Returning to the Village II

The day before the trip back to her village, Carolyn met the people who would be her guide and guards. Since Hanson called them his shadow, Carolyn started thinking of them as Hanson's secret soldiers. Hanson arranged the meeting outside Teri's house, but Teri didn't join them, though he seemed to be familiar with these secret soldiers. They were all dressed plainly in brown pants and washed out grey shirts, and none of them seemed to lack training based on their well-built physiques. Their ages appeared to range from late teens to early forties, with the sole woman among them seeming to be in her early twenties.

"I'll introduce them to you, starting from left to right. First is your guide, Adam. He's one of my most experienced scouts, so you shouldn't have any problem going there and making it back."

Adam looked to be the oldest among them and had a faint beard. Despite being the guide, he didn't look any weaker compared to the other five. He had a listless expression, but he gave Carolyn a strange feeling, and she couldn't read anything deeper than the emotions he showed on the surface.

"Hey, milady."

"Be respectful."

"No, it's okay. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Adam."

Hanson sighed at Adam's unchanged demeanour before moving on.

"Next is Tristan. He'll be part of the group following you out of sight, so you won't interact with him much. His mouth can be foul, but he doesn't say anything without reason."

Tristan appeared to be one of the youngest, somewhere between late teens and early twenties. He had short, dark brown hair with bangs that nearly covered his eyes, and his height wasn't much different from Carolyn's, so he didn't look very intimidating. Since Hanson warned that he was foul-mouthed, Carolyn prepared herself as she greeted him, but he only nodded in acknowledgement.

"Following Tristan is Kathy. I figured you would be more relaxed around a female, so she'll be one of your bodyguards staying close by. You don't have to worry about her skills; I never pick people solely based on gender."

"I will do my utmost best to ensure your safety, Young Mistress," Kathy said with a polite bow.

'Young Mistress?'

Kathy's dull red hair was also short, and her height was average among the six, but her pretty face and ample chest more than made up for any lacking femininity. There were a few scars on her arms, but she exposed them boldly like badges of honour.

"Thank you, Ms. Kathy. Also, you don't have to call me Young Mistress."

"Is that an order?"

"...No."

"Then allow me to maintain my way of address. Also, please feel free to speak to me casually."

Kathy wore a stony expression, but Carolyn could pick up sincerity in her tone, which made it hard to object any further.

"...Yes."

"And then we have Harold. He'll be your second nearby bodyguard. Feel free to ignore his jokes; he'll get more annoying if you humour him."

"That's harsh, Chief. I guess the sun's not the only thing scathing me today."

"Despite being like this, he's survived more brushes with death than any under my command. So if an emergency comes to pass, feel free to leave him behind."

"You sure can't be honest, Chief. Well, even I'll die if I come back without you, so I'll definitely make sure you survive, my dear lady."

Harold appeared to be in his mid-twenties and seemed like an easygoing person. His long metallic grey hair was in a ponytail that rested on his shoulder, making it the most unique hairstyle among the group.

"I'll be in your care."

"As you can tell, the last two are twins, Nathan and Nate, in that order. Individually, their skills are fairly average, but they have excellent coordination abilities that more than make up for what they lack. Like Tristan, they won't be too close, but you might meet them again outside the village."

"I'm Nathan; nice to meet you!"

"Nate."

Nathan and Nate were identical, but Nathan seemed more cheery while Nate wore a slim pair of glasses and gave off an aloof atmosphere. The two looked to be the oldest after Adam, both appearing to have entered their late twenties.

"It's nice to meet you as well. I believe Mr. Hanson has already introduced me, but my name is Carolyn. It won't be for long, but I will entrust my life in your hands, so I hope that we can get along."

"We will be at your command."

Regardless of their previous attitude, the six responded with the resolve of soldiers heading into battle.

"Good. Now that introductions are over, do you have any questions for them, Ms. Carolyn?"

There were many questions that Carolyn could think of, but most of them would likely touch on secrets that Hanson was still unwilling to reveal, so she shook her head.

"No, it's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Hmm, well, if I had to ask something, would you each tell me how you were recruited by Mr. Hanson?"

"That's..."

Hanson thought that Carolyn would be curious about what sort of work he had them do or information about their background, so he faltered upon hearing her question.

"If it's a secret, then you can pretend I didn't say anything."

"It's not, but,"

"I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a cold day, so I snuggled up next to a mug of beer at the local bar."

"Adam."

Hanson clearly conveyed his discontent in the tone of his voice, but Adam continued his story with the same lethargic expression.

"As for why I was like that, it's a long story, but let's just say I put my faith in the wrong people and ended up losing my family as a result. Every day I thought about killing myself, but at the same time, I didn't think my family would forgive me if I met them again so soon. So I kept drinking to take my mind off it. I had a lot of money saved up, so I would just keep drinking until the owner threw me out, but one day this guy visited and said he had a job for me. I didn't even respond to him at first, but then he offered me a chance I couldn't refuse. A chance for revenge."

As he told his story, Carolyn knew that he was watching to see her reaction, but she could also tell that his story wasn't fake. Furthermore, a tale of revenge was one she couldn't help but resonate with.

"And then? Did you manage to get your revenge?"

"Well, you could say that, but in order to save someone I barely knew I had to let one of my targets go. Tell me, young lady, should I have abandoned that person for the sake of my revenge?"

Carolyn was certain that the choice had torn him apart at the time, and she wasn't sure she could imagine the overwhelming emotions that tested his rationality. However, if she was to put herself in that position, there was only one answer.

"No. I don't know how much you hated the one that made you lose your family, or even if the person you saved had a good heart, but life is something that can be lost but never regained. There's always a chance that you can find your target again, but if that stranger died, then there would be no way of making up for it."

Carolyn lacked the experience to fully relate to him, but her words did not lack confidence.

"There, are you satisfied, Adam?" Hanson asked grumpily.

"Yes~."

There was no change in Adam's tone or expression; however, the faint unease that Carolyn felt from his gaze was gone.

"I'm sorry about that, Ms. Carolyn. I hope his question didn't make you too uncomfortable."

"No, I'm the one at fault for making him share such a personal story."

"Not at all. He shared his story willingly—almost too willingly, in fact. Will you be okay with ending the meeting here for today?"

"Hmm, ah, that's fine. I'll look forward to seeing you again tomorrow."