Chapter 131: Act 63 – Aike
“After checking, these adventurers have been here for a week. No, more precisely, I should say they are mercenaries,” Antinna replied leisurely.
Brendel looked at her in surprise.
The young lady found a measure of satisfaction in his astonishment. “My lord, are you surprised that a sheltered noble girl can handle such matters?” she asked, turning to him.
“I’m just curious where you learned your negotiation skills. You know this is precisely why highland knights are trained. Indeed, it is impressive to see a sheltered young lady speak so confidently in front of others,” Brendel said as he patted Little Romain on the shoulder to prevent the business lady from getting too lost in the scenery.
Unexpectedly, Romain turned around to comfort him, saying, “Brendel, don’t worry, I won’t get lost.” For a moment, Brendel was left speechless.
He could only stare at Romain with a perplexed expression, wondering what kind of structure her mind could possess to make her thoughts so different from others.
Fortunately, Antinna timely intervened. “Social skills are instinctive for young ladies like us, my lord,” she said humbly, though her words carried a hint of pride that was hard to miss.
Brendel was taken aback and chuckled, “Not every young lady can lower herself to interact with common folk.” He wasn’t wrong; in Erluin, mountain dwellers were considered unsophisticated bumpkins by some who fancied themselves noble—indeed, even lords of mountain descent would struggle to find common ground with the great lords of the Empire’s north.
For instance, in the historical times of the Eleventh Emperor Ancens, two major ministers, Duke Hernans and Duke Longblade, often derided each other in court, which even gave the Emperor Ancens a headache.
“Because I’m different from them; I’m just a poor young lady, my lord.”
Brendel laughed and shook his head.
“These mercenaries arriving in Shubli at this time are undoubtedly here because of the bandits in the forest. It has become a norm for places in Erluin to hire mercenaries to eradicate bandits that affect people’s daily lives in nearby villages and towns,” he continued while walking along the cobbled streets of Shubli, steering the conversation back to the main topic. “In densely populated areas, local security teams or militias usually fund these mercenaries, while in remote areas, a village will pool all its funds to pay for their services.”
Antinna’s eyes widened; she had never encountered such descriptions in her books. “Is that so?”
“Buche was the same in the past, and Romain also put in money,” Romain chimed in, her excitement evident as she peered into the narrow alley, distracted by the intersecting streets, giving her reply without turning back.
“Only in places with garrison troops do they tend to handle local bandits themselves. So it’s understandable for the royal family to place their hopes on their ‘new army’; indeed, the militia represents a new strength for Erluin. It’s just that I wonder if this force will have a chance to grow,” he added.
“Moreover, once grown, it’s only usable for a generation,” Brendel said with a profound expression as he looked up.
Antinna lowered her head, beginning to reconsider certain matters.
At that moment, the three of them suddenly heard a loud shout from behind, “Stop right there!” They turned in surprise, only to find that the shout wasn’t directed at them. They saw a hurried young man cutting through the crowd in a panic, but just a few steps away, he was halted by two men dressed as mercenaries.
The two mercenaries drew their swords, blocking the young man’s path, shouting loudly, “Aike, where do you think you’re going? You little bastard, have you forgotten the rules of our mercenary group?”
The young man froze for a moment, scanning the surroundings in a panic, only to find mercenaries in leather armor surrounding him with drawn swords from all sides. In fact, Brendel happened to be right at the edge of this circle, unnoticed by anyone, and he gladly stepped back a bit, avoiding getting entangled in the inexplicable conflict.
“What do you want, Kaibo?” the young man, Aike, asked, catching his breath as he realized all his escape routes were blocked. He swiftly drew a dagger from his sheath, wiping the sweat from his brow while anxiously inquiring.
“You know what you’ve done,” one mercenary, dressed in a gray cloak, stepped forward, looking at him coldly. “Otherwise, why would you be trying to run today? Have you forgotten the oath you took when you joined the mercenary group? The captain and the others treated you like a brother, so why would you betray us?”
Aike paused, a look of struggle crossing his face. “Kaibo, I didn’t betray you.”
The mercenary named Kaibo scrutinized him for a moment, sighed, and shook his head. “Come back with us, and we’ll naturally believe you.”
But the young man resolutely shook his head. “No, Kaibo, please don’t ask. I’ve said we can’t go to the Barogan forest…” He hesitated, shaking his head once more. “Please trust me this once, believe me, I won’t harm you. Think about it; how could I betray you all—”
“Enough, Aike!” The mercenary showed an expression of deep disappointment, interrupting the young man. “No matter what, you must come back with us, back to the captain. You can explain yourself once we are at the camp. Aike, listen to my advice, the captain raised you, and leaving here means abandoning him and your former companions.” He pointed to himself and then to the others. “Do you see these, they are your comrades; what exactly do you want to do?”
Aike hesitated for a moment but eventually took a step back. “Don’t say anymore, Kaibo. This time I am very clear that I am right, and I won’t go back with you. Moreover, I have to stop you from going to that place. I don’t know how to explain it to you…”
He looked around and realized that the other mercenaries were closing in on him, and couldn’t help but plead, “Kaibo, for the sake of our relationship, let me go. Trust me, I will not make you regret it; I swear.”
“Brendel?” Romain, observing the scene from the side, couldn’t help but whisper a question.
“My lord?” Antinna also turned her head.
Both ladies, in light of this situation, simultaneously turned to the only person they could rely on at that moment: should they evade for now? But Brendel shook his head, watching the young man with a thoughtful expression.
Meanwhile, seeing the young man’s determination, Kaibo realized further words were futile. He took a step back and gestured to his people. The mercenaries immediately launched themselves from all directions, sealing off every escape route for the young man named Aike.
In fact, as soon as the mercenaries made their move, Brendel was taken aback. He quickly realized that these seemingly ordinary mercenaries were no weaklings; several of them possessed skills comparable to Retao, meaning they were at least mid-tier Black Iron strength. While it was common for reputable mercenaries to possess such strength, Brendel was still somewhat surprised to see so many capable mercenaries in a small place like Shubli.
Not only Brendel, but Antinna also noticed this aspect. She had been about to say something but decided to fall silent and observe the unfolding scene closely.
Although she was just a delicate noble lady, she was undoubtedly more informed than rural girls like Romain and Freya.
However, what surprised Brendel even more was the young man.
Surrounded by seven or eight mid-tier Black Iron mercenaries, he remained calm, lowering his center of gravity, then lunged forward, grabbing the sword from one mercenary’s hand—his actions were so fast that even Brendel almost missed them; he only saw a blur of movement and the mercenary being thrown down by a shoulder throw.
Then he leaned left, and another mercenary was instantly sent flying. The direction was just right, heading straight towards where Brendel stood with Romain and Antinna.
Brendel was stunned—such force is usually beyond what ordinary people could withstand; this young man must possess at least Silver-tier strength. Glancing at someone seemingly two or three years younger than him, Brendel couldn’t help but marvel at how, in this chaotic world, prodigies appeared one after another. He recalled the first little one he had seen since arriving in this world—little Phyllis was already extraordinarily gifted. And then there were Brensen, Aissen, Freya, and the Viscount Test, all of whom were exceptionally talented individuals.
In a typical historical context, only a few exceptional talents would appear in a single generation. Yet, here, just from Buché to Bruglas, he had encountered so many; it was hard not to think that the war-ravaged times after Vaunte indeed had some elements of predestined fate.
Of course, his thoughts were one thing; he didn’t slow down his actions. One powerful burst of energy caught the mercenary about to crash into him, and he smoothly supported him—Brendel felt he nearly lost his footing from the force of it all, unable to suppress the thought of such tremendous strength. While this collision might not affect the Black Iron-tier mercenary himself, colliding with any passerby would likely leave them severely injured, if not dead.
Yet he mused that if he still had the Starlight Dagger in hand, the outcome would likely not be the same.
But the young man was truly reckless, he thought.
The mercenary who had been knocked over finally caught his breath and turned to look at Brendel, his expression full of surprise. Perhaps he hadn’t expected a random passerby by the street to possess mid-tier Black Iron strength. After a moment of pause, he seemed to remember he ought to thank him.
“…Thank you, sir.”
Brendel shook his head, interrupting him, his gaze still fixed on the tiny ‘battlefield’ ahead. (To be continued; to know what happens next, please log in for more chapters. Support the author, support legitimate reading!)
