Antidote Hunt (4)
She looked up at the house with a bright, beaming smile. “Is this Sir Hyun-woo’s residence?”
I scratched the back of my head with an awkward grin and nodded.
“The truth is, I run a mercenary group. We’ve only just been established, so we’re severely short on members. I’d like to recruit you, Miss Epibia. If you’re interested, please come visit us. I’ll make sure to pay your weekly wages on time.”
“Y-you’re going to give me money?”
“Of course. Once you become an official member, you’ll receive proper compensation. We’re also providing free lodging to all members for the time being. Our house is quite large, so we have several empty rooms.”
I added with a playful tone, “If you want to live in free housing, you’d better come quickly. Once it fills up, there won’t be any spots left.”
“Free room and board too?! Wow! I’m so happy!”
Epibia looked absolutely delighted. She clapped her hands and bounced on her toes before immediately declaring that she wanted to join right away.
I was secretly a little surprised. I had expected her to at least hesitate or think it over, but I never imagined she would accept so eagerly. Still, I welcomed her with open arms and gladly accepted her decision.
I explained that I was currently here on a request and couldn’t return with her. Instead, I wrote a letter for her to present at the mercenary group’s office.
“Just hand this letter to Kelly. She’ll take care of everything.”
“Yes! I’ll go ahead and wait for you there! Please take care of yourself on your journey!”
“You mean, ‘Safe travels’?”
“Yes! Safe travels!”
“Will you be alright traveling to Nobern by yourself, Miss Epibia?”
When I asked if she needed an escort, she answered cheerfully that she had come all the way from the Dwarven Kingdom to the human lands alone, so there was no need to worry. She seemed genuinely fine, so I felt relieved.
We exchanged farewells, promising to see each other again soon, and parted ways. Epibia set off energetically, pulling a heavy cart all by herself without a single horse. Whether it was her natural strength or not, her steps looked surprisingly light.
I mounted Frosty once more and continued on my way. In the distance, the central city of Nüblang territory, Tamrn, came into view.
It had taken less than a full day to travel from Nobern to the city where Vincentiu’s Theresa Unit was stationed. Thanks to Frosty and the Swift Bow buff, I had arrived much faster than expected. At this rate, I had enough time to stay in Tamrn for two full days before leaving.
As soon as I entered the city, I lightened my mood by stopping at a street stall for some skewered meat to satisfy my hunger, then headed straight for the Theresa Unit. But something felt off. The atmosphere was chaotic.
I grabbed a passing soldier and asked what was going on. He told me the entire unit was currently on high alert. From what I gathered, Vincentiu’s most trusted and beloved adjutant—a woman named Selena—had been kidnapped by bandits last night. This morning, after receiving a letter from the bandits, Vincentiu finally realized the situation. He had immediately taken his officers and soldiers to the bandits’ stronghold to negotiate for her release.
Because of that, there was currently no commanding officer in the unit with the authority to approve the removal of medical supplies. This put me in an urgent bind as well. I needed to obtain the parasite eradication medicine, but without someone who could authorize its release, what was I supposed to do?
I couldn’t just sit around and wait. I asked a soldier at the headquarters situation room for Vincentiu’s location and hurriedly left the city to find him.
The Theresa Unit had set up camp, surrounding the bandits’ stronghold. When I showed my inspection pass to the guard at the entrance, he told me to follow him.
“I’ll inform Sir Vincentiu. Please wait here for a moment.”
The soldier entered the command tent first. From inside, I could hear the heated debate of the officers leaking out.
“If we attack, Lady Selena’s life will be in danger! Let’s pay the ransom they’re demanding and withdraw our troops in exchange for her safe return!”
“Do you really think those bastards will obediently follow through? Think carefully! What kind of people are these bandits? They’re professionals at swindling others! They’ll take the money and never release her! Their own lives are on the line—who would let her go? If it were me, I’d keep her until the very end!”
“Watch your tongue! How dare you say such things in front of Sir Vincentiu!”
Looks like they’re in a tough spot here too, just like the Lion Heart Unit.
While waiting for Vincentiu’s response, I slowly scanned the distant view of the bandits’ mountain stronghold. After observing its layout, a question suddenly came to mind.
Was rescuing a kidnapped adjutant really that difficult? From what I could see, there were holes all over the stronghold. That spot looked like it had traps, over there seemed to be a patrol route, and if I went that way, the sentries probably wouldn’t notice. Moreover, the arrangement of buildings inside was full of weaknesses. It looked easy enough to sneak in at night, move around freely, and cause chaos.
At that moment, the tent flap opened and the soldier stepped out.
“You may enter.”
I went inside and met Vincentiu. He was a sturdy man who appeared to be in his early fifties.
“Is it true that the Lion Heart Unit members have been infected with the Restsitoma Worm?”
His face showed clear surprise, so I explained the full situation in detail. After listening to everything, Vincentiu wore a regretful expression and said,
“In my opinion, someone must have tampered with the food. The Restsitoma Worm primarily parasitizes inside orcs. There have been almost no recorded cases of it appearing in cows or pigs. If an orc ate a cow, that would be one thing, but cows don’t hunt orcs, so how could they become infected? Unless a cow ate an orc’s corpse, the chance of the worm naturally occurring inside a cow is extremely low. Above all, cows are herbivores.”
Vincentiu wrote his opinion exactly as he had spoken it in a letter and handed it to me. He urged me to be sure to deliver it to Adelia and approved the release of the medicine. He even assigned one of his officers to accompany me back to the city to collect the drugs.
Once my business was finished in the blink of an eye, I turned to leave the command tent. Behind me, the heated discussion about the kidnapping resumed.
My mind grew complicated. Should I leave like this? It felt like too much of a waste to just walk away. Sneaking into the stronghold and rescuing one person would be as easy as pie for me.
After turning the idea over several times, I realized this could be the perfect opportunity to spread the name of the Kether Mercenary Group far and wide. Since I had arrived in Nüblang earlier than expected and had time to spare, it was truly fortunate. I turned back around and looked at Vincentiu, who sat at the head of the table.
“Um, Sir Vincentiu.”
“Hm? What is it? Is there something else you need?”
Vincentiu and all the other officers stopped their discussion and turned to stare at me at once.
“About that kidnapped adjutant you mentioned. It seems like it would be quite easy to rescue her if you hired a mercenary. Would you consider hiring one right here and now?”
“A mercenary? Where would we find a mercenary in here?”
“Right here. I’m a specialist in infiltration. Please trust me and hire me.”
The room grew noisy. One of the officers spoke informally.
“Which mercenary group are you from?”
“I belong to the Kether Mercenary Group.”
“Kether Mercenary Group? Never heard of it.”
“It was only recently established, so it’s understandable that not many people know about it yet.”
This time, Vincentiu asked, “How long have you been working as a mercenary?”
“It hasn’t even been a full year since I started working as a mercenary in earnest. My career is very short.”
The moment I answered without hesitation, derisive laughter erupted around me.
“Is this guy joking?” someone shouted. “Hey! Do you even know who Lady Selena is? She’s Sir Vincentiu’s beloved niece! You think we’d entrust the rescue of someone so precious to a rookie mercenary with almost no experience? Stop talking nonsense and get lost!”
“Exactly. The moment the bandits learn we tried to forcibly rescue Lady Selena using mercenaries, they’ll only become more stubborn. Hiring this guy is obviously going to fail. It’s too dangerous.”
Go ahead and talk all you want.
I let their words go in one ear and out the other. The lower their expectations, the greater the promotional effect would be when I succeeded. Being dismissed as an amateur was actually working in my favor. Keep underestimating me.
I looked around and said, “Then how about this? To prove my qualifications, let’s play a game of hide-and-seek. I’ll hide somewhere in this encampment. You have one hour to find me. You can mobilize every soldier if you want. If you can’t find me within the time limit, you must hire me. On the other hand, if you do find me, I’ll take a hundred lashes without complaint and leave quietly.”
The officers stared at me in disbelief.
“Where did this unheard-of punk come from, spouting such ridiculous nonsense?”
“This is hardly the time to be playing childish games!”
“Do you think we’re your friends? Get out before we throw you in jail!”
They pointed fingers and hurled insults, asking if I thought this was the time for jokes. Since I was from a newly formed mercenary group with no notable backing, they tore into me mercilessly without any regard for courtesy.
But Vincentiu was different.
“Let’s do it. We’ll test him just as he suggested.”
“Commander! We’re not children! This is no time to be playing games! The bandits demanded an answer before sunset, and we don’t have time! We need to discuss countermeasures first!”
“Listen. Captain Hyun-woo was sent here by Lady Adelia’s personal trust while the Lion Heart Unit was in a desperate crisis. Would someone as meticulous and strict as Lady Adelia entrust something that could decide the fate of an entire unit to just anyone? I believe she sent him because his abilities have already been proven. The Lion Heart Unit wouldn’t have signed a contract with a brand-new group like the Kether Mercenary Group for no reason. Let’s give this young man a chance and see what he can do.”
At Vincentiu’s words, the officers’ attitudes shifted rapidly.
“Hmm. Now that I think about it, if he was chosen by the proud Lady Adelia, he might actually be trustworthy.”
“I’ve heard unpleasant rumors about Lady Adelia for a long time. Because her family is so prestigious, she’s been arrogant since she was young, acting like some hero who saved the kingdom and possessing an incredibly strong sense of pride. If she trusted him enough to send him, there must be something to it. Perhaps we should trust him as Sir Vincentiu suggests…”
“Is Lady Adelia’s personality really that bad?”
“You have no idea how much she looks down on people. She lives like she’s the only one who matters in the world. But her skills are undeniable. She always took first place at the knight academy. If she sent him, then… I suppose we should consider it.”
As I quietly listened to the officers murmuring among themselves, I got a clear picture of what Adelia’s reputation was like among her peers. A small chuckle escaped me inwardly.
Her personality really must be something else.