How to Live as a Knight After the Ending

Chapter 57: Escorting Royalty (2)

Osian’s eyebrows arched upward slightly at the mention of escorting Princess Orlea.

With a guest of honor from a neighboring country coming to the city, it was only natural that she would be given the best treatment.

Escorting was one of those things.

When an important guest of state came to town, an event almost reminiscent of a coronation was held.

Roads are closed to make it widely known that a guest of honor is coming.

You clear the way for them to pass.

They parade in grand style through the streets.

The guest of honor isn’t the only one visiting from the country.

The number of aides and bodyguards that come with them is in the triple digits.

It’s royalty, so it’s a big deal.

But what was the point of an escort mission here, Osian couldn’t understand.

“I know, a guest of that magnitude doesn’t need an escort. She should already have her own bodyguards.”

“Well, this is a fixer’s office. It’s not usually the place for this sort of thing.”

Even though the Fixer was a prominent profession in Tirna, it was not one that would be traveling to an event like this.

No, they could do it.

The best of the best in the fixer world can travel to any country and be treated as such.

It’s weird to even consider that.

Normally, you’d have to make a formal request through a union but Frenfitz came to Ronan personally and semi-threatened him.

No matter how you look at it, the behavior was abnormal.

Osian’s eyes narrowed.

“There must be something more to this.”

“I think so, too.”

Ronan shook his head, his shoulders slumping in embarrassment.

Still, Osian’s relaxed expression didn’t change at all.

Ronan looked at Osian and spoke.

“This request it’s a trap.”

“A trap?”

“It’s not a trap for us, as they say in the business. If the job is big and the reward is high, there’s always a hidden danger.”

“Like in the case of the Blood Brotherhood.”

Ronan nodded.

“Apparently, the other party has a pressing need for fixers, though they haven’t explained why. So I’m not going to take this case.”

“Is that okay?”

Osian watched Ronan’s reaction.

He’d only heard bits and pieces of the man’s past, but it was obvious that Ronan wanted the artifact.

However Ronan had decided to give it up neatly.

“It’s a relic anyway, a meaningless artifact with no real value, and to send our fixers on a dangerous mission for it, I could never do that.”

Ronan’s words were not false.

He truly said that he would give up his mother’s belongings rather than sending one of his own.

“I see, you are no ordinary broker.”

Osian’s work had opened his ears to hear and his eyes to see.

The fixer industry revolves around a giant union, with various offices scattered around it.

The basic structure, of course, is a broker with an office, and the fixers who contract with them.

The brokers get the work, and the fixers handle it.

The fixer is compensated while the broker gets a small commission.

Although the relationship is structured like a crocodile and a crocodile bird, it does not always work well.

Some brokers have been known to take on risky requests and pass them on to the fixers.

Conversely, some fixers have gotten into disputes with brokers who take a cut of their compensation as a commission.

Cases like Ronan’s were the odd ones out.

“Yeah, that’s what everybody used to say to me, like, ‘What are you up to?’”

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“Thank you for your concern but I’m really fine. I’ve already made up my mind.”

Suddenly, Osian remembered the sight he’d seen when he’d entered the tavern.

Ronan looked the same as always, but his gaze lingered unusually long on the artifact on the table.

‘You said it was your mother’s.’

Suddenly, he remembered who he was before he transmigrated.

As an orphan without a family, the presence of parents was foreign to him but that didn’t mean he didn’t miss them.

The fact that he was alive meant that he had a biological mother who had given birth to him.

Osian often thought about it.

What if I had a mother, like every other child, holding my hand, taking me places, nagging me, waking me up in the morning?

What if I had a family like that?

Ronan’s image stood out in my mind.

“That man, Frenfitz. I assume he’s of her faction, given that he requested an escort for the princess?”

“Almost certainly.”

“If he asked for an escort, he must have something urgent on his mind. Did he explain what happened?”

“Not likely. The man didn’t come to us because we’re superior. He’s more of the type to take advantage of anything he can get his hands on, which is probably why he came to me.”

“That means he’s desperate.”

The fact that Frenfitz, a follower of the princess, was willing to go out of his way to make things happen meant that things were bigger than they seemed.

Perhaps the peace mission itself was a deception.

There’s a conspiracy. A very big conspiracy.

“Ronan.”

“Yes, Mr. Osian. Please tell me.”

“How much more can you squeeze out of a desperate man besides the commission you were given.”

“Now what’s that…….?”

“I’ll take the job. Escorting the Queen’s daughter, I’ll try.”

Ronan’s eyebrows twitched at that.

“Mr. Osian, you don’t have to say that for my sake, because I really don’t mind.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Ronan was speechless for a moment, but he answered quickly.

“……Even if I’m not okay, it’s my business. I can’t have Mr. Osian meddling in my personal affairs.”

He said in an uncharacteristically serious tone and there was also a hint of reprimand in his words.

Don’t bring personal feelings into the workplace.

It was a choice he made with great effort.

Now that Osian had said he was going to do it, Ronan couldn’t help but feel mixed feelings.

“Okay. It’s your personal matter but aren’t you the broker who signed the contract with me?”

“That’s…….”

“And I’m one of the fixers you picked and chose.”

Osian stared at Ronan sharply.

In his eyes, pure white starlight sparked like fire and Ronan could not avert his gaze.

“Help me. That’s all you need to say.”

“If you say so.”

Ronan asked, his lip trembling.

“You’ll help me, even though your life may be in danger?”

“Willingly.”

Ronan’s jaw dropped at the firm answer while a faint smile curled the corners of Osian’s mouth.

“Why are you willing to do this for me?”

“Because I came to this city knowing nothing, and you were the first to offer me a helping hand.”

“And for that reason alone?”

“For that reason alone. Is that not enough?”

Osian said to Ronan, who was at a loss for words.

“As a broker, and as a person, you have only one thing to say. Ronan Rolland.”

“…….”

“So say it.”

Arrogant, high-pressure words but strangely, the behavior didn’t offend him at all.

“Ha ha. Oh.”

Ronan shook his head in embarrassment, then broke into his usual smile.

“Please, Mr. Osian.”

*

Princess Orlea was welcomed with a grand reception.

Arriving by airship, she disembarked from the station with her guards, ready to move through the welcoming crowd.

“Your role is simple. Just follow the procession, keeping your facial expressions in check.”

The Tirna official explained briefly as she scanned the list of names on the filing cabinet.

She flashed her glasses and spoke in a cold tone.

“I don’t expect much, Tirna’s police and military escorts will take care of you anyway, just don’t cause any trouble and keep your head down.”

The tone of his voice held contempt for the profession itself but none of the fixers argued back.

None of them wanted to cause friction with the officials of Tirna.

Beyond that, the quality of the fixers in this room was not high enough for them to openly protest the officials.

Osian watched the whole thing from a little distance, arms crossed.

It’s never a good idea to stand up for yourself, but the condescending tone was a bit much.

I’ve heard that the officials of the city of Tirna don’t get along with freelance fixers.

It’s one thing to know about it, but it’s another thing to face it.

I thought I had to say something.

The female official’s expression brightened as she turned to Osian.

“Of course, I’m not worried because Mr. Osian is trustworthy, ho ho ho.”

“…….”

A completely different attitude from the way she treated the other fixers.

There was even a hint of heat in his eyes as he looked at Osian.

“By any chance, would you like to join me for a meal after this is over?”

“…….”

“Well. You’re so cool for being so quiet.”

I purposely didn’t respond in a dismissive way, but she said it was cool to be quiet.

While I was wondering what to say, I heard her coworker calling out to the female government official in the distance.

“Oh, my God. I forgot we have another briefing, so I’m going to leave you to it.”

Covering her mouth with her hand, she laughed and walked away, sending Osian a sly glance.

It was an embarrassing moment for Osian, but he felt a small sense of relief that it was over.

‘So it’s just a front for now.’

In reality, the majority of the fixers gathered were not well-known names in the industry.

They’re dressed up as best they can to fit into the procession, but it’s not hard to tell that they do rough and tumble work.

In such a place, Osian stood out from the crowd and shone like the sun.

In fact, given his recent name recognition, he was one of the best fixers in town.

‘The procession will continue until we reach the mayor’s residence, so the request is to escort them until then.’

Osian felt his temples tickle.

It’s that sensation again.

‘Every time I’ve felt this, something has happened.’

A gut feeling that something was about to happen.

At the same time, there was a vague sense of possibility that he might awaken a new power.

‘I won’t know the details until I see how things play out.’

As I gathered my thoughts, I sensed a hustle and bustle on one side of the airship dock.

I turned to see officials and police officers bustling around, ready to greet someone.

Other fixers stared curiously in the direction.

The airship’s doors opened, and from inside, uniformed soldiers and colorfully dressed people rushed out.

And finally, a girl in a dress followed behind them.

‘That’s…….’

Princess Orlea.

The centerpiece of this request, and the one Osian was to escort.

Of course, although it was said to be an escort, Ossian was in a position where he couldn’t even get close to her.

‘She has nothing to do with me, anyway.’

Still, he couldn’t help but stare.

The girl could be described as doll-like.

Her skin was as white as jade, and her hair was bouncy and blonde.

Her densely packed features showed that she had the potential to be a national beauty when she grew up.

Even at her young age, her beauty could be mistaken for radiance.

But it was the expression on princess Orlea’s face that caught Osian’s attention.

‘She looks as if she’s seen everything the world has to offer.’

Her face didn’t seem to have any life in it, in fact, she’s even somewhat melancholic.

Nevertheless, the fact that she looks so picturesque must mean that her complexion is exquisite.

Princess Orlea was escorted by a guard of honor.

The men who worked at the airship docks moved out of the way and the fixers quickly stepped aside to the right and left.

When Princess Orlea swept past them, her gaze, which had been focused on the road ahead, turned to where Osian was.

Osian, who had been watching the scene without thinking about it, found himself locking eyes with the princess.

When she saw him, her empty eyes widened slightly, but not much.

‘What?’

He wondered why she was looking at him like that.

“You insolent fool! How dare you lift your head so arrogantly when talking about someone’s safety!”

A burly male’s angry voice raged toward Osian.