Chapter 69

  Teammates

  *Mataru*

  It was definitely hard leaving Mei at home at first.

  No, not Mei. I know no one named Mei. My sister is Ayumi, and I am Arisu. I must grind that into my head until I believe it, or else I risk slipping at the wrong time and falling to my own traitorous tongue. Our very futures depend on no flaws ever being found in our masks.

  So it was hard leaving Ayumi at home. We'd been at each other's side without ceasing since we saw the guards outside the estate.

  No, that, too, had to pass. It was ever since those monsters attacked our parents’ caravan, rendering us orphans with nothing to our names but what we carried on our backs.

  It pains me to remove our parents from our lives so absolutely that we can’t even recognize their existence when they’re the whole reason we’re doing this, but the sacrifice is for their sake. For their honor. For our father’s vengeance. For our mother’s redemption. If we’re ever found out, the best case scenario is getting shipped back to Serazin Province, where our uncle will never dare let us out of sight a second time.

  The worst case … I don’t want to think about it. It might be that the four Heroes find us, and they decide to finish what they started with our father. I don’t know why they’d bother hunting down and killing off a couple of children, but I don’t know why they’d kill a good man like our father, either, who only ever took care of us and his people.

  The day the Western Demesne was declared lost and the evacuation order came down, he held Mother and wept. I’d never before seen Father shed a single tear, no matter what happened, but that day, he cried like a baby. It was because the order was the absolute declaration that he had failed his people. So many dead, and even those that survived to escape, their livelihoods were destroyed, their homes gone, their villages fallen, everything they had ever known was upended.

  To my father, it didn’t matter that his family would be fine. We would simply relocate to our estate in the capital and wait out the conflict. When the brightest minds of the Empire figured out how to fight back against the Darkness, what scarce resources we had left would proudly go to the front line until our home was liberated once more. No, there was no reason to cry for us. He cried for his people, because he cared for them as strongly as he did for us.

  At least there was an easier explanation for why the four Heroes would want us dead, now that they had killed our father. They created the reason, themselves. So deeply wronged by them, it’s a given that we would hold enmity for them. So long as we draw breath, there is nothing that they can do to appease us.

  However, we are still children. They have already killed our father and seen our mother stripped of title and estate. While it is bewildering why they would so target our family, the strongest allies against the Darkness they might find in the whole of the Empire, they may see it as sufficiently defanged. Without our own family’s title, even Mei and I are nobles only by proxy. We are the niece and nephew of the Lord Regent of Serazin Province, one of the smallest and most unremarkable regions in all the land. The highest we might now reach is to be named Mayor of a backwater village, where we might live out our lives in quiet solitude.

  … Frankly, if such a thing had come about honestly, I wouldn’t even be particularly opposed to such a life. I would strive to do as my father before me and care for the people under my charge as well as I was capable, with full zeal and dedication. The number of those people would be no more relevant than their collective net worth. All that would matter was that I was tasked with doing my best to make sure that they could do their best.

  Such is the principle of duty instilled in me by my father’s example.

  The only reason that I can possibly conceive for why they would target our family, as unthinkable as it might be, is that the four Heroes, themselves, are in league with the Darkness. Perhaps, in consuming the entirety of the Demesne, it has grown powerful enough to twist the sacred summoning and direct the ritual to its own chosen operatives. If that’s true, then the Empire is in incredible danger, all the more reason for us to grow stronger as quickly as possible.

  With great effort, I pull my mind away from such dark thoughts. I was thinking about my dear sister. The first time I left her at the house while I went on a mission with Tan’s team, I was anxious the entire time. I was terrified that she wouldn’t be there when we got back, that someone would find her while I wasn’t there to protect her, that any number of things might have happened to her.

  When we got back and she was there waiting for me, I clung to her and swore I’d never leave her side again until she threatened me with violence if I didn’t remove myself. It was a source of great amusement for the others, but then Tan sat me down and explained how unserviceable such an oath was. If I wanted to take care of my little sister, I couldn’t stunt my own progress until she was old enough to join me. If anything, taking care of things until then was my sacred duty as her big brother. Who was going to feed her and put a roof over her head until then, if not me? Who was going to save up for her class ceremony so that she could one day join me?

  Of course, Tan doesn’t know Ayumi already has a class, and we plan to keep it that way until I can afford it or we part ways, whichever comes first, but his words were wise. Since then, I’ve pulled myself away from her to focus on my training, on our missions, on earning a living for her and improving myself. Each time I come home to find her safe and secure, it becomes a little easier. We’ve spent months by each others’ side, but to continue forward together, we must be willing to part for a little while.

  On the topic of self-improvement, though, joining Tan’s team has been one of the best things to happen to us since leaving Serazin. Ayumi’s class lends itself well to self-study, so her seclusion has actually been a boon in disguise, and she’s confident she’ll soon start acquiring skills related to her other work so she’ll be better able to support us. Meanwhile, Iana, the archer, has been coaching me in matters of Wilderness Survival, teaching me to spot and follow tracks, set and locate traps, identify and harvest beneficial plants, skin and prepare animals, and establish and maintain a basecamp. Already, I know enough that our previous floundering in the wilderness pains me.

  Though most of my time is spent under Iana’s tutelage, each of my new teammates has something important to teach me. I already knew how to maintain my blade, but Mitoro has been teaching me how to maintain my shield and armor, as well as the basics of metallurgy. I’ve made enough progress that he’s started talking about renting some time at the village forge to get me some hands-on practice. I want to make my own rapier, but he says that’s a far too complex weapon to start with. He knows it probably sounds boring, but it’s best if I learn the basics on daggers and simple tools. He’s actually the one that is teaching me how to tan the leather that Iana is teaching me how to skin.

  Aiele is far from the equal of the magic tutor our parents had us studying under, but it’s not for a lack of fundamentals. She’s a patient teacher that is excellent at explaining the arcane processes, and though she looks mousy at first glance, she is actually quite stern about disruptions. She also knows of a great number of spells, even if she hasn’t formally “learned” them by the System’s recognition. This means she can recommend spells for completely different classes, even if she would never use those spells, herself. It was her suggestion that I learn Acceleration Burst to help me close the distance to my opponent and add to the momentum of my thrusts. I’m hoping she also has some ideas for something I can use to penetrate heavy armor or high defense.

  Tan, though, has personally taken on the role of my combat teacher. As a Bronze-rank, he’s much stronger than the others, who are Iron-rank, and it shows. Every time we spar, he jokes that it won’t be long before I pass him by, but I’m still unable to even leave a mark on him. The mentor my parents hired, who was in charge of my sword training, was a retired Silver-rank, and I feel like Tan must be at the upper end of Bronze by comparison. In fact, maybe the entire team may be near ranking up.

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  I suppress the worry over where that would leave me, who won’t be allowed to rank up at all until my next birthday. Being stuck at Wood-rank would mean that I’d then be dragging the entire party’s average rank down. Even though, without me, their average rank would then be Bronze, with me tagging along, our average would still be Iron. I’d be single-handedly undoing all of their hard work.

  But there’s nothing that I can do about it. The guild’s advancement rules are ironclad, and I’m already lying about my age by two years. If the team decides to bench me in favor of higher payouts until my birthday, that will just be the way it is. It might even mark the time for Ayumi and I to move on. I’ll just have to make sure that I learn as much as possible from them while I’ve still got their attention.

  There’s a light but sharp bonk on my head that makes me blink and refocus on my surroundings. It’s evening, and we’re sitting around a campfire. It’s one of the rare times we’ve taken a mission that’s too far away for us to tackle it and make it back home in a single day. We’re going to be clearing out a goblin nest tomorrow. Today was spent in travel, and the day after tomorrow will be spent heading back. I’d helped Iana set up camp while Aiele made a simple stew from our rations, some leftover game meat, and some wild herbs I had spotted along the road.

  Maybe I’m biased, but I think Ayumi’s stew is better. Of course, neither of them actually have the Cooking skill, and Ayumi has the advantage of better ingredients and seasonings. That being said, it’s edible, and far preferable to an empty stomach, so I’ll keep my thoughts to myself.

  Instead, I turn to look at Iana, the one who hit me, giving her a look of confusion.

  I’m met with her sharp smile, the look she gives me when she’s amused, but looking to hammer a lesson home. “Arisu, you’re thinking so hard that you’re making your food cold!”

  I look back down at the bowl in my one hand while the other is wrapped around the spoon. The metal conducts the heat into my palm, but it’s far less than when it was first dipped into the dish. With a determined expression, I take a deep scoop and stick it into my mouth.

  Tan apparently waits deliberately until my mouth is full before questioning me. “So what had you so deep in thought? You’re not worried about the goblin den tomorrow, are you?”

  I shoot him a glare that has him grinning and the girls giggling while I rush through chewing. “No, I’m not worried about them,” I answer once I manage to swallow. “Like you said, it’ll be fine so long as we don’t let ourselves get cornered.”

  “What is it, then,” Aiele asks. I’m actually sitting between her and Iana. I’m not sure why, but that’s always how it tends to end up, like they’re trying to protect me from getting tangled up in anything Tan and Mitoro might try. “You aren’t homesick already, are you?”

  I shake my head, then decide to be mostly honest. “Actually, I was thinking about how strong you all are. Tan has to be at the top end of Bronze if he’s not already ready to test for Silver, and the rest of you must be far up in Iron.”

  Tan’s grin softens. “Hey, you’re no slouch, either, Arisu! Trust me, you’re carrying your weight! And even if you weren’t carrying it on the front line, you’re a huge help with everything else! You’re taking a big load off of Iana and Mitoro’s shoulders!” He makes a show of grinning all the more broadly and puffing his chest out. “Honestly, recruiting you may have been the best decision I’ve ever made!”

  Mitoro gives him a doubting side-eye. “You made that decision, did you? Funny, my memory must be a little fuzzy, then. The way I remember it, it was the girls who pushed for it.”

  That makes Tan deflate fast, and he scowls over at his friend. “I signed off on it, didn’t I? You make it sound like I was against it!”

  “It’s true,” Iana agrees with our leader. “The only thing you were really against was cleaning out the third room.”

  But I speak up again. “It’s not that,” I insist. “If it were just keeping up, I think I could do it. I might still be the least experienced member, but I don’t think I’d be holding anyone back.”

  Mitoro motions to me from across the fire to continue. “What’s the problem, then?”

  I look down at my stew again and purposefully take another bite, chewing it over thoroughly and swallowing before giving my answer. “I was just thinking that it’s only a matter of time before you all test up, but no matter how much stronger I get, I can’t test up until I turn fifteen. If you all do that before then, keeping me around would mean our average rank would still be Iron. I’d be holding everyone back, no matter how strong you became. It would only make sense to leave me at home with Ayumi then, as I’d be costing everyone so much money on every mission. I was even thinking I might have to leave.”

  An awkward silence falls across the camp that makes my stomach curl as they all exchange long looks with each other. Oh, Essence, they’ve already had that very conversation, haven’t they?

  “Actually, Arisu,” Tan finally says, rather carefully, “let me ask you something. How many Iron-rank missions do you think it normally takes us to meet our expenses?”

  I blink at the seeming non-sequitor, but do the math in my head. “Well, given that you take a percentage off the top for it, and we manage four or five missions a week, assuming a portion of that is emergency funds and we aren’t living by a wire, I’d assume our expenses come out to … about two bars a month?”

  That figure makes Tan visibly flinch, and it takes me a moment to realize that’s actually a whole lot of money for commoners, but Aiele is clapping excitedly.

  “Very good, Arisu! Wow, I didn’t realize you were so skilled at numbers!”

  I blush and scratch at my neck. “Well, I mean, it was an important skill for my family, so my parents made sure I learned …”

  That’s true, but they think it’s because my parents were merchants. Keeping a balanced book is just as important for a noble house, though, if not more so. If a merchant goes bankrupt, it only affects their business and immediate family. If a noble house does, all those in their land suffer.

  “Actually,” Tan corrects me, however, “it’s only about fifty tins. We each pay for our own food and equipment, so the only real overhead is land fees and the like. We only need to do one or two missions a week to cover our operating costs, that’s why that percentage was chosen. That gives us time to rest, train, and take care of personal matters.”

  I stare back at him like I’m hearing nonsense. We’re doing four times the workload we should be? “Why are we taking so many, then? Ayumi and I didn’t drive you into debt, did we?”

  Tan gives an uncomfortable laugh, but waves the idea off. “No, no. We’re very much in the black. You see, actually, we set a deadline for ourselves, and that deadline is your birthday.”

  I’m blinking like my eyes have gone dry. “... My birthday? What does that have to do with anything? Are you … planning on cutting me loose then?”

  Iana throws her arms around me with a cry. “No, Arisu! Stop that! We’re not going anywhere! That’s what it has to do with your birthday!”

  Mitoro smirks at the sight of me getting smothered by the archer. “What our dear leader is trying to say is that we’re all trying to push ourselves to be ready to test up by the time your birthday rolls around, so that we can all do it together with you. And since we know you’re saving up for your sister’s class ceremony, the extra funds from all of the extra work we’re doing is going to pay for it.”

  “It was going to be our birthday present to you, Arisu,” Aiele beams, “but when you were getting so worried about it, you kind of put us in a tight spot!”

  I stare blankly into the fire in shock. They’re going to all of that trouble for me? Why? We’re just teammates. No, we’re not even that. “Teammates” suggests I’m their equal, but I’m just a glorified squire studying under them. A squire who can’t rank up, and who brings a sister along as an extra mouth to feed that can’t join the team at all. No matter how I look at it, Ayumi and I are just added expense, but they’re willing to go that far for us?

  Iana frowns and leans around in front of me, grabbing my cheeks to manipulate my face. “I know that expression! You’re thinking more negative thoughts about yourself, aren’t you, Arisu?! Didn’t I just tell you to stop that?!”

  I force myself to smile against the pull on my cheeks. “Yesh, Mish Iahna! Ah’m shorhy!”

  Tan gives a chuckle and downs the last of his tea before pushing to his feet. “Well, now that that rabbit’s loose, it’s getting late, and we’ve gotta get on the road early tomorrow. Mitoro’s got first watch, so I’m going to go ahead and turn in. Arisu, finish your stew, then you do the same, alright?”

  Iana is still holding onto me. “I still don’t like the idea of Arisu sleeping with you boys. It’d be much safer in our tent!”

  Tan gives her a flat, bewildered look. “... Iana, Arisu is a boy.”

  “A very cute, sensitive and fragile boy!”

  “What in the world do you think Mitoro and I are going to do, eat him for a midnight snack?!”

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