Rio wore a bewildered expression. He couldn't understand why Ghislain, who had been observing coldly, was suddenly acting so friendly.
Ghislain, ignoring Rio's strange look, supported him and continued speaking.
"Come on, there's no time. Let's discuss the details as we go. Hey, you guys, hurry up and pack your things. It's finally our first mission."
"..."
The three looked at Ghislain, blinking silently. They couldn't adjust to the rapidly changing atmosphere.
But when Ghislain bit his lower lip and glared at them, they immediately sprang into action.
Rio cast a suspicious gaze at Ghislain, who was suddenly acting chummy.
Truthfully, he had no expectations of the three. They all seemed too young and delicate to be mercenaries. What he wanted were experienced and powerful mercenaries.
Moreover, Ghislain's words stuck in his mind.
"Our first... mission?"
Who exactly was Ghislain? He instantly caught the unease and distrust in Rio's voice.
"Haha, you don't need to worry too much. I'm a 5th-circle mage, after all."
"5th circle?"
Rio was startled. He had never seen a 5th-circle mage before. Such high-level mages were rare.
That someone so young could claim to be 5th-circle was hard to believe.
Ghislain smirked and twirled his fingers. A massive spear of magic appeared in the air.
"Oh, ohhh..."
Rio marveled. Ghislain waved his hand again, and the mana spear soared into the sky.
Boom!
The spear pierced through the roof in an instant. Rio's face lit up with excitement at the sight.
"Wow!"
He couldn't help but shout in amazement. This level of magic could probably take down an ordinary knight in one hit.
Although mages were at a disadvantage against knights in close combat, Rio wasn't worried.
'Perfect! He can eliminate the opponent before they get close!'
The spear had been conjured in the blink of an eye. Any knight would be dead before they could approach. With Rio's limited understanding of combat, this seemed like a surefire strategy.
Seeing hope for the first time, Rio grabbed Ghislain's hand and expressed his gratitude repeatedly.
"Thank you! Truly, thank you!"
"Don't mention it. I'm happy to help in the fight against evil. Now, shall we get moving?"
"Yes!"
Ghislain's party followed Rio immediately. Jackson, who had been standing idly by, stared at the hole in the roof and muttered.
"Ugh, those bastards... really..."
The repair costs would be significant. Still, with the payment already received, it felt awkward to complain.
Jackson shook his head and sighed.
"Starting their first mission as a rookie mercenary group by making enemies with a lord... they're truly fearless."
Even if they won the confrontation, they'd likely have to flee to another region. Jackson, who had hoped to get closer to them, found the situation a bit regrettable.
Yulian quickly sidled up to Ghislain and asked.
"What was that? Why the sudden change? You said we should hear both sides of the story, and that a duel with a champion wasn't even a worthwhile mission."
"After thinking it over, I figured we could help."
"But they might be the bad ones."
"Gold is pure."
"What?"
"I mean, that's not it. Anyway, I can just tell."
"..."
"I said it to teach you all a lesson."
"..."
"Come on, trust me. I've got a plan. Just follow me."
"... Fine."
Ghislain was the type to change his stance whenever necessary. Though confused, the three resolved to observe and learn.
Rio reintroduced himself to Ghislain.
"I am Rio, heir to the Lacus Merchant Guild. Thank you for accepting the mission. How should we handle the contract?"
"We'll decide the payment after hearing the full story. Please explain the situation in detail."
"Yes. To explain thoroughly..."
The Lacus family was a fallen noble house. They had no title, but the current head's business acumen allowed them to run a sizable Merchant Guild.
Situated within Baron Magrell's territory, they had even managed to acquire a sizable manor through trade agreements with the lord.
"Until now, as long as we paid our taxes properly, the lord didn't interfere much. Our tax contributions were substantial, after all. But recently, a gold mine was discovered in the region."
Part of the mine extended into land owned by the Lacus family.
For the Merchant Guild, this was a windfall. Even partial mining rights promised significant profit.
By law, they ceded half the mining rights to the lord. Gold being a key resource of the territory, this was expected.
Though they could claim only half of their portion of the mine, the profits were immense, leaving them satisfied.
"The problem began when the lord grew greedy for our share of the mining rights."
The portion of the mine on their land yielded extraordinary quantities of gold, tempting the lord further.
However, the Lacus family had legally obtained their rights. Baron Magrell had no grounds to seize them.
Thus, they resorted to scheming.
Rio's face twisted with frustration as he continued.
"Our head butler of 20 years betrayed us."
"The head butler betrayed you? What a Claude-like move... No, please, continue."
"Yes. He manipulated the mining records to conceal some of the gold and accused us of evading taxes. My father was so shocked by the betrayal that he collapsed."
Beyond mining rights, they were also required to pay taxes on profits. The lord used tax evasion as a pretext to pressure the Lacus family.
Armed with falsified ledgers, the lord accused them of a crime. The head butler, who had defected, had already fabricated evidence with the employees.
"The lord said he would forgive us if we handed over all our assets. We appealed to the royal court for mediation and time for a proper investigation. But..."
A lord determined to seize the mine wasn't about to grant them such time.
In this era, tax evasion was akin to treason. While the Lacus Merchant Guild was well-respected locally, the situation looked grim.
Though the lord had justification, it was evident to all that his actions were driven by greed. To mask this, he proposed an honorable duel.
"He declared that if we lost the duel, all our assets, including the mine, would be confiscated."
Desperate, the Lacus family offered to relinquish the mine, but the lord, intent on taking everything, refused.
It was an era where people indulged in greed without hesitation if given the chance.
In the end, the Lacus Merchant Guild was about to lose everything they had built so far.
"In times like this, being powerless is a sin."
Rio finally shed tears.
The baron had sent out the best knight in the territory, but the people hired by the Merchant Guild were not skilled enough to face him.
Some of them could use mana, but they had already collapsed after being poisoned.
"There are traitors within the merchant guild. But we have no way of knowing who they are."
There was no one left to fight in the duel. They tried to hire mercenaries, but word had already spread, and everyone refused.
Defeating the territory's strongest knight was difficult enough, but even if they won, dealing with the aftermath would be troublesome.
That's why Rio had traveled all the way to this distant city, far from the estate.
Ghislain nodded. It was a common scheme where the powerless had no choice but to suffer.
"Understood. So that's the situation. Our 'Yulian Mercenary Group' can take care of this problem for you. But even if we win the duel, won't there still be trouble? The baron will surely retaliate."
Rio's expression darkened. Even if they won the duel, it would only buy them a little time.
The baron would surely find another excuse to stir up trouble.
At that point, it wouldn't end with an honorable duel. The baron would certainly mobilize his troops.
"So... I plan to negotiate again to hand over the gold mine after we get through this situation. I just want to protect what's left. Right now, we can't even ask neighboring territories to mediate."
It was a gold mine, after all. The surrounding lords would jump at the chance to claim it.
If the Lacus Merchant Guild requested help, it would only provide an excuse for others to wage war.
That was precisely why they couldn't ask neighboring territories for help.
"The baron is likely keeping a close watch on us. If we even attempt to seek help from another territory, he'll kill us first."
That was the reason behind the baron's proposal for an honorable duel—to ensure they wouldn't call for outside help, promising to spare their lives in exchange.
Though whether he would actually keep that promise was uncertain.
Rio sighed and continued.
"There are traitors, but we haven't identified them yet. If we make any suspicious moves, the baron's army will act immediately. There's nothing we can do."
"If you'd like, we can help."
"Excuse me? What do you mean?"
Ghislain replied nonchalantly.
"We can protect the Merchant Guild until reinforcements from neighboring territories arrive."
Rio stared at Ghislain in disbelief. How could a group of only four people stand against the baron's army?
No matter how skilled they were, it seemed impossible to Rio. And even if they did have the capability, Rio had no intention of resorting to such means.
"It's fine. I can't start a war over the gold mine. Too many innocent people would die."
"Do you really mean that?"
Rio gave a shy smile.
"This is the hometown I grew up in. The employees of the Merchant Guild and the people of the territory are all long-time customers and friends. How could I stand by and watch them get hurt?"
"Aren't you a merchant?"
"My father always said I lacked talent as a merchant. But what can I do? This is just how I feel..."
Ghislain, watching Rio scratch the back of his head in embarrassment, chuckled. He could see the sincerity in Rio's face.
"You definitely don't seem cut out to be a merchant."
It was a personality ill-suited for this era. That was probably why Rio was floundering in such a situation, unable to resolve it.
If he had just been a little more ruthless, there were plenty of things he could have done even now.
But since Rio didn't want to go that route, Ghislain wouldn't force him. Besides, even if another territory got involved, the Lacus Merchant Guild wouldn't be able to handle the consequences.
'I'm seeing so many pushovers lately. Maybe I was brought to this era to help them out.'
Ghislain smirked at the thought.
Yulian and Deneb, who had been quietly listening, also smiled. They were touched by Rio's kind-heartedness.
Only Kyle whispered to Dark, saying Rio seemed a bit dim-witted.
Before long, they arrived at the headquarters of the Lacus Merchant Guild.
Surrounding the Merchant Guild were numerous small houses, forming a village. These were homes for the employees and people who depended on the company for their livelihoods.
Everyone's expressions were gloomy, as they were aware of the situation. But upon seeing Rio, they forced smiles and greeted him.
"Young lord, welcome back."
"Don't worry too much about the guild's affairs."
"We'll make sure the trade route runs smoothly."
Rio nodded and smiled back at them.
Their interactions alone made it clear how well-respected Rio was in the area.
Upon arriving, Ghislain and his group received a lavish welcome. Ghislain, acting as if it were only natural, lounged in his chair and snacked on tea and fruit.
Yulian, Deneb, and Kyle felt slightly uncomfortable but weren't too concerned. They trusted Ghislain's abilities enough to believe he could defeat an ordinary knight.
Rio asked cautiously.
"Um, by the way... you haven't mentioned the payment yet."
Ghislain glanced at Rio and nodded.
"That's true. Since it's our first mission, I'll give you a special discount."
"Thank you. How much will it be?"
As usual, Ghislain raised three fingers—a gesture that had practically become his signature.
Rio, hopeful about the discount, hesitantly asked.
"Three gold?"
"....."
"Haha, sorry. Then... it can't be 30 gold. Is it 300 gold?"
Yulian, Deneb, and Kyle were shocked by Rio's words.
Three hundred gold was an enormous sum. It was enough for most mercenaries to risk their lives.
But Ghislain remained unimpressed. To him, 300 gold was practically pocket change.
'Even when I had nothing, Amelia once gave 20,000 gold to me.'
While Ghislain stood there calmly, Rio nervously swallowed and spoke.
"I can even offer 3,000 gold."
His words startled the group even more. Kyle was already planning his retirement.
But Ghislain closed his eyes and shook his head.
"... "
The next step would be 30,000 gold. That amount could destabilize the Merchant Guild. In fact, they likely couldn't even raise that much cash on short notice.
Everyone's faces paled at the staggering figure.
Rio, his voice trembling, said.
"I'll find a way to prepare 30,000 gold... somehow."
If the guild collapsed, everything would be lost anyway. He had no choice but to comply with whatever Ghislain demanded.
But Ghislain smirked and shook his head again.
"I think there's a misunderstanding... I have no intention of taking such a large amount at once. It would disrupt your operations."
"R-really? Then what do your three fingers mean?"
"I think 30% should be reasonable."
"What?"
"I'll take a 30% stake in your gold mine."
Ghislain smiled brightly.
It was a proposal to maintain a long-term relationship.
[T/L: I need your support, dear readers. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]