Ways to Slay Dragons Gently

The square of the palace smelled of sweat, dust, and wax and oil from armor.

The fighters still hadn't cooled down from the excitement of participating in the martial arts conference, and gathered together leisurely in the waiting place.

The rewards for the knockout rounds had all been awarded after their respective matches ended, so those fighters who had honed their combat skills against powerful enemies had already gone back at that time.Naturally, the people gathered here are all mercenaries waiting for the task entrusted by the Wang family.

Of course, if the task is successful, you can get more rewards, and if you do it well, you may be among the ranks of retainers. Therefore, there are many knights in the crowd who lost their masters in the continuous war.

The content of the task has not been made public yet, and it is not known whether the winners of nearly 100 people will become comrades-in-arms or competitors.

If you are working in a group of several people, of course you have to team up with someone with high martial arts skills. This is a natural way of dealing with the world.It's the more polite way of talking to the top winners and selling themselves along the way.Among them, there are those who brag loudly about their own strength to the people next to them, or walk around silently with a ferocious aura, brag about their existence to those who are inferior to them, and make people smile wryly at a glance.

Dormer "Thunder", who had won the club and ax division, was impatient with these noisy fellows, but he still managed to deal with it on the surface so as not to make the opponent feel uncomfortable.There is no doubt that this giant man with shoulder muscles that rumble like a hill must be a strong comrade-in-arms in terms of combat effectiveness.

It must be time for the decisive battles of all departments to come to an end. From the door opened by the guards, several soldiers came in holding bags of prize sand.

As soon as Doma saw the last person who came in, he went up to him and said, "Hey, 'Flash' Yakanjill, long time no see. When we parted, you said you were going to the north, and I thought you would definitely come to Wushu It’s from the General Assembly.” A pair of fresh water-colored eyes lifted up to look at the square face that greeted intimately.

This is a young man in his twenties. The top of his head only reaches the position of Dorma's mouth, but Dorma is a big man beyond common sense, so he can be counted as tall, but he is tall but not wide. The bust appears to be only about half the size of Dorma.

The platinum-blonde long hair that was left down to the waist was first tied at the back of the head, then tied with the hair on the temples, and then braided slightly. This unique hairstyle indicated that he belonged directly to the Four Gods Sect Paladin.

But a paladin cannot leave the religious capital where the headquarters of the religious order is located alone, let alone act like a mercenary.The young man's hairstyle suggested that he was once a paladin—if he hadn't been disqualified for some unforgivable transgression—and could now use holy magic.

There is a saying in the metaphor that it is "female-like beauty", and this fair-skinned young man is actually just like this saying.Awe-inspiring, beautiful, and lightly pigmented, he exudes a wonderful atmosphere with a sense of transparency that is beyond the ordinary.This young man was more suitable for the priest's white dress with gorgeous patterns embroidered with gold and silver thread than the silver armor of the paladin.

After recognizing the big man as a colleague who had worked with him many times, the young man still remained silent with his cold expression.

"It would be bad if I met you too early in the knockout round, so I went to the ax."

"I am the dagger."

"What? Why don't you go to the long sword? The short sword is not good for work."

"It doesn't matter what you do at work. What if you encounter a nonsense cultivator and get injured needlessly."

"That's right, our body is our capital, and we can't get a job anywhere if we get injured."

"I thought you were the winner over the long sword."

The young man's expression was still stiff, but his tone was very steady and soft.

Thomas smiled.With the character of this young man, he will not flatter others.What he said just now should be regarded as his frank evaluation of Dorma's strength.Not bad.

"That said, the longsword winner who met neither me nor you was lucky."

"Not necessarily. A martial arts conference of this scale must have gathered many outstanding fighters from nearby countries, and the evaluation of the upper circles among the citizens is quite high."

"But think about it carefully, they charge money from the audience. If you want to find a mercenary job, you usually have to pay a middleman fee, right? But holding a martial arts conference like this, you can not only recruit a lot of powerful mercenaries for free, but also earn a lot of money." A sum of ticket money. This is called killing two birds with one stone, how can it be what Gongmuquan, one of the three kingdoms, should do?"

"There is no way. The war between countries consumes too much money. It is over if you can't enter the country. It saves the face of the country and makes money. It is estimated that they have already ignored the slightest censure."

In the age of the holy kings who discovered the great magic that divided the world into two because of the incompatibility between humans and phantom beasts, there was naturally only one royal bloodline that ruled the only human country.However, the descendants of the Holy King broke the legacy of their great ancestors and divided the country among their descendants.

Since the country was subdivided into 47 large and small groups—collectively referred to as 43 circles of one family, one family and two spectrums, the world has been in a state of fierce struggle that it is impossible to imagine that they belong to the same blood.

Especially a few years ago, when the 47 countries with strong power and known as the Three Great Kingdoms—Fujikyoto, Aisaka, and Miyagi—put forward the slogan of reunification of the country, the flames of war spread to the whole land in a short period of time.

In addition to the three major kingdoms, there are four countries that also continue to annex neighboring countries by force, plus two countries that are in a semi-locked state, and are now roughly divided into nine areas of influence.

As Yakenjell said, because each country has limited war expenses and cannot continue to fight, there is peace like the current well-off state.

It is difficult for mercenaries to receive high-paying jobs in peacetime. In addition, a considerable number of ownerless knights have become mercenaries. If the mercenaries are picky about their employers and jobs, it will be even more difficult to make ends meet.Therefore, the martial arts conference held by the Wang family is very thankful for both the people who are eager for entertainment and the mercenaries who are trapped by work and money.

The man who was listening to the conversation between the two leaned over to talk familiarly, "That elder brother is really right. Do you understand? The royal family still uses us to bet on horses?"

"Is it a bet on who will win?" Thomas said with an ugly face.

"That's right. I saw the notice board with the odds written on it with my own eyes, and it can't be wrong. Many citizens even bought wooden chips with the royal coat of arms."

"Oh, if I have this talent, I don't need to be a mercenary now."

"With such a burly body, don't be too greedy. Aren't you a famous mercenary named Doma called 'Thunder'? You are second to none among the winners in the gambling game. Ah, my spear skills It's also quite powerful, if you don't mind, how about working with me this time?"

"Okay, I'll think about it."

The skinny man who shrewdly sold himself turned his needle-like eyes on the handsome young man.

"Brother, if you were a paladin before, you would use holy magic, right? If you can use healing and recovery spells, there must be many people looking for you to be a warrior."

"Maybe, I know what you're going to say. Depending on the content of the job, I can be with you."

"Really!"

"Yake!"

The man who didn't expect to get a friendly answer, and Thomas, who wanted to form a team with the youth from the beginning, both shouted at the same time.

"I'm just not denying all possibilities."

Yakenzel, who was bathed in the attention of the surrounding people because of the screams of the two people around him, turned his face away in embarrassment.

His eyes naturally stopped on a person in the corner of the square.

A small warrior sat with his back against the wall, sword in arms, face buried in his knees.

Compared with An Ran sitting nearby, the difference in body size is as big as that of adults and children.Even so, he must have considerable ability to get a place in the swordsmanship department full of powerful enemies.

When Yakenzel thought this way, perhaps he felt his gaze, and the other party suddenly raised his face.

Of course he is small, because he is only a child of fourteen or fifteen.As expected, he came here only after defeating an adult, and there was no childishness on his confident face.That aside, he's also an impressive teenager.The big eyes with the corners of the eyes slightly upward, are as dark as the winter night sky.

The eyes looking straight back at him were so strong that the young man couldn't help backing away, and Thomas' big hand patted him on the shoulder.

"The official came out." The door of the other room opened, and under the guidance of the adjutant holding a scroll of parchment in both hands, a strong man who looked like an official came out.

"Now we will hold a briefing session on the task entrusted by the Miyagi royal family. First of all, we have already assembled the teams you belong to. Next, those who are called, please move to the next room, and put the number plate of your team. Sit down at the table, and the officials waiting there will explain to you the contents of their work in detail, and will also pay the deposit including the travel expenses—that person over there, is there anything wrong?"

"From what you said just now, it seems that there are various jobs, so we should choose which job is suitable for you, right?" The soldier who raised his hand raised his objection in a half-protest tone, and everyone around agreed. sound.

Everyone knows how dangerous it is to cooperate with partners who don't get along when you are doing a job where your life is in danger.

"Our purpose is to recruit outstanding talents as retainers, not professional intermediaries. This time, the job is to be a test for retainers. Retainers are not allowed to have objections to the orders of the lord."

"I am only suitable to be a carefree mercenary. If you ask me to be an official, I still don't want to do it. If it is for you to be entrusted with a stingy job, then I'm sorry. If it doesn't suit me, let me do it." I'll quit." Domar's sarcasm made the officials' faces turn red, and there was laughter and applause among the soldiers standing in the square.

The real mercenaries who travel among the countries with their own skills have a very high self-esteem.

"...Of course, you can also choose to refuse. If there is a shortage of jobs, we will recruit new people. It is your freedom to refuse the job if you plan to do so. However, if you can't get a job because of this, it has nothing to do with us. It doesn't matter, please understand this."

Yakengel listened to the threat of backfire without interest, and looked again at the corner where the boy was originally.

Perhaps it was moved to a position where the officials could hear clearly, but the young man was no longer there, and the young man felt slightly disappointed.

The female mercenary who had met before raised her hand, "In short, it depends on whether there is a shortage of staff, so can you tell us what kind of jobs we have?"

The adjutant must have anticipated this problem, and the adjutant unfolded a piece of parchment and read aloud: "Fight the evil magician Bardo. Search for the Excalibur Vahassam stolen by the thief. Fight the big snake Carlos. Protect Princess No.19 Marry Victoria. Assassinate the elder of Yizak, the cult of the evil god. Rescue the No.20 second princess Marusia who was kidnapped by the bandit group. Find Fiona, the fantasy city. Search for the relics of the Holy King. Repel the monsters that haunt the border Sweeping the guerrillas of the old retainer group in the merged neighboring country Iwate circle. Find the elixir of immortality—"

It seems that it will continue to read.The burly mercenary and the beautiful former paladin glanced at each other.

"That is to say, there are no routine troubles for the royal family, so it's a big deal?"

"It just proves that when the country is a large country, there are many problems."

"Those things can't be done by the courtiers."

"The war against bandits also consumes a lot of troops. Instead of sending rich retainers, it's better to use mercenaries."

"Tch, if I die, five or ten women will cry for me."

"Because you can't get the drink money you owe?"

"……You bastard."

Thomas gritted his teeth at his friend's joke, and suddenly turned into a puzzled expression.

The young man wanted to ask what happened, but before that, a voice came from beside him.

"what's your name?"

Turning around to look for the source of the sudden words, I saw the black-haired boy whose eyes met just now.

His curly black hair was tied in a bunch at the back of his head. He was a head and a half shorter than the young man, but he was carrying a large sword that didn't match his height.The hard voice repeated: "You, what's your name?"

"Has no one ever taught you the etiquette of giving someone's name before asking for it, boy?"

"Ulan Pok."

"I'm Yakenjere, what can you do for me?"

"Are you a woman?"

Facing the other party who seriously asked such other questions, the young man even forgot to live, and was dumbfounded for a moment.

Thomas from behind burst out laughing. "Boy, do you want to say that this little brother is as beautiful as a woman? However, if you want to strike up a conversation, you are not small enough and young enough. Don't look at him so slender, but also a beauty like a woman, this guy is strong It's very, if you're not as strong as me, it's hard to push him down."

"Thomas!" The young man who hated such words the most, even as a joke, showed a horrified look in his eyes.

"I don't know how many women are called beauties until now, but I still think that Yakanjier is more beautiful, so it is better to say that she is more beautiful than women."

After giving his friend who was laughing so hard a hard elbow in the side, the former paladin looked down at the boy with displeasure: "Although I'm not happy at all, I still interpret it as a compliment to thank you."

"Successor of the blood of the Holy King." This is not a question, but an affirmation.The youth also admitted it straightforwardly.

"Ah, I am the concubine son of King Kanagawa who was destroyed by Fujikyoto. It is said that I am the No. 18 son. But let me tell you, it is not unusual for people with the blood of the holy king, and so is Thomas. People here should And there are many."

"That's right. My grandfather and grandmother both have the blood of the Ruoshan Wang family. It's a bit more simple now, but there were 47 kingdoms before, and any Wang family was a womanizing bastard who would shoot a beauty whenever he saw it. And once you become king, it is also necessary to have [-] to [-] children that can be used as policy marriage props." The young man who silently listened to Thomas' explanation frowned, and for the first time had what could be called an expression. expression.

"The Holy King's family has also fallen."

"I can't help it. I'm afraid there isn't even one of my descendants who has the face to face the great ancestor who divided the world in two." Unlike the strong man who nodded solemnly, but was half joking, the former paladin frowned He stared at the boy frowning.

The fall of the descendants of the Holy King is not a recent incident. No matter which country or city they go to, the children will sing nursery rhymes describing various scandals of the royal family when they play games.

In order to ensure their own safety, mercenaries must have a certain understanding of the affairs of each kingdom.

Originally, he could not care about the words of a child who had not been a mercenary for a long time, but from the short words of the young man just now, Yakanjier heard strong anger and exclamation, and began to have feelings for this young man who seemed destined to be different from him. There will be interest.

Before he could speak, however, his brawny friend stopped him. "Shh, roll call is starting, it's too troublesome to ask later, so listen carefully."

Maids in starched white aprons handed shiny objects to the soldiers in line.

"One drink is one copper plate. If you want other drinks and side dishes, please order separately, and the bill will be settled when you go back." Looking at the metal plate engraved with the royal family's coat of arms, Thomas sighed greatly .

"What is this...the palaces of the three major royal families have turned into public drinking places, and they are earning money from mercenaries for drinking. It is so stingy that people can't be angry. If His Majesty the Holy King knows the truth, he will fall to the ground in the Kingdom of Eternal Eternity Cry."

A maid happened to pass by, and heard Doma's feeble complaints, she pouted and corrected: "Ah, that's too much, we are here as a retainer restaurant that prepares food for those working in the castle, and it's cheaper than on the street. It is cheap, high-quality, plentiful and delicious, and it is well received by the guests who visit the city.”

"Tour in the city—?"

"Yes, usually twice at [-]:[-] p.m. and [-]:[-] p.m., and once at [-]:[-] a.m. on holidays or festivals. It's very cheap with the tour guide's commentary. If it's convenient, Mr. Mercenary will also come to visit, It can be your talking point." The cheerful girl finished the publicity right away, and left with a large beer glass in both hands.

The rest of the brawny man muttered in his mouth: "The extravagance of princes and nobles...the elegant life of the upper class..."

"It seems that your dream seems to be shattered. It doesn't matter if you have some ambitions, but please also remember that it is very difficult to maintain wealth... Anyway, I will be very happy if I can not get in the way here. There are people protesting behind. Yakenjell, who happened to be in a group with Thomas, warned tactfully.

The adjacent room was the same size as the room where I was ordered to wait, and the tables and chairs were densely packed.

A large group of people huddled together, gobbling and chatting, and because of the noise around them, the volume was getting higher and higher.The appearance of such a group of ferocious men yelling at each other is really not a pleasing sight.

But the maids didn't seem to care at all.Smiling faces greet people and shuttle back and forth.

Unable to resist the smiling faces of the young girls, and at the instigation of the shrewd girls, the men finally ordered a bunch of things they didn't need.

"How should I put it, it seems like someone took advantage of me..."

"Thomas, over there, number 53."

There are already three people sitting at the table with sign No. 53.

One is a 15-year-old girl with chestnut hair loosely tied into two strands. She looks thin and inconspicuous. Only her skin is very white, but the freckles are more clearly highlighted.

The other is a middle-aged monk in a khaki cloak. Although he is short, he has a muscular physique that does not resemble a monk. His nose is sunken like a fist fighter, and the hairline on his forehead has been neatly cut in the back half of his receding blond hair. flat.

A young man who looked bright and looked like an official remained.A scroll of parchment was in his hand, and he seemed to be very impatient, tapping the table with his fingertips from time to time.

"That bastard, he looks like he's just a mercenary and wants me to wait, and he's so pissed off."

"Don't be impatient, it's only for a while anyway. You don't want to lose a rare job opportunity." The former paladin, Meiqing, kowtowed on the broad back of the strong man with murderous aura, but this forbearance was overwhelmed. The official's nervous loud noise completely disappeared.

"'Xunlei' Thomas, 'Flash' Yakenjell, since they make people wait for a long time, don't gossip over there, and sit in front of me quickly!"

"If you're so uncomfortable waiting for us, report to the boss who put us in the last group."

"In my opinion, there is a big problem with your attitude just now. Where is the last person, 'Blood Red' Ulan Pok?"

The young man who was completely covered by the strong man stood up speechlessly.Why does this young man with a pitch-black scabbard even have an alias 'Blood Red' that doesn't match his impression?Thomas felt incredible.

The aliases of the epidemic are almost all decided without the person knowing. If the aliases are called out by the colleagues I met, they can be said to be qualified mercenaries. If even the employer knows, then you can be more sure of yourself. Is a first-class mercenary.

Thomas, who claims to be a good informant, has never heard of this young man's name.Since he is the winner of the martial arts competition and has been named to the same team as himself, he must at least have the ability not to drag others down.

Black hair is mostly in the south, but the fair skin that has hardly been exposed to the sun is also a characteristic of northerners.Swordsmanship is superb at this age, so he must have been trained in swordsmanship since he was a child, but judging from his impolite and rash manner of speaking, it doesn't seem like he has the blood of a knight who values ​​character.Perhaps he was from the Hao clan, a place far from the capital.They are simple and strong, and they value strength. It is possible for them to become excellent fighters in their youth, and it is possible to become mercenaries for their cultivation.

Thinking about the boy, he completely ignored the young official's rude opening remarks.Considering that my friend's character is extremely disgusting to Yakengel, who is looked down upon by the police and sits between Thomas and the officials, I feel a little relieved by the strong man's lack of response.However, there was a fierce resistance in the direction he didn't expect.

The boy sitting opposite the official on the round table surrounded by six people silently pulled the chair away, and jumped onto the table in the next instant.

"Call Luwanka." The boy who had one foot on the official's chest looked down expressionlessly and said.

The chair the official was sitting on was tilted backwards, only his two back feet were on the ground, and he put his knees under the table, looking ridiculous as if he was about to fall down.Facing this person who was speechless due to his sudden move, the boy repeated the same name again. "Tell Luwanka to come here. If you play this trick with me again, I'll knock off your drag and go back."

"You, you little mercenary, how dare you call the Prime Minister by his name!"

With the table of this group of people as the center, the hustle and bustle immediately quieted down like an ebb tide.

The young man was speaking the truth, without even moving his eyebrows, he stretched out his hand to the hilt on his right hand.From the moment he carried the great sword on his right side, Yakenjell noticed that the boy was left-handed.Although he knew in his heart that he had to be stopped, the quiet expression of the young man who was about to kill something senselessly made him fascinated by it for some reason.

Doma, who thought that his friend from the former paladin would join in the mediation, saw the young man in a daze, and hurried to stand up.Before the strong man, a loud call from an old man stopped the boy from moving.

"Lord Ulan Pok!" The old man with a big white beard on his chest quickly walked through the narrow passage.

"May I ask if this person has done anything disrespectful to you?" The braided girl answered instead of the boy.

"It's not that he did anything. He just said that as a retainer of the Miyagi family, he is very unwilling to hand over such a big job to mercenaries. He is just a mercenary. How could someone use this Such a great attitude to commission someone else to do such a gracious job? I can't believe it."

"I'm very sorry. I told them not to be rude to you before, but these people below didn't implement it-please come all the way to be so rude, I'm really very sorry."

The old man's last words were for the young man who was still standing on the official's chest.

Ulan Pok silently accepted the apology and jumped off the table.

"Master Prime Minister..."

"Fool! How rude to the lord who destroyed that creature!"

"Take the Sphinx...!" The mercenaries around heard the words of the young official, all uttered a voice of astonishment, and shouted in confusion.

"It's the legendary Phantom Beast Hunter! It's amazing, it's the first time I've seen him!"

"Isn't the Sphinx one of the most important characters in Eudemons, was it really wiped out by such a child?"

"If that wasn't the case, why would Lu Wanka, the famous prime minister of the mighty Three Kingdoms, Miyagi himself appear on the stage?"

Not only the mercenaries, but even the maids and other officials at the table stared at him in surprise.The young man who received a lot of attention urged the old man to take a seat quickly with his eyes.

King Miyagi's good governance is all thanks to this famous minister. With such an evaluation, the old priest apologized to his surroundings and then turned the topic back to work.

"Oh, boy, did you really kill that Sphinx?" Thomas asked with great interest, and the boy nodded slightly.

"Yeah! We will be the strongest team!"

"That's exactly what I've teamed up with, 'Thunder' Dormer, and 'Flash' Yakenjal."

"I often receive commissions to repel undead monsters, but I don't have much experience in Eudemons. At most, I only have little ghosts and half-orcs."

"I have dealt with ogres and centaurs. Although I managed to succeed at that time, some of my companions died. If it was a sphinx-class phantom beast, it would not be a job that I would actively accept. Our Is the mission to protect this kid?"

"I don't particularly favor anyone. I hope that everyone can work together to defeat the phantom beasts." The prime minister answered cautiously considering the self-esteem of first-class mercenaries.

It has been thousands of years since the world was divided into two, and there have been two great chaos caused by the appearance of Eudemons.The last great chaos was 350 years ago, and the legend of the hunter who was tasked with destroying the phantom beasts at that time is still widely circulated.Because it is an industry that cannot be done without phantom beasts, it is called a legend. It is extremely difficult to serve as a guard and aid for such a difficult task of eliminating phantom beasts.

Dorma turned his big eyes under his thick eyebrows to the young man, "Boy, are you really the legendary Phantom Beast Hunter?"

"I don't know about the legend, I'm only here to wipe out the Eudemons from this world."

The young man said something that sounded very rude in a light tone, naturally showing a sense of stability that did not match his age.

The burly man with his cheeks propped up laughed at the boy's answer, "It looks like a real guy, which is exciting. In order to make it easier for you to kill the phantom beast, leave the other troublesome things to us."

"In that way, the efficiency will also be improved." The beautiful young man agreed.

The freckled girl clapped her hands, "You two are really amazing, I am not stubborn at all about my self-esteem. My name is Crotia, I am very proud of bow skills, and I can use all four major elf magics at the elementary level. I will work hard, Please teach me a lot."

Instead of the middle-aged monk who had been silent all this time, the prime minister introduced him to the crowd.

"This is Ghaith. Before he became a monk, he was a guard of the royal palace. He is especially good at fighting skills. In addition to holy magic, he also uses some elven magic to assist attacks, which can be effective in both offense and defense. Guess has been informed of the information about the phantom beasts that I ask everyone to get rid of, including the rewards, and Guess will explain it later.”

"Then, why did you come out to greet us? Even if it's an important matter, just ask us to go to another room?"

"It's common sense that we should come forward to greet you when you entrust a major event to a country. Everyone, on behalf of my lord, I would like to sincerely ask you all here."

The old man known as the Prime Minister folded his hands in front of his eyes, bowed his head and gave a deep salute.

People peeping at their situation stared round at the prime minister's highest courtesy.

"Master Prime Minister, please don't do this. We are very grateful for your courtesy to us, but doing this to mercenaries will attract attention instead."

Forget it, it's only now anyway. "

Sighing, Thomas put away his kind smile and stared at the prime minister's gentle face.

"I want to ask you something that has nothing to do with work. Why do you, who are famous and famous, want to invade other countries and bring phantom beasts into troubled times?"

"Thanks to God, Gongmuquan can be said to be quite prosperous and prosperous, but across the invisible line of the border, there are many people suffering from tyranny, and they have fled to our country. In order to avoid this situation, the other side Just strengthen the military at the border and try my best to prevent people from fleeing. Compared with being rich alone, even if I become an invader, I have to save the people who can be saved——I think so, and I don’t care if I am called a hypocrite. "

"Hmph, it's up to the historians of later generations to choose a nickname for you. Anyway, Eudemons are a troublesome existence to the people of any country. The expert kid has to work hard-oh, little... ..." Thomas who turned his head was speechless.

The boy was taking a deep gulp from a tankard that was about the size of his own head that he had ordered at some point.The cold expression of the former paladin broke down, and he laughed out loud.Seeing the stark contrast between the burly man's dumb expression and the young man's nonchalant boldness, it's no wonder he didn't laugh.

"With this child and you here, we have to be prepared to pay a considerable amount of money for drinks." He still retains that unusual sense of transparency, but his smile is unexpectedly warm, like the sun shining into the darkness generally.

Yakanjel is a miraculously beautiful young man who even the prime minister casts pure admiration.The girl sitting across from him couldn't help but look at his elegant smile in a daze, but at the same time, she couldn't help secretly angry at the unreasonable inequality between herself and him.

The martial arts conference with great fanfare ended, and after a large number of spectators who came from nearby returned, the bustling market suddenly became idle.

A group of people who left the palace first stayed in a medium-sized hotel in the city center.Because of his character, Thomas naturally became the captain of the party, talking about business early in the big room where the four men lived.

"You can't take that old fox lightly. No matter what, I'm not a rookie whose blood surges with gratitude when the prime minister of a country bows his head. Let me tell you about the work."

Under the urging of the strong man, the monk did not accuse him of speaking rudely to the prime minister, but directly began to explain.

"It's not clear what the Eudemons are, but there are two entrusted to destroy them. One is in the Fukui circle, and the other is in the Xinxing circle. The reward is to kill each of them with 100 million vines." Thomas whistled, and with these Money is not a problem for ten years.

The only ones who didn't change their expressions after hearing the amount were the boy who was a monster hunter and the former paladin.

"I don't understand," Yakenjal said. "It's not difficult to understand if we want to deal with the phantom beasts infesting the country, but why do we need to hire soldiers to eliminate the phantom beasts that exist in the country that we want to annex. Isn't it a great opportunity for the opponent to reduce their troops due to dealing with phantom beasts? "

"The information sent back by the spies shows that the two countries use living sacrifices to raise phantom beasts and train them to fight against foreign enemies. This is not called a patron saint, but it can also be called a guardian phantom beast. For the phantom beasts of the cotton team, even the elite regular army There must be a sense of corresponding sacrifice.”

"Using living sacrifices to raise phantom beasts? This idea is too dangerous. Powerful phantom beasts have intelligence equal to or even higher than humans, and such an arrogant attitude like raising them will definitely be cruelly retaliated." Frowning unhappily , the young man said in a rare harsh tone.

Ulan Boke took his words, "It's just like Gongmuquan."

All the eyes of the group were focused on the boy.

"...Is that so, that's why you were asked to destroy the Sphinx."

"Not being called, but in conclusion."

"...What exactly is a living sacrifice, do you know?"

"At first, we caught robbers, murderers and thieves, but later we used refugees and beggars. It became unmanageable, so I let me take care of it." The boy said in a tone without any ups and downs.

On the contrary, the former paladin youth was furious: "Why save the people who are suffering from the tyranny of the neighboring country! He is not so much a hypocrite as a dirty murderer! He is also called a name, really Outrageous!"

Facing the furious Arkenjel, Thomas unexpectedly gave a stern rebuttal.

"It's not enough to hold on to the country with only a half-toned consciousness. I don't think the old man's ideals are a lie. Miyaki circle is good governance, and the ideals cannot be realized by just saying that no sacrifices are allowed. There are still ideals in politics. , it’s already good.”

"Anyway, I'm just a mercenary, not the prime minister of a country. I don't want to raise a phantom beast that wants to eat people."

The young man said coldly out of anger.He looks more arrogant than his attitude, but his posture is more noble and charming.

——It’s so good to be a beauty~~ The girl suppressed her bitter thoughts, and persuaded with a bright smile: "Okay, okay. Don’t quarrel with yourself over things that have nothing to do with work. In short, we just need to go to other countries Just kill the phantom beast. If you kill it, it won’t eat the living, and it won’t kill the soldiers in Gongmuquan, and we can get another 100 million Wein. Isn’t that great? Right?”

"—Fukukyo and Shinga, which side has the stronger army?"

The monk who was suddenly asked by the boy paused for a moment and replied: "Xinxing, there are heavy cavalry troops over there."

"The original destination is the new form."

"Huh? Why? Is Fukui closer?"

"Right now, neither side expects that someone will sneak in to clean up the phantom beasts. Those two countries are vigilant about Miyaki's movements. Once the phantom beasts in one country are killed, the other country will definitely raise its vigilance, so we must clean up the difficult ones first. side."

The boy suddenly started talking about something else to the girl who was still dissatisfied with his explanation.

"You have the blood of the Holy King, right?"

"Huh?...Ah, yes. However, such people are not uncommon, why suddenly—"

"Quite a strong bloodline. It may not be uncommon in royal families where consanguineous marriages are the mainstay because of policy marriages, but it is really rare for commoners."

"Wait a minute! What do you want to say? What do you know about me to say such a thing?!" Crotia's expression changed and forced her to ask the boy, her attitude seemed a bit unnatural, but it proved the boy's words.

Thomas folded his arms and said in a low voice, "Is it the princess of the subjugated country? We don't want to be involved in troublesome things like revenge."

"No! I am the winner of the bow and arrow department, and I won the competition with dignity! I have completed five tasks so far!"

"Five pieces~? For such a big job as destroying Eudemons, I'm not experienced enough."

"What, what a great look. Since I was selected as a companion, I will go with you. If you think I'm really a burden, then you can leave me alone!" The strong man rubbed his chin with a bitter expression. The composition of the girl gnashing her teeth at him with a sharp voice seems to continue forever, but——

"...Mr. Thomas, I will take responsibility for Her Royal Highness's affairs. I hope you can allow her to accompany her."

"Don't say that!" Crotia scolded the worried Gase.

Yakenjel recalled the monk's past as a Guardsman.

"Is that so, Crotia is the princess of the Miyagi Royal Family...?"

"Since you are the princess of the Miyagi family, you should live comfortably, right? Why do you want to learn how to be a mercenary? Listen, Your Highness, mercenaries..."

"Can you stop your great preaching, 'Xunlei' Thomas! I know exactly what you want to say. People around me said that I have calloused ears." The tone of the girl with braids changed, and the calmness she has only shown so far The imposing manner made the strong man silent.

"Policy marriage depends on the blood relationship of my parents. My father is King Gongmu and my mother is the fourth concubine. If I only consider status, I can find a very good person to marry. But what about blood? If I and If the older sisters are equally beautiful, maybe they can be loved by their husbands and live a happy life. But if the other party already has someone to love, even someone like an older sister will not be loved, and they will have to live and support until death Living in the palace as if waiting to die. I know you want to say 'you think about the civilian girls who were killed or starved to death in the war', right? However, I can't participate in politics or the army like my brothers, and my life is not free I have no self-will. I have practiced archery since I was a child, not only riding horses but also raising horses myself. Even if I am ridiculed as a weirdo, I still have to learn all kinds of techniques to keep myself alive. In this martial arts conference, I got Winner, and successfully completed the task of eradicating the Eudemons,