A vast, shimmering river flowed through a somewhat desolate plain surrounded by mountains. Gorgeous ships and cargo-laden vessels alike sailed toward Kalkart City. Whenever the current grew too fierce to navigate upstream, crowds of laborers would gather, chanting work songs as they hauled on tow ropes, pulling the ships through one by one.
In the biting wind that would make any normal person shiver, these towmen were all stripped to the waist, their skin wreathed in faint wisps of white vapor.
"If I hadn't left home to become a mercenary, maybe I'd have ended up one of them—one of the towmen on the Negening River…" Katrina was quietly listening to the familiar chanting when a slightly hoarse male voice suddenly spoke beside her ear.
This great river was the Shahran Empire's "main artery," the mother river that had nurtured countless prosperous cities—the Negening River. It originated from the snow-capped mountains controlled by the Vladimir family in the northwestern province, flowed through the northern provinces, and ran southeastward before emptying into the Storm Strait at the border between the Shahran Empire and the northern coastal corridor.
Katrina turned to look at the young man beside her and smiled. "Everyone has a chance to change their own fate—it all depends on whether they can seize it. You've obviously proven yourself stronger than your circumstances, Yakov. If you hadn't set out with the resolve to die trying, content to just follow the current, you'd have ended up like every other towman on the Negening, barely living past thirty-five."
Yakov was a fair-haired mercenary with short, pale yellow hair. Not yet thirty, he already wore a full beard that gave him a weathered, world-weary look. Tall and rough-featured, the others in the mercenary company called him "Brown Bear."
"So you became a mercenary with that same resolve?" Yakov countered with a sidelong grin.
Given the Shahran Empire's vast, sparsely populated territory and the abundance of arcane creatures and bandits, traveling far from home was dangerous business—especially in the north. A beautiful young woman traveling alone drew considerable attention, unless she possessed the strength of a Knight. By the same logic, joining a merchant caravan without companions also attracted unwanted scrutiny.
To avoid suspicion from the Northern Church's clergy and noble knights, Katrina had carefully chosen to pose as a mercenary. She'd forged a mercenary guild certificate and blended into a company escorting a merchant caravan to Kalkart City. Yakov was the leader of this mercenary company—a Knight who had awakened the power of his Frost Giant bloodline through his own efforts.
Habitually influenced by her teacher, Katrina's mouth twitched slightly. She was about to reply when a bright, clear female voice cut in ahead of her: "Let me guess! Sister Katrina, are you running away from an arranged marriage? A girl as beautiful as you must come from a well-bred noble family, and some powerful lord or other took a liking to you and tried to force you to be his wife. So to escape, you had no choice but to become a mercenary and flee!"
"Anna, you've been listening to too many Bard stories…" Katrina shot an amused glance at the young female archer in leather armor beside her.
Anna was a mercenary not yet twenty years old, with long golden hair, green eyes, and a pleasant face. She was cheerful and lively—very much like Heide—which was why Katrina had taken an instant liking to her and they'd become good friends. Anna, for her part, was fascinated by Katrina, who was strikingly beautiful, tall, and spoke with unusual refinement. Raised on tales spun by Bards, Anna's intuition told her that behind Katrina's composed exterior must lie some "twisting, heartbreaking" backstory.
Little did she know, this was exactly what the vast majority of the mercenary company suspected. Although Katrina was quite skilled with her longsword, agile in movement, and possessed the strength of a High-level Knight Squire—and a handful of female mercenaries were just as pretty—there was something refined about her demeanor, even an unmistakable air of "intellectual presence" when she fell into thought that was virtually unheard of among mercenaries.
Yakov had once secretly collaborated with a formal mage renowned for being "well-read," but even that mage lacked a similar quality.
Anna chuckled and, watching the approaching silhouette of Kalkart City growing ever closer, asked with anticipation: "Sister Katrina, we're going to settle down here under Boss Yakov. What about you? Will you leave?"
During his previous adventures, Yakov had awakened his bloodline power. This return was specifically for the conferment of his noble title. Once invested, he would receive an estate nearby and a tract of territory on the desolate plain. Any mercenaries in his company who wished to stay on would become his Knight Squires or household stewards.
For most mercenaries, such an opportunity was something they would have to strive for a long time to obtain, so none hesitated to accept. With a noble patron backing them, awakening their own bloodline powers in the future would no longer be as difficult as it was for rootless mercenaries.
When they heard Anna's question, Yakov and several nearby mercenaries quietly pricked up their ears, seemingly waiting for Katrina's answer.
Katrina smiled and reached over to ruffle Anna's golden hair. "I came to Kalkart City to earn my fortune. Perhaps in a few months I'll have reaped a satisfactory harvest. When that time comes, I'll return to the place where I belong—where my family and friends are. Being able to meet all of you on this adventure is a memory I'll treasure."
Beneath the forests surrounding Kalkart City and hidden under the desolate plains, there lay abundant resources and arcane creatures—which was why merchant caravans constantly came and went, and why countless mercenaries plied their trade here.
Many adventurers came hoping to discover uncharted gem deposits, arcane plant groves, and the like, seeking to strike it rich overnight. The vast majority of them ultimately slipped away in quiet disappointment or lay forever in the depths of the forest or beneath the plains. Yet there were also a rare few fortunate souls who truly stumbled upon extraordinary opportunities, and their stories inspired generation after generation of adventurers to make the journey here.
Many of the local specialty materials were invaluable for arcane research, spellcasting, and alchemy—which was why that formal mage had come to adventure here, only to be caught up in a demon-worship incident and die an inexplicable death in Kalkart City. Had he not traveled with companions, and had the survivors not returned to Alinga, the Council would never have noticed the disappearance of a mage of his standing, let alone sent anyone to investigate.
"Family… friends…" Anna murmured the words softly, then said with a wistful sigh: "Sister Katrina, before you leave Kalkart City, you have to come visit me often."
Yakov spoke in his deep voice: "Katrina, if there's ever anything you need help with, don't be shy—come find me anytime. We're companions, after all."
Katrina nodded slightly. Seeing the mood beginning to turn somber, she quickly changed the subject and began asking Anna and the others about Kalkart City. She had been under ten years old when she left, so she only had vague, indistinct memories.
As they talked, the mercenary company escorted the caravan ever closer to the city gates. Just then, a squad of cavalry burst from within the city. The sound of hooves was rapid yet remarkably synchronized—clearly the product of long and rigorous training.