Fire Emblem: Crimson Flower

Chapter 49) No Rest For Mercs

As was the case with Shez during the festival, taking in the alluring smells of the food had caused her stomach to rumble when patrolling the grounds with Jeralt. Out of kindness, he had bought her one of the many delicacies, being a piece of meat on a stick. Shez munched on it happily.

"Money's tight, I take it?" He asked, as the pair continued patrolling the grounds. "I know how us mercs work. Sometimes we can't make heads or tails when it comes to savings."

"You're right about that." As they now were nearing the academy grounds, Shez stopped for a moment. "Say, nobody's allowed through here, right?"

"It's been customary for this place to be open only during the Rite of Rebirth Festival, but some areas are still strictly forbidden, of course."

Taking a bite from her food, Shez looked around her. Not one person had seemed amiss, and it had also seemed as if the atmosphere was too normal when compared to the letter Jeralt had received.

"I have an idea." She faced Jeralt. "I think we should split up on this occasion." Her comrade gave her a questioned look before continuing. "No, I'm not here to steal your food and run. I think if anything bad's gonna be happening today, it would be somewhere far-off view. How's about I take the alleyways through the near entrance, and you do the usual campus? You're a big guy. It might be more efficient if I squeeze right through the town's hidden paths and alleyways over you."

A sign of worry crossed his face. Jeralt, as always, put his hands on his forehead, but then looked on at Shez. "I gotta ask something, Kid."

"Go ahead."

"What kinda merc are you?"

The question caught Shez by surprise. For a moment, she had thought her secret somehow got out. "What do you mean?"

"You're in my line of work, so I think you should know best. There are those that see it as a way to get by, and some that make a mess of things when the going gets tough. The worst ones are those that abuse the names of our job, and we can rarely come across the best of the best when it counts. Out of those groups, which one are you?"

Shez took a moment to reflect on the question. When looking at Jeralt, she then thought of all that she had gone through, then remembered Arval. It did not take long, for she had found her answer already. "I just want to get the job done and make my clients happy. It all comes at a cost, and I may not always get a roof over my head, or food on my lap, but seeing and helping people in need is what'll get me by. That's what I think, anyway."

As she said this, Jeralt breathed a sigh of relief. "You gave that question some genuine thought."

"It was my client asking, so I had to," she responded, now finishing up her last piece of meat from the stick. "And thanks for treating me. I'll make sure to help you out in full."

"I trust you enough to do that." Looking at the monastery before them, he gave his final orders to Shez. "Give it roughly 15 minutes, and I'll regroup to check how you're doing."

"Sounds like a plan."

The two ran off, focused only on their current objective.

—--

Thankfully, Shez's slim stature had meant that squeezing through the narrow alley of the nearby town was an easier task than she would have originally imagined. Not so thankfully, these conditions were not enough to stop Arval from emerging to point jabs at his vessel.

"Do you not see what's happening? You're helping our enemy!"

"My enemy's the Ashen Demon. Pops can sit a while before I even think to go at him."