Chapter 21.2: ๐๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ, ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ญ, ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐ (๐)
This world was one where travel was rare. Most people lived and died in the town or city where they were born. As such, an outsider who came to the town inevitably received a mix of curiosity and caution.
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Suspicious but wanting to hear news from outside!
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In this regard, Goranโs mercenaries were quite convenient. Since Eldans brought them, they were somewhat trustworthy. The townspeople approached the mercenaries, asking where they were from and how things were around these days.
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โBe careful with your actions, okay?โ
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โA day or two as a mercenary. Of course, donโt worry.โ
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Of course, Goranโs mercenaries didnโt act recklessly. In such a large town, careless behavior could cause trouble.
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What if they became friendly and got into a fight while drinking? If they couldnโt handle it well, their lives would be at risk. In a small town, they might escape, but a large town had its own vigilante group and pride. Being caught or chased would be a big problem.
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Therefore, experienced mercenaries were cautious in their actions, especially in towns they werenโt familiar with. If trouble arose, it would likely be blamed on them.
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Of course, there were more thoughtless mercenaries in the world. And Gamson was one of them.
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โWhere did that b*stard Gamson go?โ
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โHe said he was going to drink.โ
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โDamn it. . . Okay, we arenโt his father, canโt watch him all the time.โ
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๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
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โAre you the new mercenary?โ
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โYeah. What, do you have a problem?โ
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โWhoa, calm down. Just curious about what kind of guy the new mercenary is.โ
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๐๐ก๐ฎ๐โ
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A young man from the town sat next to Gamson. Gamson recognized him instantly. Young, energetic, full of complaints and greed. The kind of guy scorned in the town for being immature. Hadnโt Gamson also run away from the town to become a mercenary?
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There was only one thing this guy would be curious about, just like Gamson had been.
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โInterested in mercenary work?โ
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โThought it might be a good distraction.โ
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โYou buy the beer. Then Iโll talk.โ
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Gamson returned the same words a mercenary he had met before had said to him. Pretending not to, but the other guy was excited. He would have accepted an offer to work as a mercenary right away.
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The beer arrived, and they drank it refreshingly. Soon, two became three, and three became four. Rutzbeck was a fairly large town, and there were several hot-blooded guys.
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โSo, I dealt with a troll there, and the village folks were so grateful. The nobles said they would report it. . . even the knight dastards came and admired it. Asking how a mercenary caught it. . .โ
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Gamson bragged with a flushed face. In the mercenary group, he was just a low-ranking member often scolded, but here it was different. With every word he said, the young guys looked at him with admiration.
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Of course, they didnโt believe everything, but what did it matter?
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โSo? What did they say?โ
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โJust get the reward, why bother getting involved with nobility? Itโs damn annoying dealing with them. Do this, do that. . . Being a mercenary is the best! If you have silver, you wonโt envy the nobles.โ
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Although Gamson would bow down at the opportunity to meet with nobility, he was just posturing. However, it seemed others didnโt agree. For everyone, rising in status through the favor of nobility was a dream.
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โBut you could even receive a title, like knighthood.โ
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โWhatโs the use of such titles? Just grab the silver, *sshole.โ
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At Gamsonโs words, the young men were infuriated but held back. They were the ones who wanted to hear more.
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โHey, speaking of which, didnโt you say thereโs a knight in your group? Heard heโs a damn good fighter.โ
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โYeah, I heard too. Did he slaughter them all by himself? Is that what a real knight does? That wandering knight dastard we had last time was pathetic.โ
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โThat guy is also a wandering knight!โ
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โCome on, not all wandering knights are the same. His equipment was different.โ
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โHey. Do you know why that guy is so strong?โ
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โ?โ
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โHave you seen his gear? His longsword is an amazing famous sword.โ
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Like a cow backing into a mouse, Gamson stumbled upon the right answer while belittling Johan. Of course, even if Johanโs longsword was a twig, it wouldnโt have mattered in killing the attackers, but Gamson couldnโt know that.
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โWith that sword, even someone like you could kill two or three mercenaries.โ
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โT-That much?โ
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โItโs nonsense. . .โ
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โThink about it. How could you fight and win against more than ten enemies? Is that a normal weapon?โ
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โArenโt knights trained from a young age for that?โ
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One was doubtful, but the rest seemed intrigued by Gamsonโs words.
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โMan, that sounds like an amazing sword. . .โ
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โ. . .Should we steal it?โ
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โ?!โ
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Gamson was shocked as he gulped down his beer. โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ ๐จ๐ถ๐บ๐ด ๐ต๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต?โ
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Luckily, the other villagers tried to dissuade the one who brought it up.
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โAre you crazy? How would you handle the consequences?โ
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โJust grab it and run. Werenโt you planning to go to the city anyway? You said you didnโt want to rot in this town forever farming. If itโs such a great famous sword, even selling it would give us a good share. Could it be a famous sword from the ancient Empire?โ
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โReally. . .!โ
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Drunk and naive, the youngsters quickly got excited. Gamson was panicked. He wasnโt sure whether to dissuade them or not.
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โGamson, join us!โ
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โM-Mme?โ
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โYou know the mercenary business. We canโt do it without you in the city.โ
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โThereโs a mercenary group here. . .โ
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โWho cares about those lousy guys? Theyโre no help anyway. Leave them! Come with us. Weโre different from those cowards.โ