Episode 22
* * *
The journey, which had been quite eventful, has come to an end.
Rock Mountain.
It was different from the barren-sounding name.
The trees and grass growing densely were so beautiful that I thought they were beautiful.
An ordinary-looking mountain with nothing special about it.
But, this is only the entrance to the mountain.
The scenery befitting the name of the mountain, Rock Mountain, begins after passing this entrance.
What matters now is that the journey is over and the request is finished.
I took the pouch out of my bosom, took out about 10 gold coins, and handed it to John Doe.
John Doe, who was opening his pocket to check inside, looked at me with surprised eyes.
I said with a grin.
“Is that a bit much? The rest is free.”
“Still, this seems like too much.”
I didn’t count them one by one, but it’s probably over 40 gold.
Let’s see.
The basic commission fee was 2 gold per person as a deposit, so it was 10 gold.
3 gold upon arrival, for a total of 25 gold.
Of those, 10 gold was already distributed during the first night’s meal, and now I just need to hand over 15 gold, but the bag I just handed over contains over 40 gold.
In other words, the money that mercenaries receive is at least 50% more than the basic commission amount.
It was natural for John Doe to be embarrassed.
But I’m not human garbage.
“Thanks to you, the journey wasn’t boring. I’m sorry for doubting you. Let’s part ways here. Everyone, take care and have a safe trip.”
My words were no different from a farewell.
Yet none of the mercenaries seemed to be the first to leave this place.
I wonder if we’ve become attached to each other.
I looked up and locked eyes with the romantic who went by the pseudonym John Doe.
Looking at this mercenary who is looking at me with a bit of concern, I guess he has something to say to me.
As expected.
“This may be a little off topic, but can I ask you something?”
What could it be?
Honestly, I was curious.
“What is it?”
“The profession of a mercenary isn’t as bad as you might think.”
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“so?”
“I don’t know the details, but I think I know enough. The third son of a noble family with no supporters. I’m not bragging, but I’ve seen countless times what kind of endings people in that position usually meet.”
Not only me, but other members of the Fire Ants Mercenaries also started looking at John Doe strangely.
And if I tell you this much and you still don’t understand, then I’m the most foolish of fools.
Oh, really.
“So you want me to become a mercenary?”
“As I said earlier, being a mercenary isn’t such a bad job. As long as you avoid risky things, you can travel the world and live comfortably. I can confidently say that there are few other jobs like that.”
No matter how I look at it, this man seems overly sensitive.
If not, there’s no way he’d be this worried about a brat like me, even a brat who tried to kill himself.
Oh, really.
“Even if they don’t know, you know that if I had wanted to back then, you would have died for sure.”
Even though I didn’t use my sword, the moment I pointed my sword at John Doe, his life or death was clearly in my hands.
I don’t know about other mercenaries, but John Doe, whose basic senses far surpassed those of ordinary people in the 8th Circle, would have felt it instinctively at least.
At that moment, my life and death were decided by my will.
“I know. That’s why I feel even more sorry. Your talent is so great that I can’t even begin to judge it, and you know it yourself.”
He shrugged.
Why are you making such a fuss about compliments?
“And I have already erased that incident from my mind. In a world where people live off of cutlery, it was a situation where colleagues hid their power from their colleagues. If I had to say, it was all my fault.”
John Doe’s speech was long, but in the end, I have only one answer.
“I appreciate your consideration, but let’s pretend I didn’t hear it.”
“… … .”
I just raised my hand and patted John Doe on the stomach.
“I told you clearly. Other continents exist.”
This time, John Doe tilts his head at my unexpected remark.
“There are mercenaries, and the world is full of stories that even the most dreamers cannot imagine. Mercenaries. Mercenaries with hidden names.”
I took a couple of steps back.
“I’m telling you this because you seem different from other mercenaries, but in a few years something big will happen on the Western Continent.”
“… … .”
“At that time, just hide.”
John Doe, unable to bear the thought, asks again.
“You want me to hide?”
“Didn’t you say the mercenaries are running out of work to do now?”
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“That’s what I mean. Is there anything in human life that doesn’t require an errand boy?”
Laughter erupts.
Because I’m an errand boy.
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“Something completely different from running errands will happen, and when that happens, you’ll probably feel it too. Ah… … This is f*cking huge.”
“… … .”
“Please don’t sell your life for a few gold coins. Money may be important, but nothing is more important than survival.”
At least before a war breaks out, there are usually warning signs.
Needless to say, just one thing.
A parade of merchants becomes more active nationwide.
Just pay attention to that.
At least war is something that requires enormous amounts of material.
Perhaps the mercenaries will feel it then.
That strange moment when suddenly you’re overwhelmed with work.
Among them, the foolish ones may think that they can get a big share of the work, but they may end up dying violently in the hands of other forces that are trying to destroy military supplies in a foreign land. Those who think that they are smart may wonder, “What’s wrong?”, but since there are so many jobs and the pay is good, they may be able to take on a few jobs.
Then you get your nose pierced.
I admired John Doe’s blank expression, smiled slightly, and patted his stomach once more.
“Thank you for your hard work. Have a good trip.”
Just a little bit of goodwill.
I don’t know if that mercenary will survive or die after hearing my words, but if he doesn’t die, maybe we’ll meet again someday.
It was at that moment that I was about to walk towards the bushes with my backpack on.
“Hey… … Hey!”
John Doe calls me over.
As I turn my head, his voice rings in my ears.
“Name, may I ask what your name is?”
I ended up smiling faintly.
It’s ridiculous now.
And you probably don’t know my identity, so asking me this means you want to hear it directly.
“Jack, just know me as Jack.”
I have no desire to carry around any last name or anything like that.
To add a little, it’s nothing like ant dandruff.
I’m Jack, just a little boy named Jack.
“What about you?”
He hesitated for a moment, then blurted out his real name.
“Dinas… … Dinastysmo. That’s my name.”
Dynasty Mora.
Judging from the texture, it seems to be the neighboring kingdom of Ishmael.
Well, what does it matter now?
“Yes. Dynasty, let’s meet again someday if our fate allows.”
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Dynastismo, who has dropped his pseudonym John Dora, smiles.
It’s a laughter that seems to signal the beginning of some hidden story.
I looked at those Dynastismo and Fire Ant mercenaries for a moment and then turned around.
* * *
“… … What?”
The Marquis de Valantier is only in his mid-forties.
The Marquis, who was very young for his position, ended up asking again, even though he was not deaf.
“What did you just say? Say it again.”
“All the troops guarding the three princes were found dead in the mountains near the Arbeloa estate.”
The Marquis then cuts off the knight’s words as he describes the scars of the dead soldiers and knights.
“Wait a minute. The scars on the corpses are different?”
“Yes, that’s right. Three of the servants were definitely stabbed to death, but the others appeared to have been struck by ‘high-level magic,’ according to expert investigators.”
The Marquis rested his chin on his hand and looked lost in thought.
Things were taking a strange turn.
‘This is happening now that the elite of the Iron Blood Knights are away? Could this really be a coincidence?’
Why now of all times?
Why on earth did they target those soldiers?
‘It can’t be a coincidence.’
Unfortunately, it is a coincidence.
It was all a coincidence, but the Marquis was a man who considered himself to be deep in thought.
So at this moment, his capital rather gave rise to misunderstandings in the other direction.
‘Is he the King? Or the Duke? Or… who else?’
The Marquis felt that a slightly more sophisticated and specialized investigation was needed.
“This incident must be uncovered. Gonzalez.”
“Yes, Marquis.”
Gonzales, one of the Three Lions of the Iron-Blooded Knights, was not a knight dispatched to the Forest of Demons, but rather a knight assigned to escort the Marquis.
“Come to think of it, there was no story about the youngest. Could it be that he survived?”
“… … Judging from the fact that it is not visible among the corpses, I think it may have run away.”
That’s what it means, after all.
“There’s a high chance that kid saw something.”
The Marquis’ expression brightened for a moment, as if he had found the answer to a problem he had been struggling with.
“Let’s start the investigation starting with the youngest. I’ll give you full authority. Bring me definitive results.”
“yes.”
Gonzalez was about to open the door and go out when he heard this.
The Marquis’s monologue.
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“I thought you were useless, but you really are very useful.”
