Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 64: Crisis And Cooperation (4).

Fortunately, the city was unharmed overnight. Of course, Allen didn’t have such a comfortable night.

‘……Fortunately, I’m still alive…….’

He was grateful that he didn’t wake up in the afterlife and groaned as he got up. Perhaps because his tension had eased somewhat, he had groaned all night with a slight fever. ……He was strangely craving a bitter sip of coffee in the early morning.

When he went out to the terrace and opened the window, the cool air that had chilled over the cold sand overnight pierced his lungs in an instant. Then, the sticky fever that had clung to him quickly dissipated, and his mind became clear again.

A little later, a servant came to his room. Bringing the message that breakfast was ready. The group leader washed his face with wash water and headed to the dining room.

The meal room was already bustling with mercenaries. When Allen appeared, they all acknowledged him. He exchanged light morning greetings with the people before heading to the table where his teammates were huddled together. The table was lavishly set with food.

“Did you all sleep well last night?”

“Honestly, I was a bit restless. Those guys gave us a hard time.”

“Kuhuhu, true that.”

As Allen began to serve himself food and eat it with a fork, Aiden, who was sitting next to him, asked in a whisper.

“What will you do now?”

“…Well. It seems best to continue partnering with Group Leader Rudra. It looks like she has quite the way with words in the West.”

Then, the captain tilted his head slightly towards Allen and spoke in an even lower voice than before.

“I found out that she is the daughter of the Duke… The Duke’s second wife is her biological mother.”

“…Duke?”

Upon hearing this, a piece of information popped into Allen’s head. The lord who ruled the big city near the Magic Tower, Behimruod, was a Duke, and it seemed Rudra was from that lineage… She was a bigger deal than expected.

“Doesn’t it smell like a big opportunity?”

True to his mercenary nature, Captain Aiden quickly caught the scent of money. Having the title of Duke in the continent meant immense wealth. Just the taxes from that vast territory alone—!

“I’ll look into it.”

“If you manage to secure a good amount, just spare me some pocket money.”

Allen gestured reassuringly with a nod and continued his meal. Meanwhile, his gaze searched for Group Leader Rudra.

‘…That Duke’s daughter….’

Amidst the bustling noise, Allen, having finished his breakfast, saw Group Leader Rudra waiting for him in the corridor outside the dining hall. The members who came out with him left swiftly with peculiar smiles, saying they would go ahead and leave the group leader behind. …Only the milk-jug mage seemed to hesitate, looking back with a lingering gaze, but eventually, she too disappeared…

“Did you have a comfortable night?”

“…Yes, well, it was better than sleeping on a ship.”

She lightly rubbed her head and then slightly licked her lips with her tongue before stealthily glancing at him.

“I’m planning to leave now.”

“…Is that so?”

“All the group leaders have decided to go with me. To Behimruod. ……You might not know since you’re not from the West, but actually, I’m the daughter of the duke.”

“I see.”

Allen didn’t seem too surprised, which made Rudra’s expression turn a bit curious. …Shouldn’t the daughter of a duke be quite surprising?

“…Did you know? You don’t seem very surprised. …Well, not that you have to be.”

“Based on your actions and the way you speak, I had somewhat guessed. You truly are a person of high status.”

“…Is, that, so.”

As Allen said this with a gentle smile, Rudra strangely felt her heart tickle and her breath slightly heat up. She fiddled with her bangs for no reason.

“Of course, I will also follow Lady Rudra. Haven’t we already decided to do this together?”

“…There might be someone who wants to stay here, after all.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not from the West, but I, too, shudder at the thought of the dark mages. …Even though we’re a mercenary group driven by money, we’re not selfish enough to ignore a continental crisis.”

Allen covered up the stench of his immense greed for money with utmost sincerity. As he told the Blind Saintess, pretense and bluster are essential virtues for a mercenary leader. If doing the same job could earn more money, of course, that’s what one should do!

Rudra seemed to be completely taken in by Allen’s flashy eloquence as those fierce-looking eyes of hers melted away completely.

“Thank you for saying that. …I thought everyone else, aside from those from the West, was barbaric… But Group Leader Allen, you have a certain, well, dignity. I can feel it just by looking at you.”

‘Oh, elegance now—!’

Seeing Rudra fall hook, line, and sinker for his words, Allen laughed elegantly.

“Ha ha, what elegance?”

“…Anyway, I’ll take it as that. Oh, and we’ll be taking a boat this time too. It’s safer that way. And if possible, we’ll depart today even if it’s late.”

“Understood. I’ll prepare so we can leave at any time.”

“Yes. …Then.”

And the two went their separate ways.

Allen gathered all the members in the lodging room. It was to explain the mid-term settlement and their future plans.

With his arms crossed, he glanced over the members huddled together, sipping on their drinks, and opened his mouth with a solemn tone.

“First of all… Ah, this does not apply to those with long-term contracts, so there’s no need to pay this any heed. For those of you on short-term contracts, I’ll first give you a choice.”

He laid down a small purse of money in front of the three on a short-term contract, Bald Illiterate Billy, the Devout Believer Christopher, and Inkist Arnold, with a thud.

“Here’s your pay up to now. Originally, it should have been given at Hegel…, but please understand that things got complicated and ended up like this.”

“Well, yes. Well, it can’t be helped.”

The mercenaries seemed pleased to receive the money as smiles spread across their faces.

“You may leave if you wish. This isn’t something I can force on you. Of course, you’re welcome to sign a new contract if you want.”

“What is the contract for?”

Inkist Arnold, who was interested in continuing together, asked about the contract details.

Allen nodded lightly with a faint smile.

“Well, as everyone expects, it’s about taking down the dark mage. What else is there to do in the West right now? Right? That’s why we came here.”

“……Isn’t it a bit dangerous?”

The bald illiterate, having already experienced the horror of a necromancer, seemed quite worried.

“Of course, it’s dangerous. Where in the world can you make money safely, right? Especially for mercenaries. ……Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re looking to get ourselves killed. The place we’re heading to now is the big city, Behimruod. It’s one of the largest cities in the West.”

“Oh—.”

Only then did everyone seem a bit relieved.

That’s when Allen smiled slightly wickedly.

“…But it’s too early to be relieved. There’s still one troublesome thing left.”

“What else is left?”

“Not far from Behimruod, there is a Magic Tower.”

A Magic Tower, isn’t that a mage’s tower?

“…Then, isn’t that rather fortunate? We could receive help from the mages—!”

“No. They won’t help. Those affiliated with the Magic Tower don’t care what happens outside. Their safety is much more important.”

“What shitty bastards.”

“Yes, shitty bastards indeed. That’s why the necromancers must be plotting.”

“……Excuse me?”

The group leader took a brief breath before continuing.

“Everyone knows that dark mages were once just ordinary mages, right? It’s through contracts with demons that they turned out that way.”

Everyone nodded as if that was common knowledge.

“It’s obvious they belong to the Magic Tower. There isn’t a mage in the West who isn’t affiliated with it. Those guys accepted the devil’s dark mana to become necromancers, and now they’re sweeping through the villages around, expanding their power… Doesn’t a picture form in your head when it gets to that point?”

The dim-witted mercenaries still looked completely clueless. That’s when the clever milk-jug mage said something as if he had figured it out.

“Could it be… revenge?”

“Yes, revenge—”

“The target is the Magic Tower, then.”

Aha—. Only then did the mercenaries nod, seemingly understanding the situation.

“So, you’re saying those dark mages are doing all this to get back at the Magic Tower bastards?”

“Yes. …And if you mark the locations of the villages attacked by the necromancers on a map, it turns out like this.”

Allen marked the location of the attacked village on the map of the western region with an X, then traced it out long. The lines, somewhat curly like pubic hair, intersected at one point.

That point was right near the great city of Behimruod, where the Magic Tower is located.

Group Leader Allen lightly pounded that spot with his fist, speaking with conviction.

“This is the evidence that they are heading towards the Magic Tower.”

Of course, Allen spoke as if he had predicted this through various circumstances and evidence, but in reality, knowing the plot of Guild Master through and through, he had known the whole story of this incident from the beginning.

The festival of the dark mages, their revenge towards the Magic Tower. …In conclusion, once the Magic Tower was destroyed, their revenge would be successful.

“Then, Behimruod, isn’t that place quite dangerous too? It’s near the Magic Tower.”

“Of course, it’s not without its dangers. But still, big cities are much safer. My life is precious to me, too. No matter how good the money is, I won’t just walk into a death trap. …And their target is the Magic Tower. They wouldn’t touch the big cities and diminish their forces for no reason. Even if they were to attack Behimruod, there are plenty of people there to defend it. Plus, the walls are very high and massive. …Unless it’s an army of at least ten thousand, they wouldn’t dare.”

From the beginning, the status of big cities on the continent was like that. Impregnable fortresses. They were on a completely different level compared to the common mid-sized cities scattered across the continent.

…However, in truth, after attacking the tower, the necromancers proceeded to attack the metropolis of Behimruod. Most of the necromancers, already having become Liches that despised the living, rushed to devour the nearby metropolis as soon as their revenge was complete. Their attack was certainly tremendous, but Behimruod had ultimately defended itself.

“Where there’s a fight, there’s big money. We’re a mercenary group. If we wanted just to save our skins, why would we have come to the West? No, why be mercenaries? Aren’t we here for money and fame? We’ve already lost the payment we were supposed to receive in Hegel. The loss is tremendous. So, this is an opportunity we absolutely cannot miss. A chance to gain both money and fame, with a lower risk of death—!”

Allen scanned his members with a money-crazed expression and shouted fiercely.

“If you really don’t want to, quit. I have no desire to work with cowards.”

The members glanced at each other. Then, Bald, Illiterate Billy slammed his fist on the table with a curse.

“Shit, better to die once than twice. I’m in. Let’s make a fortune this time—!”

And then, Devout Believer Christopher and Inkest Arnold joined in. The money ultimately seduced them. After all, a duke would pay handsomely. Especially in a state of emergency—!

‘A crisis is indeed an opportunity.’

Allen was determined to extort a large sum from the duke.

‘…No,’

It was clear that Group Leader Rudra was a leaking money pit. The youngest son of the notorious money-grubber Baron Pomwell, Allen’s intuition was going wild.

The image of milking a huge amount of money made the tip of his dick tingle and his buttocks twitch.

‘…Ah. Yes, this is sex—.’

And at that very moment. Group Leader Rudra, who would soon become a hole leaking money, was humming a tune through her nose, certain that Group Leader Allen was fond of her.