Chapter 283 – Mercenary Situation

Just then, Shia and the others turned more thralls into ash. That was now three out of five.

These were originally brilliant warriors, and they had become even stronger after being turned into thralls.

But in spite of having inferior numbers, Shia, Serulis and Grulf continued to take them down, one after another.

After seeing three of them turn into ash, the mercenaries, excluding the leader, finally understood what was happening.

“Very we-”

“Damn you! Kill him now!”

However, the leader shouted angrily and then started to attack me.

He moved rather well. However, he was no Goran. Or even Shia and Serulis.

“Even Nia is a better fighter.”

“What…”

I did not use magic. I grabbed his sword hand and then twisted it so that he fell to the ground.

“If you won’t surrender, then you will be arrested. Though, it is quite troublesome to do.”

“Bastard! Let me go! The rest of you…”

I bound him with magic ropes, but the leader began to shout angrily.

And so I gagged him as well.

And then I turned towards Shia, Serulis and Grulf.

It was just as the last two thralls had turned into ash.

“Good work.”

“Thank you. What should we do about the others?”

Shia said as she looked at the six bound up charmed and the leader.

“While it’s extra work, we’ll lock them up in some room.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

And so I turned to the three mercenaries.

“Will you lend us a hand?”

“Uh, aye.”

“Is there an empty room nearby?”

“Well…”

And so the mercenaries told us.

“We’ll carry them. Shia and Serulis, you guard the surrounding area.”

“Very well.”

“Leave it to us.”

“Grau.”

And then I cast Sleep Cloud on the six charmed and the leader.

“Mmm…ggg…”

While the leader and the charmed tried to resist, they fell asleep in an instant.

“That should do it.”

The seven stopped moving.

One of the mercenaries looked worried.

“Di-did they die?”

“No, they are alive. They are just sleeping. Can’t you see that they are breathing? And their hearts are also beating.”

Upon hearing this, the mercenaries put their hands over the mouths of the prisoners and checked their pulse.

“Indeed, they are alive. But they truly do look dead.”

“That’s how deep a sleep they are in. They will not wake up for some time.”

“For how long?”

One of the mercenaries asked.

Indeed, their breathing was shallow and because they were so still, it might look like they were dead at a glance.

So they became worried.

“Don’t worry. They will wake up tomorrow even if they are left like this.”

And so the three mercenaries helped me carry the seven into another room.

Each of them carried one person, while I carried four.

Obviously, such a thing would be very difficult without magic.

And so I used magic to make them levitate.

“What are you?”

“Just a F-Rank Adventurer.”

I told them the truth, but…

“…I see. So you cannot tell us.”

“It must be top secret then? And we’re just mercenaries. I understand.”

“Aye. We will not pry. That’s the trick to living a long life.”

“Thank you. One does not like to be the object of groundless suspicion.”

And so we entered the room and laid the seven down on the floor.

And then I cast magic over the whole room in order to protect it. After that, I used magic to lock the door and all of the windows from outside intrusion.

“Now, even if the vampires come to kill them, they will find it difficult to get inside.”

I made the defenses so tight that it was safer here than the mansion outside of the embassy.

If they were killed, then we would not be able to acquire information, which would be bad for Eric and Marguerite later on.

After this was done, I turned to the three mercenaries

“Now, we have to talk.”

“Aye, ask anything you want. However, we know nothing about the vampires, alright?”

“I know. So who hired you?”

“There was an opening for embassy security guards, and we applied.”

“Were you originally a party of four?”

“No, we weren’t. We were all drifters who were working solo.”

“All three of you? And the leader?”

“He was already in charge of the guards here at the embassy when we were hired.”

“I see.”

Perhaps this leader was already on the side of the dark ones then.

“What about the ones who turned to ash? Did you first meet them here?”

“We knew all of them from before.”

“Tell me the details.”

Eric’s Mendilibar Kingdom and the neighboring Ringain Kingdom had not had any big wars recently.

Because of this, there was little demand for mercenaries, and so many of them made a living as guards and escorts.

“Though, there are not that many mercenaries to begin with. Most youngsters became Adventurers.”

“Aye, if anything, all the mercenaries are like old friends.”

The people who were mercenaries now were all people who had been working since the time when wars and battles were more common.

Anyone who had other skills would have quit and chosen other work.

And so the people who were still mercenaries were people who were too poor or uneducated to be knights, but disliked gathering herbs and hunting rats.

“And so all of us mercenaries seem to know each other.”

Said the mercenary in a gloomy voice.