[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
Chapter 132 - A Slap for Every Penny Found (14)
“Dian! Come on in!”
As soon as we arrived at the headquarters, the leader and the mercenaries rushed out to greet us.
“Are you hurt? You really gave us a scare earlier! I mean, who beats up a dragon?!”
“You’re my hero, Brother Dian! I look up to you so much!”
“Come on, get inside!”
The mercenaries poured into the headquarters, and when Scala dumped the treasure onto the table, their excitement grew even more.
“Wh-what is all this?!”
“What do you think? It’s the loot from that dragon’s lair. This should be more than enough to support the families of our fallen comrades.”
With that, Scala scooped up a portion of the gold coins, stuffed them into a small sack, and handed it to Hindrasta.
“Sophie. This is your share.”
“My share?”
“I promised, remember? I wouldn’t cheat you out of it.”
“Ah... right....”
Hindrasta looked genuinely flustered as she peered inside the sack.
“So, this is...”
“Your savings that you left with the mercenaries, plus a little extra for your help today.”
“Ah....”
Hindrasta tied up the sack and scratched her head awkwardly, as if trying to find the right words.
“Uh... thanks...”
“No, we should be thanking you.”
The mercenary leader approached and patted Hindrasta on the shoulder.
“Thanks for coming to help, Sophie. Because of you, we all made it back safely.”
“Yeah, Sophie! Thanks a lot! It’s all thanks to you!”
Mercenaries all around threw out their thanks, causing Hindrasta to blush and glance at me, clearly uncomfortable.
“I... I don’t know how I’m supposed to react to this...”
“I think you’re supposed to smile.”
She hesitated for a moment before giving an awkward grin and shouting.
“Well, of course! There’s nothing in this world that Sophie can’t do!”
As Sophie yelled, the mercenaries erupted into cheers.
“And Dian. Thanks again. You saved our mercenary group.”
The leader turned to me, his face serious.
“You came to our aid back during the war, and now, ten years later, you’ve saved us again.”
“Well, Sophie was involved, and we go way back, so I figured I’d help out. I’m just glad to see everyone smiling again. Although, there’s nothing we can do for those who didn’t make it.”
“Yeah... that’s just how it is with mercenary work.”
The leader hid his sadness behind a bright smile.
“Now that we’re all here, why don’t you and Sophie stay the night? Have some food with us, and we can catch up.”
“Hm, I don’t know. Got anything good to eat?”
“Of course! Down in the cellar, I’ve got something special. It gets better when stored in a cool, dry place.”
Looks like he finally built that wine cellar he always dreamed of.
During the war, when the mercenaries were living out of tents with no fixed base, the leader would always say that once he made it big, he’d build a proper headquarters with a basement full of booze.
It seems he finally achieved that dream after the war ended.
After the war, Linus became a hero of the continent, and if he had met with the wrong people, it could have caused rumors.
He’s always been a smart guy.
“So, I asked if he knew where you were, but he said he didn’t. I heard you were missing. What happened?”
“Well, about that...”
I told the leader how I had been living in Brunswell for ten years before becoming a professor at the Academy earlier this year.
“What?! You’re a professor at the Academy now? That’s unbelievable! And that’s where you met Sophie again? I’ve got so many questions.”
The leader bombarded me with questions.
Why did Sophie suddenly quit her bodyguard job and become a student at the Academy without telling anyone?
Scala told him that Sophie had a history with me from the war, but what was the exact story?
And what was up with Sophie speaking so casually to that White Dragon back at the lord’s castle?
Now that I thought about it, Sophie’s strength and fighting skills are way beyond that of a normal human. It was a bit suspicious.
After a brief pause, I decided to lie.
Telling him that Sophie was actually Hindrasta, the dragon from the war, didn’t seem like a good idea.
“Sophie was part of an elite task force in the Imperial Palace. We worked together a few times, and apparently, she crossed paths with Tarkanik during one of those missions. I don’t know all the details. But at some point, she stole some operational funds and did a lot of other shady stuff, so she got kicked out.”
“Ah, I see. That makes sense. Sophie was always obsessed with money, so I can believe it.”
The leader nodded as if it all clicked into place, probably recalling how much Sophie used to talk about money.
“And as for why she became a student at the Academy... well, I’m sorry to say, that was my fault. I recruited her.”
I explained the situation at the Academy at the time, not leaving out any details.
“I needed top-tier students to save the Academy, and I figured someone like Sophie could help raise the bar.”
“That makes sense. Sophie’s definitely not someone whose skills could be doubted.”
The leader took a sip of his beer and spoke.
“Now that I think about it, Sophie going to the Academy might’ve been what saved us. If she had stayed with the mercenaries and taken part in the territorial conflict, she would’ve been captured too. And if that had happened, no one would’ve come to rescue us. Right?”
The leader looked over at Hindrasta, who scoffed.
“If I had been there, we wouldn’t have lost the battle in the first place.”
Sure, this coming from the same person who was pinned to the ground by Tarkanik, but she’s got confidence, I’ll give her that.
“I’m just really thankful for you, Brother Dian.”
Scala, who had been listening quietly, reached across the table and grabbed my hand.
“You helped our mercenary group grow during the war, taught me how to fight, and now you’ve saved us again.”
Scala glanced at the leader and her brothers before continuing.
“This is enough, right? Isn’t it more than enough?”
“Absolutely. If it’s Dian, there’s no problem at all.”
The leader and Scala’s brothers all agreed in unison.
“Uh, hold on. What exactly are we talking about?”
“Well, Dian, there were a lot of marriage talks involving Scala and various other mercenary groups.”
He continued.
“By getting married, we could form alliances and grow stronger. It’s similar to the arranged marriages among nobles.”
“Ah, I see. So what’s the issue?”
“The issue is that Scala said she wouldn’t marry anyone unless they were as strong as you, Dian. She said bringing in someone weaker would only weaken the mercenary group.”
“Hm, well, she’s not wrong. So, what’s the problem?”
“What do you mean, ‘what’s the problem’?! Scala’s demand is impossible! How many people in this world are as strong as you? Linus? That guy’s already married with a kid.”
“I’m not denying that... but what’s your point?”
“My point, Dian, is that the only person as strong as you... is you!”
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]