59
Chapter 59
The atmosphere of the city, which I entered under the guidance of a single soldier, was bleak as expected.
Wooden barricades, seemingly used until recently, were scattered around the castle gate.
Behind the castle gate, rows of temporary tents lined up, and groaning sounds echoed from within.
Perhaps it was some kind of makeshift infirmary.
Just what on earth happened to throw the city into such chaos?
"You guys said you were mercenaries, right."
"Huh? Ah, yes."
Startled by the sudden question, I stammered my reply.
Why did he keep asking that?
"Follow me."
"Where are we going?"
I asked, but the soldier simply took the lead without answering.
Only the clanking sound of metal from his heavy armor rang out.
This was strange; the mood felt incredibly off.
Don't tell me they were dragging us back to prison?
Thump, thump.
The scent of the once-vibrant trade city was nowhere to be found, replaced by a stale, burnt stench seeping into every alley.
People were still walking around, but their steps lacked energy, and heavy anxiety clouded their faces.
As I trudged along behind the soldier's back, a large building appeared right before my eyes.
That familiar pattern and exterior. It was the mercenary guild.
"Go in."
The soldier nodded toward the door.
His tone was blunt, but it wasn't overly threatening.
Still, couldn't he have been a bit nicer about it?
Creak.
As I opened the door and stepped inside, the familiar interior caught my eye.
However, the atmosphere was completely different.
Opening the door and entering, the familiar interior came into view.
However, the atmosphere was completely different.
The spacious hall extending to the second floor, always bustling with activity, was eerily empty today.
Only the few remaining people murmured quietly, every single face painted with tension.
Even the air felt strangely heavy.
This wasn't the usual vibe for taking requests... Just what was about to happen?
The receptionist at the front desk was the same as always.
Seeing them sitting at the desk just like always despite the chaos made me feel even more unsettled.
As I approached the counter without a clue, the receptionist tilted their head and asked.
"By any chance... are you a mercenary?"
"Yes. Here."
I took out the mercenary token I had received before and showed it to them.
Catching the light after such a long time, the dull sheen unique to the bronze metal reflected off it.
Because I had barely taken any requests from the guild, my rank was still exactly the same.
"A bronze token, Riv... Confirmed. By the way, are you aware of the current situation?"
"No. What's going on?"
I had been dragged here like a sinner; there was no way I would know.
At my words, the receptionist nodded with a slightly apologetic expression.
"Not too long ago, there was a massive attack directed at the city."
"The city?"
"Yes. At first, we just thought those thieves had lost their minds from starvation... but the situation gradually escalated."
A band of thieves.
I thought they would just pillage a few times and run away at best.
And those guys attacked the city?
I couldn't wrap my head around it at all.
"Many people left the city because of the news of the war, and those with any real strength were dragged to the frontline."
"...Ah, so that's why."
The city's defenses must have weakened since the strong people were gone. That explained things to an extent.
However, that alone wasn't enough to explain it.
"More than anything... they started using strange tactics."
'Strange tactics?'
The receptionist's voice dropped.
"At some point, they turned into monsters and charged at us."
"......."
"According to the Order... they call it 'Demonization'."
"...Demonization."
A scene flashed through my mind.
The sight of a perfectly normal person in Delhar losing the light in their eyes and going mad.
Could that have really reached all the way here?
It was too early to jump to conclusions.
It might just be a coincidence, after all.
"But didn't you manage to defend the city successfully?"
The battle seemed to be over, and the city was still standing intact.
Even if there were wounds, they were bound to heal.
That was what I thought, but... a shadow that couldn't be easily erased was cast over the receptionist's face.
At my words, the receptionist slowly shook their head.
"You can't really put it like that. The majority of them actually ran away."
"Ran... away?"
"Yes. When they started losing in a head-on clash, they scattered on their own. But the real problem starts there."
The receptionist lowered their voice a bit. As if wary of someone listening.
"The owner of the city, meaning the Lord of this place... has no intention of letting things end here."
"......."
"Because those guys could always swarm us from somewhere again."
I had no choice but to nod at those words.
Anyway, the fact that they couldn't just end it obviously meant....
"We are planning to launch a counterattack."
"......."
"We are drafting the soldiers again and gathering mercenaries too. It's a second operation, so to speak. You just have bad luck. Of all the times you could have arrived...."
Right.
How could the timing be this impeccable.
...Would it be too late to just turn back and leave now?
"If it's any consolation, since this is a trade city, the compensation won't be lacking."
"......I suppose I can't refuse?"
"......."
Aha, as expected, I can't.
If I had known it would be like this, I would have just turned the carriage around.
I should have just stayed cooped up in the mountains quietly foraging for herbs; what kind of mess was this after coming to the city for nothing?
Just as belated regret washed over me, footsteps echoed from behind the reception desk.
"It's been a while."
A middle-aged man with black hair and a deeply exhausted complexion approached.
It was Karn, the branch manager of the Mondak Mercenary Guild.
"Branch Manager!"
"Ah, Lina. Good work. Could you step away for a moment? I need to have a little chat with this friend here."
"Yes!"
As soon as the receptionist stepped away, the branch manager let out a heavy sigh.
"Phew... Right, you were Riv."
"Yes. That's right."
"I've heard the rumors. I see you took care of some troublesome guys."
Was he talking about the Black Hand I dealt with back then?
Since he was the very person who assigned Kane to me, there was no way he wouldn't know.
"...I didn't really do much."
Karn nodded with an expressionless face.
"Guys like that are rare these days. Thanks to that, both the city and I have caught a break. I won't say thank you, though. Because from now on, I'm going to have to work you to the bone."
"...This is about dealing with the thieves who underwent Demonization, I assume."
"You catch on faster than I thought. That's a relief."
The branch manager got straight to the point.
"You've probably heard the gist of it? The bastards are still lingering in the forest outside the city. We plan to form a pursuit squad and wipe them all out. Soldiers alone aren't enough. That's why we're mobilizing the guild's entire fighting force."
"So that's why you were gathering people."
"Yeah. Normally, the soldiers would take command, but after discussing it with the Lord, I decided to personally lead the mercenaries."
"Ah...."
No wonder he looked so damn exhausted.
......Or maybe his face always looked like that.
Karn stared intently at my face.
"I also know that you use blue magic."
"......."
It seemed Kane had leaked this as well.
He looked like a decent guy, but he really had a loose mouth.
While I was lamenting inwardly, Karn added a comment to reassure me.
"Don't worry. I don't know your reasons for hiding it, but I won't go around blabbing. However, this isn't just a personal issue. If we can't deal with the thieves... this city will fall."
I quietly took a breath.
Words that eliminated any room for me to back out.
And considering the branch manager stepped up personally like this, the situation had to be truly desperate.
"Can't we just hold out in the city?"
"Right. Defending is usually more advantageous. But right now, we don't have time."
"Time?"
"A piece of intel came in. They say there are people steadily supplying those weird stones to the thieves. In other words, it means the number of those monsters could multiply."
...Damn it, weird stones definitely meant demonic humans.
Then going on the offensive really was the right move.
"What about the others?"
"Most of them have already been assigned to the pursuit squad and sent out."
"Am I joining the pursuit squad too?"
"Not yet. You're going into the standby squad. The inside of the castle hasn't been fully secured yet. Since you're a magician, it's better for you to provide support from the inside."
I felt a slight sense of relief.
At least arrows wouldn't be raining down on my head right away.
Just then, Eileen and Silon, who had been standing awkwardly behind me, caught my eye.
"By any chance, can I bring about two people with me?"
"Hmm, I'll allow up to two. As long as it's within a range you can take responsibility for."
Would it be okay? But it was already too late.
To stay alive, we had no choice but to step onto the battlefield.
"Understood for now. Then by any chance, what about equipment or rations...?"
"The Lord did promise to provide supplies to the mercenaries as well, but..."
The way his sentence trailed off told me everything I needed to know.
That's just how the higher-ups were.
Their words were grand, but there was never any substance to them.
"Is there anywhere else I could get some?"
"If you go behind the market, you'll find guys secretly selling goods."
"I understand."
"Come to the castle gate when you're done with your business."
The guild master finished speaking and turned to leave first.
He exchanged a brief greeting with Eileen as he passed by and headed straight for the door.
Seeing him leave immediately, it seemed he had some urgent matters to attend to.
"You heard him, right? What are you going to do?"
"I'm... going to follow you."
"Me too! Please take me with you as well!"
Eileen and Silon spoke up almost at the exact same time.
They probably realized they'd be dragged into the pursuit squad if they hesitated even a little, so they really didn't have a choice.
"Then I'll head over to the church, so you two go to the market first."
"Okay!"
"Huh? Just the two of us?"
Still, since Silon had been living as a mercenary for a long time, he should have some eye for picking out items.
I handed Eileen a pouch containing a few coins and headed toward the church.
The streets were much quieter than before.
With the bustling crowds gone, it was definitely easier to walk.
Of course, they hadn't completely abandoned the city, so a few residents were pacing the streets with anxious faces.
The city's vitality was clearly dead.
"Hey! What are you doing wandering around alone?"
Occasionally, patrolling soldiers would pick a fight like this.
Whenever that happened, showing them my mercenary token made them pass by muttering with annoyed expressions.
Going through a battle certainly made everyone on edge.
Upon arriving at the central square, the church came into view.
But its condition was...... disastrous.
"The church is...."
Just what kind of attack had it suffered?
As if a bomb had gone off, the entrance was completely destroyed.
From the pillars to the marble stone statues, the entire front of the church had collapsed.
Even so, it seemed they hadn't completely abandoned the church.
Laborers were carrying stone fragments in the front.
I could see them struggling to move the debris with sweat-drenched faces.
Since I needed to report the completion of my request, I approached the nearest laborer.
"Excuse me?"
"Yeah?"
"By any chance, where are the priests?"
"The priests? Go to the front of the castle gate. They should be at the infirmary."
"Ah, thank you."
Ah, I see.
The priests in this world were healers.
In that case, they were probably treating the wounded right in front of the castle gate, which was practically the frontline.
I turned my steps around.
Since the market was on the way anyway, it would be better to drop by and take Eileen and Silon with me.
Heading toward the market, I began to hear familiar commotions.
Even with a war looming, the market still ran.
However, I couldn't find the items I was looking for at the market.
Food, equipment, everything had just been replaced with completely emptied display stands.
I went straight past the market street and headed for the secluded back area.
...The guild master's words about guys secretly selling goods were spot on.
Behind the market, between an old warehouse and a wall.
Peddlers had laid out their goods on counters sloppily pieced together with tents.
The items being traded here were no longer luxury goods, but merely survival tools to endure until tomorrow.
And right in the middle of it all, just as expected, were the two of them.
"No, why would you pick that? Anyone can see it's heavy!"
"I told you this has the best defense! It's better than cheap cloth armor!"
Silon and Eileen were red in the face, haggling over an item.
Silon was holding a huge iron breastplate, and Eileen had her arms crossed with a deep frown.
"What are you going to do when you can't even run and fall behind?"
"Then when you wear thin clothes and get slashed, are you going to block it for me?"
At those words, Eileen shut her mouth tight as if she was at a loss for words.
I quietly approached and stood between the two.
"What are you doing?"
"Riv! Silon is trying to buy useless equipment-"
"What do you know! You're not even a mercenary!"
Because the two who looked like peers were fighting so loudly, I couldn't even understand them properly.
Did I bring a bunch of bratty kids with me?
"Both of you stop. Practicality comes first with equipment. Just buy what's necessary."
"...Yes."
"Understood."
Phew... At least they listen.