Chapter 141: The Eternal Rest in The Eternal Winter
I went to the inn where Gunther and his mercenaries were staying. I had heard its location before, so it was easy to find. Coincidentally, Gunther was inside. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Umm… did you finally break up?”
Those were his first words. Then…
“Ah, you’re getting along very well!”
What a bastard. Come to think of it, he hadn’t told me about Sigren overhearing the conversation that day.
“What? An animal bigger than a squirrel? You should have given me a better description. Because of that, we had a huge fight!”
Gunther shrugged his shoulders. “Getting involved in affairs between lovers could hurt my head.”
Hearing his insensitive, casual tone made me not want to complain anymore. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
So I nodded generously. “Well, okay. I came to make a request today.”
At that moment, several large men rushed down the stairs.
“Uh, the captain is with a woman.”
“Woah, you’re right.”
Looking at their reaction, it seemed they were the mercenaries under Gunther.
“His lover?”
Gunther answered calmly. “You’d better watch your mouth. If you say something wrong, you might lose your head.”
A death sentence. Did he say that because I was dating the prince?
The mercenaries giggled as a group.
“Eyy, Captain, how could you say that!”
I grinned. “You’d better listen to Gunther.”
Even if it wasn’t a death penalty, I could roast them instantly if they used their mouths the wrong way. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“As expected, even his lover is just like him—full of determination. Her face is shaped like a beautiful grown-up girl, but it turns out she doesn’t look like that—”
“I’m a client.”
“Oh, are you?”
One mercenary leaned in. “Do you know how expensive we are?”
“That’s right! There are quite a few arrogant shits asking for requests, and then they immediately turn tail.”
“Right! It looks like the captain hasn’t even accepted the request yet, so there’s no need to be so overbearing already—”
“Oh my, right! I forgot the down payment.”
No need to hear more. Boom! I slammed a heavy money bag on the table. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“….”
The pocket of the bag opened slightly, and gold coins and jewels spilled out, sparkling as they shook.
“I’ll correct you.” I raised my chin and spoke proudly. “I’m a ‘rich and powerful’ client.”
It seemed they weren’t so stupid that they couldn’t grasp the situation, befitting those under Gunther.
“We apologize. We didn’t know. Shall we address you as ‘Miss’?”
Gunther sighed as he watched his men turn into slaves of money in an instant.
***
As a result, Gunther accepted the request.
“To buy the entire mercenary group… what is nobility?”
It was a position I was sick of, but right now, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied that I had this status as a useful weapon.
“How long is the request period?”
“Until I find the Duke.”
Sigren didn’t have a very high opinion of Gunther, but it seemed he had no intention of denying that Gunther was helpful. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“What happened in the past?”
“….”
Seeing that he didn’t deny it, it seemed there was something more to it.
“It was nothing.”
Really?
Let’s ask him later, then.
Anyway, I hurriedly assembled a party and set off straight for Heilon.
***
I returned to Heilon after a long time, and it felt like coming back to my hometown. I didn’t like winter because of the cold, but when the familiar scent of winter brushed against the tip of my nose, I felt relieved for some reason. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Miss!” Jeron came out to greet me with a bright smile.
“Jeron.”
“I’m glad to see you looking healthy.”
“Jeron too.”
We didn’t have time for a lengthy greeting, so we went straight into the briefing.
Jeron opened his mouth, his expression serious. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Without preamble, the dragon appeared.”
“Is it one of the three remaining?”
“No, two.”
What?!?
“Surely Abel didn’t go to catch them,” Sigren asked, stepping in for me as I stood there dumbfounded.
Two at the same time is absolutely impossible.
“No, he didn’t go to catch them. To be precise, he went to investigate.”
The detailed summary was as follows: Two dragons appeared on the side of the mountains surrounding Heilon. Perhaps because of that, the number of monster attacks also increased exponentially. So, while continuing to focus on Heilon’s defense, Abel decided to investigate much further. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“In addition, there was a report from the scouting party that the two dragons were fighting.”
“Why are they fighting?”
“Aren’t they on the same side?” Sigren muttered.
“…”
On the contrary, I had a thought in my mind.
“Sigren, did the dragon you caught have any intelligence by any chance?”
“No, it wasn’t much different from dealing with monsters. Except it was ridiculously strong.”
As expected, it was maybe that. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Fiona? What’s the matter?”
“No, nothing.” I quickly changed the subject. “Jeron, how is the defense of the walls?”
“It’s a close call.”
“Can you hold out until Sigren and I find the Duke?”
“We have to.”
That was a very reassuring answer.
“Also, please arrange for the mercenaries I brought. That’s right; they’re quite elite… right, elite. Probably.”
Jeron let out a short laugh. “I know well about the mercenary corps led by the Mercenary King. Don’t worry, we’ll be fine, Miss.”
Oh right, it was said that Kwonter once stayed in Heilon.
“Okay, then let’s plot the Duke’s travel route on a map.”
It’s been a few days since he went missing.
After we estimated the remaining food supplies taken by the investigation team, the outlook didn’t look good. I wanted to believe he was alive; this was Abel’s life. But our analysis was already giving us a cold, harsh reality. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“What about the number of people you want to bring along?”
“As few as possible.”
A search was still a search, but there were two dragons. The more troops we brought, the more attention we would attract. Additionally, it was clear there would be casualties. And if Abel died…
I didn’t wish for his death, but in the current situation, if we were lucky, we might only find his body. I hated to think of this, but I couldn’t risk many soldiers’ lives to search for Abel and the others.
I despised myself for thinking this way. However, the life and death of the people of Heilon depended on my judgment. I forced a smile.
“Don’t worry. If I find any traces or if I am in danger, I will immediately send a signal with my magic. Doing so will save you even more time. Please tell the soldiers guarding the castle wall to always keep an eye on the sky over the northern mountains.”
Jeron let out a deep sigh. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“All right. As soon as we see a signal, we will send more people.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
***
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