Argo Kingdom we're trading with General Ignis, it's not likely to happen like it did two years ago, is it?

　Elaine punctuated her words there.

''Well I think she's preparing for when the empire becomes the enemy, isn't she?　When you think about it, it seems to add up. Including the fact that you've organized a pedlar's guild and that you're trying to form an economic alliance with the surrounding lords.
I don't like hearing that.

　Sif cowered his shoulders.
　Elaine's guess was a great one, but he was wrong on one point.
　Crono is preparing for the preliminaries, not when the Empire becomes the enemy.
　He is trying to discourage them from turning to the enemy with the power of highly skilled soldiers, valiant Bethel Mountain mercenaries, and economic alliances behind them.
　Sif picked up his wine glass and took a sip of wine.

''I guess we can talk about business next time.

　Huffing, Elaine exhaled and slumped her shoulders lightly.

'No need to pay for it.'
Yeah.

　Sif replied shortly and left the 'Sinner Trade Union'.
　The sky was covered with clouds and it looked like snow was about to fall.