The morning coldness bit at Kai’s skin, but it couldn’t cool away the fire that simmered in his gut.
After he came back from the square, he was notified that the bandits were tied up and the slaves were helped. They were also in the process of getting them back to their families. But it wasn’t what gave him a weird knot in his stomach, it was about what lay in the future. It was about what he saw inside the mine.
He sighed.
I should do something about it instead of worrying.
He raised a hand, casting the spell to activate [Hawk eyes], and pushing mana through his veins. The familiar sensation of the enhanced vision washed over him, transforming the bustling city square below into a detailed tableau.
He looked at the central figure— the makeshift pillory erected for the captured bandits. People walked by, occasionally glancing at the bandits and a small crowd circled them.
Even from this far away, he could see the raw hatred that was on their faces— noses scrunched, shouting curses at the bandits.
A half-eaten cabbage arced through the air, splattering harmlessly against a bandit’s arm. It was the only food that flew and next, a well-aimed rock found its mark, eliciting a yelp of pain.
A single guard stood near the pillar, his face twisted in a smirk rather than concern. He looked like a bored spectator rather than a protector, content to make sure the ’entertainment’ didn’t turn fatal.
He was there to make sure the bandits didn’t have any serious injuries. Although he was giving them punishment, he had to still apply the kingdom’s law and send them to the cells.
It was a strange thing. Despite it being thousands of years in the past, the kingdom had strict laws and regulations that were meant to be followed by all nobles and commoners alike. No wonder it had been able to become an empire in the future.
The foundations were always there.
His hawk eye flickered, zooming in on a rough calendar that was drawn into the wooden post of the pillory.
Seven deep gouges marked the days, a countdown to the bandits’ release— or rather, their transfer to the cold, impersonal confines of the jail.
He lowered his hands, the light blue light disappearing. It looked like the people were all enjoying the punishment given to the bandits. And again, who could blame them?
His brow remained furrowed. His thoughts started shifting between the day that the bandits would be imprisoned and–
"Admiring the birds, Lord Arzan?" a gentle voice inquired from beside him. Claire stood nearby, a tray of untouched breakfast balanced on a silver platter.
His thoughts were interrupted, but he quickly remembered that he was the one requested for breakfast on the terrace.
Kai offered a wry smile. "Not exactly, Claire. Just keeping an eye on things."
"Ah," she replied, her voice laced with a hint of curiosity. "The bandits, then? With the distance, they must appear quite small from here."
He chuckled, appreciating her subtle way of inquiring without overstepping. "Something like that. It’s a spell that allows me to see clearly from afar."
Claire’s eyes widened and twinkled in a way they would whenever he would show her a new spell. It seemed like she treated them like how children treated magic tricks.
"That sounds like a great spell to keep a watch over the city," she said, her eyes shifting to a more earnest level. "You’ve done well for us. There was quite a celebration on my street last night. Many miners were there, men who lost their jobs because of those brigands."
Kai nodded, a frown crossing his features. "I appreciate that, Claire. But the truth is, this isn’t entirely over yet."
He gestured towards the square, his gaze hardening slightly. "The mines... they still remained closed. The monsters we encountered down there pose a serious threat. Until we deal with them, miners cannot return to work. So, you see. I haven’t quite solved it all yet."
"Once we deal with the queen, we will burn them. That’s the only way to make sure the mine is safe." Kai looked at both of them. "We’ll need everything. Potions, traps, whatever advantage we can muster. And we’ll need to move quickly before those larvae get any stronger. The longer we delay, the worse."
Killian nodded curtly. "The guards are ready, Lord Arzan. They’re well-trained, but..." he hesitated, his brow furrowed. "We can’t take many. Maybe ten more than the ones that were with you against the necromancer. Training takes time, and we don’t have much of that. Enforcers should be of great help."
Francis cleared his throat, grabbing their attention. "Even with ten more, Lord Arzan," he interjected. "Most of the city guards haven’t seen real battle, let alone fought underground. The necromancer fight is good learning, but this is entirely different. This is no walk in the park. We need a plan that minimises casualties, not throws untrained men into a monster pit."
Kai winced, the memory of the fallen soldiers against the necromancer flashing through his mind. He had regretted a few things from the fight with the necromancer, and losing guards was a big part of it. "You’re right, Francis," he admitted. He sighed while his hands stroked the growing stubble. "We can’t afford another bloodbath. If we don’t plan this with proper measurements, the cost will be too high."
A tense silence settled over the room, the weight of the situation pressing down on them. They needed a solution, and fast. Training more guards was an option, but the urgency of the situation wouldn’t allow for a lengthy training session.
They all thought what better could they do? Even Kai fell into deep thought and the only thing that moved was the wind outside the windows.
A few ideas came to his mind, but he rejected them all, one after another. Too risky, too vague, can’t and won’t work in such a short time, guards too untrained to do it— reasons piled up higher than the solutions.
"Mercenaries?" Francis finally spoke, his voice a hesitant question.
Both Kai and Killian looked at him.
Kai was about to speak but Killian snorted. "Finding good ones is a gamble, and even then, loyalty tends to be a luxury they charge extra for."
Francis steepled his fingers, his brow furrowed in thought. "True, but desperate times call for desperate measures. For the right coin, they’ll take the job. They might not be loyal, but they’ll be skilled."
Kai mulled it over. The risks were undeniable, but they were running out of options. In his previous life, mercenaries were known by a lot of names and there were designated ones like fiend hunters.
They also followed a more structured system with an organisation handling them called the guild. From his research, he knew that wasn’t the case here.
So, finding good ones might be a problem.
As he thought more, an idea popped up.
"Francis," he said, a decision forming in his mind. "Reach out to Malden. He should know the mercenary market better than us. See if he can find us a group with a verifiable track record."
Francis’ face lit up with a flicker of hope.
"For sure, Lord Arzan. I’ll send word first thing in the morning."
"In the meantime," Kai continued, turning his gaze towards the window, it was getting darker— darker than it usually was due to Frosania. "I can be of some use. Potions, of course— healing draughts to keep our men fighting fit. I can brew them and I might have other ideas in mind as well." he rubbed his hands together, deep in thought. "For that, though, I’ll need some space. A workshop of sorts."
Francis didn’t hesitate. "Consider it done, Lord Arzan. I’ll clear out a suitable room immediately. Whatever you need, you’ll have it."
Kai nodded. In a way, it was much easier to obtain materials in this period of time.
In his time, resources were extremely rare, especially for alchemy and due to that, alchemists were dime a dozen. Few countries had even gone to war just because of resources to use in alchemy and other magical arts.
Compared to that, everything was in abundance here. It was truly the era before the golden era and he knew he could take full benefit of it.
He started to walk back after completing the meeting.
A monster nest to purge— It was the next on his list.