Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Mercenary
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East River village entrance.
There, I met the mercenary guild supervisor.
Early twenties.
Taller than the average woman.
Neatly groomed clothes and hair, even after a long journey.
A thick stack of documents clutched in one hand.
And a face utterly devoid of expression.
'Can't underestimate her just because she's young.'
Come to think of it, ever since arriving in this world, I hadn't encountered anyone I could take lightly.
Thud. Thud.
I walked up in front of the supervisor.
And spoke first.
"Welcome, Supervisor."
Whether she was the supervisor or had a prickly personality, I was a noble.
The heir of a viscount family.
I spoke formally, making her recognize the gulf between us.
The supervisor bowed her head.
"Pleased to meet you, Elwin-nim."
More compliant than I'd expected.
This might make running the mercenary guild a bit smoother...
I thought.
But as the supervisor raised her head, a faint crack appeared in her expression.
'She's pissed. Did I poke the bear unnecessarily?'
"We'll head straight to the mercenary guild."
The supervisor and the staff who'd come with her marched off toward West River without delay.
"The supervisor's mad, right?"
"Pardon?"
Isaac asked with a baffled look.
"No, she was mad. Didn't you catch her face when she greeted and looked up?"
"I did. But it looked the same to me?"
"Isaac, you're denser than I realized."
"Me? No way. Absolutely not, Master."
Isaac bowed hastily and scurried after the supervisor.
He was originally assigned to guide them, after all.
I trailed behind at a distance.
West River.
We arrived at the mercenary guild.
The sheer scale left the supervisor's group gaping in shock.
The supervisor was no exception.
It was subtle, but even she was stunned.
Poke. Poke.
I jabbed Isaac's side to get his attention.
"See? See? Her expression changed, didn't it?"
Isaac glanced back and forth between me and the supervisor.
Then.
"It's the same, Master."
Isaac answered with a troubled look.
"You seriously can't see it? Look closer. The space between her brows and forehead widened a bit, right? Her jaw muscles loosened just a touch? Her lips parted slightly too."
Isaac peered at the supervisor again.
"I really can't tell. Her lips are still pressed tight..."
"No, not parted like that—her pursed lips relaxed. That's what I mean."
Isaac gave up scrutinizing her and locked eyes with me.
"Master, um..."
"Yeah? What?"
Isaac's face looked off.
A suspicious expression.
No way?
"Nah, you think I've got a thing for the supervisor? Nothing like that."
"Huh? That's not what I meant. I just remembered something I heard once."
"What?"
"They say folks who've choked down a lot of side-eye grub can spot the tiniest changes easy. Not that you'd ever, Master. Haha."
Isaac wrapped it up with an awkward chuckle.
He'd said it offhand, but it struck home.
Isaac was spot-on—that's exactly how I'd gotten good at reading micro-expressions.
Four years of side-eye meals in Vampires territory.
As the fiancé of the notoriously cold and ruthless Second Princess Alensia, no less.
Chin.
I slung an arm over Isaac's shoulder.
"You know way too much about me."
"...Pardon? Master, what're you on about all of a sudden?"
"Nothing. Just go guide them already. Can't leave 'em standing at the entrance forever."
"Y-yes, right away."
Isaac hustled toward the mercenary guild entrance.
Side-eye grub or not, it was adaptation in another sense.
I'd adapted to life alongside Alensia.
Chatting casually with Isaac like this? Adaptation too.
When I'd first arrived in this world, talking down to my elders felt weird as hell.
Now? Not even a blip.
Isaac and I got along great these days.
That's why I could mess around like this.
.
.
Setting up the magic system took a full week.
Once the installation crew left, only the supervisor and a handful stayed behind.
"Hired the staff yet?"
"Of course."
I introduced the five slaves I'd pre-selected.
"These guys'll handle it."
"Slaves, eh."
"Slaves a problem?"
"Not at all. In that case, I'll start staff training."
The supervisor bowed and dove into training the staff.
.
.
As the mercenary guild took shape inside and out,
the Innocent Mercenary Corps returned.
I flicked my eyes quick, counting heads.
Good—no fatalities.
A few injuries, though.
I set up a welcome feast in the guild's dining hall.
Slaughtered a cow from the farm for it.
Mid-feast,
Innon's face soured.
"Innon, trouble with the troll hunt?"
"No, sir. Took down all eleven trolls. Swept the area after—no more."
"Then what's with the long face?"
Innon swiveled his chair to face me fully.
"Truth is, we used the healing potions you gave us, Elwin-nim."
"How many?"
"Every last one."
I'd handed out a generous stock.
All gone.
I clamped down on my creeping grin.
"Got it. Gave 'em to be used, so good call. The bill..."
"Can't cover it right now."
I knew that.
That's what made it perfect.
"Hmm... So, what's your plan?"
"Head to the continent, scrape cash fast as we can. Pay it off then..."
I raised a hand, cutting him off.
"How do I know you'll pay up?"
"The Innocent Mercenary Corps' rep is solid on trust..."
I cut Innon off again.
"How about this? Guild's up and running now—take jobs here, hunt monsters local."
"Solid idea, but Monster Island don't pay like the continent."
Innon brought up the very snag I'd mulled over before.
Monster Island's quirks meant slimmer margins than the mainland.
Food costs a fortune, byproducts fetch peanuts.
I pulled out the request form I'd prepped.
Black Goblins, Black Orcs, Black Trolls, Black Ogres—hunts listed by the head.
Innon scanned it, then looked up.
"Per kill payout?"
"Yup."
"Numbers... any cap?"
"None. Unlimited till I call it quits. Deal? Hunt here?"
"Byproduct rights—who gets 'em?"
"Killers keep 'em, naturally."
Innon passed the paper around the corps, deep in thought.
It made the rounds member to member.
In the end, money's what moves mercenaries.
Out-earn the continent here?
They'd stick around.
Hence the requests.
To flip 'Continent > Island' profits
into 'Continent < Island + Subsidy'.
Fancy request format, straight-up subsidy for mercs.
Time ticked by,
and the Innocent Mercenary Corps reached consensus.
"We'll take the job."
Phase one: success.
Innocent Mercenary Corps pinned to Monster Island.
'Onto phase two.'
"Innon, how's the corps' finances?"
Innon's face fell.
"Rough. Twin ogre scrap wiped us out—tons of casualties, burned through funds. Now... we're in the red."
He eyed me on that last bit.
"Awful shame."
I hammed up the sympathy in face and voice.
"Can't hear a tale that tragic and not lend a hand. Gotta reward mercs slaving for the island, right?"
"Rewards" lit up their faces.
From baffled to hopeful.
"What kinda rewards?"
Pulled another prepped sheet.
"This. Referral program."
I spread the referral details across the table.
Pointed out the meat, explained.
"Refer a new merc, they sign on and rack requests? You pocket 10% of their fees."
Referral system.
Earth staple.
Games, sites—sign-up, name your referrer.
They score perks.
Cash, credits, whatever.
Folks shill hard for those hooks.
"So... drag in ten, that's 10% x 10... sit pretty and match one merc's haul?"
A baby-faced merc piped up.
Eyes twinkling like stars.
"Exactly. Twenty? Lounge and double your take."
Innon cut in.
"Referrals can't be infinite. Limit? Headcount or timer?"
I held up a finger.
"One year. Sound doable?"
The Innocent crew huddled, debating.
Drift turned upbeat fast.
One invite, 10% cut for a year.
Right setup, recruiting beats hunting paydirt.
'Why I picked Innocent Mercenary Corps.'
Innocent Mercenary Corps.
Weakest outfit the guildmaster pitched.
Still my pick.
Why? Rep, web of favors from aiding folks everywhere.
They fit the bill perfect.
Then,
Bang!!!
"Elwin-nim, what the hell are you thinking!?"
The supervisor from the banquet's edge slammed the table and shot up.