It was more than a decade ago.
That night, cleaning continued late into the night at a tavern in Regina. A mercenary group from out of town had been celebrating their successful mission with a drinking party that lasted well into the night.
The owner and staff were exhausted, but they didn’t mind too much.
The Astro Mercenary Group, their customers that day, were rough but well-disciplined. Plus, they had guzzled down all the leftover poor-quality beer.
Thanks to them, the owner’s pockets were nicely filled, and the staff were set to receive a hefty bonus for their extra work.
“Was that young man also a mercenary? He seemed different from the others—maybe a knight from some noble family…”
The girl serving in the hall asked while diligently wiping the tables. Her face was slightly flushed, perhaps from the busy work.
Even without a specific description, the owner immediately knew who she was referring to.
Indeed, he was a young man who would stand out anywhere.
“He had a proper mercenary badge. He might look young, but he’s been around for quite a while. From the rank I saw, he’s not someone who’s been at this for just a year or two.”
“How do you know that?”
“I collected their mercenary badges when they started drinking heavily.”
In Regina, some taverns required mercenary badges as a sort of collateral.…