Catching a Thief
No matter how free-spirited mercenaries were, they still lived by certain rules.
There were the absolute rules Liberi had set down, and there were the unwritten ones that circulated quietly among mercenaries. The rule against casually leaking a client’s information belonged to the latter category.
It was fine to tell a few war stories over a drink in a tavern. But when it came to rattling on and on about a client, mercenaries saw it as a betrayal of the trust that had been placed in them.
What client would look kindly on a mercenary who took their money and then sold their information to the highest bidder?
So unless a problem was seriously immoral or outright illegal, mercenaries usually let small flaws slide.
They had to eat, after all.
But the Red Claw Mercenaries were different.
Their men weren’t even part of Liberi’s mercenary world, and they didn’t care a damn about trust.
If you had to sum them up in a single phrase, it would be this:
A pack of lowlife thugs.
And yet the Red Claw Mercenary Group could still operate so brazenly because they handled the jobs no one else wanted to touch.
In other words, the filthy work.
“Same as always. Got it?”
“Of course! We’ll handle it without leaving a trace, so don’t you worry!”
Murder.
“Ahem, I’ve picked up a little hobby lately… Could you get me one of those? Young and healthy?”
“Now, now, you’re going to hurt my feelings talking like that, sir. Of course we can. Male or female—what kind of specimen would you like us to bring back?”
“…Ahem. Female, please.”
“Yes, sir! Just wait a bit and we’ll have her for you in no time!”
Kidnapping.
And besides that, theft, robbery, arson, and more.
As long as the money was right, they would gladly take on any inhuman job, making the Red Claw Mercenaries the perfect tool for anyone with something shady to hide.
“I’m looking for someone.”
A building on the outskirts of the city.
Asie stepped inside, past the normal-looking exterior that somehow still radiated an ominous air, and got straight to the point.
“Do you know a magician named Max?”
His speech was no longer the formal register he had used in Valtora, but a casual tone closer to downright familiarity.
There was something naturally authoritative, naturally commanding about the way he spoke, and Daeun’s eyes widened.
So he really was a prince….
It wasn’t that she had doubted Canaria or Asie’s words.
But he had been so approachable, and his first impression had been so shocking, that Daeun had never really felt the fact that he was a prince.
Then again, the pressure rolling off Asie made it impossible to even think of resisting him, and Daeun finally felt it all over again.
He really was a prince.
And she wasn’t the only one.
The mercenary standing before Asie swallowed hard under the crushing pressure filling the room.
Normally he would have flashed yellow, crooked teeth and rattled off some worthless banter, but now he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“Y-you’re… some imperial noble?”
“That’s none of your business.”
…A noble!
The mercenary lowered his head even further.
At that air of utter superiority, there could be no doubt—this was an imperial noble…!
Not one of those flimsy little nobles they ran into every now and then, either. No, this was the real thing.
In truth, he wasn’t even an imperial noble, and it was hardly an exaggeration to call him an enemy of the Empire. But the mercenary had no way of knowing that.
“So, do you know him?”
“Max… you mean?”
“Yeah. Thin eyebrows, looks like he’s always on edge.”
The description brought one person to mind.
The robed man who had come by that morning, carrying a rather large bag.
His name had been Max, or maybe something close to it.
The mercenary had found it strange that he’d shown up at the crack of dawn and urgently hired them to take him to another city. Now, at last, he thought he understood why.
He was definitely tangled up with this man.
The mercenary, who had pieced that together in an instant, grinned.
This might actually be my chance to hit the jackpot.
His position in the Red Claw sat somewhere between officer and grunt.
The people above him yelled that he couldn’t manage the men below. The people below him cursed at him for not even understanding what the bosses told him to do.
And it’s not like he got paid much for it, either. Barely more than the rank-and-file.
Always stuck in the middle, taking blows from both sides, he thought the current situation—now that all the officers were away—looked like a chance to quietly pocket a fortune behind their backs.
He didn’t know exactly what relationship the man before him had with Max, but considering he’d come all the way out here in person, it must be urgent.
And if he was someone important, he’d have money, too….
The mercenary’s hunched back straightened before he even realized it.
“Wellll… maybe? Maybe I know him, maybe I don’t…. Had a drink last night, so my memory’s all fuzzy, you know?”
He spoke in a vague, slippery way.
Asie twitched an eyebrow.
Back when he’d been a prince, he’d dealt with all kinds of people far worse than mercenaries, and the man’s intentions were transparent.
He’s been here.
He also saw through the fact that Max had come to the Red Claw Mercenary Group.
If it were just a matter of knowing him, there was no reason for that reaction.
Though he kept swallowing his irritation at Asie’s openly displeased expression, the mercenary still refused to reveal Max’s whereabouts.
Not because he had some noble urge to protect the client, of course, but because of money.
“My throat’s feeling a little rough~ If I had something refreshing, I might remember. But I’m flat broke, so I can’t exactly buy myself a drink. What a pain.”
Even while he treated Asie like a real noble, the mercenary remained brazen. Max was the only one who knew where he was, which meant they couldn’t just rough him up without consequences. At least, that was the bold logic he was clinging to.
But courage and recklessness were separated by a hair’s breadth, just as nerve and stupidity were.
Asie had heard enough about the Red Claw Mercenaries to know what they were.
People who had abandoned the humanity they were supposed to uphold.
He had no intention, not even the slightest, of handing gold coins to people like that.
“Canaria.”
“Mm.”
Thud.
At his call, Canaria stepped forward.
“…Huh? A kid?”
The mercenary rubbed his chin when he saw the small girl in a hood.
Trying to grasp Asie’s intent, he let out a tiny, understanding sound.
“You mean you’re giving me this little brat as payment?”
It wasn’t unheard of for people to take others as payment.
It just wasn’t common.
Especially not a tiny little girl like this. Even for someone who had been with the Red Claw for years, this was a first.
Human trafficking took time and effort, after all, so for someone who wanted to keep things hidden from the officers, it wasn’t an especially welcome arrangement.
The mercenary said he’d just like to see her face, then somewhat reluctantly reached out and pulled back the hood covering the girl’s head.
And then he met a pair of still, pink eyes looking up at him, and his breath caught in his throat.
“…Oh.”
He’d seen plenty of women in his life, and he’d bedded more than a few, but he had never seen a girl like this before.
Even someone like him, who preferred fuller bodies, felt a sudden jolt of attraction.
If she were put up for auction, she’d fetch a few sacks stuffed with gold coins. If he waited, she’d surely grow into an extraordinary beauty.
Should he take the money and sell her, or keep her locked up at home until she was old enough?
He did want money, but the thought of handing her over to someone else did sting a little.
“…Ahem!”
In the middle of that greed-soaked dilemma, the mercenary came to his senses.
Just for the whereabouts of one magician, and he could get a reward like this? No matter how he looked at it, this was a profitable deal.
Before he could change his mind, he reached for the girl’s hand and was about to accept Asie’s offer.
Or rather, he was about to.
Fshk!
“Disgusting.”
“…Huh?”
My hand—why is it on the floor?
Understanding came first, and pain followed after.
“Aaaagh! My, my hand!”
Clutching the wrist from which blood had begun to fountain, the mercenary screamed.
The right hand that should have still been attached to his arm lay carelessly on the filthy floor.
From the beginning, Asie had no intention of doing business with him.
Even if he had, he would never have traded a person, and there was no way he would have put someone as strong as Canaria on the table as merchandise.
The man who had paid the price for his repeated wrong answers howled miserably.
At least, he would have if not for the bundle of cloth jammed into his mouth.
“Shh.”
The girl, impassive, had stuffed the cloth into his mouth and placed one finger against her lips.
In her pink eyes, his face reflected back at him—ruined by tears and snot.
The mercenary no longer found the girl’s face beautiful at all.
* * *
“Hh, hhh….”
Leaning against a massive tree, Max dragged in ragged breaths.
“Let’s keep this friendly, man. Huh? No need to make things tiring for both of us.”
“…”
A slacker’s voice, followed by laughter.
Max gave no reply, only rolled his eyes frantically from side to side.
Mercenaries, mercenaries, and more mercenaries.
No matter where he looked, there were only mercenaries, and nowhere he could run.
“I-I said I’d pay more money!”
“When we get to the next city, right?”
Molden, the leader of the Red Claw Mercenary Group, sneered at Max’s words.
There was no hiding the greed in Molden’s eyes, and every time he took a step, his huge belly jiggled with it.
“But you know… for some reason, my gut tells me the bag you’re hugging is worth a lot more than the scraps I’d get for hauling you to the next town.”
“…!”
Max instinctively clutched the bag tighter, then winced when he realized his mistake. Molden burst out laughing at the sight.
Did he know? Or was this really just intuition?
Max’s mind raced furiously.
“I-I don’t think the Empire’s going to sit still if you treat me like this!”
“You’re worrying about us now? I’m touched. Nearly brought to tears, I am.”
“…Ggh!”
“Don’t worry. The thing you’re afraid of won’t happen. Do you really think the Empire would even blink over the death of some ruined noble house’s stray brat?”
“…!”
Max’s heart lurched.
How in the world did they know that?
His only weapon stolen from him, Max regretted everything.
Sure, a teleport gate was expensive, but if he scraped together everything he had, he could probably have managed it. Why hadn’t he done that?
He should never have asked these bastards. He should have gone down the mountain alone. No, he should have hired proper mercenaries instead.
He had a thousand regrets, but not a single one of them was I shouldn’t have stolen the Dragon Orb.
“…I’ll give you everything. Just spare my life.”
In the end, Max swallowed his pride and bowed his head.
The Dragon Orb was valuable, yes, but not more valuable than his life.
Only when his life was hanging by a thread did he finally cast aside greed and pride.
“Hmm….”
“If that still isn’t enough, I can inscribe magic onto your equipment as well.”
“Oh, magic~”
At the positive reaction, Max’s face brightened.
Right. This would do it.
If he could just survive, he’d have a chance at revenge later.
He masked his real thoughts and forced an awkward smile to match Molden’s.
But his hopes were crushed without mercy.
“That’s it?”
“…Pardon?”
“Magic is nice and all. But is that really enough reason for us to let you live and leave loose ends behind?”
“My, my magic will definitely be useful—”
“Yeah. I know that, don’t I?”
Seeing the murderous glint in Molden’s eyes, Max finally understood that no matter what he said, the man had no intention of letting him live.
And that he had been waiting for this chance ever since he’d come to their hideout.
Max’s mouth dropped open.
“H-help me!”
“Huh? Look at this bastard.”
“Boss, should we kill him?”
“Leave him.”
There was no way anyone could be out in this deep forest.
Knowing that, Molden had launched the ambush, and so he watched Max’s desperate cry for help as if he were a child throwing a tantrum.
Just as Molden expected, the man’s panicked shout rang through the forest, but no one came to save him.
“Done yet?”
“Haaah… haaah…!”
Max tried to back away as Molden advanced, only to hit the trunk of a tree behind him.
“D-don’t come any closer!”
He shrieked in a fit of panic and hurled a magic tool from his bag.
But something like that wasn’t enough to stop Molden’s advance.
When the shield Max had thrown up by squeezing out every last ounce of mana was shattered by Molden’s sword, his heart pounded as if it would burst.
At last, just as the shadow of death rose to his chin and prepared to swallow him whole—
“Found you.”
A soft voice slipped between them.
“…Ugh.”
“W-waahhh!”
“….”
Along with three half-dead corpses.
Zombies…?
Max stared blankly, momentarily forgetting the fear of death altogether, at the sight of three zombies and the girl leading them.