"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."
"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