The Nichiro Harbour is the easternmost port of the Kingdom of St. Helier, and is also the largest and most prosperous port in the Kingdom. Its harbor faces the vast ocean and is famous for the abundant resources of the surrounding seas.

Due to the port's geographical location at the junction of several giant canals on the West Pole continent, it is possible to reach the royal city of San Sebasti, the capital of the Kingdom of St. Helier. As a result, many merchant ships and inland merchants chose this port as a base.

Not only that, but the forest to the west of the port is an extremely wide area of the Monster Forest. There are many kinds of magical beasts living in the forest, and there are also many precious ores and medicinal herbs buried, so many mercenaries come to hunt magical beasts and make a lot of money.

However, because of the high degree of danger of the monsters in this forest, many mercenaries have been left in it forever in recent years, so this forest is also called the 'Demon Nightmare Forest'.

Under the protection of the mercenaries, more and more merchants gathered in this port, creating a lively and bustling street.

At this time, the port of Nichiro was as usual, the blue sky was cloudless, flocks of snow-white seabirds were flying overhead, and several children under the age of ten were playing in a quiet harbor somewhere.

"Ah~!" the girl screamed in fear.

"Don't be afraid, with my Paladin Captain guarding you, no one can hurt you!" a boy pointed to his grimacing companion in front of him, holding a log and twig that he had picked up out from nowhere, and said loudly, "Night Clan!

"Ha, let the horses come! Today my Night Clan is going to capture this place, and then eat all the candy!"

"Huh, do the NightFolk eat candy?"

"Why, how can you not eat it? Candy is so delicious. Stop talking nonsense, feel the horrors of the NightClan--"

Swish!

Behind the grimacing boy, a splash suddenly erupted on the edge of the pier, flying half a meter high. The children stopped playing and looked at the boy in amazement.

"What, are you scared? Haha, today's candy is mine. ”

"No, look behind you!" the boy playing the paladin pointed behind him in alarm.

"What," the grimacing boy muttered grumblingly, then turned to look in the direction his companion had pointed.

Then, he was stunned.

A pair of green monster-like claws clung to the edge of the dock.

The next moment, a monster covered in seaweed crawled ashore along the edge of the dock.

"Wow! It's NightClan!"

The children panicked, screamed and shivered as they hugged each other, and several of the younger ones were still wet from their crotches.

"I, I, I, I'm not afraid of you!" the boy who played the role of a paladin stood in front of his companion, clutching the log plank and pointing at the green humanoid monster about one meter seven in front of him.

When the seaweed-covered monster stood up, it scratched its head in confusion when it saw that the children were so afraid of themselves.

Half a moment later, the monster seemed to notice something, and it grabbed the top of its head with its claws and slammed it.

"Ahh

I thought it was a bloody picture, but it didn't appear for a long time.

I saw a young man with dark red hair and a dark red tattered cloak holding a seaweed ball and looking at the children apologetically.

"Excuse me, did I scare you?" he casually threw the seaweed clump back into the sea.

When the children saw that it was not a green monster in front of them, but a big living person, they breathed a sigh of relief, and some of them even burst into tears.

"Uh, I'm sorry. Charlotte smiled wryly.

"Excuse me, where is the mercenary union?"

......

Under the candlelight, frothy drinks collide with each other, and men in armor stand on wooden benches and sing loudly, praising the food on the table.

The Mercenary Guild is as lively as ever, and many mercenaries who have completed their tasks will choose to gather here, sing a song, and drink a few glasses of wine.

In addition to the place where the mercenaries ate and drank, there was also a large wooden board in the union. The board is full of all kinds of tasks and new information about the nearby area, and many mercenaries who plan to take on new tasks stand in front of the board, carefully weighing the rewards of the tasks and their own strength.

Not everyone can take on the tasks on the board, many of them have specific requirements, and they also require a specific mercenary class to be eligible to take on the task.

Next to the board is the reception counter, where several young ladies in uniform who are in charge of reception are working diligently.

"Hey, have you heard? Recently, the Holy City Pope publicly appointed the next Holy Maiden. ”

"Yes, but it's also. The previous saints have been missing for a long time, and it is time to choose the next one. ”

"Oh, I've heard about it too, but it seems to be from some ancient nobleman, right?

"Well, it's called St. Purple--"

Squeak.

The entrance door to the union was pushed open, and most of the mercenaries should be respected.

A young man in a dark red cloak, carrying a huge scimitar tied with bandages and iron prosthetics behind his back, he was covered in bandages, he was not wearing any armor, he did not look like a member of the Mercenary Guild, and he did not look like a person from the West Pole.

Due to the boy's appearance and peculiar costume, which attracted the attention of many mercenaries, under the gaze of many eyes, the boy walked into the union and came to a vacant counter.

"Please, may I ask if there is anything that can help you?" The receptionist looked at the young man a little fascinated, but because of her work, she was embarrassed to ask where the young man came from.

"Well, that's right. The receptionist listened to the first half of the sentence and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, at least the other party knew the lingua franca.

"I want to post a task. ”

Then, the boy took out a purple money bag from his bosom and placed it on the counter.

......

In a more remote part of Nikcolò Harbor, a purple-haired girl stood on the harbor, silently looking at the horizon in the distance.

Since that time, my father has not been back. At that time, she clearly remembered that the mercenary union had issued an urgent mission to rescue her in the storm, but unfortunately did not find any information about her father's whereabouts.

They agreed that her father had died at sea, but the girl did not think so, and she was always waiting for the day when her father would return from the horizon.

After the loss of her father, the family's financial situation is declining, and the girl can only rely on her mother for her life and try to survive in a difficult life.

The pleasant sea breeze stirred her hair, and the girl sighed, then stretched and turned to walk in the direction of home.

There are still many things to do at home.

Turning the corner, the purple-haired girl returned to her door and was surprised to find that her wooden door was not locked.

"That confused mother. The girl held her forehead and said helplessly.

Since my father left, my mother has pretended to be strong in front of the girl, and it is not the first time that I have lost my mind and forgotten to lock the door like today.

Fortunately, the neighbors in the neighborhood are more harmonious, and the security of the Nikolo harbor is not bad, and there have been no burglaries in the home.

After lamenting again, the girl walked into the house and unconsciously rested her eyes on the wooden table in the living room.

A purple money bag with gold embroidery on it rests quietly on the table.

The girl walked to the table with a shocked look, held the purple money bag in her hand, carefully opened the money bag, and was surprised to find that the money bag was filled with dozens of glittering gold coins and expensive gems.

She remembered the purse.

It was a few months before her father's last voyage to sea, that she had sewn for her father with her own hands.

But why is it here now?

She remembered that her father had brought the purple money bag with her before she went to sea...

Thinking of this, the girl raised her head suddenly, turned around and ran out of the house.

Running out into the street, he looked around in a panic with his gradually moistening gaze, and finally found a dark red figure turning into the street not far away.

She ran as hard as she could, to the place where the figure had turned into the street.

I was extremely disappointed to find that the street corner was a dead end.

And the streets were empty.

Tears swirled in his eyes for a long time, falling to the ground like raindrops.

At this time, the mother who returned looked at the door of the house that had been opened, and found her daughter standing in the corner crying, so she asked her daughter.

The girl followed the voice, and when she found out that it was her mother, she ran over and rushed into her mother's arms.

The mother saw the purple money bag in the girl's hand and gently took it from her daughter's hand.

The line of sight, at some point, blurred, brought a strong smile, and wiped her daughter's tears.

Mother and daughter leaned on the street, sorrow and happy cries intertwined.