Upon hearing that the rcenary group would be registered under his na, only one word kept echoing in Julien’s head.
"Embarrassing!"
Moreover, the one leading their group right now was Ghislain. She couldn’t understand why it had to be nad after him.
With a discontented expression, Julien asked,
“G-Ghislain? Why did you na the rcenary group like that?"
“It has to be this way.”
To Ghislain, it was a perfectly natural decision. Julien had to grow strong, and above all, the world had to revolve around his.
He was the hero ant to save the world.
It wasn't about debuting; once Julien was truly recognized, the world would naturally beco curious and would serve his.
But to beco a hero, Julien had to make his na known and prove his abilities.
Upon hearing the na of the rcenary group, Deneb and Kyle burst into laughter.
"Yeah, Ghislain’s leaving eventually, so you take over. I’ll concede."
Although it was embarrassing, Julien couldn’t refuse further. Ghislain’s staff kept swaying in front of his face, after all.
During his ti with Ghislain, Julien realized sothing: Ghislain was soone whose words made no sense. He always insisted he was right.
Unable to defeat Ghislain in a battle of words, Julien sighed and gave up resisting.
The manager, noticing their conversation, spoke to Ghislain.
"We need to prove the total gold we can offer. There's no one else to test beyond that. To get a reward, we’ll need to head to a big city."
“Well, that’s enough for now.”
“A 5th-level person can receive a lesson... Are you a 5th-circle master?”
“Not quite, I’m just at the entry level.”
The manager tilted his head. His tone was almost as if he was transcribing a beat.
“Well, as long as entry level is fine... Can you show so 5th-circle magic?”
Ghislain put on a slightly irritated expression.
“Hey, didn’t you just sense my terrifying mana earlier? And now you want to show magic again?”
“No, no, I know you have the skills... But I need to know your circle exactly…”
The manager quickly shifted the subject but didn't back down. He knew that mages were eccentric and sotis timid, but he needed proper confirmation.
“Sigh... The world really lacks trust, doesn’t it?”
Ghislain grumbled, shaking his head. He then drew his staff and this ti didn’t create multiple small ones. Instead, he gathered his mana into one large, towering spear.
The manager took a deep breath, sensing the imnse power emanating from the creation.
“Whoa... This is incredible. I’ll give you the highest grade I can. But we’ll need to engrave your circle on the rcenary badge... Is this 5th-circle magic?”
“It is.”
“This... I don’t know this magic. Could you show sothing more famous?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“My magic… once it’s cast, there’s no avoiding bloodshed.”
Ghislain began to gather his magic. No matter how much they begged him to show it, he couldn’t. But the manager, being subtly persistent, didn’t give up.
“No, we need to engrave the circle on the badge.”
“...I refuse.”
“No, you can’t refuse.”
“...”
Ghislain remained silent and unmoved. The manager, frustrated, slapped his chest and exclaid,
“Is the 5th-circle magic too difficult? Does it drain too much mana? Then show at least 4th-circle magic.”
“...”
“3rd-circle? You could at least show a simple 3rd-circle magic, right?”
“Fine. How about a 2nd-circle fireball? With 2nd-circle, I can give you a mid-level rcenary badge!”
“1st-circle? A light spell is fine, right? Even Light magic, does it require blood?”
The manager, growing stubborn, insisted on seeing at least 1st-circle magic.
But Ghislain, gritting his teeth, kept silent and maintained his stance. Ghislain never loses a battle of will.
Finally, the manager’s suspicions exploded.
“Hey! Are you even a mage?”
Boom!
Ghislain’s summoned magic spear shot forward, smashing the side of the building. The sudden display of power took the manager by surprise.
“Isn’t this magic, then what is it?”
“Well... it’s magic, but I need to show sothing else since it has to be engraved…”
“I’ve already shown you, but since you keep doubting, I don’t feel like showing you anything more.”
Ghislain continued to smile. Honestly, he really wanted to show more, but he couldn’t.
Fortunately, the image of the mage, whose magic was released earlier, was quite helpful. Magic users had always been evaluated the sa way, even a thousand years ago.
The manager, holding back tears, muttered,
“Damn mages, they’re never normal…”
In the end, Ghislain received a mid-level rcenary badge engraved with the 5th-circle symbol.
“Let’s see the others now. Since they’ve received the mid-level badges, just wait a bit.”
Ghislain shook his head.
“These friends can use mana. They’re at the knight level.”
“What? They’re that young?”
“I told you they are. Just check.”
“R-Really? They don’t need any duels?”
Normally, rcenaries assess their rank through duels. However, because they were mid-level rcenaries, they could skip this step and verify their ranks.
Exceptions existed for those who could use mana.
For them, duels weren’t necessary. Just using mana proved their abilities.
Even knights could end up as bandits nowadays. In this era, there were many rcenaries who used mana.
However, most of them were at the level of bandits and were older, middle-aged n. Young and promising ones rarely worked as rcenaries.
The manager’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he waved his hands around.
“Well, let’s see it then!”
Julien placed his sword to his side and channeled mana into it. Kyle did the sa.
The blue glow of their mana glimred on their swords. Even though the manager couldn’t confirm their circles, he knew that this was mana.
“R-Really? No way, how are they so young…”
The manager muttered in excitent, realizing that rare talents had arrived at the rcenary guild.
With a pleased smile, he said,
“Alright, alright. I’ll give both of you mid-level badges.”
The manager started acting familiar with them. Mages were eccentric and hard to get close to, but such powerful figures were a different matter.
Being on good terms with talented and promising people was never a bad thing.
Seemingly impressed, Ghislain pointed to Deneb.
“Give him a badge too. Sa rank.”
The manager's eyes turned to disdain.
“Isn’t he… a priest?”
“Yeah. He didn’t go to the testing castle.”
“Wait, can a priest register as a rcenary?”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
Deneb blinked, as there was no law in the doctrine prohibiting priests from working as rcenaries.
Of course, there never had been such a thing. Priests who did rcenary work for money and then used it to help others didn’t exist either.
But if soone insisted, they could consider themselves rcenaries.
The manager, flustered, asked,
“Then, how would we rank them…?”
rcenary guilds ranked people based on different criteria depending on the kingdom or city. This guild used a specific system, but they had no rule for priests.
Ghislain, unconcerned, responded,
“I told you. Give him a mid-level rank. Being able to use holy power is enough.”
“Holy power? Could I see it?”
At the words of the manager, Deneb stretched out her hand. A faint but clear light emanated from it.
The manager flinched and instinctively took a step back, sensing the undeniable holy power.
"Unbelievable."
It didn’t matter whether the holy power was strong or weak. The important thing was that soone who could use holy power was now part of the rcenary group.
While knights would typically undergo a lot of testing, the rcenaries here appeared like simple mages on the outside, but their ranks were quite impressive.
Moreover, they were all young. If they continued to develop their skills and survive, this group would undoubtedly beco a formidable rcenary force.
The manager, becoming even more familiar, extended his hand to Ghislain.
"My na is Jackson. I’ll issue your rcenary badges right away. The registration will be quick too. Let’s get along well from now on. We’ll be friends, alright?"
"You’ve been adding that for a while now? Well, let’s try to get along."
Ghislain gladly shook his hand. Jackson then turned his attention to Julien and Kyle, offering them handshakes as well.
It seed like the mage in charge was from the staff, but ultimately, the leader of the group was Julien.
After completing the test, Jackson pulled out a simple docunt and said,
"You’ll need to wait a little for your badges, but I think you’ll enjoy a walk around the area."
"Yeah, once I see what’s on the list."
Jackson showed them the current list of requests in the rcenary guild.
As Ghislain looked through the list, it seed that sothing didn’t sit right with him, and he asked with a dissatisfied tone,
"Is that all? Are there no more dangerous jobs?"
Jackson appeared slightly troubled but responded,
"Well, there aren’t any jobs that would bring in that much money right now. This is a small town, so there’s not going to be anything that dangerous, is there?"
It was a small town. Even with enhanced vitality, the area’s risks didn’t extend much beyond nearby benefits.
"Well, we’ll have to wait and see. If nothing cos up, we can move to another city."
"Even if we wait, you won’t find the kind of dangerous job you’re looking for. This is your first request, right? It’s better to take on an easier job and gain experience than risk your life."
"No. I need a profitable and powerful job to beco famous quickly."
"Tsk tsk, I’ve seen many people who go to their grave that way."
Jackson clicked his tongue, but Ghislain didn’t budge. He always did things with conviction.
Ghislain and his group received their rcenary badges and spent so ti at the rcenary guild. They ca and went quite freely, eating and later practicing in the open field.
Jackson gave them hints to leave, but Ghislain insisted they were here for a job request.
Of course, Ghislain didn’t want to be too rude, so he handed over a small amount of money as a fee, which made Jackson leave them alone for the ti being.
One day, as they spent ti at the rcenary guild,
"rcenaries! We need rcenaries!"
A young man entered the guild. He had a gentle and soft appearance. His clothes were a little worn, but they were made from quite fine material.
"What do you need them for?"
Jackson stepped forward and asked, and the man quickly responded,
"I need a duel participant. Please introduce a skilled rcenary."
"A duel opponent? For the Raks rchant guild? Lord Leo from the Raks rchant guild?"
"Yes, yes! That’s right. Has the rumor already spread this far?"
Jackson squinted, as if feeling sorry for the man.
"This isn’t going to work. We don’t have anyone suitable for that."
"Please, is there no skilled rcenary here? Ti is running out."
Jackson glanced toward the back. Just then, Ghislain’s group finished their practice and were sitting at a table eating.
The food had been brought by a waiter from a nearby inn.
"Ugh... This isn’t even a restaurant…"
While grumbling inwardly, Ghislain approached and asked,
"What’s going on? What kind of request is this?"
"A request for soone to participate in a duel."
"A duel?"
"Yes, the lord of the rchant guild had a disagreent. Now, the lord has requested a duel... Well, this kind of risky business is right up your alley."
"But that’s not what I want. These kinds of duels don’t really help much..."
Ghislain tried to brush it off.
What he was looking for in a risky job was one where they fought in a single location, not so political danger. Such matters were just headaches and tiring.
Besides, in a small-scale area like this, having a duel wouldn’t help raise one’s skills.
Leo urged them with increasing desperation,
"Please, find a skilled rcenary. There’s not much ti left!"
"We’ll accept your request. But, there’s no money for the lord’s side. The job…"
"We’re willing to help, but we have to deal with the fighting and positioning ourselves. Of course, if soone knows the circumstances, they’ll help us."
Leo appealed to their sense of obligation, but Jackson, smiling awkwardly, shook his head.
"I’ll give it to the rcenaries, but it’s not going to be easy. Please prepare yourselves for that."
"Ugh…"
Leo, overwheld, started crying out loud. Seeing this, Deneb quietly remarked,
"He seems like soone who’s been wronged..."
"Tsk tsk, there you go again. That’s from his point of view. You always have to hear both sides of the story."
"That’s true."
"Yeah. People always speak from their own perspective. Whether he’s truly wronged or just making excuses, we can’t know for sure. If you’re going to interfere, you have to understand both sides clearly first."
Ghislain said this seriously. No matter what others said, he always prided himself on acting rationally (or so he thought).
Hearing the conversation, Leo shouted with frustration,
"We are truly wronged! We’ve been falsely accused! Don’t speak to us like that if you won’t help!"
Ghislain looked at him, taken aback. He had t countless people in the rcenary business, including greedy ones.
Whenever these people were on the receiving end, they would always shout that they were wronged.
The era was harsher now. Listening to only one side and believing it was naive.
Julien, Deneb, and Kyle admired Ghislain’s calm deanor.
Until now, they had never thought this way. When soone asked for help, they were quick to offer it without much thought.
"That’s Ghislain for you."
"We need to learn that level of calmness."
"Couldn’t it be that the situation is actually wrong?"
While the three admired him, Leo kept crying.
"Ugh, is there no hope left in this world?"
Leo truly looked wronged. His gentle and innocent appearance made the onlookers feel pity.
Julien and Deneb bit their lips as they looked at him.
They wanted to help. They wanted to solve his problems.
But they knew they had promised Ghislain not to interfere anymore.
If they let Leo go, the Raks rchant guild would likely collapse.
Leo, with a defeated expression, said,
"There’s less than a week left. What do you an, go to another place and ask?"
"I’m really sorry I can’t help."
Jackson gently declined, and Leo muttered in a voice full of despair,
"If only we hadn’t been robbed of the funds…"
Upon hearing this, Ghislain suddenly stood up.
"Did you say funds?"
"Yes, yes! Most of the funds from our territory have been taken. The lord has accused us falsely to take control of them…"
Ghislain’s expression changed dramatically upon hearing this.
"Such… a ruthless lord, huh?"
"What?"
"We’re a rcenary group that does only righteous work. Our goal is to punish evil. After hearing your story, it seems like you’ve been wronged."
"What? But earlier…"
"Ah, we’ll help you."
At Ghislain’s words, Leo’s eyes widened. Ghislain smiled brightly at him.
"For the sake of justice"
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