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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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If I wanted to secure the items marked on the map, their watchful eyes would only be a hindrance.
However, considering the uncertain situation with Jutus, it wasn’t a bad idea to let it slide this time.
‘There are pros and cons.’
But even after two days, there was no sign of an attack.
And when we finally left Doriem’s territory and arrived at Baron Jutus’s territory…
“Well, well. You’re early.”
A group blocked our path.
They were unfamiliar faces.
“Are you the infamous warlock group from Doriem?”
A large man asked, looking at us.
“…Are you mercenaries operating in Baron Jutus’s territory?”
“Who else would be here? So, the warlock group is just five people?”
‘It seems the information has been distorted.’
“So, why are you blocking our way?”
“We can’t just let mercenaries from Doriem freely pass through our territory. Who knows what a warlock might do?”
Thanks to our skills, conduct, and the Mercenary Guild’s guarantee, we weren’t easily discriminated against in Doriem for being warlocks.
But it was a different story here.
“We have the guarantee of the Doriem Mercenary Guild. We’re on a request, so please step aside.”
“…A guarantee? I heard you haven’t even been registered for long.”
I took out my badge and showed it to them.
“…Doriem has gone too far. Guaranteeing warlocks, who haven’t even been registered for a year?”
Not even a year? It hadn’t even been three months.
‘Honestly, it would have been difficult without the royal family’s intervention.’
They probably all knew that there must have been some backdoor dealings.
“So? Are you going to keep blocking us? Obstructing a mercenary with the branch’s guarantee for such a trivial reason will cause problems.”
“…Mercenaries from Doriem can’t run rampant in Jutus’s territory. Go back.”
“You’re openly obstructing a request?”
“That’s Jutus’s will.”
The large mercenary took out a badge from his pocket.
It looked familiar.
“…Don’t tell me.”
“I am Eryan of Jutus. As one of the representative mercenaries of the Jutus branch, I refuse to allow mercenaries from Doriem to operate freely in our territory.”
“If you ignore our warning, we can’t guarantee your safety.”
“…This is troublesome.”
He was a mercenary guaranteed by the Jutus Mercenary Guild.
‘Is this the official stance of the Jutus Mercenary Guild branch?’
Judging from his confident demeanor, it seemed likely.
‘It’s not easy to claim to represent a certain power.’
You needed the qualifications.
‘But I didn’t expect them to completely block our passage.’
Normally, obstructing our request like this was unacceptable.
What if we were on a merchant escort request?
Then the merchant we were escorting wouldn’t be able to enter Jutus’s territory.
Would the Jutus mercenaries take over the escort? That could create friction between the merchant and Doriem, and even if it didn’t, the escort fee would double.
‘They would be losing money if they provided the escort for free.’
They might feel satisfied in the short term.
But the losses would accumulate, and in the worst case, merchants would avoid Jutus.
‘Then the lord would be the only one suffering losses.’
Completely cutting off trade with the outside world and choosing isolation?
While Doriem continued to grow?
‘They might not feel it now, but in ten years, they would lose their territory.’
There was no way they would do something so foolish.
And the headquarters wouldn’t like it either.
It would damage the credibility of the entire Mercenary Guild.
But ironically, they were doing just that.
“Are you out of your mind?”
The man who identified himself as Eryan answered my question.
“It’s our official stance.”
“You’re choosing isolation? How are you going to explain this to the headquarters?”
Eryan gave me a strange smirk.
“Do you think we’re fools? Foolish enough to act without a plan?”
‘It means there’s something going on…’
At the very least, they had discussed it with the headquarters.
‘I lack information.’
I didn’t remember anything like this happening in my previous life.
There were frequent clashes and escalated conflicts, but something this big, openly blocking entry to the territory, wouldn’t have gone unnoticed.
‘Is it because of me?’
Something must have changed because of me.
‘The royal family? Or could it be the Holy Empire?’
If the Holy Empire had learned about the royal family’s involvement because of Annelise…
‘Did Jutus side with the Goddess Religion?’
Then it would make sense.
If they were trying to check the royal family and obstruct me, a warlock, at the same time…
“What should we do?”
Kayla asked me.
“It will take a long time if we take a detour.”
That wouldn’t do.
I was planning to visit the ruin, and it would take too long.
But if they, especially the lord of Jutus, had truly joined forces with the Goddess Religion…
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
I immediately asked Eryan.
“Did you say the Jutus Mercenary Guild refuses to allow mercenaries from Doriem to operate in your territory?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm, then how about this?”
I looked him in the eye and asked.
“I’ll hire you.”
“How much?”
“I’ll hire you and your mercenary group. The period… let’s be generous. Two weeks should be enough.”
Eryan looked bewildered.
“The request is to escort us. To be precise, to escort us within Jutus’s territory.”
I would have liked to request an escort all the way to Doriem’s territory, but there were a few obstacles.
So, in a way, it felt like paying a toll…
‘But I can’t back down.’
It had to appear as if I was hiring him.
“…Do you think I would accept that?”
“We’re just passing through for a request. There’s no reason for us to fight you. Just let us pass quietly. Or what? Is Baron Jutus going to block the passage of even free citizens?”
I emphasized our status as free citizens, not mercenaries.
“And if you escort us, you can prevent any potential trouble from occurring.”
“…You want me, someone guaranteed by Jutus, to go against Jutus’s will?”
“What’s the problem with a mercenary making a request? I’m saying again, we’re just passing through. This is just a path we’re taking during a request.”
Eryan remained silent.
‘He seems a bit shaken.’
He might not like the fact that I was a warlock and from Doriem, but it was strange to outright refuse a request that practically offered free money.
The mercenaries around him were murmuring.
I spoke before they could regain their composure.
“30 gold.”
“No, let’s change that. I’ll give you 50 gold.”
It was practically throwing money down the drain, but I didn’t stop.
“50 gold for just two weeks. And you don’t even have to leave your territory. Just let us pass through quietly twice. Only when we’re passing through your territory.”
“And two weeks is a generous estimate. Baron Jutus’s territory isn’t that large, so you’ll only have to escort us for about two days.”
The remaining time would be spent retrieving the book and clearing the ruin, and they could just continue doing what they were doing.
They hadn’t expected me to offer 50 gold, so their commotion grew louder.
“…It must be an important request.”
I answered honestly.
“It’s a loss.”
“It’s a loss for me to hire you.”
I smirked and continued.
“But there’s something more important at stake.”
Eryan hesitated for a moment before answering.
“…Your credibility.”
“That’s right. It’s my first designated request.”
Eryan seemed to understand the situation.
“Your first designated request after receiving the guarantee, I see. Well, there’s nothing more important than that.”
He seemed to understand its importance, as he also had the branch’s guarantee.
And I was a warlock, a rising star.
And on top of that, I had the branch’s guarantee, so this request was even more crucial.
‘I have to make it seem like I’m willing to take a loss.’
And it was true.
“…Not bad. Or rather, it’s good. We don’t have to leave the territory anyway…”
Perhaps because of the 50 gold or the mercenaries around him, Eryan showed a positive reaction.
He even seemed to be seriously considering it.
‘Hmm, that’s unexpected.’
Honestly, I thought it would take at least 100 gold to persuade them.
The higher you climbed, the less you could do with money, but for mercenaries, there was practically nothing that couldn’t be solved with money.
Therefore, I had planned to offer them an irresistible sum, but it seemed like 50 gold might be enough.
“Hey, warlock. If you’re going to spend it anyway, why not a little more…”
“Forget it.”
I cut him off firmly.
“Why are you being so stubborn? Negotiation is part of the deal, isn’t it?”
“50 gold isn’t a small amount. I’m just trying to make an effort since it’s my first request.”
Honestly, in a normal situation, the guild would have understood.
What could they do if I was practically declaring war on the entire branch? I could even cancel the request with little to no penalty.
Especially if negotiations were impossible despite such efforts…
‘Of course, that’s only in a normal situation.’
I couldn’t do that. So it was essentially a bluff.
“Don’t you think we could just take it by force?”
“Are you confident?”
“Confident, you say.”
I tilted my head and said.
“Do you think I’m negotiating because I lack the strength?”
Eryan silently scrutinized me.
Kayla subtly stepped forward, and Athena also took half a step back, glancing at Eryan’s surroundings.
Her presence gradually faded.
Then Baldur also gripped his weapon.
“I’m just trying to avoid trouble and solve it with money. It’s a bit expensive, but my time is more valuable than money.”
Eryan seemed to think for a moment before nodding.
“…Alright. I accept the request. But I’ll officially report it to the guild. Is that okay?”
He could have pocketed the 50 gold without paying any commission, but it seemed he wanted to play it safe and involve the guild.
“I don’t mind.”
“Your guild might not like it.”
I had solved it with money, but this situation would inevitably be reported to Doriem.
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