Chapter 246: 246 Total Anhilation 2

Rin, submerged in the hot water, gestured for the other two to hurry in.

Tanya and Mika cautiously dipped their fingertips to check the temperature before following Rin into the bath.

Since they had arrived at the bathhouse early, there were no other evening customers yet, so the three of them could use the tub as if they had rented out the whole place.

“Haaaah…”

Their bodies, which had been stiff from walking through the underground sewers with their nerves on edge all day, felt as if they were melting away in the hot water.

For Rin, who was at a higher level and used to going on missions, it wasn’t particularly grueling, but for the two rookies, the fatigue was much greater.

Suddenly remembering Ian’s request to look after the newcomers, Rin nodded and approached them.

“You two aren’t hurt anywhere, right?”

Rin grabbed Mika, who was nearby, and inspected her body, checking to see if there were any injuries the girl hadn’t noticed herself.

Mika, feeling a sharp twinge as she lifted her arm, murmured softly.

“My arms hurt…”

“That’s because you were tense. I was like that at first too, but it gets better after a while.”

Because she had been swinging her staff all day and unnecessarily applying constant pressure due to nerves, both of Mika’s arms were throbbing.

“It’ll get better as you keep doing it.”

“Then why did you even ask…”

Hearing that it would just be fine with time, Mika grumbled about why she bothered asking and massaged her numb arms.

After confirming that Mika was perfectly fine aside from a bit of exaggeration, Rin turned her gaze toward Tanya. In terms of pure labor, Tanya, the porter, had exerted the most effort among them.

Tanya flinched and pulled back under Rin’s gaze.

“How about you, Tanya? The pack must have been quite heavy.”

“Ye-yes… I’m fine.”

Tanya nodded frantically.

True to her word, Tanya only looked slightly fatigued; her physical condition seemed even better than Mika’s.

However, Rin frowned slightly upon hearing the response.

“I told you to speak comfortably.”

Tanya managed to drop formalities with Mika, her fellow recruit, but she still couldn’t bring herself to do so with Rin.

“Exactly, Tanya. It’s only a one-month difference. Don’t worry about it.”

“…You should be a little more formal.”

In contrast, Mika had truly begun speaking comfortably the moment Rin suggested it. While Rin sincerely wanted to be on friendly terms, seeing Mika act so casually did make her feel a slight surge of annoyance.

“Come on. Try calling me Rin.”

“Uh…”

Pressed by the two of them, a flustered Tanya backed away until she was cornered in the edge of the tub.

Finally, Tanya hesitated before opening her mouth to softly call Rin’s name.

“Rin…”

Only then did Rin nod with a satisfied face.

“Yeah. Call me that from now on. Got it?”

“Yes…”

“That’s not it!”

“U-uh, okay. Rin.”

Tanya looked more nervous than when she first encountered a monster in the sewer.

Seeing this, Rin asked Mika with a serious expression.

“Do I look scary?”

“No. Just looking at your face, you look like a total pushover mercenary.”

“What did you say!”

At Mika’s reply, Rin snapped and splashed water at her.

“Gack!”

Mika tried to escape, but with a significant level difference and her physical strength as a mage, she was no match for Rin.

Mika was caught by Rin in an instant.

“Ah, gyah! Ow! It’s gonna tear!”

“It’s not going to tear from just this.”

Rin’s fingers firmly pinched Mika’s cheeks and pulled. Mika flailed like a fish caught in a net, sending splashes everywhere.

Watching this from the corner of the tub, Tanya let out a giggle.

When she first started this mercenary business, she had a fear of the people involved. Since many mercenaries looked violent, Tanya had worried every night about whether she could adapt to the hierarchical culture she had only heard about in rumors.

Contrary to her fears, the people who became her comrades were all kind and good people.

“Being a mercenary is a lot different from what I imagined…”

“Hmm?”

Hearing Tanya’s murmur, Rin turned her head and let go of Mika. Mika groaned while rubbing her beet-red cheeks.

“I thought it would be much more grueling and difficult…”

“Ah… right. I felt the same way.”

Rin immediately understood what Tanya was talking about. After all, Rin was the primary victim whose common sense regarding mercenary life had been demolished since joining Ian.

Rin had arrived at the Labyrinth dreaming of adventure and romance. What awaited her were efficient training, efficient missions, efficient hunting, and efficient growth—all prepared through the cold calculations of her Captain, Ian.

Though it felt wrong for the beneficiary of such efficiency to complain, it was nonetheless miles away from the romanticized mercenary life Rin had dreamed of.

“When I first joined, you see, the Captain…”

Rin suddenly realized this was the first time she had shared these thoughts. She had never had such a conversation with Ian.

For one thing, it was an awkward topic to bring up with Ian himself. …But more than that, she felt that Ian was someone whose private life or past shouldn’t be pried into. Whenever Rin had occasionally asked where he was from, his evasive answers only made his past seem more suspicious.

Furthermore, while Ian knew all sorts of incredible knowledge, he often acted like a complete novice regarding common sense, so a proper conversation never really flowed between them.

Feeling a surge of desire to open up to people in the same boat, Rin’s eyes sparkled.

“Let’s drink together tonight! I’m buying!”

Yes. This kind of talk shouldn’t be with a boss, but among fellow mercenaries. This was the romance.

＊　＊　＊

“Mister! Three beers over here!”

On the first floor of the inn, the tavern service had begun after the dinner rush. Occupying a table, Rin raised her hand to call the innkeeper.

“And six skewers, and the chicken legs, and…”

“Haha. Planning to spend all your leftover money today?”

The innkeeper let out a laugh and took Rin’s order.

Three beer mugs were set down, followed by a mountain of dishes that began to pile up on the table one by one.

Having recently started receiving generous pay but failing to adapt to spending it, Tanya and Mika had just been saving everything. To them, this luxurious spread was an irresistible temptation.

Tanya and Mika gulped down their saliva.

“Alright, then… Cheers!”

With Rin raising her glass first as a signal, the three mugs collided somewhat awkwardly in the middle of the table.

After each taking a gulp of beer, their hands naturally reached for the fresh food.

Grilled skewers dripped with hot oil and emitted steam. Biting a piece of meat off the very end, the scorching morsel spread an intense meaty flavor along with heat that felt like it would burn the tongue.

The beer they naturally followed up with cooled the burning heat while washing the grease that filled their mouths down their throats.

Emptying her glass in an instant, Rin slammed it down with a thud. There was a slight time lag, but soon Tanya and Mika’s glasses were empty as well.

“Phew. This is my first time drinking like this.”

“Really? Didn’t you earn quite a bit lately?”

“I didn’t have anyone to drink with…”

Looking at Mika and Tanya sitting in front of her, Rin smiled warmly.

“With the Captain, it’s just… you know?”

“Yeah…”

“Mhm.”

Ian wasn’t a difficult or authoritarian person, so if they asked to drink, he would probably just join them. But it was about having someone… more comfortable.

Someone they could drink with while saying things like, “The sewers suck.” It wasn’t that they wanted him to do anything about it; it was just mindless venting. If they said that to Ian, he’d probably seriously look for a new mission the next day and hand it to them.

“Three more glasses here!”

The food kept coming, and the beer mugs were emptied in no time. Rin kept adding more drinks every time someone’s glass was empty, completely losing herself in the conversation with the two.

Rin let out a giggling laugh as she felt a slight dizziness. Similarly, Mika and Tanya, who had never chugged alcohol like this before, quickly lost their grip on their senses.

“Hooo… so, listen… he tells me I have talent and says I should pay 50 gold coins for magic lessons. Or be his assistant for 10 years…”

“I see…”

It was already the fifth time she’d heard Mika’s grievance. The same insults toward the quack mage in her hometown continued, but Rin nodded with a pleasant smile.

After a while, when Mika finally finished her story and paused, Rin’s gaze turned toward Tanya. Compared to Mika, Tanya had grown increasingly quiet as time passed.

“What about you, Tanya? Why did you want to be a mercenary?”

Rin asked Tanya, who had been silent for a while. Tanya stared blankly at her nearly empty glass before looking at Rin with a somber expression.

“I… because of my friends.”

“Friends?”

Tanya bowed her head, stared at the empty glass, and then suddenly slumped her head onto the table and fell fast asleep.

“Mister. Three more glasses…”

…The deep of night, when even the bustling noises had vanished. Ian, realizing the loud chatter of certain mercenaries from the first-floor tavern had finally died down, was about to turn off his lamp and go to sleep when someone knocked on his door.

“Captain Ian.”

It was the innkeeper who had come to Ian’s room late at night.

“Your mercenaries have passed out on the first floor.”

“…Pardon?”

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◆ Night Event #16

During the night, mercenaries [Rin], [Tanya], and [Mika] overdrank.

– Stress decreased by 26.

– [Hangover] status for 1 day.

※ [Hangover] : All stats -30%, Cannot be deployed on missions.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“…”

For the first time since playing this game, Ian used ’Discipline’ to collect a fine from the three of them.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep