Chapter 86
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 086
Chapter Title: Mercenaries and Employer (4)
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"Let's head back."
After confirming the bone armor's performance,
I said to the group.
We left the remaining griffin corpses behind.
Ah, of course, we weren't abandoning them.
We just didn't want the hassle of carrying them ourselves.
I planned to have the undead knights retrieve them later, without the mercenaries knowing.
'Once my mana recovers, I'll turn them into armor.'
Griffin bones would make excellent material for bone armor.
So I intended to craft bone armor for all six undead knights using them.
They didn't need to take the armor off anyway.
I'd keep them suited up until I gathered all the materials for body-shaping magic.
"Heros!"
At that moment, Cedric called out to me.
"Yeah?"
"Are you just leaving the griffin corpses like that?"
"That's the plan. Why?"
I couldn't tell him about using the undead to move them.
So I gave a vague answer.
Cedric immediately chimed in eagerly.
"If you'll allow it, I'd like to take the head. It feels like such a waste to leave it. Oh, no, we don't intend to keep it for ourselves. Absolutely not!"
"What do you want the griffin head for?"
"Northern nobles go crazy for th......"
Cedric, who had been chattering excitedly,
trailed off and glanced at me cautiously.
Then he quickly changed his tune.
"No, they love monster trophies. Chopping off a monster head and hanging it on the wall really sets the mood. If there were a way to preserve it, you could stuff it, but since there isn't, they settle for the skull. You can sell it to nobles for a good price."
He guaranteed it would fetch a high price.
Convinced, I accepted his proposal.
"Fine. Take it."
"Yes, sir!"
Cedric directed the mercenaries to retrieve the griffin head.
Then he took the lead.
To guide us, of course.
"This way."
Cedric moved forward without hesitation, as if he perfectly remembered the path we'd taken.
He kept stealing glances at me along the way.
He looked like he had something to say.
And I had a pretty good idea what it was.
'He wants to ask me to hire them.'
A mercenary band without an employer.
And a mage shows up in the midst of it.
Naturally, Cedric wanted to snag a new client and make some coin.
Just as I thought that,
Cedric spoke to me cautiously.
"Um, Heros."
The moment he said my name,
Bear and Conal, walking on either side of me, shot him glares.
Cedric flinched.
Which was understandable.
Neither of them had particularly friendly faces.
But Cedric endured their sharp stares steadfastly and looked at me.
"What?"
"I heard you're heading north."
"Yeah, that's right."
"In that case, hire us. We'll guide you to your destination without a hitch. Of course, we'll handle any annoying issues along the way."
"Hm......"
Guiding, huh.
Cedric's navigation had indeed been flawless.
He led us with the skill of someone who'd been there before.
But hiring four mercenaries just for that?
Wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?
"We have a guide already. Sir Conal here is from the north. I can ask him."
"I'm from the north too. And I've operated there for years. I may fall short of the knight in every other way, but I'm more familiar with the northern terrain."
Cedric responded urgently.
Even while praising Conal, his footwork was impressive.
If he was telling the truth, he probably did know the north better than Conal.
Conal was northern-born, but he'd spent more time operating elsewhere.
"In that case, could I just hire you?"
"Ah......"
Cedric pondered briefly.
But he ultimately turned down my offer.
"I may be worthless, but I'm still the captain of a mercenary band. It wouldn't be right for me to serve you alone."
Honestly, it was unexpected.
This guy, who seemed so flighty, had a serious side?
He seemed like a decent fellow after all.
I was starting to like him.
With that, I accepted his refusal.
"Fair enough. Can't be helped."
I thought that wrapped up the conversation, but Cedric cried out desperately.
"Please, give us a chance!"
"A chance?"
"We'll work for free for a week starting today. Evaluate our mercenary band during that time. If you're still not satisfied after a week, we'll leave without complaint."
Cedric's proposal.
The mercenaries' eyes went wide hearing it.
They clearly hadn't expected it either.
That piqued my curiosity too.
"Why go that far?"
Cedric answered immediately.
"I see a brilliant future ahead of you, Heros. You'll surely rise much higher than you are now. If I can contribute even a little to getting you there, won't that benefit me too?"
Smooth talker.
He might even outdo me with words.
To sum it up, he figured I'd succeed, so he wanted to latch on and get scraps from my table.
I didn't mind the flattery.
"What do you think, Sir Bear, Sir Conal? About observing Cedric and his men for a week."
I asked, looking back and forth between Bear and Conal.
Their responses came right away.
"I'm fine with it."
"I approve."
Bear and Conal's positive replies.
Bear was the trusting type, so that made sense.
But Conal surprised me.
When I glanced his way, he caught my eye and spoke.
"A guide makes the journey easier. And it's free. No reason to refuse. True, mercenaries are hard to trust, but time will sort that out."
Conal was all about practicality, as expected.
Set aside suspicions and reap the benefits.
With both of them on board, I had no reason to hesitate.
"Alright. Looking forward to a good week."
"Yes, sir! We won't disappoint you."
Cedric grinned and replied.
In the distance, I could see where we'd left our luggage.
They must have spotted us too, because the soldiers resting there hurriedly stood up.
"You're back!"
"Yeah. No issues?"
The soldiers greeted us warmly.
I asked one of them how things were.
Something might have happened while we were gone.
"Yes, sir. A few refugees approached, but we scared them off with spears. That's all."
"Good work."
Fortunately, nothing major.
Satisfied, I patted the soldier's shoulder and turned to Cedric.
I planned to ask his advice now.
"Cedric, I have a question."
"Yes, sir! Ask away!"
When I called him, he dashed to my side.
He picked up a stick from the ground and started scribbling place names on the dirt.
All were villages or cities we'd planned to pass through.
Swipe.
After listing them all, he drew lines connecting the waypoints.
Then I asked him.
"This is our current plan. What do you think?"
Cedric stared seriously at the ground.
Then he looked up at me and answered.
"Heros, I can't read."
"Ah."
Right, illiteracy was common in this era.
Even among nobles. A mercenary? No surprise.
In the end, I had to say the names aloud.
Cedric listened intently, then shook his head.
"Too inefficient."
"Is it?"
Not really shocking.
Our waypoints came from Nina's map.
Unfamiliar with northern geography, we'd sketched a rough itinerary.
We planned to refine it by asking locals at villages along the way.
"May I suggest a new plan?"
"Of course. That's why I called you."
"I'll make it worth your trust."
Cedric responded crisply.
Then he waited silently.
Seeming to organize his thoughts.
"Ah, got it."
With that, Cedric began his explanation.
New place names I'd never heard poured out.
I committed them to memory.
That way, even if we parted after a week, I could follow his route.
Then a question occurred to me.
"But are you sure it's okay?"
"What do you mean......?"
"I hear the north is as bad off as the east. The farther north we go, the riskier it gets. Why not split up now?"
At my words, Cedric tilted his head as if baffled.
"That's exactly why we should head north. Unstable security means more jobs for swords. Unless we're greenhorns, we can make good money."
Ah, right. These guys are mercenaries.
Listening to him, I realized I'd been thinking wrong.
The man before me was a mercenary.
His job was seeking out danger.
"Ah! Of course, my top priority is working under you, Heros. Truly."
With that, Cedric fell silent.
He'd win me over within a week.
Cedric put in the effort to keep that promise.
"We'll handle the butchering!"
When I hunted animals with magic, Cedric and his men swiftly dressed them.
They even took over cooking the meat.
I didn't stop them, nor did the burly trio, the squires, or the soldiers.
Who'd refuse help with the tedious stuff?
"We'll clean up the ground!"
He led on campsite chores too.
Not content with finding good spots, he even picked out rocks from the ground.
Everyone appreciated that, naturally.
"We'll take care of it!"
And today, trouble brewed on a narrow path.
Cedric stepped forward again.
"Do you know who this is? It's Heros."
"Who the hell is that? Quit yapping and move! Can't you see knights waiting behind us?"
The opponent snapped irritably at Cedric.
Young face.
One of the five knights' squires facing us off.
"You don't know Heros, the mage granted territory by Earl Chester, the great noble of the east and hero of the region? Really? No way."
Cedric boomed back.
The opposing knights, who had been snickering at us, froze instantly.
They were shocked by the name Chester.
Or maybe the earl title rattled them.
"We'll make way."
Moments later, one of the five knights said that.
He spurred his horse aside.
His companions followed suit, parting left and right.
Clop, clop.
As we passed through the yielded path,
the five knights and our burly trio locked into a fierce staring contest.
The air crackled; swords could have flown any second.
"Pardon the inconvenience."
As I passed,
the knight who'd conceded addressed me.
His face still stiff.
He was pissed, probably.
But you started it.
Telling us to scram out of nowhere.
Hadn't said that, we'd have yielded early.
"No problem. Thanks for yielding."
Part of me wanted to snap back.
But they'd backed down first.
No need to poke the bear.
So I thanked him and passed.
Once we were a safe distance from the knights,
Bear snorted and said to me,
"Cowards fleeing the north out of fear, yet so full of themselves."
Conal, overhearing, chimed in.
"Greenhorns freshly knighted, I'd wager. That's why they travel in a pack."
Bear and Conal's words.
Then something hit me that needed addressing.
"Cedric, why'd you call me the hero of the east earlier?"
I was Chester's hero, not the east's.
Pointing that out, Cedric replied innocently.
"Isn't Chester in the east? So calling Chester's hero the east's hero isn't wrong. And in that situation, a little bravado is necessary. Sir Bear and Sir Conal would agree, right?"
He finished and looked at Bear and Conal.
They chuckled at his cheekiness and nodded.
I did the same.
If I had to guess, our time with Cedric wouldn't end after a week.