Erika: My Friend Is Obsessed with Me
Chapter 19
“Your Guildmaster? The Guildmaster of the Southern Guild is a Swordmaster?”
“It’s a secret. Strictly confidential for now.”
“Wow, unbelievable. Why didn’t he join Tenearha instead of playing mercenary in some provincial city?”
“Look who’s talking.”
“……”
Chaud paused, then burst into laughter.
“Come to think of it, being a mercenary is better. Better than Tenearha, anyway.”
“Are you serious? You’ve never seen Tenearha, have you? They look completely amazing.”
“Amazing? Tenearha?”
“Yeah.”
“What on earth is so amazing about them?”
Erica rolled her eyes around for a moment before answering.
“……Their uniform.”
“Oh, please.”
Chaud chuckled softly in disbelief, his eyes curving.
He didn’t bother to argue. Tenearha’s knight uniform really was magnificent.
“When did you ever see Tenearha all dressed up in uniform?”
“……A long time ago. Just by chance.”
When she was young, she had often seen her father returning to the count’s mansion in his uniform.
She couldn’t say that out loud, so she gave a vague brush-off.
“When did you see them? Did they find out you were a Swordmaster and try to recruit you?”
“I saw them back when I was in the Eastern Guild. Tenearha came out on a monster subjugation. But aside from their killer uniforms, well.”
They couldn’t even stand with their weight on one leg when taking a break.
Why would someone who’s supposedly a Swordmaster want to enter such a strictly controlled organization?
Isn’t it far more fun to roam the world freely on your own?
Chaud went on and on, making the case for why being a freelance mercenary was better than being in Tenearha.
“What does Tenearha have besides money, honor, and power anyway?”
“Aren’t those pretty huge?”
“There’s no freedom.”
“……”
“No fun, either.”
“……”
Erica let out an involuntary giggle. A smile had formed on her lips of its own accord.
“You’re surprisingly… like our Guildmaster.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing much.”
Was that a compliment, strictly speaking? As far as Erica was concerned, it was high praise that had slipped out without thinking.
No one could dare compare to Pechenik, the one who had raised her.
Being reminded of Pechenik when looking at Chaud just now was an absolute mistake.
“You must be pretty close with your Guildmaster.”
“Of course! He’s my master and as good as a father to me.”
“I think you’ve said something like that before.”
“Master only has me, too. Even if a Swordmaster like you showed up wielding Aura out of nowhere, he wouldn’t spare you a single glance!”
“……”
“Because I’m his only disciple.”
Chaud had no idea her lengthy explanation was meant to keep him in check.
He stroked his chin with his well-shaped fingers.
“Did your Guildmaster tell you not to pair up with guys who use Aura or something?”
“What are you talking about? Why would my master say something so ridiculous?”
So she does know it’s ridiculous.
Chaud gave a brief sigh and rested his chin in his hand.
“Anyway, I didn’t know you hated Aura. I’ll try not to use it.”
“……Why would you bother—”
“It’s nice to have, but it’s not like I’m inconvenienced without it. I never needed it or desperately wanted it in the first place, but it just formed out of nowhere when I was young.”
“……”
“I don’t care if I have Aura or not.”
“……”
“Erica.”
“……”
“Turning your head away again.”
Staring out the window again.
Looks like something displeased her again.
Amused and exasperated, Chaud laughed out loud.
The carriage procession rolled along the endlessly long road.
Dangtus.
The largest commercial city in the southern region of the Empire.
It was a metropolis that housed not only the headquarters of famous merchant guilds, but also the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild.
The daily floating population alone exceeded the entire population of neighboring estates.
Thanks to this, the city boasted a high standard of living, making it an ideal place for wealthy commoners to reside and a favored retreat for lower nobles seeking entertainment.
In short, it was a first-class megacity of tremendous scale that served as the southern stronghold.
“We have arrived in Dangtus!”
The coachman leading the merchant convoy’s carriage announced the end of the journey.
The carriages loaded with cargo came to a halt one after another in a long line.
Erica and Chaud received repeated thanks from the merchant group, including the caravan leader.
“We will never forget that we owe you our lives!”
“Thank you! We will never forget your kindness!”
They were also promised a token of appreciation delivered to the Southern Mercenary Guild within two days.
“Thank you so much!”
“Thank—”
“No, I get it already!”
Only after hearing expressions of gratitude repeated some twenty times could Erica and Chaud finally make their departure.
The heart of Dangtus.
It was a street wide enough for large carriages to pass through four abreast in columns.
Erica felt a little strange.
When she had left this street for the Lygis Wyvern subjugation commission, she was alone, but she had returned as two.
‘Why?’
No, why were they walking together so naturally right now?
Erica tilted her head to look up at him.
Chaud and Erica.
Walking side by side down the street, to any onlooker, they looked like an exceptionally handsome couple.
Except for the bickering.
“Just how far are you planning to follow me?”
“I’m not following you. I’m on my way to register at the Southern Guild headquarters.”
“Then could you walk a little further away?”
“That’s a problem. I’m currently following you.”
“You’re seriously pissing me off!”
Erica took two or three quicker strides. Chaud easily matched her pace with his long legs.
Chaud gave an infuriating smirk. The way his eyes curved was undeniably handsome, which only grated on her nerves all the more.
Erica just gave up and walked alongside him.
Their footsteps fell in steady rhythm.
The journey from Lygis to Dangtus was quite long.
Even with the carriages travelling in a straight line across the mountains, it took well over a full fortnight.
As a result, she had unintentionally spent the entire time glued to Chaud’s side.
Falling asleep beside him, eating meals beside him, zoning out beside him.
For Erica, a veteran S-rank mercenary who frequently took long-distance commissions, this wasn’t anything special. Strictly speaking, it was very common.
After all, when working long-distance commissions, one often grew close to temporary teammates.
‘……Did we get close?’
As for Chaud, well, she wasn’t so sure.
Thinking back on it, it felt like they had done nothing but bicker and pick fights the whole way here.
If she had learned anything from it, it was just one thing: the more she looked at him, the more annoying Chaud became.
“……”
She glanced up at him from the side.
Chaud stood taller than the vast majority of the crowd on the street. With his solid build, he was bound to stand out even from afar.
Why did his face have to be so strikingly handsome? Completely unnecessary for a mere mercenary.
Looking at the people around them after looking at him, everyone else looked like dried squid.
Wait, is this really the best Dangtus, the greatest metropolis of the south, has to offer?
Even if they couldn’t be overwhelmingly handsomer than a country bumpkin from the East, they should at least be on par!
Just as her pride as a citizen of Dangtus was beginning to crumble—
“Hey, Erica!”
Someone leaned out of a second-floor commercial building window and waved at Erica.
“Marlon, long time no see!”
Erica also stretched out her arm and waved in greeting.
She was glad to see a man in Dangtus who at least looked reasonably decent.
Watching this, Chaud asked casually,
“Who’s that?”
“A friend!”
“What kind of friend?”
“He paints and sells pictures. I hear he’s quite popular with lower nobles, too.”
“……”
“Art must be something incredible. Honestly, I don’t really get it even when I look at it, but everyone else stares like they’re enchanted.”
“……”
“You should see their entranced expressions. I guess there’s something only people who like paintings can see, right?”
Chattering away, she gave lengthy, unnecessary details, showing they were quite well-acquainted.
“Hmm.”
Chaud stared forward blankly. With no real reaction from him, the conversation came to a halt.
The two walked along the endlessly stretching street.
And similar situations repeated themselves several times.
“Erica, on your way back from a commission?”
“Hi!”
“Erica! I went to the guild headquarters two days ago to deliver arrowheads, but I didn’t see you around?”
“Hehe, I went a bit far out for a commission!”
She had an incredible number of friends.
It seemed like she was acquainted with every single person passing through downtown Dangtus.
“……”
The more Chaud watched, the more bewildered he felt.
It felt as if a sociable little squirrel was acting prickly toward him alone.
