The Necromancer Who Was Despised

You need to have the qualifications.

‘Even so, I didn’t think they’d go so far as to block us completely.’

Originally, it was absurd to interfere with our request with that attitude.

What if our request was to escort a merchant?

Then, the merchant accompanying us wouldn’t be able to enter Juterus’s territory either.

Would Juterus’s mercenaries take over the escort duties? If so, the merchant could also have conflicts with Dorim, and even if that wasn’t the case, the request fee would double.

‘They’d be losing money if they provided free escort services.’

If they did that, it would be refreshing for the time being.

However, continued losses would pile up, and in the worst-case scenario, merchants would avoid Juterus.

‘Then, the lord would be the only one suffering.’

Cutting off all external transactions and choosing isolation?

Dorim would continue to grow, wouldn’t it?

‘It may not be now, but in about ten years, they’d be robbed of their territory.’

There was no way they’d do such a crazy thing.

Moreover, it would be disliked by the headquarters as well.

It would be an act that would lower the credibility of the entire mercenary guild.

However, astonishingly, they were doing just that with ease.

“Are you out of your mind?”

The man who introduced himself as Errian replied to my question.

“This is our tribe’s official stance.”

“Are you going to isolate yourself voluntarily? How do you plan to explain this to headquarters?”

Errian looked at me with a strange, mocking smile.

“Do you think we’re fools? Would we do something so reckless without a plan?”

‘It means there’s something…’

At the very least, it means there’s an understanding with headquarters.

‘There’s a lack of information.’

I didn’t remember anything like this happening in the previous episode.

There were conflicts and intensified disputes, but nothing that would blatantly block the imperial family’s access without notice.

‘Is it because of me?’

It’s likely that something changed because of me.

‘The royal family? Could it be the Holy Empire’s side?’

If the Holy Empire found out that the royal family was moving due to Anelisse…

‘Did Juterus join the Goddess Sect?’

Then it makes sense.

If they’re going to restrain the royal family while also interfering with me, a black mage…

“What are you going to do?”

Kailla asked me then.

“If you turn back, it’ll take a long time.”

That’s unacceptable.

I’m planning to explore the ruins, but it’s taking too long.

However, if Juterus’s lord really did join hands with the Goddess Sect…

Then, a thought occurred to me.

I immediately asked Errian.

“Didn’t Juterus’s mercenary guild refuse to allow the Dorilem-affiliated mercenaries to operate in their territory?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm. Then what if we do this?”

I looked into his eyes and asked.

“I’ll hire you.”

“How much will it cost?”

“I’ll hire you and your mercenary group. The period… um, let’s make it two weeks, roughly.”

Errian’s expression turned surprised at my words.

“The request is for our protection. Specifically, protection within Juterus’s territory.”

I wanted to ask for protection up to Dorilem’s territory, but there were a few issues.

So, in a way, it felt like I was paying a toll…

‘I can’t back down.’

The form had to be that I was hiring him.

“…Do you think I’ll accept that?”

“‘It’s just a request, so let’s just pass by. There’s no reason to fight with you guys. If we just quietly pass by, that’s it. Or what? Does Lord Jutes plan to block even the free passage of civilians?’

I took on the identity of a free civilian instead of a mercenary.

“‘Can’t you just block the possibility of trouble by escorting us?’

“‘…Would I, guaranteed by Lord Jutes, go against his will?’

“‘What’s the problem with a mercenary making a request? I’ll say it again, just let us pass by. This is just a route we’re taking during our request.'”

Eryun fell silent at my words.

‘He seems a bit shaken.’

I didn’t like being a dark mage and a member of the Dorilem, but it wasn’t like I could just reject a request that came with a good sum of money.

In reality, the mercenaries around him were murmuring.

I opened my mouth before they came to their senses.

“30 gold.”

“No, change it. 50 gold.”

It was almost like throwing money down the drain, but I didn’t stop.

“It’s only a two-week job, and 50 gold is a steal. You don’t even need to leave your territory. Just let us pass by quietly twice, and that’s it. That’s only when we’re passing by Lord Jutes’ territory.”

“By the way, I’ve padded the two-week period generously. Lord Jutes’ territory isn’t that big, and if you just let us pass by, the period you need to escort us directly is only about two days.”

The empty period was the time it took for us to receive the book and tidy up the relics before returning here, and they could just do their usual work.

It seemed they didn’t even think about getting 50 gold, and their commotion grew louder.

“‘…Is this a unusual request or something?'”

I answered honestly.

“It’s a loss.”

“Hiring you guys would be a loss.”

I lifted one corner of my mouth and continued.

“But something more important is at stake.”

Eryun hesitated before answering.

“‘…It’s a matter of credibility.'”

“That’s right. It’s my first designated request.”

Eryun seemed to understand the situation roughly.

“It’s a designated request with a guarantee, so it’s important. There’s no way it can’t be important.”

He also seemed to understand the importance of having a guarantee from the guild.

As a dark mage and a rising star, receiving a guarantee from the guild made this request even more crucial.

‘It seems like they’ll have to take the loss.’

In reality, that was the case.

“‘…It’s not bad. No, it’s rather good. Since we’re not leaving the territory anyway….'”

Eryun showed a positive reaction, perhaps because of the 50 gold or because he recognized the mercenaries around him.

He even seemed to be seriously considering it.

‘Hmm, unexpected.’

To be honest, I thought it would take around 100 gold to persuade them.

As you go up the ranks, the things you can do with money decrease, but from the mercenaries’ perspective, there’s almost nothing you can’t do with money.

So, I was thinking of enticing them with an amount that would be hard to refuse, but it seemed like 50 gold might be enough.

“Hey, Black Mage. Since we’re going to use it anyway, let’s add a bit more…”

“Just forget about it.”

I cut off his words with a firm tone.

“What’s with that tone? Isn’t negotiation the basics?”

“Is 50 gold coins just a trivial matter to you? I was just trying to be considerate since it’s our first request.”

Honestly, if it were a normal situation, the guild would understand as well.

But since they’re revealing their fangs to our entire branch, what can we do? We might be able to cancel the request with a slight penalty, or maybe even without any penalty at all.

Especially since we’ve made this much effort, if they say negotiation is impossible…

“Of course, that’s only if it’s a normal situation.”

But I couldn’t do that. In reality, it was just a bluff.

“Do you think we’ll take it by force?”

“Are you confident?”

“Are you confident?” I asked, tilting my head.

“Do you think I’m negotiating because I lack power?”

Eryan quietly observed me.

Then, Kaila subtly stepped forward, and Atina also looked around Eryan’s surroundings, taking a subtle step back.

Her presence slowly began to fade away.

Next, Baldwin also grasped his weapon.

“It’s better to resolve this with money than to get entangled in troublesome matters. It might be a bit expensive, but I value my time more than money.”

Eryan seemed to think for a moment after hearing my words, then nodded his head.

“…Alright. We’ll accept the request. We’ll just report it to the guild officially. Is that okay?”

It seemed like he wanted to safely involve the guild, rather than taking the 50 gold coins without any conditions.

“It’s fine.”

“But your guild might not view you favorably.”

I may have resolved it with money, but this situation would inevitably be reported to Dorim.

So, I thought he might be worried about getting into trouble.

It was a useless thought, though.

‘It’s not like I’m thinking like a cat chasing its tail.’

“Anyway, Dorim is a place we’ll have to cross eventually. Just bear the commission.”

“Indeed, you’re a professional Black Mage. That’s expected.”

Eryan nodded as if he was convinced.

“Come this way. Ah, the down payment is half of the request fee.”

There was no trust, so it was only natural.

“I have the receipt. We’ve officially received the request through the guild, so we’ll settle it there.”

I took out the receipt from Tinairo’s upper compartment and waved it, and Eryan’s eyes wavered at the sight of the 100-gold coin receipt.

It seemed like they chose a safe profit over taking a risk, knowing that our abilities were not to be underestimated.

Once the deal was settled, I got back on the carriage with my party.

“Let’s go, driver. Follow them, and we’ll take care of the rest.”

He drove the carriage, and Eryan and his companions cleared the path, leading us into their territory.

“Some will remain. You know, right? The ones coming will be blocked.”

“Are you sharing with us?”

“Thank you, Captain!”

“I’ll work hard!”

Just a moment ago, the situation was on the brink of explosion, but with a large sum of money in hand, the atmosphere changed in an instant.

“Is it money that matters to mercenaries?”

Thanks to the money, their loyalty seemed to deepen, visible to the naked eye.

“Then let’s go! Follow me well!”

Led by Erjan, several mercenaries began to surround the carriage, guarding it.

It looked like surveillance, but with their bright faces, the atmosphere was relaxed.

“…I didn’t think it could be solved with money.”

“That’s what mercenaries are for. Besides, it was an amount that was hard to refuse.”

“Yeah. 50 gold… it was an amount I couldn’t even dream of before meeting you.”

“Even some knights would have been swayed.”

“Knights too?”

I chuckled lightly at Kayla’s words.

Her words were both right and wrong.

“Real knights wouldn’t be swayed by something like that.”

Knights from traditional families who had served their lords for generations would never be swayed.

However, knights who had become knights recently or were from poor territories might be easily swayed.

So I understood Kayla’s words.

The knight order she belonged to was certainly an unusual place.