"This item isn’t supposed to be here! Who the hell did this!"
The outer wall area inside Torch Fortress’s outer wall. In the western outskirts there, it was full of warehouses and trading companies. In front of a Gorgon Trading Company building painted with a bull with shiny poison-spitting dragon scales, a fat middle-aged man with lots of beard was red-faced and furious.
He obviously looked hot-tempered.
rchant Bebenik scolded an employee. He waved parchnt around.
"Can’t distinguish a knight’s sword from a rcenary’s sword? What the hell were you doing! What does doing it right an!"
The employee was busy apologizing with his head down but ultimately got slapped once. Bebenik, breathing heavily, threw down the parchnt and went inside. The employee picked up the parchnt and hurried to get the knight’s sword.
Seeing that scene while walking, Rowan clicked his tongue inwardly. Literally a Boss—not a leader.
"That can’t be the place, right?"
At Rowan’s words, Yuval and rein laughed inwardly. Like a fallen knight family’s child thinking about honor. Knights’ power was truly trendous. So everyone respected them. Most knights were straightforward about everything, causing conflict every ti.
’Too obvious.’
’Should I say sothing?’
Violence could be seen anywhere. In so parts of the civilized world, striking children was considered shaful, but in others it remained an accepted form of discipline even in modern tis. If that was true of his old world, the fantasy world was more brutal still, not less.
Right away, walking around Torch Fortress, Rowan had often seen children standing naked in the street as punishnt. There was no gender distinction, which shocked him. He had to turn his head like having a seizure at seeing naked girls.
A crazy world. A world without even the word "child." Though so children were loved, most were considered defective adults.
"How can I help you?"
The employee with a flushed cheek looked at the three and spoke. His lips were split. Though he looked like a fat pig, his weight was itself a weapon. rchant Bebenik’s single slap was spicier than expected.
"I ca to see Bebenik. I’m Yuval, rcenary captain of the Skull rcenary Group."
"Please wait a mont."
The employee disappeared with quick steps. Discipline was tight. Bebenik was already in a bad mood, so today he had to be more alert than ever and work hard.
They could imdiately hear to co in.
The trading company had a two-story structure. The first floor was used as a warehouse, and a counter was visible too. On the second floor, doors were stuck closely together, and there was a place where the door form looked fairly luxurious—Bebenik’s office.
"We’ll enter."
The employee spoke and opened the door to enter. He turned and held the door. Yuval entered first, then rein, last was Rowan. The brown wolf Dono also entered wagging its tail. It took a spot in the room’s corner and laid on its belly.
Glance.
The employee kept looking at Dono. But unlike dogs that frequently check human gazes, wolves didn’t care about such gazes at all.
Yawn.
One yawn and it closed its eyes. Like a cat, its ears were perked up.
"Hahaha! Isn’t it rcenary Captain Yuval! It’s been a while!"
"Hahaha."
Bebenik fiercely hugged Yuval while pounding his shoulders. Up close, Rowan could see Bebenik wasn’t just a fat pig but a muscle pig.
"So. What happened that a busy person ca looking for ?"
"Do I only look for you when it’s urgent? Last ti too..."
Bebenik nodded and moved his hand down, telling him to calm down. Because that wasn’t what he ant.
"Obviously so mbers aren’t visible. Sothing happened."
Yuval told him about recent events.
"It was a disaster."
Because he even ntioned sending flying a guy like Keireon, he could only say that. Literally a disaster. No different from facing an orc great warrior or an orc who should be playing beneath one.
"It’s proper bear hide. I’m hoping to sell it to the taxidermist living in the inner wall area. Want to take a look?"
Bebenik nodded. He prepared to go out. On the belt on the coat hanger, a weapon was attached. When Rowan looked there, rein poked him and said.
"He’s a retired rcenary."
A case of realizing he had business talent while living as a rcenary and changing careers.
The bear hide was at rein’s house. Hidden in a secret location too. Spreading the bear hide in the living room, Bebenik went in. Bebenik with not a single attendant didn’t seem like a rchant. Labor costs were only one employee seen this morning.
"It’s good."
Obviously well-maintained to prevent moisture. Not a single air hole visible. But soon found two air holes in the hind legs.
"The wolf bit it. This guy here."
"Really? The bear’s size must’ve been enormous..."
Rowan just shrugged his shoulders. At the appearance that it wasn’t that impressive, Bebenik shook his head and gave a thumbs up.
"New recruit?"
"No, a gutsy guy who refused my offer. Na’s Rowan, called the Deep Forest Hunter in Black Mountain Village, starting rcenary work now."
Bebenik, while examining the hide, offered Rowan a handshake. Rowan readily shook hands.
"Nice to et you. If you have goods, co find . I’ll be honest."
"Thank you."
The rchant returned his interest to the bear hide. He checked very ticulously.
"The size is very large. Sha it’s the outer part, but still it’s under the back paw so not a big flaw. Plus the wolf bit it, so there’s rarity and a story, which is actually better."
Having traded with Yuval quite a bit, Bebenik didn’t get greedy. He honestly talked about the good points. That was a huge asset. Rowan ca to feel a bit of goodwill toward Bebenik. Because every ti they rested or ate by the campfire, rcenaries cursed rchants’ dog behavior.
’If he hadn’t maintained ties with this rcenary group, he’d be backstabbing and bridge-building all over.’
Nothing was easier to rip off than newcors. No matter how perceptive Rowan was and how much he’d worked in society, he could often be placed in situations forcing such unfairness. Even if he didn’t want to, he’d have to put out what he had for small prices.
But if connections were established through veterans, he could escape such newcor life early.
"How much can you give?"
"One gold coin. Because it was caught in winter, it’s trendous. If you put a pole inside to stand it up, any noble will be amazed."
’Gold coin!’
The bear hide moved straight to Gorgon Trading Company. Naturally to hide attention, it was loaded on the cart and covered with a tarp.
Waiting a bit in the first-floor warehouse, Bebenik tossed a very small leather pouch. Yuval caught it in one go. The mont he took it out, a fairly thick gold coin revealed itself.
’Way bigger than a quarter.’
Rowan, seeing a gold coin for the first ti, couldn’t take his eyes off it. Yuval, laughing at that sight, handed over the gold coin.
"Try touching it once. First ti seeing one?"
"Huh? Yes."
He fingered the gold. The thickness struck him as bigger than expected. Rowan quickly returned the gold coin like a scared person. rein curled up her lips smiling.
Truly a mountain village youth. Rowan who’d lived as a modern person and never even directly seen a gold bar.
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