Episode 14

The Guando was cut under the mountain road leading up to Erita.

The mountain road was wide enough for both people and wagons to pass through, but it was rough and rough because it was not well-maintained.

When the steep slope was added to it, the breath of those who climbed the mountain had no choice but to breathe naturally.

“Ian-san, don’t you think it’s hard?”

“It’s just enough to go up. Laura-san, if you’re having a hard time, give me your luggage.”

When climbing the beginning of a mountain road.

A small child walking in front of me tripped on a rock and almost fell.

It was clear that he would get hurt if left alone, so I quickly grabbed the child and raised him up.

Laura, the mother of the child, said thank you to me, and after that, the conversation continued and a short walk began.

“No. I’m sorry. How is that?”

“It’s okay, so please come here.”

I took Laura’s luggage and put it on her shoulder.

Laura looked at me blankly with an apologetic but grateful face.

“Alec. Would you like to give your luggage to him too?”

“I’m fine, so don’t worry about it.”

Alec glanced at me, then looked away.

“Alec! Mr. Ian is trying to help you, what kind of habit is that?”

“I’m really fine.”

Laura reprimanded him, and Alec looked at me with an anguished expression.

It was as if he had been scolded because of me.

“He’s real.”

When Laura tried to scold Alec again, I held her back.

“It’s okay, Laura. You say you’ll carry your own luggage, but it’s nice that you’re strong.”

As the conversation between Laura and I got longer, Alec gave off an air of dissatisfaction.

I’m not sure, but I got a vague idea why Alec was dissatisfied.

Laura said that she was a knitter by profession and was going to Erita to get a job at a clothing store.

However, in light of some of the characteristics I discovered, I felt strongly that Laura’s occupation was not a knitter.

Skin with some swelling and pimples.

Whether it’s a smell that is familiar to the body, even a strange scent that can be felt every time the wind blows.

Laura’s features perfectly matched those of the prostitutes seen in Ekiever.

Prostitutes are not persecuted, but it is an obvious fact that they are treated with contempt.

Even Laura would not have wanted to expose her private parts.

Although prostitution is a legally permitted profession, it is not protected by absolute law.

A world where awareness of human rights is rare.

Men looking for prostitutes were unlikely to treat them kindly.

To a child, a mother is everything in the world.

From Alec’s point of view, he’d seen his mother bullied night after night with men, so it was understandable that he felt repulsed by men.

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Thinking that I might be guessing, I asked Laura where she works, saying I would visit the store later.

Then Laura avoided answering with an awkward smile, saying that she hadn’t decided on a place to work yet.

“I’m sorry. I’m a really nice kid, but I think I’ve become sensitive after moving far away. So, Mr. Ian, there’s the older brother you mentioned earlier. He’s from the Blanton Knights School. If you’re in need of seeds, please, my Alec, please. Please introduce yourself.”

Laura’s ultimate purpose in coming to Erita was to earn money and send Alec to samurai academy.

After learning that I had been trained by Richard, Laura’s eyes widened and she asked me several questions.

Then, my eyes and mouth widened when I heard that Richard had graduated from a knight school with a top rank and that he would soon become a knight.

Laura said that Alec had a really good talent for mana and asked him to try it.

At first, I thought it was an exaggeration because Laura cared for Alec, but Alec was really talented.

You’ll have to learn the mana simbeop to know for sure, but in the basic test, he showed perfect talent.

Alec is now 7 years old.

Generally, the age to enter a knight school or samurai academy was 8 years old, an age at which to prepare for training.

Originally, Laura planned to send Alec to samurai academy with the money she had saved up after working for a few more years.

However, Laura knew that the more late the training, the more difficult it was to succeed as a warrior, so she was in a hurry.

If Richard would accept it, he wanted to entrust Alec right now.

It was because entering the ranks of knights was a great opportunity incomparable to samurai academies.

It’s not bad for Richard hyung to have a talented seed.

In addition, since Laura said that she would pay for education with the money she would send to the samurai academy, there was no expense involved in raising seeds and feeding them.

“Yes. But he hasn’t become a knight yet. Anyway, I’ll ask him if he’s willing to raise a seed.”

“Thank you very much. Can I contact the Mercenary Agency?”

“Yes. Please contact them there. It will take me a month to send the letter and receive it again, so please let me know slowly when the place of residence is decided.”

After that, the story continued and we arrived at the top of the mountain before we knew it.

The northern border was created along the Ulva Mountains to the east and the Illinois River to the west.

The northwestern region of the kingdom, blocked by the Illinois River, was safe from the invasion of demons and beasts.

The Illinois River is several kilometers wide.

There was no way for ignorant and uncivilized bastards to cross the wide river.

On the other hand, the northeastern part of the kingdom, where the Ulva Mountains are located, has always been plagued by invasions by demons and monsters that live in or cross over the mountains.

So, since the kingdom expanded its borders 200 years ago, it has built a barrier on top of the Ulva Mountains to prevent external aggression.

The border wall is 15 meters high and 1000 kilometers long, and it took countless sacrifices and efforts to complete it.

The eastern region of the Ulva Mountains, where the snowy mountains lined up endlessly, was an extremely rough area where it was difficult for humans as well as monsters and beasts to operate.

Since there was no need for any special defense, it was enough to build forts and guard posts in the middle of the wall to fight off the occasional monsters.

On the other hand, the Ulva Mountains show a low and gentle slope to the west, but the scale of invasion by monsters and beast species increased rapidly as the altitude decreased, so no matter how much defense was made, it was insufficient.

So, they built fortress cities at certain distances to defend their borders. The plateau where Erita is located is the western end of the Ulva Mountains, and it was the place where monsters and monsters appeared the most in the northern border area.

There was a long line waiting to enter in front of the gate to Erita.

I stood in line with Laura.

After waiting for a while, we paid one silver coin for the toll and were able to enter Erita.

After passing the outer wall of Erita, I saw barracks and barracks filled to the left and right, and soldiers in training.

The distance between the inner and outer walls was only a few tens of meters, and it looked quite different from the outer wall of Ekiever, where many people live.

Soon after passing through the inner wall, a familiar city scenery like Ekiever unfolded before my eyes.

I said as I returned my luggage to Laura.

“It was nice to meet you. Take care.”

“Yes. Thanks to Ian, I came here very happily and comfortably. I’ll treat you, so let’s have a meal together next time. Then take care of yourself. Alec, greet you too.”

Unlike Laura, who was smiling brightly, Alec’s expression remained firm until the moment they broke up.

As Alec narrowed his eyes and stared at me, Laura patted Alec on the back.

Then Alec reluctantly nodded.

I thought being smart was both cute and pitiful, so I tousled Alec’s hair.

“Okay. Listen to Mom. Laura, then let’s go.”

I left Alec, who frowned and tidied up my hair, and headed for the Mercenary Office.

After walking for about 30 minutes, I was able to reach the fortress where the mercenary office was located.

The citadel located in the center of Erita had tall and magnificent walls like the city’s last line of defense.

At the entrance to the citadel, fully armed guards were checking the identity of those entering and leaving.

Most people passed unrestrained, and checks were rare.

As I approached the entrance, a wide-eyed guard stopped me.

“What business are you here for?”

“I’m here to register as a mercenary.”

“Could you show me your ID?”

I handed the pass to the guard.

After examining the pass, the guard nodded a couple of times before opening his mouth.

“The Mercenary Agency is the building to the left as soon as you enter. If you are caught wandering around in an unrelated area, you may be punished, so please be careful.”

In addition to the mercenary office, the fortress also has areas where the lord of Erita, knights, magicians, and priests serving in the military stay.

If you wandered anywhere, you could be in danger as the guards warned you.

“And please note that you can enter immediately if you bring a mercenary plaque the next time you visit.”

“all right.”

I got my pass back and headed straight to the Mercenary Agency.

The inside of the mercenary office was large enough for hundreds of people to enter.

To the left of the entrance was a window where the Mercenary Agency employees were sitting.

To the right, tables and chairs were lined up for several people to rest on, but at first glance, more than a hundred people were sitting.

After looking around briefly, I walked over to the empty window.

“hello.”

“Please wait.”

The woman at the counter held a quill and wrote something on a piece of paper for a while.

“What are you doing?”

As if she had finished her work, the female employee looked up at me.

Soon after, the female employee opened her eyes wide and brushed one side of her hair.

“Oh, hello. What are you here for?”

“Hello. I’m going to take the mercenary review. Here’s the pass.”

Being a mercenary is like volunteering for the army.

Identification was mandatory.

“The screening fee is one silver coin.”

I put the last remaining silver coin on the window.

After receiving the money, the female employee continued talking while pointing behind me.

“You can see the stone pillar behind it. There is a magic stone in the middle of the pillar. If you blow mana into it, the color of the crystal above the pillar will change. I’ll issue it as soon as it’s confirmed.”

Since mercenaries can only support samurai, it was a procedure to check the state and filter out the vassals.

I walked to the stone pillar in the center of the Mercenary Office.

Then, the people sitting at the table started looking at me one by one, and by the time I stood in front of the stone pillar, most of their eyes were focused on me.

Perhaps they are the ones who came out of the Mercenary Corps to recruit new mercenaries.

I already knew how the mercenary review was conducted, but somehow I felt like a monkey in a zoo, so I didn’t feel very good.

The stone pillar was about 2.5 meters high and had a milky white magic stone embedded in the middle.

Magic stones are by-products of monsters and are one of the main sources of income for mercenaries.

The three colors were used to distinguish the grades: upper grade was white, middle grade was gray, and lower grade was black.

I reached into the magic stone and blew mana into it.

Then, the foreign mana that flowed through my hands swirled around my entire body and returned to the magic stone.

At the same time, the stone pillar vibrated weakly and the crystal on top turned black.

At that moment, the attention of the people who were on me was scattered all at once, and I heard the sound of tongue clicking or sighing in disappointment.

At the same time, my gaze moved toward the sounders.

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