(I got way too carried away…)
As he was stricken with that feeling, a person’s shadow approached behind him. Harold’s eyes were still pointed at the sky, but he was somehow able to sense whose presence it was.
【”May I sit here?”】
【”…Why bother asking when you already know the answer?”】
【”But you didn’t reserve this seat, right?”】
【”I’m very sorry. Not only did I fail to get the results you hoped for, but I even gave him a chance to press us.”】
【”Don’t think too highly of yourself. I told you I didn’t expect much from you.”】
【”…Right, you did say that.”】
【”Look, It’s your problem if you want to feel responsible for my mistakes, but don’t drag it behind you and let it come back to bite us later. If you’re going to get stuck in that kind of state of mind, you better get rid of that shitty guilt of yours right now.”】
【”Are you trying to cheer me up?”】
【”Do you really think that’s possible?”】
【”Guess not. Oh well, If that’s how it is, then I suppose I’ll just switch my mood.”】
【”The issue is that, while I can recover like this, Lifa cannot.”】
【”What?”】
【”It seems like she regrets reflexively taking Justus’ invitation.”】
【”Is it that surprising? Anyone would be worried when getting in their friend’s way.”】
【”…I don’t recall making friends with that girl.”】
【”Maybe, but you sure don’t have many friends.”】
As Harold was finding excuses for himself, his mouth let out the words of a sore loser.
【”Things like friends are a waste of time.”】
【”But that depends from one person to another, doesn’t it? And in Lifa’s case, friendship seems to be important.”】
【”Hmph, who cares?”】
The truth was that he did care, but there was something he wanted to speak of with Elu so he forcibly changed the topic. He had better tell Elu now while there was still little worry of someone eavesdropping.
【” Leaving that aside, bastard, I’ll tell you about the job I’ve granted you.”】
【”I’m listening.”】
【”You’ll get the power to make use of the organization that I’ve started.”】
【”Your organization?”】
【”It’s a mercenary group called『[Frieri]』.”】
In the game, Frieri was a mercenary group started by Cody, after he resigned from the knight order, by recruiting fallen mercenaries. That organization did basically everything, be it escort missions, war, monster subjugation or even looking for various things.
【”I’ll get to make use of them? I’ve never commanded a battle before.”】
【”That will be handled by the men on site. I’m giving you the authority to decide whether Frieri should take action or not. And you may also mobilize them.”】
【”…Are you seriously going to give that kind of authority to a newcomer like me?”】
Harold wanted to tell him that he knew where he was coming from. This position was Hardly fitting for Elu.
【”I’ll establish the organization’s course of action and give out the essential instructions. Your role will be to handle the other, smaller instructions, and to mobilize Frieri when I’m in a position where I can’t make a move myself.”】
【”That’s quite easy to say, but really, it’s a big responsibility, isn’t it?”】
【”By the way, how many people are there in Frieri?”】
【”There are 14 people, but that’s not enough. You gotta make use of your clan’s information network and scout some capable people.”】
【”That’s fine, but what about the money? Without a reasonable amount, It’s going to be hard to entice mercenaries. “】
【”If you’re talking about the small change you’ll need to hire mercenaries, just name the price and I’ll pay.”】
【”How generous. Where on earth did you get that kind of money?”】
【”You don’t need to know.”】
【”Too bad. Well, I get the gist of the situation, now I’d like to see that Frieri group with my own eyes to get a sense of it but…”】
【”If you have a method to slip through that guy’s surveillance, we can go right now.”】Who ?
【” Let’s hold off on that. Well, I mean, I did think of a method, but considering the current conditions, I have a request.”】
【”…Speak.”】
【”I’d like to get in touch with Frieri by myself. So I want you to give me something to prove that I was sent by you.”】
【”What’s your motive?”】
【”It’s to deceive Justus’ eyes.”】
【” So please inform the people from Frieri that I will be arriving by myself. I will keep my appearance, age, and gender completely hidden, since I don’t want to give out too much information in the interest of concealing Giffelt’s nature. “】
【”Don’t you want to spread the name of Giffelt?”】
【”That’s just useful for gathering information and gaining some prestige. Being recognized as Giffelt on personal business carries a high risk.”】
【”Well, that’s fine with me, as long as things go smoothly.”】
Harold understood Elu’s concern and had no reason to refuse. So long as they weren’t unreasonable, Harold wanted to avoid refusing Elu’s requests as much as possible, since he would be troubled if their arrangement broke down. Elu seemed to think he had become a subordinate, but the fact of the matter was that Harold thought of him as a comrade
【”Thanks. Also, one more thing.”】
【”You’re not done yet? Don’t you have any shame?”】
【”I’m not going to ask for anything big. I’d like you to give me a few hours of your time tomorrow.”】
【”It better not be for something stupid.”】
【”Of course not, it’s for something very important. For our future.”】
Elu showed a smile of deep significance. But Harold failed to notice the meaning behind it.
