Chapter 131

Chapter 131

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 131: Chapter 2, Conclusion (1).

Allen packed several wagons tightly with sturdy, large barrels made of oak and left the mid-city of Varnamo early at dawn, with snowflakes swirling around. Of course, before leaving, he didn’t forget to share a warm embrace and camaraderie with Group Leader Ingmar.

I will definitely visit Vermandois next time. Let’s meet again then and drink all night…!

Though he wasn’t sure how much they would drink, Allen promised to do so before parting ways. And the Ingmar-Mercenary Group came out to the city’s outer gate to see them off.

The North was cold, but the hearts of the Northerners were warm. Even though their relationship initially started with money, their loyalty was genuine. Just as Group Leader Viola had said…

“There are supposed to be many beautiful women in the North, as white and pretty as snow… What a bunch of lies!”

During his recent travels across the continent, Furball Geese, who was passionate about exploring local beauties, found his excitement deflated by the false rumors about Northern beauties. Although he couldn’t confirm in other cities due to his short stays, at least in the mid-city of Varnamo, there were no beauties matching those rumors.

“They say that Ryga, one of the Top 10 in the North, has a daughter who is very pretty… I wish I could see her face at least once.”

The youngest, Kori, who had been as disappointed as Geese, brought up a story he had heard somewhere.

“Didn’t you see her, Leader? The Top 10 gathered in the capital last time, didn’t they?”

Furball Geese asked Allen to confirm if Ryga’s daughter was truly that beautiful. Simultaneously, the hot gazes of the members poured onto the Group Leader. Regardless of their interest in that woman, the topic of beauties was a universal conversation starter… Especially for the two women who had a suggestive relationship with Allen, they couldn’t help but be sensitive to the word “beauty.”

Of course, Allen had only glanced at the face of Monster Ryga and hadn’t seen his daughter in person, so he didn’t know how she looked in reality. However, graphically, she was quite a beauty. Even in [Guild Master], the description of her as the representative beauty of the North was something he heard often.

She was especially famous as a sharpshooter who never missed a shot, and she was also a very devout believer. Thanks to that, she got along well with the Blind Saintess. Here in [Guild Master], compatibility among comrades existed, and devout believers had a kind of synergy effect.

“I heard she’s a great beauty. I haven’t seen her myself, though.”

“Won’t we have a chance to see her next time?”

“Well, if it’s the Top 10, maybe.”

The Group Leader said it sincerely, but the members seemed to take it as a simple joke.

It meant that the status of the Top 10 and their own status had a significant difference… Of course, that didn’t mean Allen felt hurt or anything. Instead, it became an opportunity to strengthen his resolve to work harder.

As they chatted quietly, the sky began to brighten gradually. However, the sun soon hid behind the dark clouds that were heavily spitting out snow.

Allen quietly gazed at the whole world covered in a white blanket.

…If I leave here, I guess I won’t see snow for a long time.

The mid-city of Varnamo gradually faded into a single dot and eventually disappeared completely from sight.

The Northern journey came to a close with this.

Because of the heavy cart loaded with barrels of liquor, Allen’s group’s pace was significantly slower than usual. A distance that would normally take a month to traverse now took a month and a half, and then some.

Moreover, from a distance, it appeared as though the wagons were heavily loaded, and with only the Allen-Mercenary Group guarding them, they often became prime targets for bandits. Originally, they faced one or two attacks on average, but on this return journey, they were attacked five times.

Even the worst bandit group, the Martolo Bandits, used summoned monsters through a mage’s summoning magic to aid in their attacks. The Allen-Mercenary Group also encountered those tamed monsters, which they had only heard about in rumors, twice.

Mages were no longer seen as mysterious figures shrouded in secrecy. Their perception was changing to troublesome beings who caused issues wherever they went.

Anyway, after a long journey, the Allen-Mercenary Group finally returned safely to Vermandois. He first took a barrel of liquor as a gift and went to meet Group Leader Viola, who mediated this job.

Meeting her after several months, she still exuded a noble demeanor.

“How was the North?”

“I had plenty of chances to see the snow.”

“Did the job go smoothly?”

“Yes. We completed it without any issues.”

The Allen-Mercenary Group was growing rapidly by the day. Viola was secretly pleased to see this, but at the same time, she worried a little that he might suddenly leave her side. Without looking far, she was already facing a strong challenge from Elizabeth’s temptation… Although he was still steadfast, one never knows what people might do.

“As you said, the loyalty in the North is indeed commendable.”

“In business, it can be a bit frustrating at times, but they rarely stab you in the back.”

“That’s right.”

There was a brief pause in the conversation. Group Leader Viola unclasped her hands, tapped the desk lightly with her fingers, and then spoke again.

“…How about dinner tomorrow evening?”

“That sounds good. Let’s do that.”

“Alright… You’ve worked hard. You must be very tired, so go and rest.”

“Yes, then, I’ll see you tomorrow, Group Leader.”

The youthful appearance had completely vanished, and only the figure of a robust man remained. Allen gave a gentle smile to Viola and stepped back.

The liquor brought from the North through arduous effort sold like hotcakes. The price shot up two to three times in an instant. Watching the money box fill up, Allen felt as if all his hardships were melting away like snow on a spring day.

He seriously considered starting a liquor business later. Although a related trading company existed in Vermandois, the supply was limited compared to the population, so if he could properly establish a trade route, it seemed worth trying. Moreover, with some help from Group Leader Ingmar, he could get the liquor at a lower cost.

…However, setting up a dedicated trading company was still a distant story. To properly operate it, they needed to maintain a solid human resource base, at least up to the second group of the mercenary group.

Anyway, while making money and taking a break, he enjoyed leisurely time in Vermandois.

At that moment, an urgent dispatch arrived from the Eastern region.

The Dagon-Mercenary Group has been disbanded!

The news that the Dagon-Mercenary Group and its coalition, which dared to provoke the strongest in the East, Duke Belver’s family, had finally been shattered into pieces. Allen had already anticipated this, so he was not particularly surprised. He just felt that what was bound to come had finally arrived.

With this, Chapter 2 truly came to an end.

The East, which had been suffering from war for so long, joined in the atmosphere of “let’s all live peacefully together” with the Duke’s declaration of the end of the war.

In fact, the cities in the East were already financially exhausted. They called it war, but the battles had stopped months ago. They just hadn’t signed a ceasefire agreement because of their pride.

Thus, with the mercenary groups and mercenaries who lost their jobs leaving the East and scattering to various regions, Chapter 3 began with the militarization of the entire continent.

The release of the mercenaries tied up in the East was also an opportunity for Allen. Of course, he still didn’t have enough steady income to form a second group, so he couldn’t recruit a large number of people, but he still had room to recruit two or three more.

…And the remaining period for that process was roughly two months.

Allen planned to focus more on his business during that time. Including the funds invested in alcohol and the net profit, he had about four thousand gold coins in spare money.

It was still somewhat risky to dive into a new business, and he believed it was right to further expand the current inn business. Considering the future alcohol business, having many inns to distribute it would mean he could secure more profit.

Thus, Allen confirmed that a nearby inn building was up for sale, not far from the building currently used as a store and hideout, and he purchased it.

Of course, this time, unlike before, it wasn’t that cheap—roughly around 2,500 gold coins… It was because several competitors were bidding, making the price slightly higher than the market price. Still, considering the various conditions, it was too good to miss, so he reluctantly bore the slight financial burden.

Around that time, Old Dog Kalisman requested a private meeting with Allen. He wanted to visit his family, whom he had been away from for too long.

“Of course. Go ahead.”

Allen readily agreed. Since there wasn’t any urgent work at the moment, it was reasonable to allow such a request for the sake of managing his members.

Kalisman bowed several times to express his gratitude and left early the next morning. Allen felt a bit empty as the person who always stood by his side had left.

…And so, a month passed by like flowing water.