The Place Where The Frozen Moon Has Settled

She could feel the sincerity of his kindness.

Sel immediately lowered her gaze, seeing her worn-out shoes with broken soles.

It reminded her of the time long ago when she had picked up a piece of candy off the ground by chance. Though accidental, it was so sweet that it brought her to tears, and afterward, she would scour the streets nightly, wanting to taste it again.

The kindness he showed was like that sweetness.

She was afraid of becoming accustomed to such kindness. She needed to quickly face her dry reality.

So Sel focused on her dirty shoes, trying to forget that sweetness.

“Alright, shall we go to the meeting?”

Lavi, unaware of Sel’s feelings, spoke up.

With a light tap on her shoulder, Lavi walked ahead without hesitation.

Sel, still with her head down, watched his steps closely, moving her own feet to follow. If she could walk like that, maybe she, too, would move forward without hesitation.

At the meeting, Lavi introduced Sel, their new member.

The mercenaries, a little over 30 in number, listened to Lavi’s words attentively, standing in perfect formation.

The mercenaries standing close to Sel had their fingers casually under their noses.

“Philip, get some supplies for Sel.”

After sending Sel off with Philip, Lavi shared a few more details with the group.

He subtly suggested that, being a young man from near the Dark Forest, Sel might have been affected by its magical fields. He added that, while her physical growth had been stunted, she was an adult, so they should not treat her like a child.

Though curious about Sel’s mask, their interest went no further.

The mercenaries responded lightly and were largely uninterested in the new recruit, whose small build and apparent lack of combat skills made her seem like a weak mechanic. Her story was less interesting than the breakfast menu that morning.

But Philip was different. He had been elated, as he had just shed his status as the youngest member.

“Here, this should fit. The smallest size. Youth fit.”

Philip rummaged through the storage room, finding the smallest-sized uniform for Sel. She stood there holding it, frozen.

“Aren’t you going to change?”

“…Right now?”

“Heh. Why? Embarrassed?”

“Yes.”

“Just change already! We’re both guys—”

“Well… it’s a bit complicated.”

With a sad expression, Sel deliberately let her lips drop, thinking about the situation from earlier. Philip was the kind of person who was considerate of such things.

Though it felt wrong to take advantage of that, Sel needed to navigate the situation somehow.

“…It’s fine. I don’t ask about a man’s scars.”

Philip, who had been chuckling until a moment ago, suddenly put on a solemn expression, imagining something serious, and left the storage room.

After locking the door, Sel quickly changed into the new clothes.

It had been a long time since she’d worn fresh clothes. The fabric was gentle on her skin, kept her warm, and was remarkably light.

The mercenary uniform was simple. Dark blue pants and a shirt made of high-quality cotton bore the insignia of the mercenary group, and the issued belt had well-placed holders for various weapons.

After changing, Sel left the storage room.

Her assigned post was the armory on the second floor.

On the wooden shelves attached to the gray walls, various weapons and repair tools were neatly arranged.

The most remarkable feature was the forge.

It looked solid and well-suited for handling various metals.

In front of the forge stood a huge man, seemingly over two meters tall, hammering away at his blade.

The man inspected his sword, satisfied with its newly sharpened edge.

In the reflection of the blade, he saw Sel standing behind him.

Slowly, he straightened up and muttered in a low voice.

“Bringing in a rat-sized runt to handle repairs? The commander must be out of his mind.”

The man’s face was harsh, as though he was trying to intimidate her, a large burn scar covering one side of his cheek.

When he frowned, the rough scar twisted alongside his expression.

Sel’s blue eyes looked from his face to the sword, then met the man’s dark gaze once more.

Even in a situation where she might have felt fear, Sel calmly bowed her head in greeting.

“New recruit, Sel.”

The man’s provocation felt insincere. His eyes didn’t look as if he wanted to hurt her.

Despite his size, his eyes were as gentle as those of a child.

“Well, look at this. Got some nerve, don’t you?”

The huge man stomped his foot, making a show of intimidating Sel again.

But contrary to his actions, his eyes were filled with guilt.

Sel thought he might actually want to see her scared.

What could he be so displeased about that he felt the need to harass her?

She glanced around at the tools on the high shelves, realizing they were too tall for an ordinary person to reach. This man must be the long-time keeper of the armory.

Her past experience working in the back of a restaurant as a child, gaining social skills, proved useful now. Wetting her lips, she spoke politely to the man.

“I’m here with only basic skills. I still have much to learn, so I’d be grateful if you’d teach me.”

“…”

“I’ll start by learning to clean here. Shall I begin now?”

“…Ha!”

The man scoffed, then started laughing heartily, as if caught off guard.

Thankfully, Sel’s guess had been right.

“You’ve got guts. I like it. I’m Choro.”

His name, unexpectedly cute for his stature, was at odds with his imposing presence.

With a solid pat on Sel’s back, he said, “Work hard, rookie!” and stomped off.

His hands, large as cauldrons, left Sel’s back tingling as she rubbed it, grumbling about how all these mercenaries seemed to enjoy hitting her back.

Meanwhile, from afar, Lavi watched with a faint smirk, leaning casually against a wall.

“Not bad. He’s tougher than expected. Thought he’d hide in a corner, but looks like I don’t need to worry.”

“Why do you keep paying attention to the new recruit, Lavi?”

Lavi normally didn’t pay attention to new recruits.

But with Sel, his tone and behavior were unusually gentle.

Who would ever guess that the man known as the Mad Dog on the battlefield was the same person standing there now?

“For some reason, I just keep noticing him.”

“Why? Has he made some kind of prediction?”

“…Now that you mention it, I think a prediction has just come to me.”

“!”

“It says you’re going to skip dinner tonight, Eric.”

With a pat on Eric’s shoulder, Lavi turned toward the office.

Lavi always got strangely sensitive when it came to talk of spirit.

Grumbling, Eric pulled out his notebook and wrote, “Sulking because of Eric, so he’s skipping Eric’s dinner.”

—

It had been a month since Sel joined.

At first, the mercenaries didn’t trust her and wouldn’t let her handle their weapons.

But gradually, thanks to Choro’s recommendation, more mercenaries came to trust her, and word of Sel’s skills spread among them.

At night, with Lavi’s permission, she stayed at the library.

The library had plenty of cozy sofas, which served as her sleeping spot.

“I didn’t expect you’d last here this long.”

It was 8 p.m., and Lavi, who had dropped by the library, looked around at Sel’s makeshift corner.

He was dressed to go out, wearing a jacket with his sword at his waist.

“I thought you’d ask for a shared dorm room within a week.”

“Being with others…”

“I know you don’t like sharing rooms. But, Sel, I have a favor to ask.”

Lavi, who’d been standing with his hands behind his back, held out a bundle of letters in his left hand.

“What are these?”

“Letters of complaint.”

“Why give them to me…?”

“They’re about you. Here.”

With wide eyes, Sel took the letters and quickly skimmed through them.

The words were simple enough that she could understand the gist.

Although all 29 letters were written in different handwriting, they contained the same message.

“I bathe regularly!”

“…Do you?”

“These letters make no sense.”

Seeing her indignant reaction, Lavi narrowed his eyes, somewhat convinced by her response.

When he’d first met Sel, she did carry a strong, shocking odor, even worse than now.

Not that her current state was exactly tolerable.

These complaint letters were proof enough of that.

Lavi opened two of the letters and read them aloud.

“I developed rhinitis because of Sel. The armory smells so bad I can’t go in.”

Sel looked baffled.

“After smelling Sel’s stench, I’ve lost my appetite and can’t eat properly.”

Sel let out an awkward laugh.

Lavi, looking uncomfortable, bent down to meet her gaze.

“Let’s bathe. At this point, it’s practically a public health issue.”

“I do bathe, Commander.”

“When, exactly?”

“When the full moon rises.”

At her answer, Lavi had to think for a moment about how many moons rose over Latrancia’s night sky. If there was only one, as he believed, then Sel bathed once a month.

“I don’t know what circumstances you might have, Sel.”

Sure, there could be reasons for not bathing. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Lavi leaned in, looking at her seriously.

“You have to adjust to society, Sel. If you want to collect your pay, that is.”

Today was payday.

Lavi took a gold coin from his pocket and held it up in front of her.

Sel’s pupils quivered. It was the first time she’d ever seen a gold coin.

That single coin was worth 500 rubles.

She gulped unconsciously, then looked up at Lavi with a devoted expression.

“Alright. Bathe once a week.”

“…”

“Sel, answer.”

“…That’s a bit too frequent.”