My Villains Episode 274
52. The Ancient Gate (2)
The next day, the three friends went looking for the mercenaries armed in their own way, but the reaction back was cold.
“…what are you guys?”
“The mercenary came because he wanted to join us.”
“joining?”
“yes. Hire us.”
The empty wooden warehouse the village chief had given out to the mercenaries filled up with low, ferocious laughter.
Not only the clever Sheah, but also the ignorant Cavas and the innocent goal were expected, but it seemed that it would not be easy to achieve their will.
“Oh is that so? Hire me?”
Among the mercenaries, a man wearing thick scale armor and carrying a curved sword at his waist burst into laughter and stood up.
Because of his sturdy physique and short hair, he thought it was a man until he opened his mouth, but when he heard the voice and looked again, the mercenary wearing heavy armor was clearly a woman.
“Let’s see…
She moved up to the three friends, flirting. Then, looking down at Kavas and Shea Gol Bay in turn, he let out a laugh.
“Yeah, well, I think everyone will be able to wash the dishes pretty well.”
“…I beg your pardon?” “And this one looks rather cute.”
The woman suddenly reached out and grabbed Golman by the collar and turned to her comrades.
“Is there anyone else who needs a maid other than me? I’ve been looking for you for a while, but I have to give you a job!”
While the mercenaries were giggling, a man with a tough look who was sitting in the corner of the warehouse frowned.
“What are you doing to a hairless kid?”
“I like this kid. Hey, look at how fluffy the down here is.” Saying that, the woman tousled Gollman’s hair with her large hand. Goleman got into trouble and tried to shake off her hand, but instead the woman wrapped her thick forearm around his neck. He struggled with all his might, but the woman did not budge.
“Please let go!”
“Haha did you hear? ‘Let it go’ Landa! Doesn’t this thing have only downy hair on its lower part?”
The mercenaries burst into laughter at her words, and the tough-looking man shook his head and touched the rosary.
As the laughter died down, the man with his hair cut short and a large scar on his mouth spoke.
“The Dervish kids will cry. Please let me go.”
“What is it? I’m sorry.”
The woman called Dervish quenched her appetite and let Golman go. And patted him on the butt.
“Did you hear what Uncle Confair was saying? It’s time to go back to mom. It’s time to breastfeed, huh?”
Another burst of laughter as Goleman’s face flushed red with contempt.
At that moment, Shea, whose face had turned a little pale, gathered up her courage and stepped forward.
“Wait a minute, we came to see the bloody prosecutor.”
As soon as she finished her words, the atmosphere in the wood warehouse calmed down a bit.
“A bloody swordsman?”
The mercenary who was drinking beer leaning against a pillar stood up. He was a man with long, wild hair tied back in a ponytail, and his short eyebrows soared upwards and the space between his eyes was narrow, so even a glance you could guess that he had an impatient personality.
“You foolish bitch.”
“What?”
“Is Nari your friend? How dare you say such an ugly nickname?”
The ponytailed mercenary growled, his face distorted. His momentum was ferocious, as if he was going to run into it at any moment, so Shea took a backward step without even realizing it.
As Cavas, who stood silently to the side, blocked her, the ponytail mercenary glared at him.
“What is this Hobgoblin-like bastard?”
“Sleep-”
Before Cavas could say anything, the ponytail mercenary raised his fist and punched him in the mouth. Wow! Following a cheerful blow, Cavas collapsed on his side with his body as stiff as a piece of wood.
“Ka Cavas!”
“Fritz you crazy bastard!”
“What if I lay my hand on a kid!”
The mercenaries were startled and grabbed the ponytailed mercenary Fritz. The short-haired mercenary called Confearer quickly approached Cavas and checked his breathing.
“…Whoa. I just fainted.”
While the mercenaries let out a sigh of relief, Fritz, who had shaken off his comrades, stared at Shea, then spat on the floor and turned around.
“I’m sorry. He has such a shit personality.”
Confair glanced at Gollman, who was hugging Cavas, and Shea, who had a pale face, and then looked back. He shouted, ‘Bring Donell’s medicine!’ Jang-han, half of his face covered in burns, ran quickly.
“Ah, anyway, I didn’t even know that Pitu was a bad nickname.”
Shea stuttered, and Conwyer nodded.
“Yeah, of course you didn’t know.”
Confair continued as he received a bag of medicine from a large mercenary.
“It’s like a rule between us that we shouldn’t call Nari by that nickname. As it hardened, it caused trouble to strangers.”
“What is that- why are there rules like that?”
“My lord hates that nickname. You are very disgusted.” After saying that, Conwyer sprinkled the powdered medicine on the fallen Kavas’ torn tongue and mouth. It must have been so bitter that Kavas opened his eyes with a gasping sound.
“Uh what is it? Here where”
“Lie down for a while and get up slowly.”
While Goleman and Shea calm down the confused Cavas, the warehouse door suddenly opens and snow blows in. Through the snow, a tall man wearing a fur cloak appeared.
“…this. All in all, now.”
Conveyor, who was examining Cavas’ wounds,
let out a murmur mixed with sighs and quickly got up.
“Are you here, sir?”
The man who slightly raised his hand at the greetings of the mercenaries including Confair was none other than Phoenix.
He took off his cloak, brushed off the snow, and looked around the hall.
“…What is this situation? What about those kids?”
“That’s-”
As Confair roughly explained the whole thing, Phoenix calmly pressed his temple.
“Where is Fritz?”
“Where is it? It bounced.”
“Bounce?”
The chubby mercenary smiled broadly and pointed to the back of the warehouse.
“yes. When they saw my master coming, they ran away through the back door.”
“…이 양아치 같은 새끼.”
Phoenix cursed and sighed deeply. Then, he approached the three friends. The two longswords clinging to his waist twitched.
Goleman and Kavas Shea braced themselves. As a commoner, facing a knight famous for his ferocity was just as frightening.
Contrary to expectations, however, Phoenix scratched his eyebrows and stood in front of the three friends, only making an embarrassed expression.
“Are you okay?”
“…. .yes?”
“I am sorry. Fritz, that bastard has a handicap. Even though I am receiving behavioral correction from my own ‘expert’, this is often the case.”
He pulled out the pouch at his waist and handed two silver coins to Cavas.
“I get treated with this and buy something delicious with my friends.”
“Uh, but-”
When Cavas, who had received a large sum of money, made a puzzled expression, Phoenix tapped him on the shoulder.
“I have nothing to worry about. Anyway, this will be paid from Fritz’s weekly salary.”
The three friends were a little taken aback by the friendly tone that did not go well with the cool impression.
However, even for a while, only Goal stepped forward in place of Cavas, whose lips began to swell, and Shea, whose hands were still shaking.
“Wait a minute, we are here to see Lord Phoenix.”
” me?”
“yes.”
Phoenix stared at the young man with big eyes resembling a gentle cow.
“…do you know me?”
“yes? Yes- no I mean I have heard the story.” “A story?”
“A story about Lord Phoenix.” “…that’s fine.”
Phoenix let out a small sigh and asked.
“So what do you want to see?”
“Uh, I told the other mercenaries first, but we are young and poorly armed, but-” “
I’ll only say the goal.”
It was Shea who stopped Gollman from babbling. She took a short deep breath and looked up at Phoenix.
“Please accept us as subordinates.”
“…suddenly?”
“Not all of a sudden. Of course you don’t know, but the three of us have respected Nari from before. It was our dream to participate in Nari’s adventure, and we got this opportunity.”
Phoenix opened her mouth to say something, but Shea didn’t care and the words poured out.
“Of course, the three of us are absolutely lacking in experience as we are young. But the possibilities are endless.”
“Hey wait-”
“Cavas handles traps well and knows how to shoot a bow. I learned martial arts at the monastery. Goleman is, um, the best in the county of Paulville or Gistol for honesty and integrity. So, making us subordinates is never a loss to the master.”
As Shea’s words continued to flow, Phoenix raised his hand with a tired expression.
“Wait a minute. Why do guys with such a bright future want to become mercenaries?”
“Because there is no other way to get ahead.”
what’?” Shea continued talking with a calm face.
“Golman is the son of a farmer, and he has five older brothers, so he can’t inherit a hoe. Cavas lost his father and brother to trolls, and my mother died a few years ago, and he abandoned me.”
“Um sorry. By the way-”
“We are too young to sit down in a mountain like this. Like Nari, who was a mere mercenary but became a knight through achievements, we also want to succeed.”
Phoenix closed his mouth and scratched his eyebrows.
“How old are you?”
“yes?”
“How old are you guys?”
“Uh—”
Shea rolled her eyes, and Phoy Nix narrowed her brows.
“Tell me honestly. Even if you lie, if you ask the village chief, you will be caught right away.”
“…Seventeen.” “Seventeen? Eighteen years later?”
“No, I’ll be seventeen in a year.”
Phoenix’s gaze turned to Goleman and Cavas.
“me too.”
“…I’m one year younger.”
He looked at the three friends in front of him.
Golman, who had a naive impression, was holding a quilted armor, a self-made original shield, and an old short spear.
Cabas, skinny, was wearing leather clothes, carrying a crude shortbow, and wearing a turban strapped to his thigh.
Shea was armed with a long sword and a buckler, so she was the least likely of the three friends.
Judging from the seclusion of the village and the ages of the three, they were probably prepared with everything they owned.
“…I want to reap it even if I see that earnest attitude, but”
Phoenix shook his head with a deliberately firm expression.
“Still, you are too young. What I need is not children needing ex limb care to do my part.”
“We can do our part.”
“I don’t think so.”
Golman, who had been humiliated the entire time he was here, came out in a fit of rage.
“I really can.”
“There is nothing that cannot be said.”
“Ha, can I prove it?”
“….♦.Proof?”
A different color seeped into Phoenix’s eyes. The mercenaries surrounding him also looked at the goal as if they were having fun.
“good.”
“yes?”
“Prove it once.”
“Are you here?”
“You said you would prove it if you wanted to?”
Phoenix looked back at his subordinates and said, ‘Someone give him a proper weapon.
When Golman was handed the knife, Phoenix shrugged and spread both hands. Goleman fiddled with the handle of the longsword in the scabbard before asking the question again.
“Really now?”
“Really now.”
Despite his firm answer, Gollman hesitated for a long time.
Phoenix was dressed in casual clothes and hadn’t even pulled out a sword, but his large size and unique atmosphere were still overwhelming. A group of mercenaries like beasts of the field also licked the goal with their eyes.
It was a difficult task in itself to draw a sword in the midst of famous knights and ferocious mercenaries.
In the air, where he felt even slightly alive, Golman finally pulled out his longsword from the scabbard.
“……uh?”
The next moment, Phoenix took the sword away from him before he even took a stance. It was a simple and agile action, like snatching a branch from a child.
“You are brave.”
“…uh”
Phoenix grinned and held out the handle of the knife. Gollman didn’t know, but that beautiful smile was made by Phoenix within a week.
“Have you ever studied martial arts?” Golman replied as he put the longsword he had returned to him in a scabbard.
“Uh, I learned a little from my uncle.”
“uncle? What is your uncle doing?”
“It was a candle maker. Although he is dead now.”
“…a candle maker? Grassroots?”
Seeing Phoenix showing interest in Goleman, Shea quickly stepped forward.
“Golman worked as a sheep farmer in Lianwell, a large city. He was famous for his skill.”
“Seventeen or sixteen? You were a father-in-law at that age?”
Phoenix asked as if surprised, and Goleman quickly waved his hand.
“No, it’s not to the extent of being a craftsman. I was just doing chores.”
“……okay?”
Phoenix suddenly burst out laughing. And even ‘chojang. It’s a job with high potential,’ he muttered in an incomprehensible voice.
“good.”
“yes?”
“Seventeen and sixteen are all grown up, right? I have to decide my fate.”
At Phoenix’s words, the three friends widened their eyes.
“If that’s the case, sir.”
“Don’t take it. However, until you have enough skills, you have to play the role of an auxiliary soldier. The weekly wage is a penny of fairy tales.”
Goleman and Kavas Shea looked at each other dumbfounded.
“Are you dissatisfied?”
“no!”
” doesn’t exist!”
After taking a glance at the three friends who sang excitedly, Phoenix looked back at Eson, a chubby mercenary.
“Do you have any helmets left?”
“An iron helmet? There should be one.”
“one?”
“yes. I sold everything badly dented or broken. Instead, there are a couple of chain hoods. Shall I bring it?”
“uh. I can’t see the kids running around with their heads exposed.” As Esson headed for the cart outside the warehouse, the three friends happily held hands.
Phoenix, who had been watching that, looked back at Confair this time.
“Confidence.”
“Yes Nari.”
“Can you roughly hold on to the form until you leave in three days?”
Conveyor twisted his lips, following the large scar on his mouth.
“Of course sir.”
3 years in the regular army, 5 years in the regular army, 6 years in the mercenary, a total of 14 years, the Confair of Jjambab smiled confidently.
Facing that smile, the three children were enveloped in an ominous feeling of unknown meaning.