It was the evening of the same day when the regular mage ship carrying us, who had spent two days of vacation in the frontier small city of Liberty, docked at the embarkation tower of the royal capital.

　Maybe it's my imagination, or maybe it's just that there are many people around the embarkation and disembarkation tower today, when I got off the ship
Ah, Lord Gosage.
　One of the sub-humans among the people gathered around the boarding tower pointed at me and said that.

　Then

Mr. Gossage, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Bro... and I'm the leader of the Broadsides Mercenary Guards, sir.
I'm Jarnase, head of the Jarnase Mercenary Guards. It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Gossage.
I'm Gorolongo of the Gorolongo Mercenaries and it's a pleasure to meet you.
　Most of the sub-people who were around me gathered around me.

　They had heard that Gambard had been hired by the small frontier city of Liberty for good treatment, and they wanted to be hired as well, so they gathered here, waiting for my return.

　And this amazing group, you know.
Yes, first of all, only the Commander will gather. The group members will wait in the back.
　Thanks to Unja's quick instructions and the way she dealt with everyone in the mercenary group, the area around me, which had been completely surrounded by sub-people, finally cleared up.
　
　In front of me, the leaders of the mercenary group gathered in front of me, but there were a total of six of them, including the leader alone.
　If you add up the members of the group, there was a group of nearly eighty people in total.

　The conversation seemed to be dragging on, so we parted ways with Melanesia and Kiristic, who came back together.
'Thank you for everything,'
I look forward to working with you tomorrow.
　The two greeted me politely and left.

　As I saw them off, I looked around again at the group leaders and the group members who were waiting behind them.
　
　I had a brief conversation with the group leaders, and it seems that all of the mercenary groups had been working as mercenaries in the capital for several years, and their achievements were perfect. Even the job performance certificates issued by the Adventurers' Union did not show any record of abandonment of work, and none of the mercenary groups seemed to have any problems.

　Well, Liberty's guards were chronically understaffed, and I figured that with this many people, Googus would accept me well, so I made everyone wait there and walked into the Quinn Chamber of Commerce building.
　I walked over to the rabbit man, Leilins, who was in charge of managing the regular magic ship's operations.
'Leylins, I'm sorry to be so abrupt, but can we get an extra eighty or so people on the scheduled mageship to Liberty tomorrow?
　Yes, I asked, and Leilins smiled and smiled.
I figured that was probably going to happen, so I've already booked you a seat on the first flight tomorrow morning without a chair.
　He smiled at me as he said that.

　After all, it seems that this group of mercenaries had gathered at Quinn Trading Company right after I left for Liberty yesterday.
　I apologize for causing so much trouble, I bowed to Raylins, and he smiled again.
No, no, I had to pay for the time and date of Master Gossage's return, so it didn't hurt us.
　

　I borrowed some letterhead here and wrote a letter of introduction to Googs.　
　Since I can't go back to Liberty with the rest of the mercenaries tomorrow due to a training session, I thought I'd leave the letter of introduction with them.

　When I finished writing the letter of introduction, I put it in an envelope and sealed it.
　I took it in hand and went out of the store once again.
　When I appeared, all the mercenaries who had been buzzing around until then closed their mouths and took care of themselves.
　To such everyone, I
Now, you will take the scheduled sorcerer ship first thing in the morning to the frontier small city of Liberty. The price of the mage boat is Liberty.
will bear the entire cost.
　At those words, the sub-people began to buzz all at once.

''Hey, he says we can get on the magic ship!
'Seriously?　I didn't think I'd ever get to know you.
I'm so excited.

　When the buzzing of these sub-people had subsided to some extent, I opened my mouth again and
'So, when you get to the other side, please give this letter of introduction to the attendant in the boarding tower. He should be able to get Chief Guard Googs for you.
　I said and handed it to the nearest one, Brolaws.
"Hey, buddy, don't lose that stuff you've been drinking tonight.
I know, I know, I know.
　Without a moment's hesitation, Browns was chilled out by the other commanders.
　The sub-people laughed again at the scene.

　So, I took out a cloth bag of money from the magic bag on my waist here.

''We've been waiting for you!''
　I heard something like that from the mercenary group members, and they all laughed at the same time, but I thought that maybe this was everyone's true intentions as well.

　After all, I heard that the sub-human mercenary corps had been dried out of work across the board after the incentive of locking out sub-humans that the royal capital suddenly enacted.
　The sub-human mercenary corps working in the King's Capital were probably being hired quite cheaply, so it's obvious that they would immediately dry up if such a thing were done.
　In such a place, if you hear that you can get a job if you volunteer for the Liberty's guards and even receive a reserve, it's understandable that money-hungry mercenary groups would gather like this, and if that money is handed over to you now, it's only natural that they would be happy.

''Well then, I will give you the reserve money, so all the group leaders will line up in front of me...''
　I was still in the middle of my words, but the group leaders immediately formed a line in front of me.
　The gesture made me smile a little as I handed each of them the reserve money.
Yay! Now we can drink like hell tonight!
　As soon as the leader received the money, everyone in that leader's mercenary group instantly cheered.
　Then, they instantly walked away from the group that cheered and walked towards the city, and eventually, when they finished giving the money to all the mercenary groups, the sub-people that had gathered so much were cleanly gone.
　Well, it's easy to understand, but I chuckled, wishing I had at least been allowed to say a final greeting.

　In the meantime, Unja and I climbed into Dengo's carriage and headed back to Quinn's private residence for the first time in two days, thinking that we'd better say hello to everyone here before our departure tomorrow morning before the training session.

◇ ◇ ◇.

　When I was finally able to return to Quinn's mansion, I began to review the training up to last week.

　The week from tomorrow is the last week of training.
　If I pass the final exam on the last day, I'll be qualified to become the lord of the frontier city.

　........If I fail this exam....
　I've heard that I'm going to have to go through two weeks of training again, and then I'm going to have to retake the exam, but of course, I'm going to have to pay for that extra cost.
　Besides, I don't feel comfortable being a further guest at Quinn's private residence, and I think it's time for me to end my absence from Liberty....

　The weekend started off with dealing with Gambard and the other mercenary groups, showing them around Melanesia and Kyristik, and the rest of the time I was pampered by Korok all the time, and then when I came back I was busy dealing with a new group of mercenaries... Perhaps it was because I was so fidgety that I felt furiously sleepy as I flipped through materials.

　Then Unja, who seemed to have noticed me, rushed over to me and said
You're going to need to sleep in bed, little one.
　As he said this, he snuggled up to me and took me to bed.

　I lay down on the bed as it was.
You're not doing yourself any favors, little girl.
　As I said this, I was still conscious up to the point where Unya had pulled the covers over me, but that's where I seemed to have fallen asleep.

　That's when I felt something soft against my lips, if it was my imagination...

◇ ◇.

　The next morning, I woke up refreshed, and I looked at Wunya, I asked her about her lips, and she smiled and smiled
Come on. I don't know Anya.
　When she said that, Unya was laughing while holding her own lips with the index finger of her right hand... but was it my imagination that her smile looked somewhat like a prank?