The bald, burly man with a finely powdered head leaned in close to the signboard, his nose almost touching the paper as he compared each character on the sign one by one with those on the paper. He had lived his entire life illiterate and had circled this alley several times, muttering to himself repeatedly.
Finally, after painstakingly comparing multiple signboards and markers, the illiterate bald man arrived at what he presumed was the appointed place before nightfall. After feeling the mark on the door with his fingertips, he said under his breath, “Here it is,” and stretched his stiff back, causing a crackling sound from his spine.
When the bald man pounded on the door with a large fist, it opened slightly, revealing half of a man’s face peeking out.
“What do you want?”
“I am called Grahd.”
Grahd repeated his name a few times, and the door closed, only to open again moments later.
“Come in. You’re late.”
“Damn, I had a hell of a time finding this place.”
Grahd crumpled the paper in his hand and stuffed it roughly into his pocket before stepping confidently inside.
“Am I the last one?”
“No, you’re not the last. One more person hasn’t arrived yet.”
After walking down a dim corridor, Grahd reached the farthest door in the house, where he felt a subtle energy seeping through and licked his lips with his tongue.
As the door opened, all eyes turned to the large man standing there. There were nine chairs arranged in a circle in the spacious room, three of which were empty.
Grahd cleared his throat loudly and sat down in any empty chair. Including him, there were five men and two women.
Grahd was a master of Reinforcement Magic. He had wielded his massive axe for over ten years, slicing through the heads of monsters, earning him the nickname “Red Axe.”
However, Grahd could tell at a glance that none of the people here were ordinary. He knew they were part of a Demon Subjugation Team, but he never imagined they all possessed mana.
Not long after, the woman presumed to be the last one and the doorkeeper entered the room, filling all nine seats.
After a moment of silence, a woman in luxurious attire spoke up.
“I am Court Mage Sarahan. The reason I have gathered you all here today is to briefly explain our mission before we set out.”
Sarahan scanned the mercenaries.
“The criteria for selecting you were twofold. You graduated from a magic academy and served successfully in the reconnaissance or escort teams or as a mage soldier. And since then, you’ve continued to excel in the mercenary world.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“And some of you have faced demons before. Only two of you.”
While demons occasionally appeared in the east, such experienced mercenaries were extremely rare. If someone had survived a demon subjugation team, they would typically be court mages or noble personal mages rather than mercenaries.
The mercenaries glanced at each other, trying to guess who among them had faced a demon. Grahd had cut off many monster heads, but he had no experience with demons. …If he wasn’t nervous, he’d be lying. The reputation of demons had reached even his ears.
“Before we get to the point, let’s introduce ourselves. It’s good to know your fellow comrades’ names. Let’s go around like this.”
Sarahan rotated her finger clockwise. The woman sitting next to her began her introduction.
“I’m Kira. Gravity magic is my specialty.”
Kira flicked her finger, and a small blue gem appeared on her palm.
“I’m Lorguild. I use Reinforcement Magic and enjoy smashing monster heads with shields.”
The large man who had been guarding the door pointed at the large steel shield at his feet as he spoke.
“I’m Velodin. I’ve devoted my life to offensive and detection magic.”
The thin man closed his eyes and pressed his index finger to his forehead, invoking a detection spell. Once the spell ended, his gaze focused intently on the handsome young man.
…A strange energy he had never felt before had settled in the young man’s body. Even just detecting it made his body shudder at the overwhelming aura.
“Grahd. ‘Red Axe’ is me.”
Grahd pointed at the axe on his back with his thumb and shouted loudly. In this world, if someone mentioned ‘Red Axe,’ almost everyone knew him. His fame was matched only by his pride. He couldn’t avoid any fight.
“My name is Ainon. I use control magic.”
Next to the young man named Ainon was a large bag containing two wooden puppets. They were made of hard wood called “northern ironwood.” He had spent his entire savings to make these two puppets.
“I’m Shellynok. My specialty is offensive magic.”
Shellynok quickly created several mana balls in midair. Her creation speed was incredibly fast.
“I’m Joe. After graduating from the academy, I served as a noble’s personal mage for five years before becoming a wandering mage.”
Graduating from the academy and becoming a noble’s personal mage meant he had top grades, guaranteeing his skills.
Finally, it was the turn of the handsome young man.
“I am Mage Yuric. I came to the east a year ago.”
Grahd’s eyebrows arched slightly. Didn’t the court mage just say they were selecting graduates from the magic academy?
After the introductions, Sarahan pointed at Yuric and said,
“And Mr. Yuric will be the temporary commander of your group.”
Hearing this, Grahd immediately protested. No matter what, he didn’t want to follow the orders of such a young man.
“Even so, this isn’t right. I cannot accept this. I don’t even know who he is or his capabilities! And he doesn’t seem to be an academy graduate either.”
Yuric smiled and agreed with Grahd.
“So how can I earn your trust?”
Yuric was sincere, but to Grahd, it sounded like a challenge.
“We need to prove our strength. The strongest should be the leader. Isn’t that the rule in the mercenary world? What do you think?”
“Do you think everyone else agrees?”
Of course, while everyone was highly skilled in combat magic, none of them could read Yuric’s circuits. Only Court Mage Sarahan and Velodin, who excelled in detection magic, could do that.
Velodin, of course, recognized that Yuric was an incredible monster. Probably, even if they fought a hundred times, Yuric would win.
So he raised his hand, agreeing to Yuric becoming the temporary commander.
“I agree with Yuric being the commander.”
Shellynok, who was taken aback by Yuric’s appearance, also raised her hand in agreement.
“I agree too. He’s handsome.”
However, the rest seemed eager to see Yuric’s strength. Sarahan, the court mage, was willing to follow Yuric’s wishes. She would be active in the court mage corps, and managing the mercenary group temporarily would be Yuric’s responsibility.
Of course, Yuric wasn’t new to this world and understood the mercenaries’ habits quite well.
‘It’s better to be clear about this than to leave it ambiguous.’
If he revealed his identity as a Dragon Knight here, they might accept it, but their doubts would remain.
Therefore, he believed it was right to establish a clear hierarchy and solid command structure, given that they were not dealing with ordinary monsters but a demon that had already defeated a subjugation team.
“Lorguild, is there any spacious area here?”
“There’s a backyard.”
“Then let’s go there.”
Everyone stood up and headed to the backyard.
Though it wasn’t very spacious, it was sufficient.
Yuric took out a mana stone from the bag and used it as the core to create a powerful barrier spell.
“Is anyone here interested in becoming the commander?”
Two people raised their hands: Red Axe Grahd and Lorguild.
Joe, who had experience facing demons and was expected to be the second-strongest, surprisingly remained silent.
“Then who should go first…?”
“I’ll go first.”
Red Axe Grahd confidently stepped forward. He had never lost to other mercenaries before. This time, he was confident he could easily defeat Yuric with a single blow.
“You may use your axe.”
“Then this will be real.”
“It’s fine.”
Yuric kindly smiled as he said this, causing Grahd’s mood to sour. Did he underestimate his strength that much?
Grahd clenched his axe tightly, determined to take full responsibility even if he died.
They gradually built up their momentum.
Suddenly, Grahd felt a chill run down his spine. The gentle aura Yuric had exuded moments ago had suddenly changed.
“Attack.”
But Grahd couldn’t rush in. His instincts warned him against acting recklessly.
Finally, after observing for a while, Grahd circulated his mana fiercely, raising his reinforcement magic to its peak, and charged at Yuric with all his might, swinging his axe like lightning. It happened in the blink of an eye.
It was a powerful attack, but…
Yuric simply lay his index finger horizontally and blocked it. When it hit, a metallic clank echoed.
!
Grahd couldn’t believe his eyes.
An axe that could easily split a monster’s head…
He couldn’t imagine it being stopped by a single finger.
“What is this…?”
Since the attack was blocked, it was now Yuric’s turn to counterattack.
Yuric moved like lightning, punching Grahd twice in quick succession, and simultaneously launched mana bombs from all directions, detonating them.
Grahd quickly retreated and cast a defensive spell, but he couldn’t completely negate the shock.
When he regained his senses and looked ahead, Yuric was gone.
“Hmm!”
Grahd assumed Yuric was behind him and reflexively swung his axe backward. However, Yuric easily ducked and struck his abdomen with his elbow.
“Gah!”
Grahd had no time to cast a defensive spell, leaving him defenseless against Yuric’s attack. His body flew and crashed into the ground.
Grahd got up again, but his startled lungs refused to breathe for a moment.
At that moment, something huge fell from the sky.
It was gravity magic.
Grahd immediately cast a defensive spell, but it was too late.
Ah…
…And the mana hammer struck Grahd’s side. Had he been hit, he likely would have been crushed.
“Your movements are too excessive. They’re unnecessarily large. Against a demon, you wouldn’t stand a chance. Try to reduce your movements and aim for the sides. Use the axe with your right hand and magic with your left. That would be much more effective.”
Yuric approached the gasping Grahd and said this. Grahd clenched his teeth, shouted “Damn it!” and stomped his foot before turning and leaving the backyard.
Everyone stared at Yuric in astonishment as he instantly incapacitated the mighty Red Axe. None of them had imagined he could dominate like this.
“Next, Mr. Lorguild?”
Lorguild hurriedly waved his hand.
“No, I’m done. You be the commander.”
The skill test was essentially over. Everyone unanimously approved Yuric as the temporary commander.
Court Mage Sarahan approached Yuric, as if she had expected this.
“By the way, Yuric is a Dragon Knight who has reappeared after two hundred years.”
Dragon Knight!
Upon hearing this, Lorguild jumped. If he had known Yuric was a Dragon Knight, he would never have dared to challenge him.
“Please, please tell us such things first!”
Yuric kindly smiled and said,
“It’s better to be sure.”
The mercenaries shivered. Could they have made a mistake?
Having confirmed Yuric’s strength, they returned to the room. Grahd was already sitting there with a sullen expression.
When Lorguild told Grahd that the temporary commander was actually a Dragon Knight, Red Axe muttered angrily,
“…I somehow knew he was unusually strong…”
Grahd, despite everything, couldn’t accept that he had lost so easily. A Dragon Knight, Grahd had to admit, was beyond his comprehension.
“To think we would be on the same team as a Dragon Knight. Who would have thought such a day would come.”
The mercenaries, who had only heard rumors about Dragon Knights, felt both amazed and proud to be working alongside one.
Recognized as the temporary commander, Yuric spoke.
“We are the second subjugation team, which you all know. Currently, we have eight mercenaries, four court mages, and four knights, making a total of sixteen people. Many possibilities are open to us. Demons usually move alone, but sometimes in pairs. If we discover that there are two enemies, we will adjust our team dynamically based on the situation. Therefore, I plan to appoint a deputy commander. Mr. Joe, since you have experience with demons, would you be willing to take on the role of deputy commander?”
Yuric chose Joe as the deputy commander, and Joe nodded in agreement.
“Of course, if there’s only one demon, it will be equally dangerous. It means twelve subjugators could be wiped out by a single demon. So we need to prepare thoroughly. I will pay everyone a prepayment today. Please use it wisely for battle preparations. What good will money be if you die?”
Everyone nodded. They had seen too many mercenaries die due to inadequate preparation, their equipment ruined.
“This time, prepare thoroughly. Demons are beyond imagination. This will likely be the most intense battle you’ve ever faced.”
This wasn’t an exaggeration. Honestly, Yuric didn’t expect everyone to survive. Some sacrifices would likely be necessary.
“Our departure is in three days. We have plenty of time to prepare. For now, we’ll use this place as our base. If you need a room, you can stay here.”
“Will the commander stay here too?”
Grahd asked.
“Yes, I’ll stay here too. So if you have any questions, feel free to come to me.”
Red Axe wanted to spar with Yuric again… He was still deeply shocked by their earlier duel.
Court Mage Sarahan saw the mercenaries’ attitude and realized she didn’t need to worry about them anymore. The leadership of Dragon Knight Yuric was impeccable.
“Then let’s distribute the payment.”
Yuric pulled out the money pouch he had brought from the earldom and distributed two gold coins as advance payment to each person. If they successfully completed the demon subjugation, they would receive another eight gold coins. Of course, this was contingent on their survival.
The mercenaries took their gold coins and left one by one. Yuric shouted to the departing mercenaries that they should all meet at the southern gate station at dawn in three days.
Court Mage Sarahan also said, “See you then,” and disappeared into the darkness after flipping up her hood.
A few mercenaries stayed behind to save on lodging costs. Yuric appointed Lorguild as the doorkeeper and went to the alchemy lab he had prepared underground. He needed to make potent potions. This potion might just save a life.
Dragon Knight Yuric also prepared thoroughly for his battle against the demon.
