The Romance Fantasy Novel MC is Only Into Me

“Huff, huff!”
Merigold dashed through the street as soon as the sun began to set. No sooner had she reached the inn than a scolding voice flew at her.

“Merie! Why are you just coming now? Hurry up and start cleaning the bathhouse.”
“Yes!”
By now seventeen, her palms were tightly wrapped in white bandages.

Wearing them to prevent injuries from wielding the wooden sword every day had become one of her defining traits.
“They always dump the hardest bathhouse cleaning on you, miss. Honestly, they’re the worst kind of people.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I think of it as training, so it doesn’t bother me.”

Merigold rolled up her sleeves.
Beneath her smooth, agile skin, solid muscles showed—a body hardened by months of grueling practice and training.
“Hehe, Miss Meri?”

A presence came from behind.
“You’re as pretty as ever, Miss Meri. When will you take care of my bath sometime?”
He reached out his hand toward Merigold’s body while she was busy cleaning.

At the moment his palm was about to touch her skin, Merigold vanished from his sight. All he saw was the floor and ceiling flipping 180 degrees.
“Ughk!”
A painful groan escaped the man’s mouth.

“Ughhh….”
“What’s going on? Didn’t you hear anything?”
A middle-aged maid ran over at the loud noise. Merigold quickly waved her hands.

“Ah, no, this man suddenly fell down… all by himself.”
“Really?”
“Miss Meri’s right.”
Too proud to admit he was thrown over when trying to grope secretly, the man agreed with Merigold’s version.

“See? You shouldn’t enter the bathhouse while cleaning like that. Get out quickly!”
“My legs don’t have any strength right now…”
“Then crawl out!”

“Okay, okay.”
Watching the man crawl away, Merigold breathed a sigh of relief.
Such incidents were not rare at the inn. Young maids were always targets of men’s flirtations, some of whom were especially persistent.

The reason Merigold had decided to learn swordsmanship from her master was to be prepared for such situations—to have enough skill to protect herself. In the empire, that was quite handy.
“Pfft! Pfft pfft! Those low-class men are something else. Miss, you should quit this kind of work already.”
“Then I’d have no choice but to work at a tavern or the red-light district. Those places are much worse than here.”

“Ugh! Are these really the only places to work # Nоvеlight # in the empire? I worry about you, Miss Pinna.”
Pinna’s outrage was futile.
For Merigold, who had settled in the empire only two years ago, even this was something to be grateful for.

“Finished cleaning? Then eat something and rest.”
“Yes.”
As she sighed lightly, a noisy argument erupted at the inn.

“They pay mercenaries a base salary? That’s bullshit! They’re definitely all scammers, those bastards.”
“I swear I heard it right. They looked like clueless country bumpkins who just arrived.”
“Are they nobles? Or rich?”

“Both.”
“...Where is that place?”
Merigold perked up her ears mid-bite.

“Lancel’s Mercenary Guild, or something like that.”
Thump.
Something stirred inside Merigold. A familiar name. The name she had seen in her dreams. The source of that strange feeling that sometimes disturbed her sleep.

Lancel.
“You’d better hurry before they fill all the spots. They don’t recruit many. Isn’t it time you quit being a delivery boy?”
“Yeah. I was born to live by the sword anyway. I may look like this now, but back in the day…”

Merigold put down her spoon.
Pinna noticed the strange mood and tilted her head.
“Miss?”

“Pinna, should I quit the inn?”
“Huh?”
 
The next morning, many people gathered in front of the mercenary guild.

Most were already mercenaries, or men who had wielded swords before, or those who claimed to be strong.
“How many do you think came, Hesti?”
“A little less than a hundred, I think.”

“That’s a lot.”
“Of course. For people who starve or resort to theft when there’s no work, being guaranteed one silver coin a week is a huge deal.”
“I think it’s an unprecedented offer.”

Lancel chuckled.
To participate in the guard event, only one thing was required: how well the ‘five recent commissions’ were completed.
The game ranked commissions from S to F, requiring at least an average B grade to qualify.

Still, it looked a bit ridiculous for the guild owner himself to solve commissions, so they needed to recruit some mercenaries who would actually do the work.
Yes.
Including Merigold.

‘But I don’t see her. Maybe she didn’t come today?’
If not, he could just blow some breath and bring her.
Lancel decided to focus on recruiting mercenaries immediately.

“Are you ready?”
“Yes, leave it to us.”
The judges were the three guards carefully selected by Lancel. They tested candidates by clashing swords face to face.

“Let’s start.”
“Yes, my lord. Bring in three candidates at a time!”
“One by one! No cutting in line! One at a time!”

Rowdy men appeared before the judges.
What followed was swift.
“Pathetic! Rejected!”

“Next!”
“Gah!”
“Don’t pretend to be hurt!”

Even mercenaries had no chance against guards who had wielded swords their entire lives.
In-game, guards’ ranks were at least ‘advanced soldiers,’ and those Lancel brought were ‘elite soldiers.’ They were a different class from brawling mercenaries.
“Take it easy, take it easy.”

The guards seemed to enjoy the rare chance to vent stress on people.
“At this rate, more people will be carried out on stretchers.”
Hesti said this, and Lancel took a sip of his tea without replying.

===========
— Empire Year 818, June 3. Very clear weather.
— Random event ‘Prince’s Outing’ triggered. (Location: Empire outskirts, Lancel’s Mercenary Guild).

===========
“Pfft!”
“…My lord.”

“Sorry. Use this to wipe it.”
“You did that on purpose.”
“Misunderstanding.”

Hesti wiped the tea spilled from Lancel’s mouth with a handkerchief, looking annoyed.
‘Prince’s Outing. Now? Why here?’
Lancel hurried to leave. Just before escaping, a voice came from beside him.

“A mercenary guild run by nobles isn’t much different.”
His heart froze.
The voice was right beside him.

“Yustia. Just a rogue passing by. I heard there was an interesting show, so I came to see. Honestly, it’s not as exciting as I expected.”
Yustia.
An alias.

Lancel knew the name.
‘Yuri Langris Frigia.’
The man known only as the ‘Third Prince’ in the game, standing now just steps away from Lancel, wearing a deeply pulled-down hat.

Lancel activated his senses. He felt the faint magical barrier around the prince. No wonder he hadn’t noticed his presence.
“You might find this boring for a distinguished mage to watch.”
“……”

“Don’t be surprised. I just have a good intuition.”
Under his hat, his eyes gleamed strikingly.
“Intuition, huh? This is the first time I’ve heard someone recognize a mage just by that.”

Lancel felt an invisible force tightening around his neck. The blade of magic, capable of cutting steel.
Anyone sensing that murderous intent would weaken at the knees.
Lancel didn’t flinch.

After testing him for a moment, Prince Yuri withdrew his magic.
“This mercenary guild was disappointing, but you seem more interesting, Lord Lancel.”
Here to start a battle of wills?

Lancel avoided his piercing gaze.
“Next!”
A familiar face then appeared.

“A woman?”
“Isn’t she the girl who worked at a nearby inn?”
Murmurs.

‘She’s here. Merigold.’
Lancel saw how much she had changed.
Tight leather pants, a blouse that fit close to her body, thick leather boots, and leather gauntlets.

Her muscular body traced graceful curves, with no unnecessary fat—perfectly toned.
‘Totally different from how she looked at fifteen.’
Good food made her grow well.

Training made her body strong.
Merigold’s physique was truly born of limitless potential.
“Hmm.”

===========
— Encounter event triggered. ‘Third Prince Yuri Langris Frigia shows interest in Merigold.’
===========

Yuri stroked his chin.
“A woman like that, working as a mercenary.”
It wasn’t uncommon for women to work as mercenaries.

The problem was Merigold didn’t look like someone who would be a mercenary.
One judge approached her.
“Name?”

“Merie. Nice to meet you.”
“Good. Choose the judge you want to face and stand in front.”
“Yes!”

Merigold strode confidently toward the three judges lined up before her. Everyone’s attention focused on her choice.
“What?”
“Where is she going…?”

She passed the judges and walked straight to the man leaning against the reception desk.
“...?”
“Please teach me, Lord Lancel Dante.”

Her eyes burned with a passionate heat.
Lancel was momentarily speechless at seeing Merigold walk up to him.