Chapter 68 : Chapter 68
Chapter 68. Holy City Moirai (3)
“Regrettably, Tarania has left Moirai for a while to perform a mission.”
Entering the office, Ronbrando opened the conversation by starting a story about Tarania out of the blue.
“I wanted to ask after her; it’s a pity.”
Ronbrando looked at Blanc with a sly expression.
“Tarania is a child we raised cherishing like a daughter for a long time. Even if a mother’s touch might have been lacking, she grew up receiving plenty of interest and love from fathers instead.”
Blanc looked at Ronbrando with an expression asking why he was telling him that.
“I’m telling you to be clear in your actions. If you don’t want to face the wrath of ‘fathers’ whose daughter was stolen.”
Blanc, noticing what Ronbrando meant by such a story, turned his head as if it wasn’t worth answering.
Then he looked at the greatsword emitting black flames hanging in Ronbrando’s office.
Ronbrando, clearing his throat wondering if he barked up the wrong tree at Blanc’s lukewarm reaction, noticed Blanc’s gaze fixed on the greatsword he used and explained about it.
“It’s a Demon Sword. A guy that devoured several owners.”
“I thought Sir Ronbrando was keeping Evil inside like me.”
“Well, there are various ways to handle Evil.”
It was Ronbrando bragging that he brought out the guy stuck in the warehouse for a long time to hide his identity.
However, although Ronbrando’s explanation might have been light, the fact that he subdued and brought out a cursed Demon Sword simply to test Blanc was a passage letting one know his level.
“Since when did you plan the current matter?”
“Since you informed us you were coming to Moirai. I heard Tarania advised you to qualify as a Demon-breaking Knight?”
Ronbrando looked at Blanc with a genial smile.
“Is the appointment of a Demon-breaking Knight originally done this suddenly?”
“It is.”
Ronbrando sat at the desk in the office and spoke while writing an appointment letter appointing Blanc as a Demon-breaking Knight.
“Things called Evil are much more cunning than humans think.”
Ronbrando blew hot breath onto the official seal that would finish the appointment letter.
“They are so cunning that they make the host they parasitize believe they are being handled perfectly.”
He finished stamping the seal carefully and looked at Blanc.
“Giving the qualification of a Demon-breaking Knight means granting the qualification to handle Evil in the name of Sir Aselheit. In other words, it means no one can say anything even if you use Evil openly.”
Ronbrando handed the freshly made warm appointment letter to Blanc.
“But what if real Evil is mixed among such Demon-breaking Knights? Then it becomes a matter threatening even the existence significance of our Torch Knights. So we have to scrutinize fastidiously enough to feel eccentric.”
Blanc carefully received the appointment letter Ronbrando handed over.
“Did the Butler know this fact too?”
“No.”
“No. Approval for the qualification of a Demon-breaking Knight is decided only by the Grey Knights.”
It meant proceeding without even the second-in-command Butler knowing to maintain thorough security.
It was possible because the organization operation of the Torch Knights was perfectly separated between administrative agents and combat personnel.
“Indeed, it is an excellent security system and verification method. To call together nearly 100 knights to appoint one Demon-breaking Knight.”
Blanc spat out admiration for the Torch Knights purely.
“Ah, originally not that many gather. Hearing Aselheit’s knight was coming, it seems everyone gathered wanting to take a look.”
“Is that so……”
At Ronbrando’s insincere remark, Gaspar gave a troubled smile again, but Blanc laughed as if nothing happened and lifted the teacup.
“I pay respect to the Torch Knights brightening the darkness called warlocks. Apart from bestowing me the title of Demon-breaking Knight, I prepared a small sincerity for the Grey Knights.”
When Blanc signaled Billy with his eyes, Billy handed the gold pouch he cherished in his bosom to Gaspar.
It was money worth about 300 gold.
Gaspar, receiving that money, made a surprised expression and looked at Blanc.
The reason Gaspar was surprised wasn’t because of the amount of gold coins in the pouch.
Because Gaspar knew roughly about Blanc’s financial situation, he knew well that the money he was offering now couldn’t be prepared with ordinary resolution.
“This is……”
Ronbrando noticed Blanc sponsored a quite large amount seeing Gaspar making a surprised expression.
“Of course, we did receive appropriate contributions from Sir Aselheit’s knights, but you are still……”
“I am also Sir Aselheit’s knight. Moreover, it is also a token of gratitude for supporting me with an excellent knight named Tarania.”
At Blanc’s words, Ronbrando sighed deeply and stroked his face with two hands.
“If Tarania heard those words just now, she would have liked it. She was already listing praises about you as soon as she returned here.”
Ronbrando sighed deeply and looked at Blanc.
“You, who would be in desperate need of military funds, splitting money you don’t have to sponsor us doesn’t seem to be a pure meaning somehow.”
Unlike when exchanging jokes smiling earlier, Ronbrando hardened his complexion coldly.
“As you know, the Torch Knights do not intervene in secular affairs. Helping you means breaking our rules we have kept so far.”
Blanc maintained a consistent attitude without minding Ronbrando’s suddenly changed attitude.
“It is a natural statement. Rather, I even feel disappointed that you misunderstood in such a way. Commander.”
At Blanc’s composed attitude, Ronbrando ended up bursting into a hollow laugh inwardly.
‘There must be several snakes inside the young guy.’
Ronbrando knew well with what meaning Blanc handed the sponsorship money to the Torch Knights.
The first thing Blanc did coming to Moirai was gathering mercenaries.
However, how many mercenary corps would enter under Blanc who has to fight holding disadvantageous conditions?
Probably mercenary corps with quite a name would refuse Blanc’s proposal.
He probably handed him the sponsorship money with the intention of seeking cooperation regarding that.
Along with the meaning to look after him well in the future.
“Sorry for misunderstanding that there was no impure intention.”
“No. Rather, trust in the Torch Knights grows more at the Commander’s firm attitude.”
Blanc got up from the seat immediately without lingering as if his business was finished and bid farewell to Ronbrando and Gaspar.
“Since you are busy with official duties, I wonder if I held you too long.”
“Hmm……”
Blanc bowing politely and leaving Ronbrando’s office without any hesitation.
Watching such a Blanc, Gaspar sent a look asking if he was really going to send him back like this.
‘He was a guy worse than Wesler Balthazar!’
Ronbrando spoke urgently to the back of Blanc, opening the office door.
“Stay at the inn you are staying at until lunch tomorrow! Since there are people I will introduce.”
At Ronbrando’s words, Blanc turned his head and smiled.
“I am truly looking forward to what kind of people Sir Ronbrando will introduce.”
With those words as the last, Blanc bowed his head and exited the office.
“I will see him off and return.”
Gaspar followed behind him.
Ronbrando, left alone in the office, took out cigarette paper from the drawer and began to roll it.
“Energy drains out every time I deal with Sir Aselheit’s knights.”
He grumbled and brought his finger to the freshly rolled cigarette to light it.
“Whether it’s an old guy or a young guy.”
Ronbrando’s office began to fill with white cigarette smoke.
***
Hansen was having breakfast in the inn’s lobby with a heavy face.
Simon and Rakshar, feeling his heavy atmosphere, were eating quietly while walking on eggshells.
Only Duven was checking Blanc’s mood and sending whispers quietly to Billy asking if he couldn’t support a bit more development funds.
“You misunderstood my words. Sir Hansen.”
Blanc put down the spoon and looked at Hansen.
“Pardon?”
“I knew. Would successful mercenaries try to stick to me? They are those who can choose employers to contract.”
Blanc smiled brightly and said to Hansen.
“Did you investigate the mercenary corps as I said?”
How their skills or equipment are, if rumors were exaggerated.
Blanc just wanted to know such things through seasoned and experienced Hansen’s eyes.
However, it seemed Hansen interpreted Blanc’s intention deeper.
To implement Blanc’s instruction, Hansen went around various mercenary corps settled in Moirai, and practically returned facing rejection at the door from them.
Because there were no mercenary captains who wanted to fight under the Cadmus family standing in a disadvantageous position as Blanc said.
“Sir Hansen just needs to advise from the side. And also I have already found one mercenary corps personally.”
“You have already found one?”
Blanc wiped his mouth and asked Hansen.
“Have you finished the meal?”
“Yes? Yes……”
“Then let’s move. Since I have to try contacting the mercenary corps I found.”
Hansen was relieved noticing that Blanc already knew the circumstances and had prepared for it to some extent.
So he couldn’t realize.
That Blanc, who rose from the seat, was walking into a corner seat of the lobby, not the entrance of the inn.
Before Hansen noticed something strange, Blanc walked into the table where mercenaries were gathered, pulled out a chair calmly, and sat down.
‘……?’
“Baron?”
Not only the mercenaries sitting at that table but even Hansen following behind were flustered.
However, Blanc scanned the mercenaries sitting at the same table sitting comfortably as if he came to his own home.
At Blanc’s sudden action, both Blanc’s knights and the sitting mercenaries stiffened.
If some mercenary guy took such action, it was an action where he would have nothing to say even if grabbed by the collar immediately, but first, Blanc’s attitude was too natural.
Because the clothes Blanc wore and those attending him were emitting unusual momentum.
‘Ogre Slayer…….’
Moreover, what was visible on the chest of the old knight following behind the black-haired man was the kill mark meaning Ogre Slayer.
Mercenaries, noticing Blanc was an unusual person, nudged each other’s sides giving signals and straightened their posture.
“I am Baron Blanc Cadmus of the Kingdom of Felix.”
“Pardon?”
“I came to contract with you.”
“Pardon……?”
At the contract intention Blanc offered suddenly, mercenaries made sounds of wind escaping.
Blanc pulled out a cat lying on the table and held it in his arms as if he didn’t mind whether mercenaries were flustered or not.
“So you are Kitty.”
Among the dumbfounded mercenaries, only the cat was yawning as if Blanc’s embrace wasn’t bad.
Blanc stopped stroking the cat and looked at the mercenary in front of his eyes still making a dumbfounded expression.
Captain of Brass Helmet Mercenary Corps.
Ulvent.
He was a person who could be called his benefactor in the last life.
The first mercenary corps Blanc entered after escaping from slavery was the Brass Helmet Mercenary Corps.
There, Blanc could establish experience and skill as a mercenary under Ulvent’s support, and only then could he stand straight on his own two feet in the rough field called life.
“So Baron wishes to contract with us now……”
Young Ulvent, who hadn’t gotten gray hair yet, couldn’t hide his fluster and was asking back to Blanc.
“Correct.”
Blanc answered, stroking the cat sitting on his lap.
“I heard the Brass Helmet Mercenary Corps has good skill handling spears. I heard the skill of raising spears high to block the opponent’s charge is excellent?”
As Blanc said, the Brass Helmet Mercenary Corps was a place where those with excellent skill handling spears gathered.
Ulvent, the commander of the Brass Helmet Mercenary Corps, tried to highlight the characteristic the mercenary corps possessed as much as possible by unifying the equipment of mercenaries under him quite boldly.
The attempt Brass Helmet Mercenary Corps made was quite unconventional in the mercenary industry of this period.
However, the problem was that finding an employer became more difficult perhaps thanks to the unconventional attempt.
It was not yet an era that understood him.
“Where did you hear rumors about us……”
“I have my ways.”
Blanc dismissed the mercenary captain’s question with a single word and continued speaking.
“Matching mercenaries’ equipment to have unity like an army is an excellent attempt, but the regrettable point is that since you hold long spears, naturally it is difficult to hold shields. Points to supplement regarding enemies’ arrow barrages or enemies squeezing through spears are visible to the eye.”
He didn’t know where he heard it, but it wasn’t at the level of knowing moderately about them.
“It looks good to solve insufficient defense through thick armor, and I can invest that much. And how about standing shield bearers in the 2nd row to prepare against throwing weapons?”
The Baron in front of his eyes had already finished analyzing them perfectly and was even thrusting countermeasures for weaknesses.
“H-how do you know so well about us……”
“What does that matter? Isn’t the important thing that I need soldiers and you need a battlefield to prove your skills?”
At Blanc’s words hitting the nail on the head, Ulvent was at a loss for words.
Looking at dumbfounded Ulvent’s face, Blanc made up his mind.
‘I must catch him now.’
Brass Helmet Mercenary Corps was a mercenary corps that would become one of the 5 mercenary corps representing Moirai in the last life.
That much, the current Brass Helmet Mercenary Corps was a mercenary corps with excellent potential.
Blanc intended to preempt the Brass Helmet Mercenary Corps, which hadn’t had an opportunity to prove their skills yet, and simultaneously keep them in his embrace in the long term.
“You were the first mercenary corps I contacted in Moirai. That’s how highly I value the Brass Helmet Mercenary Corps.”
Blanc said to Ulvent with a serious tone.
“Is that so.”
Ulvent, coming to his senses, didn’t believe Blanc’s words straight away.
How many employers were there who praised them before work started but found faults here and there to cut the commission fee after it ended?
Thinking Blanc’s remark now was also on the extension of such things, Ulvent passed over without much agitation despite Blanc’s serious tone.
However, that state of mind didn’t last long.
“Ca-Captain.”
Hearing the subordinate’s urgent voice, Ulvent turned his eyes following his head gesture.
‘……!’
There were people opening the inn door and entering.
And they were all people Ulvent knew.
No, they were people one couldn’t help but know if doing mercenary business in Moirai.
“Second Son Mercenary Corps, Black Wild Dog Mercenary Corps, Ironclad Shield Mercenary Corps……”
Captains of mercenary corps within the top five fingers in Moirai were walking toward Blanc.
“I evaluate the mercenary captain sitting in front of me now higher than those walking behind me now.”
Mercenary captains with fierce impressions lined up behind Blanc.
“I want to finish our contract before talking with them; how about it?”
Ulvent swallowed saliva looking at the mercenary captains standing behind Blanc.
“L-let’s do it!”
This crazy Baron definitely came to find them first.