No matter how free-spirited the mercenaries are, there were still certain rules in place.
These weren’t formalized absolute rules set by Liberi, but rather unspoken guidelines that circulated among the mercenaries.
Among them, the rule of “not revealing client information carelessly” fell into the latter category.
Telling a few tales over a drink at a tavern was fine.
However, going into detail about a client was considered a betrayal of the trust placed in mercenaries to get the job done.
After all, clients wouldn’t take kindly to mercenaries who sell off their information after being hired.
Thus, mercenaries generally overlooked minor flaws unless there was a serious moral issue or illegal activity at hand.
Just to survive.
But the “Red Claw Mercenaries” were different.
The Red Claw mercenaries weren’t even part of Liberi and couldn’t care less about trust.
If one were to describe them in a word, it would be:
A ragtag band of lousy thugs.
Yet, the reason the Red Claw mercenaries could operate openly was that they took on jobs that other mercenaries would shy away from.
To put it simply, they were available for “dirty work.”
“Just like always. You know the drill?”
“Oh, of course. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it without a trace!”
Murder.
“Ahem, I’ve recently picked up a hobby… Can you get me a young, healthy specimen?”
“Oh dear, why would someone like you be upset? It’s no problem at all! A male or female? Which one do you prefer?”
“Ahem! I’d like a female.”
“Sure thing~ Just wait a moment, and I’ll bring her right away!”
Kidnapping.
Alongside base crimes like theft, robbery, and arson.
For the right price, they were willing to undertake any inhumane job, making the Red Claw mercenary group an incredibly useful tool for those with dirty dealings.
“I’m looking for someone.”
In a building quite far from the city, despite its normal appearance, an ominous aura flowed within. Ashie promptly got to the point.
“Do you know a magician named Max?”
Instead of the polite language he usually spoke, he used casual speech, almost disrespectful.
With an authoritative and charismatic manner, Da-eun’s eyes widened in surprise.
“He really is a prince…”
It wasn’t that Da-eun doubted Kana and Ashie’s words.
However, his friendly approach and the shock of his first impression made it hard for her to accept that he was a prince until she felt the intimidating aura surrounding Ashie, leading her to realize his true status.
And it wasn’t just her who felt that way.
The mercenary standing before Ashie gulped nervously at the pressure exuding from him.
On any other day, he would have shown his crooked teeth and made light jokes, but now he couldn’t even think about it.
“Are you… a noble from the Empire?”
“None of your business.”
“…He’s a noble!”
The mercenary bowed his head deeper.
Given his oppressive demeanor, he surely must be a noble from the Empire…!
And not just any random noble they often encountered, but a genuine one.
In reality, he was no noble of the Empire, and could even be said to be an enemy of it, but the mercenary had no way of knowing that.
“So, do you know anything?”
“Max… you mean?”
“Yeah. A guy with light eyebrows who looks rather irritable.”
At his words, an image of someone popped into the mercenary’s mind.
A robed man with a fairly large bag who visited this morning.
That man’s name was likely Max.
He had found it strange to be in such a hurry at dawn, requesting to be taken to another city, but now he seemed to understand why.
This guy must be involved with him.
In an instant, a grin crept onto the mercenary’s face.
“This might just be my chance to score big.”
His rank was somewhere between a lowly underling and an officer in the Red Claw group.
He would get berated from above for not managing his subordinates well and cursed from below for not being aware of orders.
Even if he received a lot of money, it wouldn’t make much difference; he was caught in a middle ground, being pushed around.
Now that the officers were out, the current situation seemed like a golden opportunity for him to pocket a substantial amount undetected.
He didn’t know the exact relationship between the man in front of him and Max, but if he was personally here, he must be in a hurry.
He was high up in status, so there must be plenty of money…
The mercenary’s hunched back unknowingly straightened out.
“Hmm… I have a feeling I might know, but I also might not… I drank yesterday, so my memory is a bit hazy.”
The mercenary spoke vaguely.
Ashie raised an eyebrow.
Having dealt with countless people worse than mercenaries when he was a prince, Ashie could see right through his intentions.
‘So, he was here.’
Moreover, he realized that Max had actually been looking for the Red Claw mercenary group.
If it were just casual knowledge, his reaction wouldn’t be so intense.
Seeing Ashie’s visibly unhappy demeanor, the mercenary couldn’t bring himself to casually spill the beans about Max’s whereabouts.
Of course, it wasn’t out of some noble sentiment of wanting to protect the client; it was purely for the sake of money.
“The more I think about it, the clearer it gets… If I had something refreshing to drink, I might remember more… But I have no money to buy anything. How troublesome.”
The mercenary, thinking of Ashie as a genuine noble, acted confidently.
Since he was the only one who knew where Max was, he figured they wouldn’t treat him recklessly.
However, bravery and recklessness can be a fine line, and bravado is a thin line as well.
Ashie was well aware of the Red Claw mercenary group and their notorious reputation.
He had no intention of sharing any gold coins with such people.
i “Kana.”
i “Yes?”
Tug!
At Ashie’s call, Kana stepped forward.
“…Huh? A little girl?”
The mercenary smirked upon seeing the hooded little girl.
While trying to understand Ashie’s intentions, he let out a small gasp.
“Are you offering this kid as compensation?”
It wasn’t uncommon to receive a person in return for a job.
It just wasn’t something that happened every day.
Especially offering such a small child as compensation was something he had never seen even after a long time in the Red Claw mercenaries.
Buying and selling people was quite a complicated process, and he didn’t want to attract the attention of the higher-ups.
The mercenary hesitantly lifted the girl’s hood.
In that moment, his breath caught in his throat as he met her pink eyes.
“…Oh.”
Having seen and held many women, he had never come across a girl with such looks before.
Even someone who preferred voluptuous bodies like him was momentarily captivated by her beauty.
If she were put up for auction, she would fetch a handful of gold coins, and with time, she could grow into an absolute beauty.
Should he sell her off for money, or keep her locked away until she matured?
He wanted the gold, but at the same time, it felt like a loss to hand her over to someone else.
“…Hmph!”
Snapping back to reality from his consuming thoughts, the mercenary realized that it was quite a deal to learn the whereabouts of a single magician and get such compensation.
“Wait a moment!”
He reached out and tried to agree to Ashie’s deal.
No, he was going to.
Whoosh!
i “Disgusting.”
“…Huh?”
My hand, why is it on the ground?
Realization dawned first, followed by a rush of pain.
“Aaaaah! My, my hand!”
The mercenary cried out, clutching his wrist where blood gushed forth.
His right hand, which should have still been attached, lay carelessly on the filthy floor.
Ashie had never intended to strike a deal with him.
Even if he had the desire, he wouldn’t contemplate dealing anyone, especially not someone stronger like Kana.
The man faced the horrific price of his repeated mistakes.
Had it not been for the cloth stuffed into his mouth, he might have screamed even louder.
i “Shh.”
The little girl, with a calm expression, stuffed the rag into his mouth.
In her pink eyes, the image of his face, smeared with tears and snot, reflected back.
The mercenary realized that the girl’s face no longer appeared lovely to him.
*
“Huh, huh…”
Leaning against a massive tree, Max gasped for breath.
“Let’s all just be civil, brother. Huh? No need to make this harder than it has to be.”
“…”
The boisterous voice and laughter that followed.
Max did not reply but kept searching with his eyes.
Mercenaries, mercenaries, and more mercenaries.
No matter where he looked, there were only mercenaries, and there was no escape route in sight.
“Y-you said you’d pay me more!”
“Not until we reach the next city, huh?”
The leader of the Red Claw mercenaries, Molden, mockingly replied to Max’s words.
Greed was evident in Molden’s eyes, and with every step he took, his sizable belly wobbled.
“But you know, my instincts tell me that the value of the bag you’re holding is much higher than the pittance we’d pay for you.”
“…!”
Max instinctively hugged his bag tighter, realizing too late, while Molden cackled.
Did he know? Or was this merely a guess?
Max desperately churned his brain.
“Do you think the Empire will just stand by after treating me like this?!”
“Now you’re worried about us too? I’m almost tearing up from gratitude here.”
“…Profit!”
“Don’t worry. Nothing bad will happen because of your worrying. The Empire wouldn’t bat an eye if just one scion of a fallen family was killed, would it?”
“…!”
Max’s heart sank.
How did they know this?
Having lost even his one weapon, Max regretted it.
It was true that the Teleport Gate was expensive, but with the money he had, he could have managed—why didn’t he?
He should have gone down from the mountain by himself instead of asking them for help. Or better yet, he should have hired a proper mercenary.
There were plenty of regrets, but among them, the regret of “not stealing the Dragon Orb” was not one of them.
“…I’ll give you everything; just spare my life.”
In the end, Max bent his pride and lowered his head.
While the Dragon Orb was costly, it wasn’t more precious than his life.
At the moment his life was in danger, he finally let go of his greed and pride.
“Hmph…”
“If this isn’t enough, I’ll even enchant your equipment with magic.”
“Oh, magic~”
Molden’s positive response made Max’s face light up.
That’s right. This is all he needed.
As long as he lived, there would be a chance for revenge.
He concealed his true intentions and awkwardly grinned at Molden.
But his hopes were brutally crushed.
“Is that it?”
“…Huh?”
“Magic sounds good, but don’t you think that’s not enough of a reason to spare your life?”
“My magic will be of great assistance—”
“Yeah, I know that already.”
Upon seeing the murderous intent shine in Molden’s eyes, Max finally realized that whatever he said, they had no intention of sparing his life.
And he also understood that they had been watching for an opportunity ever since he visited their hideout.
Max’s mouth dropped open wide.
“-Help me!”
“Whoa? Look at this little brat?”
“Should we kill him?”
“Let him be.”
In the depths of this forest, there should have been no one around.
Understanding that, Molden had attacked Max, and he watched his panicked cries for help like a child putting on a show.
As Molden had anticipated, a considerable shout filled the forest, but no one came to his aid.
“Is it over?”
“Huff… huff…!”
As Molden moved, Max tried to step back but found himself blocked by a tree.
“D-don’t come any closer!”
In a panic, he threw a magical tool from his bag.
But such attempts were futile; Molden only pressed forward with his deadly advance.
As Max’s last defense, a shield formed from all his remaining mana shattered before Molden’s sword, and his heart raced wildly.
Finally, just when the shadow of death loomed over him completely—
i “Found you.”
A soft voice cut between them.
“…Ugh.”
“Waaahhh!”
“….”
With three almost-dead corpses,
“Zombies…?”
Max was frozen in shock, forgetting the fear of death at the sight of three zombies led by a girl.
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