Is That My Alter Ego - Chapter 99



Chapter 99 – Vice Captain of the Mightiest Mercenary Group

On a sweltering summer day. The strong sun caused mirages to rise from the ground, and the cries of cicadas echoed all around.

In the village of Leriah, located in the southern empire, throngs of people gathered once more.

“Is this where the Skar Mercenary Group’s base is located?”

“…It’s smaller than I expected.”

—

“Indeed. So, the Skar Mercenary Company hails from a place like this?”

Most of them had begun to rise to prominence around this time last year, and by now, they had come to hear of the ‘Skar Mercenary Company,’ regarded as the finest in the entire Empire.

—Wow… Heroes have emerged from this little village?

—Yes… They say the captain’s position is still vacant.

—Hey! Quiet down! Don’t you remember what happened last time someone brought that up? They nearly lost their head!

In the sweltering heat of the southern continent, on a stifling summer day, all who arrived in the village of Leriah spoke of the Skar Mercenary Company.

Skar Mercenary Company.

At this moment, it was deemed the undisputed strongest mercenary group, and the legendary tales of ‘Seris,’ the vice-captain, had become a beacon for aspiring swordsmen and mercenaries alike.

The vice-captain, hailed as a superhuman, was said to have cleaved through dragons and the very sky itself, and there were even jokes that not even the entire royal knight order could best him.

Yet, the members of the Skar Mercenary Company, now living legends, appeared quite weary compared to their outward exploits.

Fatigue hung heavy on their faces, but not a single complaint escaped their lips.

Each bore their own guilt and sense of responsibility.

Thus, since the departure of Captain Venis, the expressions of the mercenaries had not changed.

The office once used by Captain Venis. Someone knocked on the door and stepped inside.

“….Hans. What is it?”

“Vice-Captain Seris. I’ve brought the requests from the guild.”

“…Set them down here.”

Hans placed the stack of requests on the small desk beside the one Venis had used, gazing into Seris’s hollow eyes.

Rustle—rustle.

Seris picked up the requests, flipping through them one by one in silence.

In the quiet office, only the sounds of cicadas from outside, the murmur of people, and the rustling of paper could be heard.

Pause.

As Seris quietly turned the pages, his hand halted on a particularly refined and elegant piece of paper among the stack.

—Royal Direct Request.

Content: A powerful signal of dark magic has been detected at the abandoned castle in the farthest north. The danger level of this signal, identified as an artifact, is believed to surpass a 4-star monster, rivaling that of a 5-star beast.

Request for the extermination of the dark sorcerer, to be undertaken by a mercenary company or individual that has defeated monsters of 4 stars or higher.

“………”

A royal direct request. The mere fact of receiving this request indicated that the royal family had been closely observing and acknowledged the strength of the group or individual.

As he gazed at the paper, which could be deemed glorious, memories of time spent with the captains flooded back.

…The last request too. It was a royal direct request. The reason the captain had departed…

Drip… drip.

On the refined paper, small water stains are left behind. In this moment, when the ever-strong Deputy Commander Seris feels the most vulnerable, the most fragile.

Hans quietly holds his ground, waiting. He knows Seris’s heart all too painfully well.

After a moment, he gazes at Seris, who has quietly wiped away her tears, and asks,

“…Will you take the request?”

Seris steadies herself once more, looking down at the request forms. For a royal commission, it is surprisingly ordinary.

The very act of attempting to exterminate a 4-star monster would be a record in the history of mercenary bands, but for the Skar Mercenary Company, it felt different.

Moreover, the location of the request is in the northern region of the Empire, the farthest from the south. Under normal circumstances, this would have been a request to decline, to maximize efficiency.

“…….”

…It should have been. Why does it weigh so heavily on my mind?

Normally, she would have cast a fleeting glance and then dismissed it entirely.

Yet, Seris felt an inexplicable pull. A compulsion that she must accept this request.

“…So, you won’t do it—”

“I will.”

“….Pardon?”

“I will. This request.”

Once more, a quiet stillness envelops the office. The silence is so profound that even the sound of cicadas is absent, creating an awkward hush.

“…Understood, Deputy Commander.”

What choice do I have? With the Commander gone now, it is the Deputy Commander who leads this mercenary band.

As a mere mercenary, I can only obey the words of my superior.

*

Days have passed. Seris is now traveling alone toward the northern Empire.

If it is a 5-star monster, Seris could handle it alone, no, she could toy with it. Thus, there was no need to trouble the other mercenaries.

The recently distributed auto-carriages across the Empire were far faster and more stable than regular carriages.

Of course, Seris could run at full speed much faster, but she did not wish to do so at this moment.

“…I’ll be back, Commander.”

Before leaving, she recalled visiting the grave near the village of Leriah, where he had lived and loved, to pay her respects.

As the scenery outside the window began to blur past, Seris fell into thought.

Why did I suddenly take this request? Was it merely a fleeting impulse, or was there some unknown reason behind it?

I am… heading north now. North… indeed.

In the days of joy spent with the commander, there lingered a fantasy in Seris’s mind—a dream of traveling together across the vast Empire.

Born in the southern lands, Seris had never strayed from its warmth, yearning to experience everything for the first time with her beloved.

To visit the sea, a place she had never seen, splashing about with Commander Venice.

Basking in the warm sunlight, tanning her skin, she would laugh at the ridiculousness of her sun-kissed complexion.

If only it were possible… she wished to ask the commander to apply oil on her skin.

With no particular prejudices, Seris longed to explore the East, to witness and immerse herself in the culture of the beastfolk.

And now, heading north, was the place she most desired to visit with Commander Venice.

Though the cold and blizzards raged year-round, the breathtaking landscapes and unique delicacies of the North were well-known throughout the Empire.

With her superhuman body, she would not feel the chill, yet still, she yearned to press close to the commander, to share their warmth.

On a dark night in the North, where the moon and stars shone the brightest and purest, she wished to sit with the commander in a desolate place, gazing at the grand moon and stars, whispering their love for one another.

But now… she could do nothing.

The bitter truth that to meet you, she must touch that cold gravestone filled her with profound regret and pain.

Drip… drip.

As those thoughts settled in, the happiness crumbled. In an instant, despair surged through her body, and tears began to flow.

“Commander…!”

I miss you. It has been nearly a year since you left, yet you still appear in my dreams every night.

Your stoic yet always gentle face and expressions. Your habits and preferences, and the smile you showed me at the end.

I remember it all. It is as vivid as if you were just before me moments ago.

It hurts… so much. That I could not convey my true feelings. The actions that caused you pain until the very end… I resent them deeply.

Commander. I am still… here.

Remembering you, reminiscing, blaming myself, shedding tears.

…I miss you.

“Ugh… sniff…”

The strongest woman in the Empire, the most envied supreme swordswoman, and the vice-captain leading the mightiest mercenary band—Seris.

For someone with such legendary tales and nicknames, her cries were far too raw and sorrowful.

*

The automatic carriage raced through the night, tirelessly reaching its destination. In a village near the northernmost point, where a goal awaited, the sounds of commotion still echoed.

“….There! Who goes there?”

“Vice-captain of the Skar Mercenary Band. Seris.”

“…Ah, is that you, Seris! I did not expect you to come…!”

As Seris approached the village, a young-looking man clad in a robe bearing the royal seal called out to him.

“You will rest in this village until tonight, and we shall all depart together tomorrow morning!”

“…Yes.”

After being introduced to his lodgings by a bespectacled man with a bowl cut, who claimed to be an aide related to the expedition, Seris quietly surveyed his surroundings as he made his way to the inn.

For a village that had recently seen a dark sorcerer rivaling a five-star monster, it was surprisingly peaceful and cozy, wrapped in the embrace of winter.

The plans with the commander flickered in his mind, and he felt a wave of melancholy rising again, but he pushed it aside, resolutely walking toward his lodgings.

The inn, provided by the empire, was impressive from the outset. It was substantial for a small village, and it was evident that it had been well-maintained.

As Seris walked toward the inn, an inexplicable sensation crept up from behind, prompting him to glance back.

“……….”

“……….”

His gaze met that of a woman approaching from behind.

Her hair, whiter than the snow embroidered on the ground, framed a truly beautiful face. If Seris were to gather the information he knew, this woman must belong to the Frost family.

The striking white hair and violet eyes were a hallmark of their lineage.

Yet, those eyes, which should have shone brighter than jewels, were filled with an unsettling emptiness. It felt as if all emotion had been stripped away.

…As if they were his own. No, they were identical to his. The gaze of one who had lost everything, even the hope of life.

How could she, a child of the empire’s greatest family, feel the same emotions as he did? Why did she wear such a look?

Seris and Ariel Frost stood facing each other.

An inexplicable hostility and an equally mysterious kinship pulsed between them.

Surely, they were strangers, yet why did they feel so familiar, igniting both anger and pity within him?

Step by step.

They gazed at one another, then turned silently to head toward their respective lodgings.