Chapter 380: Side Story, Dream Flower (3)

Lancaster's warning leaked out. Even though Rachel warned that she would severely punish anyone caught leaking it, the guild members still secretly talked about the issue.

"Why the hell is Lancaster so obsessed with the royal family?"

"Didn't he put his country ahead of his own family in the past?"

"But why now?"

There was a clear answer to the last question.

It was because soon, a "party conference" would be held in Central Asia.

Swiish!

Rachel swung her sword in the guild's gymnasium. Gallatin released a flash of light that stretched out in a straight line then bent obliquely.

Her swordsmanship was elegant, her gestures graceful. Sweat dripped between her movements.

No amount of disturbance could ruin her concentration. Each swing of her sword was like a stroke of a paintbrush, their lines intersecting to seemingly create a beautiful painting.

Still, she was troubled deep down.

Lancaster sent a direct warning. This was the first time he aimed for the royal family this blatantly. The guild executives asked her to request help from the Association, but she refused.

The royal family alone should settle this matter. Even if she sent a request to the Hero Association to 'get rid of the evil that has a grudge against the princess,' she was almost certain they would just laugh in disdain...

Rachel felt someone watching her from the gym entrance.

The butler.

Rachel wiped her sweat as she turned his attention to him, finding him smiling softly.

"Three weeks have passed. The time has come, princess."

The old butler, who would turn eighty this year, was the only person who could call Rachel a 'princess.'

He had been serving her even before she came, and after Rachel became a princess, he became her henchman.

"... I know."

Still, she responded a little bluntly because of her uncontrollable tension and sense of defeat.

A guild meeting would soon be held in the halls of Central Asia. It served as a kind of qualification test to participate in the 'megascale field' formed there.

Korea would normally be the safest place to hold such gatherings, but this particular event's main agenda was to discuss 'the right to pass through giant fields that no one owns.' Due to how specific it was, the delegates agreed to conduct it in a hall built at the field's entrance.

"Are you really okay with your escorts?" The butler asked, concerned.

There was no portal from England to Central Asia. Therefore, Rachel had to travel by car or horse from the nearest civilizations, India or China. However, now that she was exposed to Lancaster's threat, the land route had become too dangerous.

"Yes. I've called reliable members as deputies."

All of the representatives of the two hundred guilds attending the convention brought mercenaries along with internal personnel. It was probably because very few heroes took the position of 'escort' as their main niche.

Their name was too grandiose to protect just a single individual.

However, in the mercenary world, many people had talent that wasn't enough to earn them the title of hero but enough to make a living through different means. That included becoming a mercenary, from which one could potentially earn more money than becoming a civil servant.

"Still, I'm concerned. They're not professional escorts. Missions like this can't just be accomplished through brute force. Rather than a retaliative and aggressive entourage, It's more difficult and safer to have a preventative guard detail observing from a distance for any signs of a harbinger of an attack."

Of course, Rachel also knew what mercenaries were capable of. However, the British Royal Guild lacked the finances to hire them.

With 199 guilds competing against each other to hire the best escorts, she couldn't even dare look at the list of mercenaries with abilities outstanding enough to be worth hiring.

"It's okay. I trust our guild members." She said, convincing the old butler. "You don't have to worry."

Perhaps she was trying to convince herself too.

* * *

Dake, the HR team head of the British Royal Guild, wanted to hire a mercenary.

Vice-captain Rachel said she'd be fine without one, but no matter how hard she thought about it, he always came to the same conclusion. She needed a 'guide.'

How could she navigate through Central Asia, the terrain of which had become as complicated as a maze due to multiple magical explosions, without an aid?

Just by hiring a good guide, they would cut the chance of a surprise attack in half.

[How about this person?]

While pondering about it, a message came. It was from Fermin, a member of the hall's escort team.

[Here's the link. Take a look.]

When he clicked the link, a certain mercenary group's site appeared along with the announcement of the Violet Banquet.

[Xtra]

- Specialized in long-distance escort, assassination, sniper, and guide missions.

- Does not discriminate between terrain and country when hired for escort and guide missions.

- Reply may be delayed depending on the time of the request.

Xtra.

Although he had never heard of it, it was a mercenary group based only on the Violet Banquet. However, if he hired a guild active in such a site, there was a high possibility it would anger Rachel.

The conscience and ethics of heroes using such a shady system had already been compromised to some extent. Moreover, mercenary groups with high asking prices had equally high probabilities of Djinns being among their members.

If he hired a group with a Djinn, and Rachel found out about it...

The Vice-captain would punish him severely, using their metaphysical 'oath of the royal family's knights and the guild' as grounds and justification.

Dake called Fermin.

- Yes, chief?

"Bastard. Why did you search in the Violet Banquet? You should be well aware that the Vice-captain is reluctant about using it by now!"

- Huh? Oh, uh... I couldn't help it. Since all we could give them were vague answers, the guides we were eyeing had already been hired by others.

"Still, we mustn't use the Violet Banquet. What if a Djinn's among them?"

- Oh~ hahaha. No. You don't have to worry about that. Xtra absolutely isn't. If you look closely, their page says, 'Sniping and assassination targets are limited to Djinns and monsters.' They don't kill people, only demons.

"... Hmm."

Dake checked it again. They indeed have such a rule.

- Do you believe me now? Xtra's fee is quite affordable, and except for being a little lazy, they have a good reputation.

"Lazy?"

- Yes. Their group was established in 2026, and so far, they've only done about 20 missions.

"... Shouldn't they already be bankrupt?"

A medium-sized mercenary corps was tasked with about 300 missions a year. Doing only 20 in five years... It was as if they had already been culled and decayed.

- Not at all. When I inquired about a request, they replied right away.

"I don't care about their reply speed. Why are you recommending them?"

- I told you, they have a pretty good reputation.

"Elaborate."

Dake was disconcerted. How could a mercenary group with only four missions a year have a good reputation?

-Listen, chief. This mercenary corps established themselves and completed 16 missions out of 20 within the same year. But take a look at this link. The reviews about them are quite interesting!

The link Fermin sent led to the most popular information store in the Violet Banquet. [Alkaraka],

Upon clicking on it, a message appeared.

[This information that 'Dr.Pmin' purchased has been sent to 'Rocallist.' Information can only be transmitted free of charge twice.]

Pressing okay, reviews about Xtra popped up.

There were a total of nine reviews.

[ID - Reca****]

[Rating - ★★★★★]

He's the best for security and escort in dangerous areas. Thanks to him, we were able to safely pass through the Outskirts

of Pandemonium. He blocked all potential threats in advance, and when met with unexpected situations, he easily and swiftly adapted and overcame them.

Words can't even begin to describe how he operates.

Just... He provided the safest paths in the most dangerous places.

This mercenary never even showed his face to us. He only ever watches us from high vantage points and far distances.

This trip will remain deeply in my heart moving forward.

He was a truly impressive guardian.

[ID - Witch****]

[Rating - ★★★★★]

He was a strange mercenary. He didn't want to reveal himself or see his employee's face. It may feel quite arrogant and rude from a client's perspective, but I'm certain most of those who hire this mercenary will be very satisfied with his services.

Although it only has one member, his skills make Xtra fully qualified to be called a 'group.'

He can carry out an entire mercenary corps' duty alone.

[ID - Watermelon****]

[Rating - ★★★★★]

There aren't many reviews right now, but I'm sure he'll soon become famous.

Additional review: Are you not accepting requests here anymore? I inquired about another mission I wanted to entrust you with since you did great last time, but I've received no reply in three months.

Indeed, as Fermin said, the reviews were interesting.

There were no lies in the reviews. Reading every line in it costs money, after all.

In that store, even the simplest review could only be read after paying points(money), so if it contained false information, the user would simply get a 'suspension of use.'

"What is this?" Dake asked skeptically. If the reviews were like this, it meant that he could trust him to some extent. "Are you sure this isn't manipulated intel?"

- No way~ what crazy guy would manipulate Alkaraka? If he gets caught, he gets banned.

"... More importantly, one of the reviews says Xtra only has one member."

- Yes. He did all the missions by himself! Do you have any idea how impressive that is?!

This mercenary group sounded more and more absurd as he learned about it.

If he were going to work alone, why would he register as a mercenary 'group'? He could just register as a private mercenary.

"How much is his fee?"

- His price for guide missions alone is KRW 300 million. However, doesn't Lancaster's threat make you feel uneasy? So, I asked how much it would cost if we added additional three months of security!

"And?"

- 100 million per month, and that's with a discount for the British Royal Guild! Once he has successfully escorted the client until the end of the convention, a 100 million more! That's a total of 700 million!

Her useless, confident tone of speech actually annoyed Dake.

"... Forget it. Be prepared to write an apology and explanation."

- Eh? N-n-no, wait, chief—

Dake immediately hung up the phone.

He ruffled his hair wildly, but he looked quite contemplative. Lying on his back, he spoke, seemingly explaining to himself.

"... No way. This mercenary might all be Lancaster's tactics... Hmm... No. If Lancaster had prepared something like this five years ago, he wouldn't have offered to give such a shitty discount... More accurately, he would have planted an informant in our guild with that time and money instead... In that respect, Fermin is indeed the most reliable..."

Why was it that the more he doubted Xtra, the more he thought he was a reliable mercenary?

It was the first time he had seen a review of a mercenary that had only received such favorable reviews throughout his ten years of Violet Banquet usage. He only had nine reviews, though.

"He doesn't show his face."

And above all, he liked this part. As long as he didn't show his face, he wouldn't have to fear Rachel catching him.

In addition, there was a price advantage. Considering how precious every penny was for the British Royal Guild, 700 million won wasn't that huge of a fee. It already included all services they'd need, after all.

Dake took a deep breath and called Fermin again.

- Hello again, chief~ I was expecting this~

"... Quiet. For now, keep this between us. His mission will be as inquired."

- Including the escort part?

"Yes, he'll be a guide and bodyguard. Lancaster sent a warning. We can't wait anymore. The advance payment will be deposited with my own money, so don't let the Vice-captain know."

- No, no, it's okay! I'll pay half of it too!

"It's okay. You need to save a lot of money from now on if you're planning on getting married. What kind of madman will marry you if you don't even have money? I can reimburse it from the guild after the mission is over anyway."