I Became a Druid in Another World

Like I discussed with Louis, starting the next day, Lloyd began to keep watch near the secret passage's exit. The exit was hidden in the outskirts, far from the castle, and close to the Sequoia Forest where orcs roamed.

Should I call it clever or reckless…?

Certainly, in a life-threatening situation, fleeing to the Sequoia Forest where orcs appeared would significantly lower the chances of dying at the enemy's hands. After all, it wouldn't be easy for anyone to pursue someone while dealing with orcs.

Whoever designed Corin's castle, they had to be quite bold. It made sense; families that dominated the continent were on a different level.

"Nothing's likely to happen, but stay cautious anyway."

"Of course."

"Ayla, you too."

– Woof!

No matter how capable Lloyd was, I didn't feel right about sending him into a forest filled with orcs alone, so it was decided to send Ayla with him. Despite it being a trap, with talk of a subjugation, there was no telling how the orcs in the Sequoia Forest might act, so we needed to be extra careful. Lloyd was one of our greatest assets. If he were to get injured, it would create major setbacks in our plans. Naturally, such a thing couldn't be allowed to happen.

"Master, I…"

"No. You'll stay with me to investigate the city."

El had grown quite a bit, but she wasn't yet ready to be sent into a forest where orcs roamed. She had never faced an orc before. Dealing with monsters that used "weapons" and had "intelligence" was vastly different from fighting ordinary monsters. So, it made sense to send Ayla who could overpower opponents purely on instinct for this kind of task.

Even if El feels disappointed, there's no helping it.

It was all for El's safety. Once she had enough experience, she would be able to face orcs as well, but for now, it wasn't the right time.

"…Okay."

El who was clearly displeased with my decision pouted and answered in a slightly sulky voice. I chuckled softly and whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

"Cheer up. Let's go get something delicious to eat, just the two of us."

Only then did El stop pouting and nod her head. As expected, she was still a kid. A kid.

"Well then, see you tomorrow."

"Yes. Are you sure you don't need a packed lunch?"

Lloyd nodded his head and mounted his horse. Really, that man was unbelievably tough. We were in the city, after all, and it wouldn't hurt to enjoy some good food, but… I placed the lunchbox I had been holding back on the table. The meal, which I had specially requested from the innkeeper, wasn't fancy but was quite substantial. Yet Lloyd refused it, opting instead to pack only jerky and biscuits. His reasoning was that the scent of food seasoned with spices could easily give away his position to the enemy. He wasn't wrong, but…

"Then, let's have a grand dinner when you return."

"Okay."

Lloyd gave a small smile before leaving. Just before Ayla dashed off, she glanced back at me, and I waved to her before turning away.

"We'll have this for lunch then."

"Yay!"

Even though lunchtime was still a while away, El raised both her hands excitedly.

El and I wandered through the city while pretending to be ordinary mercenaries. We went everywhere a mercenary would normally frequent starting with the mercenary guild, then shops dealing in monster materials, and even the square where recruitment notices and job requests were posted.

"Wow, Master! There are so many jobs!"

"Oh, you're right."

"Looks like someone had their sheep stolen from the mountain. Oh, and here's one about a kidnapping! Aah! There's even a job for escorting someone to the capital!"

"Hmm."

"There are so many jobs, and even the simplest ones pay a lot!"

El was right. Even the most straightforward and trivial requests were offering double or triple the usual rewards. Normally, these would have been snatched up by other mercenaries, but the board was overflowing with requests.

"Is it because of the subjugation…."

Thanks to Louis's brother, Dowood, who had offered a generous advance to recruit mercenaries, those who weren't in dire need of work seemed content to wait leisurely for the subjugation without bothering to take on smaller tasks.

Since they had already been paid, there was no need for them to take on other requests. The veteran mercenaries likely wanted to avoid any problems from taking other jobs that might prevent them from joining the subjugation, while the rookies and new recruits probably found everything too bothersome to even glance at the requests now that money was in their hands.

With all this money being handed out before the subjugation has even begun, they must be thinking that even greater rewards will be waiting for them when it's over…

As the rumor spread that mercenaries were being gathered for the subjugation in Corin, the city was filled up with veteran mercenaries hoping for a big payout and lazy rookies who didn't know any better. Meanwhile, the truly important requests that kept the city running were being ignored.

-Tap.

-Tap.

-Tap.

Tsk, tsk. While I was clicking my tongue as I looked up at the board,

"Huht…?!"

Someone was quickly tearing down the request forms with lightning-fast hands, moving so swiftly that his outline was barely visible.

-Tap.

-Tap.

-Tap.

"Hey…!"

On closer inspection, he was only taking the so-called "sweet jobs". One, two, three, four… seven, eight, nine, ten…! Wait, how could he grab ten requests at once?! Even if they were "sweet jobs", to actually take ten at a time?!

I turned around in surprise. There, with an expressionless face and no regard for my gaze, was someone still tearing down the request forms at lightning speed.

…An elf!

It was an elf.

As was typical of elves, this one was exceptionally beautiful. With mystical light purple hair and eyes just a shade darker than his hair, his skin was pale as porcelain, and his entire body was sleek and slender, as one would expect from an elf. Even his appearance was so delicate that it could be mistaken for that of a woman. Though I had seen many elves in Lysette and had grown accustomed, perhaps even tired, of their beauty, there was no denying it. An elf was an elf. Their very presence distinguished them from humans.

No, that's not the point.

It wasn't his appearance that mattered. What I really wanted to know was why an elf who was considered "top-tier labor" was sweeping up all these random requests, even if they were the more desirable ones.

"Excuse me."

"Move. You're in the way."

Before I could finish my sentence, the elf gave me a light shove. El who was more offended than I was immediately lunged toward the elf, but I raised a hand to stop her and called out to the elf again.

"I just have a question. If you could spare a moment, I'd appreciate it…"

"One silver coin."

"Huh?"

"One silver coin."

"…."

Well, this elf was greedier than he looked.

The elf was unusual in many ways. Not only was he a mercenary, but he was also driven by money. Most elves valued honor far more than wealth…

Well, just one silver coin, I suppose.

I took a silver coin from my pocket. Only then did the elf turn away from the bulletin board and look at me properly. I handed him the coin, trying to smile as harmlessly as possible.

"What do you want?"

The elf asked in a tone that suggested he was already fed up.

"Why are you collecting requests?"

"To complete them, obviously."

He answered with a hint of disdain as if I had asked something trivial.

"Are you participating in the orc subjugation, by any chance?"

"No."

"I heard the reward for the orc subjugation is quite generous."

I glanced at the stack of request forms in his hand as I asked. He tucked the papers into his clothes and shot me a brief sideways glance.

"Orcs are boring."

"…Boring?"

"Yeah. I've already killed more than enough of them."

More than enough of them…

It made sense that elves were much stronger than humans, several times over even, but… this elf seemed exceptionally skilled. Which only made it more puzzling. Why would someone like him live as a mercenary? He wasn't even a dark elf…

"Are these all your questions?"

"Wait, hold on a second."

"What now?"

"So, no matter what, you're not planning to join the orc subjugation? Someone of your skill could earn a fortune from the lord."

"No."

The elf responded without a moment's hesitation and turned away again.

This is it.

A mercenary with no interest in the orc subjugation! And an elf, no less, who seemed quite skilled!

I had thought we were lacking the strength to face Dawood and the Crows, but with this elf, the situation could change.

"I have a request that might interest you. Would you like to hear it?"

At that, the elf scoffed and glanced at me.

"Go on, then."

"That's impossible. It's a confidential matter. But I can promise you a generous reward, enough to surpass the combined pay of all the requests you're holding. What do you think?"

"No."

"Name your price."

"Confidential means dangerous. And dangerous means troublesome."

"...."

"I'll make plenty of money just by completing these."

Damn, I slipped up.

Right now, it wasn't just money that mattered to this guy. I should've realized when he only picked the "sweet" requests.

What should I do…

It was too much of a waste to let him go here. But whether I hesitated or not, the elf didn't seem willing to wait any longer. As if deciding he needed to escape these troublesome matters, he gathered a few more request papers and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Was my desperation too overwhelming? I grabbed the elf's arm just as he was about to leave, and in that moment—

Whoosh!

Like any other elf, he showed his outright disgust at a "human" daring to touch him, and he swatted me away without hesitation. I hadn't expected it, and the force sent me stumbling backward. Fortunately, El caught me and saved me from the disgrace of tumbling to the ground.

"Hey!"

"It's fine, El. I'm okay, calm down."

After calming El, who was glaring at the elf with burning eyes, I dusted myself off and stood up. There was no chance that arrogant elf would apologize, and he didn't seem interested in hearing what I had to say either, so maybe it was time to back down for today…

"…Wait!"

Just then, the elf widened his vivid purple eyes and shouted,

"Could it be, you…!"