Chapter 33: The Warrior and the North (1)
The bandits were swiftly exterminated. It was Kazan, who had reached the level of a quasi-knight. There was no way re bandits could stand against him.
Afterward, I took care of the corpses. A trivial chore—sothing that a newcor like was expected to handle.
“The speed of your draw, your judgnt in the mont—everything was amazing.”
That was Ryan speaking. His hazy expression seed to be recalling what had just happened.
“You knew from the start that the bandits had poisoned the water, didn’t you? How did you figure it out? I heard that the Captain’s body is immune to poison. Was that thanks to his constitution?”
Ryan’s mouth showed no sign of stopping. He chattered on with a delighted expression, his face flushed with an odd heat. He seed quite excited.
I replied,
“He must’ve known. The water they called cold was only lukewarm. He probably warned us because he was worried we’d get poisoned.”
“As expected! I heard rcenaries never know where they might die—so even get murdered by bandits. So this was one of those cases. Every mber of the Black Dragon rcenary Corps has survived for over ten years. I’m sure they’ve experienced this kind of thing plenty of tis.”
A glimr flickered in Ryan’s eyes. It was a look filled with admiration. I understood his reaction. Even in the mories of my past life, few people could compare to Kazan. A man who was strong simply by virtue of being human. Admiration was only natural.
Once I finished all the nial work, Kazan handed a cup.
“Good work. Have a drink and rest.”
“Thank you!”
Ryan accepted the cup politely, his eyes shining even brighter. Every ti he looked at Kazan, his admiration seed to flare up anew.
I, on the other hand, declined the drink. I had never liked alcohol since I was a child. I had no desire to force myself.
Ryan didn’t miss that mont. He pulled my cup toward himself.
“You don’t even know the taste of alcohol. Such a kid.”
He spoke while gulping down the liquor, white foam clinging to his lips. His grinning face looked especially frivolous tonight.
I shook my head. He wasn’t soone worth responding to on most days, and now that he was drunk, I certainly didn’t want to chat.
I lay down in a corner. Everyone else was drinking. Soone needed to stay sober enough to stand watch through the night. At least it was better that one of us could keep a clear head.
‘If I sleep for about three hours, that should be enough.’
I closed my eyes and drifted into sleep.
Not long after, I opened my eyes again. Slowly rising, I stretched lightly. My body tended to stiffen easily in the North. It was necessary to loosen up my muscles periodically.
‘Is everyone asleep?’
I wondered.
Ryan was right beside , snoring loudly. Every exhale reeked of alcohol—he must’ve drunk himself senseless.
‘The Captain’s asleep too. What about Senior Retina…?’
At that mont, a faint light caught my eye. A dim glow, like a candle fla. But it wasn’t an ordinary light—there was mana flowing through it. Magic.
“You’re awake?”
Retina spoke. Without sparing a glance, she was mixing substances.
I asked,
“What are you doing alone at this hour?”
“I was checking the sleeping agent for the dragon. Those creatures can’t be judged by human standards. It never hurts to be thorough, right?”
“How’s the effect?”
“It’s a hair stronger than it was the day before yesterday. The first version could put Kazan to sleep for half a month. Now, this one can keep him asleep for a whole month.”
“It’s nearly twice as strong as before. That’s impressive progress.”
“Still not enough.”
Retina’s eyes sank darkly. She bit her lip repeatedly, anxiety flickering in her expression.
“Dragons are lifeforms called the masters of mana. Even a sleeping agent that reacts to mana might not work on them. I have to make it stronger—strong enough that if a human took it, they would never wake again.”
“That’s why you’ve been working without sleep, even at dawn?”
“This is our last chance. I’ve discussed everything with Kazan. If we fail again, we’ll give up on Garan. There’s no helping it. That’s why I’m pushing harder—because it’s the last.”
Doing one’s best until the end—sothing anyone could say. Yet Retina’s words carried a different kind of weight. There was depth in her voice, in the tremor of her fingertips.
A depth that set her apart from others.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
People who give their all always draw in. If there was sothing I could do to assist, I intended to lend a hand.
“I’ll just take the thought. Unless you have dical knowledge, you can’t really help . If you really feel bad, make so soup later. I’m a little hungry.”
“Understood.”
I nodded in reply.
Retina’s research continued throughout the night. She didn’t sleep—not even for a mont, as if rest itself were a waste of ti. She pushed herself relentlessly.
How long had it been since she last slept? Normally, I wasn’t one to concern myself with others, but even I couldn’t help worrying. Retina’s complexion looked terrible.
“Leon, good work staying on watch all night. Get two hours of rest. I’ll take the next shift.”
At dawn, Kazan rose. He yawned, looking tired. He didn’t seem to have slept well either.
I politely declined his consideration. My trained body didn’t need much sleep. Three hours a day was enough to keep in peak condition. There was no need for more.
Kazan didn’t insist twice. He knew it too—that I wasn’t tired.
Soon, Ryan woke up. He yawned loudly, rubbing his temples and groaning about a headache. The sll of alcohol still clung to him—it was a wonder he didn’t have a worse hangover.
Everyone had finished preparing to depart. It was ti to get moving.
Then—
Bang, bang, bang!
“Anyone inside?”
A man’s voice ca from outside.
“Let say this first, so there’s no misunderstanding. We’re rcenaries from the Helik rcenary Corps. We received a commission to subjugate the bandits living near this area. But when we arrived, all the bandits were already dead. We’d like to have a word. Would you open the door?”
I glanced at Kazan. My eyes silently asked what he wanted to do.
Kazan answered casually,
“If they ant to attack, they’d have ambushed us already. Open it.”
I nodded and unlatched the door. Outside, half a dozen ard n stood waiting. Their weapons and armor made it obvious—they were rcenaries.
One of them bowed lightly.
“Pleasure to et you.”
I stepped aside without a word, aning for them to speak with Kazan instead. The rcenary understood imdiately. He stepped inside and spoke slowly.
“We’d like to talk.”
“You can talk to . You said you’re with the Helik rcenary Corps, and that you ca to subjugate the bandits. What’s your business?”
“Our client requested that we bring back the bandits’ corpses. They won’t pay us until they’ve seen the bodies. Forgive our rudeness, but could you hand over the bandits’ heads to us?”
My eyes swept over them. Rusty weapons, shabby armor—one glance was enough to tell their condition was poor.
‘This could turn into a fight if we’re not careful.’
I thought quietly.
Not all rcenaries were as successful as the Black Dragon rcenary Corps. In fact, most were impoverished. To complete their requests, they needed force—but few had enough of it.
‘Just like the Martial Alliance. The average commoner could only hope to learn sothing like the Three Talents Sword Technique or Taiji Fist. A few talented ones rose above diocrity, but most remained third-rate at best.’
These n before were the sa—third-rate drifters, barely scraping by, uncertain if they’d live to see another dawn.
Even bandit extermination was a gamble with death for them. They were people with no tomorrow—n who might risk their lives just to earn their pay.
“That’s convenient,” Kazan said, his expression unreadable. “We were just wondering what to do with the corpses anyway.”
“Take them if you wish, but be careful—they might spread disease.”
“……Much obliged.”
The man bowed again. The faces behind him eased in relief. Had things gone poorly, a fight would have broken out for sure. They looked the type to cause trouble.
The rcenaries loaded the corpses onto their cart. Many wanderers didn’t care about cleanup after a battle, but at least these ones had so sort of plan.
Ryan spoke up.
“You’re just letting them go? They took what was ours without lifting a finger. Shouldn’t we teach them a lesson?”
His face twisted with irritation—he clearly didn’t like the idea of giving up so easily.
“The second rule of surviving as a rcenary,” Kazan replied calmly,
“Don’t stir up pointless trouble. Plenty of rcenaries die because of trivial misunderstandings. If you can yield, yield. Especially since we need to reach the North as soon as possible. Fighting them would be a waste of ti.”
Ryan fell silent, his face thoughtful. He seed to be mulling over Kazan’s words. After a mont, he nodded.
“You’re right. Fighting isn’t our priority right now.”
It was a reasonable answer. I agreed with him completely. I had once been a wanderer myself; I knew well how important it was to avoid unnecessary conflict.
Those n robbed travelers—they wouldn’t be worth much even if we turned them in. Better to yield than waste ti competing over a few worthless heads.
And so, our journey continued once more.
Three days later—
We arrived in the Territory of Withers. I had passed through here just three months ago. So familiar places caught my eye.
Then—
“You there.”
A man holding an axe called out to us.
“You’re the ones who gave us the bandit corpses, aren’t you? Are you headed to the Withers Territory?”
To my surprise, he turned out to be one of the Helik rcenary Corps.
“Well, this is quite a coincidence. I’d call this fate. What brings you here? If there’s anything I can help with, I’d be glad to.”
I blinked. Retribution follows reason, as they said—everything cos full circle. Indeed, it had.
Kazan spoke.
“So, you’re the rcenary we t before. What was your na?”
“Helik.”
“So, you were the captain of the rcenary corps.”
“Didn’t an to reveal that, but so be it. By the way, it takes at least five days to get from there to the Withers Territory. How did you get here so quickly? Especially in this cold weather?”
“Everyone’s in good shape. The journey wasn’t difficult.”
Helik’s eyes turned toward . I wasn’t wearing an upper garnt—naturally, his gaze lingered.
“Seems that way indeed. So, what business brings you here? You don’t look too familiar with the North.”
“There’s sothing we’re looking for. But first, we’d like to find an inn. Could you recomnd a good one?”
“If it’s lodging you need, I know a fine place. It’s where I’m staying, actually. Why don’t we have a al together?”
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