Chapter – 32
In a room that appeared to be a study, the atmosphere was gloomy and sinister as a man mentioned the Staccato from Verti Gorge.
The man sitting across from him, judging just by the clothes he wore, seemed to be a noble of considerable status.
“As expected, we located the Dwarf’s forge and observed it. We were able to find the item.”
“Then shouldn’t we make a move before Javes makes the armor?”
“That’s true, but our opponent is Javes. Sneaking into his forge and stealing the Staccato hide is impossible.”
“Hmm…”
Dwarves were a race that, despite their short stature, inherited the blood of born warriors. Their combat techniques, which utilized the tremendous physical strength they were known for to wield the weapons they created and overwhelm their opponents, were truly formidable, so much so that even knights avoided picking fights with Dwarves recklessly.
“Then?”
“We will bribe someone working in his forge to steal it for us.”
“Would Dwarves be moved by money?”
“They might not be moved by money or gold, but they would be by mana stones and minerals.”
“Mana stones and minerals? You can’t mean common iron ore.”
“Bernardistone and Mithril.”
At the mention of Bernardistone, the noble-looking man raised his head and looked at the reporting man’s face.
Bernardistone was not a common mineral; it was a mineral resistant to mana. It was known that if one used Bernardistone to create arms and armor, they could withstand magic and aura swords to some extent.
The mineral Mithril also had similar effects to Bernardistone, but Bernardistone was slightly superior in terms of mana conductivity.
Perhaps because of this? Equipment made from Bernardistone was more popular among knights than among wizards.
“Did we have Bernardistone in our possession?”
“We attacked the Froland merchant group leaving the Raymond Marquisate for the capital and looted their transport. Inside, there were 100 kilograms of Bernardistone and 500 kilograms of Mithril.”
“If we provide that to Javes’s side, Baron Flora will find out.”
“Baron Flora doesn’t have a monopoly on Bernardistone. And if we don’t give all 100 kilograms but only half, Baron Flora might be suspicious, but he wouldn’t be able to conclusively say it was his mineral.”
“Hmm.”
“Furthermore, the Dwarf who receives the mineral won’t be able to reveal where he got it, so I don’t think it will be a major problem.”
The noble-looking man thought for a moment, then nodded his head. It seemed that even if things went wrong, he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.
“But what if the Dwarf refuses your proposal?”
“I hear that the weapons and armor made by Javes’s forge are being dispatched to Duke Durand tomorrow.”
“We rob that shipment?”
“Correct. Javes will hire mercenaries to move, so if we are just careful enough, we can easily plunder the arms.”
“Won’t that be difficult?”
“Fortunately, Diviner Mage is visiting our main estate. I asked for his help, and he readily agreed.”
“The Diviner is here?”
“Yes. It seems he received a certain request from Lord Agares.”
The man fell silent for a moment.
The Diviner was a 5th Circle black mage, a mage who held a fairly high position even within their own organization.
If he helped, they could handle the matter easily, but it would leave traces of black magic, which he thought would impose certain restrictions on their future activities.
‘The Staccato hide is an important material for the summoning ritual, so I suppose there’s no helping it.’
“Very well. First, we must secure the arms made by Javes.”
“Yes. I plan to proceed with the aforementioned plan first, and if all fails, use the stolen arms as leverage for first and second rounds of bargaining.”
“Do so. And contact the Diviner. Ask him to come to my mansion tonight to enjoy a dinner and request his assistance with tomorrow’s matter.”
“Understood.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right. You’re a mercenary too, so what do you say? I’ll pay you proper compensation. Will you come along? By the time we return from the Duke Durand’s territory, the armor made from Staccato hide should be completed.”
Pirancheva had accepted Javes’s request to escort the shipment departing tomorrow morning and agreed to join.
“Then, is there anything I need to prepare separately?”
For mercenaries, each request comes with things they need to prepare themselves. One doesn’t just go empty-handed after accepting a request.
“Just prepare the gear to protect your life and some food for the journey. Well, if our Dwarven food suits your taste, you don’t need to prepare separately.”
Pirancheva gave an awkward smile.
In his six years as a mercenary, he had met quite a few Dwarves, but while he adapted to other things, he could never get used to their food.
“Then, since it takes about 7 days to go and come back, I just need to prepare that much, right?”
“Yes. There will be quite a few mercenaries joining us, so if you meet them and get along well, you might not need to prepare at all.”
“If I do that, I’ll starve.”
He had been in such situations a few times before and knew the habits of mercenaries well.
“Then, I’ll go prepare for tomorrow.”
“Alright. Do that.”
After Pirancheva left the forge, Javes’s eyes sparkled.
“He wears a sword at his waist, so he’s clearly a swordsman, but the amount of mana his body holds is abnormally high.”
Javes had proposed the escort request to Pirancheva precisely because he was interested in him.
His physique was certainly no different from an adult man’s, but his speech and actions still showed signs that he wasn’t yet an adult.
Moreover, according to the common sense he knew, to hunt a Staccato alone, one needed to be at least a Mana Expert or a 5th Circle or higher mage.
Furthermore, the one Pirancheva brought was a large Staccato, the kind that would be difficult for even a Mana Expert knight to subdue alone.
Therefore, thinking it would be interesting to observe Pirancheva, who seemed to have many secrets, up close, he had proposed the request to him.
“It won’t be boring for the next 7 days.”
Early in the morning, many people gathered at Javes’s forge. Among them was Pirancheva, and there were also several mercenaries who knew him.
“Look who it is! Pirancheva, are you also taking this request?”
“Yes. Uncle Rumen, are you going too? If you’re coming along, unlike Uncle Giltmin, it feels reliable.”
“Hey, what’s wrong with me!”
“Take a look at the expressions of the other uncles over there.”
Pirancheva seemed quite well-known among the mercenaries, as there were quite a few who knew him.
“These guys…”
Although Pirancheva talked like this, in reality, Giltmin was a higher-ranked mercenary than Rumen and more skilled.
“Long time no see, Pirancheva.”
The mercenaries who knew Pirancheva exchanged brief greetings with him.
While they were greeting each other, Javes arrived where they were, pulling carts loaded with arms and armor.
There were five carts in total, neatly packed with various weapons and armor made from different minerals.
Even a rough estimate suggested about 50 sets of arms per cart, so five carts meant 250 sets.
‘Is Duke Durand replacing all his knights’ gear?’
As Pirancheva had this thought, Javes’s voice reached his ears.
“Everyone, put the things you brought in between the carts.”
The mercenaries loaded their belongings onto the carts. Most were rations for the mercenaries, but some also stored weapons like arrows and daggers.
Once the packing was complete, Javes entrusted the forge to his colleagues and set off for the Durand Duchy.
The horses pulling the carts slowly began to move, and the mercenaries positioned themselves beside the carts carrying their belongings, walking in step.
Javes and a few other mercenaries rode on the carts, driving the horses.
In escort requests, driving the cart was a privilege of sorts, usually enjoyed by higher-ranked mercenaries.
“Pirancheva, you’re in a position where you could drive a cart too, so why are you walking?”
The mercenaries knew that although Pirancheva was a C-rank mercenary, his skills far surpassed those of an A-rank mercenary.
“It’s fine. I’m still young. And I need to walk a bit. I need to get my body warmed up and all.”
Although his youth and lack of experience prevented his mercenary rank from being raised, he held no complaints about it. A higher rank meant better treatment among mercenaries, but it also came with more responsibilities.
“Is that important?”
“Of course. To use my body properly in a sudden situation, it needs to be somewhat warmed up to avoid problems.”
“It sounds like you’re hoping for such a thing to happen.”
“Not at all. It’s just that since the future is unpredictable, I’m simply preparing.”
“Pirancheva is right about that. If we just listen to Pirancheva, nothing will happen, so let’s assume that and move diligently.”
Javes, riding on the lead cart, smiled as he listened to the mercenaries’ conversation.
‘It seems the mercenaries who know him are aware that he’s a skilled fighter, despite his youth.’
Following the main road of the territory, they arrived at the outer wall gate, underwent a simple inspection, and exited the outer wall.
“From now on, our representative will be Pirancheva. Anyone here have a problem with that?”
When Giltmin spoke, those who knew Pirancheva all agreed, while the mercenaries who didn’t know him expressed dissatisfaction.
“He’s still a kid, isn’t he? I heard he’s only been a mercenary for 6 years.”
“That’s right. In those 6 years, he became a C-rank mercenary and hasn’t failed a single time out of hundreds of requests.”
As Giltmin spoke, Rumen chimed in as if in agreement.
“This is your first request with Pirancheva, so you might not trust him, but just leave it to him. Then you’ll understand why we recommended him as leader. And if you don’t like how it’s going, then one of you can step up and lead. We won’t oppose it.”
Hearing the mercenaries who knew Pirancheva speak like this, the others had no choice but to agree.
As if he had anticipated this outcome, Pirancheva addressed the mercenaries.
“Then, I ask for your cooperation. I can’t speak for other things, but if I say stop, please stop, and if I say move, please move. If you just follow that, we should be able to reach the Durand Duchy without major difficulties.”
With Pirancheva as their leader, the escort request truly began.
The carts moved slowly along the road, and the mercenaries walked alongside them with relaxed expressions.
“The slums will appear soon. Stay alert until we pass through the slums.”
At Pirancheva’s words, the relaxed mercenaries grew somewhat tense.
The people living in the slums were sometimes more dangerous than monsters.
The number of violent crimes occurring in the slums was significantly higher than those within the main city walls.
People living in the inner city viewed those in the outer city slums with suspicion, seeing them as potential robbers and thieves, a perception that wasn’t easily changed.
And in reality, attacks by people from the slums in the outer city occurred often, sometimes resulting in loss of life or goods being stolen.
Whenever that happened, knights and soldiers would come and search the slums for the criminals, but since the slum dwellers were often all accomplices, finding them and recovering the stolen goods was never easy.
The slum dwellers would sell all the looted goods to fences for half the price, or even a quarter of the price.
Knowing this fact well, the mercenaries couldn’t help but tense up when passing through the slums.
Pirancheva used Mana Feeling to check the surrounding situation in advance, preparing for what might happen.
‘I hope we can pass through quietly.’
