Novels online

Chapter 381

< intermission (2) >

Dracal, Free City of Outerica.

The large city, located on the border between the Azerion Empire in the center of the Aeon Continent, the Republic of Zephia in the east, and the southern desert region, was bustling with people even today..

Although it was a city built on barren land that could not even be farmed, its geographical location as a transportation hub and the location of the headquarters of a mercenary guild with branches throughout the continent had enough merit to offset such disadvantages..

‘Indeed, is this place Dracal?!’

The group that had just entered the city was also one of those who came here under his influence..

Merchants who came a long way to trade with several wagons and many mercenaries they hired.

‘It's so big. It’s on a different level from the cities I’ve seen so far..’

Among them, Billy, a new mercenary who left the area where he was born and raised for the first time through this trip, was busy looking around the area, admiring the scenery of Dracal, which he had only heard about..

There were no cities near my hometown, and even the fairly large cities I passed through couldn't even be compared to this place..

“Hey Billy! Come to think of it, this is your first time with Dracal.?”

“Huh? yes, yes!”

At that time, one of the mercenaries who had come here with him approached him while he was lost in thought and tapped his shoulder..

Billy, who was particularly large and strong among his peers, was a senior in his class who had a great influence on his entry into this industry..

If it weren't for him telling all kinds of epic stories in the village and creating illusions about the outside world, Billy would still be feeding the cows and plowing the fields..

‘If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been hired for this long-distance commercial trip..’

Of course, due to my limited experience, I signed a contract as an errand boy doing small tasks rather than as a formal mercenary, but isn't that how you start learning everything??

Thanks to him, he was able to expand his horizons into the wider world, so it wasn't a bad thing for him either..

“This guy is completely dumbfounded. Come this way! Now that I'm done with the up-bound escort and I've been paid, I'll take a shot at the place where I kill you.!”

“yes! Thank you, senior.!”

Moreover, perhaps because he felt some sense of responsibility as someone from the same generation, he was able to adapt to the job faster than expected thanks to the fact that he took care of Billy in many ways..

Like now, taking them to famous restaurants in various places and buying them food is the same..

He was a bit pretentious, but he wasn't a bad person..

“If you come to Dracal, you must come here.!”

Ogre's Table, a meat specialty restaurant that I followed along with my senior.’.

As expected, it was a very satisfying meal, just like the rant.···.

After Billy was somewhat full, he was able to leisurely look around, and a group of people came in..

Four men and women occupying one table and devouring meat at an incredible speed..

As he was glancing at them, he could not contain his curiosity and asked his senior a question in a low voice..

“Hey there, senior. But those people···?”

Actually, I was so distracted after arriving in the city that I put it aside, but it was something I wanted to ask from the beginning..

He, a native of the Republic of Zefia, had never seen this before on his way here, and there were people wearing very unique clothes walking around all over Dracal..

“···huh? Ah, southern warriors. If there's an argument, it'll be annoying, so don't look at me for no reason..”

“Southern warriors.?”

Billy glanced at them again with a new look at his senior's insignificant answer..

A uniform that clearly exposes the muscles and tattoos of the upper body of both men and women, and is decorated with the skin and teeth of a magical beast that appears to have been hunted directly..

They looked like the barbarians we had only heard about in stories..

“By the way, just in case, don't say you're a barbarian in front of them..”

The moment Billy, who was annoyed by that, turned his eyes to his senior..

“Ah, the dirty barbarians are making me lose my appetite..”

“Ugh, the smell of a hillbilly.”

“Giggles—the savages crawled all the way out here so they could get something to eat.···.”

puck-! wajangchang—!

“Keck!”

“This bastard!”

“Hey, hit it!”

There was a commotion where the southern warriors were eating..

The corner of the restaurant became a complete mess as four southern warriors and more than ten mercenaries clashed..

“···Because that's how it happens.”

The senior sighed and slowly got up from his seat..

I had barely finished eating and I was thinking of leaving because it would be bothersome if I stayed like this and got caught up in the situation..

“Tsk! Wow, I've been preparing for it for a while and it worked out well. Let's see the end this time!”

“These barbarians are wondering where this is! Go to your country!”

“Damn, where is your country and my country in Dracal??”

“I'll make you poop!”

The reaction to the gang fight, in which more than 15 people were mixed up and harsh swear words were exchanged, was extremely calm..

I just shake my head and walk away as if it happens all the time..

In the first place, this Dracal itself was no different from a 'country of mercenaries', so it was not a day or two that such a conflict broke out..

How scary is it that mercenaries who go beyond simply being rough and turn into thieves in remote places have gathered together in one place?.

It was an everyday event born out of uncontrollable blood, ostentatious pride, and overflowing stamina..

“Let's stop. By the way, they are also big on distribution. If there is a fight inside the store, the losing party will have to pay all compensation..”

Unless it was a one-sided assault, that was the unwritten rule of conflict in Dracal..

‘Along with 'do not use weapons' and 'do not intentionally kill others', it was something that the mercenary guild paid attention to, so it could not be ignored..

Maybe that's why the employees didn't seem to consider the fight a big deal..

On the contrary, some people watch with interest and bet among themselves on who will win..

The restaurant owner also stopped working for a moment and watched closely to see who would pay the cost of replacing the old fixtures..

Squeak—

But before Billy could leave with his senior,.

Suddenly the door of the store opened and another barbarian... no, a southern warrior entered the restaurant..

“ok? what? Why is the atmosphere here like this??”

***

A man with a massive body that is at least a head taller than most people, and with flashy tattoos that overwhelm other southern warriors..

“Ugh, what are you doing in a restaurant, blowing up dust??”

He looked at the gang fight going on with frowning eyes and clicked his tongue in disapproval..

That's all I have to say about fighting.

“Owner! Here's a special grilled assortment for 30 people.!”

He casually threw an order to the restaurant owner who was watching from one side and then trudged towards the fighting arena..

Then, taking advantage of his numerical superiority, he tapped the shoulder of one of the mercenaries who was on the cusp of victory and spoke kindly to him..

“Friends there? It's nice that you guys hang out with each other, but now I have to eat, so stop.···.”

“What are you? ···Huh? This guy is also a barbarian!”

But the response to that kindness was rudeness..

The mercenary, who was in the heat of battle soaring to his head, did not think much and threw a decisive punch at the person who spoke to him..

Powok!

Although it was a bare hand, it had an aura inside, so it was a powerful attack that would instantly break a normal person's bones..

It explodes on my bare abs..

Popping—

Immediately afterwards, a terrible sound came from the attacker's arm..

“···Okay, okay, okay.!”

“what? what!”

“Behind you are barbarians! Rob got hit.!”

“Is it their support??!”

Several of the mercenary's colleagues reacted to the scream and turned around..

Thanks to three times the number of people, there is still plenty of room to spare..

Right now, dealing with one more barbarian who cowardly ambushed me from behind was nothing..

“···That person, no way.”

“yes? Do you know someone who is a senior??”

However, unlike the reactions of the mercenaries involved, those who watched the scene from the beginning from a place away from the battlefield could sense that something was going on in an unusual way..

Because they could clearly see with their own eyes what had crushed the arm of the auror-infused mercenary..

“···Is that possible with just the semi-elasticity of the body? Huh, it's not some kind of giant monster.···.”

The level of the mercenary was not low..

A veteran who was treated as an elite even in large mercenary units and had hunted many monsters was incapacitated by Zepul with a single attack of his own..

“Ouch!”

“Pfft, what is this?!”

“stop! stop!”

And the mercenaries who followed him in to take down their opponents were no exception..

Immediately after attacking someone who was standing still in the excitement of battle, the big guys were rolling around on the floor, clutching the shattered body parts as if they had made a promise..

One of them, who had been using his Aurors with all his might, even suffered internal injuries and coughed up dead blood from his mouth..

As the situation progressed to that point, the attention of those who were fighting fiercely in the front lines had no choice but to turn in that direction..

The rough exchange of attacks became passive, and soon even that entered a lull, with the distance between the two sides dropping by a few steps..

They were wary of each other and glanced sideways to see where the commotion was coming from..

Properly recognizing variables in the battlefield was a matter directly related to survival..

“···Daejeon Temple's engraving?”

“No, no! That is···!”

The first to grasp the situation were southern warriors with the same origin as the variable..

A tattoo so colorful that it is on a different level from the ‘warrior’s engraving’ engraved on their chest..

This was my first time seeing it in person, but I knew what it was before I came here..

“Tuwang's engraving!”

“King of Calcos···?”

The king of the South born after hundreds of years and a leader of the era who brought back into fashion the traditional clothing that was a remnant of the older generation..

Tuwang Harley.

That was the identity of this person who suddenly appeared..

‘Fuck you... X is done. Why now?···.’

And although it was a little late, the leader of the mercenary group recognized the other person as well..

Even if the attire itself was similar to that of other barbarians, the splendid tattoos, majestic physique, and odd eyes were not something that could be dared to be imitated..

There was no word on where he disappeared for a while, so I never thought he would suddenly appear like this..

His pupils were shaking mercilessly and cold sweat was running down his face..

Soon, his gaze turned to his colleagues, who were still unable to properly understand the situation and were just rolling their eyes..

“Uh, what should I do? Attack all at once?”

“···Are you crazy? If you want to die, die alone.”

Naturally, there were no more fights..

***

The noisy fight ended dully with one side giving up..

“Hehe... I'm sorry for interrupting your meal. Well, there was a slight misunderstanding and a little fight arose.···.”

“misunderstanding? Let's fight there first···!”

“Radish, of course! We will take full responsibility and compensate you! Not only the store repair costs, but also their food costs... ah! Of course, I also included the fact that I interrupted Harley's meal, yes..”

The mercenary representative bows almost pleadingly and tries to force a smile, and the southern warriors stand behind Harley with their shoulders wide open and their voices raised confidently..

Harley nodded indifferently at the other person's even desperate attitude..

“okay? Are you really okay? I eat a lot?”

“Ugh—of course! ha ha ha···.”

Of course, I had no intention of refusing the offer..

It was a very merciful judgment considering that he had dared to criticize that 'fighting king Harley', but within him, his evaluation of that group had already reached the level of a buzzing fly..

There's a delicious meal ahead of me, but it's not even worth paying attention to..

Of course, if you continue to bother me until the end, I will just crush you to death, but if you say you will pay tribute and retreat, there is no need for more blood, right??

‘In the past, I would have destroyed everything regardless..’

Harley was the embodiment of endless madness and struggle..

However, after visiting Kang Hwan-gye and learning the “Gwangje Simgyeol (改),” I was able to gain some degree of discernment..

As a bonus, I was able to moderately control the energy that was always released indiscriminately..

‘Now that I think about it, in the past I never would have even thought of attacking you..’

The moment he appeared, he must have forcibly attracted everyone's attention and intimidated them..

Of course, even now, compared to ordinary people, the boiling point is much lower.—.

‘Those guys are young···.’

Harley took a quick glance at the mercenaries who were only looking at her and licked her lips..

Their level was so poor that even that could not be satisfied..

It would be more constructive to think about whether grilled or boiled meat would be better..

“Here is a special grilled assortment.!”

“Oh! The scent is amazing. Next is the special assorted boiled pork.!”

“Deposit!”

Of course, there was only one answer to that concern..

That’s right, eating both..

‘I had no intention of worrying about money from the beginning..’

Above all, didn't he now have a water owner??

Originally, food eaten for free was the most delicious in the world..

“This is an additional 20 servings.···.”

“Well, that's great. 30 servings···.”

“It's annoying to even say that. Just take care of everything you have.!”

The color slowly drained from the faces of the mercenaries who did not rush to Harley and were not carried away..

And after a long time, when their faces turned as pale as corpses.

Dracal's meat specialty store, 'Ogre's Table', had its highest sales ever and all meat was sold out, and the mercenaries, who had run out of funds, were forced to repay the debt with their own hands..

“Well, it's still a bit lacking, but I'll leave it here. Enjoy your meal, friends! Hahahaha!”

“Ah... ah···.”

And the incident became a splendid celebration announcing the king's return by eyewitnesses at the scene, and it spread all over Drakal..