Ch.8Chapter 8 – Meeting the Branch Manager of the Black Feather Information Broker Organization (4)

After leaving the Sky Wind Tavern, I returned to the inn where I had been staying.

It was the Whirlwind Inn, where Justin, the owner of the Sky Wind Tavern, had told me I could hire mercenaries.

When I checked in late last night and paid for my room, I hadn’t even known the inn’s name.

I had ended up staying there on the recommendation of Hans, a member of the vigilante group, as I urgently needed accommodation.

“So this is what they mean by ‘it’s darkest under the lamp,'” I muttered to myself as I opened the door to the Whirlwind Inn and went inside.

“Oh? It’s still far from lunchtime. What brings you here?”

As I entered the Whirlwind Inn, a female employee who had been bent over sweeping the floor with a broom straightened up when she heard me come in and looked at me.

She had freckles on her face and dull blonde hair.

If Justin’s information was correct, this woman would be the person he had told me about at the Whirlwind Inn.

I approached her and whispered carefully in her ear.

“I’ve come on the recommendation of Justin of the Black Feather.”

“Just a moment.”

When I whispered Justin’s name in her ear, she looked around and completely changed her attitude.

“Black Feather Justin? Do you mean Lord Justin, the branch manager of the Black Feather Belsarem branch?”

She started revealing Justin’s personal information in detail without me even asking.

By the way, this Justin person was quite high-ranking.

I thought Black Feather was just a title, but it turned out to be an organization name.

And if there’s a Belsarem branch, that means there are other branches too, right?

Wait a minute. Isn’t Belsarem the name of the city I need to go to?

‘Could all of this be planned by Justin?’

I briefly suspected Justin, but soon shook my head.

Given the name Black Feather and how suspiciously well-informed they seemed to be, it was highly likely that the Black Feather organization was involved in selling or collecting information.

You know, like those information brokers that commonly appear in fiction. Justin, who had told me various things, was exactly that kind of character.

“If he’s the branch manager of the Belsarem branch, he must be quite important.”

“He certainly is. The Black Feather is one of the top one or two massive information brokers in the Empire, and the Belsarem branch is said to be the most powerful among them.”

I see. So this Justin fellow wasn’t just disguising himself as an ordinary tavern owner; he was probably collecting information here.

Although he did threaten me… but since I was the one who barged in recklessly, I was also at fault in that incident, so let’s move past that.

Anyway, what I needed right now wasn’t to know how impressive Justin was, but a mercenary who could escort me to Belsarem.

And one with proven skills and credibility.

Even for me, finding a trustworthy mercenary was important because, as they say, people can be scarier than ghosts.

While ghosts were unlikely to pose a physical threat to me, there was a high chance that a stranger might suddenly inflict violence on me for no reason.

Even before I died, there were frequent posts threatening stabbings or murders.

Of course, those were presumed to be copycat crimes, but I never realized there were so many mentally deranged fools willing to imitate such madness.

Oh, by the way, all those who posted threats of stabbings or murders as copycat crimes received prison sentences without probation.

I once looked up the court rulings for those trials out of curiosity, and the judge gave them all prison sentences, stating that the defendants had wasted valuable investigative and police resources, causing damage to the public interest and increasing social security costs.

I heard they appealed, but experts said that once a judge has it in for you, there’s a high chance that the appeals court or supreme court will uphold the verdict.

Anyway, people were such dangerous beings.

That’s why I set clear criteria for hiring mercenaries.

If there was a mercenary with skill level 3 and credibility level 5, and another with skill level 5 and credibility level 3, I would prioritize credibility over skill.

By prioritizing credibility over skill, I aimed to prevent the possibility of a mercenary betraying me for higher pay.

That’s why I came to the Whirlwind Inn, trusting Justin’s word.

“That’s enough about that. Please introduce me to some mercenaries. Since Justin recommended you, I assume their credibility is guaranteed?”

“Yes! Of course. The mercenaries staying long-term at the Whirlwind Inn are all experienced in the mercenary business and highly trustworthy, enough to be recommended by Branch Manager Justin.”

“I’m looking for someone to escort me to Belsarem. Can I see their actual credibility information?”

“Certainly. Here’s the list. All the mercenaries listed here are…”

“You’re heading to Belsarem? How about contracting with me?”

Just as I was considering who to contract with while looking at the list the employee had handed me, I heard a voice from the second floor that sounded familiar.

‘That voice sounds very familiar…’

I turned my head toward the sound and couldn’t believe my eyes.

‘Se-Serin Ekatos?’

It was because the person walking down the stairs was none other than Serin Ekatos.

Serin Ekatos was one of the heroines of Erasto Chronicle, and her rank was an impressive 5-star.

Being born a 5-star meant she only needed one breakthrough to reach 6-star.

Not only that, but her basic stats were so good that if you pulled her in the early draws, you could clear most missions easily.

She was especially skilled in one-on-one combat, and when she unleashed her burst damage on bosses, most of them would simply die, except for a few bosses with damage immunity gimmicks.

But why would she want to contract with me?

‘Wait, I think I saw her this morning?’

Come to think of it, there was someone who approached me this morning with very disheveled hair and face.

I thought her voice tone sounded familiar—it must have been her, before she got ready, who approached me and received the delicious bread transformation service.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Serin Ekatos. I heard you won people’s hearts with delicious bread this morning? I think I’m one of those people.”

“Ah, yes…”

To be honest, I still couldn’t believe that Serin Ekatos was real.

“I really enjoyed the bread you made this morning. It was the most delicious bread I’ve ever eaten. In return, I’ll escort you to Belsarem for a very reasonable price.”

When Serin Ekatos offered to escort me, I looked at the female employee who was arranging mercenaries.

When our eyes met, the employee nodded.

I took it as a sign that I could trust Serin Ekatos and contract with her.

“How much would you charge?”

“Hmm. Normally, escort missions start at 3 silver coins, but since you gave me a special experience, I’ll take just 2 silver coins. In exchange, you’ll make me delicious bread at every meal. How does that sound? Good, right?”

I was dumbfounded by Serin Ekatos’s offer.

Good? Is that even a question? Only the biggest fool in the world would refuse this.

“Of course it’s good.”

I welcomed her enthusiastically with open arms.

Soon she and I shook hands, and under the mediation of the female employee, we were able to draw up a contract.

Following the standard mercenary employment regulations, with a special condition added that in exchange for reduced employment costs, the employer would prepare meals as requested by the hired mercenary.

Serin and I must have been satisfied with the conditions, as we shook hands with smiles.

With this, the employment terms between Serin and me were established—I became her employer, and she became the mercenary I hired.

Having suddenly gained such a powerful ally as Serin Ekatos, I stopped by the village’s only bakery and bought several loaves of coarse bread.

Thanks to buying several at once, the baker kindly sliced the bread for me.

I was told there was no need to prepare drinking water separately.

“Don’t worry about drinking water. I have a water stone.”

The water stone Serin mentioned was a magical tool with magic circles engraved on a magic stone.

She said using this would allow us to produce sufficient water even in places without it.

This was actually the game company’s answer to a gamer’s question about why the heroines in Erasto Chronicle never struggled to find water.

Anyway, now that food and drink were prepared, all that remained was to depart for Belsarem.

“Got everything?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. Since I was staying at a long-term inn, I only packed the essentials.”

As the gate in the palisade protecting Oak Village opened, Serin and I could finally begin our journey to Belsarem.