Chapter 379: 379 Bring Them Down
’Frey!’
’...Hm?’
Hearing someone shouting her name so casually, Frey frowned and turned her head.
Rin was waving her hand.
...This brat, she just lets herself in now. Frey looked at Rin with a somewhat exasperated expression and spoke.
’How did you even get in here this time?’
’They just let me through? I said I was Frey’s disciple...’
’Those idiots...’
She hadn’t even given permission, so who decided she was her disciple on their own whim?
Frey was flabbergasted by the completely shattered security level of her mercenary group, but come to think of it, she had been bringing Rin in and out quite frequently lately. By now, everyone knew Rin’s face and name.
Regardless of that, this was the first time Rin had come looking for her without being called.
Frey asked Rin, thinking she might as well hear what was going on.
’So, what’s this sudden business from early morning?’
’Please teach me long-range attacks!’
’What are you talking about. Just use your sword properly.’
Frey hit Rin’s head with her fist.
’Hwaaak!’
After Frey’s fist passed at a speed impossible to react to, Rin rolled on the floor a long while later.
You’re slow even when falling down, so what ’long-range attack’?
Looking down at Rin rolling on the floor, Frey asked.
’Don’t talk nonsense. I heard you went to the Labyrinth this time? Tell me about that.’
’Ugh... the Harpies...’
’Harpies?’
Frey, who had substantial Labyrinth experience, could roughly understand what had happened just by hearing Rin’s short mutter.
’I see. So, how many did you catch?’
’Huh? One... two... um, about 10?’
’What? Why only that many!’
Exactly how many come out of a Harpy nest, and yet only 10? You could hit more than 10 just by closing your eyes and throwing stones.
After saying that, Frey’s fist once again struck the head of Rin, who had barely managed to stand up from the floor.
’Ugyaaaak... Then how am I supposed to catch things floating in the sky!’
’What do you mean. You just catch them when they come down to attack. Does that mean you were just watching the whole time?’
As it looked like Frey was about to hit her again, Rin hurriedly explained what had happened in the Labyrinth.
Frey wasn’t the type to listen carefully to such excuses, but because it was a quite interesting story, she stood still and listened to Rin’s tale.
After hearing the story of how they had wiped out the Harpies in the nest, Frey said with an intrigued expression.
’No, you’re saying that actually worked?’
’It’s true, I’m telling you... That’s why Ria and I didn’t even have a chance to step in.’
Frey recalled Ian’s face for a moment.
He looked like a stuffy young master who would only insist on the standard theories learned from books, and yet he came up with such an interesting strategy in real combat?
Moreover, hearing the story, it wasn’t a reckless act committed without a plan; it was a scheme carried out after gauging the possibilities sufficiently in his own way.
For a rookie mercenary captain, the way he acted made him look like a fellow who had lived in the Labyrinth for several years.
Her interest, which had been gradually fading, seemed to surge back up again.
’Anyway, please tell me how to catch things that are far away!’
’Something like this?’
Frey picked up a nail from a nearby toolbox.
Fiddling with it, Frey flicked her finger, and the nail flew as if shot from a crossbow.
The flying nail embedded itself deeply into a chair next to Rin. It must have had considerable power, but it was such precise power control that the chair didn’t even nudge.
Rin watched from the side, her eyes sparkling.
’Yes! Something like that!’
’First of all, how’s your practice with ’that’ going?’
’Um...’
What Frey called ’that’ referred to the mana infusion training she had given Rin as homework before.
Because she hadn’t been taught how to handle mana at all until now, it was homework given to Rin, who still didn’t know how to use even simple weapon mana infusion.
Usually, you learn it naturally as you live as a mercenary for a long time, but Rin still didn’t know how.
Rin quietly avoided her gaze.
However, she couldn’t avoid Frey’s fist.
’Gyaaaak!’
’If you can’t even do something simple like that, you can’t learn it.’
Rin held her head and rolled on the floor.
’I, I’m practicing every day...’
Rin put on an indignant expression in her own way.
Mana infusion meant the sword aura that Ria always used when fighting. Since Rin also naturally wanted to learn that technique, she was doing her training seriously every day.
But she didn’t have a clue at all as to how to go about the vague process of ’feeling the mana.’
She had asked not only Ria but also Mika and Aoi, but the only answer she got was that you feel it if you just concentrate your mind.
Can’t be helped, I guess...
Frey sighed, looking down at Rin rolling on the floor.
The sense to feel mana sensitively is ultimately something you’re born with, so there were quite a few fellows who didn’t know how to do it no matter how much you tried to teach them.
Even that type eventually learns if they continue their training, but you couldn’t expect skillful control.
There were quite a few mercenaries in Frey’s group who couldn’t properly use mana infusion, but they were all in support roles or were reserve members.
’Please wait. I’m telling you, I think I’ll be able to do it soon.’
’...Is that so.’
I wonder.
To be honest, in Frey’s view, Rin was a talent whose limit would be exactly C-rank.
The fact that she had risen to a level where she could function in B-rank was impressive enough. Perhaps thanks to Ian’s delicate management in maintaining a small number of people, she was able to grow beyond her own limits.
Honestly, rather than performing ambiguous offensive techniques, simply learning skills like chest opening would be a way to be more helpful to the party.
Of course, she didn’t tell Rin this directly.
If she were a member of Frey’s mercenary group, she would have given blunt advice so as not to waste time, but Rin was, after all, a member of Ian’s mercenary group.
Whether to keep pulling this member along or to give up was Ian’s authority.
Frey spoke toward Rin, who was looking at her while rubbing her head which had been struck several times.
’Fine. Then go down to the training ground and practice throwing daggers.’
’Uh... aren’t you going to explain how I’m supposed to throw them?’
’Throw them like this.’
Frey took out a dagger and showed Rin a demonstration of throwing it once.
But to Rin’s eyes, it seemed like Frey didn’t even take a proper stance and just flicked her arm casually to send the dagger flying. Of course, her accuracy was still perfectly precise.
’Got it? Go practice.’
...Frey’s education was almost always like this.
Rin, who didn’t understand at all exactly how she was supposed to throw, muttered with a dissatisfied expression.
’Can’t you pay a bit more attention and teach me better...’
’Pay more attention?’
You come suddenly and want a lot. Frey nodded and said to Rin.
’Then I’ll head down in an hour, so go practice. If you can’t do it properly, I’m going to hit you 3 more times.’
’Where’s the sense in ’paying attention’ like that?!’
In the end, Rin received one strike as a down payment.
＊ ＊ ＊
A construction site in the middle of Labyrinth.
This place was in the middle of work to demolish an existing building and dig deep into the ground.
Normally, this would be the time to finish the foundation work and start raising a new building, but due to the client’s peculiar request, they were still digging.
Without even a plan for what to build, just dig the ground deep.
It was a ridiculous demand, but since they had already received the payment, it was one day while everyone was continuing the work while being puzzled.
Inside a tent set up near the construction site.
Jun, from the Architect Guild, who was in charge of this construction, heard someone calling for him urgently. Judging by the frantic voice, it seemed an accident had occurred.
Before Jun could even clear away the blueprints and documents to head outside, someone burst into the tent first.
’Boss! A hot spring burst out!’
’What kind of nonsense is that. Are you drinking while working since noon?’
He had been tensed up thinking a big accident had happened, but they were talking gibberish.
Jun, who had stood up from his seat, waved his hand and sat back down in the chair.
’No, I’m telling you it really burst! Hot water is gushing!’
’What hot spring in the middle of a city. This neighborhood’s underground is completely laid out with subterranean waterways, so if there were a hot spring, it would be there...’
Jun suddenly had a bad premonition.
Could they have hit a hot water pipe? There were definitely no pipes or waterways passing under here in the blueprints...
’Phew, it’s my fault for believing the data from the city hall civil servants.’
As a troublesome situation arose, Jun’s head began to throb.
It wouldn’t be their fault, but the problem was that construction would be delayed because of this. Between handling the burst pipe and city hall dragging out time to confirm things.
What customer would like the construction being delayed?
He heard they were an important guest of the guild, and of all things, a truly headache-inducing problem broke out.
Jun first rushed outside to see the site situation.
Work was naturally all stopped, and not just the laborers but even passersby were gathered like they had found something to watch, viewing the construction site.
As Jun arrived at the site and looked down, hot water along with steam was indeed slowly rising from the ground.
Judging by the fact that it wasn’t gushing violently, it seemed to be a small leak at least.
’This is a disaster... no, it really is a hot spring?’
’I told you it was a real hot spring!’
’Why is a hot spring coming out from here!’
’That’s what I’m saying!’
Because it looked too different to be said they had hit a hot water pipe, Jun, after checking the site in detail once more, belatedly realized that a real hot spring was gushing out.
