Chapter 98. A Simple Request (1)
Verden quietly listened to Perne's story.
The current situation of the information broker, sitting on a mountain of debt from overextending, with almost no work left to do, whether requests or anything else.
So, to sum it up.
"You're saying the information broker went under?"
"Please, speak casually! And it's not that I've gone under, I'm just about to... collapse. Ha ha...."
Perne lowered her eyes.
Her face was gaunt, as if she hadn't eaten properly. She was nothing like Pale, who had built her own nest beneath Cohen.
"B-but, I can rebuild soon! If I just get the chance, I can reestablish my information network, and find clients with money!"
"And where would that chance come from?"
"Of course, from Sir Asher...."
Perne bowed her head.
At that sight, Verden stroked his chin.
'Am I supposed to believe this?'
Verden was skeptical of this broker named Perne.
To have gone bankrupt and still claim to have ability. Well, since she had worked under Pale, she might indeed have skill... but honestly, waiting for her to rebuild seemed worse than just finding another broker.
When Verden stayed silent, Perne hurriedly grabbed at him.
"I have confidence in my abilities as an information broker. But as you know, in this kingdom, skill alone isn't enough. Nobles, great merchants, the wealthy, they all sponsor brokers, so of course I was outmatched! They even recruit brokers outright to form guilds, did you know?"
"Why didn't you join a guild then?"
"I have no intention of becoming someone's puppet. Though I didn't think they'd torment me this badly.... Still, if I succeed in standing up as a broker again, I'll never suffer such humiliation."
So, pride as an information broker.
Verden fell into thought for a moment. The only reason to make use of Perne's ability was because Pale had recommended her.
He needed another merit.
"If I help you, what do I get in return?"
"My everything as a broker."
Perne clenched her fist.
"If you ask for information, I'll get it no matter what. If you need requests, I'll arrange the best ones. I'll only take wages for labor. As long as the infrastructure is rebuilt, I'll devote all my ability to you."
In other words, she was offering to become Verden's exclusive broker.
Not bad, a decent condition. With this, raising her might not be such a bad idea.
'It's worth investing some time.'
If she proved herself, he would use her as a broker.
But if not, he would discard her without mercy. Sympathy was unnecessary. Everything depended on Perne's skill.
Verden spoke.
"Show me some requests."
Perne's face brightened.
***
"These are all the requests I can connect you to right now!"
Perne brought out the request documents.
But there were only a handful. Most were ones scattered carelessly among brokers, or the jobs no one wanted to touch.
"Still, demi-human byproducts sell quite well. Near Asern, in the 'Sloan Forest,' many demi-humans live. What do you think?"
As a start, not bad. At least for Perne.
But for Verden, the pay was barely a drop in the bucket.
He needed something bigger. A request that could establish Perne's footing at once, and also profit him.
"...."
He skimmed through the requests.
Many were crime-related, but none met Verden's standard. Then one stood out, marked in red.
Subjugation of the mercenary band 'Bajes's Mace.'
The reward was a staggering 1.1 billion Elk. A figure in an entirely different league from the others.
"What about this one?"
"T-this? The pay is huge, but... no one takes this. No, you must never take it!"
Bajes's Mace was a mercenary band registered under the mercenary guild, yet also an atrocious bandit group.
They accepted jobs only for money, carrying them out with brutal cruelty.
Shamelessly switching sides, here and there, but so vicious that no one dared to touch them lightly. Get involved wrongly, and you'd end up dead.
"In Asern they hush up his deeds as much as possible. He bribed the mercenary guild and all sorts of connections, so he never gets caught. Bajes's Mace is nothing but a band of murderers wearing the guise of mercenaries. Taking this job is no different from kicking a hornet's nest."
"Then who's the client?"
"This request was pooled together by victims of Bajes's . Of course no other broker would accept, so it was tossed around and ended up with me."
There had been other clients, and people who accepted the job.
But they all died. The number of dead already exceeded double digits. Bajes's even hunted down the ones who requested the job, killed them, and displayed the corpses in the streets.
In terms of danger, Bajes's was the most dangerous man around Asern.
"I heard he'll soon move to 'Roafra', the kingdom's underworld. He's bulked up his forces, so he wants a bigger stage. That's why I think it's better not to risk this."
Perne looked at Verden.
She had seen Bajes's once. The colossal muscles swinging his mace. A former Gold-rank adventurer, once known in the alleys, had been smashed to pieces in a single blow.
'Even if Pale called him grade 2, the risk is too high.'
No wonder the bounty... no, the reward was a billion.
And if they failed, Perne too might die. She couldn't take that risk.
But Verden was different.
"He's registered with the mercenary guild, but killing him won't be a problem?"
"Eh? Ah, no, it's fine. Even the guild sees Bajes's as a thorn. They only took his bribes."
At that answer, Verden signed the request form.
"Where is he?"
"W-wait, you're really going to do this?!"
Verden nodded.
Perne was struck speechless by his confidence. She had no way to stop him.
In the end, she had no choice but to speak.
"He lives with his mercenary band in Sloan Forest. But, really, you should reconsider..."
"I'll be back by evening."
Ignoring Perne's protests, Verden rose from his seat.
As he left the tavern, his blue eyes flickered with the light of pure magic power.
***
Bajes's thought of himself as a man destined to be king.
Not of course that he intended to rebel against the royal family of Estiria. What he meant was, he would be the ruler who dominated the kingdom's underworld.
Some might mock him as a frog in a well, but at least within the fortress he had built, he was the absolute peak.
A cave near the path into Sloan Forest.
Deep inside, Bajes's sprawled on a plush bed, gulping down one cup of strong liquor after another.
"Keuh. Yes, this is the taste."
This is liquor, this is life.
Bajes's face was filled with a vicious smile.
'Things are going far too well lately. Very good, yes, very good.'
Bajes's, now treated as a major figure in Asern, had earned hundreds of millions of Elk in just two years.
Sometimes through requests, sometimes by taking from those he disliked, sometimes by plundering the vermin who tried to kill him.
An amount that, if spent in moderation, could let him live like a king in the countryside.
But that wasn't nearly enough to satisfy Bajes's. What he desired was a higher seat, far more money.
Hundreds of millions of Elk were nothing but seed money.
"Hey, Vinchis! You delivered my letter properly, didn't you?"
"Of course, Captain Bajes's. We'll hear from 'Vintert' soon."
Vintert.
The largest organization that ruled Roafra, the kingdom's underworld. Normally, outsiders had to pay an enormous amount just to enter.
Bajes's had thrown in his entire fortune for his future.
'A little wasteful, but I'll get it back soon enough. In Vintert, I'll grab an officer's seat in no time.'
This was just a running start.
He was certain, soon the name Bajes's would ring across the entire underworld, heralding a tumultuous life ahead.
Even the thought alone brought him a pleasure akin to killing. Bajes's chuckled, feeling he could dream sweetly until Vintert contacted him.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed inside the cave.
"C-Captain Bajes's! Emergency, emergency!"
"What now?"
"Someone broke into the cave! W-we tried to hold them off, but they were too strong...!"
So, someone had placed another request.
Bajes's closed his eyes again, annoyed.
"Tell Keven. He'll handle it."
"Um... Sir Keven is already dead."
"...Keven is dead?"
Bajes's rose to his feet.
Keven was the mercenary band's third strongest, his skill as well. His swift strikes with daggers, aimed precisely at vital points, were a definite asset.
Of course, he was far weaker than Bajes's, but still capable of handling most opponents.
'Well now?'
This time, someone truly strong had come.
Not bad, since he was bored anyway. Bajes's rose from his seat and grabbed the massive mace resting in the corner with one hand.
"Where's that bastard?"
***
Finding Bajes's hideout wasn't difficult for Verden.
It seemed Bajes's hadn't even bothered to hide. Expanding his mana detection as he moved, Verden soon succeeded in locating the place.
Verden, who had been flying, released his invisibility and landed in front of a thick palisade.
The two mercenaries guarding the entrance panicked and drew their weapons at his sudden appearance.
"W-what the hell?! Out of nowhere!"
"Is Bajes's inside?"
"What business do you have with the captain..."
So he was inside.
Kwooooom!
Verden drew out the Oculus and blasted apart the entrance along with the mercenaries. At the sudden explosion, mercenaries poured out.
As expected of the infamous mercenary band, their movements were fairly organized.
Verden's gaze swept the small fortress.
In one corner lay several corpses, tortured in horrific ways.
'No sign of Bajes's.'
Perhaps inside that cave.
He would have to go in and see for himself.
Just as Perne had said, they were nothing more than a band of murderers in mercenary disguise.
Capturing them was pointless. If they bribed their way out later, it would only become troublesome. Leaving behind future threats was foolish.
Well, this was a good stage to test some new equipment.
Verden cast only enchantment spells, then gripped the Oculus with both hands.
"Don't kill him, just capture him! Cut off his arms and legs!"
At someone's command, mercenaries rushed in from all sides.
But none could escape Verden's senses. The Oculus spun brilliantly, releasing shockwaves that swept through the small fortress.
At that moment, one mercenary, wielding daggers, darted swiftly for Verden's nape.
He was fast, but Verden had already read him. Twisting his waist, Verden struck the mercenary's side with the Oculus, sending him flying into the palisade.
Unlucky, a wooden shard pierced his throat, and the man collapsed lifeless.
Before long, the mercenary band had been annihilated.
'Now my body feels warmed up.'
Loosening his shoulders and neck, Verden stepped into the cave.
Soon, in the cave's center, he faced a hulking muscular giant and the remaining mercenaries.
Bajes's sneered when he saw Verden.
"Never seen you around here. What business do you have? Come to take my head? What is this, the sixth or seventh time? Doesn't anyone ever get tired of it, tsk... So, how much are they paying you this time?"
"1 billion."
To be precise, 1.1 billion.
"1 billion? Hah, whoever it is, they sure put down a hefty sum. Not that I mind."
Bajes's chuckled, shoulders shaking.
To hunt down the hunter, nothing was more entertaining. And since the client had put down a billion, once he found them, he could take the whole bounty for himself.
"Which broker arranged this request?"
"Why does that matter?"
"Because once I kill you, I'll go find them and make an example. Anyone who dares lay a hand on me pays the price."
Whoooosh!
Bajes's swung his mace lightly, its sheer weight stirring the air.
"Vinchis, go cut off his arms and legs. Don't underestimate him, he handled my men too easily."
"Yes yes, Captain Bajes's."
Vinchis, Bajes's right-hand man and second-in-command.
Spinning a strange blade with a wavy edge, he charged at Verden. Bold movements.
Choosing a frontal assault had been Vinchis mistake.
Kwooom!
"Gah?!"
The shockwave blasted Vinchis backward.
Startled, Bajes's reflexively swung his mace, but Vinchis struck the ground, his neck snapping on impact. He was dead instantly.
At the pitiful death of his closest subordinate, Bajes's clicked his tongue.
"...That staff, a magic item? Looks expensive."
"Certainly, pricier than your head."
At Verden's words, Bajes's eyes twitched.
Then he twisted his lips into a grin.
"I planned to only break your arms and legs, but now I'll leave just that foul mouth."
Bajes's drew up his aura.
Gripping the mace with both hands, he leapt into the air. At the same time, Verden focused magic power into the Oculus.
"Dieeeeee!"
And Bajes's mace came crashing down.
Verden, with no intention of dodging, swung his staff, and at once they collided.
Kwooooooooom!
The massive impact shook the entire cave.