Chapter 62
Chapter 62
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Side Effects (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"...Me, as an instructor?"
"Yes. If it's possible, I'd like you to train the recruits we've selected in our territory."
Mila wore a bewildered expression as she looked at Kim Hyunwoo, who spoke with a friendly smile.
She had plenty of experience as a mercenary, taking on and completing numerous requests, but being asked to take on an instructor role was a first for her.
"...Are you offering to recruit me?"
"That's right. If possible, I'd love to bring you on board."
She ventured the question just in case, but Kim Hyunwoo's immediate response without hesitation left her feeling a strange mix of confusion.
Honestly, she couldn't understand why Kim Hyunwoo—a lord—would make such an offer to someone like her, just a regular mercenary.
"...If I may be frank, I don't have confidence in training soldiers well. The only teaching I've done is with a small mercenary group, and the rest of my life hasn't required instructing anyone, so an instructor position feels a bit..."
With that, she tried to gently decline.
"That's fine."
"Pardon?"
"I'd really like Mila to take the role."
Kim Hyunwoo said that, then paused as if something had just occurred to him.
"Ah, of course, if joining our territory feels burdensome, we could handle it as a commission instead. From what I know, since you came to see me, it seems like you'll be opening a branch of the mercenary guild here once it's established... Is that right?"
"Yes, that's correct. It's standard practice in the mercenary world. I didn't expect the lord to know about that."
"I dabbled in mercenary work a bit in the past... Anyway, that means you'll end up in Lartania territory eventually, so I'd appreciate it even if it's just as a commission."
He laid it out plainly.
Mila, having heard it all, wore an oddly conflicted expression.
What Kim Hyunwoo had proposed was an incredibly appealing offer for her.
Other mercenaries might have jumped at it with wide-eyed gratitude if it seemed free of traps, but her nature wouldn't allow her to bite so easily.
"If I may ask... why offer the instructor position to me? I've trained a small mercenary group before, but I'm still just a mercenary."
Mila asked.
"I have a good eye for people. I think you'd train my soldiers exceptionally well."
At Kim Hyunwoo's follow-up, she blinked in a daze.
A short while later.
In the end, after Kim Hyunwoo's repeated persuasion, Mila agreed to take on the role of Lartania's instructor, albeit in the form of a commission.
"Whew."
Kim Hyunwoo chuckled softly, recalling Mila's expression right up to the end—still puzzled as to why he was hiring her on such favorable terms as she signed the contract.
She felt burdened by how generous the contract was for her, but Kim Hyunwoo knew better from her status window.
Name:Mila
Title:Subjugator
Star Rating:★★★ (3 Stars)
Affection:X
Traits
Responsibility: Steadfastly fulfills any duty without fail.
Excellent Instructor: Excels at teaching others, even beyond personal abilities. Effect enhanced by 'Education' talent.
Mercenary Arts: Increases survival rate in harsh terrains.
Talents
Overwhelming talent in 'Spears'.
Heavenly talent in 'Education'.
Skills
[View Details]
"Whoa..."
Kim Hyunwoo let out another involuntary gasp of admiration as he reviewed Mila's status window.
And for good reason—Mila was the perfect support hero he'd been searching for, specialized in training soldiers as an instructor.
'I don't think I've ever seen a hero whose talents fit so perfectly.'
Kim Hyunwoo gazed at her Excellent Instructor trait and Education talent.
Of course, even during his time playing the game, he'd seen heroes with the Excellent Instructor trait or Education talents separately—and naturally, some with both.
But he'd never encountered one with the Excellent Instructor trait and a 'Heavenly' modifier on the Education talent.
'It was always just 'Excellent' or 'Amazing' at best.'
In Arteil, there were six prefixes for talents.
From 'Excellent', 'Amazing', 'Overwhelming', 'Heavenly', 'Monstrous', to 'Incomprehensible'—the closer to 'Excellent', the lower the talent; the closer to 'Incomprehensible', the higher.
Yet, as far as Kim Hyunwoo knew from his extensive time playing Arteil, no hero with an Education talent beyond 'Amazing' had ever surfaced, even in community discussions. That's why he'd gone after her.
With the Responsibility trait to boot, the odds of her training his soldiers superbly were sky-high.
Thus.
'I'll recruit Mila no matter what.'
For now, it was tied together via commission, but Kim Hyunwoo set his goal to fully recruit her and smiled.
Adria found herself staring in stunned disbelief at the photos plastered across one wall of the Guardian's room, where the Guardian was now pinning up another one.
Every single one was a photo of Kim Hyunwoo, captured via recording artifacts and transferred to paper.
Hundreds of them at a glance, all looking eerily similar...
"..."
Adria gazed blankly for a moment before turning to the Guardian.
The dignified air she'd exuded for years was gone, replaced by a creepy smile as she stared at a single photo. Watching her, Adria felt...
"W-What do you think? This one came out great, right?"
The Guardian shyly held out a photo for her to see.
It was a shot of Kim Hyunwoo talking to Adria, taken through her own consciousness.
"...Isn't it the same as the ones on the wall?"
But to Adria, it looked identical to the others, so she responded accordingly.
"H-Huh!? No, it's not!"
The Guardian straightened up indignantly, then pointed to one on the wall.
"L-Look at this...! He's smiling just a tiny bit here, right?"
"...Yeah, I guess?"
"Th-This one, his head's tilted about 2, maybe 2 degrees...! Showing off that jawline...!"
"Uh..."
"This one? Oh, this too—it's a great shot, but the master's looking down, so his gaze is subtly upward from below. Th-That's just... so good... hehe."
"..."
To Adria, they all looked the same, but seeing the Guardian find unique charms in each one plunged her into an indescribable emotion.
...Honestly, a sense of self-loathing crept in—Is this the kind of person I've been serving?—but she quickly shook her head.
No matter how the Guardian acted, Adria had no intention of betraying her.
"Eee... hehe."
Even if she hid this side of herself, the Guardian was still her lifesaver.
"Hehe... heh."
Even if she seemed like this now, her true nature was that of a dragon.
"...Heh."
...A dragon, right... yeah.
Adria watched the Guardian plastered to the wall, a strange expression crossing her face, then cleared her throat with a cough.
"Great One."
"Hm? What?"
She asked her burning question to the Guardian, who replied in a creepy yet giddy tone.
"If it's not too rude... could I ask about the nature of your relationship with Lartania's lord?"
"...The master is the master."
"Pardon?"
"My one and only master, all mine."
Adria finally got the full rundown on the Guardian's relationship with Lartania's lord.
Around the time Adria began hearing the details in earnest.
In the underbelly of the Kalan Kingdom.
"..."
Kalan's Five Swords had all gathered, awaiting the Absolute Ruler of Darkness who had summoned them here today. But their expressions were uniformly grim.
"..."
Loriell's face was no different.
And for good reason—they all knew exactly what it meant for the Absolute Ruler of Darkness to return.
Moreover, their master's face upon arriving in Kalan yesterday hadn't been bright, so they were worried for her.
But moments later.
Kalan's Five Swords all betrayed faint surprise.
Unlike yesterday's troubled look, their master's face now burned with resolute determination.
And then.
"I shall reveal my true identity."
The real power behind Kalan Kingdom—who had hidden in the shadows for years—made a shocking declaration.
...Her right hand clenched tightly around the "Title Change Ticket" Kim Hyunwoo had given her.