Northeast of Fillian, past a few small countries, lay the minor nation of Saha.
Not many people recognized the na Saha, but nearly everyone knew of Najin, the legendary rcenary city. It was a place where every man was expected to beco a rcenary, drenched in blood, and where won gloried in their husbands and children dying on the battlefield.
Here, no rcenary was looked down upon, and won adored the rough, fierce nature of battle-hardened n. Foreigners who married Najin won were welcod into the city as one of their own. Najin was a city for rcenaries, built by rcenaries, for the sole purpose of serving rcenaries.
Its reputation as the dreamland of rcenaries—and a place of fear for others—was imnse. Unlike the Fillian rcenaries who had grown complacent, more like street thugs than warriors, Najin’s rcenaries were of an entirely different caliber.
Iola was the son of one of Najin’s noble houses, the Jin family.
His mother was the second daughter of the previous lord, making Iola the grandson of the forr lord and the nephew of the current one, Caline. His father, anwhile, was the captain of the formidable Dusk rcenary Corps, one of Najin’s elite bands.
For Iola, born into the fierce lineage of the Jin family, legendary tales followed him. When a teacher told him to defeat him first if he wanted to read books, Iola knocked the sword instructor unconscious on the spot, much to everyone’s astonishnt.
When his father, Monain, demanded he beat him in combat if he wanted to beco a “scholar,” Iola drew his sword and promptly bested the battle-hardened Monain, leaving his father floored.
Standing over his father’s fallen form with a bright smile, Iola had remarked, “You set such an easy test for , Father. You must truly support my aspirations!” And thus, he’d left his parents speechless, an unorthodox but fiery display of filial piety.
That was Iola.
“As I ntioned, I left Najin to beco a scholar. For a pureblood Najin native like
to avoid becoming a rcenary, I had to overco my strong family’s resistance.”
“S-Sorry! We’re not too bright and didn’t realize you were trying to warn us kindly. We were being fools!”
Eight bandits now knelt in a row before Iola, bowing their heads.
After an 8-to-1 fight where Iola erged unscathed, none of them dared et his gaze. He had not only defeated them but had done so without injury and allowed them to walk away alive. Realizing he could have easily taken their lives, they were now filled with a deep and endless humility.
“Really! To think we made kind and gentle Iola draw his sword! If there had been any bloodshed, it would’ve been an unforgivable cri, even if we were hanged ten tis over. Repent!”
And Viretta, who had done absolutely nothing, was speaking with unbridled superiority.
The bandits glanced uncomfortably at Viretta, who was resting her right foot on an overturned bucket and looking down at them with a smug grin. The unspoken sentint in their eyes was clear: You didn’t do anything!
“By the way, what were you doing here with your fiancé, selling goods like this…?”
“I thought I’d at least grant my father his wish for
to marry soone of his choosing since I disappointed him in other ways.”
“What an unfortunate situation.”
“Haha, you struggle with words. ‘Glory’ and ‘regret’ only share consonants. It’s a great honor to be engaged to soone like you, Ms. Viretta.”
The bandits exchanged curious glances as they observed the couple. They weren’t sure of the woman’s status, but from the short conversation they’d overheard, there were already plenty of red flags. Judging from how they were selling horned beast at without a permit in a small village, their financial standing must have been ager.
Maybe she was exceptionally skilled, or perhaps they had t through an arranged marriage but found common ground along the way. The way they insulted each other without hesitation made them seem oddly well-matched.
The bandits watched Iola’s pleased expression as he looked at Viretta and nodded, thinking that appearances could indeed be deceiving and that relationships between n and won were hard to judge.
“I want to break off the engagent as soon as possible.”
Crazy, they thought in unison.
“For my part, I’m practically living to make Iola’s dreams co true! Just leave it all to !”
Definitely crazy, they all thought again.
After three more seconds, the bandits accepted that this was, indeed, a perfect match.
“So you left Najin, overcoming your family’s objections, to study abroad?”
Viretta asked, leaning in as she listened to Iola’s story.
“I passed all the tests from my father, uncles, and even my grandfather. In the end, they all supported .”
The reality was that he had beaten down every able-bodied male elder in the family. However, as he wasn’t conscious of this fact, the truth would remain hidden.
“You must love studying to have pursued it despite only being trained in the art of killing, Iola.”
“Yes. And killing people is just so… boring.”
As he said this, wiping his sword with a dry cloth, a chill ran through the villagers watching from a distance.
For the son of a Najin rcenary captain to say, “Killing people is boring,” was as chilling as a winter dawn.
“So people are quite stubborn and slow to give up, but I’m glad I could save your lives.”
“Yes, truly grateful… sniff…”
“Mom, I almost died…”
“Ha, I see. Being a rcenary or a bandit just doesn’t suit you all. You should quit while you can. Had this been Najin, you’d have been rolled up in a mat and thoroughly beaten, but thankfully, we’re in Fillian.”
“S-Sorry! Please spare us!”
“Don’t apologize! It makes things awkward! And Iola, stop smiling like that! They think you’re toying with them!”
As the rough n began to cry out of sheer terror, Lanken worked hard to calm the situation. After his painstaking efforts, the atmosphere finally settled.
The bandits, now seated with cups of tea Viretta had pulled from her bag, began to explain their story.
“It may sound like an excuse, but we didn’t want things to co to this. We usually work labor jobs and sotis charge tolls in the mountain passes.”
“Bandits, in other words.”
“How could you say that?! Admittedly, we may have collected a little extra now and then, but we were hired by the rchant guild to maintain security. Have you heard of region-specific, short-term security contracts?”
“It’s a system that started in Fillian, yes. Instead of hiring full-ti rcenaries, they contract locals for security. In mountainous areas, locals are given the right to charge a fee for passage.”
“Exactly, well rembered. In the past, we made a living by escorting rchant caravans, but since that system spread, our inco plumted. It’s been tough.”
The bandits groaned in misery.
“Then they canceled even that. They said the ten-year guarantee was void due to ‘disasters and extraordinary events,’ and they fired us all.”
“Couldn’t you take it to court?”
“How could small-ti rcenaries like us win against a huge rchant guild? The guild that hired us is notorious for being ruthless. They have educated people who know how to use the law to win every ti.”
While legal, it was morally harsh. Hearing this, Viretta clenched her fist in anger.
“What kind of rchant guild would do such a thing?! Even if the law forgives them, I, Viretta, will not! Shout their vile na without hesitation!”
“Oh, we couldn’t… They could sue us for factual defamation.”
“To hell with the law! It can’t touch , a true champion of justice! Go on, there’d be no witnesses anyway, and anyone who knows will just be quietly… handled.”
The latter part was the real focus. The bandits whispered among themselves before finally coming to a conclusion.
“You’ve probably heard of them. dleridge.”
“….”
“….”
“….”
The daughter of dleridge, dleridge’s future son-in-law, and dleridge’s rcenary all fell silent as if struck dumb.
“They say they’ve secured a marriage alliance with a famous Najin rcenary band and are planning to use their power.”
“….”
“….”
“….”
Any remaining ntal escape routes vanished.
From saviors defeating trash bandits, they’d now fallen to being seen as cold-blooded lackeys of a ruthless rchant dynasty.
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