Episode 254: We are taking over this place. (1)
Kuung!
The gates of the great fortress opened. Giselle and the knights leisurely entered the fortress.
No one here checks their ID. The law here is not to stop those who come and not to arrest those who leave.
Those who enter the fortress only need to follow a few rules.
– Killing is prohibited within the fortress.
― Inside the fortress, there is no distinction between high and low social status.
― No one can force another person out of the fortress.
Any other issues were left to the hunters to resolve individually.
The Turian Kingdom is in a situation where it must constantly fight monsters and gather hunters. If the authority of the nobles is acknowledged, the balance that is barely maintained will be broken.
If the nobles were to kill the hunters at will and forcibly take them away as criminals, it would be a great loss for the Turian Kingdom.
‘Hunters must fight monsters and die, even if it means dying.’
The Turian Kingdom maintained that stance and even strongly sanctioned nobles from other countries.
Because of this, many criminals wandering around the continent took refuge in the fortresses of the Shadow Mountains.
The inside of the fortress was no different from a normal city. The facilities were just a little more dirty and rough than other cities, and there was blood everywhere.
“Oh my, it’s dirty.”
“The city feels like the middle of a battlefield.”
“If you stay here too long, you’ll get sick.”
The knights, accustomed to living in a clean and pleasant estate, looked around and clicked their tongues.
The hunters seen everywhere wore a variety of clothing. Most of them wore regular armor, but there were also those wearing equipment made from monster bones or leather.
They glared at Giselle and the knights with a twisted posture as new ones appeared.
They were all people who had been hunting monsters for a long time, risking their lives, so they had a ferocious aura.
“hmm.”
Looking at the hunters, Jiselle smiled pleasantly.
He likes this kind of atmosphere quite a bit, because if he can just get the hang of it, he can really let loose.
And the knights who came with Giselle were just as foul-tempered as the hunters.
“What are you trying to figure out, you little punks?”
Kaor glared at the hunters, as did the other knights.
If it were back when they were mercenaries, they would have been nervous and overwhelmed by the Hunters’ momentum, but they are different now. Having gone through many wars, they have become reborn to the point where they could be called the Baekjeong of people.
“Hehehe, it looks like a nobleman has come from somewhere.”
“Why did you come here?”
“If you sell those armors, they’ll be quite expensive, right?”
Despite the sharp reactions of Jiselle and her party, the hunters just observed them with bitter smiles.
Because everyone was wearing the same armor.
It was not easy to take action until it was determined whether they were officially dispatched from the kingdom.
Thanks to that, there was no fight right away. Jiselle also headed towards the building in the center of the fortress without paying attention to the hunters. Kaor and the knights followed behind with triumphant expressions.
The building in the center was where hunter ID cards were issued and signatures were collected agreeing to the laws of the area.
The Turian knight confirmed Giselle’s identity and spoke calmly.
“Nobility is not recognized here. Even a lowly slave is considered equal to a count. Do you agree?”
“I agree.”
“We will not intervene if a dispute arises. Do you agree?”
“I agree.”
“Killing is prohibited. There are some who die accidentally during confrontations, but… …. It is fundamentally prohibited. Do you agree?”
“I agree.”
“Then please sign here. You will be added to the list of hunters, and the consent form will be sent directly to the royal family.”
After receiving the documents, Giselle coolly stamped her seal. Now, here, Giselle was no longer a noble, but just a hunter.
The Turian knight, who had received Giselle’s consent, gave a final explanation.
“We are simply maintaining the fort to maintain its minimal functionality. We will not interfere with you or with this building. If you have any problems with the Hunters, you are free to resolve them on your own. We cannot provide any assistance.”
“Okay, I understand. I haven’t found a place to stay yet, so can I leave my horse here and go?”
“Since it’s your first time here, I can give you that much convenience.”
“Okay, then quickly find a place to stay and come back. Well, I’ll be seeing you often from now on.”
Then the Turian knight smiled grimly.
“Welcome to the lawless zone. I hope you have a great time and come back.”
As soon as Jiselle finished registering and came out, a man who looked like a rat approached her.
“It looks like this is your first time here? Are you sure you’re registered as a hunter?”
“Is that right?”
The man smiled with satisfaction at Jiselle’s words. The hunters around him also had bright eyes.
They were not officially dispatched from the kingdom. The rat-faced man spoke with an expression that showed that he had nothing to be afraid of anymore.
“They say this is a lawless area, but isn’t it still a place where people live?”
“so?”
“Where people live, ‘law and order’ are naturally created.”
“Oh, you want me to pay?”
The man was taken aback by Jiselle’s blunt words, but soon came to his senses. He had heard rumors about this place, so he could have easily understood.
“It’s good that the story is going so quickly. There is an organization here called the ‘Hunter’s Cooperative.’”
“There are so many groups with such funny names?”
“It was established with the purpose of protecting the rights and interests of hunters. It is highly recommended that you join. Of course, you will have to pay a small membership fee and monthly dues.”
Jiselle stroked her chin for a moment and then asked.
“Who are you giving that to?”
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“Because it’s a membership fee?”
“Who is the head of that association?”
“That’s right, the ruler of this place is the ‘King of Ironcliff’ Donkad.”
Jiselle nodded. There are indeed many kings in the world. Well, my horse’s name has the word “king” in it, so there is nothing that cannot be applied to a person.
This kind of trickery is always fun to watch, whether in my past life or now.
“What are the benefits of signing up?”
“Hehe, you can be comfortable here. No one will bother you. You can just focus on hunting monsters.”
The benefits are so poor. Jiselle doesn’t like these benefits very much.
“Are you guys robbers?”
“yes?”
“I can’t forgive robbers. What I hate the most are people who take other people’s things by force.”
“What the… … Ugh!”
Jiselle didn’t say anything else and just threw her fist. The rat-faced man tried to fight back, but it was no use.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Ugh! Ugh! If you touch me! The king of this place… … .”
“Tell him to come. Let me see the king’s face.”
“Ugh! Save me!”
The man in the rat costume fell unconscious after being hit a few times. Jiselle searched his pockets and took a few silver coins and said with an arrogant expression.
“This is compensation for the mental damage I suffered as a result of almost being robbed as soon as I arrived here. Live a good life from now on.”
The hunters watching from the surrounding area looked dumbfounded. No one would beat up someone like that as soon as they got there.
That person was sent by Donkad, who is called the king of this place.
No matter how bad his temper is, if he has even a little bit of sense, isn’t it normal to step back when he hears the name ‘King’? After assessing the situation, either meet and fight or negotiate.
But he swung his fists because he didn’t like something. Even though he had a bad temper, he wasn’t an ordinary dirty guy.
‘Are you not afraid because you brought so many luggage?’
‘There must be over 300 people under the money card?’
‘It’s going to be an interesting spectacle soon. Donkad won’t stay still.’
The hunters all thought the same thing. They did not consider the knights led by Giselle to be real knights.
Common sense tells us that a great lord with 50 knights would never come to a place like this.
‘She must have just put everything together to look presentable. She looks like she has a lot of money.’
That was exactly what they thought.
If the number of Jisel’s party had been small, the hunters around them would have also picked on them like Donkad’s subordinates. In any case, they had to sort out the hierarchy with the newcomers at least once.
But, since fighting 50 people right away was burdensome for them, they moved on for now.
Hearing the commotion around her, Kaor lowered her voice and asked Giselle.
“Is that okay? If they all get together, there’ll be quite a lot of them. I think the guy with the money card or the pork cutlet is the boss here.”
“Are you scared?”
“I wasn’t scared!”
Kaor was furious. He was used to being bullied, too. It was a common occurrence in the mercenary world.
It’s not that I’m avoiding him because I’m scared, I’m just being cautious because I don’t know the current situation yet. If he’s going to be called a king, he’s going to have a lot of subordinates.
I was confident that I would win if I fought to the end anyway. I really did.
Giselle smiled and continued speaking as she looked at Kaor grumbling.
“Anyway, if they know who’s superior, they’ll join us. You just have to show them your skills. Since they live without the law, fists come first. Let’s get a place to stay first.”
There were everything you would expect to find in a city, as the upper classes came to provide the hunters with various necessities.
And retired hunters are starting to open their own shops one by one and making money.
There was a risk that everything would be blown away if pushed by monsters, and because supplies were scarce, prices were considerably more expensive than in other cities.
Jiselle walked briskly to the largest inn, without asking anyone.
The knights following behind asked out of curiosity.
“How do you know your way around here, my lord?”
“You also know how to register as a hunter.”
“Have you ever been here?”
Jiselle nodded and answered.
“I know this place well. I’ve been here often, especially Ironcliff.”
This was the fortress that Jiselle’s mercenary group visited the most in their previous life. This was because more monsters appeared there than any other fortress.
When he needed money urgently, he would just drag his men and sweep the mountains. He also trained here alone for a long time.
So, Jiselle also had special memories of this place.
‘There were some special ones too.’
The one who would later be called one of the Seven Powers of the Continent resides in this Turian Kingdom. He has not yet made a great mark, but his name will be known to the world during the Tribulation.
‘Let’s fight when we get the chance.’
Jiselle smiled happily.
His top priority is to overthrow the Duke of Delphine and prepare for the Time of Trouble.
However, fighting the strong was also an important goal for him. In this life, he wanted to seize the title of the strongest on the continent.
The knights looked at Giselle, who was smiling happily, and thought.
‘Your Majesty, whenever you open your mouth, lies automatically come out.’
‘At that age, there’s no place he hasn’t been and there’s nothing he doesn’t know.’
‘The director must have researched the information and brought it all to me.’
I admit that he is very capable and has some amazing knowledge, but I’m starting to get a little annoyed because he keeps talking nonsense.
They wanted to argue, but since doing so would obviously lead to special training, the knights simply kept their mouths shut. They felt it would be easier not to talk.
The inn they visited was a large building that could easily accommodate more than 100 people. It looked like it was made up of various things, but the important thing was that it was the largest.
Jiselle nodded, looking at the exterior of the building.
“This place is the biggest after all. Let’s make this our base.”
Kaoru nodded as if agreeing.
“Then should I rent this whole place?”
“Let’s go in first.”
As I opened the door and went in, a middle-aged man with a fierce look was yawning and wiping a cup. And around him, there were quite a few hunters playing card games or drinking with listless expressions.
The inside of the inn was quite dirty. It was old, dark, and there were bugs and rats running around on the floor.
Still, the hunters were all very comfortable and resting comfortably.
The innkeeper frowned at the sight of Giselle and her party rushing in.
“Is this your first time here? We’re closed for business, so get out.”
There are so many hunters here, but they aren’t doing business. It looks like it’s not an inn, but just a hideout.
Jiselle approached the innkeeper, tilting her head.
“You’re saying you’re not open for business even though there are so many customers?”
“Whether we do business or not, it’s our decision.”
The innkeeper put down his cup and glared at Giselle. If he knew whose territory this was, he would not have dared set foot in it.
It’s always these new arrivals that are the problem. It’s so annoying.
I was about to wave my hand again to shoo her away, but Jiselle spoke first.
“It’s okay. We didn’t come here for such trivial matters anyway. We just came here because this place is the biggest.”
“Then why did you come?”
Jiselle raised her chin haughtily and looked at the innkeeper.
“From today, we will take over this place.”
