Chapter 13 – Chapter 3. Mint Champion.
Why is this motherfuckin’ bitch here?
Jihyeok thought about the reason this warrior year came here. However, there were so many incidents and accidents on the continent that it was not easy to quickly recall what exactly was the reason. Besides, it was a long time ago…
His thoughts gradually expanded from here in Eretria to the surrounding cities. The eyes that had been closed for a moment flashed open.
Still, it was a life that regressed fifteen times. Although it is said that this and that are jumbled together, if you calmly sort them out one by one, you will eventually be able to find clues.
… Is it because of the incident that happened in Helladium?
The Helladium Mass Disappearance.
It was an incident that Jihyeok had never experienced before. He knew only the superficial things because he had only heard about the incidents or stories, but it was still in his memory because it was mentioned occasionally.
To begin with, this was an incident committed by witches. I don’t know if it’s one or two people missing, but since the number is over a hundred, the city can’t just be overlooked.
Of course, at first the baron tried to solve it, but even after several months, the problem showed no signs of being resolved.
While things were dragging along like that, a big thing happened. The baron’s youngest son was also missing. The baron frantically searched for his son, but in the end he was nowhere to be found.
So the baron eventually asked for help from the empire, and now Elim has been dispatched to this place.
Jihyeok couldn’t remember whether the baron’s youngest son was alive or dead. … Still, a long time had passed since he disappeared, and it was questionable whether the man-eating witch would still have kept him alive.
Anyway, that’s what I mean.
I needed money to get to the capital of the empire anyway, and it was just right to make money. Moreover, my youngest son’s life is at stake, so will a nobleman spare money? Even if you find only the white bone corpse, you will be rewarded generously.
In addition, he was able to make a connection with the warrior in advance. Now, as in the past, he had to avoid reckless competition with other warriors. Even if it’s not a biting and sucking relationship, you should make a minimum crush. … Of course, I don’t know how much it will work for that damn fairy bitch.
Jihyeok saw the warrior. The fairy was sitting on a chair and wagging her legs while taking questions from the trainees. He quietly got up and went out of the auditorium.
He went straight to Instructor Andrei. The instructor welcomed him, asking why he had come here.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Ask? Yes, tell me anything.”
“I would like you to write one letter of recommendation.”
“Letter of recommendation?”
Andrei’s eyes widened slightly. Then, the corner of his mouth went up.
“… Yeah, well thought out It’s good to join a guild first. It’s not easy to start from the bottom. Of course you’ll do just fine, but why do you have to go through all that trouble? … There is a guild I know well. Could you introduce me to it? Not bad for a short stay.”
“It’s not because of the guild.”
“Not a guild? … Then?”
The instructor’s laughter disappeared. Conversely, a smile formed on Jihyeok’s lips.
“A letter of recommendation for a mercenary.”
· · ·
Eight long weeks passed, and the trainees finally met their last day at the academy.
Although it was graduation day, it was not much different from usual. We just listened to Rallop’s speech and then we went our separate ways.
“Then, get along well.”
With the exception of Jihyeok, all four of them settled in the guild. In particular, Ungorab, a buff magician, joined a guild that everyone knows just by hearing the name. Everyone seemed envious that he had already succeeded.
All five humans left the academy without regret. Before leaving, we smiled and greeted each other, but when we turned around, no one looked back. … It was a relationship that passed by for a while anyway. It’s more ridiculous to have lingering there.
Jihyeok walked leisurely alone with a backpack wrapped around him. Nobody cared about him Now he was neither a warrior nor anything. Something was heartbreaking. In this utter indifference, he felt at ease.
Should I just leave like this? Leave somewhere and don’t come back
If there was a paradise somewhere on this continent, he had a real heart to put this idea into practice. However, unfortunately, there was no such paradise on the continent.
The continent was a seething inferno. A terrible inferno where monsters appear, monsters appear, demons appear, demon kings appear, and later even the great demon king appears.
Damn, it’s such a fucking world.
Jihyeok let out a self-deprecating laugh as he put the dried meat in his snout and chewed it. It was a very damned world where people wouldn’t let anyone around even if they wanted to live in peace.
“Oh, brother, let’s go play. I will treat you well.”
A prostitute wearing heavy makeup, half-baring her breasts, had been soliciting customers with a lecherous laugh already in broad daylight. After all, she had been teasing her for weeks until her cock smelled like urine, and she was pretty hungry for a woman.
But the problem was no money. I did bring a few pennies, but that was the carriage fee. Except for the cost of living there, there was little to spare. Sorry but I just have to go now.
Jihyeok first headed to the mercenary guild. He said the building was crowded with mercenaries looking for work. The foul smell of unwashed stung his nose relentlessly.
Baby, chew, the smell of rice.
He waved his palm around his nose, waiting for his turn.
“Next.”
An employee called Jihyeok. He went to the counter and handed out a letter of recommendation. Originally, registering as a mercenary is annoying because there are many things to prove, but it was very convenient because it was solved with just one letter of recommendation.
Furthermore, if you registered with a letter of recommendation, you could receive a pension, not the same grade. You don’t have to struggle from the start, that’s it.
“Here you go. Next.”
The employee quickly completed registration, held out a silver plaque, and called for the next turn. Jihyeok put his hand in his pocket and quickly got out of the smelly place.
He went straight to the gathering of the wagons. He felt comfortable and liked using the top, but that was far from enough even with all the money he had. Also, he was vague about getting the timing right. He had no choice but to change several times.
Naturally, the carriage was full of faces that looked like they had no money. It seemed to smell poor. Excluding Jihyeok, there were one orc, one goblin, and two humans.
“I’m sorry, now let’s load up properly and leave.”
The orc frowned sternly and spoke so ferociously. The timid goblin averted her gaze from the orc.
As more passengers could not be saved, the driver also started driving the carriage. This is-. The wagon carrying the five rattled once and left the city of Eretria.
Jihyeok looked at the city walls that were gradually receding behind a tail of rising dust. All the landscapes he had seen many times overlapped in his mind.
You’re leaving this time
The city soon disappeared from his sight. Another carriage clung to their rear.
Jihyeok was busy watching this and that, and quickly got tired of it and closed his eyes.
With the sight gone, the sounds became clearer.
However, that too soon faded into darkness.
· · ·
After ten days, Jihyeok finally arrived at the city of Helladium.
The size of the city was similar to that of the starting city, Eretria, but the number of people was significantly smaller than that of Eretria.
The city seemed peaceful on the outside. However, there was a dark spot somewhere on the faces of people coming and going on the main street. Since the disappearance case is still in progress, it must be that the anxiety is revealed in the expression.
He filled his hungry stomach first and then headed to the mercenary guild.
This place, which was once so crowded that there was no gap to step on, now only flies flew around. It was because all the mercenaries, who were frantic about finding the baron’s son, had given up and left. There is no need to stick to this place where there is no money anyway.
Jihyeok glanced at the mercenary building. He has a rough assortment, but he couldn’t hide his shabby appearance. It’s a place that doesn’t generate a lot of profit in the first place, so you can’t expect anything great.
It was empty, so there was no need to line up. He went straight to the counter. He asked the female employee kindly what happened to her. How can a mercenary guild employee be kind? It seemed that the business was out of business.
“I want to have a job.”
“Oh, of course there is a lot of work.”
And then he recited the things he did. Listening closely to what he was saying, it seemed that there were no mercenaries, so he even brought in a service job.
“No, not like that.”
Jihyeok took out a silver plaque from his bosom and showed it to him. Only then did the employee’s eyes change slightly. It was a proof that it wasn’t a dog bone that had been scavenged from just about anywhere.
“Something worth the money.”
“There should be…”
“I’ve heard a little bit too.”
Of course there was none of that. But he saw a flop once. Maybe it’s secretly recruiting.
“That… , I don’t have permission. Would you like to go upstairs and meet the manager?”
The female employee asked to see the branch manager. Are you right? Still, it seemed like he had come to the right place. If it wasn’t a big deal, there wouldn’t be a need to go to the branch manager. Since it involved the hero, it must have been something that could not be done lightly.
Jihyeok nodded in agreement and went up the stairs next to the counter. In the middle of the hallway, there was an orc guard swarming around. Jihyeok pointed to the stairs with his thumb and said that the staff had asked him to go up and meet the manager.
“Losing?”
Still, he was quite meticulous about the Orcs. Or maybe he was well educated.
Jihyeok took out a silver medal from his pocket and showed it. It was only then that the orc nodded his chin, telling him to go. He passed the security guard and stopped at the branch manager’s office at the end of the hallway. And he knocked lightly on the door.
– Who is this?
“I’m here for work.”
– Come in.
Before Jihyeok entered, he glanced behind him. The orc was staring at him with his arms crossed. He went into the room and slammed the door shut.
Still, it’s a branch manager’s office, so it’s decorated pretty nicely. Jihyeok glanced inside and looked at the branch manager. He was a man who looked to be around 40 years old. Her thin eyes and lips gave a pretty sharp impression.
“For what?”
“Because I have something important to do.”
As Jihyeok said that, he took out his silver plaque and showed it. The branch manager nodded his head.
“This is something that needs to be kept secret. The moment you hear it, you can’t deny it. Or put in jail until the job is done. … Are you okay though?”
“Yes.”
“Well then… , This.”
The branch manager opened a drawer, took out a piece of paper, and pushed it toward Ji-hyeok. He slowly approached the desk. It was a memorandum.
“Write your number and name there.”
Jihyeok wrote the number and name of the mercenary in the empty space at the bottom. Then he showed the card to the branch manager again to check if the number written on it was the same as the number signed.
“… Good.”
The branch manager took the memorandum back and shoved it into the drawer. Then he put his arms on the desk and rested his chin on it.
“It is related to the disappearance case. It seems that the hero needs a mercenary of silver rank or higher.”
Again-. The predictions were just right.
“Keep in mind that His Excellency is very sensitive about this matter. He has not yet given up on his son.”
“… Okay.”
“The basic fee is 30 gold coins. In addition, additional payments may be made depending on performance.”
“Can I get some advance?”
“Not possible. Then, of course, you know that there will be an additional fee, right?”
“Does not matter.”
“How much?”
“10%.”
The branch manager wrote a payment letter and handed it to Jihyeok. The advance payment was 10% of the remuneration and three gold coins. Instead, the fee increased from 20% to 5%.
“Even if we can’t find all the people by the deadline, the work will start. There are three days left.”
“All right.”
“Since there are four of you, you know that first.”
He motioned for me to leave.
Jihyeok came out of the branch manager’s office.
