Chapter 83
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: 19. Roster Cleanup. (1)
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Under the mediation of the Viola Mercenary Corps, Allen bought a three-story inn building for a whopping 1,875 gold coins. In any other mid-sized city, it would've cost half that or less, but this was the mercenary city where prices were sky-high, as expected. On top of that, he paid a brokerage fee of one-tenth the purchase price—187 coins. ...Truth be told, Allen had been hoping Leader Viola might cut him a deal on the fee, but she turned out to be pretty strict when it came to business like this.
Honestly, if it had been in a prime location, the owner wouldn't have sold even for double the price. The building Allen bought was tucked away in a pretty obscure spot, which kept the cost down. And it just so happened that the elderly innkeeper was planning to retire and spend his twilight years in the prosperous southern regions when Allen came along like a godsend.
And so, the Allen Mercenary Corps finally had a proper base of operations. It cost a pretty penny, but it was something that absolutely had to be done, so Allen didn't see it as a waste. If he'd dumped his entire fortune into it, that might be different, but he still had plenty of spare change left.
With a base secured, Allen dove headfirst into sorting out the roster.
Among the current long-term contractors, there were three whose contracts were nearing their end.
Captain Aiden.
Old hound Kallisman.
Warrior woman Znischa.
Truth be told, Kallisman was getting on in years, so his stats weren't the greatest, but Allen renewed his contract because he liked the man's rock-solid loyalty. When the time finally came for him to retire for real, Allen could just put him in a managerial role at one of the mercenary corps' businesses. He was the type you could trust with that.
Unlike Kallisman, the other two were currently on the transfer wish list. Znischa wanted to move to a better mercenary corps for faster advancement, while Aiden seemed like he wanted to renew.
But to Allen, Aiden was something of a mixed bag. Sure, there was some camaraderie from their time together so far, but it wouldn't do to get emotionally attached this early into building the mercenary business. ...It might seem heartless, but you had to let people go when it was time. Allen had planned on that from the moment he recruited Aiden.
Dragging it out silently wouldn't do either of them any favors, so Allen told Aiden straight up. Sorry, but no renewal.
"I see."
Aiden had already sensed the clear gap in skill between himself and the other members, so he'd figured renewal was a long shot anyway.
Still, he'd served as captain of the corps and fought in the western wars, so quite a few other mercenary groups came knocking for him. Of course, Allen was going to squeeze a transfer fee out of it.
Allen set Aiden's transfer fee at 100 gold. But the corps Aiden fancied couldn't go above 50, they said, digging in their heels. With only about a month left on the contract, they couldn't justify paying that much. ...Frankly, 100 gold was a bit steep.
So Allen dropped it by 25 to 75 gold. The other side countered with 60. Negotiations broke down again.
Allen made one last offer at 65, and that's when they finally accepted. Of course, Aiden's personal salary agreement was his own business and wasn't mentioned. But from the look on his face—he didn't seem displeased—it looked like he'd be pulling in at least 20 gold a month.
...And with that, Captain Aiden left the Allen Mercenary Corps. As the longest-serving veteran, it left Allen with a bittersweet feeling.
While Aiden's transfer was in the works, Znischa's moved along briskly too.
As promised, Allen sent a letter of recommendation to Leader Viola for Znischa. Of course, he'd known from the moment he laid eyes on her that her chances were slim to none. Though she didn't seem to realize it herself.
Anyway, with a recommendation from Allen—whom she favored—Viola granted the northern warrior woman a special interview. ...And the result? Offer rejected.
Allen figured she might at least make it into the third string if she played her cards right, but apparently, this overconfident warrior woman didn't quite click with Viola. Or maybe they had their roster full in that role already.
"Why can't they see my true worth—?!"
Znischa, who had splurged on brand-new gear from head to toe expecting to get in, looked utterly indignant.
Still, Giant Albrest—the leader who recognized her talent—came inquiring about a transfer. Albrest wasn't top ten, but it was one of the upper-tier corps. Honestly, moving from Allen Mercenary Corps to Albrest Mercenary Corps would look like a huge promotion to outsiders.
Albrest's leader was from the north too, so he probably scored some regional brownie points. Northerners had a massive sense of pride in their homeland, after all. Znischa always made sure to mention her northern roots when introducing herself.
This time, Allen set a pretty firm transfer fee. Unlike with Aiden, there was no real rush to let Znischa go right now. Her pride and confidence might be a bit over the top, but she pulled her weight just fine.
And so, Leader Allen met with Giant Albrest for the first round of transfer negotiations.
Traits: [Prodigy] [Herculean Strength] [Recklessness] [Narcissism] [Willpower] [Insensitivity] [Homosexuality] [Sound Sleeper]
As expected of a top-tier mercenary leader, his stats were impressive. His traits weren't bad either.
Giant Albrest was a towering figure over two meters tall, with a muscular build and ruddy skin. His hair and beard were frizzy and lacked any sheen.
He had the unmistakable bearing of a tough warrior. His intimidating appearance put even Allen a little on edge. The Blind Saintess's master and Leader Viola were incredible powerhouses too, but you couldn't ignore the sheer pressure from their looks. ...Good looks aren't just for show, after all.
"Albrest Comet."
"Allen Dwight Pomwell."
They shook hands and took their seats at the negotiation table.
"I'd heard Leader Allen was handsome, but you're even more of a looker than I imagined."
"Better a sturdy man like Leader Albrest than a scrawny one like me."
They started off on a friendly note with compliments.
"I usually have someone else handle negotiations, but they couldn't make this trip, so I'm doing it myself. Forgive me if I come off as rough or blunt."
"I'm still green in a lot of ways myself. No need to worry."
The giant chuckled self-deprecatingly, rubbing his massive, hairy pot-lid hands together.
"You set the transfer fee at 300 gold, right, Leader Allen?"
Allen nodded instead of answering.
"Frankly, for someone with just a few months left on their contract, that feels a bit steep..."
"Truth be told, as a leader, I'm not exactly eager to let Znischa go. She's still valuable to my corps. ...And Znischa is a great northern warrior woman. She's worth that much."
He deliberately tacked on "great" before "northern." As expected, it had an effect—Albrest's lips twitched into a slight smile.
"Well... as you say, Leader Allen, being from the north, I don't doubt her skills..."
"Then what's 300 gold? It wouldn't be right to let a great northerner go for pocket change."
"That's true...!"
The north was one of the poorest regions on the continent. A proud but penniless folk. Northerners always had a bit of an inferiority complex about money. ...And Allen had deftly poked right at it.
"Leader Albrest, you're buying northern honor here. ...Fine. If it's too much, we can haggle. Tell me what you think is a fair price for that northern honor."
Allen relentlessly hammered at the northern honor angle. Albrest stared at him for a moment before muttering to himself.
"...Leader Allen, you drive a hard bargain."
Albrest, no rookie in the mercenary game, could obviously see through Allen's ploy. He knew Allen was deliberately stoking northern pride to get his way.
But amusingly, he had no choice but to fall for it. You couldn't sell your pride for a few saved coins. ...Though Allen sure would, ten times over.
"...Alright, deal. 300 gold it is. What difference does shaving off 10 or 20 make?"
"That's the spirit. I felt bad dragging this out over a few coins when she's one of my valued members. Northerners are so straightforward—that's why I can't help but like you folks."
Heh heh heh. Ha ha ha.
Their laughter mingled briefly. Then they stood almost in unison and shook hands again.
"Still, it's not great when an outsider brings up northern honor. I'm letting it slide because I like you, Leader Allen."
"...I'll take that advice to heart."
Albrest's smile deepened.
"Let's keep things friendly going forward. Fellow professionals and all."
"Anyone as outstanding as Leader Albrest is always welcome."
"Heh heh, Leader Allen, you sure have a way with words."
The giant heartily clapped the pretty young man on the back. ...And with that, the two men parted ways.
Two days after the corps-to-corps agreement, Znischa finalized her personal terms.
The next day, she bid a final farewell to the Allen Mercenary Corps, packed her things, and headed off to the Albrest Mercenary Corps.
Now, the remaining members of the Allen Mercenary Corps totaled five.
Old hound Kallisman.
Crimson-robed mage Elena.
Training zealot Victor.
Blind Saintess Oddnun.
Gum-tit swordswoman Natasha.
...It was time for another recruitment rush.