Chapter 686
Chapter 686
The stories Mr. Pimel told while we were walking leisurely were half stories I already knew and half interesting interpretations, so they were easy to listen to.
“Indeed, it’s not like we’re going to be able to fight against the Demon God’s warriors anyway, and even if we fight against them and join forces with the Kingdom Alliance, it’s obvious that we’ll only suffer losses, so it’s highly likely that we’ll just hire mercenaries.”
“That’s right. No one told me this was it! But war is always about money. Most people in the same industry are moving around with a similar scent. It’s also close to the hottest potato, the Inma front, so it’s good for checking the situation.”
“It’s the Inma Front···”
I thought that it was a grand name, and at the same time, I thought that it was time to change the name, so I glanced at Laugh Bell and his group, but there was no response to Mr. Pimel’s words.
“I heard that looting is strictly prohibited, but is it still a situation that makes your ears perk up?”
“That’s a pity for those who specialize in looting, but it’s not a very interesting story for a mercenary group like us who only fight and run away. Rather, since there’s no particular risk of death and the salary is paid regularly, wouldn’t it be better to receive money while recuperating?”
It may just be Mr. Pimel’s opinion, but… if the mercenaries gathered here have that kind of mindset, it’s not just a bad situation, it’s a very good situation.
The Kingdom Alliance will never break my habit.
If you send them to the Eastern Front as a group and make them suffer for months, they will be left with nothing but regrets, and when they return, they will be plundering them without any sense, claiming that it is a reward for themselves. They will probably feel like they have already won when they return to their own country.
On the other hand, the mercenary group is more likely to end cleanly. They have too much of a sense of reality to be able to just stiffen their fists and make a fuss like the allied bastards, so they will be careful on their own.
“That’s a very interesting story.”
“Right? But this is something you can’t handle alone? What do you think? This time, why don’t you try to work together with us for a little while?”
Mr. Pimel, who was interested in a completely different direction but had no way of knowing it, threw out the bait with his eyes shining like a fisherman looking at a fish that is biting.
After coming this far, I was starting to get interested in his interest in me. He’s never shown me fighting before, and yet he’s actively encouraging me to come this far?
“Can I ask you something?”
“Then! Feel free to ask me anything you want.”
“Why are you trying to recruit so actively?”
It’s too far to say that he pretends not to know who I am even though he found out. It could have happened when he first met me, but then we just went our separate ways, and it doesn’t make sense to say that he found out my identity later and is recruiting me like this now. What kind of crazy author would pretend not to know that I’m a warrior and try to lure me into becoming a mercenary? What’s the point of that?
Places that try to recruit someone as if they were a one-of-a-kind talent without clearly knowing the other person’s value are usually divided into two categories:
“You’ve never seen me fight before, so you don’t even know my skills.”
It’s either a fucking cow or a fucking dog.
The idea that an interviewer would recognize a talent that I didn’t even appeal to with his keen eye is something that only comes from a fantasy. To be honest, it’s more likely that the Broken Rose mercenary group he belongs to has a major flaw and needs to urgently supplement its personnel than that Mr. Pimel has such an ability.
“Aha! I wonder if you’re just trying to fill up the numbers by talking nonsense? I guess that makes sense.”
The reason I was able to just smile without showing any embarrassment even though they saw right through my mind was probably because I had met so many people who could read my mind like a ghost.
Fortunately, this time, the poker face worked successfully. Mr. Pimel tilted his head and changed his words after seeing my smile.
“Huh? Isn’t that right? Did you misunderstand something else? Isn’t that smile meaningful?”
“Isn’t the fact that you are curious anyway important?”
“Haha, that’s right. With mercenaries like this, there’s no need to explain how well we’re doing···”
Mr. Pimel, who had an awkward smile on his face at the fact that there was no way to prove the group’s substance, rolled his eyes here and there and finally gave up and shrugged his shoulders as he answered my question.
“It may be hard to believe, but there’s no particular reason. It’s just my feeling. I definitely have a feeling that you’re good at something.”
“···Is that really the answer?”
“Of course, the reason I became convinced of that feeling is long-winded, but what’s the point of talking about it here? I just have a knack for spotting talented people.”
It was an answer I had never heard or seen before, and I couldn’t help but be interested in it. Finally, I couldn’t hold back my curiosity, so I took out a silver coin and handed it to him along with the water bottle. Mr. Pimel, who understood my intention, burst into laughter, cleared his throat, and continued talking.
“Ah, that guy is strong. I have this feeling. He doesn’t hit every single one of them, and I don’t know what specifically makes him strong, but his accuracy is pretty good. That’s the biggest reason I’m still in our mercenary group.”
The fantasy world is vast and there are many people with unique talents, so it was a story that was not unbelievable, but it was not uninteresting. I was once again interested, so I pointed to the Laugh Bell group and asked again.
“Then, can you possibly find the strongest friend among those friends?”
The reason why Laughing Bell can be called Laughing Bell is because he makes me laugh with stupid questions, but also because he is the strongest among them. So if Mr. Pimel can accurately hit Laughing Bell, his ability can be said to have a very high accuracy as he says.
Of course, there are few things more shameless than suddenly asking for something like this, but given the circumstances, it was worth a try.
“Hmm…? What? If I get the feeling, there’s nothing I can’t do, but with my bare mouth?”
Mr. Pimel, who was making a deal while smiling slyly, I knew what he wanted without even looking at him, and since I knew that, I made the offer, so I shook my head while accepting the water bottle he returned to me.
“I can’t join the mercenary corps. But I swear to God that I will give you a great help that is hard to get in Levien.”
“Wow, I’ve never seen anyone bet so much in my life. Do you know anyone among the nobles?”
“Let’s say it’s like that. Would you like to try it?”
“It doesn’t cost any money, so there’s nothing you can’t do. Those guys are all strong, but that girl is a bit stronger.”
The person Mr. Pimel pointed to with his palm as if there was nothing to wait for was Laugh Bell. Everyone in the Laugh Bell group opened their eyes wide in surprise, and even I applauded sincerely.
This guy is real!
“That’s amazing. I think this is the second time in my life that I’ve had such a mysterious ability.”
“Oh, honestly, I thought it was the first time, but it’s the second time? What was the first time?”
“There was one guy who couldn’t be killed by normal means. They said it was because of a curse, but whatever it was, it was still the most mysterious case.”
Did he realize who I was talking about? The Laughing Bell group flinched with a different meaning, but Mr. Pimel, who was distracted by my words, did not catch on to that.
“Have you ever met a rich guy in the world?”
“Well… looking back, given the circumstances at the time, I was worse than Richie. I was lucky.”
He was a guy who made me wonder who would have killed him if it weren’t for me. He was more than just lucky; he was a fucking fate. Looking back, it felt like a very distant past.
“Anyway, I have seen Mr. Pimel’s great ability, so I must keep my promise. It will be more helpful than me joining the mercenary group.”
“I’m really looking forward to this. Since this is fate, how about coming with us for a little while and exchanging greetings?”
“I see. If you’re going to help me anyway, wouldn’t it be better to get to know me?”
“As expected, you are a person who communicates well”
I followed Mr. Pimel, who was leading the way with a big smile on his face, through the crowd, and while he was talking to me, the mercenary group that had gone ahead of me soon appeared.
The flag of the mercenary group, which I hadn’t even seen properly in the last meeting, boasted a design and neatness that could be called old-fashioned. It was common for mercenary groups to wear eye-catching clothes or decorate themselves in order to show off, but that flashy flag was a bit unusual. Except for the flag, the mercenaries were plain and even had a military-like uniformity.
There are certainly those who wear armor with only the mercenary group’s symbol on them or clothes with embroidery, but it’s easy to tell just by looking at them that they’re either family members of the mercenary group or new recruits who haven’t been tested yet. As Mr. Pimel said, they’re a truly renowned mercenary group.
When all of those people found Mr. Pimel, they naturally opened up the way for him. Thanks to that, we learned that this person was more than just a wind catcher in the mercenary group.
“Friends! I, Pimel, have brought new friends again today!”
I was surprised by their appearance, which was so similar that I thought they were the army of some nameless fallen nation, but as Mr. Pimel raised his voice among the ‘real’ broken rose mercenaries who were starting to wear increasingly standardized uniforms, the road split like a miracle of Moses, revealing the flag bearer and the people next to him.
And when the figure, who was wearing a cloak that seemed to announce to everyone, ‘I’m the captain,’ turned his head and raised the visor of his helmet, I was left speechless.
“What kind of talent are you planning to bring in to surprise me this time, Pimel?”
In some ways, it was fortunate that I couldn’t say anything.
The person who was smiling with his fangs exposed was none other than a female half-orc.