A chilling thud echoed through the air, and the blue-haired young man crumpled down to the ground.
Hmm, how should I put this?
That guy is dead.
“Don’t worry, he’s still alive.”
As if reading my thoughts, Ligret chimed in.
I glanced at the hefty wooden club clutched in the young man’s hand.
It was meant to be a tool for apprehending him alive, but usually, when one gets hit in the head with such a thing, don’t they usually die?
Well, judging by his earlier movements, he didn’t seem like an ordinary fellow, so I guess it’s fine.
Not like I was the one who got hit.
“By the way, I’m surprised that guy is still alive.”
I looked over at Dorf, who was left unconscious, thanks to the ruffians rushing towards us.
Contrary to my expectation that he’d be dead by now, they hadn’t killed Dorf.
Were they trying to extract some information or something?
Anyway, it’s not bad news for us.
“Oh, this guy’s weapon isn’t half bad!”
As Ligret rummaged through the unconscious young man’s belongings, she seized his sword and scabbard, replacing her original shortsword and scabbard with the new ones.
I asked, slightly bewildered, “What are you going to do with your old one?”
Ligret replied, “I’ll sell it. No need for duplicates when they serve the same purpose.”
“……”
‘Now that you mention it, I feel like I’ve seen something similar in games.’
There’s a meme circulating among players of “Nameless Demon,” about how the game’s users have an obsession with weapons.
In quest reward choices, there’s always a near-inevitable option that involves a weapon, to the extent that some even refuse a king’s offer of a castle just to demand the kingdom’s best sword instead.
Seeing things align with what I knew gave me an odd sense of delight, just as Ligret pulled out a parchment from the young man’s possession and handed it to me.
It was the parchment with the vision that Dorf had shown us from the carriage.
“By the way, will we really get proper compensation with these? If that guy starts whining about his inability to protect himself, it’ll be a headache.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle him. That’s why I captured this guy.”
Not only did the crime end in failure, but now we had the mastermind—a scion of a territory—under our control, so there were countless ways to utilize him.
Whether this incident was all part of Lord Baldwin’s scheme, or if his son had just gone wild, didn’t really concern those of us on the extraction side.
Most likely, after this, both the lord and his son would face a rather unfortunate fate.
I might feel a twinge of sympathy for them, but I had no intention of letting it slide.
Mercy is the privilege of the strong and the righteous.
I wasn’t strong enough or kind enough to overlook the circumstances of someone who aimed for my life.
<><><>
Afterward, reuniting with my scattered party, we finished tending to the injured and resumed our journey.
Despite the fierce scuffle at the rear, which resulted in three casualties among the guild’s members and five from the mercenary group, the rest were merely injured, with most of the attackers either dead or two captured.
The captured foes, including the lord’s son, initially attempted to escape or resist several times, but after being thoroughly beaten to a pulp by the enraged members of the Brown Wolf Mercenary Group, who had just lost comrades in the ambush, they soon settled down.
As for Dorf, who had been another point of concern, fortunately, he wasn’t in any life-threatening danger, but was in such a state that even speaking was a struggle, so he spent most of the time lying down and dozing off.
I had heard some mercenaries muttering that it was actually nice having him quiet, but I chose to ignore it. After being abandoned in a life-and-death crisis, it’s only natural for them to harbor resentment.
Additionally, due to the request from Ligret herself, details about her exploits were heavily downplayed.
The fact that she had saved me from one of the thugs was omitted, and regarding the capture of the lord’s son and one of his companions, it was adjusted to reflect that after a fierce battle with Dorf’s guards, one had died, and Ligret had caught the exhausted lord’s son by surprise.
The members laughed, saying the frightened rookie had struck it lucky, but they seemed to think this alone was quite the accomplishment, as they continued to shower him with half-joking congratulations.
That said, when Ligret responded with nothing but silence or gestures, their excitement quickly died down.
“…Well then, understood.”
Clark, the leader, seemed to have a rough idea of what was going on but didn’t pry any deeper.
The wagon carrying the injured and prisoners arrived at the main house, the original starting point, and I was set to meet the head of the house once again.
<><><>
Vern Midas, head of the House of Midas, resident of Midas Guild, and father of Chrome Midas.
He didn’t show any outrage at the fact that his son had nearly been killed, nor did he display concern for his injured son.
“What incompetence…”
He merely clicked his tongue at the recklessness of his subordinates.
“There’s nothing more volatile than a desperate human. It’s ridiculous that they worried about the enemy possibly biting back only after cornering them. Don’t you think so?”
Well, it’s a little awkward to respond to that.
We’re not close enough for me to defend them, but isn’t it a bit much to deal a follow-up attack to someone already in critical condition?
Vern Midas didn’t seem to expect much of a reply anyway and continued speaking.
“My negotiations with Lord Baldwin ended smoothly. We handed over the custody of his son, and in exchange for hiding this incident, we’re set to receive not just food supplies but all the promised visions and mining rights as well.”
It was practically a declaration of the complete ruin of Baldwin’s territory.
“Did they have any opposition?”
“Even if those scum oppose, it means nothing. If this incident leaks, Lord Baldwin is finished. If they were faced with the choice of immediate ruin or at least saving their son and prolonging their downfall, who wouldn’t choose the latter?”
Vern Midas then asked me,
“Is there anything you desire? Since the foolish man messed up, I’ll consider requests that aren’t too outrageous.”
I began to list some things that came to mind.
“It seems the role of the Brown Wolf Mercenary Group was significant in resolving this matter. It would be a good idea to provide them with additional compensation on top of the standard fee.”
“Even if Dorf is a fool for taking it upon himself, the fact is he failed to protect that guy. Is there really a need to consider the situation?”
“Despite being a fallen house compared to the past, they still possess the skills to fight against those formally trained in a territory. Plus, it looks like they want to affiliate with our guild, so making a good impression wouldn’t hurt.”
“I see, you’re viewing it as an investment for the future. Not a bad idea. What else?”
“I want to go to the Academy.”
There was a pause, and for the first time, Vern Midas’s expression changed.
“Are you talking about the Empire?”
“Yes.”
If I were to pick the most famous person on this continent, the first to be mentioned would be Barhart’s ‘Great Emperor,’ who passed the imperial throne to his son five years ago and has been focusing on establishing a special educational institution since.
The Barhart Empire Academy.
This place was led by a former emperor and had announced that it only accepted individuals with the talents of magic users as students.
There were various rumors surrounding this school for two reasons.
Some say it’s an opportunity for the old emperor to leisurely pass his final days.
Others claim it’s a military academy to nurture the empire’s next generation of talent.
And there are those who allege it’s a human experimentation lab to improve all the visions collected by the empire.
But I knew the exact reason.
‘This is a nurturing ground for elite magic users to confront the Evil Demon Tribe behind the Yves Empire.’
The ‘Planetarium’ was an exceptionally autonomous game where players could create new main stories depending on their choices. Yet, there existed a recommended route that most players suggested for beginners to experience at least once.
That was the Academy story!
While that school was still in the preparation stage, it reportedly had countless events planned, many of which could escalate into incidents that would cause a stir across the continent.
Moreover, the diverse talents gathering there…
‘For someone like me, who needs to build both connections and skills, it’s the optimal place.’
“Hmm…”
Vern Midas appeared to ponder for a moment, but then nodded.
“Alright. However, this is under the condition that you contribute sufficiently to the family for the next two years.”
“Yes.”
I wasn’t particularly worried.
After all, I had no intention of idly passing the time for the next two years.
Preparing funding, strategizing for the events that would arise at the Academy, clarifying my position within the family, and above all—
‘I have to bring the “Nameless Demon,” Ligret, onto our side.’
And I already had a plan for that.
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