29 – Mercenaries
＜Mercenaries – Chapter 29＞
The next day.
I visited the mercenary guild again.
“Already got the permit?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Between mercenary guilds, there’s a connected magic system for swift information exchange. Take a look at this paper first.”
I received the paper from the guild master.
It stated permission to operate a branch of the mercenary guild temporarily for one year.
“One year?”
“There’s usually no such condition, but considering it’s Monster Island, isn’t it? Please continue reading the details below.”
From the dispatch of supervisors by the Central Mercenary Guild,
to a brief introduction of the manuals to be observed while running the mercenary guild, everything was summarized.
Though it was stated briefly, the content was quite dense.
“Do we really have to follow all of this?”
“hahahaha, it might be challenging at first, but you’ll get used to it eventually. And don’t worry too much. The supervisors will request adjustments promptly.”
I continued reading, and towards the end, there was information about billing.
“What? We have to pay all this money?”
“Well, it does require a lot of initial investment. We need to install magical systems, you see.”
It felt like a rude awakening.
It reminded me of how franchise companies in Korea take away a huge amount of money as they expand their branches.
“Well! It’s annoying, but I have no choice.”
I’m in a hurry.
I chose mercenaries as the key to occupying the Troll Zone.
To deal with mercenaries, you need the Mercenary Guild.
It contains various information, including mercenary information and a system to verify their identities.
After reading the document, I put it in my pocket.
“I want to hire mercenaries.”
“Oh… Do you have any specific mercenaries in mind?”
I stated the requirements I had thought of in advance.
Mercenary unit.
It must have been more than 5 years since its establishment.
It must have a high reputation.
It must have a wide network.
The more conditions were mentioned, the stranger the expression on the department head’s face became.
“Ahem, it seems that you, noble sir, are not familiar with mercenary work, but that is not important. Skill. Trust. These are the two important things. 5 years? Reputation? Network? These have nothing to do with the execution of the mission…”
The department head stopped speaking at my laughter.
“It seems like it’s actually you who doesn’t know. I am the client. Your role is to fulfill the client’s wishes.”
The department head frowned.
“Alright, I understand. Please continue with your demands.”
There must be experience in hunting trolls.
“Ah, now you’re finally speaking properly.”
The department head wrote down the contents on the paper and brought out a file.
Then, he introduced several mercenary groups.
Listening to the department head’s words, I carefully examined the information about the mercenary groups.
After introducing the five mercenary groups, the last one came out.
“I hesitated to introduce this mercenary group, but since the conditions are satisfied, I will introduce them.”
Mercenary Group Name: Innocent
Leader: Elinon
Size: 35 members
“Originally, Innocent Mercenary Group had over 100 members. However, due to recent events, many of them have left.”
“Recent incident?”
“That…,”
Lion, the leader of the Innocent Mercenary Corps.
He grew up in the temple as an orphan.
Since childhood, he had a talent for the sword, learning swordsmanship under the temple knights.
However, he couldn’t use sacred power, and when he became an adult, he had to leave the temple.
“Utilizing the skills I learned back then, I joined the mercenaries. It’s been 20 years since then.”
Whether it was the influence of growing up in the temple or not, he was not just outstanding among mercenaries but also among ordinary people.
He excelled in his tasks and often helped others even when it wasn’t his job.
“After a few years, people began to gather around me. That’s how Innocent Mercenary Corps was formed.”
Even after creating the mercenary corps, Lion didn’t stop helping people.
“Then an incident occurred. On the way back after completing a mission, we encountered mercenaries being chased by Twin Head Ogres.”
Even for the Innocent Mercenary Corps, Twin Head Ogres were formidable opponents.
The prevailing opinion within was to avoid them.
However, Lion did not back down.
He fought against the Twin Head Ogres and eventually defeated them.
“The problem is that during that process, more than five members of Innocent Mercenary Corps lost their lives.”
The rest of the story didn’t need to be heard.
Lion’s actions were undoubtedly worthy of respect.
After all, he helped those in danger.
However, the perspective of the mercenary members was different.
Helping others is good, but it should be done when it becomes a capability.
Due to this incident, a considerable number of mercenary members withdrew, and now the size had reduced to 35.
“Let’s go with the Innocent Mercenary Unit.”
“Really? Among the recommended mercenary units, it has the weakest overall power.”
“Even if the power is weak, it best suits what I want.”
“Then I understand. I will inquire about the request with the Innocent Mercenary Unit. And as for the cost…”
The branch manager wrote down numbers on a piece of paper and extended it before I could react.
Before I could show any reaction, the branch manager scratched his head, seemingly embarrassed.
“Additional costs will be incurred as the request area is far. The cost of not being able to take other requests during that time is also a factor during the movement…”
I raised my hand to interrupt the branch manager’s words.
I already expected all of this.
“I know about that. The cost is fine, so ask the Innocent Mercenary Unit.”
“Understood. Sir.”
**
The Innocent Mercenary Unit accepted the request,
and we left Kalas Province, heading towards Monster Island.
Thud. Thud.
Inside the slowly moving carriage.
There, I sat with Russell and Enon.
The age of Inon is in his mid-thirties.
In contrast, his appearance seemed to be in the late twenties to early thirties.
It implied that he took good care of himself.
There was not a single blemish on his face.
Judging by his skin alone, he seemed more like someone who worked indoors than a mercenary.
“The request mentioned Troll subjugation on Monster Island, could you please elaborate a bit more?”
Politeness resonated in his voice.
It was the kind of tone that made the listener feel comfortable.
‘He seems like a hero from a comic.’
Organizing his thoughts, Inon responded to the question.
“We recently expanded the frontier territory. In the process…”
During the expansion of the territory, they encountered Trolls.
There were more than ten Trolls, and actual combat occurred with three of them.
At that time, casualties exceeded a hundred.
Whether the Trolls were satisfied with the taste of Orcs or not, they didn’t return to Troll territory and were roaming around the Orc habitat.
“You’ve taken down eleven Trolls.”
I shifted my gaze outside.
There were quite a few injured members of the Innocent Mercenary Corps.
While fighting the Troll Head Ogre, five had died, and it seemed there were far more injured than that.
“Do you think it’s possible?”
“No problem.”
With the current power, hunting would take a lot of time.
For me, it wasn’t a bad situation.
There were things to prepare while the mercenary group was subjugating.
Crossing Monster Island,
I arrived at River Town.
I offered a map of the surrounding area and potions.
Ineon only took the map and declined the potion.
“I’m not in a good financial situation right now. I can’t afford to buy potions.”
“For now, take it with you. If you don’t use it, just return it as it is. How about that?”
Ineon’s gaze was fixed on the potion.
After a moment of hesitation, he took the potion.
“If you insist like that, I understand.”
I also attached a few veteran hunters additionally.
We can’t afford any accidents.
They not only subdue trolls but also play a role in calling other mercenaries.
The Innocent Mercenary Group and the hunters left River Town.
After they left, I got busier.
I had to establish a mercenary guild.
While watching the construction, Russell came and stood beside me.
“Master, are those buildings the mercenary guild?”
“The central one, yes.”
“What about the surrounding buildings? Do we need to build them now?”
“We do.”
I turned my head to look at Russell.
Incidentally, he was looking at me too.
“We need mercenaries.”
“Yes.”
“Summon them, and we need to make them settle here.”
“Understood.”
“So, let’s build.”
“What?”
A typical mercenary guild is about the size of an inn.
As long as there’s space for people to gather and an area for paperwork, it’s enough.
But I don’t intend to stop there.
I’m going to create a comprehensive service center for mercenaries.
“Look there. That’s the mercenary training ground.”
“Do the mercenaries have a training ground in the guild?”
“If they do, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“That’s true.”
He moved his finger and pointed to another place.
“I’ll be giving lectures over there.”
“Lectures? In the mercenaries’ guild…”
“Even if there are, it doesn’t matter.”
“That’s right.”
I introduced various places in the mercenaries’ guild, pointing them out.
“That’s the infirmary. That’s the lodging. That’s the dining hall. That’s…”
Russell continued nodding his head as if giving up on arguing.
“We’ll provide all the services that mercenaries need. That way, they’ll keep staying here.”
Then, Isaac appeared.
“Isaac! Bring in more people! Building the mercenaries’ guild is our top priority!”
Isaac turned his head to look at me.
Then he put both hands to his mouth and shouted loudly.
“Understood!! Master!!”
As the days went by, the mercenaries’ guild took shape.
A main building was erected in the center,
and various service buildings such as lodging, infirmary, and training grounds were constructed around it.
As time passed,
The supervisor sent by the central mercenary guild had arrived.
