Elqueeness

After finishing the morning meal with a merry tune, we came out of the inn at the time the merchants had designated.

By now, they had already finished all preparations to continue the journey.

Because the Vodka Mercenaries had left, the merchants must have felt that the current number of men was not enough, so the number of strangers only increased.

Matey, who was next to me, showed some peculiar interest.

“Impressive, those merchants have some skill. To think that they already hired a new mercenary group in this short time.”

“Ah, so that’s what they were.”

“There are several mercenaries in every village. The more important thing is that after this next checkpoint, the frequency of monster activity will be even higher so we will see battles more frequently from now on.”

Is that why they rushed to hire new people? When we headed out after finishing our meal, the newcomers stared at us for a while and eventually broke out into laughter.

Without knowing the reason, we just laughed to maintain the mood. Then, a man in his late thirties with a lean body came up front and held out his hand to Hosane.

“I’m honored to meet you. We are called the Cocktail Mercenaries and will be accompanying you on the road to Kalmore. You gave us a great source of amusement earlier on. Your Sword Art is truly astounding.”

He was most likely talking about the ‘Stripping Art’ (Which it was officially now titled) that Hosane demonstrated earlier on. Hosane himself did not seem upset after receiving such admiration from those around him, so he gave him a smile and shook his hand as a greeting.

“..Nice to meet you. I am Champagne Mercenary Captain, Hosane.”

“I heard that you hold a Gold Rank Pass? You seem to be a little unique, since most Gold Ranks prefer solo action. But seeing how refreshing your men are, I think I can understand.

Compared to my boys, your place is like Heaven.”

After indirectly stating that being around his own men felt like Hell, a man carrying an axe -that wasn’t as big as Harol’s- showed signs of displeasure.

Even though there were traces of leftover salad on his chin, he did not seem to mind and was growling angrily.

“Say that again, you old fart!!”

“Huhuhu. When are you going to fix that coarse language of yours? I’m now only 34, so how I could be an old fart… Ah, you haven’t introduced yourself. This pal over here is named Kowell. Even though his personality is like this, please take care of him as well.”

“You!! What’s wrong with my personality, you wretched old fart!”

The one who was quarreling with the 34 year old man looked to be in his early 20s, like Iale.

Seeing how he wielded such an axe, his power wasn’t something to laugh at.

Unlike his bright blue eyes and amiable face, his personality seemed to be rough.

Suddenly, a question popped up so I approached Iale.

“Um Iale, there’s something I want to ask you.. Why are all the Mercenary Groups named after alcohol?

(TLN: Finally!!! I’m pretty sure we were all wondering the same thing)

“What do you mean, the name of alcohol?”

“Isn’t that how it is? Our party is called Champagne, the last guys were called Vodka and these guys are called Cocktail, so I thought it was strange.

Is it some kind of tradition?”

“Oh my, El! That’s a misunderstanding.”

“Ah, really? Well, the Salad Mercenaries aren’t named after alcohol..”

“No, not that~ Champagne isn’t the name of alcohol.”

“Huh? But Champagne…”

As I stared around for help, the other members of the company were also shaking their heads. Huh? Is there no alcohol called Champagne here?

But I soon realized why they claimed that they weren’t named after alcohol when Sherry showed me a ring on her finger.

It was a silver ring with a small jewel inserted in the center. At first I couldn’t tell what this was supposed to mean, but when I saw her expression, I immediately caught on.

“This.. This Jewel.. Champagne?” (TLN: There is a diamond called the Champagne Diamond. Cocktail and Vodka are also names for diamond. P.S. I didn’t know this either and thought that the author just liked alcohol…)

“Yup, pretty right? Our group’s title is named after this jewel. So it’s not the name of alcohol. You didn’t know?”

“I, I see.”

Just like how there were many people with the same name, objects often shared the same name as well.

I didn’t expect that they were referring to the Champagne Diamond rather than the alcohol.

I seemed to have superb talent in making myself seem stupid. Letting out a small awkward laugh, the eyes that were concentrated on me then scattered.

While I was trying to avoid looking at any of their gazes, my eyes met Kowell’s, who was staring intently at me.

Has he been shocked into disbelief at my idiotic question? Since I just met him, I was going to give him my greetings and approached him; however, my intentions took a 180 degree turn after he blushed and mumbled,

“Chet, why’s a girl acting as a Mercenary? With a pretty face like that, she should be a concubine to some noble.”

“..What?!!!

How can such a rude fellow exist?! Even though I have often been mistaken as a girl, his words deliberately seemed like an insult.

Before I could say anything back, Captain Cocktail intervened faster than my lips could form words.

However, what was said next made my mood sink even lower…

“Kowell! How many times have I told you not to say that! Just when will you correct that bad language of yours? Oh dear, I apologize. This brat is like that whenever he sees a beautiful lady. It’s just his way of hiding embarrassment.”

“L… Lady?”

“Yes. Azure haired, beautiful lady, may we have your name? I will apologize in that brat’s stead.”

“ ……. ”

Damn. I hate this face. Seeing how the Champagne Mercenaries were chuckling to themselves in the background, I wanted to lie on the floor and curse. If there was some God in existence that was in charge of deciding appearances, I would love to meet him in the future and beat the living hell out of him afterwards.

‘Look here, God! Did I ask for too much? All I wanted was to look a bit more handsome than my appearance as Kang-Jee-Hoon. Just a teeny weeny bit. Fine, I’ll be honest. I wanted to be so handsome that I could embrace the gazes of countless girls attracted to me. But this is too wrong!! Rather than attracting girls, I’m being seen as a woman! What am I supposed to do when I am mistaken as a female every single time?! Give me back my face, you bastard!!’

This was what I wanted to scream out, but couldn’t. When I swallowed back my tears and glared at Captain Cocktail, he seemed clueless in what to do. After Hosane finally shouted out, ‘That’s a guy,’ he was shocked beyond belief. I promised myself to not be too discouraged by the words of strangers… But the next words spoken by Kowell, who was just as astonished, crushed any chance of recovery.

“He’s a guy with that face? That’s a little too much, especially in this harsh world~ Ah, that’s right! With that sort of face, you could be hired as a gigolo in a noble family. Don’t worry, everyone has a path for survival. (TLN: A gigolo is a young man financially supported by an older female as an escort or lover.)

“ …… ”

Was I worried about how to survive? Don’t give me that bull crap advice!!

After introducing myself to the rest of the Cocktail Mercenaries, my conclusion was ‘Like attracts like.’

How could not a single one of them not recognize me as a male! Can’t you be a little hesitant or suspicious? Khk. My manly pride…. I swore in my heart that I would never be friendly with any of the Cocktail Mercenaries.

The convoy finally started to move right before lunch. Although there were suggestions that we might as well eat lunch before we leave, the representatives rejected the proposal by saying that they were out of time. So, lunch for today was eaten on horseback.

After passing the forest that seemed to go on endlessly, the sun came down as the light faded. Then suddenly, Isana came to me with joyous news.

“El, look at this! I can summon even more Naiads now!”

“Huh? Really? Impressive Isana! That day’s training seems to have been effective!”

In the past, his limit was 2 Low-Grade Spirits. But now, he was capable of summoning up to five.

Seemingly shy, his cheeks flush red as I smiled when I saw the 5 Naiads circling around him.

“Isn’t it hard? How’s your condition?”

“Yes, at first it was a little tiring, but now I think it’s okay. With this sort of feeling, I think I could summon Undine (TLN: Un-Dee-Neh is now Undine).”

“Then try it. Perhaps you’ll actually succeed.”

“Eh? But I only just managed to summon 5.”

Seeing the lack of confidence he was displaying, I felt like I was at my wit’s end and sighed in distress. I tapped his shoulders to signify that it was okay and encouraged him to try.

“There’s no consequence from failing to summon Undine. Don’t worry too much about it and try it.”

“Uh-huh.”

Then, as if something changed inside, he became extremely serious and shuts his eyes. I could see the powerful pulse of mana flowing around him in a maelstrom as he spoke nervously in a trembling, overwrought voice.

“<Undine> I summon thee.”

Suddenly, a cool breeze began to ride the flow between Isana and I. That energy revolved around him several times before settling down in the empty air, and the mana then began to slowly condense into the form of a human. With a body made of transparent water and an appearance of an adorable child, the Intermediate-Grade Spirit Undine was successfully summoned.

Because the result was so unexpected, Isana’s eyes became wide from shock while I also almost cried out in joy. Fortunately, since I was conscious of other people’s line of sight, I restrained myself to not make a scene.

“Amazing Isana! Great Job! You actually succeeded in the summoning of Undine!”

“Ah! It’s actually Undine??! ”

In his voice, the sound of disbelief was apparent. Despite the exhaustion from the mana drain, Isana’s face contained unconcealed excitement.

Right after being summoned, she seemed to have little understanding of what was going on. With a puzzled look, Undine twirled around to study her environment; however, when she realized that I was next to the human that summoned her, her eyes widened in surprise.

She quickly raised the tip of her dress and curtsied as a greeting to me.

It was the same greeting that she gave when she was first born.

-Honorable Spirit King of Water, I greet Your Grace. I am the Spirit who commands the pools and rivers, Undine.

“Ah? El? What is Undine saying?”

He seemed to be unable hear Undine’s words. Seeing his face full of anticipation, I smiled and gave an answer to his pleading eyes.

“She is greeting me. I am her King. She is the Spirit that commands the pools and rivers, Undine. Since she was just summoned, it is necessary for her to reveal her status and rank.”

“Aha. So it’s like when nobles come and introduce themselves by stating their name and clan.”

-Yes. Although humble, it is my duty as the King’s Servant to inform you, my summoner, of my rank. Nice to meet you, Contractor of my King.”

Undine’s clear and concise words, along with her dignified voice, gave her a mature image despite her childish body. I cracked a smile and delivered Isana her words.

“You’re right. She just introduced herself to you too.”

“Aht! I… It is the same for me, I will be in your care from now on Undine. This one is called Isana.”

Isana, who was excitedly introducing himself, did not seem younger or older than his age of 16. Because of the innocent feeling he gave off, Undine also seemed to take a liking to him as her lips let out a small smile.

Since Undine had now officially accepted him, it was perfectly normal for him to become even more excited.

“Wow! Look! Look! El! Undine just laughed! She laughed at me! Good Heavens, she’s so cute.”

Because he looked so much like a father gaping at his young daughter, I laughed.

One thing was for sure: Isana could never become a brusque father.

“In the future, summon her whenever you have spare time for practice. Summoning Seacuel requires several times more mana than summoning Undine. Do you feel that you could handle the strain, Isana?”

“I’m not sure. If it’s just calling them, then I think I would be fine even after an hour. But if I need to use her abilities, I don’t think I can last very long.”

“Yeah, what’s important now is too practice. Let’s try to get you to a point where you can summon Undine for 5 hours without a problem. Also, even after using her skills, you must withstand 2 hours of the drain.”

“Eeek? That’s impossible for me~”

“If you try, than it will happen. I’ll also be helping, so what’s the worry? You have to be capable of at least that much in order to take advantage of your Spirit’s full abilities.”

“B… But..”

Perhaps I pressed him too harshly; as if he was facing a daunting challenge, the willpower he had shown just a moment ago seemed to have vaporized into thin air. However, I only turned a blind eye to his solemn expression. After all, he must eventually stand on his own two legs.

Iale, who inadvertently turned around to check on us and at that instant, froze when her eyes locked onto the Undine.