Evening in Kongd Village was completely different from daytime.
People were intoxicated by alcohol and drugs, and disputes broke out constantly. It was commonplace for one or two people to die over the course of a single night.
To avoid the danger, everyone retreated into their homes, extinguished the lights, and bolted their doors.
As a result, only the light leaking from a handful of shops dimly illuminated the streets.
Perhaps that was why the night had grown cold, unlike the day that had been filled with heat.
WHOOOOSH-
A chilly wind swept the fallen leaves along the street.
-Ah...... What perfect weather for running.
-Ah...... What perfect weather for cracking skulls.
-Why are you copying me, kid?
-I didn’t copy you.
-You did.
-I said it was perfect weather for cracking skulls.
-Your tone was the same.
-That’s your imagination, carrot-brained moron.
Leo frowned as he walked down the street with his robe pulled low over his head.
If left alone, the two looked ready to bicker until they reached their destination.
“What were those bastards doing?”
Leo quietly interrupted to stop their argument.
-They were drinking.
‘Really?’
They should have been guarding the place with the utmost vigilance, yet they were having a drinking party.
‘Then again, they’re mercenaries.’
Leo nodded.
After walking for some time, the northern gate came into view in the distance.
-Where’s the wagon?
At Igrit’s question, the second round of hostilities immediately erupted.
-It’s obviously in the stable. You actually needed to ask that?
-I didn’t ask you, so be quiet, kid.
-Hmph! Carrot-brained moron!
-I wish you were one of those mercenary bastards. Then I could kick you all the way into those mountains.
-I’m glad you’re a horse. You’re our emergency rations.
-Wh-What?! You lunatic! How could you say something so cruel?! Come here! I’ll chew you up like a carrot!
Leo shook his head and joined the conversation.
‘You both sound like savage beasts preparing for a fight.’
-I am one, but that kid...... Tsk.
-What? You carrot-brained moron! Want to fight?
-Shall we? I’ll send you somewhere much farther away than those mountains—to the place where that hissing black bastard was.
-Leo, tell me the next time you run out of food. I’ll serve you a medium-well horse-meat steak cooked with absolutely perfect firepower.
-Hmph!
-Hmph!
As the two finished their exchange and they drew closer to the northern gate, an inn came into view with several mercenaries loitering around it.
‘Is that the place?’
-Yes, that’s right.
‘And the wagon is in the stable?’
-Yes.
When Leo continued walking without hesitation, Minatos asked worriedly.
-Leo, shouldn’t we at least devise a plan first...?
‘A plan? We don’t have one.’
Leo smiled and slowly moved his hand.
Then—
“Hey! Who goes there?”
As he watched the mercenary approaching him, Leo immediately drew Zenix from his back.
This was also intended to conceal his identity completely.
People who practiced Dual-Wielding Swordsmanship were extremely rare.
But he couldn’t use House Valantes Swordsmanship either.
More importantly, Zenix alone was enough to chew through fifty mercenaries.
SHIIING!
Zenix’s keen blade gleamed beneath the moonlight, radiating a chilling air.
“Listen carefully.”
As the mercenaries approached, Leo stopped and spoke.
“I’m taking your wagon. I’m also going to free the Tantra Tribe girl and the other slaves.”
“If you’re going to make such a bold declaration, why don’t you show us your face while you’re at it, brat?”
Leo had pulled his robe over his head and covered his face with a mask.
“No one who’s seen my face has ever survived...... Do you still want to see it?”
Four or five mercenaries burst into hearty laughter at Leo’s words.
The bastard who had demanded to see his face then drew his sword.
“Everyone inside is eating, drinking, and having fun, while I got stuck on night watch. I was already in a filthy mood. You messed with the wrong man tonight, kid.”
-That bastard!
Igrit snickered at the furious Minatos.
-Kid, he wasn’t talking to you. Why are you getting angry?
-Shut up, carrot-brained moron!
‘You’re fighting even here? That’s enough.’
After rebuking them, Leo looked at the mercenary again.
Then—
WHOOOM!
He manifested the most advanced Mana Sword he could currently produce.
The mercenaries immediately fell silent.
But only for a moment.
“......You still sound like a little kid, yet you’ve learned some cheap trick somewhere! You heard his voice, didn’t you? He’s just a brat! Everyone, get him!”
Since Leo’s face was covered and his voice was still young, they apparently didn’t believe the Mana Sword was real.
“Why don’t you come here and find out whether it’s a cheap trick? Stop standing there and flapping your mouth.”
‘I was going to make this easy....’
Leo tightened his grip on his sword.
Just then—
“Wait.”
A tall, handsome man with short brown hair pushed through the mercenaries and stepped forward.
“My name is Abes Chiff. I command these men.”
The atmosphere settled the moment Abes appeared.
“So?”
At Leo’s question, Abes slowly unbuckled the leather belt around his waist and placed it on the ground.
His weapon was secured to it.
“We have no intention of fighting you.”
When he slowly raised both hands, the mercenaries frowned at him.
“Cut the bullshit, Abes!”
The bastard who had been the first to draw his weapon looked ready to cut Abes’s throat on the spot.
“You’re the one spouting bullshit. Does that look like a cheap trick to you? The instant that sword cuts us, we’ll be sent to the afterlife without leaving a trace. I want to live a long life.”
At Abes’s words, the mercenaries began taking the situation somewhat more seriously.
-He seems to be rather well respected.
Leo nodded at Igrit’s muttering.
From the moment Abes appeared, Leo had known he was different from the bastards gathered here.
He looked extremely young, possessed the refined appearance of a nobleman rather than a mercenary, and spoke with a dignified tone.
Most importantly, the way the mercenaries wavered made it clear that they usually held him in considerable esteem.
-How do you know that, Leo?
Leo swallowed his answer to Minatos’s question.
‘Because that’s how all my subordinates used to look at me.’
“Abes! This is still a betrayal of our commander!”
“Betrayal? We’re the ones who were betrayed! Since when did we do filthy work like this?”
The mercenaries clamped their mouths shut at Abes’s words.
“I’m willing to die while protecting lives and property for fair compensation, but I refuse to die a dog’s death like this. You there.”
Leo nodded, and Abes gestured to him.
“Follow me. I’ll show you where the wagon is.”
At Abes’s words, Leo sheathed his sword.
At that moment, all the mercenaries also lowered their weapons to the ground.
Leo followed Abes toward the stable and casually tossed a remark at the mercenaries.
“That was wise.”
***
“Where did you get this?”
After entering the stable and confirming the ‘Dragon Scale’ inside the wagon, Leo questioned Abes.
“It was loaded onto the wagon that accompanied the Tantra Tribe slave when we captured her.”
“Really?”
Ultimately, this had also belonged to the Tantra Tribe, and the mercenary band had taken it by force.
“Yes. Take all of it. It wasn’t ours in the first place.”
At Abes’s answer, Leo connected the wagon to Igrit.
After completing all the preparations, he questioned Abes, who was still waiting behind him.
“Can you trust your subordinates?”
“What do you mean?”
“Could they notify the others while we’re here...?”
“That will not happen. Those bastards are my own men, and they are like family to me. I guarantee it.”
Given that it was still quiet, they clearly hadn’t told anyone.
“You aren’t the overall commander.”
“No. I’m the captain of the Rump Mercenary Band. We only agreed to cooperate with the Zail Mercenary Band for this job. Their overall commander is probably passed out by now.”
Leo continued in a dry voice.
“Where is the Tantra Tribe girl?”
“There are three rooms on the second floor. She should be in the room on the far right.”
“What about the other slaves?”
“There is a wagon fitted with an iron cage outside the northern gate. They’re all imprisoned inside it.”
“All right. Understood. But you....”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Why are you telling me everything? It’s suspicious.”
Abes burst into hearty laughter.
“Isn’t it obvious? We could never defeat you no matter what we did. More importantly, you gave us a chance, didn’t you?”
The corners of Leo’s lips rose at Abes’s words.
He was certainly different from the other mercenaries.
“You spared the lives of my men and me, so that makes you our savior. We should at least repay you this much.”
“You’ll be expelled from the mercenary band.”
“I was planning to quit once this job ended anyway. I may be a filthy bastard who stains his hands with blood, but I’m not the kind who stains his heart with it.”
-He’s rather impressive.
Leo smiled at Minatos’s remark.
‘I agree. I like him.’
“Then...... do you intend to leave the mercenary band now?”
“Yes. I’ll send all my men home, and then I’ll return to my hometown.”
“Where is your hometown?”
“Haha...... You would not know it even if I told you. It’s a rural village in the east. I’m planning to return and learn how to work as a fisherman from my father.”
Leo silently nodded at Abes’s words and turned away.
“Understood. And this....”
Leo took two gold coins from his waist and casually tossed them over.
After catching the coins, Abes’s eyes grew so wide they looked ready to fall out.
“Wh-What is this?”
“Share them with your men. Go home and be good to your parents.”
“Th-Thank you....”
With a bewildered expression, Abes looked back and forth between the gold coins and the departing Leo.
As Leo was about to leave the stable alongside Igrit, who was pulling the wagon, Abes urgently called after him.
“Could I at least ask your name...?”
“If you wish to meet me again...... come to the safest place in the south. Find the strongest person there.”
Abes stared blankly for a moment before his expression turned serious.
“A mercenary may forget a debt of life, but he never forgets a debt of coin.”
-Where does that bastard learn lines like that?
Leo snorted with laughter at Igrit’s remark as it pulled the wagon away.
‘Why? Do you want to learn?’
-Ahem. It isn’t anything like that.
‘Right. You’re best suited to losing your temper and demanding carrots.’
-Hehehe.
-Stop laughing, kid!
-Hmph! Carrot-brained moron!
Listening to the two bicker, Leo was about to open the stable door when he paused and turned to Abes.
“You said your name was Abes?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Do you think you could persuade the bastards inside the inn?”
Abes shook his head gravely.
“No. The fact that they’re all enjoying themselves while my men were forced to stand watch should tell you enough....”
“All right. Take your men and leave this place as quickly as possible.”
***
CREAAAAK-
The old wooden door opened, revealing the interior of the inn.
-How much did they drink?! Ugh! The smell of alcohol!
Minatos frowned and pinched their nose.
Mercenaries were sprawled around like corpses.
Liquor bottles lay scattered everywhere.
The floor was covered in vomit and filth.
Even through the terrible stench, the faint scent of narcotics pricked Leo’s nose.
They had clearly partied with complete abandon.
-Ugh...... This place needs some cleaning. Shall I burn everything to ashes and scatter them on the wind? I think that would clean it up nicely.
Whenever Leo listened to Minatos and then looked at their face, a chill ran down his spine.
How could they say something so cruel while wearing the innocent expression of a child delighted by a piece of candy...?
‘Let’s rescue the slaves first. We can discuss that afterward.’
-Yes! Hehe.
Truthfully, Leo had considered killing Abes too.
After all, he had been a subordinate of the bastards responsible for the act that planted the seeds of House Valantes’s destruction in Leo’s previous life.
But Abes had at least shown a willingness to reform.
He knew enough to be ashamed of what he was doing and seemed capable of guiding his subordinates onto the right path.
‘It would be a waste to kill someone that capable.’
The information Leo had given when Abes asked his name had been vague. Even so, Abes was impressive enough that Leo was willing to accept him as a subordinate if he managed to decipher the clue and find him.
More importantly, when Leo thought of the final war, every capable individual was incredibly precious.
Someone like Abes was especially valuable.
Furthermore, judging by what Abes had said, it seemed he had agreed to cooperate with the mercenary band without knowing that the job involved human trafficking.
These bastards were different.
‘They’ve certainly got some nerve, kidnapping the Priestess....’
When Igrit revealed that the girl they had kidnapped was the Priestess, chills had run across Leo’s entire body.
The Priestess of the Tantra Tribe.
Priestesses fulfilled a role similar to that of the kingdom’s priests, offering prayers to their god.
They also served as the connection between the ‘Forest God’ worshiped by the Tantra Tribe and the tribe itself.
‘No wonder they reduced the village to ruins.’
After learning the girl’s identity, Leo understood a little better why the Tantra Tribe had laid waste to Kongd Village in his previous life.
‘First, let’s head up to the second floor.’
-Yes!
Leo slowly walked toward the stairs leading to the second floor.
Just then—
CREAAAAK- CRACK!
The stair Leo stepped on broke with a loud noise.
At that moment, a mercenary sleeping directly beside the stairs jolted awake and sat up.
His eyes met Leo’s as Leo stared directly at him.
“Who are you?”
“Shh.”
When Leo raised his index finger and held it before the mercenary’s nose, the man slowly nodded.
Leo nodded back and was about to climb the stairs when—
“INTRUDER!”
The mercenary shouted at the top of his lungs.
The mercenaries sprawled across the first floor began rising one by one with their weapons, like skeletons crawling out of their graves.
‘Minatos.’
-Yes?
‘Burn them.’