Chapter 59 – Mercenaries
The summer sun was so hot that the farmers tying the fields rested in the shade before working.
The women scooped up cool water and fed the farmers, and the farmers rested in the shade for a while, then got up and walked to the field, uncovered their heads, pulled up the weeds, removed the pests that gnawed at the leaves, and put them together for a fire. Burned
“What is that again…?”
But then, along the road on the ridge, five travelers were walking towards the village.
Due to the nature of the small rural village, they were very wary of outsiders, because it was very rare to come to this rural village on business unless it was a peddler who stopped by while passing by.
In particular, these days, a gang of pirates appeared on the road and plundered, and the public security was vicious, so people’s eyes looking at those travelers were not good.
An old man raised his straw hat to cover himself from the sun, squinting his eyes as he watched the approaching traveler from a distance.
“Isn’t that a knife on your waist?”
“Oh My God···!”
Surprised farmers started talking gibberish. The old man who was in charge of the field work quickly called a young man around him. A skinny Jonathan, a stout young man from a farmhouse, came running in a hurry.
“Chief, go to the chief! Tell them that a foreigner has come! A foreigner with a sword…!”
“Eh, yep…!”
Jonathan, a skinny man, watched the outsiders walking around, and ran to the house of Burinake Village.
&
All five foreigners were shabby.
The dirt and dusty coat, the clothes torn in places, were as good as rags, and the face was covered with scars.
But they had weapons.
The blonde haired man in the lead had a razor-sharp beard, was very large, and wore a large sword at his waist.
The archer behind him was skinny, but his eyes were strangely sharp.
Another man with a handsome goatee had clear features and strong eyebrows. He wore an arming sword on his waist and several daggers on his thighs.
And at the back of the group was a tall woman and a short, naive man. The man, probably injured in one leg, was splinting with a tree branch and walking sloppily, leaning on the woman’s shoulder.
They were about to enter the entrance to the barriers that surrounded the village.
“Whoa- stop it! Stop right there!”
The village headman, who had been running at full speed, blocked their path, including the young men of the village. The young men of Herero stood holding spears one by one, prepared in preparation for robbery.
“May I ask where you are from…?”
When the village chief swallowed his saliva, the blonde-haired man in the lead looked over the nervous villagers and took out a wooden plaque from his pocket and showed it to them.
It was a mercenary plaque with silver foil on the front.
“I am Saxon, a silver mercenary leading a wandering mercenary corps. As you can see, I met a group of bandits on the road and became like this. Because they constantly attack, run away, and attack again and again without giving us a chance to rest-. I had a hard time keeping it apart.”
Kaak- Twa-! The man who spat phlegm on the dirt floor brushed his hair and continued.
“I got away from the gang of pirates, but that friend injured his leg, so I decided to rest somewhere. There was a village nearby. I stopped by to see if I could be taken care of for a while.”
At the man’s words, the village chief talked to the elderly people next to him.
The blond-haired man, the man Saxony pointed out, was a simple-looking man with a splint on his leg.
The old people who heard the story from the side insisted that they should be kicked out immediately. They said they could cause problems.
On the other hand, some men and women with limited mentality said in unison that it would be good for them to take a break for a day, saying that they would see the ruins of the bandits.
“Are you seriously hurt? How badly are you hurt?”
At the village chief’s question, the man with the injured leg slowly came forward.
He closed his eyes and smiled, bowing his head. He then responded by taking out a mercenary plaque covered in copper foil and showing it.
“Hello. This is Kane, the mercenary of the same rank. I am well aware that the village chief will not be pleased with us. But good is good, and if you take pity on me a little, and allow us to stay for just three days, I’ll do my best at the inn over there and rest until my legs heal.”
At the words of Kane, the mercenary of the same rank, Saxony nodded.
“I promise it won’t cause any trouble. Rest quietly and leave quietly.”
Saxon said that and nodded towards the woman in the back. The woman with her brown hair in a ponytail was very large, with broad shoulders like most men and wearing a longsword at her arm’s length around her waist.
When the woman took out her leather pouch from her rucksack and strode towards the village chief, the young people around her were startled and blocked the village chief with her spear.
“Whoah- everyone back down.”
When the youngsters got out of the way, the woman smiled and passed the leather pouch into the village chief’s hand.
When the village chief who received the bag asked what it was, the woman answered.
“This is the price for keeping us here. You put in plenty.”
The village chief opened his pocket. It was full of silver coins. Even without counting, it was enough to make up for the income of the farmhouse for a year. The young people standing behind the village chief gulped down their saliva.
“I will not accept this. It is impossible to receive money to help those who have suffered. Rent a room at the inn over there and rest. Instead, after three days, you will have to leave. Also, do not carry weapons in the village. Would you agree?”
There were some elderly people who objected to the village chief’s words, but when he turned around and opened his eyes, he shut his mouth. All of them are old villagers, but they have their own charisma.
The blond-haired mercenary, Saxony, smiled and nodded his head.
“Thank you. For a village in the corner of a village, the village chief is generous.”
Saxon took out the necklace in the shape of a five-pointed star, the mark of the Holy Ghost, from his chest and kissed him on the lips.
Then he nodded to the mercenaries behind him. The mercenaries giggled as they passed the spear and the young men.
When Saxony cautioned him, he belatedly stopped, but from the point of view of the village youth, it was no wonder that they were frightened.
They were definitely murderers who had been able to kill people.
&
Around evening, Seo-joon was on his way to the training ground accompanied by Ian and Lily.
Ian looked a little uneasy when he heard that a group of mercenaries had come to the village.
The problem with mercenaries is that these bastards always keep contracts on the outside and act as if they have their own ethics and morals, but when the way to live is difficult, they quickly turn into bandits.
Hungry and no money, but a knife in hand…? Then all you can do is plunder.
So, rather than large towns or cities with regular soldiers stationed there, rural towns like Herero have always been wary of such thieves, or aspiring thieves disguised as something else.
Just then, I saw mercenaries sitting by the window of the ‘Drunken Wild Boar Inn’ drinking and giggling.
“Would it be okay?”
It was Ian’s question as he looked at them from a distance.
Seo-jun paused for a moment, and he looked at them. Even from the other side, he notices the existence of Seo-jun and his party and looks at them.
One of them, a mercenary with a sharp goatee, stood up, shaded his hand, and ran Lily, who was standing next to Ian, from head to toe.
Lily felt the gaze so sloppy for no reason, and quickly hid behind Ian.
“Lily, Lily? What’s the matter···?”
“That man-. Your eyes are strange…”
When she said that, her Ian walked away, hiding Lily from the other side as much as possible.
The blond-haired mercenary leader, Saxon, and the female mercenary next to him were looking at Seo-joon, who was tall and stretched out his arms and legs.
The female mercenary opened his mouth wide. It was because he had never thought that such a handsome man could exist in such a rural area.
Seo-joon glanced at them once, tapped him on the shoulder with a wooden sword, and turned his head away as if he wasn’t interested.
“They say they’re leaving in three days anyway. Let’s go. It’s none of our business.”
As Seo-jun walked away, Ian and Lily hurriedly followed him.
“Well, it might be of some help to you, Ian. How can I ask for a sparring session?”
“Yeah···? Oh, no, that’s scary…”
Ian flinched at Seo-joon’s insinuating words—his shoulders trembled. Seo-joon smiled and put his hand on his shoulder.
“Why man. Didn’t I tell you that practice is important?”
When Seo-jun asked, Ian smiled awkwardly.
“By the way, are you really going to ask for sparring?”
“Wouldn’t that be dangerous…?”
In response to Ian’s question, Lily also showed a look of uneasiness.
Seojun shrugged his shoulders.
“Ask me what.”
