128 – Huh??? (4)
“You want to help with the labyrinth business?”
“Yes. I indeed want to assist with the labyrinth business. Isn’t there quite a need for manpower in Lartania’s territory? For instance, a rest area expanded up to the 2nd floor… or the forces required for security personnel.”
“Lartania doesn’t particularly need external assistance.”
Kim Hyunwoo replied to Roten’s statement with a poker face.
At least he knew why Roten, sitting in front of him, was bringing up such a conversation.
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Yes.”
In response to Kim Hyunwoo’s nod, Roten nodded a few times alone, then sat in front of him to continue the discussion.
“Lord, think it over. Do you really not need the strength of our mercenary guild? Despite saying this, we are very capable.”
“In what aspects?”
“Any part can be useful. Especially when it comes to dealing with mercenaries.”
Lorton said with a smile.
“Our Mercenary Guild can do a lot. We can move mercenaries as you wish, my lord, or we can make them lazy.”
“…Don’t you think you’re being too straightforward?”
Kim Hyunwoo chuckled at the blatant threat without any intention to hide, but Lorton continued without erasing his sly smile.
“Just by listening, it feels like I’m threatening you, my lord.”
“It seems so, doesn’t it?”
“Really, I’m just offering constructive suggestions. How could I dare to threaten the lord of Larvania? You have quite the achievements.”
Watching Lorton chuckling, Kim Hyunwoo let out a forced laugh.
“Is that so?”
“Of course.”
“Well… let’s get into it. How much do you want?”
“10%, not more, not less, exactly 10%. How about that?”
“Don’t you think that’s too much?”
“No, of course, I think it’s an excessive amount. But my lord, if you were to make such a contract with us, we would do our best to assist you.”
“What if I refuse?”
To Kim Hyunwoo’s question with a smile, Lorton replied with a smile.
“If you refuse, there will be nothing.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, there will be nothing. Just… managing the mercenaries might become a bit difficult.”
Kim Hyunwoo looked puzzled at Lorton, who seemed to be threatening him.
‘Look at this guy?’
Kim Hyunwoo felt like tearing apart the face that was smiling smugly.
If it were in the past, it might have been impossible, but now, thanks to consistently eating Lani’s food, he had physical abilities similar to at least a 1st level.
Maybe at this moment, smashing his face would be easy, but that was beneath him.
‘What should I do?’
At least from Kim Hyunwoo’s perspective, this was a very troubling issue.
Simply put, if he didn’t want to be swayed by Lorton, he could increase the punishment for the mercenaries.
The mercenaries had already tasted the money they could earn in the labyrinth, so they wouldn’t turn their backs.
However, what Kim Hyunwoo was specifically concerned about was the loss of growth that would occur by significantly increasing the punishment.
Currently, there were tens of thousands of mercenaries in Larvania, and they were still flowing into Larvania at this moment.
Thus, the story goes that mercenaries paying potential taxes are increasing much faster than Yeong Ji-min.
From Kim Hyeon-woo’s perspective, he wanted to avoid a decrease in the influx of mercenaries paying potential taxes.
Therefore, as Kim Hyeon-woo pondered,
“For now, since you must have a lot on your mind today, I will come back tomorrow.”
He watched as Rothen, with a bowed head and a forced smile, left his seat.
“Such a headache…”
As Kim Hyeon-woo made a bewildered expression looking at Rothen,
“Milady, Mila has come to see you.”
####
“I’m truly sorry, milady. It’s all my fault.”
Seeing Kim Hyeon-woo, Mila immediately bowed deeply, and Kim Hyeon-woo spoke,
“…Could you please explain the situation to me?”
“…Well, the truth is, I don’t get along well with the Imperialist Mercenaries Guild.”
Kim Hyeon-woo listened to Mila’s words, who hesitated for a moment before letting out a big sigh.
After some time had passed and Kim Hyeon-woo had heard all of Mila’s words, he remained silent for a moment to organize his thoughts before speaking.
“So, if I understand correctly, the Mercenaries Guild was originally divided into two factions, right?”
“Yes. I belonged to the guild on the Norba side.”
Kim Hyeon-woo briefly summarized the situation based on Mila’s response.
The situation itself wasn’t that difficult to grasp.
In short, the Mercenaries Guild used to be divided into two factions, but a few years ago, the faction Mila belonged to was completely defeated, and the guild on the Imperial side took over all of its territory. Now, even Mila was making efforts to be ousted, as the story went.
“…So, about that man too.”
“…Yes, at first, he deliberately withheld supplies to prevent me from completing the guild, but now that I’ve completed it, he’s trying to take over the position of guild leader.”
“…But even if it’s a guild, can it change hands so easily without a proper reason? There should be some legitimacy.”
“…Within the Imperial Mercenaries Guild, they value reasons, but not for me, because I was originally from a different group of mercenaries. Besides… the leader of the Norba Mercenaries Faction… was our father.”
“Ah…”
Upon hearing that, Kim Hyeon-woo could speculate a bit more about the situation.
Why the Mercenaries Guild was tormenting Mila even more.
On the other hand, why Mila couldn’t easily shake off the Mercenaries Guild.
As Kim Hyeon-woo pondered, he began to think for a moment.
After some time had passed,
＜p class=”a”＞From Noble mtl dot com“I understand.”
“I’m truly sorry. I will take responsibility somehow…”
“No, there’s no need for that.”
“…Really?”
“Mila, please just train the soldiers well. I’ll handle this.”
With a smile, Kim Hyeon-woo looked at Mila and spoke, seeming to recall something, then he touched his chin with a self-assured smile.
At that moment,
Rothen, who had left the Lordship of Lartania, thought with a sly smile,
“Think hard, because even if you do, you won’t come up with a suitable answer.”
He twisted his lips, recalling Kim Hyunwoo’s face, which was both very difficult and annoying.
Unlike the stupid other lords, at least the lord of Larutania seemed to catch his meaning very accurately.
“Well, I suppose he managed to turn Larutania into a useful place again.”
Lorton gazed at Larutania’s streets.
Certainly, Larutania, which he knew had turned into ruins, was now growing into a vast territory. Even the central square seemed comparable to the imperial territories, nodding in agreement, Lorton soon smiled.
Even though he was such a capable lord, he knew he couldn’t refuse his proposal.
“I’ll gladly take it all,” Lorton muttered with a smile as he entered the mercenary guild. And the moment he sat in his soon-to-be office.
“?”
Lorton saw something peculiar.
A glowing mass in front of his eyes.
And just as he expressed his doubt about the mass.
aaah!
The glowing mass instantly grew in size, engulfing Lorton.
The next moment.
“…Huh?”
What Lorton saw was not the mercenary guild office.
“Hello, heretic?”
“…What?”
It was the face of a girl emitting a golden light.