Chapter 9: Compensation (1)

Chapter 9: Compensation (1)

Vice-captain Berg!

As I placed flowers on the graves of the fallen members of the Red Flame, I turned around upon hearing a voice calling me.

Approaching me was my aide, Baran.

When our eyes met, he spoke.

Captain Adam has returned.

I remained silent for a moment, then nodded and gently set down the last flower.

The time of remembrance came to an end here.

"Is there anything special?"

I wiped the dirt off my hands.

"Nothing, except that captain is looking for the Vice-captain."

Adam Hyung had left our hideout for a while two weeks ago to accept a new request.

All I knew about this client was that they were a noble.

I had no information about who they were, their race, or how high-ranking of a noble they were.

However, based on my intuition, it seemed likely that a significant battle was on the horizon.

In the first place, it was rare for Adam Hyung to meet the client in person.

The fact that he had gone to meet them indicated the importance of this particular individual. And clients of such stature didn't offer easy contracts.

As we entered the cemetery, Baran handed me the sword I had set aside.

Without hesitation, I secured it around my waist and turned towards Baran, who walked beside me.

"What about the recruits' training?"

There was no immediate response. I gave Baran a sharp look and repeated my question.

What about training?

"Well... it's not yet..."

What?

A sudden surge of heat rose in my head.

Baran continued his excuses without even meeting my gaze.

Vice-captain, you need to understand

"The members haven't even recovered from yesterday's intense training... and the families of the members are getting restless..."

"Ignore it. Training comes first."

"You should also consider the morale of the members! Haven't we been training them too harshly since Captain Adam left?"

"Vice-Captain, instead-"

"If there are casualties because you neglected the training, will you take responsibility?"

"Get ready. You will handle it on your own."

Leaving Baran standing still, I move forward.

After a while, Baran followed me belatedly.

A refreshing breeze swept through the air as I walked, slowly taking in the scenery surrounding me.

It had been five years since the founding of Red Flame.

We had set our roots in the expansive plains of Stockphina beautiful place adorned with lush meadows and towering trees scattered throughout.

As compensation for hunting the nearby monsters, it was a rightful land borrowed from the lord who managed Stockphin.

For a mercenary group like us with hundreds of members, it was always challenging to wander around.

Establishing ourselves in Stockphin was also for our benefit.

We built a shelter on this plain. Houses where we could rest, stables, warehouses, tombs, and so on...

As time passed, our stronghold unknowingly transformed into a small village. Occasionally, we would purchase goods from nearby villages to fulfill any shortages.

With the establishment of the village, many mercenaries settled down and made their homes here.

Some brought their partners to Stockphin and even had children.

This was all possible because Adam Hyung had a strong and stable mercenary corps with discipline.

However, on occasions like today, family became a source of disturbance. Members would sometimes lose sight of their true nature as mercenaries and become complacent.

Of course, since Adam Hyung valued such scenes, I couldn't openly criticize them in front of everyone.

With a slight sense of frustration, I made my way toward Adam Hyung's residence.

The closer I got, the more I could sense the commotion in the air.

I saw the faces of the mercenaries who had left with Adam Hyung.

Every time they noticed my presence, they bowed their heads and greeted me.

Vice-captain.

"Vice-captain, it's been a while."

I lightly nodded in response to their greetings.

The gathering resembled a joyous family reunion, with the wives and children of the returning members beaming with delight as they reunited with their loved ones.

Soon, I saw Adam Hyung. He smiled broadly and spread his arms.

Berg!

Hyung.

We exchanged a brief handshake.

"Did everything go smoothly? Any issues?"

"No issues."

"Good. Let's go inside and talk. There's a lot to discuss. Everyone, go back and rest."

Hyung placed his hand on my shoulder and began leading me toward his residence. I exerted some force to halt his movement.

"We still have training remaining."

Another reason was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like I should be leading.

I didn't want to later regret seeing numerous casualties.

Adam Hyung let out a sigh, seemingly giving up, and asked about my well-being.

We engaged in a comfortable conversation for a while.

"Oh, right."

During our conversation, Hyung raised his glass, drawing my attention to it.

Berg. This is an expensive drink.

He suddenly blurted out something absurd.

It didn't take me long to understand his intention. Whenever he had a difficult request for me, he would treat me to expensive drinks like this.

"Damn it..."

I thought he handed me the drink to calm my annoyance, but there was a trick hidden underneath.

I had no choice but to blame the drink that had already gone down my throat.

'No wonder it tasted so good.'

"What is it this time?"

Hyung laughed mischievously and slowly began to speak.

"But before that, let's talk about this recent negotiation. It was quite challenging, to be honest."

Glancing at the glass once again, I suppressed my appetite and followed his lead, shifting the topic accordingly.

Who was the client?

Do you know the Blackwood family?

The Blackwood family was a name I couldn't be unfamiliar with.

It was a famous family that even a lowly mercenary like me knew about.

"They're a noble family of the werewolf race, right?"

Hyung nodded his head.

A prestigious branch.

Personally, I had encountered the werewolf race or wolfman quite frequently during my time in the mercenary corps.

In fact, I had a lot of personal experience fighting them in the slums.

Generally, the wolfman tribe held to honor and combat sacred.

As a result, they had deep military tactics, advanced healing, and shamanic magic for recovering from wounds.

So, I was even more curious.

The Wolfman asked for help?

Wolfmen with their strong sense of self-esteem rarely sought assistance from others. They saw dangerous situations as opportunities for honor and turning the tide.

I knew many Wolfman who died while trying to accumulate achievements, so I was certain about this aspect.

The fact that they requested assistance meant...

"It seems like they've completely given up hope. It looked serious when I took a closer look."

In response to the shocking news, I broke my glass once again.

The glass quickly revealed its bottom.

Since I was already drinking an expensive drink, I decided to make the most of it and stood up from my seat.

While refilling the empty glass, I processed Adam Hyung's words in my mind.

There were rising questions in my mind.

"Are there more requests from nobles lately?"

Adam Hyung's continued with the explanation.

There must be some things we are doing well, and there must be things where everyone is reaching their limits. Its been almost 7 years since the monsters ran rampant. Blackwoods overpowered first. Like werewolves, I wonder if I was stubborn and led the situation that far.

"Have you confirmed the size of the demon horde?"

Approximately. The scale seems substantial. This time, I plan to take all of the Red Flame members.

"What's the situation with Blackwood?"

There were not enough soldiers to fight, and food was running out. I dont think we can ask for much support. No money, of course.

?

I furrowed my brow at his words. Setting aside the danger, there was something that needed to be confirmed first.

"Just a moment, they have no food or money?"

Yes.

"What about our compensation?"

If they had nothing to offer us, we had no reason to move.

We werent doing charity work.

We were in the business of risking our lives and extracting compensation in return.

Especially for large-scale battles like leading the entire Red Flame members, a significant price was necessary.

Adam Hyung didnt make eye contact with me.

Turning the glass round and round, he spoke softly.

I decided to take it.

With what.

Hyung, with what.

With another sip of his drink, he finally uttered the answer.

"Ner Blackwood."

"...What?"

Adam looked at me and said.

I decided to take the youngest daughter of the Blackwood family.

End of Chapter

[ TL: The author used '' which is literally translated as 'werewolf', so I had to use the same term.

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