34 – Episode 34: Mud Bath
＜Episode 34: Mud Bath＞
Dark night.
Near the Seriver Forest.
The leader lay on the ground.
Damp moisture rose from the ground.
The land, tainted by magic, made it even more uncomfortable.
“Damn. Damn. Damn.”
Moving a long distance, I thought today would be easygoing.
But camping?
“Handle this mission properly this time.”
The next morning.
My body felt uncomfortable due to the damp ground.
The same was true for other members.
“We’re going to raid the villagers.”
There are various ways to cause turmoil.
Among them, we decided to use rain.
“Do you mean people?”
“Monster Island has recently seen a rapid increase in mercenaries. What if those mercenaries start killing villagers? How would they react?”
“They’ll be afraid.”
“They’ll reject the mercenaries.”
“Yeah, kill a few villagers, leave only traces behind. This mission will be over.”
The Swiper Mercenary Unit packed up the camp and left the forest.
Unlike yesterday, they scouted areas where villagers were present instead of where mercenaries were active.
However.
“What on earth happened to this village?”
What is a village?
Literally, it’s a place where people live.
‘No children. No women. Only men.’
If it were just this, it would be a manageable task within my abilities.
However.
‘No one acting independently.’
The Swiffer Mercenaries couldn’t possibly raid the village.
Like predators hunting.
They had to target those who strayed from the herd.
‘It’s like… a military.’
While searching for gaps in the village,
the day grew darker.
The Swiffer Mercenaries had no choice but to retreat into the forest.
The next day.
And the day after.
Despite scouring the gaps in the village,
they couldn’t find anyone.
The more they knew, the more difficult it seemed.
The people here lived a thorough, organized life.
Everyone wakes up to cultivate the land.
Even after the farming is done, they pick up weapons and undergo training.
It doesn’t end here.
They erected a watchtower to monitor day and night, keeping an eye on the surroundings.
In the village of Seriver, it was the third night.
The commander gathered the members.
“We’re calling off the killing of villagers.”
“What? Then how…?”
The objective of the mission was to disrupt something the lord of this place was trying to do by gathering mercenaries.
The goal wasn’t to kill villagers.
“We’ll attack the mercenaries.”
Normally, it’s easier to kill peasants than mercenaries.
But here, it was different.
It seemed better to ambush the mercenaries in the fields.
“Rest well tonight. We’ll be busy starting tomorrow.”
**
**
The Seriver Mercenary Guild.
“Well, well. This is something.”
Chief Kai Man meticulously read through the stack of mercenary documents.
“There aren’t many like them.”
Einne, who was looking at the documents with Kai Man, spoke up.
“There have been three attack incidents. It might not be just accidents or conflicts, but intentional.”
Kaiman placed the paper on the desk.
“So, what do you think?”
“It might not be among these.”
If the mercenary attack was the initial aim, they might not have visited the Frost River Mercenary Guild.
“Don’t you need a mercenary badge to utilize the nearby facilities?”
“Not everyone utilized them.”
If Aine’s words were correct, it was a bigger issue.
Whether it was mercenaries or a mercenary group,
or even another individual,
an unknown entity was attacking mercenaries in the field.
“What should we do?”
“We need to inform Lord Elwin.”
Kaiman frowned.
It was his first incident managing the mercenary guild.
Yet, he had to report to Lady Soyoung rather than prove his capabilities.
“Dad, if the situation escalates, the mercenary guild itself might close its doors. We should seek help as much as possible.”
From the start, Monster Island had a bad image.
If a mercenary attack incident occurred in such a situation and they couldn’t prevent it?
It could happen as Aine said.
“Let’s go to Lady Soyoung.”
Seryeber. So Youngju’s study.
“So, someone is attacking the mercenaries?”
“Yes.”
The moment I heard the contents, one person came to mind.
“Is it Brieda? Is she using mercenaries just like I am?”
I closed my eyes and erased thoughts of Brieda from my mind.
Right now, I had to stop the unknown presence attacking the mercenaries.
“What should I do?”
With my resources combined with the mercenaries, it shouldn’t be difficult to confront the enemy.
The problem is that they’re hiding.
“They’re like mosquitoes hiding in the house.”
Extremely annoying and, moreover, deadly.
In reality, the number of humans killed by mosquitoes was staggeringly high.
“How do I catch these mosquitoes?”
Filling the house with insect repellent?
No. The area where the mercenaries operate is vast.
Blocking access with mosquito nets?
NO. It can be said that I’m already inside.
‘Wait. Mosquito net?’
A mosquito net.
A mesh net used to protect against mosquitoes and other pests.
Instead of finding mosquitoes hiding in the house, it’s a method to protect humans that they target.
‘Do we really need to search the entire wide land? Just as mosquitoes come to humans, won’t they come for mercenaries?’
Clues began to form in my mind.
“This mission is called Mosquito Extermination.”
“Suddenly, what’s that…?”
I explained how to catch them.
Having heard the whole story, Kaiman and Aine returned to the Mercenary Guild.
And I instructed the staff to send a letter to Hans.
Since we need to catch mosquitoes, move to the specified location.
**
**
Returning to the Mercenary Guild, Kaiman attached a new request.
On the wide request board.
A third request was added there.
“What’s this? What’s this?”
“A new request?”
The mercenaries gathered at the guild.
“Are we going to monitor the fields with the soldiers?”
“Is someone attacking the mercenaries?”
Watching the mercenaries gossiping in front of the bulletin board, Kaiman fell into thought.
‘Lord Elwin… might be more impressive than I thought.’
He recalled the conversation they had in Lord Elwin’s office.
“Lord Elwin, you said you would monitor all the mercenaries in the field? Do you know how many there are?”
“We’ve registered about 500. Excluding those in the village, it’s around 400. Since they don’t travel alone, let’s generously estimate party units of about 100.”
“I see. How do you plan to monitor them? Can you even find the mercenaries in the field?”
“It’s possible.”
As the conversation went on, Lord Elwin called for someone.
His uncle, Miller Jhael.
When he explained the situation to Miller, his reaction was unexpected.
“100 parties? That shouldn’t be too difficult.”
Surprised by his words, Kaiman interjected.
“hahahaha, 100 parties in such a vast area? Is that possible?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Quite. It’s possible. Because I’m the leader of the largest guild of hunters in Ireland.”
On the continent, hunters were also considered mercenaries, but here they differentiated between the two professions.
Hunter.
Unlike mercenaries, they specialize in things other than combat, such as finding paths and setting traps.
“How many are there?”
“500. If you include the kids learning below, it’s over 600.”
Kaiman finished reminiscing and went up to the office.
.
.
A few days later,
Mercenary Guild Branch Office.
“Two more incidents occurred, so a total of five, correct?”
“That’s right. It was discovered by the hunters dispatched this time.”
“How many participated in the mosquito extermination request?”
“About thirty. The remaining number in the village wasn’t that large.”
“Fewer than expected.”
I looked at Kaiman sitting in front.
“Even the branch manager participated as a mercenary.”
Kaiman glanced at the sword lying on one side of the room.
“I see. I’ll have to see the faces of those bastards too.”
I left the Mercenary Guild with Kaiman.
**
**
Monster Island.
Orc region.
Simon and his companions set up a campsite together.
“I’ll take the first watch.”
“Okay. Wake me up if it’s time.”
Everyone fell asleep,
and Simon alone surveyed the surroundings.
Just in case any orcs approached, he had to be ready to fight.
As time passed, sleep started to creep in little by little.
He stood up from his spot.
It was to avoid falling asleep.
Then,
Swoosh.
Swoosh.
He heard the sound of something brushing through the bushes.
It wasn’t the sound of the wind.
It was more like the sound of an animal or a monster moving through the bushes.
Simon’s fur stood on end.
He quietly woke up his companions.
Swooshswooshswooshswoosh.
Having noticed the movement on this side,
the rustling of the bushes grew rougher.
“Hurry! Get your weapons ready!”
As comrades rose from their positions, weapons in hand,
they found themselves surrounded by a dozen mercenaries, their faces concealed by robes.
“Simon, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know. They approached suddenly.”
Simon spoke to his comrades and stepped forward, half in a fit.
“We’re not sure what’s happening, but we’re on a mission to exterminate monsters.”
Even with his explanation, the dubious mercenaries remained tight-lipped.
Instead, they drew their swords and tightened the encirclement even further.
“Fall back. They’ve come here with purpose.”
“What should we do?”
Simon spoke to his comrades, surveying the surroundings.
The posture of the foes.
Their weapons.
And even their gazes.
They were as sharp as honed blades.
“Their skills aren’t to be underestimated. But there are quite a few of them…”
The thought of somehow avoiding a fight crossed his mind.
“Do you want money? I will give you all the money I have. So please let us go.”
Even at the mention of money, the enemies remained silent.
They gradually closed in, tightening their net at the same speed as before.
And when they got close enough,
Thunk!
I barely blocked the enemy’s strike.
“I missed the moment…”
I was fully focused on the enemy in front of me.
Yet, I barely managed to block the strike.
It was more of an instinctive reaction than a conscious effort.
Thunk. Thunk.
I blocked two more attacks.
But the problem arose from another direction.
“Ah!”
I turned my head at the familiar voice.
My comrade, who I had been together with for years, was clutching his chest and falling to the ground.
Blood seeped through his fingers pressed against his chest.
“Why is this happening!”
Angry, Simon attacked the enemy in return.
And the result was tragic.
The attack ended up in failure, and instead, I got wounded in the arm.
“Argh…”
As time went on, the situation worsened.
The number of casualties increased one by one.
The circular formation I stood in for defense gradually shrank.
“Damn it… Is this really the end?”
It’s been five years since I started working as a mercenary.
During that time, I gathered comrades and formed a party.
Even the latest member to join had been with us for over three years.
We all disliked conflicts with humans and mainly focused on hunting monsters.
“But to think something like this would happen…”
I couldn’t endure any longer.
Even I, the strongest member in the party, was at this level…
There was no need to say anything about the other party members.
“Damn it!!! I’ll take one of them with me out of resentment!!”
I focused on the enemy in front of me.
Even if this attack had a sting of regret, I swore to pierce through the enemy’s heart.
But…
Boom! Boom!
I heard a noise, and the sky brightened.
He heard voices around him.
“Mosquito spotted!”
“Mosquito spotted!”
