Episode 19

Allen woke up because of the cold. The sunless plateau was like a freezer itself.

‘To waste people and money so meaninglessly over this useless, shitty piece of land…’

“There’s still some time left before sunrise.”

The thick and burly furball, Levo, on sentry duty, quietly said to Allen, who had come out of the tent. Yet, even as he spoke, his eyes seemed hopeful for a conversation partner.

Allen sat by the fire, wrapped tightly in a blanket. Indeed, sitting by the fire made him feel as if his body was melting.

The sky, which had been only dark, began to turn a deep blue as a faint light mixed in.

“I’ve never seen a noble with as much guts as our leader. Who else would come to such a dangerous place for something that’s not even their own issue?”

“Originally, business is something you succeed in by running around and gaining experience. Especially dealing with people, like in the mercenary business.”

“Sounds easy to say, but putting it into practice is another story.”

“If you can’t do it, well…, you just have to die.”

Both of them laughed softly.

“Our leader is surely charming. Strangely, you have this mysterious force that attracts people.”

“Really? That’s good to hear. To know that I at least have a charm like that.”

“If it were me, I’d seduce a noblewoman. One with a pretty face and big breasts.”

“A man without skills doesn’t get treated well?”

“Hehe, that’s true. That’s why my little brother always gets nagged by his wife.”

In the midst of conversation, a tent entrance far away was briskly opened. The figure who emerged was Jumbo Jugs Elena. …In fact, it wasn’t by seeing her face that he recognized her, but by the size of her hefty bosom. It was still dark without the sun, how could one see a face from this distance?

She walked briskly across the field and soon sat down on a grassy patch to start meditating. The two men quietly observed her actions for a while.

“Is she praying for her breasts to grow…?”

“Hardly. It must be training, training.”

Perhaps she was circulating mana with the pure energy of dawn. Of course, this was merely Allen’s speculation.

And not long after, the sun rose.

The rays flying in from the east painted the solemnly standing mountain peaks red from top to bottom as they descended. It was truly an indescribable spectacle. Perhaps it was something that one could never forget even at death’s door, the magic of nature—.

Even the chatty furball lost its words before this scene. The two men couldn’t help but marvel once again at the landscape below the plateau, which was beginning to regain its colors.

It was now time to wake up. The furball, as if it had been waiting for this moment, entered the tent with the wake-up bell and started to shake it noisily.

“Get up, you lazy brats——.”

“Argh, damn it….”

The mercenaries skillfully turned their bodies in the cramped sleeping space, groaning and writhing. The old dog Kalisman was the first to get up, kicking the groggy youngsters’ legs and butts.

Soon after waking up, they quickly dismantled and organized the tents. While the mercenaries were tidying up their sleeping areas, the count’s servants swiftly prepared the meal.

Before eating, Allen went to see Elena for a moment. She, who was giving various orders to her own members, looked at him haughtily when he suddenly appeared.

“What brings you here…?”

“I just wanted to know, even briefly, what our plan is going forward.”

‘Plan—?’

The eyebrows of the sorceress became slightly asymmetrical.

“Is there really something you could call a plan? We fight when we meet the enemy. …Is that difficult?”

‘…So, that means there’s no strategy or tactics—.’

“Ah, I see. I understand.”

He thought it might be different because she was a sorceress, but he was mistaken. It was his fault for expecting anything from the eastern brutes who know nothing but to charge.

Jumbo Jugs Elena glared at Allen as if casting a spell before abruptly turning away. He almost felt her gaze pierce through his face.

Returning to the group, Allen became the hot topic among the members who were eagerly slurping their warm soup.

“Did you go and say something?”

“Did you confess?”

As various unnecessary taunts poured out, Allen stomped the ground, telling them to stop talking nonsense and just eat.

“Got rejected, huh. Khihihi.”

“Big-breasted ones are never easy.”

“I would have succeeded if I were our leader.”

Allen ignored what his comrades were saying and continued his meal. After all, without adding more firewood, the fire would just burn out on its own eventually.

After finishing their meal and cleaning up, the group started moving again. The slightly slanted hillside was full of grooves that stretched downward like a slide made of dirt. It seemed like a massive avalanche from that high, large peak had swept through here.

“Ahㅡ!”

One of the members pointed somewhere with a finger. The gaze of the colleagues all shifted to where the fingertip pointed.

There was something like a stone platform there. It was completely unclear what it was made for.

Elena was heading exactly towards it. It definitely seemed like the perfect place to plant a flag with the family crest on it.

As soon as she arrived at the stone platform, she herself took a flag, climbed atop it, and firmly wedged it into a crevice between the stones. What she often saw in Mahvana, now fluttered vigorously right in the middle of the Marlen Plateau.

Having planted the flag, she looked down below with a faint smile, like a conqueror… Honestly, Allen didn’t quite fancy that posture. It made him feel as if he was being looked down upon.

“Let’s rest here for a bit.”

The magician ordered a break. The mercenaries and porters, carrying their backpacks, sat down on the ground, lowering their loads. The ground was somewhat slanted, so they dug out flat spots to sit using their hands and other tools.

One of the porters accidentally let go of a round load, which then rolled downhill, and he hurriedly ran after it, tumbling along to catch it. The mercenaries watched this and snickered among themselves.

“Don’t just sit around idly, polish your equipment. It’s more humid here than you think, and things rust quickly if not maintained.”

“Go on, polish it. What are you dawdling for?”

When the experienced veteran Kalisman said this, Allen chimed in. Mercenaries, after all, tend not to listen unless it’s the person paying them speaking.

At that moment, Elena decided to make this place their base, or so it seemed, as she gave orders to the group leaders.

“We’ll wait for the enemies here. Do whatever you like, but be ready to fight as soon as the enemies appear.”

So, Allen told his members to dig the ground wide and flat so they could rest more comfortably. They dug into the earth with their small shovels.

Once a suitable spot was made, the members sprawled out. The cool chill rising from the ground quickly cooled their backs.

“Shit, does this mean we have to stay here for at least ten days?”

“Then, do we have to make a shithole too?”

“The person taking the shit should be the one to make it.”

“Ah, fuck, I need to go right now.”

“Disgusting, fuck off.”

The furball, claiming he needed to shit, eventually grabbed a shovel and dashed off somewhere.

That’s when the dickhead part-timer opened his mouth with a perverted expression.

“That woman would need to shit too, right?”

“There’s no one who doesn’t shit.”

Then, one of the members solemnly said,

“Still, since she’s a magician, wouldn’t she have some method? Like, automatically decomposing the shit inside…”

“So, does a magician shit diarrhea?”

“Ah, you fucking bastards, lying there talking all this filthy shit. If you’re going to talk about shit, fuck off.”

Listening to this, Allen almost felt a sense of doubt about the path he had chosen.

…Thus, time flowed like the distant Romelon River, and the sun that rose from the eastern sky was soon peeking through the western sky.

Just when everyone thought today would pass without incident…

Suddenly, a loud bell began to ring.

- Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding

“They’re hereeee!!!”

Mercenaries, who had been idly making lame jokes, quickly grabbed their gear and assumed battle positions. Their faces, which had been slack just moments before, now hardened fiercely as if that previous demeanor had never existed.

Far away, numerous dots were visible. They were undoubtedly a group from Wiergang.

The surroundings became instantly silent, not a single sound of chatter. The workers preparing dinner were at a loss for what to do.

“Leader.”

“Form ranks. And wait until I give the signal.”

The Allen-Mercenary Group quickly formed the promised formation. He recruited members suitable for small-scale battles and prepared a specialized formation for it.

All preparations were complete.

Then, two people separated from the opposing group and slowly approached them.

A man, tall and large in stature, stopped at a distance that was neither too far nor too close and shouted.

“As a special respect for you, Elena, if you step back gracefully, we won’t chase after you—!”

It meant to run away with their tails between their legs. Of course, the great wizard wouldn’t back off nicely.

“Shut up—! Know that this is where you dogs will die—!”

However, the opponent spoke in a rather persuasive tone.

“Elena, just listen to me—!”

“There will be no negotiations—!”

He seemed to glare at her for a moment, then swiftly turned around and returned to his original group.

However, the sun had almost set. Without sunlight, it was difficult for both sides to fight. Probably, as soon as the sun rises tomorrow morning, they will fiercely clash.

Still, the possibility of a surprise attack during the night had to be considered. Of course, it seemed unlikely that the proud nobles of the East would resort to such sneaky tactics in their first battle, but one could never be too careful. After all, changes can sometimes emerge from anywhere.

“Tonight, the night watch will be done in pairs, taking turns.”

Allen ordered a thorough watch throughout the night. The tent was eerily silent tonight, unlike yesterday.

The mercenaries, with the battle imminent, no longer showed any signs of vulnerability. They had transformed into murderers, ready to take the enemy’s head at any moment.

The group leader lay down without saying a word.

As there was no need for words.