About thirty mercenaries skillfully rode their horses.
Were they the Wolf’s Canine? It seemed to be the case according to their appearance and clothing. Like their self-willed personalities, the mercenaries all wore their own unique clothing. There weren’t many who tried to appear in uniform. The mercenaries were gathered around a group of merchants. Seeing how the merchants had three carriages and other mercenaries as their bodyguards, they seemed like a formidable group. Yet, they couldn’t rival a group of thirty or so mercenaries with horses.
The man who appeared to be the merchants’ leader and the clear leader of the mercenaries were conversing. No, it was more accurate to say that they were having a heated argument with stiff faces and raised voices.
“They are arguing?” Lyla said, thinking similarly to Zich. Then, she turned to him and asked, “What are they arguing about?” With Zich’s absurdly good ears, she thought he would be able to hear what they were saying.
“They are arguing about the road. Even though the mercenaries had to survey the area, it seems that the merchants had backed away a bit too slowly.”
“Are they seriously arguing about such a trivial matter?”
Even from far away, they could tell the two groups weren’t on friendly terms. The larger force made up of mercenaries seemed like they were ready to pull out their knives in an instant.
“A lot of wars start for trivial reasons, and most fights happen because of fleeting emotions. They don’t really need any reasons to fight anyways,” Zich said and stared at the mercenaries. “Well, I think the mercenaries started the fight in this case.”
“How come they are provoking the merchants even though it hasn’t been long since their companions were executed for doing the same thing?”
“I know right? Although mercenaries are the type of guys who never think about the consequences of their actions, they ought to be a bit wary after a huge incident happened just a couple of days ago. Their heads must be beyond help.” The merchants’ bodyguards and mercenaries clashed again. Thankfully, both groups didn’t pull out their swords. It seemed that they hadn’t lost their minds to that extent, and the Wolf’s Canine group members got off their horses. They all looked like they could put up a strong fight, as they swung their fists intimidatingly.
“Are you just going to stand and watch?” Lyla asked.
“I want to, but I suppose I shouldn’t,” Zich replied.
Even though he was planning to officially begin his hero act later, he had determined to do kind acts too. Zich lightly tapped his feet and shot up like an arrow. He landed in the center of the conflict and shouted, “Stop!”
His mana-filled voice rang throughout the surroundings. The relentlessly swinging fists stopped, and everyone who had been fighting looked towards Zich. They all looked laughable with blood flowing down the edges of their mouth or nose and some of their eyes were swelling up with bruises. Fortunately, no one was dead or critically injured.
“If you all can’t control your tempers, take your fight somewhere else—not at a place where monsters are running rampant,” Zich said.
“Who are you!” one of the mercenaries shouted.
“Are you guys part of the Wolf’s Canine?”
“Yeah, so what!”
It was as Zich had expected. “I have been hired like you guys to defend the city,” Zich said and clicked his tongue. “I can’t believe guys who should be battling monsters are picking fights with the people they should be protecting.”
“What did you say, you bastard?” the mercenary shouted. He scowled and made himself look more threatening. Yet, to Zich, the man’s face was as meaningless as the face of a little frog living in the mountain behind a village.
“No one is really injured, so you guys should end things here. Or, if you want to continue, do it inside the city.”
Although some of them were bruised or wounded, the number of injuries they currently had was nothing compared to the ones that mercenaries usually had. Yet, no one among the two groups was willing to listen to Zich. He had suddenly appeared before them, and this was more the case for the rough mercenaries.
“Who do you think you are, commanding us to do this and that…!”
Whoosh!
The mercenary huffed and grunted as he stomped towards Zich, but then he suddenly stopped. It was because Zich’s hands were right below his neck before he had realized it. Not only did he fail to respond, but he also failed to see Zich’s movements.
‘If his hands were a sword…’ The mercenary’s back was wet with cold sweat, and his companions also froze in place. They no longer showed the explosive rage they had felt towards Zich.
“With this much, I can at least tell you guys to do ‘what you are supposed to do’, right?”
The mercenary nodded with fearful eyes. Zich removed his hand, and the mercenary let out a deep sigh; it was then that he realized that he had been holding his breath the whole time. It wasn’t because of Zich’s hand that he stopped breathing; the immense pressure he felt from Zich was far too great.
‘Who in the world is he?’ The mercenary glanced at Zich and his companions. Then, his eyes widened because he realized that he had heard about them before.
‘A-Are you the Karuwiman Honorary Holy Knight?”
“I guess you’ve heard the rumors.” Zich didn’t refute his claim, and the mercenary grew more nervous.
“If you don’t want your heads hanging on the gallows, why don’t you shush? You know, by not fighting with the people you are supposed to protect.”
The mercenary turned his body roughly and shouted, “…Let’s go!” The other mercenaries sloppily wiped their blood and got back on their horses. Then, they hurried across the road, but not without glaring at Zich and his companions after they reached a certain distance. It was as if they were telling Zich and his companions that they would remember their faces. Of course, instead of fear, Zich mocked them for trying to keep their pride as they ran away in fright.
Zich was very impressed with himself. ‘My temper must have really died down since I let guys like that live,’ he thought.
Zich cackled inside his mind and thought he was basically like a hero now and shivered. It was chilling that he thought he was like a hero. ‘Ah, damn it! I need to quickly get rid of this…’
If he wanted to act like a hero, he needed to get used to being called a hero. However, Zich was certain that this was not going to be an easy feat for him at all. Lyla moved next to Zich and asked, “Is it all right to just send them off?”
“This is not a big enough incident to justify their arrest. They didn’t ambush the merchants and a fight merely broke out between them. No one died or lost their arms, and they didn’t use any weapons. Moreover, the city is in a dire state. They won’t be able to punish each and every small skirmish.”
It was a completely different matter from the one-eyed man’s group who systematically kidnapped merchants, killed them, and hid evidence of their crimes.
“Since the merchants know their identities, if they want to express their frustration, they can go to the main headquarters of the Wolf’s Canine.”
As Zich said, the merchants began getting ready to depart, and the mercenaries that were hired to guard them spit out curses and spat on the ground but it didn’t seem like they were going to chase after the mercenaries in the Wolf’s Canine. Zich and his companions saw two merchants heading toward them. It seemed as if they were coming to express their gratitude for stopping the fight, and they probably also wanted to ask about Pialu’s current situation.
While waiting for them to come closer, Zich secretly glanced in the direction where the Wolf’s Canine’s mercenaries headed off towards. He saw their now small backs from far away.
‘As expected, are they just violent mercenaries?’ This was also the same as the rumors. ‘Then, that means that Til is the head of a mercenary group like that.’
He might be far too gone like Tim Platt. However, Zich’s suspicions were soon shaken.
* * *
Bam!
The troll swung its large fist. However, the mercenary facing the troll calmly raised his shield and blocked the troll’s fist. A gap appeared next to the troll’s side.
“Now!” A mercenary holding a large sword jumped from behind the mercenary holding the shield. The mercenary mercilessly sliced apart the troll without hesitation.
Kuaaaaaaa!
The monster let out a painful scream. However, there was no one here who could pity and sympathize with the monster’s pain. An axe soon followed after the sword and targeted the troll’s neck.
Kuack!
Boom!
The troll quickly raised its arm. The sharp axe was blocked by the troll’s arm. For a troll with fast healing abilities, this injury was pretty much meaningless. However, this was not the end of the mercenaries’ relentless attacks.
Pierce!
A halberd jumped out and directly hit the troll’s neck.
Gurggle!
Even for a troll, an injury at the neck was a critical hit. The troll lost its strength instantly. The large sword used that opportunity to swing at the troll once again.
Slice!
The troll’s neck rose high up in the air, and the headless body of the troll collapsed on the ground. This type of sight was happening all around them. Mercenaries in three or four groups worked together to defeat one monster and were skillfully pushing back the monsters. Their professional techniques were enough to draw admiration from their onlookers.
“They’re amazing.” This was also true for Lyla; she also expressed her admiration.
Zich also agreed by nodding in agreement. “They almost seem like a professional army. It’s really not something you usually see among normal mercenaries.”
“Even if they don’t work together like that, it seems like those people are more than capable of defeating the monsters here.” This was how impressive the mercenaries’ skills were.
“The fact that they possess enough skills to defeat a monster is not enough of a reason to stop working together as a group. Even if there is a gap between their skills and the monster’s skills, if they’re unlucky, they can get hit by a random sword and die—that’s what a battle is like. If there’s a safer way, it’s better to use that method.”
Zich added one more line. “Well, this isn’t relevant for a genius like me.”
“Really, such a show-off.”
While the two shared small talk like this, the battle ended. Unlike the monsters who received all kinds of injuries, there was not a single injury on the mercenaries.
“Judging by their outfits, it seems like they’re part of the Wolf’s Canine, right?”
“Yeah.”
“We meet them often.”
“Well, we’re stationed in the same area.” This was also the reason why the city’s administrator had expressed his concerns.
At that moment, a person who looked like a leader among the Wolf’s Canine’s mercenaries approached Zich and his companions. He was a young man that looked like a typical mercenary with two long, threatening scars on his cheeks. Was he going to express his anger that they merely watched the battle? Since their image of the Wolf’s Canine wasn’t good at all, this was their first thought.
However, the man’s actions were completely contrary to their expectations. “Excuse me, are you perhaps the Karuwiman Honorary Knight and his companions?” The man instantly recognized Zich and his companions.
If one had even a little bit of information about Zich and his companions, it was not difficult to recognize them since it was difficult to find a party that brought along two rare magicians.
“Yes, sir.” Since the young man greeted them with politeness, Zich also returned the favor.
“I’m Max, the vice-captain of Wolf’s Canine.” Max introduced himself and bowed his head. “I heard that my underlings have caused a huge disturbance to all of you. I want to apologize for that once again.”
Zich and his companions were surprised because they expected him to stir up a fight rather than give a direct apology like this. Judging by Max’s attitude, it didn’t seem like they were empty words either.