Chapter 8: Launching the Mercenary Corps (2)

“What is this offer?”

“To be a mercenary.”

“A mercenary? Are you some kind of swindler?”

A scoff escaped from Galen’s lips.

“Calling us swindlers is a bit harsh.”

Lucia frowned slightly.

“People who come all the way to a back alley like this with sweet offers can’t be trusted.”

“You lost your job when the political factions in the capital were reorganized recently, didn’t you? You were kicked out of the guard due to a conflict with your superior, but the truth is you were caught up in a factional dispute.”

Galen’s hazy eyes wavered, just for a moment, very slightly.

He was clearly wondering how I knew his situation so accurately.

“We’re in a similar situation.”

“Similar situation? A young lady like you and me?”

“I was also pushed out of my family in the recent turmoil.”

Galen scanned the blonde girl’s refined way of speaking and her dignified posture.

“Your family, you say. Are you from a noble house?”

“Yes.”

“Which one?”

“Adelheit.”

Adelheit. There were few within the empire who did not know that name.

To think that even a lady from such a great house was discussing becoming a mercenary in a shabby place like this.

“You’re from a great house indeed. So, what do you want from me?”

Galen muttered, looking down at his empty cup.

“I’m suggesting we create a mercenary corps together.”

I said it bluntly.

“What do you think I can do?”

“You’re from the Royal Guard, so I believe you have at least a basic sense of combat. It might be rusty, but it wouldn’t have disappeared completely.”

Round and round. Galen spun the empty cup meaninglessly on the table.

It was as if I could hear the complex gears turning in his head.

But did that man even have a choice?

In a few days, debt collectors would be breaking down his door.

And after that?

A direct trip to the s*ave market.

“Adelheit… Adelheit… Ah, I’ve heard of you. You’re that appraiser.”

“Appraiser?”

“Aren’t you the young master from the former Adelheit family who has an eye for identifying a s*ave’s talent? The rumor has been going around lately.”

A quick glance. Galen’s gaze shifted to Aria.

“The silver-haired lady next to you is the rumored Expert, right?”

I didn’t realize the rumor had spread this far.

“That’s right. Though this is the first time I’m hearing the nickname ‘appraiser’.”

“Are you planning to buy me as a s*ave too? Is that why you came all this way?”

“Instead of being sold as a s*ave, how about living as a proper mercenary? To be honest, I have no intention of paying off all your debts.”

I said it coldly. In truth, he wasn’t worth that much.

“Then what do you propose I do?”

“As a mercenary, you can at least receive fair compensation for your labor. If you have a stable source of income, you might be able to persuade the debt collectors.”

“Tell me the specific terms.”

“I will give you a weekly wage of 20 silver. Given the nature of mercenary work, danger pay will also be provided separately. Of course, room and board are provided.”

20 silver.

At those words, I could see Galen’s hunched back straighten a little.

“But why choose an old man like me? There must be plenty of young, able-bodied men out there.”

“Experience.”

I answered firmly.

Nod, nod. Galen moved his head.

“I have two subordinates… can’t you hire them as well?”

It was an unexpected counter-proposal.

“What kind of men are they?”

“One is named Tom, he was kicked out of the guard with me. He has a knack for spearmanship. The other is Jane, a hunter who is quite good with a bow. Of course, having been in the guard, she can handle a sword well enough too.”

Galen leaned his elbows on the table.

“They’re top-class talents, if you exclude the fact they can’t handle mana, but both are now living hand-to-mouth doing day labor.”

“How much would their weekly wage be?”

“Half of mine should be enough. 10 silver each.”

I looked at Aria and Lucia for a moment. Aria was still expressionless, but Lucia gave a small nod.

“Alright.”

I answered without hesitation.

“Then… when do we start?”

“As soon as you’re ready. But there is one condition.”

Galen looked at me with a tense expression.

“Quit drinking. At least while you’re working.”

As we were leaving the tavern, Galen asked me. The cold night wind brushed against my cheek.

“By the way, what do you plan to name the mercenary corps?”

I thought for a moment, then smiled.

“I haven’t decided yet. If you have any good ideas, feel free to tell me anytime.”

Galen replied with a smile.

“Then take your time thinking about it. We have time, after all.”

---

The next day, as promised, Galen brought his two comrades.

Tom was tall and rather thin, with an old but well-maintained spear slung over his shoulder.

Jane was a woman with a bow and quiver slung over her shoulder. She wasn’t particularly beautiful, but her sharp eyes were impressive.

Most importantly, they were also from the Royal Guard.

Excluding superhuman beings who could wield mana, the Royal Guard was one of the best combat backgrounds you could hope for in a mercenary corps.

Victims of a factional struggle.

But for me, this was an opportunity.

“The terms are as Galen said. A weekly wage of 10 silver each.”

“That’s plenty. When do we start?”

“We can start right away. We’ll register the mercenary corps this afternoon and begin our activities in earnest.”

“Do we have to quit drinking too?”

“Of course.”

Galen answered for me.

“No drinking while on the job. Our lives are on the line. Of course, sipping a beer on a day off is allowed.”

And so, our mercenary corps was formed with six members.
Me, Aria, Lucia, Galen, Tom, and Jane.

The Mercenary Guild was bustling with people, despite it being the afternoon.

A young female employee greeted us at the reception counter.

“You wish to register a mercenary corps. First, please fill out this form.”

I wrote down our names, origins, and specialties on a long piece of parchment.

“The registration fee is 1 gold coin.”

One gold coin. It was not a small amount, especially for a new mercenary corps.

But it was an amount I was already aware of.

I took a heavy gold coin from my pouch and handed it over.

“What would you like to name the mercenary corps?”

“Age Of Romance. We’ll go with ‘Age Of Romance’.”

A name I decided on after thinking all night.

In the past, when I was a gamer on Earth, it was the name I gave to the countless mercenary corps I created and disbanded.

“That’s a unique name. Registration complete.”

The employee explained as she stamped the document with an authentication seal with a ‘thump’.

“Once you register as a mercenary corps, there are many more jobs you can do. Most importantly, you can take on independent missions. Large-scale requests that you can’t receive as an individual.”

“What kind of missions are there?”

“You’re a brand-new mercenary corps. At first, the missions you can take will be limited. But as you build up a track record, you’ll be able to take on bigger jobs.”

That made sense.

No sane client would entrust an important mission to a rookie mercenary corps with no achievements.

Various missions were posted on the request board.

I scanned through them.

Monster Subjugation.
Escort Mission.
Goods Transportation.

Among them, one caught my eye.

‘Spider-type Monster Extermination. Deal with a nest of poison spiders threatening the trade route. Reward: 30 gold coins.’

“The reward is 30 gold coins. It’s a decent amount for a six-member mercenary corps. But for some reason, mercenaries these days don’t really want to take on quests like this.”

Listening to the guild employee’s explanation, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

Spider monsters, poison stingers, a trade route…

It was all exactly as I’d seen it in the game. It gave me chills.

Is this world really the world from that game?

It might not be exactly the same.

But it was certainly very similar.

“Please tell me the details.”

While the employee explained the mission in detail, my mind was already busy formulating a strategy.

Attack patterns, nest structure, order of engagement. I had it all memorized.

I had done it over a thousand times, after all.

We can win this.

“Yes. A nest of poison spiders has been established on the eastern trade route of the capital. They are about the size of an adult male and have the ability to shoot poison stingers. We estimate there are about 10 of them.”

10 of them.

It was a formidable number for six people to face.

But it wasn’t impossible.

Especially with this combination.

“We’ll take this one.”

“What? A new mercenary corps taking on the poison spider extermination? That’s a mission even experienced corps tend to avoid.”

At my firm decision, the employee’s eyes went wide like a rabbit’s. Perhaps because her voice was loud, all eyes in the vicinity were instantly fixed on us.

Soon, the rough jeers and whispers characteristic of the guild washed over us like a wave.

“Are they crazy? Rookies who just registered are taking on poison spiders?”

“Ha! Isn’t that old man over there old man Galen? After getting kicked out of the guard, he’s ended up wiping the ass of some bratty noble!”

A mercenary with a bushy beard, whose voice was particularly loud, shouted with a cackle. His words made the surrounding ridicule grow even louder.

“They say he’s from the Adelheit family. Those Adelheit folks are famous for using their subordinates as meat shields! The captain and that silver-haired s*ave girl will survive, and the rest will be spider food!”

Insulting words flew like daggers and struck home.

Galen’s face turned red and blue. His clenched fists trembled. A mix of humiliation and anxiety flashed across the faces of Tom and Jane who had come with him. I didn’t miss the slight slump in their shoulders as they tried to feign composure.

“Captain… perhaps another mission…”

Galen couldn’t finish his sentence and bit his lip. It was then.

I slowly walked towards the bearded mercenary.

“You’re loud.”

“W-what did you say, you brat…!”

“Instead of worrying about our funeral, you should worry about your own bar tab, ‘Brok the Braggart’.”

At my quiet words, the mercenary called ‘Brok’ froze for a moment.

“Three gold coins in unpaid tabs at the ‘Red Pig’ tavern last month. You still haven’t paid it back, have you? The tavern owner’s fists, who used to be a blacksmith, are probably scarier than spider venom.”

“Y-you, how do you know that…!”

Brok’s face turned white as a sheet. The surrounding noise gradually died down. Everyone was watching this strange situation unfold. I took my eyes off him and spoke to Galen.

“Don’t worry. We have a much more certain ace up our sleeve that the likes of him could never imagine.”

I motioned to Lucia with my chin.

At that, Lucia flicked her fingers lightly.

Fwoosh!

A massive fireball, the size of a human head, erupted over her palm.

This was no small flame. The blazing sphere of fire pulsed unstably as if it would explode at any moment, then in the next instant, it scattered into dozens of small fire butterflies that began to circle elegantly around the guild’s ceiling.

“Gasp…!”

The noise that had filled the guild vanished as if it had been a lie.

Silence.

Everyone, with their jaws hanging open, could only stare back and forth between the dancing fire butterflies on the ceiling and Lucia, who commanded them with a calm demeanor.

A mage, and one with such power and control at that, was nothing short of a monster in the Mercenary Guild.

Brok had already collapsed into his seat.

Galen swallowed dryly and looked back at me. There was no longer any anxiety or doubt in his eyes. Instead, along with a sense of awe, a conviction that ‘with this person, it is possible’ had taken root.