The victor of the duel takes the loser’s members. This was a method Babato had frequently used during the early days of the mercenary corps, and it remained a condition he put forward whenever he saw someone he liked.
“You’ve done some research on me, haven’t you?”
Babato remarked, staring with a peculiar glint in his eyes.
“Of course.”
Killian, in the guise of Agnil, offered a calm smile.
The Annihilation Squad operated two information guilds alone.
And these were not clumsy operations, but places where Night Walker, who had once held the kingdom’s information in the palm of his hand, served as Guild Master.
Although the two Night Walkers, the Guild Masters, were currently absent for recovery, their absence did not imply a loose relationship that would compromise the quality of information.
Thus, Killian had been able to obtain a great deal of information through them.
Why he hated nobles, how he had obtained the title of Mercenary King, and how many he had sacrificed to build his current mercenary corps.
‘I’ve scrutinized the entire life of the man named Babato.’
One of the countless kingdoms absorbed by the Empire.
The Kingdom of Orix, which had existed in the central part of the continent.
Barbarian Orix and Vivian Orix, who were of royal descent from that place.
Though they had now discarded their surname and were called Mercenary King Babato and Vice-commander Bibi, had it not been for the treacherous subjects who handed the country over to the Empire, they would have been a prince and princess running a kingdom, not a mercenary corps.
‘Life is truly unpredictable.’
The prince and princess, who barely managed to survive, trained their mana hearts and became superhumans.
And Babato had a record of brutally killing several nobles who came to commission him.
It was an act that dealt a huge blow to the mercenary corps’ image.
However, Babato did not care; instead, he even crushed the knight orders and mage orders that came seeking revenge for the nobles.
This happened after both Babato and Bibi had ascended to the rank of superhuman.
Since then, the Lion’s Mane Mercenary Corps gained notoriety as a mercenary group capable of crushing knight orders and mage orders, and eventually, they went on a roll, taking on missions of merchant guild or kingdom scale.
The mercenary corps that started with two people had transformed into a large organization commanding thousands.
The prince, who had scraped together money with relentless tenacity, earned the title ‘Mercenary King’ and bought back the land that was once his, becoming an existence that even the nobles who sold out the country feared at the mere mention of his name.
The path they had walked.
The choices they made to walk that path.
Synthesizing all of that, one conclusion was reached.
‘He is a smart man.’
Outwardly, he looks like a boisterous warrior, but inside, he is a tactician who has led numerous battles to victory.
‘Publicly, it is known that the Vice-commander is responsible for strategy.’
It was said that Babato, the commander with a belligerent nature, handled the mercenary corps’ military force, while Bibi, the Vice-commander and Arch Mage, handled the overall operation of the guild.
And they established the mercenary corps’ headquarters in the central part of the continent, on the site of their past kingdom, reigning as nameless kings.
This was something unknown to the public.
Even if one knew their past, they would not divulge it due to the burden of becoming enemies with the Mercenary King.
“A two-man mercenary corps, you say?”
Babato, hiding his origins, asked.
“That is correct.”
Killian, hiding his identity, replied.
“Can you run a mercenary corps alone?”
It meant whether he could operate a mercenary corps even after Hazard was taken away.
“If you lose the bet, come under me.”
“What a coincidence. I was just thinking something similar.”
Killian grinned.
“Whether you have the confidence to run a mercenary corps without a Vice-commander.”
“Pft.”
At the unexpected remark, Babato’s body shook.
“Puhahahaha.”
Eventually, he threw his head back and burst into laughter.
Until now, the only ones who had shown this level of confidence while facing him were 8-stars, regardless of whether they were knights or mages.
Even they would not dare to speak so recklessly about the possibility of antagonizing a mercenary corps of thousands.
Yet, a mercenary hired by the Eurasia Kingdom was showing such guts against him, who was called a king in the industry.
It was one of two things.
Either his employer, Eurasia’s backing, was stronger than expected, or the hired man named Agnil was confident in his own skills.
‘I hope it’s the latter.’
A talent found after a long time, reminding him of the old days of himself and Bibi.
His nostrils flared at the thought of making him his own man by any means necessary.
Heat rose from his body again as the mana heart, which had been detoxifying the poisonous liquor, flowed mana throughout his blood vessels.
Agnil and Hazard of the Black Dragon Mercenary Corps.
If he could bring them under his wing, the Lion’s Mane Mercenary Corps would be able to leap one step further.
‘Kuh-huh. Calm down, Babato.’
Suppressing his rising excitement, he opened his mouth.
“There’s no need to waste any more time with useless talk.”
“…….”
“Follow me. I have a suitable place for a bet.”
“I like that it’s quick.”
Killian stood up and followed quietly.
“Ahem. Ahem.”
Hazard followed behind, snorting.
***
There was a dome-shaped training ground located not far from the reception room at the mercenary corps’ headquarters.
“The Colosseum. A place built with a huge sum of money.”
He spoke as if boasting about the small kingdom he had built, saying that the entire village where the mercenary corps was located had ties to the Lion’s Mane Mercenary Corps.
“Seeing you’re not surprised, it seems you already knew.”
“Well.”
Giving a vague answer, Killian entered the Colosseum.
Clang. Clang.
The sound of swords clashing rang out.
Hundreds of mercenaries were training there, crossing swords.
Killian showed interest as he confirmed the mana imbued in their swords.
Mercenaries ranging from 1-star to 3-star levels. There were also about a dozen mages mixed in.
‘Quite a sight.’
It was on a massive scale for a mercenary training session, and their individual skills were not to be taken lightly either.
He looked down at the floor he stood on.
A faint lingering scent of mana could be felt.
‘Is the ground a mixture of stone and sand reinforced with magic?’
Not only the floor of the Colosseum but also the walls were engraved with intricate magic patterns.
It seemed intended to absorb or control excessive mana discharge.
It felt like an excessive investment for a mercenary training ground.
‘Worth boasting about.’
He couldn’t even imagine how much money had been poured into creating a training ground of this caliber.
Even the Sepia Merchant Guild, which had grown in scale as Eurasia took the form of a kingdom, would not be able to handle this.
“Kuh-huh. You look surprised. Well, anyone who sees this place would think similarly.”
“…….”
“People often dismiss mercenaries as a profession chosen by those who failed to become knights just to make a living by the sword.”
It wasn’t a wrong statement.
“But my thoughts are different.”
Babato continued, his eyes proudly taking in what he had built.
“Mercenaries can also reach the level of knights depending on how they do it. It is also possible to become a mercenary corps that surpasses knight orders. Besides, there is no need to be held back by clumsy chivalry.”
Babato’s eyes, meeting Killian’s, were burning.
“Mercenaries are indispensable existences in the world of humans.”
Whether to subjugate monsters or to wage war.
Mercenaries are those who get paid to do the things others shun.
Unlike knights who value honor, mercenaries are those who would even take a human life for a few coins.
The man in front of him was the king of such people.
“I intend to build a kingdom solely for mercenaries.”
He was someone who intended to become a king in reality, beyond a king in name only.
“Buying up the land in the area is proceeding smoothly. There are few nobles left who oppose it now.”
He looked at Killian with a firm gaze.
“Agnil. I like you.”
“…….”
“Why don’t you create a new world with me?”
“…….”
Leaving aside his level, he was someone who knew how to make a man’s heart race.
Hearing such words even before the duel made it hard to fully focus.
‘The opponents he faced until now must have been like that.’
From what he gathered, there were four superhumans in the Lion’s Mane Mercenary Corps, including Babato.
The main unit led by Babato and Bibi carried out large-scale missions with 1,000 personnel, and the other two superhumans each operated 500 mercenaries to carry out independent missions.
The rest seemed to be dispatched across the continent with missions assigned according to the situation.
If the Holy Nation collected money by selling gods, the mercenary corps was raking in money by shedding blood.
The money earned that way was said to be used for the welfare of the mercenaries and the country to be founded in the future.
The sense of belonging and loyalty of those in the Lion’s Mane Mercenary Corps could not help but be high.
“I heard your future plans well. Eurasia’s employer said that a knight speaks with his sword.”
“We are not knights.”
“What difference does it make being a mercenary?”
“I like your guts.”
Rumble.
The movement of the training mercenaries stopped at the aura Babato exuded.
“Why is the Commander here at this time……?”
“Is it a new recruit?”
“No, judging by the atmosphere, it looks like he made another bet.”
“It’s been a while since we received a recruit like this.”
“Judging by the Commander’s expression, doesn’t he look like at least a 5-star mana heart user?”
“No. That’s the face he makes when he discovers a 6-star.”
As if the current situation was quite familiar, the atmosphere quickly became noisy.
As the mercenaries parted left and right, the center of the Colosseum was cleared.
One of the mercenaries approached and placed a sword and a battle-ax in Babato’s hands.
“The rules?”
“Let’s do it war style.”
A duel just like actual combat, but victory goes to the one whose opponent begs for their life. However, whether to grant mercy was to be decided by the victor.
Killian agreed by nodding his head.
“Ahem. Ahem.”
“Hazard. You step back too.”
“Hem. Hem.”
The giant figure clad in iron armor squeezed through the watching mercenaries. The mercenaries flustered and made way for the massive bulk.
“Shall we begin?”
“Hasn’t it already begun?”
“The battlefield is a place where you use your head as much as your sword. Useless bluffing is paid for with your life.”
“Do your best to survive. A mistake will mean death.”
The one using Babato’s name and the one using Agnil’s name let out a laugh.
Shhh.
Babato, holding different weapons in each hand, bent his knees and leaned his upper body forward.
“All I desire is gold, and the world shall be overturned by gold.”
The moment he recited a sentence like a mage’s chant.
“Carpe Illusion.”
Golden mana wrapped around Babato’s body.
The wrapping mana spread throughout the Colosseum, synchronizing with the mana of the mercenaries standing on the ground.
In an instant, his level leaped beyond 7-star.
“Golden Warrior.”
Grin.
Raising the corners of his mouth, Babato took a step forward.
Thud.
He merely lifted and set down his foot, but the ground shook.
Roll, roll.
Gold coins, appearing from who knows where, rolled on the ground.
What started as a few gold coins.
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
Suddenly became hundreds, thousands, pouring down from all over the space.
At the center stood the warrior emitting golden mana.
“Gold is indeed the best.”
‘A warrior crazy about money.’
He thought he had simply strengthened his body, but that wasn’t it.
Thump.
As he stomped his foot, the gold coins that had multiplied into tens of thousands surged in like a tsunami.
Facing them.
“Carpe.”
Crunch.
Killian slammed the greatsword he had drawn into the ground.
And.
Thinking of a close friend who was called another Mercenary King hundreds of years ago.
“Carpe Illusion.”
He manifested his mind image.
Chapter 226: Chapter 226
10 min read