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They called each other in hushed voices, shared their opinions, and then drew their swords and raised their shields as they moved forward.

Those who had been noisily enjoying their meal gradually fell silent and reached for their discarded helmets, watching attentively.

Ian hoped it wasn’t going to be a troublesome matter, so he put down what he was eating and moved to a different spot.

As the light drew nearer, figures began to emerge from the darkness.

There were a total of eighteen people.

“Mercenaries,” Ian noted.

From their attire, their identity was clear, and seeing the leather and other supplies packed on their backs confirmed it.

The mercenaries were startled to see the knights gathered but did not retreat.

Soon, a representative from the group approached with a torch, looking anxious under the scrutinizing gazes.

‘…Hmm.’

Ian sensed something was off.

It was not unusual to encounter mercenaries in this area; there were many monsters near the defense lines, making such encounters quite common.

To earn money, one must take risks.

However, these mercenaries seemed too relaxed for having come through the darkness. It was unusual for them to appear so nonchalant.

“Ah, good evening, gentlemen.”

The man, with a scarred and rugged face, forced a friendly smile.

“I apologize for disturbing you at night. You may have heard of us. I am Rupmeron, leader of the Level 3 mercenary group called ‘Morning Sun.’”

He briefly showed a mercenary badge that seemed to have been prepared in advance, but the inscription on it was barely visible in the dim light.

“So, what brings you here?”

Taken aback by the curt response, he flinched but continued in as smooth a voice as he could muster.

“Before that, let me explain our situation. Our mercenary group has been using the ‘Thunderstruck Village’ nearby as our base for hunting. You might not know, but there are quite a few beasts and monsters in this area that are worth a decent amount of money without much effort.”

“……”

“But lately, the hunting has been unusually good. As a result, we got greedy. We ventured deep into the forest chasing our prey, and unfortunately, we lost our way. We tried to return the way we came, but it got dark. After wandering for two days, we finally saw a light in the distance.”

“So you came here?”

“Yes, that’s right. We didn’t mean to disturb you. We promise not to interfere and to leave quietly. If it’s alright with you, could we stay nearby for the night?”

“…Alright, do that.”

Ian readily agreed.

“Thank you! Then, I’ll take my leave!”

Rupmeron hurried back to his group.

The Red Spear Knights resumed their meal, and Ian sat back down. Just as he was about to pick up the meat he had set aside,

“Master, I have a bad feeling about this.”

Mael spoke up immediately, and Mari followed up without hesitation.

“Right. Thunderstruck Village isn’t around here. It’s quite a distance to the north, isn’t it? It would have taken several days to get here from there. And considering they’ve been wandering the forest, their gear is too pristine. Their faces are clean as if they had just washed with hot water this morning. More importantly, did you see the mercenaries just now? They showed no signs of relief.”

“So, you accepted them?”

Mari looked puzzled.

“I also thought it was suspicious, just as you both did. But if I were to turn them away, I’d be worried about what they might do from behind.”

“Then it’s better to keep an eye on them rather than just sending them away?”

“Yes. If we’ve made a mistake, it’s good to be cautious. It might be a bit tiring, but we’re leaving at dawn anyway, so it should be fine.”

Mari nodded with a reluctant expression.

Ian let out a small smile.

‘Quite cautious for someone their age.’

After all, they must have had their share of experiences during their time as recruits. They’ve learned from their seniors.

It’s unlikely they spent all their time in the training camp just building physical strength, honing martial skills, and learning etiquette.

But unlike the other knights, who have decent skills but might not have experienced much of the harshness of life, these two seem to have a keener sense of caution.

Ian glanced at the knights. The sharpness they had when observing the approaching light was now gone.

They continued eating, laughing, and chatting. The two Red Spear Knights on guard duty occasionally glanced at the mercenaries but seemed indifferent.

‘Or is this normal?’

One needs to experience a few betrayals to become this cautious.

Mael and Mari are just exceptions. As the saying goes, a promising tree differs from the seedling; they clearly stand out from others.

‘Speaking of which, what was Verdant thinking?’

Assigning a monster eradication mission to such young recruits. Honestly, it would have been reasonable to include at least one experienced person. It’s surprising that only this team was sent.

‘Did he trust me that much?’

Or did he not worry at all?

Ian observed the mercenaries, who were keeping their distance and setting up their camp.

They roughly arranged their area, built a small campfire, and sat down. Yet, they were neither chatting loudly nor preparing for sleep or meals.

They only quietly exchanged words with the person next to them.

After wandering for two days, they should have shown signs of relief and disarray. Yet, none of them did. It was truly an odd sight.

As Ian continued to watch with suspicion, one of them stood up—it was Rupmeron, the leader he had introduced.

He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out something wrapped in cloth, though it was still a bit distant, revealing it to be a glass bottle. He approached with it.

“Excuse me.”

“What’s the matter?”

A Red Spear Knight on guard duty blocked his way and asked. Rupmeron bowed and showed the bottle.

“I wanted to thank you for allowing us to rest here. This is some alcohol I had saved for myself, and I’d like you to accept it. It’s not much, but I’m sure everyone can have a sip.”

He handed over the bottle and then went back to his group. The Red Spear Knight took the bottle, looked uncomfortable, and eventually brought it to Ian.

“…Hmm.”

Removing the cloth wrapping from the bottle, Ian checked the label and found it wasn’t very expensive.

However, it was a cheap but potent drink favored by mercenaries and the poor for its quantity and strength.

Ian had memories of drinking it himself when he was short on money.

‘But why does it look like it’s been opened?’

Although it looked natural, Ian’s keen eyes could not be deceived.

When he opened the cap, there was a distinctive feeling indicating it had been opened before. He sniffed it but only detected the usual aroma.

Ian took a cautious sip.

The intense flavor that burst in his mouth made him instinctively close his eyes, but there was a faint, stinging sensation on his tongue.

‘…It’s poisoned.’

This type of alcohol doesn’t normally taste like this. He wasn’t sure what kind of poison it was, but it was unlikely to be a lethal one.

‘Did he say to share it in small sips?’

The implication was that even a single sip of the drink would have a potent effect, but it wasn’t an immediate poison.

As Ian swished the liquid in his mouth, a heat began to rise in his body, not from the alcohol but from the reaction of the poison. In other words, this was a side effect of the antidote.

‘It’s not a particularly strong poison.’

Looking at the mercenaries, Ian noticed Rupmeron glancing anxiously in their direction. The other mercenaries were also preparing something suddenly.

A meal? Unlikely. They wouldn’t be preparing it now if they hadn’t already. At that moment, Ian saw one of the mercenaries sprinkling a powder into the campfire.

‘What’s that?’

The color of the flames changed to purple briefly and emitted a faint wave.

“……!”

The moment Ian saw that, he spat out the sip of the drink he hadn’t swallowed.

“Sir?”

Mael called out in a puzzled voice. There was no time to explain. Ian threw the bottle away and shouted.

“Everyone, get into battle formation!”

He activated his magical energy to enhance his physical abilities and drew the white dagger, Baekokru.

Ian’s actions were as fluid and quick as flowing water.

Whoosh!

The dagger, imbued with significant power, flew through the air with lightning speed and struck the mercenary who had been sprinkling the powder in the campfire.

By the time the sound of the impact was heard, the mercenary was already staggering and collapsing.

He didn’t even have time to utter a dying cry. It all happened in an instant.

The startled mercenary leader, Rupmeron, sprang to his feet and shouted.

“Wait, what’s the meaning of this!”

The Red Spear Knights were also bewildered. Nonetheless, they were donning their helmets and arming themselves, readying their formation.

Ian advanced and reached out. The Baekokru embedded in the mercenary’s head returned to his hand as if by magic.

Well, it could be considered magic. That’s why it’s an artifact. He threw it again.

This time, he targeted the woman reaching for the dead mercenary. A nearby bald mercenary swung an axe to deflect the dagger. He was quite skilled.

Rupmeron also drew his weapon and, with a stern face, yelled.

“Do you not understand the gravity of what you’re doing?! Are you, the so-called Guardians of the East, repaying our kindness with such malevolence?!”

Ian scowled and growled in response.

“Why are you getting angry? Don’t mistake this. It’s not you who should be angry, it’s me. Don’t you think I know what that burning stuff was? It’s called ‘Fruit of Destruction.’”

Though it’s called a fruit, it’s actually finely ground powder. When burned, it attracts nearby monsters.

Rupmeron was horrified.

“You should learn to manage your expressions better. How can you be so obvious? If you’re caught, you should deny it.”

“…….”

“Good. I was already contemplating what to do since the poison was in the drink. I thought you’d start moving around bedtime at the latest, but you’ve moved much quicker than I expected.”

Ian raised his left hand, signaling a simple command.

Mael, seeing this from the left, readied his spear.

The six Red Spear Knights at the front conjured flames in their left hands and prepared their stances.

Whoosh!

Hot air surged on either side.

“Just to be cautious, they are not ordinary mercenaries but turncoats who have allied with foreign forces! I swear on my name and family honor, so do not hesitate. Prepare to throw the spears!”

Ian had worried briefly about whether any knight might hesitate to kill, but that was indeed an unnecessary concern.

The knights hesitated for a moment but, following orders, threw their spears at their respective targets.

Immediately, a purple magical energy surged up from the ground in front of the mercenaries, resembling a sewer’s backflow.

This demonstrated that they were indeed associated with the outer seas.

The purple energy formed a barrier, blocking the spears thrown by the Red Spear Knights.

Though the flames emitted by the spears spread along the barrier, they did not harm the mercenaries.

Ian dashed forward.

‘There’s no time.’

He drew the sword at his waist, enveloped it in magical energy, and swung it down with all his might.

Clang!

With a chilling crack, the barrier split open.

Ian leaped through without hesitation. The flames spreading along the barrier obscured the mercenaries’ vision, leaving them unable to react in time.

Most looked on with startled expressions, and only a few managed to respond.

Among them, the bald mercenary who had previously deflected the dagger swung his axe desperately from the front, but Ian moved more swiftly.

‘One!’

The bald mercenary’s head flew off. Ian quickly drew another dagger and threw it.

‘Two!’

Seeing the dagger pierce the mercenary’s forehead, Ian moved immediately to the side and slashed another mercenary.

‘Three!’

In the blink of an eye, three mercenaries were down. Marai then entered the fray, killing two more.

Adding the initial mercenary killed by the thrown dagger, a total of six mercenaries had been eliminated. Twelve remained.

‘I won’t let them escape.’

To be more precise, they must not escape.

———