Chapter 99: The Mercenary King’s Advance

Marinta is not only the largest market city but also the place where the most mercenaries gather.

Merchants who transport goods are always vulnerable to danger, so they hire a lot of mercenaries.

In one corner of Senery Alley, the street of mercenaries, people were gathered, shouting and making noise.

“Waaa! That's it!”

“The size difference is huge, but this is possible?”

“Hit him, hit him!”

Between the people who had formed a circle.

Two men were warily circling each other, moving their bodies slowly.

“You rat bastard!”

The bigger man swung his fist first, but the smaller opponent dodged lightly and sprang back.

Paak!

With a crisp sound, the big man's head snapped upward.

“Keugh, kuh.”

Thud!

Struck cleanly on the chin by a headbutt, the man’s eyes glazed over as he collapsed to the ground.

“Waaaaaaah!”

“Told you! He’s the Little Giant!”

Those who had been cheering let out a roar in unison.

“The winner of this duel is Leon!”

“Damn, that was awesome. You’re really good.”

“Hey, kid! Ever thought about joining our Mercenary Guild?”

“You’ve got talent, for sure.”

Some people’s eyes shone with interest as they eyed the victor.

Just like that.

As Leon wiped the sweat from his brow and stepped into the street, someone blocked his path.

“Been doing well, Leon?”

Leon recognized the person standing in front of him and broke into a broad grin.

“Your Highness!”

“I expected as much… Looks like you’re doing well.”

“Haha, I’m just doing my best, that’s all.”

At Rohan’s praise, Leon scratched the back of his head.

Leon.

In the future, known as the Mercenary King, he had come to Marinta early on and was making a name for himself.

This was because of a conversation he had with Rohan.



—I heard you’re not originally from the North. From your accent, you’re from the capital, so why come all the way up here?



In response to Rohan’s question, he answered,



—I’m looking for my lost younger sister.



The answer was simple, but hearing those words made Rohan understand the path Leon had taken in his previous life.

So Rohan suggested he try becoming a mercenary.

If he became a mercenary, he’d get to travel to many places, and so would his companions. It was a way to spread his information network across the entire Empire.

Leon said he’d think about Rohan’s proposal for a while, and then eventually replied that he’d do it.



—Your first stop should be Senery Alley in Marinta. Make a name for yourself there.



If you make a name for yourself, your value naturally rises.

But this was the most important part.



—Never join a guild. Move independently. That way, those who want to recruit you will approach you with goodwill, and you’ll widen your network that much faster.



Most mercenaries belonged to guilds.

But it didn’t matter for Leon.

Rohan knew that Leon was someone who would shine on his own, even without joining a guild.

Those who recognized his true worth would inevitably try to befriend him.

If he joined a guild, he’d face restrictions in movement and it would hinder building broader connections.

“As you advised, I haven’t joined any guilds. I’m steadily working to make a name for myself.”

“You’ve been here about two months now, right?”

“That’s right.”

Back when Rohan was staying in the North, Leon was already here.

“Thanks to you, settling down wasn’t hard at all, Your Highness. I truly appreciate it.”

Leon’s clear eyes sparkled as he sincerely thanked him.

‘If it weren’t for this man, I’d probably still be wandering the North.’

Become a mercenary and use the mercenaries to find his sister!

Why hadn’t he ever thought of that brilliant idea himself? It was almost ridiculous.

“I’ll make sure to repay the amount you lent me as quickly as possible.”

To help the penniless Leon settle in Marinta, Rohan had even provided him with starting funds.

“You don’t need to return that.”

When Rohan smiled brightly, Leon widened his eyes and waved his hands.

“No, I couldn’t possibly. How could I just…?”

“Consider it an advance.”

“Pardon?”

“I paid it as an advance payment.”

What did he mean by that?

Leon tilted his head in confusion.

“Would you like to take on a commission?”

Rohan smiled meaningfully.



---



“Hm, well, at least we managed to get a bit of a discount, so that’s something.”

“……”

William and Lunavelin were walking through the bustling marketplace.

“As I thought, humans are not a trustworthy race.”

At Lunavelin’s comment after a moment of silence, William scratched his cheek with an awkward expression.

“Well, the bow is pretty standard, but considering it’s got the artisan’s name engraved on it, I wouldn’t say you got completely ripped off.”

“Artisan?”

Lunavelin snorted.

“Even snot-nosed children in Silvaren could craft a bow of this level.”

“Uh… well.”

If that’s the case, why buy it at all? The words almost burst from his throat.

‘Hold it in, they’re distinguished guests.’

William steeled himself, keeping his mouth tightly shut.

“Is there anything else you’d like to see? If not, I’ve got some things to take care of myself…”

As William tried to slip away, Lunavelin suddenly grabbed him by the collar.

Lunavelin’s grip, honed by handling bows, was strong enough that even a grown man would struggle to break free.

“Wh-what is it?”

“What’s that over there?”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

Forced to turn his head, William’s eyes widened.

“Ah, those are mandarins. A specialty from Boran Island, in the Empire’s south.”

“Are they fruit?”

“Yes, they are, but…”

Lunavelin walked over to the fruit stall and examined the mandarins closely.

“I’ve never seen fruit like this before.”

She picked up a mandarin, sniffing it.

“This tangy, sharp scent… And look at how radiant the color is.”

As she muttered to herself, William swallowed nervously.

‘Just what is with that crazed look in her eyes?’

To him, Lunavelin’s gaze seemed to have drifted off into another world.

“Welcome, miss! Are you interested in mandarins?”

“What do they taste like?”

“Pardon? You’ve never tried a mandarin before? My goodness.”

The merchant, all smiles, peeled a mandarin and offered it to Lunavelin.

“Go ahead, give it a try! Here, a special free sample just for you, hehe.”

“……”

She stared at the mandarin segment in her hand for a moment, then popped it in her mouth.

And then…

“……!”

Her eyes widened.

One piece, two, three.

The mandarin vanished into her mouth as fast as a crab’s eye blink.

“H-how much for all of those?”

Unusually flustered, she pointed at a box piled high with mandarins.

“All of them in that box?”

The merchant, hoping for a big sale, responded immediately.

“Normally, that much would cost about five silver kron.”

“Five silver kron?”

When Lunavelin narrowed her eyes, the merchant quickly added,

“But since you’re so beautiful, and buying in bulk, I’ll give it to you for just four!”

“Four…”

Four silver kron.

Compared to the thirty silver kron she’d just haggled the price of the bow down to, it was a pittance.

“Attendant.”

Lunavelin called for William.

“Y-yes? What is it?”

Was she going to make him haggle for this, too?

William’s cheek twitched.

At that moment—

“Just four silver kron.”

Lunavelin held out her hand.

“Eh?”

William was taken aback by her attitude.

She acted as if she was demanding money that had been left with him for safekeeping!

“Didn’t I give you a purse earlier? Even after buying the bow, there should be at least ten silver kron left…”

There had been forty silver kron in each purse.

By that calculation, there should be ten left—plenty to buy those mandarins.

But Lunavelin shook her head and spoke.

“That’s not possible, because it’s here.”

She pointed to her stomach.

“In my belly.”

“……”

When did she eat it all?

William fidgeted with the gold kron in his pocket for a moment.

‘Yeah, this is the kind of thing I got the bonus for.’

In the end, he had to take out four silver kron from his own stash.

“Here.”

“Oh my, thank you, miss!”

Lunavelin easily picked up the box of mandarins and strode off into the street.

“Truly… truly shocking.”

She was honestly stunned.

She’d eaten vegetables and fruit all her life, but she’d never had such a thrilling experience.

‘To think fruit like this existed in the world!’

In Silvaren.

Whenever she met Retina, she would sometimes say things like this:



—Luna. The world is vast. It’s good to be loyal to Lord Nas in Silvaren, but I wish you could experience a bit more of the world.



Back then, she’d just snorted.

She’d been certain that nowhere could be as beautiful as Silvaren.

In fact, she hadn’t understood why Retina would wander like the wind, leaving Silvaren behind.

‘She was right. The world is wide.’

Now, thanks to nothing more than a single mandarin, Lunavelin had come to that realization.

She sat on an outdoor bench and began peeling mandarins.

Munch, munch.

Her thirst quenched, her eyes opened wide at the sweetness.

Add to that just the right amount of refreshing tartness… this was a heavenly taste, to say the least.

“Ha, how in the world…”

Who knew such an audacious fruit existed!

Lunavelin sat on the bench eating mandarins for quite some time.

Meanwhile—

‘Seriously, what is with her.’

William was dumbfounded as he watched Lunavelin entranced by the mandarins.

“Are mandarins really that good?”

They were tasty.

Their sugar content was high, and on cool days like this, they were especially nice to eat.

But since William had eaten mandarins so often, it was hard for him to relate to Lunavelin’s reaction.

“Anyway…”

She was so absorbed with the mandarins, was there any reason for him to stick around?

Lunavelin seemed so enraptured she wouldn’t even notice if he disappeared.

“Hmm…”

What should he do?

After a moment’s thought, he quietly left his spot.

Left alone, Lunavelin continued to devour mandarins with wild abandon.

Tap.

Then, a little later, someone sat down beside her.

“…?”

Lunavelin turned her head.

“…You haven’t left yet? I thought you were gone.”

No matter how absorbed she was with the mandarins, she wouldn’t fail to notice someone’s presence.

She’d been aware of William disappearing, too—she felt it all.

At her question, William shrugged.

“I was about to leave… but seeing you enjoy them so much, as a Schubert native, I started to get a little greedy, I suppose.”

With that, he handed the box he was carrying to Lunavelin.

“I don’t know if you’ll like these as well.”

Inside the box were several fruits, neatly packed—specialties from Schubert.