Chapter 43: Mercenary (2)
“Sigh, what kind of nonsensical thing is the headquarters repeating…….”
Bailey, the Marzen branch manager of the Austin Mercenary Brokerage and an Expert swordsman.
He had recently been suffering from a headache due to a demand from above.
It was the directive to ‘recruit as many talents as possible, Experts or higher, preferably Graduates or higher, into the Mercenary world.’
“That’s a ridiculous story.”
Of course, Expert swordsmen, meaning talents who could receive a ‘Silver Plate’ by Mercenary Brokerage standards, had been gradually increasing in number recently.
The image of Mercenaries, who used to wander like rootless duckweed without discipline or system, had improved thanks to the ‘Mercenary King’ Austin’s efforts to unite them.
Also, as small and medium-sized Merchants frequently used Mercenaries who had developed a certain degree of order and trust, their earnings had become quite decent.
Compared to that, the worsening treatment of Unaffiliated Persons in Swordsmanship Guilds and training halls was also one of the favorable factors.
However, Graduates, super-elite talents who could receive a ‘Gold Plate’ by Mercenary Brokerage standards, were a different story.
In the first place, it was impossible for there to be many among the common folk with such skills, and even if there were, all swordsmanship organizations would be making every effort to recruit them.
‘Right now, even the kingdom’s representative Swordsmanship Guilds and large Swordsmanship Guilds are struggling to attract Graduates.
In such a situation, what Graduate would refuse an honorary Elder position to come work as a Mercenary.’
Of course, he understood the Mercenary King’s position.
For the development of the Mercenary industry, for the Mercenary Brokerage to become an all-weather group that encompassed everything from menial tasks to heroic duties, rather than just being a convenient scapegoat, upgrading the quality of their forces was essential.
To do that, they needed to recruit even a few more Graduate-level swordsmen and shower them with enormous privileges to entice others.
Of course.
‘It’s impossible for there to be a Graduate-level swordsman in a city of this ambiguous size, though.’
Sigh, Marzen branch manager Bailey sighed once again.
He wasn't even hoping for a Gold Plate Mercenary.
His honest feeling was that he wished many Bronze Plate-level talents, who had gained some experience at local Swordsmanship Guilds, would come, instead of the country youths who knocked on the Brokerage door day in and day out, brats who were barely worth a Wooden Plate.
At that moment, an employee who was continuing with paperwork next to the troubled branch manager spoke.
“Still, I think one, no, maybe two Silver Plate Mercenaries will be joining us this time?”
“What? Silver Plate? Expert-level?”
“Yes. Probably within a few days…… If it’s fast, they might even come today.”
“What? There was such talent in Marzen? Who on earth?”
“The Eddy Family.”
“Ah?”
“The Eddy Family. That… the group that’s been talked about a lot recently. Rumor has it among the Merchants that they’re quitting the thug life and going into Mercenary work, it's quite widespread?”
“……Tsk.”
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s not a bad thing, but……”
Bailey frowned.
The Eddy Family.
He was acquainted with a few of them.
Most were just so-so fellows, but the Boss, Eddy, and the Underboss, Pale, were definitely not bad.
He hadn’t seen it directly, but he had heard rumors that they had reached the level of Expert.
However, barely being able to draw out Aura and naturally handling Aura in actual combat were completely different stories.
By the Brokerage’s strict standards, it was correct to see them as not yet deserving a Silver Plate.
‘Besides, those guys are thugs.’
That was the problem.
Trust was just as important to a Mercenary as skill.
If they presented delinquents who could turn into bandits at any moment as Silver Plates, it would inevitably deal a huge blow to the Brokerage's image.
Of course, he had heard that those fellows, for thugs, tended to stay within certain lines, but he still felt it would be difficult to make proper use of them until they received letters of recommendation from Merchants or nobles.
At that moment, the employee, who had finished his work and was stretching, spoke again.
“Ughh…… Hmm! But, those people caused a major incident this time, didn’t they?”
“A major incident?”
“Yes. I heard they won in a friendly duel against the Portville Sword Family. If that’s the case, couldn’t they have gotten stronger than before?”
“Do you believe that rumor?”
Bailey looked at the employee with an incredulous expression.
Of course, he had ears, so he had heard things.
That the Eddy Family had requested a Wooden Sword duel to avenge an insult suffered at the hands of the Portville Sword Family, and that Eddy and Pale had shown tremendous performance there.
And behind them existed a real Boss named ‘Harang.’
However, Bailey did not believe this.
Because he knew the true strength of the Portville Sword Family.
“No matter how ambiguously the Portville Sword Family is treated outside of Marzen, their Family Head is a Graduate, no less. They’re worlds apart from those hollow families that are sword families in name only. Do you think an Expert-level swordsman, and a thug at that, who hasn't even properly learned swordsmanship, could defeat such a place?”
“But, since it was a Wooden Sword duel without using Aura Swords…… As I said earlier, they might have gotten stronger.”
“Ha! If my swordsmanship skills improved that quickly, I would have become a Graduate long ago…… Enough. Let’s not talk about it.”
Bailey shook his head.
This was why desk jockeys were no good.
At least, one had to know the basics of swordsmanship for a conversation to make sense, but this fellow tended to view this world too easily, which sometimes made him feel bad.
‘It’s a good thing you’re at least good at paperwork, if not for that, you would have been fired a long time ago.’
Just as the branch manager’s gaze on the back of the employee’s head was sharpening.
Kkiiik
The unoiled door of the Brokerage opened, and a group of people entered.
One, two, three, ten…… twenty-six.
Bailey narrowed his eyes at the scale, as if an entire Mercenary corps had visited, then spoke upon recognizing a face.
“The rumors were true. You decided to quit being thugs and become Mercenaries?”
“Why, can’t we?”
“You can. Of course, you can. The Austin Mercenary Brokerage always welcomes skilled swordsmen. However, there is one thing that worries me.”
“What is it?”
“Your reputation.”
“Reputation, you say……”
“How many Merchants would trust former thugs enough to entrust them with requests…… I, for one, don’t know yet.”
Bailey hit the nail on the head from the start.
At this, Eddy and the other members, no, former members, frowned but had nothing to retort.
It couldn't be helped.
No matter how loudly they shouted that they had turned over a new leaf and would live diligently from now on, what others saw was only their past actions.
To overcome the penalty from that and achieve great success as Mercenaries, they had to start again from the bottom, no, from a place deeper than the bottom.
They had to be prepared for that.
Fortunately, Pale, who had anticipated this kind of treatment, had made preparations in advance.
He took out a few pieces of paper from his bosom and handed them to Bailey.
“This is?”
“A signature list. The Merchants of Marzen signed it, saying they want to enter into protection contracts with us. I don’t know if you’ll believe it, but there was no coercion in the process.”
“Hoh……?”
Bailey looked at Pale with an interested expression.
It was as he said.
He couldn't know whether the Merchants had voluntarily signed this paper.
However, the fact that they had made this much preparation beforehand quite pleased him.
At least, it seemed they hadn't entered the Mercenary world just to test the waters.
“Good.”
Clap, he clapped his hands once and looked around at the Mercenaries.
In any case, these were men who had mustered the courage to wash away their dark past and step into the light.
Bailey, too, had a rough past, so he could sympathize with their situation to some extent, and he wanted to help them sincerely in any way he could.
He said.
“Follow me to the vacant lot behind the Brokerage. I need to see your skills.”
“Are we taking the ranking test right away?”
“That’s right. There’s no need to drag it out, is there? Of course, most will start with a Wooden Plate regardless of skill, but it wouldn’t hurt to check beforehand…… Ah, and I’m saying this out of concern, but don’t worry, I have no intention of lowballing you just because you’re former thugs. Though, I don’t intend to grade generously either……”
Having said this much, Bailey picked up a sword from the weapon rack.
Hung, Hwoong, his presence as he swung the real sword was considerable.
It seemed he had definitely surpassed the lower-level Expert.
Meaning, he was a powerhouse who would make even veteran Mercenaries’ eyes widen.
“Hmm.”
“Hmm.”
“……”
However, the Eddy Family’s reaction was strange.
As if they had seen that sort of thing often.
No, beyond that, as if that sort of thing was nothing.
Feeling this, the thought ‘Oh?’ popped into Bailey’s head.
‘Alright.
It seems there really was something going on with the Portville Sword Family…… I’ll thoroughly dig into it this time.’
Bailey, nodding, slung the sword over his shoulder and went out the back door.
Harang, Eddy, and the others followed him in a line.
And a short while later.
“……”
Bailey couldn't help but be astonished by the Eddy Family’s skill, which was completely different from what he had thought.
* * *
‘This is…… the skill of thugs?’
Marzen branch manager Bailey was flabbergasted.
He had no choice.
The strength of the Eddy Family, confirmed over about an hour, was at a level that was simply impossible not to be surprised by.
Of course, not everyone was like that.
Most of the Eddy Family had only been training for about a month, so there wasn't enough time to achieve noticeable accomplishments.
However, Eddy and Pale were different.
Woooooong-!
“Oh, what’s this? The Aura is coming out incredibly easily?”
“Indeed, Big Brother. It’s the same for me.”
Was it thanks to Harang’s guidance combined with the actual combat against the Portville Sword Family?
Eddy and Pale had not just stepped into the Expert realm but had completely settled into the lower-level Expert.
No, it was more accurate to say their skills had improved to the point where they could aim for mid-level with a little more effort.
Not only that, but their swordsmanship had also improved by leaps and bounds under Harang, becoming so smooth that they could no longer be seen as former thugs.
Bailey, who had once been part of a Swordsmanship Guild, could feel this immediately.
What was even more absurd was that there were three more Experts besides them.
Woowoong……!
Woong……!
“Heok! What is this! Big Brother! I’ve drawn an Aura Sword!”
“Me, me too! This, are we Experts now too?”
The Iron Fist and Bloody Fist brothers, who were not smart but had made tireless efforts following Eddy and Pale.
They too managed to draw out Aura Swords, albeit barely, showing that they had stepped into the Expert realm.
Adding to that, Daereon unreservedly displayed the majesty of a mid-level Expert, leaving Bailey unable to close his gaping mouth.
‘This…… this is strange.’
Bailey, with a hardened expression, recalled the rumors circulating.
The story of winning the friendly duel against the Portville Sword Family was one thing, but he was more curious about the process that led to such a result than the result itself.
That’s right.
That process, the cause, was the most important part.
Having thought this far, Bailey spoke to the young man who had been silently rummaging through various parts of the Brokerage until now.
“You there.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You…… What’s your name?”
“It’s Harang.”
‘As expected.’
The branch manager nodded.
This young man was probably the key.
He would be the answer to the current situation, and perhaps he might even become the savior who could meet the headquarters’ ridiculous demands.
Of course, he didn't believe it 100 percent.
No, to be honest, his candid feeling was that disbelief and suspicion were much greater than belief.
‘At such a young age?’
‘With that somewhat dazed expression?’
‘Not only did he bring all these thugs under control, but he’s also playing the role of a master who dramatically improved their skills?
Is that even possible?’
He was curious.
At the same time, he was anxious.
If this young man named Harang turned out to be nothing, just a figure overhyped by exaggerated rumors…… he felt he would be quite disappointed.
And then.
“Excuse me.”
“Ah, do you have something to ask?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Feel free to ask.”
“Then……”
The person in question voiced an unexpected question.
“To receive a Platinum Plate, what do I have to do?”