'A product.' The moment Kanon said it, Kuon immediately put on a face as though he was struggling.
To form a company or organization with a grand vision, they needed a product—a purpose or benefit that could be offered to others. Kuon could still work around the issue of permits, but not the issue of product.
"Actually, I've been thinking of forming a PMC."
"PMC?"
Kanon repeated the term as she tried to place the meaning of the unfamiliar word.
"Private Military Company," Kuon supplied. "It's a type of company that operates in the field of security and military personnel contracting. Honestly, it's the most fitting for our vision going forward, but I don't like it."
"Why?"
When Kanon asked, Kuon adjusted his monocle briefly before answering. "I just feel that even if it fits our vision, I'm not certain it would end well—given that we'd be heavily involved in combat and potentially national scandals. That's far from healthy for a long-term plan. Beyond that… we'd also be clashing with the official military, and risk triggering unnecessary conflict with the UAA."
The moment Kuon gave that explanation, Kanon quickly understood.
From what she had seen and experienced firsthand, the kingdom's official military and the UAA with its Adepts had formed a stable ecosystem where the military would offload work it couldn't handle, and the UAA would channel that work to the Adepts.
It was a cycle that had been running for so long that third-party intervention would bring problems not only to the newcomer, but to everyone involved across all organizations.
Beyond that, the UAA had planted their roots deeply in every country they had reached. Emerging as a third power would be nothing short of a suicide bomb for themselves.
"Because of that problem, I've had to delay forming it. But the impact isn't too bad, since our current goal is still centered around accumulating money and trust."
'Honestly, when do you find the time to think about all of this?'
Kanon, having silently listened all this time, now understood the full picture thanks to Kuon's explanation. But that same explanation only deepened her wondering about when he actually found the time to think through all of it.
As far as she could remember, Kuon only trained and ran experiments in every spare moment he had, and Kanon herself couldn't recall ever being awake at a time when Kuon was asleep. So… was it then? Kanon was certain the man before her was someone who had beaten even fatigue and drowsiness into submission, able to work without pause like a maniac. On top of that, his Gift [Accel] clearly gave him an advantage when it came to thinking.
'But… how does a company become a nation?'
That was one of the questions now nagging at the back of her mind. How could a company grow into a nation, and how would Kuon come to occupy the position of king? Those questions lingered faintly in her thoughts, but Kanon decided to stay quiet and keep watching for now.
Kuon gathered his things and prepared to leave the table. "Anyway, we can set that matter aside for now. For the moment… do you want to buy anything? I want to go shopping."
Without letting Kuon say another word, Kanon immediately chimed in. "I'm coming!"
***
Kuon had been considering buying some new supplies ever since he arrived in this city. The only thing that had stopped him was the matter of funds. But he no longer needed to worry about that now.
Kanon walked beside him as he arrived at a clothing shop.
The pressing matter right now was clothing. He could make do with the clothes he had brought from Earth, but Kuon didn't want to wear them too often since they could get damaged. And given how limited this world's technology still was, he doubted anyone here could repair his modern garments.
Kanon, on her side, had been alternating between the dresses she had found and the one she had worn since being brought to Lios as a Drifter. That was enough for her, but Kuon worried something would happen if Kanon kept wearing only those. Besides, all the dresses she wore had thin fabric that left much of her skin exposed—in other words, unsuitable for the movement-heavy travel their future activities would demand.
"Do you have any particular preferences? Fabric, for instance."
Kuon was fairly confident when it came to picking out clothes for someone. In fact, if he were allowed to boast, his fashion sense had been the best where he came from, so the responsibility of choosing clothes had always fallen to him.
After thinking for a moment, Kanon answered while facing his direction. "Whatever you think suits me. But I want fabric that's comfortable to wear for long periods."
If that was her answer, it would make choosing easier for Kuon. Within a short time he had already picked several options and asked Kanon to try them first.
Everything he chose was a dress with a wide enough skirt to give her room to move without worrying about tripping. Kuon had deliberately chosen whatever prioritized freedom of movement over defense, since even if she were given defensive gear, Kanon likely wouldn't be able to make good use of it given her condition. Better to give her something that would let her react quickly if something happened.
"These are all comfortable. Do I look good in it?"
Kanon spun in place with surprising ease, as though her condition were a lie, and stopped exactly when she was facing Kuon.
Kuon found himself mildly amused watching her be so enthusiastic over something small. But he tried not to show it and gave Kanon only as much praise as necessary.
"It suits you, but you might still need to get used to it. I also bought a new cloak, so you'll need to wear it later."
"Alright."
Buying clothes for Kanon turned out to take longer than expected. Fortunately, Kuon had already set his sights on several things he wanted to buy, so he didn't waste time browsing.
In the end, they only finished once the sky had shifted to late afternoon, so they headed straight back and completed their preparations for the next mission.
***
Morning came, and both of them were already at the UAA office to take another mission. This time, there were no issues in taking it—yet Kuon still found something blocking his way.
Unlike before, the mission he was taking this time wasn't an investigation and extermination of remaining monsters at some site. This time, the scale and duration were far greater.
This mission involved inspecting a village located not far from a Black Tide pool and guarding it until the knight order arrived to provide stricter protection. In short, it was a mission that made them a guard unit for a set period of time.
A mission this important had been handed to Adepts temporarily because the military was stretched thin from problems that kept arising and demanding their attention. Most units had already been deployed to more urgent areas due to monster and Black Tide activity that was proving difficult to contain, while the remaining forces had to stand ready in the city as mandatory procedure.
Only once one of those units completed its mission would they be dispatched to another area that needed handling. Until that happened, the Adepts had to manage the situation temporarily. In this mission specifically, the estimated time before a knight unit could be sent to the target area was fourteen days.
"That's roughly the situation."
Kuon quickly explained the situation to Kanon, and Kanon responded at once with an attentive nod.
"But the difficulty level is higher, right?"
Kuon nodded. "That's correct, and that's why this mission requires two teams to carry it out. The problem is that four people is the minimum needed to form a recognized team. So far we've been operating as a duo, which technically doesn't meet the minimum for an official team."
Because of that issue, Kuon's mission claim was currently on hold. He had been given until noon to complete his team roster. If he hadn't filled his team to the required number by that time, the mission would be passed to the next team that applied after Kuon.
"… What a hassle."
Kanon furrowed her brow as she listened to all of it. Up until now, they hadn't involved other Adepts in order to preserve their operational flexibility and information secrecy. With other Adepts involved, all the freedom they had maintained would collapse quickly.
Kuon agreed with Kanon's thinking, since it was exactly what he had been thinking too. But he didn't really have another option right now. This was the mission with the best available reward, and by taking it, he could save a considerable amount of time.
With that reasoning, Kuon had posted a recruitment notice to fill out his newly formed team. He had already drawn up the contract so it wouldn't overly impact his and Kanon's future operations, and the team formation was only temporary—at least until they had completed several major missions together.
"I've already put out the recruitment notice, but I can't guarantee two people will want to join us. Which is why, if we can't fill the minimum team count, we'll take a different mission… forget that, we have visitors."
Kanon tilted her head and focused her hearing on a pair of approaching footsteps. One set sounded like a normal person, but the other was so light it seemed as though the person was walking while barely touching the ground. Still, there was no doubt both were people not too far from her own age.
"Are you Kuon? The one who posted this recruitment notice."
Kanon's eyebrow twitched slightly as she heard a girl's voice come from the figure with the light footsteps. From her voice, she sounded firm but also soft, and Kanon somehow sensed an unusual calmness from her—much like Kuon.
"I'm Kuon. Are you both here to join the temporary team?"
The girl before him—a Strigim with bright brown hair and the distinctive feature of owl ears atop her head—gave a nod. "My name is Vierra Yvina, and the Karanta beside me is Felix Lukyan."
"N-nice to meet you…."
The voice was male, but that wasn't where Kanon's attention went. 'Karanta.' Hearing that name, a large question mark floated over Kanon's head. If her memory served her correctly, there was a race that, despite being physically similar to humans—Czanktian—had additional features completely unlike the animal traits she usually encountered in the city.
A splinter clan broken off from its original race—Karantia, the Karanta were an 'angel' race that lived and mixed with the people of this world.
'An angel race… he should have a halo and wings of light, right? I can't see them, so they must not be Aether….'
Just like Kanon, Kuon's thoughts were also fixed on the Karanta figure standing before him right now.
Unlike the Karantia, who isolated themselves within the Empire of Yvesh'aq and lived by enforcing a racial supremacy system, the Karanta were a clan more familiar with and integrated into the outside world, owing to their history.
Above his head floated a faintly glowing angelic halo that moved with his head. Meanwhile, a pair of light wings shaped like shards of glass shimmered faintly, hovering and attached right at his back. His grayish hair formed a slight contrast with the halo and wings.
'What a unique combination.'
Kuon couldn't stop the thought from forming. Though it was almost unheard of in Czes'na, Karanta were commonly referred to as 'remnants', 'fragments', or even 'castoffs' from their parent race the Karantia, who specifically never left the Empire of Yvesh'aq unless circumstances forced them to.
Though Karanta were fairly numerous and scattered everywhere, it was still uncommon to see one here. In fact, this was the first time Kuon had encountered one. But more than that, he was even traveling as a pair with a girl from the Strigim race, a race that typically lived in solitude and preferred to keep to themselves.
Kuon adjusted his monocle over his right eye, then looked at Vierra, who appeared to be acting as spokesperson. "Are you here to join?"
Vierra gave an immediate nod and took a seat facing Kuon. "So, what do we need to discuss?"
Kuon glanced briefly at Kanon, who still hadn't changed her expression. If she wasn't saying anything, could he take that as Kanon agreeing?
Kuon gave a light exhale and looked between Vierra and Felix. Both were very young, likely around the same age as Kanon.
"What are your abilities?"
For now, that was all he wanted to ask. The outcome would differ depending on the answer. Given his combination with Kanon, Kuon didn't think he needed another frontline fighter, but it would be better to get a flexible team member who could fill any position. Beyond that, long-range attacks with significant destructive power would rely entirely on Kanon, so he was considering the need for another ranged attacker to support Kanon from the rear.
And perhaps because his luck had reached its peak, Vierra and Felix fit that criteria exactly.
"I prioritize wind magic, so I usually act as support from the rear—but I'm also fairly skilled with a dagger or short sword, so I can help at the front if needed. Ahh, my area of expertise is wind and air manipulation, but I can also control vibrations in the air through my magic. I don't have any Gift, so don't expect anything beyond that from me."
People with no Gift were not rare, but couldn't be called common either. A Gift was a blessing held by most people in this world, so those without one were simply regarded as a minority.
Of course, whether or not someone had a Gift couldn't be used as a basis for judgment from the start, so Kuon didn't much care about it. Because even if someone had a Gift, it was useless if their Gift wasn't the type he needed. Even Kanon with her one-use Gift was still far more valuable to him.
Vierra had explained herself, and the result was fairly satisfying. Kuon's attention now shifted to Felix, who immediately straightened his back nervously.
"I-I'm not very skilled in magic and my physical strength isn't as strong as Vierra's either, but I can use enhancement magic to boost my physical power and attacks. I use a crossbow as my main weapon, though I can also do some close-range fighting, just not as well as Vierra. As for my Gift… it's called Light Way. It's a Gift that lets me see the best path and direction for doing something, like an attack for example."
The moment they heard it, both Kuon and Kanon widened their eyes. The ability could be called broken, because if Felix could truly maximize its use, none of his attacks would ever fundamentally miss. Without question, it was the ability every sharpshooter wanted.
But an ability that strong was also enough to give Kuon concern. "That's a remarkable Gift. But are there any side effects?"
They didn't know much about Gifts yet. Kuon himself had a Gift that was highly useful across various situations, but its side effects were somewhat inconvenient. Kanon's Gift, on the other hand, couldn't really be said to have side effects—because it was truly a Gift that could only be used once in a lifetime, by sacrificing her own life.
For an ability as powerful as Felix's, Kuon had mentally prepared himself to hear about the side effects.
"I'm not sure I can call it a side effect, but… my Gift won't be useful if my body isn't able to reach the most optimal position for achieving what Light Way shows me."
'So Light Way doesn't show him the best path he can reach, but the best path that exists, regardless of whether he can reach it or not, huh…. Fair enough.'
Kuon was relieved the side effect wasn't as severe as he had feared, so he gave a satisfied nod.
"Alright, you're both accepted. Then let me go over all the terms for us as a team. First, this team is only temporary and will be dissolved after some time, or at least after we've completed several major missions together. Second, payment from each mission will be split equally among us, regardless of how much each of us contributed. However, we do have the right to 'cut' the payment of anyone who deliberately burdens the team's work. That's honestly all I wanted to clarify. Any questions?"
Felix turned and looked at Vierra with a smile, then nodded. Vierra, seeing that, immediately conveyed it to Kuon. "We agree to the terms."
Kuon and Kanon nodded with satisfaction at the same time. "Then let's go straight to discussing the mission," Kuon said as he spread his map out on the table.
His finger pointed to a rural area marked with a small symbol. It was located in the western part of the city of Narc't, a place called the village of Notarn.
The location could be reached in four hours on horseback. The mission would be carried out right after the midday break, so if they wanted to buy or make any preparations, now was the time.
Kuon had already completed his preparations with Kanon well in advance, and they weren't bringing much gear beyond the basics, so their preparations hadn't taken long. Things were different for Vierra and Felix, however.
"Alright, since we rushed here after seeing the notice, we haven't made any preparations, so we'll have to step out for a bit. Let's meet back here in two hours. Come on, Felix."
"W-wait, Vierra!"
After saying that, Vierra immediately dashed off, dragging Felix along with her. Kuon and Kanon, watching all of it, couldn't help but seal their own lips.
In the silence, Kanon opened her lips again. "I rather like them," she said.
An unusual combination of two different races—Kuon also wanted to see how that would turn out. With that in mind, he gave a scoff and adjusted his monocle before speaking. "If you like them, I'll take that to mean they're trustworthy."