[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
Chapter 125 - A Slap for Every Penny Found (7)
Short silver hair, scars, tanned skin. That look....
"Brother Dian!"
The woman called out to me again, and suddenly, memories came rushing back.
"You, you... you... could it be...."
"It’s me, Scala!"
The woman pounded her chest proudly, smiling broadly.
"Huh? What the—what happened to you?"
"What do you mean, ‘what happened’? Is that how you greet someone you haven't seen in ages?"
"No, it's just that... back then, you were small, pale, and cute. What the hell happened...."
"You really have no filter, do you?!"
Scala ran up and gave me a punch to the chest.
Though there was no real force behind it.
"When I didn't hear from you, I thought you were dead!"
She then angrily pulled me into a hug.
"As you can see, I’m not."
"Then why didn’t you send even one letter?! You could’ve told me you were coming! Especially at a time like this...."
"I heard. The mercenary group’s in shambles, isn't it?"
"How did you know?"
Scala asked as she pulled away from me.
"We stopped by the Calvasar branch on the way here. She came to collect the money she saved up while working with the mercenaries."
"Give me my money!"
Scala looked back at Sophie and rubbed her neck as if she were getting a headache.
"Bad things really do happen all at once. Ugh, my neck... Anyway, who is this girl, and why is she with you? And who’s that person back there? A mage?"
"Hello."
Orendi, who had been standing near the dimensional gate, greeted awkwardly.
"Let’s head inside first. We need to understand the situation properly."
"Alright. Everyone, come in. You too, Mr. Mage."
"O-okay!"
The inside of the mercenary building was cold.
Of course, no matter how far north Reblanc was, it was still summer, so I didn't mean it was literally cold.
Rather, the atmosphere was utterly bleak.
Normally, the place would be bustling with mercenaries on duty, those setting off on new missions, those returning, and the reception staff. Now, it was deathly quiet.
In one corner, a few mercenaries sat chewing jerky or something, watching us. They seemed unusually dispirited, not at all like the Reblanc mercenaries I knew.
Just as the branch head at Calvasar had said, it seemed that the mercenary group really had been smashed.
Seeing something similar, Hindrasta's expression darkened.
"It really seems like I might lose my money...."
Even after we entered an office, Hindrasta kept glancing around restlessly, her anxiety evident.
"What are you looking at? You look like it's your first time here."
Scala asked, watching Hindrasta.
"I’m looking for where my money is. Why?"
"Forget the money for now. Let’s go step by step."
"A mace wouldn't do the job."
Sophie sneered, and Scala shook her head in disbelief.
"Sophie and I go way back, to the war. Our first meeting wasn’t exactly pleasant, but I managed to catch her in a weak moment. That's why she’s stuck at the academy now."
"Really? The war, huh? Hey, Sophie, what did you do during the war? And what's this weakness he caught you on?"
"Let’s just say it’s something. Just leave it at that."
"Fine, fine... I understand your story now, Brother. So, you’re here to help Sophie get her money back."
"Yeah. So, do you have any money?"
Scala didn’t answer right away. Instead, she gave a bitter smile and leaned back in her chair.
Seeing this, Sophie, who had been scratching at Scala earlier, now looked at her almost pitifully.
"You said you knew the situation. There’s none."
"Argh!"
"Sophie. Wait."
I stopped Sophie from screaming and asked Scala.
"Is it that bad?"
"My father, my brothers, and all the other officers were taken as prisoners."
Scala rubbed the back of her neck again.
"There are so many of them that even using all the cash the mercenary group had and taking out loans wasn’t enough."
"Shouldn’t you be asking the client to pitch in a bit?"
Scala scoffed.
"The client’s family went bankrupt paying reparations ages ago. Besides, by law and in the contract, the responsibility for ransoming captured mercenaries doesn’t fall on the client."
"True, I suppose. But I still don't get it—how did the Reblanc Mercenary Group lose?"
"There was a madman on the opposing side. Just wait a moment."
Scala called in the mercenaries who had been outside.
Among the survivors of this territorial war, they had witnessed a nameless swordsman wielding a greatsword.
"It was an unbelievable sight...."
The mercenaries trembled as if recalling that moment vividly.
"While a fierce brawl was going on, suddenly a tremendous noise erupted from somewhere. When I turned around, there was a man holding a sword nearly as tall as a person."
"A sword as big as a person."
"I know it’s hard to believe. Even we, who are telling you this, can hardly believe it ourselves."
The man, who appeared as if he had fallen from the sky, swung that enormous sword recklessly, and anyone caught in its arc was cleaved in two.
It was a widespread attack that didn’t distinguish between friend or foe, causing immense casualties on both sides.
At first, they thought it might be a third party, but after the battle ended, it became clear he was definitely an enemy mercenary or a soldier.
"I tried to snipe him with a crossbow, but it was useless. It was as if he had eyes on the back of his head; he dodged everything or deflected the shots."
"Did anyone manage to identify who he was? A skilled person using such a peculiar weapon should have garnered some rumors."
"No, no one did. After he first appeared in the battle, everyone talked about him, but there was nothing."
It's not impossible.
This place isn’t governed by complete common sense or the laws of physics.
There is magic and divine power, dragons breathe fire, and beings like Linus exist.
So, it wouldn't be strange for there to be a human with monstrous strength capable of wielding a human-sized lump of metal around with ease.
But still, it feels strange.
A greatsword that’s difficult to handle. Not just an ordinary zweihander, but something of a monstrous size, "too large to be called a sword."
If someone had such a unique weapon and strength capable of grinding people to pieces, they should have been well known...
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]