Chapter 140
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Call of the Flames (2)
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A man with a greatsword slung over his shoulder walked out casually, laughing heartily.
"Don't you think so? Watching a massive log go up in flames is a pretty spectacular sight."
The man brushed off the embers clinging to his clothes as if flicking away dust.
None of us could muster a quick reply to his brazen, bewildering words.
"We didn't request any assistance."
The Silver Guard Knight's face was somewhat stiff.
Hidden behind his words was the sentiment that he hadn't wanted an outcome like this.
Whether the man knew it or not, he grinned and clapped a hand on the Silver Guard Knight's shoulder.
"We're in the middle of support operations right now. Sweeping up the magical beasts around Peira. So, you know, we might just happen to save some travelers passing by."
"Ah, how could we just stand by and watch a big ol' log shuffling around all slow?"
"Roth, wanna rip up some wooden bridges for firewood? We were running low."
The other mercenaries bantered freely as they drew closer to us.
They had all been in the flames, yet none showed any signs of burns. It seemed due to the Fire Arbat's natural constitution combined with specialized gear resistant to fire.
"What do you plan to do about these flames?"
"Huh?"
At the Silver Guard Knight's question, the greatsword-wielding man burst into laughter along with the others.
"Don't worry about it! This area's got plenty of water, so it'll die out soon enough. Don't sweat the small stuff. By the way, uh, you're Ilenia... right?"
The mercenary eyed us up and down before stopping on Ilenia.
Ilenia flinched in surprise.
"Pardon? Oh, yes, that's me."
"Whoa, don't you remember me? We met once in Delatria! I'm Roth. Roth from Roth's squad."
"Uh..."
Ilenia's eyes gradually widened.
The man named Roth grabbed her hand joyfully and shook it up and down.
"You can't say you don't remember! Commander Silas introduced us. Sure, there were a ton of people there, but still."
"Ah, ah! I remember now! Roth!"
"Phew, good thing! I was about to feel hurt."
Roth laughed loudly and pulled Ilenia into a big hug. She awkwardly returned it, clearly flustered.
"Ilenia, you two know each other?"
The Silver Guard Knight, who had been watching, asked her.
"Yes, he's Roth, the squad leader of the Gray Mercenaries. They helped out in the Delatria battle before."
Ilenia answered with certainty. It seemed the memory had fully resurfaced now.
"That battle! It was epic, right? Come on, let's all head to our camp. It's not far from here."
Roth slung his arms around both Ilenia and the Silver Guard Knight's shoulders at once. His sturdy build made it possible.
"No, we're heading to Peira..."
The Silver Guard Knight shook his head and tried to pull away, but Roth laughed boisterously and held him tight.
"Aw, come on! It's fate we ran into each other like this. Plus, we can't just let Commander Silas's precious niece go off without a proper welcome."
"Yeah, we've got some killer booze at our camp."
Overwhelmed by the mercenaries' pressure, the Silver Guard Knight had no choice but to relent. He let out a deep sigh.
"Very well. Lead the way."
"You got it! We'll rest up a bit at our camp, then head to Peira. I'll give you directions later."
Such kindness wasn't really necessary, but with the burly mercenaries grinning amiably and surrounding us as we moved, slipping away wasn't easy.
And so, we headed to the mercenaries' camp.
Along the way, Ash trailed quietly behind me, looking a bit cowed. He had fled the flames and gotten his feet wet by the riverbank.
I quietly told Ash to stick close to my side.
True to Roth's word, the mercenaries' camp wasn't far.
They had set up in the yard of a half-collapsed ruin, and it looked like they'd been there for quite a while.
There were plenty of felled trees, and scorch marks from burned magical beasts scarred one side of the clearing. Tattered tents leaned around the open space.
"It's the first time we've had guests at our camp. Make yourselves at home. No ceiling, though!"
The other mercenaries roared with laughter at Roth's lame joke.
They chuckled as they scattered to various spots around the camp, preparing drinks and food or gathering firewood.
"Haha. This is fun. Silver Guard Knight, do we really have to stick around here?"
Shuren looked dissatisfied with coming this far, and Ilenia didn't seem comfortable either.
The Silver Guard Knight crossed his arms with a hum.
"We won't be long. Think of it as a chance to gather information."
We sat around the bonfire, unable to hide our discomfort.
A large bonfire made of wood and stone had a cooking hearth set up on one side.
"Ilenia, do you know anything more about them?"
At the Silver Guard Knight's question, Ilenia thought for a moment.
"Well... hmm. They're the Gray Mercenaries, Fire Arbats. Pretty typical."
"Not close acquaintances, then?"
This time Shuren asked. Ilenia let out a small sigh and shook her head.
"Just people I glimpsed briefly in Delatria. The Gray Mercenaries number over two hundred."
Over two hundred. Bigger than I'd expected.
"And I've been stuck with the knight order lately, so I wouldn't know who's new to the Gray Mercenaries..."
Ilenia trailed off with a complicated expression.
"Oh yeah, we haven't done introductions yet!"
Roth reemerged from the ruin, having shed his outer coat.
The man with brown skin and red hair exposed his broad shoulders and muscular forearms.
He wore leather clothes and pants that gleamed red in the firelight, made from a special material immune to flames.
"Ilenia knows me, but what about your side?"
The Silver Guard Knight nodded and introduced us briefly.
"Hunters from the Prius Knight Order: Shuren, Wedin, Liberic. And Ash. We're en route to Peira on business."
His words carried an intent to hurry on to Peira, but Roth didn't pick up on it at all.
"Gotcha. Our squad's just six strong. The axe-wielder over there is Tania, the sword guy next to her is Burke..."
As Roth introduced the mercenaries one by one, they waved cheerfully at us.
All the mercenaries had rather dark skin tones.
Their hair was mostly red, though some had deep brown or lighter shades.
Frequenting battlefields had honed their wiry muscles, and they all wore reddish leather gear.
They exuded far more intimidation than the Denan and Loran mercenaries we'd seen east of the mountains.
"Hey, make some room for a sec!"
Two mercenaries carrying a spit-roasted pig hung it over the hearth.
Wedin and Shuren, who had been nearby, hurriedly backed away from the sudden flare-up.
The smell of pork mixed with something burning wafted over.
The pig was half-charred and poorly dressed, dangling pitifully over the flames.
One leg still had a stubborn flame clinging to it.
It was about mealtime, and I was getting hungry, but this didn't exactly whet the appetite.
"Here, have one of these."
Another mercenary thrust large wooden mugs into our hands.
Before we could speak, the lid of a massive barrel flew open.
The mercenaries filled their mugs to the brim without hesitation. Wedin's and my mugs were topped with clear liquor too.
"No."
Shuren reacted a beat late to the swift motions.
He snatched our mugs, poured the liquor back into the barrel, and asked another mercenary where the water was.
"Water? We don't drink stuff like that."
"Pardon?"
The mercenaries snickered at Shuren's bewildered expression.
"Just kidding, kidding. The barrel over there's the water. Look closely before you scoop, though—who knows what might be floating in it!"
Shuren fetched water with a weary look at their jokes and handed it to Wedin and me.
By the time we sat back down with our water-filled mugs, the meal was in full swing.
The mercenaries lounged around the bonfire, their mugs already half-empty.
They carved into the spit-roast with the same knives they'd used to butcher and burn minotaurs, talking boisterously.
"They look young, but really fifteen? They're practically babies. Prius that short-staffed?"
Roth gulped down mug after mug, his voice rough.
"Not particularly. Circumstances."
Even here, the Silver Guard Knight avoided the meat and sipped only a little liquor—and reluctantly at that.
"Not letting kids drink is a bit harsh. This stuff's top-shelf."
Tania, sitting beside him, nodded vigorously in agreement.
"This booze is from a super famous brewery in Peira. What do you think? Amazing, right?"
"Famous brewery? Which one?"
At Ilenia's question, Tania shrugged.
"You know, the one with the swirling design on it."
"Oh, 'Whirlpool'...! You really got it from there? They were booked solid for months."
"See, Ilenia."
Tania passed around the large barrel, revealing the distinct whirlpool pattern carved in the center.
Ilenia gasped in genuine surprise.
"It really is. How..."
"Gotta treat Commander Silas's beloved niece right, don't we?"
Ilenia laughed out loud, her face flushing at Roth's exaggerated tone.
She seemed to have already drunk quite a bit and was feeling the buzz.
"Ilenia, take it slow."
Shuren finally piped up watching her.
Ilenia whipped around to him and pouted.
"Nagging again."
"No, it's not nagging..."
Ilenia downed the rest of her mug in one go.
"Tania, one more."
Tania laughed heartily, clearly pleased, and refilled Ilenia's mug to the brim.
Shuren sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead.
"Leave her be, bro."
I whispered to Shuren just loud enough for him to hear. He scowled back.
"What did I say? Just told her to stay sharp. We haven't even reached Peira yet."
"She's just excited to meet fellow Fire Arbats after so long. Let it go."
Ilenia chatted and laughed with the other mercenaries.
I couldn't quite catch the conversation, but it seemed like jokes about wielding fire in battle—insider humor among Fire Arbats.
"So, you don't know where the main force is?"
"Nah, nah. Too many folks to stick in one spot long. We split into squads like this, patrol key points, gather intel."
"You take requests too?"
Wedin cut into the Silver Guard Knight and Roth's conversation. Roth nodded.
"Sometimes? But we don't go into Peira. The Water Arbats there don't like us much."
"Why? Because you're Fire Arbats?"
Roth burst out laughing at the innocent question.
"Haven't heard that in forever! Nah, it's 'cause we're from the Scorching Corps."
"Scorching Corps? Not the mercenary group?"
Scorching Corps? First I'd heard of it.