Ch.109Chapter 109: Departure for War.

The expedition’s daily routine was ordinary. Or rather, it was so relaxed that one might wonder if it was okay to be this at ease.

“30,000? Hahaha! They’re just worthless orcs after all. We have 50 mage units on our side, so there’s nothing to worry about!”

The voice coming from the tavern seemed confident of victory already.

Fifty mages might seem like an insignificant number at first glance.

But in battle on such narrow terrain, once you see the absurd results those fifty mages can achieve, no one would dare say that fifty mages are too few.

When a mage’s area attacks, terrain manipulation, variable creation, and ally protection are combined, they create tremendous synergy.

The village tavern was unusually bustling.

The city was in chaos with adventurers and mercenaries looking to make a profit, and there were even temporary taverns and inns popping up.

Moreover, the expedition had set up barracks outside the village for those who couldn’t find lodging in the city, ensuring they had adequate food and shelter.

“Ahh! As expected! Eastern beer is truly different! Is it because of the quality of barley and wheat?”

Eastern crops were renowned throughout the continent, so naturally, the alcohol brewed from them was bound to taste good.

“Lisa, they sell that in the Imperial City too, you know? You drink it every day, so why…?”

“Ahem! That’s just a figure of speech! Don’t you know things taste more special when you have them at their place of origin?”

Liris, who normally enjoyed beer, was also enjoying her drink with a very pleased expression.

“I hate to say this, but isn’t everyone a bit too relaxed?”

Looking around, the atmosphere showed no concern for the battle that would take place in a few days.

“Hahaha!! Drink up, drink up!! I’m going to take down at least ten orcs before returning! Everyone be careful not to get caught up in my blind axe!”

Boisterous laughter echoed from all around with promises to crush the orcs, while Valt’s group quietly enjoyed their food and drinks.

A man casually approached Valt’s group and spoke.

“Haha, a bit noisy, isn’t it? This is how adventurers and mercenaries relieve tension.”

A man with a friendly impression and squinty eyes so small that his pupils were barely visible approached Valt’s group with a beer in hand and spoke smoothly.

“Well, I’ve heard about that, but this is worse than I expected. And you are?”

The squinty-eyed man introduced himself with a sly smile.

“Oh my, I should have introduced myself first. I’m Ivan. As you can see, I’m a mercenary.”

Ivan casually joined Valt’s table with remarkable ease.

[Liris, watch carefully. He might be approaching from the Dark Assembly.]

[I’m already suspicious. I can’t gauge his skill level.]

Liris and Valt could exchange thoughts due to their soul contract.

Arias would be truly envious if he knew, but Valt and Liris chose not to tell others about this.

And this suspicious man was skilled enough to deceive even Liris’s 7th Circle senses.

Of course, Valt’s exact level wasn’t measured either, but with his unique Gerunthu intuition, he could at least tell that this man was quite skilled.

“What do you want? Suspicious behavior and suspicious skills… It’s hard to believe you approached with good intentions.”

Ivan showed a troubled expression at Valt’s intimidation.

“Eh? Don’t you know who I am?”

When Ivan asked in apparent confusion, Valt’s group looked puzzled.

“How would I know who you are? This is the first time I’ve seen your face…”

Just as Valt was saying this, Lisa suddenly stood up with tremendous momentum and shouted.

“W-wait! Bushy green hair. Eyes so squinty you can’t tell if they’re open or closed…! Could you be?!”

At Lisa’s surprised words, Ivan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Phew… I’m glad at least one person recognizes me. Haha, how embarrassing.”

Everyone except Lisa waited for her next words.

“No way! SS-rank mercenary ‘Snake’ Ivan Stockville! What’s someone of your caliber doing here?”

Valt was quite surprised by Lisa’s words.

“Oh? An SS-rank mercenary? That means he’s skilled beyond Master level, doesn’t it?”

Ivan grinned, gulped down his beer, and said:

“Haha, just skilled enough not to get beaten up wherever I go. But it seems you also possess tremendous skill, Lord Gerunthu.”

“You know me?”

Ivan directed his squinty eyes toward Valt and grinned.

“How could I not? You’re someone everyone in the mercenary world knows these days.”

“Hmm…? I don’t think I’ve done anything particularly noteworthy.”

At Valt’s words, Ivan burst into laughter as if something was incredibly funny.

“Hahaha! Oh! I’m sorry. Your modesty should have limits for me to understand. The dual-race champion of the Imperial Academy Tournament. An irregular who defeated a 7th Floor Aura user while only at the 3rd Circle. Protector of the Vampire race. The Reaper of criminal organizations. And currently the patron of the Lamrepo Trading Company, rising to become the best in the South. It’s absurd to say you don’t know someone who has accomplished such incredible feats.”

At that moment.

A blood-red blade instantly formed from Liris and aimed at Ivan’s nape.

“You, what are you? How do you know so much in such detail?”

Despite having a sharp blade at his neck, Ivan showed no tension and answered Liris’s question with a relaxed voice.

“Whoa, calm down. What I know is information that anyone significant in this field would know. Besides, Lord Valt never intended to hide such information in the first place, did he?”

Since he wasn’t the type to care about such things, Valt nodded at Ivan’s words.

“That’s true. But it doesn’t feel good when someone I don’t know knows so much about me.”

“Hahaha, no need to think that way. Consider it a kind of fan sentiment. Like an idol, you know.”

A Master-level person saying such things to Valt, whom he just met today—it was impossible to know what was going on in this man’s head.

“Ugh… as slippery as ever. Is that why they call you ‘Snake’?”

“Hahaha, Lady Lisa Valentine. You know quite a lot, as I’ve heard. Well, it’s not a nickname I particularly like, but since others call me that, I just let it be.”

With Ivan’s snake-like smooth talking, Valt finally stepped in to question him directly.

“Fine, reasons aside, what do you want?”

But Ivan continued to hide his true intentions.

“Oh my, what I want? I just came to establish a connection with the next generation of key players. There’s no particular meaning, so you don’t need to worry too much. Hahaha.”

He seemed to have ulterior motives, but if he didn’t want to talk about it, there was no reason to press further.

There was suspicion about the Dark Assembly, but they couldn’t just beat up an SS-rank mercenary and interrogate him about whether he was from the Dark Assembly.

Moreover, somehow an aura barrier had been placed around Valt and Ivan, preventing their voices from leaking out.

“Since this is a good opportunity, I’d like to offer some advice.”

“Advice?”

“Haha, nothing too significant… just a word of caution.”

“About what?”

At that moment, Valt saw it. Ivan’s pupils slightly visible through those tiny squinty eyes.

“I think you know better, Lord Valt. Oh my, look at the time. I’ll be taking my leave now. There’s plenty of good beer here, so enjoy at your leisure.”

As Ivan rose from his seat, Lisa called out to him.

“Wait! You can’t just say what you want and disappear…? Huh?”

Ivan had already vanished from his seat.

‘Impressive, he moved that far without causing any disturbance in this crowded place.’

Valt’s gaze caught Ivan about to open the tavern door and leave.

When their eyes met.

Ivan looked surprised, then saluted Valt by bringing his hand to his forehead before disappearing through the door.

‘Hmm… so he detected that? Interesting… Valt Gerunthu…’

***

Time passed, and the day to intercept the orc forces finally arrived.

This mission seemed to have been commissioned through every possible channel—the Mercenary Guild, Adventurer Guild, various academies, and so on—resulting in a diverse group of people.

Therefore, the Oscar Kingdom, which initiated the request, had to dispatch formal soldiers to command these diverse forces.

More precisely, it was a request from Crown Princess Grace.

One of the generals close to Grace participated in this orc expedition.

His role was to organize the troops and serve as commander-in-chief. His subordinates were to drive away the orcs and later join Grace’s forces to either repel or annihilate the orcs.

This action greatly enhanced the reputation of the Oscar Kingdom and Grace.

Grace received fervent support from citizens because she demonstrated that she wouldn’t ignore even the frontier cities.

“I, Jog Nagel, have been dispatched by order of Crown Princess Grace to intercept the orcs here. I know you haven’t received formal military training! But you are all veteran mercenaries and adventurers, so you probably know how to deal with orcs better than I do. However, don’t underestimate orcs in large-scale battles…”

The commander-in-chief’s explanation continued for quite some time, with a strong emphasis on staying alive.

‘He’s a good talent. He knows the value of life in war. Grace has good people around her.’

The one who had been severely scolded by Valt before had apparently been expelled by Grace and was now keeping a low profile.

“Now! March forth!”

“””WAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”””

With the commander-in-chief’s declaration, a thunderous cheer erupted, and soon the 15,000 adventurer forces began to move toward where the orcs were said to be gathering.