25.LITTLE GIRL HAS A MEETING
“…This can´t be true.”
At the bar, just past midday, Golias said as he dropped his shoulders.
And then, he drank up in one go the drink poured in his gla.s.s.
After the meeting and mock battle with their new employer on the morning had ended, the Rozen and Jakan mercenary groups returned to the city. Each of the faces of the members of their groups turned into one that was as if they had just seen a nightmare.
Maia, Gauro and Golias had been defeated by a single machiini.
They were shocked by it; it had been a show that was difficult to believe for them. That was specially because Golias was a man that pretty much didn´t lose in machiini battles. Even if you were to exclude the surprise attack with his gimmick weapon [Morning Star], he was definitely still strong.
Someone like that had lost.
No, this would still have been fine. In terms of strength, there will always be someone above the ones at the top. Even Golias wasn´t confident that he would be able to win against a captain of a knight group. He was certain that not even the ones at the top of large-scale mercenary groups would.
And so, it was fine he was defeated. The real problem was the fact that was exposed when the leader of the Beladonna mercenary group left her machiini after their mock battle.
From the voice, he knew that it was a woman. No, he believed it was a woman because he felt that voice felt too young. It wasn´t that Golias didn´t consider whether that was a voice of someone that still didn´t entered p.u.b.erty, which was when the secondary gender traits still wouldn´t appear. However, there was no way he could have imagined his opponent was a six year old.
At that time, he unconsciously looked at [Iron Dinna]´s c.o.c.kpit to confirm whether there wasn´t anyone else inside. In the end, there wasn´t anyone.
With a wry smile, Maia introduced Golias that six year old… Bela Heiro. Gauro hesitantly acknowledged her. Golias couldn´t help but acknowledge her too.
“I lost to a brat?”
It was too heavy of a reality. On the other hand, compared to Gauro, who was continuously drinking up right from the bottle, perhaps he was well off. From what he heard, it seemed that Gauro was held down by that little girl and p.i.s.sed on his pants. Looking the bitter face of the victim of the story, it was impossible for him to just laugh it off as if it was some funny story no matter what.
The strength of that little girl had been engraved in his bones.
Golias believed he would have rejected the contract if he had seen her before doing the mock battle. In that sense, it had been the right path for Bela to fight him and beat him up first.
After watching the mock battle between Bal Maskar´s [Musashi] and [Iron Dinna], Golias ended up realising that his mercenary group wouldn´t even be at the second place among the three mercenary groups.
Although he heard from his subordinates that Bal Maskar was undefeated at the coliseum of Colossus, it seemed that his main profession was being a machiini pilot.
And so, because, the level of strength of the mercenary group Beladonna was proven. There were no complaints for him as his employer.
“Leader. That stuff can´t be helped.”
“That´s right. It´s not only leader. Didn´t Maia-neesan get treated like a kid there too?”
Golias understood his subordinates´ words. However, he couldn´t help but keep drinking. Golias was drinking up his alcohol while rubbing Mirka´s b.r.e.a.s.t.s, who was both his slave and lover.
At a place slightly away from where the Jakan mercenary group was gathered was the Rozen mercenary group. Right now, it was at midday, so the two groups had decided to book the bar.
“Gauro, drink with more moderation.”
“I know it. But that s.h.i.tty b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”
Gauro challenged Bela on a one-on-one fight after that. However, he wasn´t able to even land a hit. Because he didn´t put up a fight even when it was five on one, it was only obvious. But he was still dissatisfied about that.
“”The reason why it had that explosive power was because of the improvements done on it. Also, it is still young, so it is lightweight…. It should be something like that. …There is also the gimmick ability, but…. even so, that strength isn´t about the machiini specs.””
Next to the Garuo was Maia. She was thinking about the previous battle.
“”That isn´t something that was accomplished due to talent. That ability was clearly one of a master.”
Although she had been out for most of the battle, she still partic.i.p.ated on the battle herself. And so, she had some scope for having conclusions about it. She felt the technique an expert pilot would display when piloting a machiini that lacked performance in Bela.
“”The fact of her being six years old… Well, even if it is a lie, it is possible to imagine she had been piloting a machiini of high performance before. Who in the world is that brat?””
That was what Maia thought of those matters. However, there was n.o.body in this bar she could ask about it.
Right now, Bela, who became their employer, went to meet the person that wanted to employ their gathering of mercenaries. In other words, she went to meet the lord of this region, Deidon Lobunarl.
———————-
“Haa, I don´t really want to meet a n.o.ble.”
“Well, if you can get close to him, there will be many advantages. If he knows your face, you will get a lot of money once you raise achievements in battle, you see.”
With a wry smile, Kooza explained to the sullen-faced Bela.
After Bela and the others returned to the city, Kooza called Bela, inviting her to go to the building located at the center of the city of Morson.
The local lord Deidon Lobunarl.
He was the head at territorial war of the Moro region that was happening currently. It seemed that he became interested in Bela after hearing about her from Kooza.
And so, Kooza hurriedly went to call Bela. Without any other choice, Bela went together with him. As to be expected, she couldn´t reject the invitation of the local lord. Because Bela still didn´t have any achievements, it seemed that she some opposition over that worried that the n.o.ble might come to her as some spectacle for entertainment.
“Advantages, right. Sorry, but if you are telling me to let him go inside my “Milua gate”, then I refuse. At my age, it would get all broken after all.”(TL note:Dunno what Milua ->ミルアの門
“No, he isn´t someone that has that sort of interest, so you will be safe on that matter. Well, he is somewhat of a peculiar person, however.”
As they were talking and going through the corridor, Kooza then stopped in front of the door of a room. From all the doors they had pa.s.sed by until now, that door was the most extravagant.
“”Master…””
And then, Bela, who had also stopped, said to Bal, who was behind her.
“”I know. Well, it should be fine.””
Bela answered Bal in a small voice. Although even Bela knew what was going on from the smell coming from inside the room, she didn´t feel killing intent. She didn´t know the intentions of the lord, but she decided that she wasn´t getting in danger.
“Deidon-sama, it is me, Kooza Benmark. I have brought Bela Heiroh.”
In response to that, someone inside said “Alright, you may come in”.
Opening the door, Kooza frowned his eyebrows as he was about to enter the room. However, having gone in without stopping his steps, it could be said that he had courage for a merchant. Although Jadan´s and Bal´s faces didn´t change, Borudo became speechless once he entered the room.
“Welcome, mercenary group Beladonna and the leader of the group, Bela Heiroh. I see, it seems you are a wonderful lady.”
“I am grateful for your invitation. It seems the lord has very weird tastes.”
Although Bela frowned for an instant when she went in, her face immediately went back to normal. However, her mouth could not even make a superficial smile.
“I´ve heard from Kooza you liked this. Has it not been to your liking?”
“It seems you´ve had a misunderstanding. I like heads I can exchange with money. It´s not that I´m fine .”
Narrowing his sharp eyes, Deidon nodded, laughing afterwards.
In front of the lord were many heads put in display. In total, there were nearly fifty freash human heads lined-up on the table.
If taking what lord Deidon had just said in consideration, the reason for that production was that it was prepared for welcoming Bela, who supposedly liked heads.
Nodding at Bela´s att.i.tude with satisfaction, Deidon looked at Kooza.
“I see. There isn´t the slightest quiver. So it is a thing that wears the skin of a child…? Kooza, it seems you´ve found something very interesting.”
“Yes.”
Hearing those words, Kooza lowered his head. As to be expected, the circ.u.mstance was outside his expectations, but he gulped it down his throat and returned to his usual calmness.
“”To think he would come up with something like that…”
However, there was disturbances in his heart.
He was successful in promoting Bela by attracting his interest on her.
But to think this would cause such a reaction… Kooza was thinking the young girl in front of his eyes might run amok if he was to make one step wrong. Although Bela was definitely too much rational for a child, she had arrogance and boldness too. Kooza feared there could be the possibility she would explode even when being faced against the local lord.
Originally, Bela would actually keep her calm without particularly getting angry. Since she didn´t give any laughs, perhaps there was something to be worried about. However, the tan-skinned young girl carried on with the utmost calmness without saying anything brash.
Besides, among their group, it wasn´t Bela the one that couldn´t keep composure. It was the dwarf standing behind them.
“”Such a vicious hobby…”
Seeing the att.i.tude of the people there, Borudo was disgusted from the bottom of his heart. For what it could be seen, most of the heads were from soldiers of Paroma. Perhaps they were the heads of prisoners that were cut off and then put in display. The smell of blood was strong, so it was possible to know those had just been cut off. Those soldiers were killed and their heads were put in display just for the sake of some stupid welcome.
And then, looking at those heads, Borudo noticed. Among the heads, there were some faces he knew.
At first, Borudo didn´t realise whose head it was. There was the head of a girl. He couldn´t understand why that head was there. It was impossible for her to be a soldier of Paroma. He couldn´t understand the presence of the head of a simple girl being there.
“…Mana?”
It hadn´t been very long since they had parted ways. And so, memories of her still remained. She was one of the girls they released from the bandit group that had no choice but to walk the path of a slave. Borudo remembered taking care of them along their way to Colossus. He also consoled her when she would cry at night. Because of that, Borudo inevitably understood what was happening there.
“You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you cut the head of a slave!”
Borudo was enraged. He was about to jump on Deidon, but then the restraining spell of the slave mark behind his neck activated.