[660] Recruiting Mercenaries (4)
The master of the War Chariot Guild, Yordik, sniffed haughtily and stalked over to Akman.
He was in his mid-fifties, with a severe expression, wearing a brown robe embroidered with a carp that wrapped around his body.
"The Silvering Guild's past its prime. They chase only money, so their skill naturally lags."
Akman's eyes flashed, but having already been shown up by that crushing defeat, there was nothing dignified about opening his mouth.
"Hohoho! Running a guild requires conviction. If you only aim to fill your members' bellies, you won't last long."
As if on cue, Evianne, master of Bloodrose, added to the volley.
She was a woman in her mid-thirties, wearing a tight top that revealed her cleavage, a short skirt, and a blood-red cape around her neck instead of a robe.
"Isn't there a saying? If you can't keep a bird, set it free. Silvering has proven here that it's unfit to accept an Ivory Tower candidate as one of its guild members."
Hearing such scorn from sworn enemies stung, but Akman had a reply of his own.
"So you're saying you can do it? I'll give you one chance. Why not prove it here?"
Both masters snapped their mouths shut.
They'd watched the fight and had no argument that Shirone couldn't be restrained by skill alone.
When the conversation died down, Shirone asked the question that had been nagging him.
"By the way, who are you?"
Evianne gave a polite kneeling bow.
"Hello. I'm Evianne, master of the kingdom's strongest guild, Bloodrose."
"Ah."
As expected, they were masters from rival guilds.
"And you?"
Shirone turned to the man with thick sideburns. He extended a hand.
"I'm Yordik, master of War Chariot. Even a rookie should've heard my name by now."
Shirone hadn't, and as a Silvering guild member he didn't dare shake hands with a rival guild master.
"Hmph!"
Yordik withdrew his hand in displeasure, while Evianne chose a friendlier tack.
"That match just now was obviously a master-qualification test. But Bloodrose won't lay any conditions on you. Do stop by our guild."
Her strategy was to claim a piece if she couldn't have the whole.
That left Yordik at a disadvantage.
A warmonger who ruled by strength, he had no intention of ceding the master position to Shirone.
"Nonsense! Isn't it an unwritten rule that you can't join competing guilds at the same time? Better to start a war right here. Let's see who the strongest of the Three Great Guilds is."
The issue wasn't Shirone personally but that his involvement had upset the balance of power.
Shirone felt a twinge of guilt toward the Three Great Guilds, but he didn't have to shoulder their burden.
"This actually helps. It'll buy me more time."
While the masters argued about guild interests, Shirone focused only on his mission.
"How about this?"
All three masters turned to him when Shirone spoke.
"Actually, I'm planning to form a private mercenary company."
Evianne's face lit up.
"If that's the case, leave it to me. Bloodrose has many capable mages."
"No. I won't take just anyone. This could cost lives."
The Radum investigation was classified, but he had to be honest about the difficulty.
Sensing an opening, Yordik jumped in eagerly.
"If you're afraid of dying, you won't last here long. My War Chariot members don't fear danger. What matters is this—"
Yordik rubbed his fingers together and asked about compensation, but Shirone hadn't set any clear standard yet.
Even if Lupist had granted full authority, it was awkward to name a sum without understanding the guilds' dynamics.
"Um, so—"
"Ten thousand gold."
A voice came from the direction of the building.
"Huh? Aria?"
Shirone's face registered surprise at the unexpected arrival, but Aria approached with the composure of someone who'd kept an appointment.
"Hello, Shirone."
"What brings you here?"
"You remember I said we'd meet again, didn't I?"
Yordik narrowed his eyes.
"I don't know who she is, but ten thousand gold? Is that the fee for this job?"
To guild members who'd stake their lives for a hundred gold, it was like a rain of gold from the sky.
"You're mistaken. To be precise, it's ten thousand gold per person."
The masters and even Silvering's members murmured; Shirone found himself embarrassed.
"Aria, what on earth is this—?"
"Don't worry. I already spoke with Lupist."
If she'd gotten Lupist's permission, that settled the matter—but why Aria? That remained a question.
Reading Shirone's thoughts, Aria said, "My lover told me. You're forming a mercenary company? I decided to join. I'll help."
Shirone refused outright.
"It's too dangerous. You could die. You don't even have combat skills, Aria."
"What are you talking about? I'm an official diplomat. I can protect myself. Wanna see?"
Aria demonstrated the self-defense techniques she'd learned at the palace.
"Ha! Ha!"
Her thrusts and kicks were clumsy, but she wasn't the type to judge unfamiliar things harshly, so Shirone looked to Rian.
"He's doomed. He can't even catch a dog."
At Rian's verdict, Aria stuck out her tongue.
"Hehe, busted? I practiced yesterday. But don't worry. I have a secret move."
"Why do you want to join so badly?"
The smile left Aria's face.
"Because it's my business. Just like you worked to become a mage, I do my job."
Radum fell under the Interior Ministry's jurisdiction, and pulling its personnel in risked leaks.
Besides, Radum was extraterritorial; Aria could do things many others couldn't, and being a low-ranking official made her acceptable to Lupist.
Aria threw her arms around Shirone and clung to his sleeve.
"And you'll protect me, so why worry? If Shirone can shield me, even hell won't scare me."
Since the Gold City terror incident she'd been quietly digging up rumors about Shirone and had even learned he was the kingdom's top talent, a candidate for the Ivory Tower.
Thinking of Brooks' face, Shirone hastily pulled his arm free and grumbled.
"If you're planning to throw yourself in because someone will protect you, stop now. You don't know what'll happen—"
"Hehe, I told you not to worry."
Aria, already with a plan, slowly looked over the masters of the Three Great Guilds.
"Let's commission all three guilds: Silvering, War Chariot, and Bloodrose. As of now I'll organize Shirone's mercenary company and recruit members. The process: first a public test, then a private test. It's a classified mission; pay is ten thousand gold, and we'll pay a 3,000-gold deposit up front. Spread the word quickly through your guild networks. We'll hold the first public test here in a week."
None of the masters objected; some even considered entering candidates from their own guilds into the public test. It wasn't just about the money—how many their guilds placed would shift the balance of power.
"Fine. We'll announce it that way."
After the masters left, Shirone grabbed Aria's wrist and pulled her into a corner.
"Aren't you blowing this up too big? It's a classified operation."
"That's exactly why I'm blowing it up."
"What do you mean?"
"Did you really think Lupist would entrust this only to you? They'll send their own candidates through this test. Conversely, I'll screen unknowns via document checks and interviews."
"Hmm."
Aria's responsibility was heavy.
'Well, the Association can't move openly either,' Shirone thought.
Aria put a hand on his shoulder.
"Using the guilds was the right call. You won't gather real talent with anything less than ten thousand gold. Even so… most of them will die."
Her boldness in taking this on despite knowing the risks was remarkable.
"All right. I'll do my best to protect you, Aria. But… I can't promise anything."
"That's enough. Don't try to take on too much responsibility. This was our mutual decision. You don't have to worry about everyone living or dying. Including me."
Her words carried the weight of palace authority; for the first time Shirone felt she sounded like a Magic Academy graduate.
"Yes. Please take care of things."
* * *
During the week before the test, Shirone and Rian cut off all outside communications and stayed in Brooks' mansion hideout while Aria briefed them.
They were taught the estimated populations and traits of the humanoid races and memorized Radum's convoluted routes.
"When you actually enter Radum, high-level concealment facilities will scramble structures. Treat the map only as a reference."
Aria was an undeniable pro while teaching Shirone, but afterward she inevitably flirted.
For Shirone, refusing her was the hardest thing of the day.
"If you change your mind, say so anytime. I won't eat you, so don't worry."
Saying that, she'd slip off to rendezvous with Brooks, as if life's values ran on another scale entirely.
Even the notorious playboy Brooks was beginning to grow possessive over Aria, and his looks toward Shirone were no longer always kind.
"Today's the day. Let's go."
On the morning of the test, the three left Brooks' mansion at dawn and headed to the Silvering Guild.
The ground torn up by the rapid-fire Photon Cannon had already been repaired, and a table for the public test had been set up to one side.
By sunrise, applicants who had stayed in Bashka had flooded in and the guild thronged with people.
There were 273 applicants in total; they wore numbered badges corresponding to their registration order.
"All right! We'll begin the enrollment test for Shirone's mercenary company! The first stage is a public test to evaluate your basics. Please show us your best abilities."
One by one from number one, applicants entered the cleared area and Aria put on her glasses.
She was in charge of document screening; Shirone handled magic, and Rian assessed physical combat.
As a public test, they focused on fundamentals over flair: for mages it was the Spirit Zone; swordsmen and martial artists were given about a minute to demonstrate their specialty.
Aria leaned toward Shirone, who sat in the center, and whispered, "If you include the two of us and the assistants Lupist will send, we can barely accept about thirteen to fifteen people. Since the second round takes about three times the final number, we need to eliminate over two hundred in the first round."
Shirone nodded, having roughly set the criteria.
'Two hundred out. Isn't that harsh?'
But the thought vanished once the public test began.
Many had come for the ten thousand gold, but a large number were so far below standard they'd likely die the moment they were taken to Radum.
"Ta-ha! Ta-ha!"
A muscular man swinging two hammers overhead showcased his strength, but Rian stayed unmoved.
'No good. Strength's fine, but his technique is awful. He'd die like that.'
Rian checked the rejection box for applicant 27 and pushed the form to Aria.
'Hmm, twenty-seven gone and not a single standout yet.'
Just as a slight worry began to creep in, applicants 28 and 29 entered together.
Aria's eyes lit up as she glanced at their documents.
'Assistants.'
When she signaled that Association people were present, Shirone watched them closely.
They were a pair wearing plain black masks—male and female—and their presence felt anything but ordinary.
"Good day. I'm applicant number 28."
"Number 29."
As the man and woman bowed in turn, Shirone blinked in disbelief.
It was Lupist of the Magic Association and Jane, head of the Secretariat.