[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
Chapter 132 - A Slap for Every Penny Found (14)
“Dian! Co on in!”
As soon as we arrived at the headquarters, the leader and the rcenaries rushed out to greet us.
“Are you hurt? You really gave us a scare earlier! I an, who beats up a dragon?!”
“You’re my hero, Brother Dian! I look up to you so much!”
“Co on, get inside!”
The rcenaries poured into the headquarters, and when Scala dumped the treasure onto the table, their excitent grew even more.
“Wh-what is all this?!”
“What do you think? It’s the loot from that dragon’s lair. This should be more than enough to support the families of our fallen comrades.”
With that, Scala scooped up a portion of the gold coins, stuffed them into a small sack, and handed it to Hindrasta.
“Sophie. This is your share.”
“My share?”
“I promised, rember? I wouldn’t cheat you out of it.”
“Ah… right….”
Hindrasta looked genuinely flustered as she peered inside the sack.
“So, this is…”
“Your savings that you left with the rcenaries, plus a little extra for your help today.”
“Ah….”
Hindrasta tied up the sack and scratched her head awkwardly, as if trying to find the right words.
“Uh… thanks…”
“No, we should be thanking you.”
The rcenary leader approached and patted Hindrasta on the shoulder.
“Thanks for coming to help, Sophie. Because of you, we all made it back safely.”
“Yeah, Sophie! Thanks a lot! It’s all thanks to you!”
rcenaries all around threw out their thanks, causing Hindrasta to blush and glance at , clearly uncomfortable.
“I… I don’t know how I’m supposed to react to this…”
“I think you’re supposed to smile.”
She hesitated for a mont before giving an awkward grin and shouting.
“Well, of course! There’s nothing in this world that Sophie can’t do!”
As Sophie yelled, the rcenaries erupted into cheers.
“And Dian. Thanks again. You saved our rcenary group.”
The leader turned to , his face serious.
“You ca to our aid back during the war, and now, ten years later, you’ve saved us again.”
“Well, Sophie was involved, and we go way back, so I figured I’d help out. I’m just glad to see everyone smiling again. Although, there’s nothing we can do for those who didn’t make it.”
“Yeah… that’s just how it is with rcenary work.”
The leader hid his sadness behind a bright smile.
“Now that we’re all here, why don’t you and Sophie stay the night? Have so food with us, and we can catch up.”
“Hm, I don’t know. Got anything good to eat?”
“Of course! Down in the cellar, I’ve got sothing special. It gets better when stored in a cool, dry place.”
Looks like he finally built that wine cellar he always dread of.
During the war, when the rcenaries were living out of tents with no fixed base, the leader would always say that once he made it big, he’d build a proper headquarters with a basent full of booze.
It seems he finally achieved that dream after the war ended.
Let’s see… I don’t have anything urgent at the Academy this weekend, so I guess it’s fine.
And as for Hindrasta, Isra already knows we’re here, so that’s not a problem.
“Orendi, what about you? Want to stay here or head ho and co back later?”
“Uh, I….”
Before Orendi could decide, the leader grabbed him by the wrist with a serious look.
“You’re not going anywhere! We need to treat our mage with the respect he deserves! You’re one of our saviors too!”
“M-? I just did what I was told… but alright, if you insist.”
And so, we decided to stay at the rcenary headquarters for the night instead of heading back to the Academy.
# # # # #
The feast was massive.
The leader spared no expense, celebrating our return, the compensation we got from Tarkanik, and our reunion.
The rcenaries took their newfound gold and went into town, returning with carts full of food, including a whole pig.
It didn’t take long for the rcenaries, who were used to chopping wood and fighting, to slaughter the pig and start roasting it over the fire.
Normally, roasting a whole pig takes all day, but Orendi sped things up.
Using magic, he cooked the inside and outside simultaneously, and within just an hour, we had a perfectly roasted pig.
The pig was placed in the center of a large table, surrounded by roasted vegetables: potatoes, corn, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and more.
On another side of the table were heaps of chicken, thick ham, sausages the size of a grown man’s arm, and rough-baked bread.
It was the complete opposite of a noble banquet—a feast that was thoroughly rcenary-style.
And, of course, the most important part: the booze.
The leader’s long-anticipated wine cellar was finally opened, and massive oak barrels of beer were rolled out, each so heavy that it took ten rcenaries to haul them into the dining hall.
“Open them up!”
At the leader's command, the rcenaries pried the lids off with crowbars.
“Whoa! What is that?!”
The strong aroma hit Orendi, who practically drooled at the sll.
“This is beer made from the best barley from Aigara. There’s no better beer on the continent.”
The leader said with pride, pouring a mug for himself.
“Today, we eat and drink to our heart’s content!”
“Yeah!!”
# # # # #
The party lasted late into the night.
rcenaries are known for being heavy drinkers, so it probably wouldn’t end even after dawn.
They ate, drank, laughed, danced, and sang, making enough noise to shake the whole city of Reblanc.
Orendi, who had initially been reserved, now led the dancing, firing off illusion magic that captivated everyone.
Every ti a stream of light shot from his fingers, it exploded in the air, creating images of candy-eating dragons, perfectly boiled Krakens, and naked Sirens, driving the rcenaries wild with excitent.
I spent the evening at a table with the leader, catching up on everything that had happened.
The Reblanc rcenaries had grown rapidly after the war, just as I’d heard.
The turning point was the covert operation where Linus and I had joined them.
The trendous success of that mission led to the Imperial Palace viewing the Reblanc rcenaries favorably. Afterward, the capital cut ties with several other rcenary groups they had been working with and ford an exclusive contract with Reblanc.
So smaller rcenary groups, seeing their deals with the capital end, even chose to rge with Reblanc.
“Our rcenary group grew so big thanks to you and Linus. We’re always grateful for that.”
The leader filled my mug with beer as he spoke.
“After the war, I tried to et with Linus, but he wouldn’t see .”
“Why not?”
“He said that as the leader of a successful rcenary group, being seen with him might give people the wrong idea, like we were getting special favors.”
That made sense.
After the war, Linus beca a hero of the continent, and if he had t with the wrong people, it could have caused rumors.
He’s always been a smart guy.
“So, I asked if he knew where you were, but he said he didn’t. I heard you were missing. What happened?”
“Well, about that…”
I told the leader how I had been living in Brunswell for ten years before becoming a professor at the Academy earlier this year.
“What?! You’re a professor at the Academy now? That’s unbelievable! And that’s where you t Sophie again? I’ve got so many questions.”
The leader bombarded with questions.
Why did Sophie suddenly quit her bodyguard job and beco a student at the Academy without telling anyone?
Scala told him that Sophie had a history with from the war, but what was the exact story?
And what was up with Sophie speaking so casually to that White Dragon back at the lord’s castle?
Now that I thought about it, Sophie’s strength and fighting skills are way beyond that of a normal human. It was a bit suspicious.
After a brief pause, I decided to lie.
Telling him that Sophie was actually Hindrasta, the dragon from the war, didn’t seem like a good idea.
“Sophie was part of an elite task force in the Imperial Palace. We worked together a few tis, and apparently, she crossed paths with Tarkanik during one of those missions. I don’t know all the details. But at so point, she stole so operational funds and did a lot of other shady stuff, so she got kicked out.”
“Ah, I see. That makes sense. Sophie was always obsessed with money, so I can believe it.”
The leader nodded as if it all clicked into place, probably recalling how much Sophie used to talk about money.
“And as for why she beca a student at the Academy… well, I’m sorry to say, that was my fault. I recruited her.”
I explained the situation at the Academy at the ti, not leaving out any details.
“I needed top-tier students to save the Academy, and I figured soone like Sophie could help raise the bar.”
“That makes sense. Sophie’s definitely not soone whose skills could be doubted.”
The leader took a sip of his beer and spoke.
“Now that I think about it, Sophie going to the Academy might’ve been what saved us. If she had stayed with the rcenaries and taken part in the territorial conflict, she would’ve been captured too. And if that had happened, no one would’ve co to rescue us. Right?”
The leader looked over at Hindrasta, who scoffed.
“If I had been there, we wouldn’t have lost the battle in the first place.”
Sure, this coming from the sa person who was pinned to the ground by Tarkanik, but she’s got confidence, I’ll give her that.
“I’m just really thankful for you, Brother Dian.”
Scala, who had been listening quietly, reached across the table and grabbed my hand.
“You helped our rcenary group grow during the war, taught how to fight, and now you’ve saved us again.”
Scala glanced at the leader and her brothers before continuing.
“This is enough, right? Isn’t it more than enough?”
“Absolutely. If it’s Dian, there’s no problem at all.”
The leader and Scala’s brothers all agreed in unison.
“Uh, hold on. What exactly are we talking about?”
“Well, Dian, there were a lot of marriage talks involving Scala and various other rcenary groups.”
He continued.
“By getting married, we could form alliances and grow stronger. It’s similar to the arranged marriages among nobles.”
“Ah, I see. So what’s the issue?”
“The issue is that Scala said she wouldn’t marry anyone unless they were as strong as you, Dian. She said bringing in soone weaker would only weaken the rcenary group.”
“Hm, well, she’s not wrong. So, what’s the problem?”
“What do you an, ‘what’s the problem’?! Scala’s demand is impossible! How many people in this world are as strong as you? Linus? That guy’s already married with a kid.”
“I’m not denying that… but what’s your point?”
“My point, Dian, is that the only person as strong as you… is you!”
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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