CH 43

“Is my position manager?”

“If you want. Originally, I was going to offer you a captain position.”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“Didn’t you already propose to Nunim the position of the captain? I’m opposed to having two captains at the mercenary in order to increase responsibility.” (t/n: Nunim should refer to an older sister or a woman who is older than him. So I will continue to put it as Nunim. (Not always a biological sister.) )

Edwan’s forehead frowned. 

“Robbins had two captains until last year. As a result, managing the men was quite difficult. I had no choice but to follow one person, but as he was driven back behind a strange frame with a plot, everyone who had followed him began to fall back too. As a result, the mercenaries abandoned the fight.”

“Hmm.”

“Besides, unlike that case, Nunim and I are going to get married soon. If a married couple sits side by side in the captain’s position, their power is too strong and it is rather dangerous.” 

Despite the position he would get, he was quite cold-hearted. 

“If employees are greedy in vain and start lining up for someone who isn’t the guild owner, the business will be ruined. Mercenary Robbins’ is holding up well now, but there will probably be a crisis in the next few years. I hope that the Master will not go through such a situation.” 

He was also selfless.

“As a merchant, we must give good items that our customers require at a reasonable price. Beyond that, you simply see your customers as money.”

His own thoughts were well established, and the arguments he made were quite strong. 

“Of course, because we’re dealing with mercenaries, we should earn a profit, but if our eyes are blinded when it comes to money, we’ll lose our future. I’ve seen quite a few mercenaries fail as a result of this. It’s also in the hands of the staff. As a manager, I want to be satisfied since having too much authority can only lead to conflict.”

So, as a mercenary guild owner, he wants her to properly focus on the work and take care of the employees. 

In a determined tone, a smile came out of the nuance. 

He was quite brave. 

‘There’s strength, too.’

Serdel looked closely at his face again.

It was a cute impression no matter how many times she watched it. However, after seeing his serious eyes and unwavering charisma, he no longer looked nerdy. Earlier, it felt even more pathetic that she misunderstood that he might have been pushed out of the competition because of his non-merchant like appearance. 

‘I made a big mistake trying to judge my opponent by their appearance.’

In front of her now, he was more like a merchant than anyone else. That’s why it was even more strange. Because he almost got everything to work. 

“I’m curious about something. Did you really try to borrow money from the person who said he had a few buildings?” 

“Uh—”

He glanced at Rudella. She smiled awkwardly and apologized slightly.

“You wanted to borrow money, didn’t you? Because we’re human too?”

Edwan’s answer was ambiguous. The tone also changed before she knew it. 

“But, I don’t think I told you I was going to borrow it?”

“Why?”

“Well. Because I can’t figure out who it is. The customer is a so-called big hand who came in once a month to buy a lot of goods, and every time he came in, he pointed me out as the person in charge. So we got a little closer.”

Serdel rolled her eyes to tell them to continue. 

“But since two months ago, he asked me if I had any thoughts of working with him. So as a joke, I asked if he would at least set up the guild, and he said he could set it up if he wanted.” 

“Then?”

“I thought for a moment that my life would be ruined if I got caught by a pervert, so I kept my distance for a while. As you can see, I look a little cute. Even if I do my hair like this.” 

Serdel closed her mouth. She couldn’t refute it. 

“I’ve seen all kinds of people in my life. There were a lot of people who tried to take advantage of me because I looked much younger than my actual age.”

He shook his head as if he was sick and tired.

“I kept rejecting him, and he told me to tell him if I needed money.”

Tsk. He shrugged. 

“I was a little shaken when I heard that when I was about to be kicked out of the mercenary. Of course, I refused, but I didn’t know Nunim would say this. But.”

Edwan drooled for a moment. 

“One time, he made an attractive offer that was hard to ignore. He can pick up foreign goods in a variety of ways, and sell them together. As you know, it is a system where nothing is missing, but imports are precious, aren’t they?” 

“Yes. Trade routes are the first thing that gets blocked when relations go bad.” 

“Moreover, every time I go to another country, the procedure is complicated, and the cost of entering is so high that I won’t even dare to import it unless it’s through the mercenary.”

But if only he could bring a variety of things—.

“What does he look like? What kind of person is he?”

“I don’t know what kind of person he is. But he is probably not a scammer.”

Serdel crossed her arms.

“If it were a scammer in the first place, he would just do the work and wouldn’t have spent the money. He’s wary of the accusations.” 

“Hmm.”

“Most of the large amounts of goods he bought every month were daily necessities. He never picked it up using a carriage at the guild, and he always drags a cart. And it didn’t feel like he was only stopping by to use the mercenary.” 

“Is he in charge of or managing a large number of lives? He’s not a slave trader?”

“—Slave dealers don’t buy necessities. Instead, they buy only the cheapest animal feed in bulk.”

Serdel closed her mouth. 

“Sometimes, they bought a lot of toys or snacks that children would like. Based on that, I think he is sponsoring a fairly large orphanage. It’s just my guess.” 

He took out his notes and pencils from his bag.

“If so, he must be a person of certain status.”

Most of the patrons of the orphanage were aristocrats, who often used it as an image business.

“I’m going to draw his face now”.

Ssk ssk. 

“Oh, you’re good at drawing?”

“I’m originally good at drawing.”

He has a lot of talent, and it’s a moment when she bursts into exclamations.

‘Hmm? I’ve seen this face before.’

“He had blonde hair, and his eyes were golden. He was quite tall, and his muscles could be seen beyond his clothes. It wouldn’t be a joke if I was intimidated just by getting close to someone that big, but I didn’t feel that way at all.”

“What’s about his outfit?”

“He wore it comfortably as if he didn’t care much about it, but shoes and belts were high-quality products.” 

And the tear spot under the left eye—.

He tried to cover the tear point with his finger. 

Startled. 

“He is blonde?”

“Yeah. It was so flashy that it was dazzling.”

Swallowing her saliva, Serdel tried to replace the color in her brain with an image of a blonde instead.

He doesn’t want to get caught. 

Big body. 

‘You can change your hair color and presence with magic items.’ 

When she considered that, exactly one person came to mind. 

‘Ha—This man!’

“Should I meet him again just in case?”

“No. You don’t have to meet him. Don’t meet him. Never.”

Folding the portrait in half, Serdel raised her head. A black night sky could be seen through the glass ceiling.

‘The power of Radun, as well as the fact that he looked at Blenn in the gladiator arena.’ 

Even Edwan this time.

How come the pieces he and she are trying to gain overlap so much?

On the other hand, she felt relieved.

‘He has a very good eye for talent.’

That person is the 2nd Prince Falden Asladen, who was trying to get people to come out by disguising himself. She is more at ease now that she knows Edwan is a trustworthy person.

Cunning. 

‘It’s a character whose face was never seen in the original.’

There is one person who is loyal and good among Falden’s subordinates. 

‘Maybe that’s Edwan.’

“Edwan.”

“Yes, Master.”

“I think it would be better to set the mercenary as a place where commoners and nobles can come and go comfortably.”

“However, I have a place in mind, and I will go back and look at it again and report back.”

“If you think it’s okay, you don’t have to report to me and you can take the lead in signing the contract. Take care of the signs and the interior, and I’ll leave the purchase of goods and the hiring of staff to you.”

Serdel took out a pocket full of money from the magic bag she had brought. 

“Instead, make sure to report to me what you can’t handle and get permission. Other than that, I will trust you and Rudella.”

“Uh, shouldn’t the identity of the Mercenary guild owner be known?”

“For now. Well, as if there were no eternal secrets, it would eventually be revealed. I don’t intend to talk first.” 

“Yeah, then I’ll be as careful as I can go. And please bring the magic contract.” 

She tried to take a look, but she didn’t know that Edwan would speak up first.  

“I and Nunim believe in the Mercenary owner—no, we believe in Lady. But you shouldn’t trust us unconditionally. Please always be on your guard.” 

She was grateful for that. 

“Of course, please. I’ll make sure to keep it up.” 

She agreed simply so that they don’t feel uneasy. 

“Is this a deal?” 

Pretending not to win the more decisive one, she pulled out three magic contracts. 

Edwan signed right away without hesitation. Serdel and his gaze simultaneously turned to Rudella.

She breathed a low breath as if nervous, and signed coolly.