Noticing the expression of the young man with black hair, brown eyes, and dark skin, Nikita was the one who asked out of curiosity.
"What is it? Do you know any of them?"
"Not really, I just heard their names before."
It wasn't a lie, after all Tom had only heard about Mr. Yuki from Snow, Akeno, and now from Nikita. However, the main reason for his answer was that it probably wasn't common knowledge that one of the captains of the Moonlight squad was one of the nobles of the Crimson Court.
After that, Nikita seemed to grow tired of the shallow conversation and simply maintained her calm posture and silence.
Malivor, who was still pretending to sleep, gave Tom a knee to the thigh as a way of laughing at him without making a sound.
They were in front of a vampire, and since vampires had very sharp hearing, they couldn't make any audible sound at the moment without her hearing it too. And Tom was already imagining how much his partner would laugh at him once they finished this mission.
By around five in the afternoon, the carriage passed through the gates of the capital.
Arriving in front of a luxurious house, the three of them could see a tall man with brownish hair tapping his foot discreetly. It was easy to tell he was anxious. Beside him stood a woman with black hair.
The vampires all have, or almost all have, the same pale skin tone, and also red-colored eyes…
The girl rolled her eyes.
She was the first to get out of the carriage. Tom of course gave her a hand, since she was wearing heels.
In Fohrd he obviously didn't do it because she had come hidden and transformed into a bat, returning to her humanoid form only inside the carriage.
"Niki! My daughter!" The not-so-old-looking man ran up, hugged her tightly, and kissed her cheek.
"Dad… Hi, Dad." With a slightly stiff reaction, she returned the hug.
Coming at a slower, more elegant pace, the woman joined the embrace of the two.
Seeing that scene, Tom for a moment felt somewhat lonely. Even though his family hadn't been close to him before, the fact that he no longer had them at all reminded him of how alone he was in this different world.
I still have to go back home. he sighed.
Finishing the family moment, the vampire approached them.
"Gentlemen."
Tom and Malivor slightly bowed their heads in respect toward the one in front of them.
"Thank you very much for bringing my daughter safely. Here is the second part of the payment as previously agreed."
With a quick gesture he raised one hand, showing four gold coins.
The two mercenaries exchanged surprised glances. That was four obras, a very high value for such a simple mission.
What struck them even more was that almost always missions given to mercenaries were paid in two parts: the first before the mission as a guarantee, and the second after completion. That meant the escort mission they had just completed had cost eight obras.
Malivor was the one who received the coins.
"I didn't get to meet you earlier, but allow me. I am the noble Albor Soliwell. That is my wife Jessy, and of course, you have met my daughter Nikita."
Tom nodded briefly.
"Mr. Soliwell, I thank you for hiring Moonlight's services. If you ever need it, just call us again."
"Of course. And you may use the carriage to take you to your destination. It is merely a courtesy of mine."
He shook hands with both of them.
The two were already about to get back into the carriage when Malivor looked back at Tom and smiled provocatively.
Tom tilted his head to the side before mentally cursing.
"Nikita…"
She looked at him as if she had already expected something like that.
"Maybe… if you want… we could meet another day. Somewhere better. What do you think…?"
Yeah. He paused in the middle of his speech.
The vampire girl laughed out loud and covered her mouth with one hand.
"Tom. I don't know what goes through your head, but it could go very wrong to hit on a client. But I already have a fiancé."
At that moment, Tom could swear he went paler than the vampires themselves upon hearing that last sentence.
From inside the carriage, Malivor couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.
"You're definitely a strange guy, Tom. Don't get me wrong. The conversation during the trip was fun."
She also laughed at him.
"But look, if you really want to date a vampire girl, you've got way better chances than your friend Malivor."
Life returned to Tom's body after hearing that last part.
"Sorry and… thanks?" He replied awkwardly.
She didn't answer, only smiled.
Tom looked at the parents with concern that they might be angry. Contrary to his expectations, both of them were contorting their cheeks to hold back laughter.
Getting inside for real, Tom looked at the stunned Malivor.
Closing the door, Tom pointed twice with his index finger at his colleague.
You heard that, right?
Unlike before, Tom now had a cheerful expression on his face.
His mind practically ignored the bad part of that last interaction and focused only on the ending.
"Huh? You heard that, right? I've got better chances with a vampire than you, my partner."
Malivor made a deadpan face but didn't respond.
"Ah, and I want my fifty zenns."
That was his share of the bet for flirting with Nikita.
In response, Malivor raised his middle finger.
And Tom curved his lips.
…
Sunset, SYNC mercenary squad base.
The group of four people walked across the courtyard.
"Seriously, the commander should send us on more external missions."
Said one of them, twisting his torso to stretch.
"I think you should stop complaining and train more instead, Yan."
The one who responded was the swordsman with golden hair, as always accompanied by her sheathed sword, Niora.
"Yan. External missions are always more important, risky, and therefore somewhat rare. And there aren't many of them."
Consistently, the only person wearing a black uniform with blue details tried to be understanding of the other member's complaint.
"Ahh… no need to be like that, Reivan. Everyone knows Yan only acts like this when he's with us. Around the commander he's all quiet."
The three mercenaries walked in a horizontal line while a fourth person walked slightly behind them.
"And you, Emily. I think you deserve a point for today. But what happened? You're quieter than usual?"
Turning slightly back, Niora signaled for the princess to speed up and join their line.
"Huh? Thanks…"
Even though Emily usually didn't talk much because she felt somewhat intimidated in the presence of the other members, she still asked many questions and talked a bit, especially with Niora. And particularly that day, she had been quiet almost all the time.
Emily followed vice-commander Reivan, swordswoman Niora, and member Yan on a mission hunting common bandits, with SYNC supporting imperial army troops and being able to use somewhat ilegal tactics when interrogating suspects, potentially even killing fugitives who resisted capture.
Once again, she was impressed by Niora's skills, and evidently by Reivan's powers. However, that wasn't where her mind was truly focused.
"Niora… I need to tell you something."
In a second, not only Niora, but all three aligned members turned their heads toward Emily.
"I… yeah… I think I can see the future."
Niora immediately widened her eyes and looked at Reivan. He showed no surprise, only clenched his fist and brought it to his lips thoughtfully.
"Let's go to my office."
Ordered the vice-commander.
"Me too?!" Yan asked.
"Tsk. No, you're dismissed, Yan."
Reivan tapped the young man's shoulder.
Only the three of them went to the vice-commander's office.
Reivan indicated the chair in front of the princess and, without haste, walked around the oak desk to take his usual seat. Sitting down, his upright posture made it clear who commanded that space.
While Niora stood at a diagonal angle from Emily.
In routine squad activities, Reivan practically never received guests, so he only had one chair in front of his desk.
Resting his elbows on the table and crossing his fingers in front of his face, he began:
"Why? Where did you get the idea you can see the future?"
For them, the SYNC squad, it was extremely important to understand the princess's abilities tied to the interpretation of the "change of winds" prophecy.
She tried to elaborate, but ended up explaining without restraint all the details she had seen in the dream from the previous night. From the royal hall scene, the messenger insisting on delivering the message, the firm opposition of one of the guards, and the king's exaggerated reaction upon hearing the name "Emily."
The reason she concluded it was the future was the plausible realism of the scene before her. There was nothing indicating distortion or fantasy, including the behavior of the people involved; she knew those present well enough and didn't find their actions strange.
Another reason was timing. Even without clear evidence like the sun or moon, Emily was certain her father would never be in the royal hall that early; it was more plausible that at the moment she woke at sunrise, the ruler was either just waking up or still resting.
"Niora, what do you think?" He, the only man in the room, asked.
"What do you mean? If I think she's lying?" The swordsman twisted her lips.
Noticing the vice-commander's subtle gesture, Niora relaxed her expression, touching the hilt of her sword.
"I don't think it's a lie."
The young blonde with vibrant blue eyes alternated attention between the two mercenaries in the room. They casually discussed whether she was telling the truth while she was right there.
The platinum strands of the vice-commander trembled before he spoke:
"We can use this information. But I'll need to send a message to the commander before proceeding with a ritual…"
"Sir. With all due respect."
The princess interrupted Reivan somewhat boldly.
The room fell silent for a moment as Emily became the center of attention.
She took two deep breaths, then looked at the swordswoman standing beside her, who showed no reaction other than seriousness. Finally, she looked ahead again, seeing her face reflected in the irises of the man on the opposite side of the table.
In a fraction of a second, she went over one last time what she had mentally rehearsed several times, though she hesitated to express it on previous occasions.
— I, Emily Winvere, have made my decision: I want to officially become a member of the SYNC mercenary squad.
Fiuu.
Silence filled the space, leaving only the sound of a soft breeze.
…
With hurried steps and heavy breathing, a boy carrying an animal-skin bag held a manuscript tightly in his hands.
At a distance, the soldiers watched him as he ran toward the innermost door of King Noryan's royal hall.
Approaching the large ornate double wooden doors, one of the soldiers stepped forward and placed his spear diagonally, signaling — ordering — the boy to stop.
Obeying, he stopped and raised the manuscript while placing his other hand on his knee to catch his breath.
— Sir… huff huff… I have an important message for His Majesty.