Chapter 391
Chapter 391
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.81 – They Should Have Watched Where They Laid Their Heads (2)
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Unlike what Lee Han had expected, the mercenaries did not pick a fight with him.
They did glance his way...
Flinch!
as if they had seen something they shouldn't have, before quickly averting their gazes and tending to their own business.
'...What a shame.'
Lee Han smacked his lips.
It would have been more fun if they had just started something.
Then again, it was only natural.
Sure, there were mercenaries who picked fights with strangers at taverns from time to time, but those were the riffraff or day-laborer types scraping by. Not veterans like them...
'Those guys are the real deal.'
It certainly didn't apply to mid-to-upper-tier mercenaries like them.
Clank, clank.
Their leather armor looked worn at a glance, but the material was top-quality.
Probably made from the hides of mid-to-high-grade monsters.
Just looking at their high-grade iron swords, spears, and shields showed they had invested properly in weapons and armor.
It was proof they weren't amateurs—and sure enough.
"That's the Obern Mercenary Corps."
"They're famous?"
"An elite unit of only a select few. All mid-to-upper-tier mercenaries, and even as mercs, they're known for their honor."
"No wonder! They didn't seem ordinary."
Famous mercenary corps spread rumors just like renowned knight orders.
People quickly turned friendly gazes their way.
Even as they did.
"Why would a group like that come to such a remote backwater?"
"Yeah, really."
they muttered puzzled whispers and buzzed among themselves with this new topic.
"...Hmm."
Lee Han caught every whisper buzzing about the mercenaries.
No matter how quietly they spoke, they couldn't evade his ears.
He even overheard conversations from farther away, picking up quite a bit of information.
Skirmishes breaking out across territories all at once.
Damage from monsters.
Rumors of imperial mages fleeing south.
There were plenty of other suspicious conversations too, along with heaps of uninteresting personal gripes like how hard life was, kids, or marital woes—but Lee Han listened to everything he could, sifting for anything useful.
"Sir Knight, what do you think?"
"As expected, most of it's unverifiable rumors and exaggerations... But still."
"?"
"I can tell the world's in a precarious state."
Lee Han wasn't just passively listening; he could sense the underlying anxiety, impatience, and despair woven into their voices and atmospheres.
Especially since more than half the talk revolved around 'life's gotten so tough'—a clear sign of how chaotic the south had become.
'Looks like a lot happened while I was away from the kingdom.'
And all in a negative direction.
'Demons and witches...'
Amid the flood of information, Lee Han's eyes gleamed as he focused on the more credible threads.
Right on cue, he downed a cup of warm milk.
Thud!
"...Don't look over there."
Obern Huang, captain of the Obern Mercenary Corps, ordered his men not to make eye contact with the man over there under any circumstances.
The other mercenaries nodded vigorously, cold sweat beading on their brows.
"Why's a monster like that in a backwater village like this..."
"D-did you see him when we came in? His eyes flashed with this fiery glint—like flames bursting out!"
"Did you catch a glimpse of those forearms? Never seen arms like that in my life. Bet a sword wouldn't even pierce 'em..."
Even as renowned mercenaries—hot-blooded men all—they were no different.
They were the type to blow their pay on booze and women without a second thought, yet right now, neither registered in their eyes.
They stole a glance at the woman in front of the mysterious man.
Her face was hooded, but her silhouette hinted at stunning beauty. Normally, they'd sneak peeks even if she had an owner.
...But some primal instinct warned that doing so might end their lives right there, so the mercenaries didn't dare even glance her way.
A fierce survival instinct!
That was why veteran mercenaries were veterans—their instincts sharper than most. And they obeyed them faithfully.
"L-let's talk business."
"Y-yeah, Captain."
Shh-.
Uncharacteristically eager to get down to work, they lowered their voices.
"...Is it really a 'witch'?"
"If the rumors are true."
The reason the Obern Mercenary Corps had come to this remote village was a request to hunt a [witch] in the area.
Even among mysterious races, the rumors about them were the worst. They wielded both shamanism and magic, and were innately gifted at demon summoning—bringing misfortune wherever they went.
Normally treated as precious mysterious beings, they were often shunned because of their demon-summoning talent.
No danger compared to them.
"Hmm, it's been almost 60 years since one last showed up. Isn't this a witch hunt?"
"That doesn't matter much. We'll see the truth with our own eyes. If it's fake, we just pocket the fee. And if it's real..."
"......"
"We score big, that's what."
"Heh heh, hope it's a real witch...!"
Their eyes gleamed with greed.
And who could blame them? Witches meant money.
Born with innate mana and shamanic power, their hearts were special. There were even tales that a normal person eating one could cure any disease.
A true panacea!
They fetched whatever price you named, and nobles and merchant guilds lined up to buy.
That was why the mercenaries had eagerly accepted the request.
"Got the demon-hunting gear?"
"Ten bottles of holy water from the market."
"Witch'll be easy enough to take down, so long as we watch for demons."
The mercenaries hashed out their plan.
It seemed a bit half-baked, but given the current era where few had experience hunting witches or demons, it was probably their best effort.
That clumsiness meant some wouldn't see tomorrow's sun—but mercenaries lived with death on their heels anyway.
As long as it wasn't them.
They'd never die.
They trusted their survival skills, convinced that even if someone died, it wouldn't be them.
...Until that dawn, when seven of the 21 mercenaries asleep in the inn met gruesome ends.
Drip, drip.
The dawn sky remained overcast, rain pouring relentlessly.
The wind outside had picked up ferociously, trapping villagers indoors with doors bolted tight. Under such brutal weather, the inn had no choice but to rise early.
"M-Marco! Dino!"
"R-Ridon... W-why him all of a sudden?!"
...Because people had died.
People who had been fine at dinner the night before were now dead.
And not just dead.
"Th-their organs!"
The corpses were hollowed-out husks.
Not just eyes, hearts, livers, and other vital organs—every single one had been excised, leaving them in pathetic ruin.
What in the world!?
"H-how dare someone...!!"
Obern Huang was furious.
A comrade's death wasn't worth much rage.
Mercenaries lived on the edge of the grave.
But this kind of death? Unacceptable.
They had to die earning coin—not stripped bare like this, or the corps' 'reputation' would be ruined.
It might seem selfish, but that was true mercenary rage.
And so.
"Innkeeper! Bar the doors now and gather everyone inside!!"
Obern Huang bellowed the order at the innkeeper in fury.
Declaring no one would leave until the culprit was caught.
The terrified innkeeper rounded up the guests.
Including sleeping patrons and the serving girls.
Everyone looked annoyed at first, but facing the ferocious aura of the mercenaries, they snapped awake, faces paling as they averted their eyes.
Too scared to even meet their gazes.
"From this moment, no one leaves this place! Want out? Prove your innocence!!"
The enraged mercenaries' savage roar.
The thick killing intent from the remaining 14 was too much for civilians unused to battlefields.
Some were on the verge of foaming at the mouth, but the berserk mercenaries ignored it.
Now it was time for merciless mercenary justice...
"-Quiet."
...or so it was supposed to be.
"If your noisy voices disturb the lady maid's sleep, you'll die by my hand."
The problem for the mercenaries was that among the inn's guests was one man beyond common sense.
"Not a joke, by the way."
"......"
It was a perfectly calm warning.
Oddly serene amid the murder scene.
Gulp...
How could he be so nonchalant with bodies around? But he seemed utterly unfazed.
As if it were nothing.
His incongruous demeanor left even the mercenaries forgetting their anger in sheer bewilderment.
"Wh-what did you...!"
"Keep your... "
"......"
"...voices down."
The quiet warning resumed.
Normally, their pride would ignite fury, but instead.
Chill...!
A spine-tingling shiver made them falter and shut their mouths.
Veteran survival instincts kicking in again.
"Hmm."
He gave them an approving look.
After such provocation, most would charge—but they held back, showing restraint and skill.
...Which made it all the more.
"You lot are a joke. With survival instincts that sharp, how'd you pick such a lousy place to crash and stretch out?"
"?"
"...Idiots."
He sighed involuntarily and shook his head.
As if he'd dropped enough hints.
With that, he turned to head back to his room, and the mercenaries didn't dare stop him—until.
Pause-,
"...I was gonna let it slide, but you're crossing the line?"
"!!"
He stopped and turned back, and the mercenaries recoiled in horror at his gaze.
Fierce, gleaming eyes.
Like prey facing a predator—they froze, bodies trembling uncontrollably.
A shameful sight for the valiant Obern Mercenary Corps, but terror drowned even shame as they desperately pondered.
What did we do to piss him off?!
Should we kneel and beg forgiveness now?!
-Endless frantic thoughts raced—
"Not you lot—these things."
Whoosh!
He casually yanked the hand axe from Obern Huang's belt and hurled it. It spun fiercely and—
Krunch-!
"...H-how...?"
...pierced the serving girl's skull.
"!!"
"What the hell?!"
The quivering girl's head split cleanly in two, yet she spoke even then—a grotesque spectacle.
Mercenaries and guests recoiled in shock, but he.
"Who said you could show hostility?"
Lee Han was impassive.
As if he'd known her true nature all along.
And grasping what her 'how' meant, he gave a somewhat courteous reply.
"If it'd just been you mercs getting targeted, I wouldn't have interfered. They came to hunt you, so they should've been prepared to get hunted. But the moment you turned killing intent on me too, you lost your chance."
"Grrgh...!"
"Called a witch, but no different from a spellcaster. Shouldn't have given you an opening."
Lee Han clicked his tongue.
Magic users always lacked conscience, after all.
"Wh-what is...?"
The mercenaries still couldn't process it.
What was this undying skull-pierced girl? Why was he so calm? It made no sense.
But they shouldn't try to understand.
Instead.
"Standing around like that won't save you?"
"Pardon?"
"Don't witches summon demons too? So obviously."
Point.
"-You haven't considered it ain't over yet?"
Their eyes followed his finger—and there.
"-Hmm, there's a weird guy, huh?"
...were the innkeeper and guests who had been cowering moments ago, but something was off.
"Hee hee hee."
"Th-things have, gotten, weird, huh?"
"-."
Their fearful expressions gone, eyes glassy and emotionless, faces doll-like and blank.
The mercenaries instinctively backed away, and sensing human fear, 'they' smirked faintly in delight.
"D-demons!!"
The mercenaries knew instinctively.
Those were demons.
Human in form, but oozing ominous auras. They scrambled for weapons to fight back, but.
"Decided—you're annoying, so—"
"-."
"-."
"-."
"-kill 'em!"
The demons charged without giving them time to prepare.
Mad eyes and viscous malice in their momentum—even veterans found their feet heavy, breaths catching...
"I said—"
Rumble rumble crack!
"!!!?"
"-keep it down."
"G-gurgh!?!!"
"Why can't you get it?"
Crunch rumble!
The demons' bodies twisted and swelled repeatedly.
Like fireworks exploding inside.
"I told you—the lady maid's sleeping."
Lee Han demanded silence once more.
For the maid's peaceful slumber.