Chapter 45: Of Planning and Detailing (4)

Hagler was definitely skilled, but not skilled enough to be a Sword Master. If he had been one, Henry’s magic would not have been enough to stop him. Henry helped Hagler to his feet and brushed the dust from his clothes.

“How curious. Why is someone like you on the run, Mr. Hagler?”

“H-how did you know?”

“It’s obvious. Why else would a person of your level of skill come all the way here with your family? Anyway, shall we continue discussing this after you gather your family members?”

“Yes. And, uh…”

“Is there anything else?”

“You’re going to be my superior from now on, so I would appreciate it if you could be less formal with me,” mumbled Hagler. It seemed he was accustomed to maintaining a degree of respect.

“Oh, that’s all? Well, I’ll keep my formalities just for today. It’s our first meeting, after all,” replied Henry.

“Thank you.”

Then, through an assistant, Henry made it known that the first successful applicant had joined the corps. This sent the other applicants into a frenzy.

“Someone passed the exam? So you’re saying they’ve already passed the third test?”

“Whoa… I’m jealous. That person is set for life now…”

“Damn, there really are people out there who can pass the first test.”

Their reactions differed, but they had one thing in common. They were envious. Henry had raised Hagler’s prestige to the fullest, like a war hero.

He headed to Hagler’s family residence.

“Is this it?”

They had arrived at a shabby rundown warehouse that Hagler supposedly called home.

Hagler coyly responded, “I couldn’t find an inn because I didn’t have enough money. Fortunately, I met a good-hearted person, and we were able to rent a warehouse, so we’ve been staying here.”

When Hagler opened the warehouse door, the sounds of people talking could be heard within.

“Honey?”

It was Hagler’s wife, Sona. The moment Henry saw Hagler’s wife, he was captivated for a moment.

‘Whoa… what an incredible beauty.’

Sona carried herself with such an elegant air of beauty that even Henry, who was not really interested in women, couldn’t help but admire her. She was dressed in rags just like Hagler, but that could not conceal her beauty. Henry thought to himself that there was probably no woman more beautiful than her in Vivaldi.

“Honey, luckily, I passed the entrance exam.”

“I-is that true? My God, dear God… thank you so much…”

And as the couple sobbed and embraced each other, Henry felt another presence approaching from behind.

“Daddy?”

“Oh, my princess! Have you been listening to Mommy and waiting for Daddy?”

“Yep! But who’s that man?”

“Nia, you should be respectful. This is the person that Daddy will serve in the future.”

‘Wow… even the daughter is beautiful.’

Henry had expected it to some degree, but he didn’t think that the daughter would be so beautiful as well.

He once again congratulated Hagler on joining the corps and exchanged greetings with Hagler’s family.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Henry Morris, leader of the Million mercenary corps.”

“My name is Sona.”

Hagler’s daughter bowed deeply. “Hello. I’m Nia.”

Henry gave Nia a warm smile and nodded toward her. “Mr. Hagler is the only one who has passed the entrance exam over the past few weeks. Please be proud of him and what he has accomplished.”

“Thank you, thank you very much.”

“No, I should be grateful toward you. It is hard to find talented people like Mr. Hagler.”

The family was genuinely happy, as was Henry. He had not expected that the first member of the corps would be a married man, but meeting Hagler’s family deepened his trust in him.

‘There is no man more trustworthy than a man who has a family to protect.’

Having conveyed his thanks, Henry continued. “Then, shall we slowly get started? Since you’ve now joined the Million Corps, I will provide you with a house to live in, as promised.”

“A-already?”

“Well, you can’t stay in this warehouse forever, can you?”

Henry wasn’t wrong, but Hagler hadn’t expected to be provided a house so quickly.

Henry then took Hagler’s family to Ten’s mansion. When they arrived at the front entrance, Hagler’s family’s mouths were wide open.

“Come in,” Henry said.

“C-captain. W-wait! Isn’t this place for nobles only?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Sorry?”

“This is the house where the benefactor of Million Corps lives, and I’m the benefactor of that benefactor.”

“...What?”

It may have sounded strange, but it was true. On the surface, it was Million Gold that was supporting the Million Corps, but it was actually Henry who was supporting Million Gold. When Henry entered the mansion, Ten, who had been waiting inside, greeted Hagler’s family politely.

“My name is Ten, owner of Million Gold. Sir Henry has informed me of your visit in advance, so please feel comfortable and treat this place as your own.

At first, Hagler tried to politely refuse and offered to find a separate house for themselves, but Henry flatly rejected him. He didn’t want this huge mansion to go to waste. Ten, who had no say in the matter anyway, had no choice but to consent. All he could do was force a smile in front of the Hagler family.

“I think it would be good for the guests to have a bath and a change of clothes.”

Henry clapped twice, and the servants disappeared with Sona and Nia. Only Henry, Ten, and Hagler were left in the waiting room.

Sitting in a chair, Henry said to Hagler, “Now, shall we hear your story? Ten.”

When Henry called Ten’s name, Ten immediately got up to prepare some tea as Hagler began telling his story.

“The truth is…”

His story was simple. Hagler had been a commoner knight, but was scouted by a Count who recognized his outstanding skills. However, the Lord fell in love with the beautiful Sona and even tried to force himself on her while Hagler was away. When Hagler found out, he beat the Count within an inch of his life.

“And that’s why you ran away?”

“Yes…”

Henry now understood why someone with the skill level of a veteran Sword Expert would want to do some dirty mercenary work.

“I kept looking for jobs while touring other countries. But no one accepted me, probably because I was on the run.”

“And that was when you heard rumors about our mercenary corps?”

“Yes, I figured that this was my last hope.”

“I see… still, if you injure a noble, that’s considered a felony,” Henry quietly reminded Hagler, whose expression instantly turned blank. “How many times did you hit him?”

“...I think I broke one of his arms?”

“Did you really stop at that?”

“...Truth is, I broke his legs as well.”

In the empire, it was considered a felony for a commoner to strike a noble. Hagler knew this, which was why he had immediately chosen to run away with his family. The more Hagler confessed, the darker his face became.

However, with a smile, Henry simply asked, “Are you afraid?”

“...I am not afraid for myself. But I am afraid for my family.”

“Family is a father’s greatest weakness. Then, why did you hit the noble?”

“I have never been so angry in my entire life. So, without knowing, I ended up…”

Hagler’s eyes were stained red, as if the oppressive feelings he had felt were flooding back into his mind.

“Good job.”

“...Excuse me?”

“If it had been me, I would have slit his throat. But it seems that you are too soft-hearted. That’s why you only broke a few limbs, right?”

Hagler’s eyes began to tremble slightly at Henry’s unexpected response.

“And well… it’s already happened, so what’s the point of crying over spilled milk? Obviously, beating a noble is a felony, but I have already promised to protect you, so don’t worry too much.”

“D-do you really mean that?”

“I mean, technically, I’m a noble too.”

Henry took out a silver identity tag and waved it in front of Hagler, who was taken aback.

“Y-you are a noble?” Hagler stuttered.

“What, you didn’t notice? I mean…how many commoners have a surname?”

“I-I have been ignorant! I didn’t even know that, and yet, I dared to…!”

“Now, now. No need to kick up a fuss. Please remain in your seat. I’m just glad that I managed to secure one person before my departure. Isn’t that right, Ten?”

Henry turned his head in Ten’s direction, but Ten looked even more surprised than Hagler, his jaw nearly to the floor.

“What’s with you?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s with me’?! He hit a Count! Not even a Baron, but a Count! Do you think this can just be overlooked?”

“Eh, big deal. How is that a problem?”

“What could be a bigger deal than this?!” Ten shouted incredulously.

Despite Ten’s reaction, Henry calmly responded as if it didn’t matter at all. “What are you so worried about? Don’t worry too much, I’ll take care of it. Above all else, take care of Mr. Hagler’s family while I journey to Enkelmann.”

“Where are you headed?” Ten, who had been warily looking at Henry, asked cautiously.

“Seems like there aren’t many talents out here, so I’m going out to look for some myself. I should have left a long time ago, but right before my departure, you, Mr. Hagler, passed the first test, forcing me to delay a bit.”

“I apologize. Just because of me…”

“No. It is fortunate that I found you at the last minute. Anyway, there are still about ten days left until the entrance exam is over, so please rest well at the mansion in the meantime. You must have had countless sleepless nights until now.”

“Thank you, thank you very much.”

“No need for such gratitude. Ah, I almost forgot! Please take this,” Henry said as he held out a coin worth ten gold.

“Why are you giving me so much money…?”

“This is a congratulatory gift. While you rest, please have a great time with your family here. You do know that Vivaldi is the largest entertainment city in the empire, right?”

Ignoring Ten, who was clearly unable to hide his anxiety, Henry encouraged Hagler to take the coin. Now, with some sense of relief, Henry was able to head toward Enkelmann.

* * *

Henry’s journey took him from the western end of the continent all the way to the south. Since he was going from one major city to another, he didn’t have to worry about getting lost as long as he followed the main road. He opened his treasure map for the first time in a while and observed the geography.

‘There are two or three small estates on the way to Enkelmann. Doesn’t seem like there’s a need to stop by.’

Food was plentiful, and his accommodation issue was solved with the Mage’s Camp, so he saw no need to make the detour. Instead, he decided he would collect the treasures that were located nearby.

‘I’ve been a bit inactive for a while. There were no treasures near the town after all.’

‘Strike while the iron is hot,’ people often said. The reason why he had set aside ten days for his trip to Enkelmann was not just to account for any unexpected variables, but also to accommodate any additional activities that he was considering. However, after examining the map, Henry found that there weren’t many treasures that appealed strongly to him.

‘Maybe just this one?’

His gaze stopped at where a small lake was marked. It was known as the Lake of Whispers. Henry had hidden an artifact called ‘Whispering’ in the depths of this lake.

‘Earrings that grant the ability to communicate with all flora and fauna… Nia will like this.’

Whispering was an enchanted earring that gave the wearer the ability to communicate with plants and animals. It was not very useful to Henry, but he figured it would be a perfect toy for the young Nia.

‘This should be enough.’

If Hagler had been single, Henry would have overlooked this treasure. However, Hagler had a daughter. And when a child was graced with gifts and happiness, the parents would naturally want to repay that act of graciousness. Knowing that, Henry decided to set aside a little time to retrieve Whispering.

* * *

The Lake of Whispers was located deep in the dense forest. However, Jade was capable enough to cross even a cliff, as long as she had enough ground to gallop across. At Henry’s command, Jade went deeper and deeper into the forest until he stood at the edge of a cliff.

“Is this it?”

Henry checked his map once more.

“It is.”

It was a soaring cliff. Even though it was broad daylight, the cliff was so high that the bottom was covered in black shadow.

“Jade, run.”

Neeeeeigh.

It was a steep cliff with no bottom in sight, but Jade immediately threw himself down at Henry’s command, without hesitation.