My alter ego is becoming a big shot - Episode 292
A border area where the Azerion Empire in the center of the Aeon Continent, the Republic of Zephia in the east, and the southern desert region meet..
Despite the barren conditions of the land, where even farming could not be done, there was a very prosperous metropolis that was gaining ground..
free city drakal.
Drakal, which was no more than a city-state because it belonged to no one, was also a buffer zone between the two great powers and a mediation for trade.—.
Above all, it was the headquarters of a mercenary guild with branches throughout the continent..
In fact, in order to become mayor, one had to be chosen by the guild, the head of the city, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was truly a country of mercenaries..
And in that country, the person who was in a position equivalent to that of the Prime Minister... no, the person who 'had', even if only for a short time, was Patrick, the current Secretary-General..
‘It's a pain in the ass.’
Patrick, a man in his late 30s with oiled-back brown hair and neat clothes, was trying hard to keep his facial expression..
He looked more like a civil servant than a mercenary, and gently pressed his hand to the corner of his mouth, which was trembling slightly from stress..
‘How did I get up here... I can't give up like this.’
He was an Irish native.
It was also sent at a particularly late age, and I was called to another world while I was busy working as an elite..
Immediately after falling to this earth, he did his best to survive..
Unfortunately, this was a new level, so the data I researched before sending was useless, and the abilities I had were auxiliary classes that were not suitable for battle, so it was a lot of trouble..
‘Anyway, if I go back to Earth now, I can't live a normal life. Then, you should get as much as you can from here..’
It's been over ten years since he worked his way up the mercenary guild, willing to do all kinds of hard work..
But before I can truly enjoy the fruits of my efforts, I have to step down in vain.?
‘That can't be possible. cancer! I can't do that..’
He gritted his teeth as he remembered his new friend, the big warrior..
He managed to find a sidekick after losing the connection to former mercenary king Kanbul, who had elevated him to his current position..
It was Harley who was active in the death squad as a companion of the hero..
Thanks to my relationship with him, I was able to safely maintain my position as Secretary-General even after a considerable period of time has passed.···.
“Are you listening? Secretary general.”
Apparently, competitors from other factions could not tolerate it..
“Yes, of course. Lord Claven.”
Patrick responded politely to the middle-aged man standing in front of him..
He looked again at the group of people who suddenly burst into his office, where he was busy working, as if they were in a conspiracy..
‘They came here with full intention. Are you planning to finalize it today??’
From guild executives to the heads of large guilds..
Among those dozen people, there were four who had a particularly special presence..
‘There are four powerful figures in the drama... You're crazy. How on earth did they capture this number??’
My saliva went dry at the energy that was implicitly radiating from them..
If he were an ordinary person, he might have fainted just by that, but even he, who can use karma points and unique skills, was not an idiot..
He swallowed the sigh that was about to escape without realizing it and managed his expression again..
“However, as I said last time, Harley is busy being with the Holy Son as a member of the death squad. But you can't ignore that and proceed with work in such a hurry.···.”
Even though he was said to be the secretary-general in charge of the guild's practical affairs, such authority was only established when there was a mercenary king who had real power and could look after the guild's affairs..
Now, they are the very force and face of the guild, and they are no different from superiors, so they always have to be careful about their actions..
“Huh, you think we don't know anything?”
“···yes?”
But even his careful excuses did not last long and were blocked..
When he seemed confused for a moment, a middle-aged woman who was watching the situation from behind, and an archmage who was the representative of a faction mainly made up of mercenary wizards, opened her mouth as if it was no big deal..
“It seems like it's been quite a while since he went off and wandered around the South. What did they say, the fighting king of Calcos??”
“···But in Chalcos, the tribal confederation, it is a kind of honorary position.···.”
Patrick hastily answered those words..
In the first place, it was absurd for a mercenary guild that was supposed to maintain complete neutrality to fall under the control of someone who called himself the 'king' of another country, rather than the king of mercenaries..
Their logic was that since they cannot be called mercenaries when they become the rulers of another country, it is natural that they should be deprived of their qualifications as mercenary kings....
“Let's stop dragging this on and finish it slowly. It's starting to get a bit annoying now. Just pluck the branches off···.”
“talum.”
“···Tsk, even though they said they helped. Then figure it out..”
A large, muscular warrior with a bushy bandit beard who was threatening violently clicked his tongue at the restraint of the middle-aged man standing in front..
He must have been a strong man who reached the extreme, but now he crossed his arms and stepped back as if he would follow the other person's will..
‘Claven···.’
Then, Patrick's gaze turned again to the middle-aged man in front of him..
As a former wandering knight, he is a master-level knight who entered the mercenary world more than twenty years ago, and is an ambitious man who has even rallied representatives of other factions to become the next mercenary king..
“Secretary General, don’t you already know? If you take your time like this, it won't do you any good. If I had really made up my mind, there wouldn't have been any need for this annoying procedure..”
As you said.
He was a powerful candidate who competed on equal footing with the faction of the former mercenary king, Kanble, with not only military power but also outstanding political power..
At that time, he was defeated in legitimacy by Kanbul, who had made a name for himself as a pure mercenary, and ended up losing the race..
‘This is difficult.’
In fact, this kind of pressure has happened often before..
Still, I was able to somehow avoid it by using Harley's name as a shield, but now that the other side had a justification, even that was slowly becoming difficult..
Claven also seemed to be trying to follow the procedure due to the sky-rocketing value of his name, but there was a limit to how much his agent could endure by selling his name when he was not there..
“I'm sure you're not planning on handing this Drakal over to the southern barbarians.?”
“···Could that be possible?.”
“Hmm, then maybe you still believe in that guy called Tuwang??”
When Patrick appeared shaken, Claven pushed him in a strong tone..
He was a strong man in the entire mercenary guild who could be counted on one hand, so he had a lot of confidence, so although he didn't say it out loud, his tone of voice implicitly showed a feeling of belittling the other person..
Of course, I had already heard of the famous great warrior named Harley, and it was true that I felt burdened by that reputation.···.
‘what? A legendary dragon? A giant over 10 meters tall? ···under! nonsense.’
The rumors were exaggerated. He thought they were all lies, as it was nothing new..
It makes me laugh out loud, wondering who on earth would believe such nonsense..
Perhaps such excessive manipulation was involved in the process of Patrick trying to use him as a shield.?
‘I would rather join the death squad. If that were the case, there wouldn't have been a need to go back like this..’
The memory of holding his breath for fear that he would be called in his place right after the death of former mercenary king Canvel had already disappeared from his mind..
Contrary to what I had thought at the time, I was filled with unfounded confidence as the death squad was actually going smoothly..
Even if he had gone, he would have been able to do that much..
That was the main reason why he began to move actively recently and expand his influence within the guild..
It was obvious that if I stayed like this, I would lose my position as the king of mercenaries for nothing..
It was natural that a conflict arose with Secretary General Patrick, who supported Harley..
“···Secretary General, I have something to say to you.···.”
But what a twist of fate.
Things started to go in a different direction than Claven had thought..
a little suddenly.
“Now... in the lobby on the first floor···.”
The secretary, who carefully entered the office, was overwhelmed by the intimidation of the crowd of high-ranking officials, swallowed hard, and barely managed to speak..
“···They say Harley has come..”
***
‘Let's see your face sometime.’
The mercenary king candidate, Claven, walked confidently..
He was now heading to the lobby with Secretary General Patrick as well as other high-ranking guild officials who had stormed into the office..
To meet Harley in person, whom I had only heard about..
‘Of course, no matter how exaggerated the rumors are, he won't be such an easy opponent..’
Perhaps, when it comes to mere force, I may be a little lacking in confidence..
The name value of being a member of a deadly force that worked together with a hero cannot be completely false..
‘However, a mercenary king cannot be said to be just strong in arms..’
Unlike Harley, who only recently began to make a name for himself, he has been a mercenary for over 20 years, and for 10 of those years, he has been active as a strong representative of the mercenary guild..
Those intangible assets were never something that could be ignored..
Plus, he's not alone right now.?
‘It doesn't matter if you give up your rights to others. Once you take the position of mercenary king,···.’
He confidently headed to the lobby with the powerful people who promised to support him..
The moment I arrived there, I noticed an unusual atmosphere floating throughout the space and frowned..
“hmm?”
In fact, the size of the lobby was enormous as it was the headquarters of the mercenary guild, which was practically the ruler of the Drakals..
From numerous counters and desks to various convenience facilities..
The lobby was always crowded with people using it.···.
“······.”
“···greatness.”
There was a strange silence in that space now..
Even though there were no people.
And those who had just arrived at the lobby naturally found out what the cause was..
‘The author is···.’
A man is lying down on a sofa next to a pillar with his hands on the backrest..
At that time, his gaze, which had been relaxed like a well-fed lion, turned to them.—.
‘ah.’
···Just because of that, those who came down here with confidence became stiff like everyone else here..
“oh! It's been a while, Patrick! How have you been? Hahahaha!”
However, as if he didn't care about their reactions, the person in question found Patrick in the middle of the group, smiled coolly, and slowly got up from the sofa..
I profit—
A final sigh escaped from the sofa, which had already sunk in at that action..
Although the weight in tons was reduced as much as possible by moving the energy, an object made based on the normal human weight could not support it..
“Oh, sorry about this! I think the sofa is broken..”
“···Ah, it looks like it was a defective product. It's okay, Harley. I was planning on replacing it soon anyway..”
“Tsk tsk tsk, it's a guild headquarters in name, so don't bring any good stuff there..”
“Hahaha, sorry. We will pay more attention in the future..”
A muscular giant ambles over, clicking his tongue, and Patrick comes to the front and bows to greet him..
But even in that situation, the high-ranking officials, including Claven, could not say anything..
‘big.’
That was the first thought that came to everyone's mind..
The biggest of them all, Bandit Beard, was over 2 meters tall, but he couldn't even compare to that man..
···No, I wasn't just talking about size..
Density as a being.
Their status as living creatures is different..
It even feels like the surrounding space is being weighed down by him, like a rock on a bed..
‘Damn, what the hell is that?!’
Claven barely swallowed his saliva..
I didn't do anything in particular, but my breathing gradually became shorter..
As the distance between me and the creature slowly approached like a well-fed beast, my body began to react uncontrollably..
‘no way.’
It was a little late to notice because it was the first time it had happened, but he was soon able to understand what this reaction meant..
‘···I guess it was like this?’
It's a warning sent by instinct.
It was a desperate scream from a body that recognized that its life was at risk..
Actually, the other person wasn't paying any attention to this and was just laughing and talking with Patrick..
“oh! Who are these friends? The level is pretty good.?”
Just then, the being turned its gaze and looked back to where they were..
And Claven, who made eye contact with that incomprehensible thing, was able to realize it right away..
‘···Die.’
Adversity is impossible.
Are the rumors exaggerated? This is a rumor fabricated by Patrick? The author is not qualified to be a mercenary king.?
It was literally bullshit..
Those things meant nothing in front of that monster..
All the shallow tricks I had prepared were meaningless..
Whether it's concentrating public opinion, uniting factions, or bringing together a number of powerful people,.
What good is that to someone who can tear it all apart right now??
“Ah, they are no different from the executives of our guild. We were having a conversation together to discuss the direction of the guild..”
“iced coffee! That's right! But why are these guys so stiff? I won’t eat you, so relax your shoulders! Kahahahaha!”
Harley bursts into laughter again at Patrick's answer..
Only then did Claven, who was able to properly perceive his surroundings, realize that he was not the only one who had reacted strangely..
For some reason, it has been strangely quiet since a while ago..
Regardless of the drama or anything else, everyone who came with us was sweating coldly with extremely nervous faces..
Seeing that, he quickly decided to take action..
“···This is rude. I've heard of your reputation, Harley. It is an honor to meet you like this. My name is Claven, and I am the leader of the Golden Crow mercenaries..”
Slowly bowing with a polite greeting.
It was a clear expression of surrender..
“Oh! Please take care of me in the future!”
Then Harley, who was laughing brightly as he approached him, lightly tapped him on the back..
···It was definitely a light touch, but Claven smiled awkwardly as he tried to control his stumbling body..
A servile smile driven only by survival instinct.
“Fortunately, I think I will be able to remain friends with you in the future! Hahahaha!”
“ha ha ha···. That's a good thing···.”
And it was the right decision..
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