WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

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Chapter 104: Mercenary Marcus

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Rombel, Marcus, and Sonia sat in the Order of the Rusted Shield's prayer room, watching Elbridge.

"To explain the current situation..."

As he began, Elbridge recalled the words Cowin, High Paladin of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear, had spoken before his death.

- It's a simple situation. Just as the interests of our combat church align with theirs, your interests align with ours. As long as our interests align, there's no reason for conflict.

What Elbridge had been most curious about was who Cowin had meant by "them."

They must have been the ones who approached Cowin and led him to break the demon's seal.

Cowin had said, "Our combat church's interests align with theirs," so they clearly weren't a combat church.

The first thing that came to mind when considering those who weren't combat churches was, naturally, non-combat churches.

But it was unlikely that a non-combat church had joined hands with a combat church. Non-combat churches had the most to lose if demons appeared.

'They' were neither a combat church nor a non-combat church.

After killing Cowin, Elbridge's reasoning had stopped there. There had been no further clues.

But now, he thought he knew who "they" were.

Those who were neither combat churches nor non-combat churches.

Unbelievers. In other words, the Magic Tower.

The Magic Tower was orchestrating the current situation. The Master of the Central Magic Tower was likely at its center.

"...That's what I think."

Elbridge finished speaking.

No one answered immediately. The situation wasn't simple, and they needed time to gather their thoughts.

- ...

The Goddess of the Rusted Shield was the same. No oracle came down, but Elbridge knew she was listening.

At the same time, he was certain the Goddess of the Rusted Shield wouldn't offer much of an opinion on the matter. She tended to hold her tongue whenever things became complicated.

Rombel asked, "Elbridge. There's something I'm curious about."

"What is it?"

"If you're right, that means the Master of the Central Magic Tower broke the demon's seal. Why would the Master do that?"

"I don't know yet."

"Then is the entire Central Magic Tower involved? Or did the Master act alone?"

"I don't know for certain. But I don't think the entire Magic Tower is involved. Sonia didn't know anything. No matter how influential the Master of the Central Magic Tower is, they couldn't win over every mage. If it wasn't a solo act, there can only be a few conspirators."

Elbridge glanced at Sonia.

Sonia looked troubled.

Sonia had firmly believed the Master of the Central Magic Tower wasn't suspicious, that the Master's story couldn't have been a lie.

Now Sonia had seen the Book of Oracles, the clearest proof that it was a lie. It was only natural for Sonia to be shaken.

"Sir Elbridge."

Marcus, who had remained silent until then, spoke.

"I understand that the Master of the Central Magic Tower is hiding something and seems suspicious. But to guess that the Master planned everything based on only that... it seems like a bit of a leap."

"A leap."

When Elbridge murmured that, Marcus replied calmly.

"In my experience, that's where mercenaries make the most mistakes. Sir Elbridge, if an inexperienced mercenary takes a job to find a missing item or a murderer, do you know what they do first?"

"I don't."

"They find the most suspicious person."

Elbridge nodded. The phrase "inexperienced mercenary" bothered him a little, but he thought he would probably do the same.

"But that ruins things from the very first step. The moment you decide someone is suspicious, all your thoughts begin to turn toward suspecting that person."

"Hmm."

"People have a habit of wanting circumstances to match their guesses. Without realizing it, they start looking for evidence that makes that person the culprit while brushing aside anything they don't like. After obsessing over it for days, the thought settles in their head before they know it. That person is the culprit. They can't possibly be innocent. So why won't they confess..."

As Marcus spoke, he asked Elbridge a question.

"At that point, the inexperienced mercenary uses a more forceful method to get a confession. What do you think they do?"

"...Beat them up?"

Marcus slapped his knee.

"Exactly! Since they're convinced, they beat the person while demanding a confession. They don't hesitate because they're certain. But while they're doing that, the missing item often turns up in the corner of a drawer, or the real murderer gets caught somewhere else."

Sonia grimaced.

"Ugh. Then what happens?"

"The person who got beaten unfairly is left half-crippled... A mediocre mercenary can't afford to take care of someone like that for life. They probably wouldn't want to, either. In the end, the mercenary runs away, and that's the end of it."

"Then where does the person who got beaten get compensation?"

"Compensation? There's no such thing. The person who hired the mercenary will draw a line and say it wasn't their fault. In the end, the person left half-crippled has no one to appeal to. Mercenaries don't have a bad reputation for no reason."

Rombel, who had been listening, let out a small laugh.

"That's awfully detailed. Marcus, did you do something like that before?"

Marcus gave a bitter smile.

"It wasn't me. My father was the one who got beaten and left crippled. He was quite a good person when I was young, but after he could no longer use his legs properly, he became a drunk."

"..."

"Eventually, he started beating my mother and me with a leather belt. And then I became a mercenary. Funny how the world works."

Sonia stared seriously at Rombel.

"Mr. Rombel. I didn't think you were like this, but you're quite the piece of trash..."

Rombel recoiled.

"N-no. How was I supposed to know...?"

At that moment, an oracle from the Goddess of the Rusted Shield reverberated low through the temple.

- Boo. Trash.

"..."

How many people in the world had ever been mocked by a god? Rombel was so shocked that he lost his voice.

Marcus cleared his throat a couple of times and tried to ease the mood.

"Ahem. Anyway, what I'm saying is that even if someone seems suspicious, we need clearer evidence. Of course, don't misunderstand. I'm not saying the Master of the Central Magic Tower isn't suspicious."

Rombel wanted to prove that he wasn't trash, so he eagerly agreed with Marcus.

"Fine. Marcus. Let's go to Middlemarch and dig into the Master of the Central Magic Tower's past. Once we find clearer evidence, we can chop off the Master's head, right?"

An oracle answered.

It didn't even come from the Goddess of the Rusted Shield. It was an oracle from the God of Fox Rain, the first in a very long time.

- Good idea. But if you're going to Middlemarch, it'd be better for Rombel to go alone.

A rough voice rang through the prayer room.

Two public oracles in one day. Rombel looked somewhat flustered as he asked, "Why do I have to go alone?"

- You stupid bastard. Assume the Master of the Central Magic Tower really is the culprit. If you show up and circle around the Master, do you think they'll innocently go, "Hehe, please investigate me," or think, "These bastards seem to have caught on. I should bring some mages and get rid of them first"?

Sonia looked a little taken aback by the God of Fox Rain's distinctly crude way of speaking.

Rombel knew that was simply how the God of Fox Rain spoke, so he wasn't surprised. Instead, he answered in a less confident voice.

"Who's saying we'd openly investigate them? We can be careful and make sure we aren't noticed..."

- Use that thing on your shoulders if it's a head. To a thief, everyone in the world looks like a guard. Someone who's bound to suspect even completely unrelated people, do you think they'd have even one reason not to suspect you?

The God of Fox Rain continued without pause.

- Rombel. I won't interfere if you crawl into the Central Region and get yourself killed, but don't drag Marcus into it. Got it?

The God of Fox Rain's presence disappeared as soon as the god finished speaking.

Unlike a certain goddess who had quietly watched the situation all along, the God of Fox Rain was a busy god with plenty to do.

"..."

Rombel visibly deflated.

It would have been surprising if anyone could remain composed after being scolded by two gods in a row.

Elbridge stepped in to improve the mood.

"Let's think about what we should do next. Does anyone have an opinion?"

Marcus glanced at Rombel, then awkwardly rubbed his chin.

"A few months ago, the God of Fox Rain told me to visit the North if I had time. It probably isn't related to this matter... I just thought I'd mention it."

Elbridge had also been quietly considering going North, to find whoever had contacted Cowin.

That thought hadn't changed. If they needed to find a connection to the Master of the Central Magic Tower outside the Master's sight, there was no better option than the North.

Still, Elbridge couldn't stop a smile from forming.

"The North. I think I know why the God of Fox Rain told you to go there."

"What is it?"

"Marcus, you know the Mercenary King, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I'm a mercenary too."

The Mercenary King was a figure from the past.

Yet several of the unwritten rules mercenaries still observed had been created by the Mercenary King's decisions.

For example, never connecting a green mercenary with an untrustworthy client.

"There's only one reason why mercenaries, who are so proud, willingly acknowledged and accepted the arrogant title of Mercenary King. No other mercenary captain had led a mercenary company and survived the Northern Front. Now that demons have been unleashed upon the world, if you go North, you'll be able to follow the Mercenary King's path exactly."

It was the kind of story that would make a child or an inexperienced mercenary's heart race.

But Marcus's expression darkened. Even while following Elbridge, Marcus still couldn't let go of his longing for a long, quiet life.

And Marcus's reaction quietly cheered up Rombel, who had been sulking.

"People today think of the North as nothing more than a cold land, but... two hundred years ago, the North was the fiercest battlefield. The place where the most demons and demonic beasts ran rampant. The land where the most Paladins and warriors were buried. The region that held the most mysteries. And the land where the most demons were sealed."

With every sentence, Marcus's face grew darker.

"Are Sir Elbridge and Mr. Rombel from the North too?"

"Of course. Our hometowns were different, but the North was where we were most active. Most people who made a name for themselves in those days were the same."

"..."

"If you said you'd spent a few years on the Northern Front, even Paladins from other regions would give you respect. The same went for mercenaries. Even a mercenary could receive treatment on par with a decent Paladin. Marcus, you've got it made."

Rombel casually draped an arm over Marcus's shoulder and added, "If you come back alive, that is."

Marcus squeezed his eyes shut.

"For some reason, I miss Ada. If Ada could hold me in her arms, I think I could die without regrets..."

"If that were possible, it wouldn't be so bad. But in my experience, the people who talk about the wives, husbands, children, or lovers they left behind in their hometown die the fastest."

"Ah."

Now, all Marcus could rely on was the God of Fox Rain.

Marcus clasped his hands and prayed earnestly.

"God of Fox Rain. You'll watch over me this time too, just as you always have, won't you?"

No answer came. Marcus continued praying with even greater desperation.

"Come on. I'm being dragged all the way to the North because of an oracle... Shouldn't you look after me? That would be your way of repaying my faith. No, even before faith, it's basic decency..."

Just as Marcus was about to despair at the lack of an answer, a delayed oracle reached his ears.

- Depends on how you behave.

Footnotes:

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