97 – Midland-12

“If that’s possible, we can help. If Aaron becomes the head of Weather, it will be accepted as a readjustment, not a breach of contract, and the problem we were worried about will be resolved.”

Leone nodded slowly. I was glad that the number worked.

“But what are you going to do?”

“I will write anything I can write.”

As long as the Weather family’s ambitions remain, temporarily weakening their power is not a fundamental solution.

If you owe the strong Weather family now, you can more definitely and fundamentally prevent the war.

“Okay. If you help Aaron enough to make him the head of household, the Swan Mercenaries will fight by your side.”

It’s conditional, but once we got a declaration of support. From now on, it’s just that I successfully complete my work.

“Aaron will be a bit further back. I’ll give you the location. If you name the Swan Mercenaries, you’ll be able to pass easily.”

Having to trust someone you’ve never seen was a huge anxiety factor, but it was still worth a try.

Even if everything fails in the worst case, nothing but my time will be wasted.

“Still, I don’t have much time. If I’m even a little late, I have no choice but to follow my previous promise. The atmosphere is unusual. It’s not strange when the Weather family moves.”

“All right.”

He didn’t seem to want a fight. It was fortunate in misfortune. If I refused my offer here again on the grounds of fighting and pillaging, I might have to resort to more violent means.

“But what do you do after being hired? Even after that, you can’t accept anything dishonorable or too risky. It’s better to check in advance…”

“We’re going to the middle ground. There’s something we need to find there.”

“It must be embarrassing… Well, that’s good enough. I wish you success. I really want to work with you.”

Rather than working with me, who is known as a hero, his eyes were aiming at Eleanor. Even when our eyes met, I felt like a fan who saw a celebrity, frozen in respect.

When we went out the door, other women were waiting for us. Celia came over and spoke.

“Well, how are you?”

“It’s a bit complicated, but not to the point of giving up.”

Time was short and there was much to do. However, the first thing to be dealt with was not the Swan Mercenaries.

“I have to go to the poison scorpion mercenary camp first. I have to finish it.”

/////

“Ah, ma’am! Please give me a cheaper price! Why is barley so expensive?”

Ceres, who went to the market, was carefully selecting the items on the stall. It took a while, so I went out to see what was going on, but it didn’t seem like there was anything wrong with it.

If it was natural, it was natural. I couldn’t see it properly, but the way Ceres used the sword in the battle against the orcs was pretty bloody.

It didn’t look like she was holding a weapon right now, but it wasn’t like she was in the middle of a battlefield, nor was she stuck with a few thugs.

“This is also sold at a loss. I don’t have any goods these days.

There was no way ordinary farmers could get information about the war, but they seemed to know it empirically.

It wouldn’t have been a day or two that this place was a conflict zone, and the elderly would feel the fear of refuge and war.

Mercenaries are roaming around, and the movement of soldiers is frequent. The town’s young men must be included among the Weather family’s estate soldiers, so even if they can’t speak openly, they’ll feel the war in their skin.

“And, what kind of maid is buying barley in a place like this? Why don’t we buy some wheat instead?”

“I’m not buying food for our master. Well, I think there should be enough meat, but I think turnips were growing somewhere in the corner. Hmm…”

Resources are scarce.

Most lands will. Now is not the time to use the abundant resources you have gathered, but the time to restore the land destroyed by the Demon King’s army and rebuild the days of production.

No matter how wealthy and powerful the Weather family was, that afford could not extend to the peasants of these frontiers.

“No, I really can’t give it less than this. I don’t know how much more it will rise, but I can’t use all the grain right now.”

“Uh… I got it.”

Buying grain from these people could create another problem. It’s good when things go well, but if there’s a fight, Weather will try to procure the local crops whether they win or lose.

Since it was allied territory, he would not recklessly commandeer it, but he would not mind stealing grain from farmers if there was no grain to buy with money.

Maintaining the morale of the mercenaries and soldiers who have to fight right now is worth the farmers’ complaints.

“Ceres, you did a good job. Let’s do it like this.”

“Ah, master! Welcome! We’re almost done!”

Ceres, who was examining the grains meticulously, smiled broadly at me.

“There’s no need to buy too much. I won’t be able to take anything that doesn’t fit in the luggage compartment of the wagon anyway.”

Transportation is also a problem. There is a limit to the amount of grain that can be loaded and transported in one wagon with a person riding on it.

There will be no more meaning than quenching one’s hunger.

“Let’s go.”

I want to resolve it peacefully somehow.

It may be because of the experience of fighting the Demon King’s army. From my point of view, all humans were victims.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t met evildoers or despicable and selfish people. However, their plunder and evil deeds were an act of risking their lives.

It is a crime committed with a desperate heart for the sake of a wife and children who will starve to death tomorrow. It wouldn’t be much different from the poisonous scorpion mercenaries.

As they approached the fort, a guard with a familiar face was waiting for them.

“Oh, bro. Are you back again?”

One was someone he knew, and the other was a boy he had never seen. A young mercenary who still had youthful energy stood with a crude spear.

“this person is…”

“He’s my brother! Doesn’t he look smart?”

“Yes.”

After getting off and laughing together, I urged Ceres again. I didn’t have much time.

“Can I go right in?”

“Wait a minute. The captain told me to take permission from the officers when there are visitors… Hey, hurry up and come!”

“All right!”

The young mercenary rushed over. The other mercenary smiled heartily.

“My father and mother passed away, and they are the only family left.

“I hope things go well.”

“Isn’t it? If you make enough money, those who will settle down will settle down, and those who will work as mercenaries will continue and split up. I want to continue to make a living from mercenary work… but that guy is a little different.”

After waiting for a while, the young mercenary returned.

“He said to come in. But…”

The complexion was not good.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, no! You can come inside!”

Seeing her urgently calling me made me even more anxious.

But there was no time to slowly gather information. It is not dangerous to have such a small group of mercenaries decorate a beastly beast, and it is best to walk into a trap and see the situation.

busy He is confused like a person about to fight.

Before I even entered the tent where the captain was, the captain of the Venomous Scorpion Mercenary Corps greeted me viciously holding a long sword.

“I came instead because I was afraid my legs would hurt, but I didn’t pick it up, huh?”

“Welcome? Thank you.”

“Greetings? Greetings are good. Our mercenaries say hello by sticking a knife into the stomach? Will you accept it?”

That huge number of people is a threat in itself. Perhaps because they thought it was advantageous, the poison scorpion mercenaries each took up their weapons and began to surround us.

“There’s something I’d like to ask to avoid misunderstanding. Is there any reason why you’re doing this?”

“We’d like to ask you that, where does a dog that hits the swan mercenary come in!”

The leader of the poisonous scorpion mercenaries exclaimed vigorously. Other executives responded and chimed in.

“Not one or two of our members were beaten because of them!”

“His business gets in the way, and he’s the same mercenary, but his nose is filthy high! After crushing all those bastards…”

Were you not on good terms?

I thought that the scope of activities would not overlap. The Swan Mercenary Corps, which will receive requests from nobles based on reliability, and the Poisonous Scorpion Mercenary Corps, which are likely to receive all miscellaneous requests.

Although he might have a slight inferiority complex, I thought he wouldn’t be openly hostile to him.

“Request? Ha, what kind of request? You must have been thinking of tricking us with gold coins, framing us and handing us over to the guards? Even though we’re just living, we’re not ignorant.”

“How can I clear up the misunderstanding?”

“How can you fool us? Don’t even dream. All you have to do is quietly become a corpse and hand over the remaining women and gold coins.”

I looked around. You have to decide.

There were people who were excited, but there were also people who didn’t shake it off. His eyes are shaking and his hands are weak.

There must be some people who became more violent than necessary due to crowd psychology, so this behavior must have been unusual even for the poisonous scorpion mercenaries.

“Captain, this could be really dangerous. If the Swan Mercenaries even report this to the superiors…”

“Are you scared again? There’s no reason they’d refuse our help!”

So close. I tried my best not to be like this, but in the end I had to make a choice.