Chapter 99: The Mountain Lodge (2)
Just as Brita had been astonished when she first saw him, Gatekeeper couldn’t conceal his surprise.
“A peculiar party if I ever saw one. So, you intend to stay the night?”
Russell responded to the gatekeeper’s question.
“Yes. Do I have to pay?”
“We charge mercenaries only five coppers. Otherwise, it’s one silver coin.”
“And if I can’t pay?”
“Then, of course, you will have to sleep outside. You are free to camp outside the palisade, but the monsters won’t spare you if they appear. We won’t waste any arrows.”
“I see.”
As they had just experienced, the forest was crawling with monsters. A safe haven was valuable in itself.
Furthermore, this mountain lodge was located in such a secluded area that it would be difficult to find without a guide. Without Brita and Cohen’s guidance, they would have had to continue camping.
“Is the reason you charge less for mercenaries because it means they have to participate in battle?”
The gatekeeper nodded.
“That’s right. The situation these days is ridiculous. The entire surrounding forest is in an uproar. Not only the small goblins, but the orcs are also in a frenzy. While this is merely a rumor,
The gatekeeper pretended to look around and lowered his voice.
“There are also rumors of an ogre appearing.”
“An ogre?”
An ogre. While they vary in size, they are monsters among monsters, standing at least 4 meters tall and capable of throwing boulders the size of houses like pebbles.
Once they appear, they are powerful monsters that even an army, whether urban or territorial, must engage with.
“That’s what they say. Some claim they move around with orc packs, but that’s nonsense. They’ve probably just mistaken a big troll for an ogre. Still, we can’t completely ignore it. It’s a headache.”
“I understand. Here’s the payment.”
The gatekeeper counted the money Russell gave him, then looked behind him.
“These two were originally hired mercenaries, so they’re fine. These three owe fifteen coppers. Hey, what about that girl on the horse? Can she fight, too?”
The gatekeeper couldn’t quite comprehend the three. Although the man and the orc were large, they didn’t seem to have any weapons. Were they going to fight with their bare hands?
The orc’s skin was tough and his strength was great, so he would be fine even with his bare hands, but he couldn’t understand how the man in the coat had managed to cross the forest.
And what was that white-haired girl? Her colorless white hair gave off a strange and ominous feeling. Rarer than black hair, and even more uncommon in nature. Was she perhaps a noble?
Aellasis frowned even more than usual at the gatekeeper’s gaze. After fighting in Calia’s conscious armor earlier, she was sore all over.
“Why should I?”
It was informal speech, but the gatekeeper didn’t mind. The gatekeeper politely replied that he had assumed she might be a noble because of her unusual appearance.
“Oh, no, I didn’t mean to. I was just wondering. . .”
The gatekeeper abruptly interrupted her speech. Aellasis had raised her hand and created a small ice butterfly.
A butterfly with translucent ice wings fluttered up and flew over the gatekeeper’s head, then exploded with a pop.
Ice and light dust poured down. The gatekeeper turned pale.
“A, A wizard. My apologies.”
Aellasis nodded arrogantly. Her expression was so annoying that, without realizing it, Russell brought his fingers to her forehead and flicked them.
“Ouch! What?”
“Nothing.”
“Ugh.”
The five of them soon entered the mountain lodge. As they stepped inside, a noise they hadn’t heard outside suddenly flooded in.
Tents and campfires littered the floor. Merchants and mercenaries are haggling around them. Nestled in the corner is a large lodge, tavern, and inn.
It was no exaggeration to say that it was a small village. Even though monsters roamed outside with bows and arrows, spears, and swords, hunting humans, there was plenty of entertainment and recreation.
Soldiers, acrobats, prostitutes, and male prostitutes followed a large line of wagons, likely belonging to merchants, as they made a lot of noise.
“Russell-nim.”
When Russell looked back, Brita and Cohen were holding out a small pouch.
“Thank you for bringing us this far. Honestly, if it weren’t for Russell-nim and your companions, we would have been screaming. This isn’t much, but please accept it. . .”
Russell estimated the pouch’s weight in his hand. It was light. He realized that this was all the money the two young mercenaries had, down to the last penny.
Russell looked at the two young, almost childish people in front of him. Dirt covered their heads, leaving their faces smudged from improper washing.
Dirt and grass covered their quilted and leather armor as they wandered through the forest. They looked more like vagrants than experienced mercenaries.
Russell chuckled and threw the pouch back.
“What!”
“You kids need that money.”
“B, But.”
“That’s enough. Use that money to reforge your weapons or buy new ones. Or, learn a skill.”
Brita and Cohen blushed and bowed their heads. They knew all too well what they lacked.
“T, Thank you.”
The two of them took the pouch and walked towards the tent where the mercenaries were.
Russell’s group also entered Habilton Lodge’s inn. The inn, which had the same name as the mountain lodge, offered lodging rooms from the 1st to 3rd floors and had a separate large tavern right next door.
The group tied Kry and Kai’s horses in the stables and rented two special rooms. They were all on the top floor, and there weren’t many furnishings.
The cost for lodging, bathing, meals, and well-being was four silver coins per person. It was an unimaginable amount, but there was nothing they could do because of the location.
Russell recalled the exorbitant profits of restaurants and PC bangs in military-restricted areas and smiled. People were similar all over the world.
At least they seemed to care about cleanliness, so the lack of bugs or strange smells was a relief. On the first floor, there was a separate bathroom.
“Calia.”
Russell’s shadow moved and twitched as he called her name. It was a big movement, considering that it was just the flickering of the candlelight.
Soon, something black rose up from the shadow. The black object quickly transformed into a woman with crimson hair and eyes.
She had white skin, sharp features, and bright red lips. She is a stunning woman, possessing a voluptuous chest, a slender waist, and long, slender legs.
“Did you call?”
Russell blinked and said,
“You look different again from last time.”
“I am adjusting. I’m trying to find out which body form is most efficient.”
“Efficient for what?”
“That’s a secret.”
Despite saying it was a secret, Calia’s eyes openly scanned Russell’s body up and down. When her gaze lingered on a certain part, Russell waved his hand to stop her.
“That’s enough. Take Aella with you and wash her. She can barely stand.”
Russell pointed to Aellasis, whom he was carrying. The girl leaned against Russell, drooling as she slept. It was caused by the sudden onset of intense muscle pain and fatigue.
Calia chuckled and said,
“To have a country’s former queen bathe a child.”
“Don’t you want to?”
“What are you talking about? I said it was refreshing. Give her to me.”
Calia carefully took Aellasis and held her in her arms. With the exception of their hair color, it looked like a mother holding her daughter. And Russell wasn’t the only one who thought so.
“It’s like watching a father entrusting his daughter.”
“I have a younger sister.”
“Hmm. A family, huh. Those are things I never had.”
Calia said something that was hard to answer as if it were nothing, then walked away.
Russell shook his head and went outside.
Since the two women were using the bathroom with hot water, Russell and Kai had to wash themselves at the well behind the inn.
Russell took off his coat, shirt, pants, and boots, revealing his naked body. Kai, who wasn’t originally wearing a shirt, only had to take off his pants.
“Ack. . .”
“M, Monster. . .”
“I, Is that even a human’s. . .?”
When the two men started walking toward the well, countless gazes fell upon them. Perfectly toned bodies that would be difficult to achieve with mere muscle training. And on top of that, a majestic pecker.
The well lay behind the inn, though it remained partially uncovered. Although there were some screens and clothes, they fluttered in the wind.
Ignoring the gazes, Russell used a dipper to scoop up water from the well and pour it over his head. The icy, cold water poured down with a splash. The water washed away the dirt that had accumulated without his awareness.
“They’re staring at us.”
Kai said from beside him. As he said, the men by the well were staring at Russell and Kai with blank eyes.
“Is it because I’m an orc?”
“Hmm.”
It couldn’t be just that. For some reason, as the two of them glanced around, the men covered their lower bodies.
Russell scooped up water with the dipper.
“It can’t be just because you’re an orc.”
“Hmm. . . For something like that, there are a lot of guys covering their crotches. Considering the way they’re protecting their vitals, are they planning to pick a fight?”
‘Could this guy really not know what was going on?’ Russell shook his head and poured cold water over himself again.
As he entered the tavern dressed, they were greeted with cheerful laughter and singing.
A busty barmaid approached and asked.
“Welcome! Which would you like first, food or drinks?”
“Food first. For six people.”
The barmaid wasn’t flustered by the request for six servings and rushed to the kitchen. If they had ordered for two, Russell and Kai’s size would have surprised her even more.
The tavern was spacious. People were free to join other groups and eat or drink, with ten round tables and chairs spaced apart.
The tables and chairs were all new and sturdy. The solid plank floor didn’t have any dents or cracks. It showed signs of diligent maintenance.
The metal decorations on the tavern’s walls and ceiling were filled with candles.
As Russell and Kai crossed the tavern, gazes gathered here and there, but they didn’t linger. People quickly returned to the food or drinks in front of them, or the conversations they had been having.
The two picked a table that was empty. There was only one person sitting at the table originally. The individual was a man, characterized by his short hair and the scars adorning his eyes, cheeks, and chin.
They didn’t need to ask if they could sit down. There were no designated seats anyway, so people came and went as they pleased.
The man with the short hair and scars looked up and stared at Russell.
“Black hair and purple eyes. Could you be the one I’ve heard about?”
Russell also turned his head to look at the man.
“Who do you know?”
“The one who slew the dragon. The one who defeated the devil in a remote canyon in the north. The one who fought a vampire in a territory in the west.”
“. . . .”
Russell confirmed that the words had not gone beyond a certain radius, and he looked at the man. His eyes flashed and then dimmed.
“Russell. Traveler.”
“. . . .Lemphard. Mercenary.”
‘A mercenary.’ Russell scanned the man named Lemphard. He knew how to use magic. Although his use of magic was not extensive, it was significant nonetheless.
The ability to wield and use magic efficiently determined whether a battle resulted in victory or defeat, life or death. In that respect, Lemphard was quite skilled.
Mercenaries, by nature of their profession, have a high frequency of magical manifestation and awakening. Mercenaries frequently sang and danced in this tavern.
However, unlike the others, Lemphard’s was stable. They artificially induced it through arduous training, rather than randomly awakening it during battle.
“Were you a soldier?”
“. . . . . .You have sharp eyes.”
“I hear that a lot.”
Just then, the barmaid served food at the table where Russell was sitting. The barmaid quickly placed plates filled with meat, bowls filled with stew, and tableware on the table. Her hands were skilled, even though it was a heavy amount for six people and drinks.
The barmaid left after telling them to enjoy their meal. The table was now full, and Lemphard said with a slightly bewildered expression,
“You may be large, but can you really eat all of this?”
Russell and Kai ate everything. When they finished eating, they were served glasses of alcohol. There were six glasses in total.
“I didn’t order this.”
“It’s included with the meal, guest!”
Well then. Russell took the glass and flicked a copper at the barmaid. The barmaid received the copper as deftly and swiftly as she had when setting down the plates, and smiled brightly.
“Thank you, guest!”
The barmaid left. Russell pushed one of the glasses toward Lemphard.
“A mercenary who was once a soldier. Is there any reason?”
Lemphard blinked at Russell’s unexpected behavior and accepted the glass.
“. . . . . .The empire. There’s been a lot of unrest lately.”
It was a vague statement, but Russell didn’t press him. Lemphard swirled the glass around. Inside the glass, the clear orange liquid swirled.
“The emperor is aging, and it’s unclear who will succeed him. The princes and princesses have begun a full-fledged fight for the throne, and the lords are calculating who will ascend to the throne next. In the midst of all this, devil worshippers or monsters don’t even register to them. I recently finished my military service and moved to the Aslon Kingdom. I’d rather fight monsters than devils.”
Lemphard didn’t know why he was rambling on like this.
“How many years were you in?”
“Nine.”
Russell tilted his glass. He had heard quite a lot from a mercenary he had just met.
The emperor’s illness. The undetermined successor. The rivalry between the princesses and princes is a prominent feature. ‘I wonder how Julia is doing.’
“How did you come to know about me?”
“What reason could there be? There are just rumors that float around between taverns and people. No one really believes them. They’re such ridiculous stories.”
Lemphard hid his expression behind the glass.
‘A monster.’
He didn’t show a single flaw. After nine years of living on the battlefield, he was confident that he could kill almost anyone.
He didn’t see that in Russell, who was sitting back in his chair in a comfortable position. Russell was a human being who posed a greater threat than the orc seated beside him.
“How did you come all this way?”
“I told you earlier. I’m traveling. Well.”
Russell twirled the empty glass around his finger.
“Taking care of a few devils on the side.”
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