Chapter 114
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: 27. Overwhelming. (1)
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Allen, the Mercenary Leader, had gathered as much information as he could on the demonic beast.
A goat-like bleat of "Meeeh."
Bipedal like a human.
A goat's head, a lion's body, and monkey arms.
A massive build.
From that, Allen roughly deduced the beast's identity.
Bendradan—commonly known as Goat Head.
The mere fact that a demonic beast like this had a name meant it was a close minion among the demon's underlings. Naturally, its power was considerable as well.
Of course, it wasn't enough to make him tremble in fear, but it was definitely a tough opponent for a ragtag southern mercenary band. And with the monsters of the demon realm in tow, the difficulty had spiked even higher.
Since it was a demonic beast summoned from hell via summoning magic, there was likely a way to reverse-summon it by dealing with the mage. But judging by how they had no clue about the mage's whereabouts, the beast had probably already taken care of its summoner. ...Well, any demonic beast worth its salt wouldn't leave the mage alive, knowing that'd be a bad idea.
...In truth, this incident hadn't originated in Verher, but it was the only nearby city directly linked to the demon realm, so they were stuck cleaning up someone else's mess. What could they do? The urgent one digs the well—that's the way of the world everywhere.
In any case, based on that intel, Allen re-equipped the mercenary corps. He swapped the front line's heavy tower shields for slightly smaller, lighter round shields, stocked up on holy water in bulk, and even grabbed a silver dagger just in case. While holy water or silver weapons weren't particularly effective against monsters, they were deadly to demonic beasts.
And since monsters typically attacked from all sides, he switched their column formation to a circular one and drilled the men on it. They'd used something similar during the siren song incident before, so the veterans adapted quickly.
...Next, Allen turned to the remaining fine print of the negotiations.
For Charlotte, the southern girl who figured it'd be a quick verbal wrap-up, Allen's sudden formality at the bargaining table was baffling.
Of course, Allen wasn't the type to go easy just because she was from the east or had nearly become his fiancée. As leader of a mercenary corps, he knew to keep business and personal separate.
"...Wh-what?! You're adding two hundred more gold coins?!"
Unlike the flabbergasted Charlotte, Allen remained utterly calm.
"The demonic beast is called Bendradan. It's particularly fond of feasting on human brains, and it's no easy opponent. ...Honestly, a thousand gold feels too low even to put a price on our lives."
"Even so, twelve hundred gold is way too much...!"
Considering the Charlotte Mercenary Corps' monthly fee barely topped a hundred gold, the Allen Mercenary Corps' short-term rate being over ten times that was staggering. Plus, the accompanying Pharos Mercenary Corps would demand something similar, pushing the total gold spent well over two thousand.
"It's just two hundred extra in the end. Surely Lady Charlotte can handle that much? The copper mines must be raking in a fortune...."
"That doesn't justify wasting it."
"It's not waste—it's a fair demand. Weren't we supposed to hash out the details after assessing the situation here? That's what I thought, at least."
"......Well."
She honestly had no comeback. ...They'd only just learned the beast's name was Bendradan.
After backing her into a corner, Allen eased up a bit.
"Don't worry. We'll earn every coin. No one's calling it a waste on my watch. ...Right now, solving this mess takes priority, no matter what it takes."
After agonizing over it, Charlotte finally relented.
"......Fine. Deal."
From her perspective, letting the deal fall apart over two hundred gold after coming this far would be a nightmare. And Allen had banked on exactly that.
"A wise choice. As expected of Leader Charlotte's keen judgment."
Flattery though it was, she didn't mind it one bit.
In the end, just as Allen wanted, they agreed to add the two hundred gold. Total fee: twelve hundred gold. ...An absurd sum unimaginable in the south, but after experiencing Vermandua's prices once already, Charlotte no longer saw it as outrageous. Convincing her father, Count Eberheim, was another story, though.
Luckily, the generous and kindly count readily approved his daughter's request and issued the final authorization. Even if it meant spending a bit extravagantly, he viewed it as valuable experience for her.
And so, the Allen Mercenary Corps, Pharos Mercenary Corps, Charlotte Mercenary Corps, and two assorted southern bands—five corps in total—set off for the demon realm three days later.
During those final three days of prep, the men handled their own final checks in their own ways. Allen personally reviewed each one's status window daily to monitor their conditions.
Even after their "friendship sex" on the first day, Natasha the Gum-Tit Swordswoman still visited Allen every evening like clockwork, craving her "friendship kisses." The only change was that her teasing now slipped under his clothes instead of over them.
But Allen avoided sex during missions, per his unspoken rule with the Red-Robe Mage. That first night had been an emergency exception.... Everything else short of full sex was fair game, though.
Curiously, her sexual hunger burned far hotter than the mage's—unexpectedly so.
Elena generally steered clear of Leader Allen until the mission wrapped. On days she couldn't hold back, she'd sneak in for a fervent suck on his tasty cock.
But Natasha was lust incarnate. Allen saw it every time he checked her status: desperate pleas for sex. Like it was hardwired from the start. And every night before bed, she'd show up for sloppy, lewd kisses...... Honestly, holding back was torture for Allen too.
In any case, just as their tit sizes differed wildly, so did their sexual styles. You really couldn't tell until you stripped 'em down.
...And the three days of prep flew by in the blink of an eye.
With preparations complete, the Allen Mercenary Corps headed to the castle's outer courtyard before dawn. The other four corps soon assembled, ready to roll.
Right before departure, the five leaders gathered. The four reported briefly to representative Charlotte, then boarded their carriages.
"Move out!"
The lead carriage carrying the Charlotte Mercenary Corps rolled first, followed closely by the other four.
Five carriages packed with mercenaries and two more loaded with gear—seven in total—quickly left the mid-sized city of Verher behind, clattering over dry dirt roads. Whenever they hit sand, long dust trails fluttered in the wind.
The mercenary caravan camped midway overnight and reached the demon realm fortress entrance by early next dawn. With the mines halted for months, only a handful of guards remained.
Guard Captain Malcolm welcomed them warmly. They parked the carriages, took a short break, grabbed their gear, and finally entered the demon realm.
Be it central or southern demon realms, a demon realm was a demon realm—the eerie aura was just as murderous. But the battle-hardened veterans of Allen's corps had far more composure than the southern bands.
Allen especially ordered the Blind Saintess to keenly sense the demonic beast's evil aura. Unlike other monsters, a beast infused with a demon's dark mana would exude a sinister, shadowy energy distinct from ordinary mana....
He also cautioned the Red-Robe Mage to conserve mana until the beast appeared. True to her elemental magic specialty, Elena's bursts packed massive damage, so unloading everything on the beast would be most effective. Wasting that on the realm's lesser monsters? Mana too precious. Her spells weren't exactly efficient anyway.
......And always prepare for the worst-case scenario......
Having been screwed over endlessly by that damn [Guild Master] game, Allen never trusted surface appearances. How many times had a simple monster hunt turned into a demon ambush pounding?
Still, his corps' current strength could handle anything short of a high-tier demon. Even in that luck-forsaken shitshow of a game, top demons didn't pop up randomly in dumps like this. Ever.
Besides, this was just Chapter 2. Low-tier demons were a stretch already. ...But since the bastard game pulled those stretches occasionally, prep was essential.
Allen let out a wry chuckle at himself for sticking with that epitome of bullshit for over a decade.
......Maybe true [masochism] was his real trait, not anyone else's.