"You three kept me waiting…"
When we finally stepped outside of the gate, a cool and deep-sounding voice rang in our side.
Or at least, a voice that tries its best to sound manly and mysterious.
The raggedy-man stood proudly behind the wooden wagon and right now, he is not wearing his ragged clothes anymore but instead now clad in a formal black tunic with complicated designs on its neckline. He posed in a grandiose manner as he was illuminated by the glow of the moon and as a result, it created a visualization of glamour in his appearance.
Or rather… an awkward and unsettling appearance at that?...
I guess, after seeing him like this, I should stop calling him ragged-man.
Look, I am not a judgmental person. But even I have the capability to sense whether a person is cut off in being fashionable or not. I have a pair of working eyes, thank you very much!
Perhaps, I should just call you 'gauche-man' instead?
"We deeply apologize, Mr. Cardamon! We just had a tough time on pleading for the guards to let us through in the gates as the city is operating with strict rules and regulations-…"
Roy was trying to explain everything when he was cut off in his words.
Mr. Cardamon raised his index finger in front of Roy and moved it from left to right without moving his hand.
"Tsk. Tsk. I did not come here to listen to your infernal culture! Now, come! The midnight is upon us and you have a monster to vanquish!" he said with an air of mysterious arrogance.
What is with this man, all of a sudden? You are still our client, are you not?
"Haaah. That reminds me of the time where I had to escort a band of average-looking mercenaries back in our day. Boss ordered me to be of their service but upon observing their ungraceful and maladroit performance on their tasks, I just escorted them half-heartedly. The pain and discomfort I had mustered on their stead is… rather vexing! Oh, the tragedy have I experienced indeed! Hmmm-hm. But no matter, I am not making a mere and unclean comparison between the two of you. With the aid of my glamorous eyes, I can see that you have a future that is prettily placed in your paths! All you have to do is to walk on them."
…
Right…
What are we talking about again?
And… if I may add, what was the purpose of us standing in front of the city like this, in the middle of the night?!
What happened to you, Gauche-man?
"Uh… care to explain what has gotten into you? What are you even trying to imitate anyway?"
Seemingly annoyed by noticing the weird portrayal by Mr. Cardamon also, Malthur asked in an aloof tone.
Upon hearing his cold, yet prying question, Mr. Cardamon stopped his weird posing and slowly lowered his head.
At this moment, it is as if, he was a child who was chastised by an adult for being overly-energetic and passionate about something.
"Oh… I apologize for that, my dear Myrmidons… I was just trying to surprise you with our arrival and I thought that you would be astonished by my sudden change in character and attire… How do I fare? Did…I uh… surprise you?" he said, further descending into embarrassment.
The three of us just stared at him wordlessly and did not even bother to make an utterance whatsoever.
"OH… That is too unfortunate." He then added when the silence reigned over us for half a second.
…
This is your fault, Mr. Cardamon! You made everything awkward now.
In hopes to break the sudden silence, Roy started off a suggestion:
"S-Should we going now, then?"
Mr. Cardamon just turned around, not wanting to look us anymore, and said lowly:
"Right. Very well…"
Following the lackadaisical signal of Mr. Cardamon, the wagon-rider started the movement in our way.
Inside of the wagon, we three sat on the benches in a stiff manner as we faced Mr. Cardamon in an opposite direction.
Normally, after being ashamed from an embarrassment act brought by their own hands, normal people will just sit in lone manner and will be silent for a long while.
Indeed… normal people.
But not this man…
Mr. Cardamon looked in the ever-changing motion of the landscapes outside the wagon as we are now travelling in a swift manner. His eyes blinked in a melancholic manner and sat in a depressed position.
Could it be that… he wants compliments from that weird and embarrassing presentation that he just did earlier…?
…
…
Oh, sharps! This silence is excessively awkward!
I elbowed Roy next to me and spoke to him in the faintest voice I could muster…
"Hoi. Compliment his attire or something so that he will behave normally!"
Roy just looked at me with a face of 'Ha?' spelled on it, and sighed a little.
"Excuse me, Mr. Cardamon…" Roy said in order to get the attention of the depressed Cardamon.
"…Ha?"
"I think… you look good in your attire… right now…probably…"
Roy slowly tailored some snippets of words in hopes to boost the ego of the middle-aged man in front of him while lowering his voice in embarrassment- his face reddened out of a sudden.
"Oh… y-you think so? Hehehe… hahaha."
Mr. Cardamon broke into yet another awkward laughter while touching the skin close to his upper lip.
"Y-Yes! Where uh… did you get that attire? I would like to buy one sometime!" Roy continued his words, his face seemingly about to explode any time soon.
"HO? Are you certain that you want to have an attire that is fit for a sophisticated kind? I tell you, when you wear this special tunic, unworldly and aberrant aura will come to your overall physique and ordinary-looking people will be magnetized from your hard-to-ignore appearance! Are you ready for the kind of life, dear Myrmidon?"
Uh… I did not expect that complimenting him just reawakened his weird self.
I once again elbowed Roy and made a hand gesture by flat-out moving my hands in a left in right manner in front of my lips that clearly states 'stop what you are saying' on its expression.
In response, Roy looked at me once again and now, he is clearly confused about my odd signaling.
He then continued his conversation with Mr. Cardamon.
"…Eh, why not? Ha-ha! I thought of trying out some exotic attires for some occasion and now that I have seen it, I am now curious in that attire of yours, Mr. Cardamon!"
Hey… wait.
I felt off about the latter remark by Roy as he sounded engaged about the matter.
"Mwahahaha!!! That is the spirit! My-oh-my! I knew that asking for your help was not an accident at all! ~ Indeed! The three of you are all Godsend from our troubles and tribulations! Goodness! You even remind me of my younger self in the past…!"
Mr. Cardamon continued his passionate words but suddenly became mum on his latter statement…
You? In your past? Roy?
Huh?
Afterwards, he smiled normally. A kind of a grin that signals genuine happiness and a bit of regret.
"When I was about to escort you tonight, Boss told me that I should present myself in front of you three Myrmidons in a unique way. Hearing his words from the first time, I immediately got up and became confused from all of his insisting that resulted in my straightforward question of 'why'.
Afterwards, Boss just kept looking at me while smiling gently and he patted my head…"
In a tone of seriousness, Mr. Cardamon told us a short message.
Hmmm… those are rather odd coming from the strange and unpredictable boss of the village…
"He then said that I should be just meeting you in my own accord and it is up to me what kind of affront shall I present in front of you… In other words, the manner of my behavior just right now… was my own volition." he then continued, his calm and resolute smile forming sturdily in his face.
T-To be honest… I do not know much of our first-ever client… until now.
When he firstly came to us, he gave me the image of an average citizen that experiences day-to-day challenges in his life every now and then. Alike to the swordsfolk that flocked me with their ridiculous and immeasurable troubles the first time I assumed my role as a Myrmidon, I realized that Mr. Cardamon here is like them.
They are just your typical kin wanting you to clean their own messes and troubles for them.
A clichéd type of victims, if you will.
However, if it hadn't been for his uncalled confession and revelation about himself, I wouldn't have realized that all of other people from this world do not just experience troubles and tribulations on their outside lives…
But in their internal selves as well…
I see… so this man is having an existential crisis in his stage of life, huh?
I am starting to understand your inner motives now, Mr. Cardamon! Do not worry. I will totally support you in your preferences about yourself-
"So… does that mean… you are gay?"
Out of nowhere, Malthur spoke up ever-so casually.
The three of our heads looked in his stern expression.
What do you mean, Malthur?
Normally, we do not usually use the word 'gay' to describe someone. To the extent of my knowledge, we only use that word for non-living beings, or even events!
But using it for people? What do you mean by that, hoi?
"Uh, what do you mean by that, dear Myrmidon?" seemingly feeling the confusion alike to us, Mr. Cardamon asked Malthur intently.
"Oh… look. Being 'gay' means that you yearn for a transformation particularly, in your sex as a nature. In layman's terms, you dream of becoming a woman, right?"
He said…
This idiotic git just uttered something that is openly ludicrous.
After all of that effort we have been piling on in order to regain the appropriate atmosphere for our trip, Malthur broke it effortlessly.
Aside from that, he suspected that Mr. Malthur here wanted to… to…
…
Roy and I stared at Malthur- silent, as we let our mouths open in a slow manner.
As for Mr. Cardamon, his face went beet-red as he opened his eyes in an enlarged form while his gaping mouth opened due to astonishment from Malthur's words.
Every one of us went completely mum on the entire trip until we reached the village.
Wordlessly, Mr. Cardamon exited the wagon followed by Malthur saying the words repeatedly:
"Please forget everything I just said!"
***
"My~! The three of you are late! What took you so long?"
Once again, at the boss' headquarters.
While sitting beside the now-depressed Mr. Cardamon, Boss roared in slight agitation and worry.
"Sorry boss, we just encountered a lot of things in the wake of our way from here, okay? Please, forgive us…" Roy said apologetically.
The Boss looked at us individually and then turned his face at Mr. Cardamon. The two exchanged glances and spoke once more:
"Well no matter! The important thing here is, you three are back and more determined than ever! They say that good things will certainly come to those who attempt in doing something in the second time! So…"
"Uh, boss… I believe it is the 'third' time?" once again, Malthur spoke in an untimed occasion.
The three of us paused abruptly at his odd comment and stared at him.
"Uh… pay no mind to my words…" he said lowly.
"Are we allowed to go now, boss? We arrived late after all so we need to roam around the village as fast as we can now." I insisted.
"Hmmm. You do have a point. My, how considerate of you, daughter of Samson! I was about to invite you first with a small drink of coffee but if you three insist of going already, I will not stop you!" he happily replied.
The three of us got up, bowed at him, and proceeded to exit the room.
Before completely closing the door, the boss said something:
"Hey! I asked the villagers to cooperate with the three you in your hunt for the monster so do not worry about the last time, okay?"
Huh… is that right.
We moved individually on our own outside the headquarters and now stood in the dark-laced pavements of the ground in the village.
"Everyone, just stick to the plan, alright?" with a determined expression, Roy reminded us of what are we ought to do tonight.
That is right.
From our first attempt in finding the monster, we devised a plan in how to react should the monster appear in front of us. All of us talked about it when we slept in the lodges yesterday.
If we did not have that untimely encounter with the Iron Hedgemoles, our operation would have been a success.
But… since it happened already, let us just do this for the second time!
I nodded with an approval to the words of Roy and with the feel of determination and drive to complete the quest, I courageously moved my legs to walk!
Hah. Is this the feeling of sheer resolve? It makes me invigorated from an unexplainable aspect that, if I feel like it, I might take down everything in front of me!
The three of us- the resolved Myrmidons, stepped forward in the deep and unknown regions of the night and while Roy called his sword to make flames, our now crimson-tinged complexions are gleaming in every angle of our body.
We then carefully wore our respective masks- masks that will help us in unmasking the fearsome beast and then…!
"Puuuuuuuuuot! *Tst* *Tst* *Tst* *Tst* *Tst* *Tst* Puuuuuuuuuuot!!!"
"*Tst* *Tst* *Tst* *Tst* Puuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuot!!!"
"… Argh! Puouououtttt!!! … Puuuuuuuuuuott!!!"
We are the Myrmidons of Estocia!
Do not take us lightly!