“How did you make it this far from the south on your own?” As they were walking, one of the mercenaries asked casually. “I have heard the south is really dangerous. Even Royal Mercenaries rarely go down south.”
“Uh, we were lucky. It was a hard journey.” Arthur replied.
“Hm, I see.”
“Why don’t you go down south? Is it that dangerous?”
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“The south is not under the Last Empire’s control and it’s certainly not a part of our territory. We only go there for specific missions and not anything else.”
“What kind of work do you do then?” Emmy asked curiously. The group had already silently agreed to try and get as much information from these mercenaries without making it too obvious. Every piece of information was going to help shape their view of the capital and everything surrounding it.
“Uh, mostly monster hunting, bounty hunting, bodyguarding and some other tasks that we can earn money from.”
“Oh, like a Jack of all trades,” Herculia exclaimed.
“Exactly. We do all the work the Royal Army doesn’t do.” One of the mercenaries replied. “If it isn’t something that requires the Royal Army, then best believe we will do it for the right price.”
“So, there is no loyalty to the Royal Family, is there?” Out of nowhere, Isla asked that question and the entire group went completely silent. Everyone turned around to look at the girl who had a deadpan expression.
‘Isn’t that a little bit too direct, Isla?’ Arthur squinted for a moment. He knew that these mercenaries were friendly so far, but such questions could trigger the wrong reaction. But, he still trusted Isla’s judgment.
Then, their eyes turned to look at the three mercenaries.
“Hm, money is loyalty for us, Miss. If we are paid for what we do, then we are going to do it.” Uhl replied.
“What if you were tasked with something that could kill you?”
‘Isla?!’ Arthur was shocked at how direct Isla was with her questions. It almost seemed like she didn’t care about the consequences of her questions. But, seeing the look on her face, Arthur was certain that she was weighing her actions very precisely. She had seen something in these three mercenaries that he didn’t see.
“The Royal Family knows what we can and can’t do so loyalty is preserved with money. We are ready to serve the royal family for the right price.” Van shrugged.
Isla squinted her eyes before she nodded faintly and went completely silent. The group continued walking in silence until they finally reached their destination. On the foot of the mountain, three massive horses stood tied to a giant rock.
The horses were as big as the ones that Arthur and the others used when they first started their journey.
“We’re here!” Imor stepped forward and tapped one of the horses on its head. “These bad boys can definitely carry all of you.”
“We really appreciate the help,” Emmy said.
“Of course, we are honored to bring the first Gifted Ones to the capital. The Royal Family will be happy with the news. Here, let me help you get on top.” Van said as he put his hand forward to Isla.
However, she ignored him and looked at her group. “Let them get on first. I can do it myself.”
“… U-Understood.” The man retracted his hand hesitantly. “Ok, so, I assume the two little fellas will go first?”
Van looked at Finlay and Serko. The two dwarves have been silent the entire time with the coats they were wearing covering their faces. The mercenaries assumed that they were also Gifted Ones that came with the group. Their silent attitude was also not that weird since they looked like little, timid children.
“Hm, oh yeah, they should go first,” Danny said.
“Ok, let me help you, little one.” Approaching Finlay, Van crouched down to help him up. The boy seemed quite hesitant as he didn’t move. Instead, he stepped back.
“Hm? Are you ok, little one?”
The mercenary tried to step forward. But, at that moment, a small gush of wind swept through the area. Although the weather wasn’t too windy in this region, there were occasional cold breezes and this was one of them.
*Swish*
Hitting Finlay in the face, it lifted the cover that hid his appearance, blowing his hair in the air, for the mercenary to see.
‘Red?’ The mercenary’s eyes slowly widened when Finlay’s full appearance settled in. His entire body froze. Nobody was aware of what just happened as it took them a second to notice. However, that second was more than enough for something bad to happen… Something really bad.
“A dwarf?!” Van yelled in shock as he instantly jumped on his feet, grabbed Finlay by the face, and shoved him into the snow. “What the hell is a dwarf doing here?!”
“A dwarf?!” Uhl turned around in shock.
“What?”
“I’m not lying, there is a dwarf here!”
“Get off me!! Ugh!” Finlay struggled against the man’s arm but couldn’t push him off. He felt like he was getting his head crushed.
Arthur, who was busy inspecting the horses, looked back when he noticed the ruckus.
“Why are there dwarves here?! Did these two run away?!” Looking up, Van noticed that the other one looked very similar to the one he had captured. “How did these monsters escape and what are they doing with you?!”
Without hesitation, the other two rushed toward Serko and captured him violently before they took the hood off his head, revealing his full appearance. “Nasty bastards, I’m going to vomit! Stop moving, you little scum!”
“Arthur!” Serko yelled.
“Shut up!”
*Smack*
Punching the boy, he fell to the ground. Then, he put his knee on the boy’s face, pushing him down with his crushing weight. “You’re going to tell us how you escaped, bastard! And why are they with you?!”
“Let them go now!” Isla was the first to react as she pulled her weapon out as she rushed forward to attack the mercenary, but, his friend intercepted her with his sword, making them clash violently. “What are you doing to those kids?”
“No, you’re going to tell us how you found these two! Helping dwarves to escape is a crime punishable by death! You’re going to get in trouble if you let them free!”
“We need to report the matter back to the capital right now! This is a huge disaster. A dwarf hadn’t escaped in decades.”
“I said to release them right now or you’re going to face consequences.” Isla glared daggers at them as she channeled her aura. and pushed the mercenary back a few steps before she attacked again.
“I am not doing that. You have no idea how ba-”
“Isla!!” Tears welled up in Finlay’s eyes as he struggled for dear life. His bones were starting to shake from the crushing power of the mercenary that was suffocating him.
*Swish*
Before the mercenary could even finish the sentence, a silhouette appeared next to Van, and before he could realize it, his vision spanned around as a crushing power assaulted his face.
*BANG*
With a single punch, the man was sent flying as he rolled on the ice violently. The group was stunned for a moment when they noticed Arthur’s sudden appearance.
“She said ‘let them go’. Are you deaf?” He asked coldly. In his eyes, there was endless rage. Seeing how the two dwarves were assaulted in such a manner immediately made him spring into action without hesitation. He didn’t care if this was going to cause him trouble, he couldn’t for the life of him see the two kids being hurt.
“What the hell are you doing, Sir Arthur?!”
“Shut the fuck up. Release the boy before I kill both of you.” He said.
The two mercenaries’ expressions grew darker and darker. “We can’t let these two run away… You have no idea what kind of disaster sparing them will do to us.” Uhl said. “Please, don’t push us to do something we don’t want to do.”
Arthur squinted before he pulled his sword out. “I want to see you try.”
“… Arthur…” With tears in his eyes, Serko uttered the name as he stood there.
“Even if it means we have to be violent… We can’t spare them. Don’t blame us for what we will do.”
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3