Ch.38Red-Eyed Mercenaries (6)

When they arrived in Cambria, the sun had already set.

Since the Central Guild had closed, the Red-Eyes postponed their mission report until tomorrow and headed straight to a tavern. It was a mercenary tradition to have a drink after completing a job.

Najin was among them.

Of course, Najin wanted to return to the inn and rest, but… Roseline Askarlo, the leader of the Red-Eyes who had her arm around his neck, seemed unwilling to let him go.

“The drinks at this tavern are amazing. I’m a regular here. A regular.”

Humming a tune, Roseline flung open the tavern door. The place was completely empty—she had reserved it in advance. The members of the Red-Eyes took their seats one by one.

At the center of numerous tables.

Roseline plopped down in the center and seated Najin beside her. Being the focus of dozens of members’ gazes made him feel somewhat suffocated.

“Heh heh. Captain must really like him, huh?”

“Going one-on-one with a Blood Troll? Ha, what a romantic bastard. What’s your name again?”

“I heard he even drew sword energy?”

“He’s too talented to be in that dump.”

Whispers spread as mercenaries approached, swirling their beer mugs. They circled around Najin with curiosity. Najin glanced sideways at their badges.

‘The lowest rank is green.’

Most of them wore red-ranked badges, and their aura resembled that of Sword Experts. Najin inwardly clicked his tongue.

‘I heard the Red-Eyes have combat power comparable to a decent knight order… seems that’s true.’

-They’re quite skilled. Especially that captain woman.

Roseline Askarlo.

The mercenary group centered around her was indeed as formidable as rumors suggested—composed of some of the strongest fighters in the city.

“Get back, you brutes!”

As Najin was assessing the group’s capabilities, Roseline waved her hand to shoo away the gathered members. Chuckling, the mercenaries returned to their seats, and Roseline rested her chin on her hand, staring directly at Najin.

“Ivan, was it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And you’re twenty-eight?”

Najin nodded, and Roseline laughed.

“Twenty-eight with that face is bullshit. You barely look twenty.”

“…I’m twenty-eight.”

“Well, I suppose you must be. That would explain your level.”

Roseline blurted out.

“You’re a Sword Expert, aren’t you?”

“……”

“You can draw complete sword energy, can’t you? You’re deliberately holding back. With fragments of sword energy that refined, it’s impossible that you can’t draw full sword energy.”

She narrowed her eyes.

He might fool ordinary adventurers, but not her. Despite her casual demeanor, she was undoubtedly a Sword Seeker.

A powerful figure standing between human and superhuman.

Someone deeply versed in the way of the sword.

“A guy who looks barely twenty is a Sword Expert… and you use both the Order’s swordsmanship and Atanga’s techniques?”

It felt like his cover was being stripped away.

Najin took a deep breath and met Roseline’s gaze. Her narrowed eyes glowed red.

“Heh.”

Seeing Najin’s wariness, Roseline took a drink while suppressing a smile. After exhaling with a “ha,” she slapped Najin’s back with her palm.

“Why so tense? Nobody’s going to eat you.”

The stinging slap made Najin rub his back.

“I’m just saying. Everyone in this city has their own story. You must have yours too. I don’t plan to dig into it or pry. Why would I bother?”

Besides, I’m pretty messed up myself.

Muttering this, Roseline Askarlo pointed to her eyes. “Red-Eyes” Roseline. Before she named her mercenary group the Red-Eyes, the nickname had been something of a slur against her.

The land where the Witch of Abyss was born.

Red eyes were a symbol of being a native of that land.

“I’m not trying to threaten you. I just brought you here to chat over drinks. Relax. Want a drink?”

“I’ve never had one before.”

“What a kid, tsk… you don’t know the taste of alcohol?”

Roseline sighed.

“If you’re going to disguise yourself as a twenty-eight-year-old, you should know how to drink. Have one now.”

“Like I said, I’ve never—”

“When an adult offers you something, you just take it, kid.”

As Roseline forcibly handed him a glass, Najin swallowed hard. Though he was legally old enough to drink in the Empire, he wasn’t particularly interested.

Clink.

After reluctantly clinking glasses with Roseline, Najin tilted his glass. The drink went down smoothly, but it wasn’t particularly tasty—just refreshing.

“That’s right. Good drinking.”

Grinning, Roseline refilled Najin’s glass. Since it went down easily, Najin drank it like water. After several glasses, Roseline and the other members showed signs of intoxication, but Najin remained completely sober.

“Wow, this guy doesn’t get drunk at all…”

With a hiccup, Roseline looked at Najin in disbelief. She had planned to get him a little drunk to chat, but Najin showed no signs of intoxication whatsoever.

Najin himself was puzzled.

He’d heard that drinking alcohol should make one feel tipsy, but he felt nothing of the sort.

-Ah, right.

Merlin whispered in Najin’s ear.

-You probably can’t get drunk at all.

‘What? Why?’

-Excalibur’s basic blessings include purification and healing. It seems to respond to intoxication too. Arthur never got drunk either.

Lancelot tried to get Arthur drunk by throwing drinking parties day and night, but he failed. As Merlin muttered this, Najin smiled. Somehow, it reminded him of something he’d read in a fairy tale.

“Tsk. Hic.”

Roseline rested her chin on her hand and glared at Najin.

“Where did you learn Atanga’s swordsmanship?”

“I knew someone who was an Atanga Knight.”

“Really? Did they teach you the sword?”

“They didn’t properly teach me swordsmanship.”

Najin smiled.

“But they taught me many other things. I received more than I could ever repay.”

“Sounds like a good teacher.”

“They were an excellent teacher.”

Ivan and Ofen. Thanks to those two, he was able to be here now. Najin exhaled deeply.

“That teacher, the Atanga Knight, must have really liked you?”

“Pardon?”

“The swordsmanship you were about to use—in Atanga, they call it the Sword Bound by Precepts. That’s why I stopped you from using it against the troll. It’s not meant to be used that way.”

Roseline rested her chin on her hand and murmured.

“It’s only used to punish villains who have abandoned honor and tarnished the name of knights… or against worthy opponents you face with all your might.”

In other words.

“It’s a technique shown only to opponents you acknowledge as equals. I guess you weren’t told that far?”

“…Is that so?”

“That’s what I’m saying. It’s rarely shown. I’ve only seen it two or three times myself.”

Najin fell silent.

The swordsmanship he had tried to use against the troll—it was the technique Ivan had used to counter and push back Excalibur in their final confrontation before leaving the underground city.

A technique that had shattered his full-power attack head-on.

It was still the “strongest strike” that came to Najin’s mind. Ivan’s sword had been that heavy and powerful.

‘A technique used only when acknowledging an opponent as an equal.’

Najin couldn’t help but smile bitterly at the thought that it had likely been used in the latter sense. It meant that in their final moment, Ivan had acknowledged him.

“That’s enough small talk.”

Roseline stretched.

“Ivan.”

After exhaling deeply, Roseline called Najin’s name.

“Would you like to join the Red-Eyes?”

2.

The tavern fell silent when she made her offer. The mercenaries who had been drinking looked at Najin without a word. In the suddenly subdued atmosphere, Najin met Roseline’s gleaming eyes.

The Red-Eyes.

Not a bad choice, but of course, Najin’s answer would be the same. Ignoring the gathered gazes, he replied briefly.

“I don’t plan to join any group yet.”

“Wow, quick rejection. Usually people at least say they’ll think about it, even when refusing.”

Roseline chuckled. The members watching them burst into laughter, saying “The captain got rejected.” Their reaction suggested they had somewhat expected this.

While the Red-Eyes might be attractive to the city’s adventurers… to someone aiming for the top, they might not be so appealing.

And the members had roughly figured out that the young man before them was an ambitious person aiming for the top. The youth who had overwhelmingly claimed first place while facing off against the Blood Troll showed a determination different from ordinary adventurers.

“Well, come find me if you change your mind later.”

The offer stands until then.

Shrugging, Roseline muttered this.

“By the way, the first-place reward was supposed to be a chance to join the Red-Eyes… I’ll have to change it. Let’s go with this instead. Barger? Come here.”

“What now?”

“You know, that thing with my name on it.”

Vice-captain Barger sighed and handed Roseline a piece of paper. A certificate with Roseline’s name on it. She passed it to Najin.

“It’s a chance to borrow my name once. Or you could think of it as a chance to ask me for a favor.”

It was similar to what Dieta had given him, yet different. It meant he could borrow Roseline’s name once in any situation.

“Borrowing my name—one of the top figures in this city—is a tremendous opportunity. Use it when you really need it.”

That was all she had planned to say.

After finishing, Roseline exhaled briefly.

“Come to think of it, I’ve been doing all the asking. Don’t you have any questions? Ask anything. I’ll answer one or two properly.”

“I do have one.”

Najin lowered his gaze.

His eyes were directed at Roseline’s waist. Two handles protruding from her back.

“What kind of weapon is that?”

“Oh, this thing?”

Tapping the protruding hilts with her finger, she drew them with a swish.

Then, thunk!

She lightly stabbed the two blades into the table. The blades smoothly penetrated the table. Seeing the tavern owner’s irritated glance, Roseline waved her hands apologetically, saying “Sorry, sorry,” before turning her attention back.

“You’re curious about this weapon?”

“…Captain.”

“It’s fine, Barger. My masterpiece is well-known anyway, and it depends on how it’s used.”

Dismissing the vice-captain’s objection, Roseline began to speak.

“Kid, do you know what a masterpiece is?”

“I know it’s a weapon with mystical properties.”

“You know well. Normally, the mysteries of masterpieces are more useful when kept hidden, but mine is different. The previous user was so famous that all its mysteries were revealed.”

After all, the masterpiece Echo was originally wielded by the Brave of United Kingdom who was active hundreds of years ago.

“So, well. I’ll tell you.”

Muttering this, Roseline smiled.

“No. 21 masterpiece, Echo.”

She flicked the back of the twin blades with her finger. A crisp sound echoed throughout the tavern, reverberating in multiple layers. It was the same sound they had heard in the forest.

“True to its name, Echo makes anything echo—be it sound, impact, or even mana.”

“Then that technique in the forest…”

“Yes. I resonated sword energy with the echoing sound. It’s a technique that uses sound as a medium to spread sword energy… but the details are my secret technique, so I can’t tell you more. You understand, right?”

Najin nodded.

Even as he nodded, his gaze remained fixed on the black blades embedded in the table. They were fascinating.

“You seem interested in masterpieces?”

“They’re fascinating. And I’ve never seen one before.”

“True, they’re not something you see every day. Since you’re interested, let me tell you a bit more about masterpieces…”

Roseline pointed to the blade of the masterpiece.

“Despite being thousands or tens of thousands of years old, there’s not even a small scratch on the blade. That’s one of the characteristics of masterpieces.”

“Characteristics?”

“They hardly ever break. They’d remain intact even against a Sword Master’s sword energy. Almost indestructible.”

Almost indestructible.

Meaning they weren’t completely indestructible.

“Do they ever break?”

“It’s very rare, but they do break.”

Roseline nodded.

“I’ve heard that if masterpieces repeatedly clash with each other, one might break, but most historical records show them breaking when clashing with ‘higher-concept’ weapons.”

…Higher-concept weapons?

Najin tilted his head, and he heard Merlin’s laughter in his ear. It sounded confident.

“What are higher-concept weapons?”

“You’ll understand when you hear it. There are mainly two.”

Roseline smiled.

“One is Gram, the demon sword and holy sword said to have been wielded by the First Sword Master, and the other… well, it’s the most famous one.”

The most famous sword in history.

“Excalibur, the Sword of Stars.”

The pinnacle of all weapons, the sword that defied logic by bringing eternal death to immortal demons. When the word “Excalibur” was mentioned, Najin choked.

“Whether it’s a masterpiece or a sacred relic of the constellations, they’re just metal lumps before Excalibur. Throughout history, Excalibur has shattered at least five masterpieces, I’d say.”

Najin inwardly asked Merlin if this was true.

-Not five but seven, but yes, it’s true. There were cases where demons or fallen constellations wielded masterpieces.

‘But when I used it, I couldn’t even cut through a regular longsword?’

-That’s because you don’t have a star yet.

Merlin answered as if it was obvious.

-You need a star to properly draw out Excalibur’s functions. What you’re wielding now is just a holy sword with ‘demon-slaying,’ healing, and purification effects.

That seemed impressive enough already.

“Come to think of it.”

As if remembering something, Roseline snapped her fingers.

“Barger, didn’t someone pull out Excalibur recently? Has it been revealed who did it?”

“Not yet. If it had been revealed, the entire continent would be in uproar.”

“I suppose so. But… it must be one of the Sword Masters, right? They seem to be hiding it.”

“I think so too. Perhaps it’s Sir Gerd, the Empire’s Sword Master?”

As Najin overheard Barger and Roseline’s conversation, he rubbed his wrist. The constellation marked on his wrist was visible only to him, but Najin instinctively covered it with his palm.

3.

Early morning.

Hearing chirping sounds, Najin blinked his tired eyes. The mercenaries had been drinking all night, and among them, only Najin remained sober.

“Ughhhh…”

Screaming from her hangover, Roseline was being carried on Najin’s back. This was the price she paid for trying to get Najin drunk by continuously pouring drinks all night.

“Please wake up.”

“Guild… just take me to the guild. I need to stamp the mission completion.”

Najin sighed.

As he was walking toward the Central Guild with Roseline on his back, he heard a retching sound from behind.

“Urgh… hey, put me down. Urrrgh.”

Roseline rapidly patted Najin’s shoulder with her palm. When Najin set her down, she crouched in a corner of the alley and began dry heaving.

“Pat my back. Urgh…”

Sighing, Najin patted Roseline’s back. Crouched in the alley, holding back her flowing hair with one hand while dry heaving, Roseline looked quite pathetic.

‘Is this… one of the top figures in the adventurer city?’

The white-ranked status he had been aiming for seemed like it should be something more impressive. As Najin was feeling somewhat disillusioned…

“Oh?”

A voice came from behind.

Pausing from patting Roseline’s back, Najin turned around. There stood a familiar-faced girl.

The Snake that Swallows the Gold Coins, Dieta.

Different attire from usual. Dressed in formal clothes as the representative of Dieta Trading Company and heading toward the Central Guild, she recognized Najin and waved.

“Fancy meeting you here… again…?”

However, her welcoming voice gradually faded. She had spotted the woman whose back Najin was patting—a cunning woman who appeared to be in her mid-20s but was actually twice that age.

Jet-black hair reaching down to her back.

Casual, light, and easygoing attire.

Skin white and smooth despite being twice Dieta’s age.

And to top it off, those unsettling red eyes.

Dieta’s eyes narrowed as she confirmed that the person with Najin was indeed “that woman” she knew.

“…Roseline Askarlo?”

The moment Dieta muttered this.

“What, who called my— BLEEEEECH!”