33 – Muddy Water
＜Chapter 33 – Muddy Water＞
As the number of mercenaries increased,
the issue of how to manage them was being addressed in the River as well.
“The number of mercenaries entering the River is 392. It’s still increasing rapidly.”
“That’s good.”
“Master, the situation isn’t as positive as it seems. There have been countless cases of mercenaries inciting rebellion.”
Russell’s concerns were understood.
But they weren’t significant enough to worry about.
“The ones gathering now are either Innocent Mercenaries or acquaintances of Kaiman.”
“But…”
“I, as the Lord of Frontier, have over a thousand slave soldiers under my command.”
Russell didn’t say anything further and brought up the next topic.
“There are other issues as well.”
“What’s that?”
“The referral system.”
“Why is that?”
“The mercenaries are exploiting the referral system.”
A group of mercenaries comes and recommends each other.
“It’s fine. As long as they come…”
“But, Lady Soyoung.”
“And the referral system isn’t just to call people.”
The referral system gives a 10% reward to the referrer.
And the reward is paid by the Seryber Mercenary Guild.
“So you arranged to receive it yourself.”
“Yes.”
Even if it’s for the subsidy, one has to stay on Monster Island.
The more mercenaries are involved through the referral system, the more they become tied to this place.
“If there’s nothing else, let’s end it here.”
“Understood.”
“Understood.”
The subordinates left the room.
After a while, I also went out.
To go to the Mercenary Guild.
Unlike before, the Mercenary Guild was bustling with people.
They were sitting at tables, chatting away.
I passed by them and went upstairs.
Knock knock.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me. Elwin.”
The door opened, revealing the new branch manager, Kaiman.
“How did Lady Soyoung end up here?”
Kaiman, the one-armed mercenary.
Despite missing an arm, he didn’t look weak at all.
Of course, in reality, he wasn’t weak.
He was an A-class mercenary with sword expertise.
“I have one concern to discuss.”
“A concern? What is it?”
“Wouldn’t mercenaries cause trouble?”
He had assured his subordinates, but there was a worrying aspect.
Unlike slaves, mercenaries didn’t benefit from the effects of skills.
“Currently, around 400 mercenaries are active, but there’s no need to worry.”
The mercenaries gathered here were familiar with each other.
Even if they didn’t know Morder, they were all in close relationships just a leg’s distance away.
Therefore, Kaiman explained that the likelihood of problems arising was low.
“I also think so, but… Kaiman, please keep an eye on them.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t want them causing trouble either.”
For now, there wasn’t much I could do.
I couldn’t directly intervene to control the mercenaries.
‘First, I’ll leave it to Kaiman, and I’ll find a way on my own.’
After finishing the matter at hand, as I tried to stand up,
Kaiman spoke up.
“I have a request too.”
He reattached his hips to the chair, which had been separated.
“What is it?”
“Please accept retired mercenaries.”
It wasn’t a simple issue.
I leaned back in the chair and sat deeply.
After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I spoke up.
“Can they farm?”
“They may not have experience, but if you ask, they can do it.”
It wasn’t the answer I wanted.
Why would mercenaries ‘retire’ from their work?
There are two main reasons.
First is injury.
Second is age.
It may sound harsh,
but whether injured or elderly, they are not ideal members of a community.
Perhaps my concern was lingering.
Kaiman began to actively persuade.
“Consider this. If we treat retired mercenaries well, active-duty ones will feel more at ease to operate.”
Although they may not be suitable as new residents,
What about me? Could I not utilize them efficiently?
I raised my gaze, meeting Kaiman’s.
“Bring them in. We’ll provide jobs tailored to their situations.”
Kaiman’s face brightened.
“Thank you very much. I thought Lord Elwin would accept, being so gracious.”
Kaiman, Ine, and even the Innocent Mercenary Corps.
It seems they all trust my goodwill.
But, I’m not such a kind person.
Accepting retired mercenaries was a decision made considering economic factors.
“Assign elite mercenaries to training and the rest to suitable jobs… Besides, it’s not like a lot of budget goes into elder welfare like Earth.”
Satisfied, our conversation ended.
“Well then…”
As I tried to rise, this time, the door to the chief’s office opened.
“Dad!”
Ine exclaimed loudly as she entered.
“Oh… Ah. Elwin, you’re here.”
Ine greeted, hesitating at the doorway.
“Sit over here. What brings you here?”
Kaiman pointed to the empty chair, and Aine took a seat.
She looked at me and explained the reason for her visit.
“I was told to finish my supervisory duties and return.”
“So soon?”
Kaiman’s face darkened.
It seemed he was reluctant to part with his daughter.
Aine was no different.
“No issues have arisen so far, and my father has been appointed as the regional manager, so I was asked to come back early.”
“Oh… that’s regrettable.”
Listening to the conversation between the two women,
an opportunity presented itself.
An opportunity to employ talent.
“Ahem, both of you seem to be expressing regret.”
The woman turned her gaze to me simultaneously.
“I have a good idea. Would you like to hear it?”
Aine, the supervisor dispatched from the central mercenary guild.
She knew a lot about mercenaries from a young age.
She had worked in the mercenary guild since becoming an adult.
Although she was 20 years old, she had five years of experience in the mercenary industry.
He was indeed good at his job.
With vast knowledge, he handled his tasks meticulously.
‘Even emotionally, there’s an attachment.’
Aine had a cold personality.
Starting from her expression, everything seemed stiff.
But to me, she was easy to read.
She felt like someone similar to Alencia but even more comfortable.
‘If I were to put it into words… it’s like a close university junior.’
Good at work, and our hearts aligned.
So, there was no reason not to hire her.
“Lord Elwin, are you suggesting I quit the mercenary guild and take charge of managing the village?”
“Not exactly the village, more like matters related to mercenaries. So… I hope you’d manage the mercenary district.”
The mercenary guild and its affiliated buildings are in Serivera.
Naming a separate village didn’t seem appropriate.
Therefore, the term “mercenary district” was used.
Aine hesitated, alternating her gaze between Kaiman and me.
She seemed troubled.
“Think about what I told you. There’s not much to do within the mercenary guild. The better things go here, the more other guilds will follow suit.”
Competition, as both I and Aine mentioned.
If one advances, others inevitably follow suit.
Otherwise, it will decline.
From Noble mtl dot com
Aine’s expression resonated with my persuasion.
“Alright. I agree with that part too.”
I promptly brought Aine to my office.
“This is the progress of additional construction.”
“This is the current status of mercenaries and the distribution of subjugated monsters.”
“This is the status of recommended mercenaries and those recommended to us.”
“And this is…”
“This too…”
I handed Aine about a third of the documents on the desk.
“Are these… my responsibilities?”
“That’s right. Your job.”
Aine’s expression stiffened.
It seemed like she realized she was caught.
“Aine.”
“Yes, Sir Elwin.”
I placed my hand on Aine’s shoulder.
Recall the conversation we had while watching the sunset.
“The determination to make the Mercenary Guild great.”
“…”
“The more we work hard and develop the mercenary district, the more the Mercenary Guild will also develop. It’s because we compete with each other.”
“… Understood.”
Aine turned her body, holding a stack of documents up to her face.
I quickly opened the office door.
Just as Aine was about to leave the room,
“Oh, I almost forgot. We need to assign jobs to retired mercenaries. Assign the higher-ranked ones to education. The rest can be in charge of managing the mercenary district. Or we can put them to work in agriculture.”
“Is that… also part of my job?”
“Of course, you’re smart, Aine. Well then, good luck.”
Bang.
As soon as the conversation ended, I closed the door.
I closed it hastily, making a loud noise.
“Good.”
I sat down at the desk in the office.
Looking at the documents that had decreased by one-third, I felt a sense of relief as if a burden had been lifted from my heart.
**
The Sweeper Mercenary Corps.
Just like the word “sweeper,” they are a mercenary group that cleans up all sorts of tasks.
“Captain, the place ahead is Seriver.”
“We’ve arrived.”
The area where the Sweeper Mercenary Corps mainly operates is the northern coastal region of the Empire.
Someone had come to them.
“Causing trouble, are you?”
From subduing large monsters to
war, assassination, and more.
For the Sweeper Mercenary Corps, who have done all sorts of jobs, it was not a difficult task.
“Leader, are we going to visit the Mercenary Guild like other mercenaries?”
“No. There’s nothing good about us being exposed.”
Unlike other mercenaries, the Sweeper Mercenary Corps did not visit the Mercenary Guild.
Instead, they went around the villages to get a feel for the atmosphere.
“How can we complete the mission?”
The exact details of the mission are interfering with what Soyeongju is doing.
In particular, they are gathering mercenaries to do something and ordered to prevent it.
After circling the village, they arrived at an inn.
“We’ve come a long way, so we’ll stay at the inn today. But never take off your robe where there are people around.”
“Yes, Leader!”
“Yes, Leader!”
The Sweeper Mercenary Corps entered the inn.
“It’s quite spacious and nice.”
“I’ll get a full night’s sleep today.”
The mercenaries were satisfied with the internal facilities.
“A private room and the rest as individual rooms, according to the number of people.”
“Thank you for visiting the mercenary inn. Would you like to show your mercenary badges first?”
They flinched at the employee’s words.
Their identity should not be revealed.
To anyone.
Silently.
They had to resolve the request and leave.
“A mercenary badge? Can’t we just keep it low-key?”
“I’m sorry. This place is only for mercenaries. If you’ve lost your badge, you can get a replacement at the guild up front.”
“Why not just accept some extra coins and let us in?”
“I apologize.”
Even the offer of more money was firmly rejected.
“This is ridiculous. Inns make money, don’t they? Turning away guests like this.”
The leader glanced around the inn.
A considerable number of mercenaries were drinking in the first-floor restaurant.
Instinctively, the leader pulled the hood of their robe to cover their face more.
Causing a disturbance here would immediately expose their identity.
“Damn. This is the first time I’ve seen an inn like this. We’ll go somewhere else.”
“Guests, there are no other inns here…”
Ignoring the employee’s words, he left the inn.
And…
“Ha! What in the world happened to this village? Only one inn?”
“Leader, we’re in trouble. What should we do?”
“…Camp in the forest.”
At the leader’s words, the expressions of the members hardened.
But there was no other choice.
No one should know that the Swiftpaw Mercenary Corps had come here.
“It’s better this way. There might have been someone recognizing us if we stayed at the inn. Let’s handle this request properly and go back. I’ll make sure you enjoy it properly on the continent.”
“Understood, Leader.”
“Understood, Leader.”
