“Oof!”
“Oh...!”
“Aah....”
The mercenaries collided with the ground amid loud cries.
It could not be helped. They had suddenly emerged into a bright place, and their vision had been completely overwhelmed.
Even I, who had prepared for it somewhat, staggered. The others must have had it even worse.
“This is....”
Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I looked around.
The target coordinates for the Teleportation Magic had been directly in front of the cave, but we were in a forest more than fifty meters away from it.
Its accuracy was worse than I had expected.
Perhaps it was because I was inexperienced, perhaps the scroll was defective, or perhaps it was an issue with Mass Teleportation Magic itself.
In any case, I would have to keep that in mind if I ever needed to use a Mass Teleportation Magic Scroll again.
“W-We survived....”
“I thought... I thought we were dead.”
“We are outside, outside....!”
After taking a while to recover their senses, the mercenaries hugged one another and shed tears.
The sight of dark, burly men sobbing like children was rather unpleasant to look at.
“I said I would not let you die. If it looked like you were going to die, I would have done something.”
I comforted the mercenaries making a fuss.
Normally, that was something Hastol should have done, but Hastol was also kissing the ground and offering a grateful prayer. There was nothing I could do about it.
“Let us check our numbers first. Someone may have been pushed outside the Magic Circle.”
I gathered the mercenaries to one side and counted them.
Eleven, including Hastol. Everyone had made it out safely.
They had many wounds from the fierce battle with Goblins until just before the magic activated, but none of the injuries were serious.
“Hmm. It will be difficult to continue the Field Trip in this condition.”
As time passed, around half of the mercenaries calmed down.
In other words, the other half still could not control their intense emotions.
Well, their lives had been hanging in the balance.
If they developed claustrophobia from this incident, they would have to worry about whether they could continue mercenary work at all, Field Trip or not.
“It was bad luck. It is truly regrettable that such an important event was ruined this way.”
Hastol spoke with his head lowered deeply.
“It does not particularly matter to me. I am more concerned that you will not be properly paid for the request.”
“That will not be a problem. Beaumont Academy’s request for a Goblin subjugation was merely an excuse to move around while leading academy students. As long as the students returned safely, we can receive most of the reward.... Where is the other student...?”
Only then did Hastol realize that Kyle was absent and look around.
“He is alive. He used a Return Stone.”
Just before I was teleported here, I had confirmed that the Return Stone Kyle held was glowing.
As expensive as it was, a Return Stone was much more stable than Teleportation Magic. There was almost no chance that something had gone wrong.
“Rather than that useless story, let us settle the bill.”
Kyle was difficult to kill even if someone tried. I could think about him later.
“The bill...?”
“Two Black Magic Scrolls for mana conversion and one Mass Teleportation Magic Scroll. Normally, I would charge thirty Gold Coins, but I will make it twenty-five Gold Coins as a special price.”
In truth, Black Magic Scrolls for mana conversion were so common that even if I charged for them, the price would only be in Silver Coins. The Mass Teleportation Magic Scroll accounted for nearly all of it.
“Uh.... We do not have that kind of money....”
Hastol opened and closed his mouth.
“Oh? Did you not say you would receive almost all of the request reward?”
“No, I meant.... Almost the full amount....”
Hastol looked toward the other mercenaries.
If it had been a small amount, he might have paid it alone out of pride as a squad leader. But twenty-five Gold Coins were clearly a burden.
Naturally. I had deliberately picked a method in that price range while searching for a way out.
“Let us pay! We owe him for food, and we cannot owe him the price of our lives, too.”
“Thanks to him, we survived! We did not even properly protect our charges, so it would be shameful to accept the request reward so easily.”
“Do you think he is doing this to extort money from us? He is a generous person.”
“Right. He could have charged us more, but he is considering our circumstances.”
“We can simply treat it as though the request failed.”
Unexpectedly, the mercenaries did not seem particularly dissatisfied.
It had not been my intention from the beginning, but feeding them a few things had become the foundation of their trust.
The logic was that a good person generous enough to do that would not lie to squeeze a few more coins out of them.
Hmm. This was why people should live kindly.
“If that is what you all wish....”
Hastol had not been reluctant to pay from the start. He had only hesitated because he would have to pay together with the other mercenaries, so the decision was reached smoothly.
“We do not have the money at the moment, so we will pay you as soon as we receive the request reward. And.... This may sound shameless, but when you need mercenaries in the future, please place a request with Squad Five of the Neva Branch of the Never Mercenary Company.”
Hastol offered me a handshake.
The words I had wanted to say had come from Hastol instead.
The mercenaries led by Hastol seemed to be among the more trustworthy kind of mercenaries.
Knowing a mercenary company I could trust would surely be useful one day.
“Then everyone, go back and rest. I need to go see whether Kyle has returned.”
I began walking, leaving the mercenaries behind.
“That was a truly thorough mercenary experience.”
I had experienced a condensed version of mercenary work, from when things proceeded smoothly to when everything became tangled.
And Kyle.... That bastard was the problem.
The return coordinates of a Return Stone were usually set to the most distinctive or important location in a city.
It was similar to deciding on a meeting place.
For example, a plaza where various events were held, especially a fountain or central platform.
“....”
Kyle sat in the central plaza of the city with a sullen expression. Seeing that he was wet, he seemed to have appeared near the fountain.
“Hey. You are alive. Did you use the Return Stone well?”
I knew he had because he was here, but I deliberately spoke as though teasing him. However, unlike usual, Kyle simply stared at me quietly.
“From now on, do not act so foolishly. It is a waste of money.”
One Return Stone cost far more than bringing ten other people out.
I would not lose anything after collecting the money from Kyle, but it still felt wasteful to let such a large amount of someone else’s money disappear in an instant.
“...You are different.”
Kyle muttered with his gaze lowered.
“What are you talking about?”
“I was just reminded of the past.”
Kyle’s voice was different from usual.
His hostility toward me had not disappeared completely, but it had faded somewhat.
“In a situation similar to today, there was a completely different outcome. Back then, I... our tribe....”
I could vaguely tell that Kyle was talking about memories from his previous life.
I could not even guess what was similar, or what had been different, but....
“So when are you giving me the sixty Gold Coins?”
It was not a story I needed to hear.
Listening to someone else’s past was only exhausting. We were not close enough to share our pasts together yet.
“...I will pay when I can.”
His hostility toward me flared up again.
Still, he did not say that I had forced him to buy it or ask why he had to pay.
That was something, at least.
I smirked, threw out one comment, and began walking away.
“I will not charge interest.”
You have grown, Kyle.
***
After the disastrous Field Trip somehow came to an end.
While I worked even harder at business to make up for the losses from the time I had been unable to sell anything, I received a summons from the headmaster.
I did not have many good memories of being summoned by people in high places.
What business could the headmaster, who did not particularly like me, have with me?
I took a deep breath and knocked on the headmaster’s office door.
“Welcome.”
The headmaster, Gerbilius Rodentia, greeted me with a complicated expression.
This was the first time I had come to the headmaster’s office since I briefly visited before the entrance exam.
In the meantime, I had only seen the headmaster in passing.
It felt awkward to face him directly.
“What did you call me for?”
“It seems that there was somewhat of a problem during the Field Trip.”
Ah, that subject. I felt a little relieved.
I had done nothing wrong regarding the Field Trip.
“First, I should apologize. As the headmaster, I feel deeply responsible for creating a situation where a student’s life was in danger. As an excuse, the prior search had not confirmed the existence of Variant Monsters.”
It was not an incomprehensible situation. The Variant Goblins had only been discovered after we entered the cave and traveled for several hours.
There was no reason for the prior search to go that deep.
“The mercenaries of the Never Mercenary Company and Kyle have unanimously said that Lawrence played an immense role in everyone’s safe return to the academy. The Never Mercenary Company has even said that it will transfer the full request reward to Lawrence.”
CLATTER.
The headmaster placed a heavy pouch on the desk.
Somehow, the money Hastol should have received and brought to me was being given to me through the headmaster.
It did not seem like it would look good if I grabbed it right away, so I watched quietly for the moment.
“I must admit it. I had assessed you incorrectly. You are a capable person.”
“Ha ha. You flatter me.”
Rather than feeling happy at the headmaster’s praise, I felt uneasy.
What was this old man going to say after this?
“Continue to work hard and bring honor to Beaumont Academy.”
The headmaster slid the money pouch toward me as though telling me to take it.
It would be best to take the money and leave quickly. I reached for the pouch.
“And regarding your commercial activities on campus.”
Just as I was about to take the money and turn around, the headmaster added a comment.
“This is the first time in my career that I have seen something like this, so I have been watching it with interest.”
“...That is unexpected.”
I had thought he would immediately try to impose restrictions.
“You would have found a way around any restrictions anyway. If I blocked you halfway, it would be even more troublesome if it turned into something like a black market.”
The headmaster smiled slyly while stroking his beard.
“Yes. As a reward in addition to your performance during the Field Trip, I will officially permit Lawrence’s commercial activities on campus.”
“Is that all right?”
Permission from the headmaster.
At first glance, it might not seem like much, but it was no different from the headmaster guaranteeing the quality of my products.
An official-store label generally raised people’s trust considerably.
An enormous reward I had never expected.
Which also made it something that someone else might find displeasing.
“The role of an academy is to maximize students’ abilities. If doing business is an ability, then encouraging you to work at it is the correct thing to do. Much like Radeos trains for real combat with Monster Summoning Scrolls. I do not know if you are already aware, but Radeos’s training has a fairly good reputation within the academy.”
The headmaster had already secured logic to answer the expected objections.
It seemed he had not kept the position of headmaster for so long for no reason.
“I wish you prosperity.”
After hearing a final, light word of encouragement, I left the headmaster’s office.
The more I considered the headmaster’s words, the more unpleasant I felt.
No matter how he phrased it as watching with interest, was he not ultimately saying that he had been monitoring me?
Creepy old man.
The headmaster’s eyes and ears might be around here as well. I would need to be more careful in the future.
As I hurried away from the headmaster’s office, I spotted a familiar face.
“Senior Media?”
Media stood in the center of an empty clearing, blankly staring at the sky.
Beaumont Academy’s grounds had many clearings whose purpose I could not understand, and this was one of them.
True to Beaumont Academy’s lavish nature, it had only a floor of pure white stone. Its use was unclear.
“Ah.... Junior.”
Media looked at me with dazed eyes.
“Have you been well?”
Perhaps because I had just seen the headmaster, I was glad to see Media.
I asked as warmly as possible.
“I... have been well.”
From the listless tone of her voice, I realized that something was wrong.
Someone who was doing well did not speak in that kind of voice.
“How were the things you bought last time?”
Pretending not to notice, I asked the question and watched Media’s reaction.
Come to think of it, Media had not visited me after buying those items.
It was strange.
There was no way every item had been ineffective.
She would have felt the difference as soon as she tried using magic a few times.
Normally, she should have come to order more items.
“Mhm, they were good.”
An awkward answer.
“Then would you like to buy more?”
“No.... I think that would be difficult.”
The longer our conversation continued, the darker Media’s expression became.
“You said they were good.”
“They were good.... Um.... I do not think I need to buy more....”
Media mumbled while looking at the ground.
“Did you really try using them?”
“....”
Media avoided answering through silence.
“What happened?”
No matter how mentally unstable Media was, she would not have bought items only to throw them away without even trying them.
Something bad had clearly happened.
“Um. That.... It is nothing. I do not think it is something I should tell a junior.”
After opening and closing her mouth several times, Media shook her head.
“Please tell me. I might be able to help.”
Media was a customer I had especially marked as important. I could not allow her to leave as a customer like this.
“I am fine. I am really fine, so....”
Media pushed me away with a face that looked as though she might cry.
If she continued like this, I would have no choice but to change my strategy.
“You have to tell me for me to help.”
I grabbed Media’s shoulders.
“...Huh?”
Media blinked as though surprised by my sudden change.
“I may be your junior, but I am also a reincarnator! If you have a problem, consult me! Worrying by yourself will not solve the situation!”
Everyone thought from their own perspective, which was why children became frightened in advance.
From an adult’s perspective, something minor could be a difficulty that children found impossible to endure.
They often kept a problem to themselves, trying somehow to solve it alone, when asking an adult around them for help could resolve it.
In the end, it was best for adults to pay attention and, if a problem seemed likely, clearly confirm it.
“Is it... okay?”
A single tear ran down Media’s cheek as she hesitated.
“You spoke casually until now, and suddenly you are speaking formally? Talk comfortably. You are my senior, after all.”
Now that she had opened her mouth, that was enough. I softened my expression and made a joke.
“So, actually....”
Media explained the situation while sniffling.
As I listened, I felt my face stiffen.
I knew it would not be a pleasant story to hear, but it was several times more unpleasant than I expected.
The items she had bought from me had been taken by other students. Afterwards, they had mocked her as a fool who bought useless items, so she had fled here.
“Good. I understand.”
Once Media’s story ended, I finally understood why her self-esteem had fallen so low.
People were the same everywhere, after all.
“Senior. Lead the way.”
“Uh, where are we going?”
As I pushed her from behind, Media stammered in surprise.
“I need to meet the people who mocked you.”
“Because of me...?”
“I cannot leave alone those who dared insult my products.”
They were idiots who could not even recognize the value of the products.
If I left them alone, the perception that buying my products would lead to ridicule would spread, and an entire year would stop buying things from me.
In the worst case, that story could spread to other years as well.
“So that is what makes you angry.... Right.... Someone like me....”
With a dejected Media leading the way, I quickly headed toward her classroom.
A few seniors stopped me along the way to buy items, but I lightly refused them.
One or two items were not the issue right now.
“What are you?”
“A freshman?”
The seniors in the classroom each tossed out a remark after noticing me.
There was no need to answer every one of them.
I stood in the center of the classroom and looked around.
The atmosphere of the classroom was sharply divided.
A central group who laughed and chatted with relaxed, confident expressions.
An ordinary group busy with their own tasks, indifferent to everything else.
And the laggards bearing the Snake Mark, shrunk down as though they were about to disappear.
The person I had come to meet was among them.
The instigator of this incident and the third-years’ sole reincarnator.
“Emily Earning. Let us talk for a moment.”