Chapter 60

Chapter 60

“Commander.”

Nina turned around and Lorocomo asked with a firm expression.

“How did you know we were robbed?”

“The Duke had informed me.”

When the answer came out easily. The look on Lorocom’s face got harder.

“Does that mean you’re watching us?”

“Well, I think so? Probably most of those that came in contact with the duchy are under immediate surveillance.”

Adrian was not sloppy, so Nina said with a grin.

“Then why······.”

“The purpose of surveillance is not to save the other person. It’s for observation. There’s no reason for the agent to save you.”

Lorocomo smiled and said as he looked at Nina talking with a calm smile.

“Then why are you here?”

“Oh, but if someone you know has been robbed, it would be a shame. You’ve got to help if you can, right?”

Nina grinned even more.

Lorocomo asked one last thing.

“On purpose······.”

He paused before he could even finish his words. If the Duke was trying to hurt them just for the sake of silencing them, then they could’ve just killed them instead.

The reason other than that is······.

Nina laughed.

“No, that’s not it. That’s a bit······. Um. I’m sorry, Lorocomo, but······. To scheme such a thing just to get you to our side is a bit, aherm.”

Haha! and Nina laughed again. Lorocomo’s face turned red and Mimina was also embarrassed.

Nina smiled softly.

“To know you’re worthy and to proudly brag about it is really something.”

Proud spirit, high self-esteem.

As expected, he’s not just anyone.

“I’m sorry.”

Maybe his judgment got blurred because of the fever. Or maybe he only wanted to blame someone.

“My weakness······. I guess I just wanted to push the blame to someone else, if I had just worked harder······.”

Feeling miserable for himself, he chewed his lips. He felt like the most useless human being in the world.

Nina walked into the hut and flopped down to her seat. With her chin up, she said.

“Lorocomo, being weak is not a bad thing.”

It was a sudden remark, but Lorocomo felt like it was a plain mockery.

“If it weren’t for you, me and Mimina would have died.”

“It’s the thieves that are in the wrong. Not everything is about strength. Though, of course, my strength shouldn’t be compared to others.”

Nina smirked.

“After handling about a thousand people······. Well, won’t I still end up dying anyway?”

Though it won’t be easy, she can also get killed.

“Lorocomo is a merchant. Money is also power. I don’t have the ability to bargain like you. In the world of merchants, I am incompetent and weak, but that’s not bad. Each one is good at different things. So, wouldn’t we have to help each other to live well.”

Lorocomo bowed his head with a bitter smile. Nina got up from her seat because she seemed to have said everything she had to say.

“Then I’ll really go. Goodbye, Mimina. Lorocomo.”

As Nina left the hut, Mimina saw her off and said.

“I’m sorry. If you’re offended by Lorocomo······.”

“It’s all right.”

Lorocomo is a victim who was severely shocked. He couldn’t afford it, but he honestly admitted that it was a mistake, rather than responding defensively to other people’s comments.

She thought Lorocomo was amazing just by that.

When Nina said so, Mimina’s cheeks turned red. She spoke to her quietly.

“Da-Nina is really like the Snow Knight.”

Nina asked “The Snow Knight?” and Mimina said in a hurry.

“He’s a legendary figure in our Blecca tribe. It means you’re a very cool and awesome knight.”

The elegant, beautiful, and kind-hearted Snow knight.

Mimina was embarrassed to talk about the rhetoric in front of the person directly involved. Nina smiled shyly.

“Thank you for saying that. Then, goodbye.”

She lightly spurred the unicorn, which quickly accelerated and started running. Looking at Nina, who was moving away in an instant, Mimina slapped her red cheek.

Then she frowned and ran into the cabin shouting.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Mimi······.”

“When you were sleeping, she took care of you, who had a boiling fever. She even made ice with the power of the Spirit!”

Lorocomo opened his eyes wide in surprise. Come to think of it, he thought he had such a memory.

Recalling memories one by one, Lorocomo’s heart became heavy.

She ran in the middle of the night, generously gave him a medicine that was too good to be true, and fought to save Mimina.

It must not have been easy to fight the bandits alone.

She even found their cart and horses and didn’t ask for anything in return. Not even a single penny. Suddenly he felt like he had become an ungrateful trash and swept his face with both hands.

“What should I do······.”

Mimina patted him on the back.

“Take a rest first. Then let’s go and apologize.”

When Mimina said, “Let’s officially say thank you,” Lorocomo nodded. He guessed his thinking skills have decreased because he hasn’t recovered well yet.

────── •❆• ──────

After returning, Nina reported to Kirill first. She listened with excitement to Nina’s scolding about what crazy medicine she had made.

And she was very sad.

“I wish I could see it for myself. There must be side effects······. But there are very few opportunities to experiment directly on a human being with such a major injury.”

“Hold a moment Kirill. What side effect?”

“Aggravated fatigue or aging due to excessive improvement in the body’s regeneration speed······.”

As she tilted her head, Kyrill nodded her head.

“Well, I can only hope the patient will stop by later. So, he had a fever?”

Nina, who answered all of Kirill’s questions meticulously, also briefly reported the situation to Adrian.

She also added that she exterminated the bandits, and while answering Adrian’s question about them, Nina made a strange expression on her face.

“Come to think of it, they were a really big group. They even have their own place. And it’s not even hidden deep within the mountains······. What’s going on?”

They even had good weapons and armor.

“Furthermore, their skills were pretty good. Not like just a group of farmers who’ve run away······.”

Nina stopped talking.

“Are they mountain bandits run by the Count himself?”

She heard the kingdom has a privateer, then does the Count have a private bandit den?

(Privateer: Privately owned armed vessel commissioned by a belligerent state to attack enemy ships, usually vessels of commerce. The origin of pirates comes from this. At first they were seafarers commissioned by the Royal Crown of England to steal gold from Spanish ships and deliver it to the Crown. Stealing inside the law so per say.)

All the way from the duchy’s territory to his territory?

Nina felt a bit astonished because she knew exactly what the Count was aiming to do.

“Wow, I brought only what looked expensive, but I have to go back and sweep it all up now.”

On the way back, Nina stopped by the mountain and picked up a bunch of gold coins and ornaments, and packed them in the unicorn.

After belatedly realizing this, not only expensive things, she thought that she should’ve stolen everything. Nina, who lamented, also added that she had a conversation with Lorocomo.

“I was surprised to hear that he thought you did it on purpose.”

At Nina’s words, Adrian asked.

“Don’t you think I did it on purpose?”

“I don’t.”

“Why? Because Nina would be disappointed if I used that method to give you the toy you wanted?”

“Maybe, but······.”

Nina dragged the end of her words and looked at Adrian. As soon as she came in, she opened the window door and the wind blew gently in the sunny room.

The sunlight touched Adrian’s handsome face making him appear radiant.

Nina grinned.

“You don’t do things I don’t like.”

Adrian was speechless and breathed out while looking at her.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Why do you look so vulnerable? It’s a known fact already.”

Nina spoke confidently and shrugged.

“And this kind of method has too many variables. It’s not your style.”

Adrian smirked and said.

“Good job, Commander.”

“Don’t mention it, sir.”

Nina crossed her arms in an X and left the office.

Jean grumbled, “You should have taken me, too.” Nina could have said honestly, ‘Because I’m lazy,’ but she nodded sincerely in consideration of Jean’s delicate heart.

“Okay, I’ll definitely take you next time.”

Jean’s face darkened at Nina’s words. He grabbed her by the arm.

“What? Did you get hurt? You’re not hurt, right?”

“Oh? No, I’m really fine. They were all weak.”

“No, but why do you say that? Usually, it would be something shamelessly like, ‘Because I’m lazy or it’s annoying.’ Did something happen?”

“No, it was meant to take into account Jean’s delicate heart.”

“Since when?”

Nina rolled her eyes and asked.

“Do you prefer me to be rude?”

Jean frowned and said, “Hey, what am I supposed to do when you say that?” and stopped talking.

“Uh, yes. It’s much better to be honest. You gave me a scare.”

Jean kept his composure so that he wouldn’t get caught up in Nina’s words. Nina laughed once more and promised him, “Okay, I’ll always be honest.”

Nina continued.

“And now I’m thinking of taking the newbies to fight the ‘Bellacs for beginners.’ We have to form a team, right?”

“Kell, Charlotte, and Raja are grouped separately.”

“Huh?”

Nina was confused.

Usually, they are teamed in pairs.

“Are you going to group those three together? Not in a pair?”

Jean grinned at Nina’s words.

“Those three stand out too much. Besides, we’re training them as escorts. It’s better to group them together.”

“Okay.”

“Then we’ll have to get ready to go.”

Moving on to the topic of training, the two talked while walking again.