BXBX NOVEL Chapter 125 - A Slap for Every Penny Found (7)
Chapter 125 - A Slap for Every Penny Found (7)
Short silver hair, scars, tanned skin. That look….
"Brother Dian!"
The woman called out to me again, and suddenly, memories came rushing back.
"You, you… you… could it be…."
"It’s me, Scala!"
The woman pounded her chest proudly, smiling broadly.
"Huh? What the—what happened to you?"
"What do you mean, ‘what happened’? Is that how you greet someone you haven\'t seen in ages?"
"No, it\'s just that… back then, you were small, pale, and cute. What the hell happened…."
"You really have no filter, do you?!"
Scala ran up and gave me a punch to the chest.
Though there was no real force behind it.
"When I didn\'t hear from you, I thought you were dead!"
She then angrily pulled me into a hug.
"As you can see, I’m not."
"Then why didn’t you send even one letter?! You could’ve told me you were coming! Especially at a time like this…."
"I heard. The mercenary group’s in shambles, isn\'t it?"
"How did you know?"
Scala asked as she pulled away from me.
"We stopped by the Calvasar branch on the way here. She came to collect the money she saved up while working with the mercenaries."
"Give me my money!"
Scala looked back at Sophie and rubbed her neck as if she were getting a headache.
"Bad things really do happen all at once. Ugh, my neck… Anyway, who is this girl, and why is she with you? And who’s that person back there? A mage?"
"Hello."
Orendi, who had been standing near the dimensional gate, greeted awkwardly.
"Let’s head inside first. We need to understand the situation properly."
"Alright. Everyone, come in. You too, Mr. Mage."
"O-okay!"
The inside of the mercenary building was cold.
Of course, no matter how far north Reblanc was, it was still summer, so I didn\'t mean it was literally cold.
Rather, the atmosphere was utterly bleak.
Normally, the place would be bustling with mercenaries on duty, those setting off on new missions, those returning, and the reception staff. Now, it was deathly quiet.
In one corner, a few mercenaries sat chewing jerky or something, watching us. They seemed unusually dispirited, not at all like the Reblanc mercenaries I knew.
Just as the branch head at Calvasar had said, it seemed that the mercenary group really had been smashed.
Seeing something similar, Hindrasta\'s expression darkened.
"It really seems like I might lose my money…."
Even after we entered an office, Hindrasta kept glancing around restlessly, her anxiety evident.
"What are you looking at? You look like it\'s your first time here."
Scala asked, watching Hindrasta.
"I’m looking for where my money is. Why?"
"Forget the money for now. Let’s go step by step."
Scala firmly raised her hand to stop Sophie from speaking.
"I have no clue what’s going on right now. Why is this traitor back, and how is Brother Dian still alive when I thought he was dead? I have way too many questions."
"Traitor?!"
"Hey, stop it, Sophie. Calm down. Let’s talk."
I forced Hindrasta into a chair and got Orendi to sit down as well.
"Is it alright for this mage to be in on this?"
Scala asked, eyeing Orendi, who was reluctantly taking a seat.
"It’s fine. If he doesn’t hear, he might just lose his mind with curiosity."
"Thank you, Head Professor."
Orendi gave me a polite bow.
"Alright, let’s start explaining things from the beginning, one at a time. Let’s start with you, Brother Dian. You left the mercenary group ten years ago and didn’t contact us once."
"Well, isn’t now really not the time for a long story like this? Aren’t things urgent on your end?"
"An hour or so won’t make a difference."
"Really? If you say so, I\'ll tell you."
I briefly explained everything that had happened since I last left Scala.
My short stint with the Reblanc Mercenary Group had been during the war.
Back then, the Reblanc Mercenary Group had gained fame by signing a direct contract with the Imperial Palace and being deployed in places where the Imperial Army couldn\'t easily go.
Such places included guerrilla warfare zones where a conventional army would struggle, or politically sensitive areas where it would be inappropriate for the Empire to intervene.
When Linus and I joined them on orders from the Imperial Palace, the mercenary group was already operating in some noble’s territory.
Even during the war, nobles would practically froth at the mouth if Imperial forces entered their lands.
They feared that under the guise of an emergency, the Imperial forces would take over and never leave, essentially stealing their territory after the war ended.
But the Imperial Palace couldn’t afford to just leave these territories to fend for themselves, as some were strategically vital.
Therefore, mercenary groups of uncertain origin were sent in to replace the weak private armies of the nobles and establish a front line.
Imperial officers, no matter how veteran, couldn’t be as reckless and ruthless as the rough mercenaries.
Anyway, Reblanc Mercenary Group had been operating on the border of the noble territory of Chtorrerong, and Linus and I were sent to reinforce their power against a fairly strong Demon King’s unit.
That\'s where I first met Scala.
Back then, unlike the sprawling organization with branches everywhere, the Reblanc Mercenary Group was a single massive unit, all its members moving together.
They would set up a base camp in a secure rear area, leaving behind minimal defensive personnel, while the main force went out, fought, and then returned.
As the daughter of the mercenary leader, Scala had followed her father and brothers to the front lines.
Scala had always wanted to go out and fight with her father and brothers, but what kind of leader would be crazy enough to bring his young daughter to battle?
She would stay behind at the camp, sulking. I felt sorry for the little kid left behind, so whenever there were no battles, I would call her over and teach her different ways to fight.
That\'s how we grew close, and Scala began calling me "Brother Dian" and followed me everywhere.
Back then, she was even smaller than Olysia—pale and adorable. What the hell happened to make her end up like this…?
Anyway, after working with the mercenary group for about a month, we successfully completed the operation and moved on. Then came the war’s end, my retreat into seclusion, and my eventual appointment at the academy.
"Hmm, so you went into seclusion after the war ended, then became a professor at the academy."
Scala nodded as she listened, arms crossed, then suddenly slammed her fist onto the desk.
"So why the hell didn\'t you send even one letter?!"
"Stop your whining. What do you think you are, betrothed to him or something? Wake up. Dian\'s got plenty of females around him now."
Sophie retorted, and Scala bared her teeth.
"Shut your mouth, you traitor. And why are you talking to Brother Dian like that? You’re supposed to be his student, right? Looks like you kept the same nasty attitude you had in the mercenary group."
"What\'s it to you how I talk to Dian? I’m not with the mercenary group anymore, so leave me alone and hand over my money."
"Brother, why on earth did you select her as a special student at the academy? She was uncontrollable even when she was with the mercenaries."
I couldn’t help but laugh at Scala\'s description.
"To improve the academy\'s average scores a bit. No matter her personality, her skills are remarkable."
"That’s true, but… how did you even manage to keep her at the academy? She never listens. There were times when I wanted to smash her with a mace."
"A mace wouldn\'t do the job."
Sophie sneered, and Scala shook her head in disbelief.
"Sophie and I go way back, to the war. Our first meeting wasn’t exactly pleasant, but I managed to catch her in a weak moment. That\'s why she’s stuck at the academy now."
"Really? The war, huh? Hey, Sophie, what did you do during the war? And what\'s this weakness he caught you on?"
"Let’s just say it’s something. Just leave it at that."
"Fine, fine… I understand your story now, Brother. So, you’re here to help Sophie get her money back."
"Yeah. So, do you have any money?"
Scala didn’t answer right away. Instead, she gave a bitter smile and leaned back in her chair.
Seeing this, Sophie, who had been scratching at Scala earlier, now looked at her almost pitifully.
"You said you knew the situation. There’s none."
"Argh!"
"Sophie. Wait."
I stopped Sophie from screaming and asked Scala.
"Is it that bad?"
"My father, my brothers, and all the other officers were taken as prisoners."
Scala rubbed the back of her neck again.
"There are so many of them that even using all the cash the mercenary group had and taking out loans wasn’t enough."
"Shouldn’t you be asking the client to pitch in a bit?"
Scala scoffed.
"The client’s family went bankrupt paying reparations ages ago. Besides, by law and in the contract, the responsibility for ransoming captured mercenaries doesn’t fall on the client."
"True, I suppose. But I still don\'t get it—how did the Reblanc Mercenary Group lose?"
"There was a madman on the opposing side. Just wait a moment."
Scala called in the mercenaries who had been outside.
Among the survivors of this territorial war, they had witnessed a nameless swordsman wielding a greatsword.
"It was an unbelievable sight…."
The mercenaries trembled as if recalling that moment vividly.
"While a fierce brawl was going on, suddenly a tremendous noise erupted from somewhere. When I turned around, there was a man holding a sword nearly as tall as a person."
"A sword as big as a person."
"I know it’s hard to believe. Even we, who are telling you this, can hardly believe it ourselves."
The man, who appeared as if he had fallen from the sky, swung that enormous sword recklessly, and anyone caught in its arc was cleaved in two.
It was a widespread attack that didn’t distinguish between friend or foe, causing immense casualties on both sides.
At first, they thought it might be a third party, but after the battle ended, it became clear he was definitely an enemy mercenary or a soldier.
"I tried to snipe him with a crossbow, but it was useless. It was as if he had eyes on the back of his head; he dodged everything or deflected the shots."
"Did anyone manage to identify who he was? A skilled person using such a peculiar weapon should have garnered some rumors."
"No, no one did. After he first appeared in the battle, everyone talked about him, but there was nothing."
It\'s not impossible.
This place isn’t governed by complete common sense or the laws of physics.
There is magic and divine power, dragons breathe fire, and beings like Linus exist.
So, it wouldn\'t be strange for there to be a human with monstrous strength capable of wielding a human-sized lump of metal around with ease.
But still, it feels strange.
A greatsword that’s difficult to handle. Not just an ordinary zweihander, but something of a monstrous size, "too large to be called a sword."
If someone had such a unique weapon and strength capable of grinding people to pieces, they should have been well known…