Slowly, the afternoon slipped away as I talked with Siena.
Then—
A loud horn echoed from the mercenary office.
Siena looked at me.
"This time, don't go looking for death. Try to stay away from it."
I shrugged.
"I never go looking for death. It finds me."
"Yeah, I know," she replied dryly. "Whether it finds you, or you find it first."
Then her expression turned serious.
"But kid... come back alive."
Her voice was firm.
For a brief moment, I could see something wavering in her eyes.
Concern.
The look of someone sending another person into danger and knowing they might never return.
I simply nodded.
Soon, everyone began moving toward the source of the horn.
A mercenary officer shouted instructions.
"The march begins now!"
"If you have mounts, move to the left side and follow the mounted group!"
"If you don't have a mount, remain here! Carriages have been prepared!"
"Our destination is the Dark Swamp Forest!"
Since I had Rusty, I headed toward the mounted section.
While moving through the crowd, I spotted a familiar face.
Bull-Charge Rany.
He was busy shouting instructions to members of his group.
I approached him.
"Rany."
He turned his head.
"Oi! Kid!"
His eyes widened.
"You're still alive!"
I grinned.
"Yeah. Still breathing."
"Good."
He laughed.
"Good. If time permits, we'll talk at camp."
He quickly returned to organizing his group.
The march soon began.
At first, many mercenaries stared nervously at Rusty.
A few even reached for their weapons.
I had to explain several times that Rusty was my mount.
Even then, most of them looked more convinced that he was a monster than a mount.
I couldn't really blame them.
The march continued steadily.
Hours passed.
Eventually, night arrived.
The mercenary force finally halted.
Normally, mercenaries carried their own tents and cooking supplies during long expeditions.
Still, the mercenary office had prepared backup equipment.
Several workers shouted through the camp.
"If you don't have a tent, come register your name!"
"You can borrow one from the office supplies!"
I already had my own tent stored among Rusty's gear.
After retrieving it, I hammered the stakes into the ground and quickly set it up.
The inside wasn't luxurious.
Just a pillow.
A woven cloth spread over the ground.
And a thick blanket.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
A mercenary's camp.
Once the tent was finished, another shout echoed through camp.
"Dinner is ready!"
I expected hard bread, dried meat, or maybe some jerky.
Instead—
The smell alone nearly stopped me in my tracks.
When I reached the food area, I froze.
A massive line stretched across the camp.
Huge pots of chicken stew simmered over roaring fires.
Several whole pigs rotated above giant spits.
Each mercenary received a bowl of stew and freshly carved pork.
And unlike most camps—
There were refills.
As much as you could eat.
The scent made my mouth water before I even reached the front of the line.
By the time I finished eating—
Five whole pigs had already disappeared into the stomachs of hungry mercenaries.
I ate until my stomach felt completely full.
Sleep was already creeping into my mind.
Then a familiar voice called out.
"Oi, kid!"
Rany approached, pointing toward my tent.
"You eat already?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
I hesitated for a moment.
"What about night watch duty?"
Rany burst into laughter.
"Kid, do you think the mercenary office is stupid?"
I blinked.
He pointed toward the camp.
"Why do you think they fed everyone this much?"
I looked around.
The answer became obvious.
"Exactly."
Rany nodded.
"Tonight's watch duty belongs entirely to the mercenary office personnel."
"They'll handle security."
"The rest of us need proper rest."
"Tomorrow, they'll throw us straight at a monster nest."
"Do you think they spent all this money feeding us out of kindness?"
I stayed silent.
Rany grinned.
"Nothing comes free in this world."
His words matched exactly what I had already learned.
Even something given freely today would eventually demand payment tomorrow.
Seeing me thinking too deeply, Rany punched my shoulder lightly.
"Don't overthink it, kid."
"If death has your name written on it, you'll die."
"If it doesn't, you'll survive."
"That's all there is to it."
With those words, he left for his own tent.
I stood there quietly for a moment.
The campfire crackled.
Mercenaries laughed around the fires.
Some sharpened weapons.
Others drank and talked.
Tomorrow—
Many of those same people would walk into a monster nest.
And not all of them would walk back out.
With that thought lingering in my mind, I returned to my tent and fell asleep.