Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Kept Being Mistaken for the Ringleader (10)
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“Wh-what are you talking about...?”
Maverick played dumb right away.
He was acting as casually as he could, but his mind was racing nonstop.
He had to find some way out of this hellish situation.
“Aren't you that mercenary who came to Haven Village? The one who dared lay a hand on Lilliana.”
“Huh? No way. First time I've even heard that village name.”
“Is that so? Must've been my mistake, then.”
Asha gave a small nod.
Of course, she wasn't an idiot who would fall for such an obvious lie.
She just found his shameless act so ridiculous that she decided to watch the show a bit longer.
'Phew, I'm saved...'
Maverick, oblivious to her thoughts, let out a sigh of relief.
He figured that monstrous girl might have insane fighting skills, but her brains were a little lacking.
Typical elf.
At that moment, the prisoners nearby started wailing.
There was no such thing as camaraderie among thieves.
“What nonsense! Miss, that guy's the ringleader!”
“Right! He tricked us into going after you... Eek. Anyway, that bastard's the worst of the lot!”
One loose-lipped fool blurted it out straight despite the mercenaries' cold glares.
Better to get on their bad side than face the boss's wrath alone.
Asha turned back to Maverick amid their fiery endorsements.
“That's what they say.”
“Th-those sons of bitches! No way! Isn't backstabbing a mercenary specialty?”
“Aha.”
She nodded as if convinced.
Then she gracefully raised her arm, like she was about to deliver a textbook backhand.
“Eek!”
Maverick flinched instinctively.
The memory of that horrific chop was still fresh.
“...”
But no searing pain came.
Realizing his mistake, he cautiously lifted his head to peek up at Asha.
She smirked as she watched him.
“You're right.”
“...Huh?”
Did that excuse actually work? She really is empty-headed!
Maverick grinned slyly. He could see a path to survival.
But Asha's words weren't over.
“You deserve a beating.”
Smack!
Maverick's head snapped forward from the solid hit to the back of his skull.
The nearby mercenaries burst into laughter as Asha landed a clean one.
“Ooh, that was good. Gotta remember that for next time.”
“Not just fists—her words pack a punch too.”
“Asha! Give him another good one!”
Responding to the audience's cheers, Asha dutifully swung her arm again.
Maverick had barely lifted his head when it flopped right back down.
The mercenaries cheered at the sight of the budding young fighter.
Getting all hyped up, they started clapping wildly and giving pointers.
They threw in some curses, suggested knee strikes, and advised maximizing pain on impact.
They even demonstrated personally.
In the dead of night, an inferno erupted, filling the air with the thieves' agonized screams.
The unexpected savior was someone else entirely.
“Don't teach weird stuff to an innocent kid!”
Rina shouted as she arrived to check on the holdup since Asha hadn't returned.
Her piercing screech silenced even the crickets.
The next day, just before setting off after packing up...
Asha tilted her head at the bound thieves.
“Their numbers are down?”
The night before, the mercenaries had debated what to do with the prisoners.
Since Asha was the one who'd caught most of them, the mood was to let her decide.
She'd asked Elysia's opinion, then handed them over to the mercenaries.
They'd part ways at the next village anyway, and managing prisoners while dragging them along was inefficient for just the two of them.
Instead, they'd get her share of the proceeds from selling off the prisoners and their gear upfront in silver.
The mercenaries were thrilled, of course.
Even after her cut, it was a hefty profit.
To them, Asha felt like a walking good-luck charm.
“Oh, the thieves? Dumped the useless ones in the woods.”
“Dumped in the woods?”
They spoke as if tossing out trash or broken tools.
Asha blinked in confusion, and the mercenaries grinned with shrugs.
“That Maverick guy or whatever? Dragging a cripple would slow the march.”
“We handled it our way, so no worries. It'll be clean.”
“Aha. Got it.”
Asha nodded once she grasped the situation.
To her, that thief was just an annoying fly—nothing more.
No need to double-check if they'd handled it.
With her curiosity sated, Asha headed back to the wagons.
The mercenaries watched her go, exchanging sly, meaningful smirks.
They hadn't simply released them.
After hearing the full story from Asha, they'd decided to punish that punk Maverick properly.
First, they gagged him to muffle the screams and beat him mercilessly—for maximum pain.
Next, they mocked his terrified, darting eyes as they bound him tight and hung him from a tree.
And was that all? These were brutal mercenaries.
To ensure he wouldn't survive, they snapped his one good leg, crippling him completely.
All that remained for Maverick was to be devoured alive by wild beasts and return to nature...
“This job's gonna rake in a nice haul.”
“Hahaha! You got that right.”
The mercenaries chuckled contentedly as they marched on.
Behind them, a beast's howl echoed from somewhere in the distance.
“Asha, look! I see the village.”
“Yeah. We'll be there soon.”
“Tonight we get roofs instead of hard ground. Yay!”
Rina said excitedly.
Her mood was contagious; Asha's lips curved up slightly.
Asha slowed to match Elysia, who was walking a bit behind.
“Elysia. We part ways with them here, right?”
“Mm. Our paths diverge. Why? Grown attached already?”
“Well... Ahaha.”
“Every meeting has its farewell. If it's fate, we'll cross paths again—maybe sharing stew in some nameless inn.”
“True, I guess.”
Asha nodded.
Even brushing cloaks could be fate, after all.
And chance encounters like that had a certain romance to them.
“We'll head out first thing tomorrow. New road means we'll reach our destination quick.”
“Yes!”
Asha replied energetically. Meeting another elf wasn't far off.
The pair walked at the rear of the caravan.
As the cluster of houses drew near, the mercenaries naturally took the lead.
“Next village is the last stop?”
“Yeah, wrapping up this job soon.”
They chatted lightly as they entered the village.
Right then.
Villagers started gathering one by one.
One might expect fear at the sight of rough mercenaries, but there was no wariness.
They even waved welcoming hands!
“Welcome! Glad you made it!”
“You're earlier than expected! What a relief.”
They warmly embraced the outsiders.
'What the...?'
Asha, at the very back, blinked in bewilderment. She'd never seen a village like this.
Glancing at Rina, she saw the same puzzled look.
“Uh... what's going on here?”
“Did we become famous overnight or something?”
Even the mercenaries traded confused glances.
And then.
An elderly man who looked like the village chief hurried over.
“Oh, mercenaries! You've arrived!”
The chief wiped sweat from his brow.
His voice brimmed with relief and joy.
“Didn't expect you so soon—truly a blessing!”
“...?”
What on earth was he talking about?
The merchant group stared at him questioningly.
“Uh...?”
Only then did the chief sense the mood was off.
He glanced behind the mercenaries.
'Oh no... they're not the subjugation team!'
There were loaded wagons. And up front, a familiar merchant face he'd seen before.
The villagers had gotten carried away and missed the obvious.
The chief bellowed.
“You fools! These aren't the mercenaries we hired for the subjugation!”
“Huh, now that you mention it...”
“Mistook 'em 'cause there were so many.”
Murmurs rippled through.
The villagers exchanged awkward looks, coughing and stepping back with sheepish grins.
Then Rina's father, the caravan rep, and the mercenary captain stepped forward.
The chief looked abashed but spoke up again.
“Ah, well... since you're here, could you hear us out? We need to talk trade anyway...”
Rina's father nodded.
“Sure, let's hear it. We'll sort things out inside the village.”
Most of the group headed to the inn, while the reps followed the chief to his house in the center.
“A huge wild boar wrecking the communal forest?”
“Yes! It's so massive, we couldn't hunt it ourselves—were about to hire mercenaries.”
“Hmm...”
Rina's father stroked his chin thoughtfully.
He shook his head slowly, as if mulling it over deeply.
His posture screamed impending refusal.
The chief quickly pivoted to the mercenary captain.
“Y-you've got seven men? Big as it is, half a day should do it.”
“Depends on size and situation, but yeah, probably.”
“Stay one more day, please! We'll pay handsomely.”
“...Sorry, we're on escort duty. Convince them, not me.”
Logan shook his head.
A big boar showing up could mean scarce food or predators driving it from its territory.
Might lead to more monsters.
Too risky to jump in.
Still, Logan was tempted deep down.
'If Asha helps, we could make a killing...'