"Shift the formation! Back home!"

They have a specific formation for returning home? I can see the other wagons peeling from the front and pushing my own carriage to the head. There are diving walls made of the cargo wagon on the side. If I take a guess then we must look like a crab from the air with my carriage as the mouth.

Is this to show them the leader and make sure that me as the client is in the position to be the first one to enter the very defensive walls of their base in case anything happens.

"...They're back! Everyone, they are back!!"
"...Yeah!!"
"...Calm down! Don't get too excited. We still don't know if something happened."

They are a lively bunch and it seems like they are a very close group. There is going to be a lot of drama that will happen when they hear the news.

It is amazing that they have their own little base, or rather village, out here on a small hill. I see watchtowers all around and a huge ditch that you would mistake for a canyon.

We might stop here for some time. I'm sure they would want to give a small memorial for the deceased. I might have to participate too. It's not that I am insensitive to their plight but I don't know those people at the same level they do. There is also the fact that years of torture made me not care.

"Sir, we would just drop them off and switch out a few members. We won't take long but I apologize for the delay."
"How long will we stay?"
"We would leave in the morning."

It's late in the afternoon and I can see that sunset is almost upon us. It looks like we would have a night funeral. This place would be very safe and I should get a proper meal, so I can't really complain.

"Raise the flag. They need to know as soon as possible. Don't keep them waiting only for them to fall."
"..Yes, sir."

They have flag signals for things like these? It does make sense for security purposes. You want them to know what is happening, so they are ready depending on the situation.

"...Is that...? Oh, no...."
"...Shit! Who!?"
"...Clear the path, everyone to the side and don't rush to the convoy! Someone! Inform the others to assemble in the central square! Everyone calm down and don't clog the path! I know you all are emotional but we all want the same answers, so the smoothly this proceeds, the faster we will know the truth!"

I'm glad they aren't getting rowdy because of this news. I was half expecting a riot forming and charging at us, asking if their loved ones are alive.

However, the fact that they are this organized makes this whole ordeal more solemn. It's also awkward that we can hear them shouting outside the gate. It can't be helped though, they are on a hill and the one talking is shouting on top of the walls.

*Open* *Bridge Lowers*

I can finally see the crowd and they look horrified. I can't really blame them though, they are anxiously scanning the whole convoy hoping to see the one they need to see.

"..Thank goodness!! They're there, my children are there!"
"..No, no, no, I can't see him! Where is he!? Is he at the back, please let him be at the back."
"..*sob* *sob* *sob* *Gasp!* She’s over there! Oh, thank god she is there!"

I don't really want to go through this. It's not only because I don't like drama. It's also because I am someone who lived two lives now and everything I say would feel sarcastic.

"I will announce the list of deceased once the gate is closed. It is an unfortunate loss and there is nothing that could be done. I will also explain the situation for you all. The families who suffered a loss will be compensated and given the option if they want to move out of the base. We understand your decisions no matter which one you choose."

I take it that this isn't the first time this happened. I wonder how many generations this mercenary group has existed for.

This is their very own little fort and their families live here too. They won't do this unless they want to nurture the next generation. It is either that or they have a lot of enemies that they get targeted outside.

"Sir, I will escort you to your cabin for now. We will take a bit of time here. I will send someone to take care of your needs later."
"I understand, go take care of your people."
"Thank you very much."

I don't need to be with them at the announcement. I don't need to show that much compassion for them, since these kinds of things are part of the risk in their line of work.

There is also the chance that some of the emotional, or younger, people will blame me for the death of the mercenaries. I didn't actually kill them but there is the fact that they were killed to protect me.

The leader of the mercenaries can't take that chance for them to disrespect me, the client. This must also be the reason he sent me to a cabin away from all these people.

"Leader, I'll escort sir to the cabin. Please head to the square and relieve the fears from most of the people."
"Is that so, I'll leave it to you then. Have a good rest, sir. We will leave early in the morning."
"Nnn."

They are handing me off with my bodyguards. They want this tension to be released as soon as possible, huh.

"I'll leave it to you."
"Yes, sir!"

*Thump*

There he goes, and I can feel the carriage moving to a different direction. I can see that we are moving away from the people too.

"Here we are, sir. I will leave a couple of guards in the meantime, as we also need to participate in the proceedings that will happen."
"Okay."
"Well then, please excuse us sir. If you need anything just tell it to the guards outside the door. It is safe here in our base, so you don't have to worry about anything."

They must also want to visit their family. I guess they will swap out the guards regularly, so they can enjoy their time with their respective families.

However, this cabin looks to be in the remote corner of the base. I'm not exactly near the wall but the surrounding buildings look like warehouses. There isn't anything that would resemble a house here. I guess they want their clients that visit here to be isolated to avoid unnecessary friction with their people.

*Creak* *Creak* *Click* *Clack*

Oh, speaking of warehouses. It looks like the other purpose of having the cabin be here is for the client to have a piece of mind. All of their cargo will be close to them where they could keep an eye on them.

All of my cargo are now here. I wonder if I should install the bombs now or tomorrow before we depart? I'll probably sleep lightly since I had that good sleep some time ago, so I can be sure that I will wake up early. Early enough to finish installing the bombs before we depart.

*March* *March* *March*

All of the people from the mercenary team that I hired are really excited to come back home.

How long has it been since they came back here? I don't know if it's to pay respects to the family of their fallen comrades or see their own family.

Either way, the guards standing near my cabin have that frustrated, longing look in their eyes. It seems that they also want to bail bodyguard duty and go with them.

"..I know what all of you are feeling. This is one of the biggest fears all of us have everytime a team is sent outside. That is why, I will list the names of the fallen. After that, I will explain what happened."

The announcement has started. The mercenary leader seems to be using a loudspeaker magic tool. There are loudspeakers near the cabin they assigned to me but it's not that clear inside the bedroom. This house is very well made. I trust that it was designed this way for the client to have a comfortable sleep if there was ever commotion outside. They will take care of whatever is happening while the client sleeps without worries. Too bad my status doesn't need that much sleep.

"..The procedures will be the same. The family will be compensated for their loss and be given a choice. If they want to stay here with us or want to start anew in another place. If they chose to leave, they will be escorted to their desired destination by one of the reserve teams. We understand if you want to leave and will support your decision. Also, if you ever decide to return, you will be very much welcomed back."

There are reserve teams? This really is a large mercenary group, or should I say guild at this point.

I wonder if some ever wants to leave this place and start over again. It is possible that some want to leave this place to remind them of their dead relatives but the people I have seen are tough. I can't help but think that they would just strengthen their resolve and be part of the outside mercenary team, or be part of the group defending their home base.

"..I will now call the names of those who have fallen in battle. Those related to them stay, and everyone else leaves. Later tonight, we will hold a proper ceremony which I would like all of us to participate in. Now, the first one is....."

It seems that everything is pretty standard from here on out. I don't really want to listen in on their solemn moment, so I'll just take a nap until they wake me up for dinner.