Recruiting New Party Members
Is it worthy of being called a high-class inn?
"Isn't the taste pretty good?"
"…Ah… Yes."
The breakfast was simple—warm soup, bacon, mashed potatoes slathered with butter and cheese—but the flavors were surprisingly decent. The aroma whetted the appetite. He picked up a piece of freshly baked bread from the basket and popped it into his mouth. Especially this fruit that looked like a mango and the braised meat—they were exquisite.
To compare it to something…
"Um, excuse me?"
The mysterious woman in the black hood set down her fork and cautiously spoke up.
"What is it?"
"Well…"
Why was she acting like that?
"Shall I order more braised meat for you?"
"That would be great—wait, no. Let those guys go already…"
Has it been that long already? There were eyes watching, so this was far enough.
"Rise."
With a casual wave of his hand, the thugs sitting in invisible chairs stumbled awkwardly to their feet.
"This will never happen again, my lord!"
"S-Sorry!"
"We failed to recognize you, Martial Master, and committed a grave offense…"
Since the woman had come to him first anyway, he had no time to waste on these small fry. He needed to build his reputation as quickly as possible to kick off the scenario.
"If you're going to apologize, make it sincere."
"H-How can we compensate you? It's not much, but if you let us go, we can pay reparations…"
The three idiots clutched their dangling wrists, bowing their heads with the most pitiful expressions they could muster.
Oh? They must have some money on them.
In that case.
He stood from his seat, glanced around at the surrounding tables, and bowed his head.
"Everyone, I'm sorry for the disturbance this morning."
His apology carried an air of refined dignity, and the other guests responded with wry smiles and nods, indicating it was fine.
"Innkeeper."
"Y-Yes, sir?"
"I don't know if this makes up for it, but as a gesture of apology, we'll cover the bill for everyone here today. Please relax and enjoy without worry."
"Ooh…!"
"What luck!"
Joy bloomed on several faces at his words. As Artem's largest inn, the costs in gold could be burdensome for some.
"The bill."
"…Pardon? You mean us?"
Who else?
"If you don't want to, I won't force you. I respect personal choices."
He slowly raised one hand, and the thugs, trembling and twitching like perverts, finally nodded in resignation.
"…We'll pay."
"If there's any more trouble from this…"
He pointed a finger at their broken wrists, then slid it smoothly—
"……."
Gulp.
—stopping at their throats.
"Got it?"
"…Yes."
"Good. Don't ever show your faces again."
He rose, waved dismissively, and strode out.
Trash like that wouldn't dare come at him twice.
Subdued the Back Alley Sleazy Trio without killing them
Reputation slightly increases in the local area.
Rumors have a way of getting exaggerated, whether good or bad. No doubt my story would spread through Artem's back alleys.
But the main point was this. The woman.
She'd been giving off the scent of money since last night, baiting the hook perfectly. Even in a large village like Artem, it wasn't a full city, so this was possible. It was the fastest way to recruit a new party member anyway.
"So, miss, what business do you have with me?"
He knew the reason, but pretended ignorance as he asked her.
"I'm Milen. …I originally just wanted to ask for some financial support from you, traveler."
"And?"
"It's shameless, but… could you perhaps help us?"
"Help who?"
She bowed her head politely and said,
"We're adventurers from Artem… no, the borderlands."
*******
A rundown, shabby inn. He followed her into a secluded spot. Peeling walls everywhere, no light—it had clearly been abandoned for ages.
"When the hell are Gareth and the guildmaster coming back?!"
"They haven't even been gone long on the subjugation. Probably two more weeks left."
"No, we sent an urgent messenger, but… it'll still take at least five days for them to return."
The people filling the inn all looked utterly listless.
"We're screwed."
"Haa… What a mess."
They sighed heavily, looking like they were about to drop dead.
"This violates kingdom law! I'm going to the capital right now…"
"By then, the guild will be fully in the mercenaries' hands."
"Is Springfield just standing by and watching this?"
"Shut up, shut up… What does a kid know? They might stupidly side with the mercenaries!"
He'd heard the basics from Milen, but the conversation made the situation clear enough.
The adventurers' guild has been seized by mercenaries.
When a nation's public order drops, other factions often occupy state-owned buildings like this. It might start with "just an adventurers' guild," but it could end with the palace.
But this is too fast.
This kind of thing happens after long neglect. The trial had just ended, meaning the prologue was barely over, and security was already this bad?
"……."
His head already throbbed.
Was it because the Sword Hero had left copycat demon spawns unchecked? Kingdoms and empires needed time for heroes to grow, but if the final boss showed up right after leaving the starter village, that was a nightmare. The other four were already…
"…Hah."
He shook his head to clear the stray thoughts.
Not the time to worry about others.
At this rate, even his own life was at risk. So far, he'd only beaten down untrained trash. If elite monsters or the demon king's army invaded, he'd be dead meat.
If the demon king subjugation failed, he might be stuck in this world forever in the worst case. Absolutely not.
"So what do we do?!"
"How about wiping out all the mercenaries?"
"Who doesn't know that? It's impossible, that's why we can't!"
Good. He just needed the reputation anyway.
"If we could at least rescue the hostages…"
"The mercenaries have that guy Budong. His defense is impenetrable! …If we attack, we're all dead."
"Without the guildmaster, we're done for!"
No clever ideas, just endless pointless talk.
Wasting time.
"Let's go."
"Pardon? Now? W-Wait…"
He glanced at the hooded Milen, then strode boldly to the center of the inn.
"H-Hey, what's that?"
"Don't push!"
If he let it continue, it'd just be more empty chatter. Time to cut it off.
"Who the hell is this guy?!"
"……."
He scanned the room, then slowly raised his hand.
A stranger appearing before these terrified people drew all eyes instantly.
"Who's that guy?"
"Dunno, first time seeing him… E-rank?"
"E-rank? Then he's just a greenhorn with no experience!"
"No, look at his gear. At least D-rank adventurer!"
It worked—murmurs erupted everywhere.
"Adventurers of Artem, we don't have time to sit around like this."
"Sit around?"
"What do you mean?"
Ignoring their questions, he continued confidently.
"The mercenaries will sell your families into slavery and soon drive out every last adventurer!"
Adventurers and mercenaries were in friendly rivalry. Mercenaries usually excelled in raw combat, but adventurers were more versatile.
"What?!"
"What makes you say that?!"
"So it's not just about settling here, huh."
Somewhere between symbiosis and competition, skeptical questions flew from all sides.
"Curious?"
"Tell us!"
"Spit it out!"
It would pique them. This was the info they craved most.
He paused, cleared his throat, and surveyed the crowd.
"The reason mercenaries have flooded in… it's simple. The Springfields are the ones gathering them."
"Why?!"
"Is that true?"
They still didn't get it after all that? Were these really locals?
With a light gesture,
"Milen? Where the hell has the guild exec been, showing up now?!"
The mysterious woman, Milen, stepped forward with arms crossed.
"I went to meet nearby nobles for funds."
"Results?"
"Bad. Rumors that the demon king's eastern continent conquest is nearly done have most nobles selling land and fleeing to the capital."
"N-No way…"
Exactly. Raw force? Mercenaries had the edge. Plan was to oust adventurers and replace them.
Even so, such one-dimensional thinking.
Someone was probably pulling strings behind the scenes.
Hope crushed? The room fell silent at her words.
He clapped sharply to liven things up.
"Show the merchants and nobles the power of adventurers. Problem solved."
"But the mercenaries have that 'Budong' warrior?"
Still negative—trust wasn't won with words alone. He glanced at Milen.
"…We were planning to buy off Budong with money anyway, right?"
"Guildmaster's away on subjugation, no other choice…"
"Then we're good. This man will handle Budong."
It all boiled down to who bells the cat.
"This freeloader-looking guy?"
Doubtful stares, but that's why he'd connected with Milen.
"His skills are legit. Even the warden was impressed."
"That guy?"
"Look at his sword! That's the Barden family crest!"
Trust in the exec ran deep—nods spread one by one.
"W-What do you want as payment? As you see, the guild's broke."
Trailing off like that—probably worried he'd bail now.
"Just let me take missions without rank restrictions. In other words, vouch for my identity with the guild."
"…That's all?"
Near the capital, maybe not, but in the borderlands, skill was everything. No idiot took high-rank jobs blindly.
He extended a hand with a friendly smile.
"We help each other in tough times, right?"
"Ooh… As they say, there's always a way out… When the guildmaster returns, we'll reward you properly."
Whatever they gave didn't matter. Reputation was the goal.
He scanned the room, hand on his sword hilt.
"Then prepare."
"For what?"
"To retake the guild."
"Now?"
Strike while the iron's hot. Time to move.