Chapter 282
- It is most fun to watch fights((7)
#9 Their situation: The situation of the man called the (former) Mercenary King
“King? Me?”
Looking at the woman who seemed very flustered, I nodded my head.
“The person who brings that necklace becomes the Mercenary King. That’s the order I received.”
“Order? Just who….”
The light began to return to the eyes that had blanked out for a moment.
“Could it be…!”
“That’s probably it.”
Receiving the necklace means she’s associated with that devil-like instructor.
No matter how that person is an evil villain who arbitrarily ruins people’s lives, he wouldn’t have sent someone with no connection.
…Probably.
“What’s your relationship with the person who gave it to you?”
“With that person….”
In that moment the woman looked up at the sky, her expression filled with countless emotions.
“I think I know.”
I’m not sure about others, but I could tell.
Because if I received a question like that, I would make an expression like hers.
Admiration for his ability, anger at what I went through to learn from him.
Sadness at meeting that person again, and hope at having a chance to get away from him.
The woman was showing all those expressions on her face.
“His disciple, right?”
“Yes, his disciple.”
The woman nodded, answering after thinking hard for a while.
“How much did you learn?”
“Around 2 years, I learned various things.”
As the woman sighed again looking up at the sky, I nodded at her.
“As I expected, I’m also his disciple. I learned for about a year.”
“You were lucky to get away quickly.”
“I was. It was so good.”
How hard did I try to escape from that hell?
Normally people trained at death’s door for over 4 years, but I shortened that to 1 year.
It can’t be explained just by talent.
Effort. The fruits of my desperate efforts.
As a result, we were able to get away from that evil demon called Instructor.
Well, I heard later that it didn’t work, though.
I heard that because we became official members after just 1 year, it left the Instructor with 3 free years. With not enough people in the organization, they couldn’t just let that slide.
So the Instructor was made to infiltrate the royal family, gaining incredible achievements.
As the threat of his betrayal grew, they tried to bring him back to the organization, but then a war broke out on the continent.
The organization had no choice but to postpone everything.
Thanks to that, as a key figure in extracting intelligence from the Empire, the Instructor remained in the Empire and began gaining even more monumental achievements.
Just when it seemed he would truly betray the organization… I heard he voluntarily escaped the Empire himself and returned to the organization.
I heard he made a solemn oath to never again take on missions while an Instructor, after going through who knows what hardships in the Empire.
So from his second group of disciples onward, he prepared education so they couldn’t graduate early.
When I heard that story, I got chills down my spine.
Think about it, he did that for 2 more years to 3 more years.
If it were me, I would’ve gone crazy.
On top of that, didn’t she say she grew up getting beaten by master?
“You’ve suffered a lot.”
“Yes….”
She was about a year difference from me, but she was one of the last disciples of Instructor.
Knowing the Instructor’s personality, she would have studied many things every time he sent out a group.
Studying, then using that in the next group, studying again…
Like that, training in ways to torment people without killing them. And this girl got the final product of all that training used on her.
But the important thing is,
“And you’ll keep suffering a lot from now on.”
“I will.”
That it’s not the past, but the present continuous tense.
“First, let me say that the person called Mercenary King was me.”
“Yes.”
“Well, due to circumstances I deserted the organization in the past, then other things happened and I became a mercenary.”
“I see.”
“But since I was trained by that Instructor, there was no way I could be ordinary, right? Eventually I got called Mercenary King in the neighborhood, and over time it became less of a nickname and more like an official title.”
“Nothing less for a disciple of Instructor.”
“Right? It wasn’t when I was a mercenary but a bit further back when I was messing around that I met a junior who said the same thing.”
I met a junior who had become the boss of an evil organization back when I was living by the sword with the Natural Religion.
I was so happy to see him.
So happy I eagerly ran at him with my sword pointed at his gut.
But in the end I won.
Thanks to him I was able to hear a lot.
Most of what I thought earlier came from what that junior told me.
“Still, it’s a name I earned by working pretty hard. Well, every time I gathered mercenaries I had to use my fists a bit since it was just a local nickname.”
It was only used in the kingdom I was in and surrounding kingdoms, so there were many mercenaries who would sneer at the name Mercenary King when new mercenaries gathered.
Normally I would’ve ignored them, but the Instructor wanted me to perfectly control the mercenaries.
To accomplish that I had to beat up the newly joined mercenaries a bit.
“It wasn’t hard but still pretty annoying.”
“I see.”
“And it’s something I’ll have to keep doing.”
My words made her fall silent in thought for a moment before nodding her head.
“Shall we fight then?”
“We should.”
No matter how good the pay from an employer, mercenaries won’t leave choosing their leader up to others’ judgement. Especially when lives are on the line with every decision.
In a situation where we have to fight ridiculous enemies like the army of evil god, if you suddenly come in as a woman and order them to obey your commands, what mercenary would listen?
“Of course I’ll make it end with my loss, but still I have to show some skill. As a disciple of Instructor, you can’t be weak.”
So you can do it, right?
That’s the look I gave her, but instead she smiles confidently.
“You don’t have to lose on purpose for me.”
“No, that’s the Instructor’s order.”
If it means I can get away from that person, I’d give up not just the title of Mercenary King but even my own name.
Sacrificing a nickname and reputation is very cheap.
“So go easy on me to a degree.”
“Yes, I will go easy to a degree too.”
Cheeky.
Considering when she joined, she’s probably in her mid 20’s?
She still doesn’t know the world even though she’s not that young.
Well, it couldn’t be helped.
Since she was that Instructor’s disciple. And because she was strong.
Didn’t I also arrogantly leave the organization thinking I was the best when I was around that age, becoming a hero?
Ignoring all the Instructor’s words, doing that foolish thing, I ended up getting abandoned in the end.
My chest truly ached.
After living as a cripple for a few years, when my money ran out I started living my second, or rather fourth life as a mercenary.
During that time, I was able to learn many things.
It’s not bad to teach it to your junior as a senior.
“Gather everyone.”
“Yes, sir.”
Even though they never listen to me usually, the moment work begins, I give orders to my subordinates who are more loyal than anyone else.
As expected, those guys who are so good at getting work done quickly gathered people and started passing around food and drinks.
Huh?
“Hey, why are you serving food and drinks?”
“Isn’t watching someone else’s house catch fire, watching someone else’s love affair, and watching a fight the three big spectacles?”
“After all, watching them fight is the most fun.”
“These guys…”
They giggled while even betting on who would win, showing human nature never changes.
I wish these trashy guys would change a bit.
“Tsk! Can’t be helped.”
It feels bad to become a spectacle, but what can I do?
If I don’t do this, I can’t make that guy the Mercenary King.
Anyway, it has to seem like I lost but fought well.
“What? She’s still a kid!”
“The boss is fighting with a girl over the king’s seat?”
“It must be an initiation ceremony. She looks quite pretty.”
“These beasts…”
Coarse mercenary voices started coming from all around.
Some even made rude remarks.
While some had female colleagues nearby, they didn’t seem to care much.
“Could she be the King’s lover?”
“When I tried to woo him, he never budged, so after all he likes the young ones!”
“You never wooed the boss!”
“That’s just an expression!”
Some female mercenaries were even more raucous.
“I’m sorry, but this is normal in this world.”
“I know.”
As I looked at my emotionless junior, I did not let my guard down.
While the outward appearance is dirty, who am I? I was that instructor’s disciple.
That instructor always said things like this.
‘Watch out for guys who look like beggars. If you observe them well, some give off an aura unlike beggars or are surprisingly well-groomed. Most of those guys have a story. And those guys are usually strong.’
There were times I thought, what kind of bullshit is that?
But because there was a time I lived like a cripple after quitting being a hero, I could understand the instructor’s words.
Because I had a story that made me live like that.
And because I beat up every guy who looked down on me and spread them out under my legs.
While the outward appearance was dirty and shabby, there was an inherent dignity.
She is strong. Except for me, there probably isn’t anyone else among the mercenaries who could beat that guy.
“Well then, shall we start?”
“Yes.”
As my junior nodded briefly, I drew my sword.
No matter how much I am the instructor’s student, I am not confident that I have reached the level of sword master.
Should I go for a scenario where she loses due to magic depletion after randomly firing some spells, if she isn’t a Sword Master?
Or would it be better if she was a mage instead?
I should have checked first, but got too excited about the chance to get close to Instructor again and made a mistake.
Oh well, I have enough skill to handle variables to an extent.
Balancing it out just right…
“Huh?”
Was it just my feeling? The atmosphere suddenly became gloomy.
No, before that, the surroundings had abruptly become quiet.
I heard the sound of someone swallowing saliva. What’s going on?
“I’ve been ready for a long time.”
A chill went down my spine at the sight of my smirking junior.
“I will take the title of Mercenary King…Senior.”
The moment she finished speaking, I lunged forward.
Boom!
“Shit! What was that?!”
A huge fist smashed into where I was standing just now.
As I looked up at the being who had slammed down that fist, I screamed.
“Release, Surtur!”
Kuuooooo!
The giant with the crimson body starts roaring. In an instant, crimson flames enveloped that massive body.
“Run!”
“Kyaaak!”
“Sorry! Pardon me!”
Some mercenaries were blown back by the tremendous magical storm.
While all the mercenaries who were watching fled, screaming apologies and shrieks, my junior kept her eyes only on me.
“Junior?”
“Yes, senior.”
I felt something was off.
“What is that?”
“Oh, just…”
My junior paused for a moment as he looked up at the giant wrapped in crimson flames.
“An archdevil that Instructor enslaved with a contract.”
Even after I blinked a few times, she said that with a cute smile, but,
Kuwung!
The archdevil’s gigantic fist plummeting towards me was not cute at all.
“How the hell do you make an archdevil slave contract?!”
“Because it’s Instructor.”
“I kind of understand!”
I screamed while blocking the continuing attacks with my sword.
But my opponent wasn’t the archdevil.
“I have them too, Senior.”
“Fuck?!”
When I shifted my gaze from the archdevil, there seemed to be nearly 100 magical spheres floating in the air.
I’ve gone crazy.
To be able to use magic to that extent while supplying magic to the archdevil…
“Damn! Surtur, you also draw your sword!”
– Thrymheim, Ragnarok!
Along with those ominous words, the archdevil summons a sword larger than himself out of thin air.
“Uh… Junior, shouldn’t we stop?”
I can’t win against that. My instincts scream that.
But,
“No, we shouldn’t.”
My opponent is that instructor’s disciple.
Among all living beings on this earth, she was at the absolute pinnacle in terms of wickedness.
In the end, I became an outlet for my junior’s stress and busily fled for my life until the next day, while the mercenaries all prostrated themselves to worship the birth of a new king.
