Night fell, and the land remained shrouded in mist. The entire night was chilly...
Sean’s group, along with two other mercenary teams, temporarily settled in the same area. Following the previously agreed-upon locations, they set up camp close to one another, maintaining mutual support. It looked like a full-fledged cooperative effort.
But this only lasted through the night. Come daytime, the teams would part ways with smiles, heading in different directions—yet their ultimate goal was oddly the same.
Sean could only attribute this to a mindset of banding together in danger and hoarding benefits alone... Such behavior was common among mercenary groups, almost an unspoken rule. When dawn broke, everyone went their separate ways, with acquaintances exchanging at most a nod.
That was already considered polite!
By the campfire, Sean coughed a few times...
Even with a mask on, breathing in the mist all day left his throat feeling dry and sore. It hadn’t reached the point of constant coughing, but there was an itch that made him clear his throat now and then.
And it wasn’t just him—all twenty-odd members of the three teams were experiencing similar symptoms.
“Looks like this weather will stick around for the next few days. Good thing we stocked up on potions, or I’m not sure how long we’d hold out,” Jonathan said with a couple of coughs...
They weren’t sick yet, but a few more days trudging through this mist might push them there.
“Where does this fog come from? Why does it appear in a place like this?” Alphones, the alchemist who rarely asked questions, couldn’t help blurting out.
From the very first day, Sean knew the man wasn’t here just for the money. Now, it seemed any goal paled in comparison to one’s own life.
They’d need to use the potions more sparingly from now on.
Alphones turned to Sean, who had remained silent...
“Sir Sean, what’s your take on this mist?”
Sean shook his head.
“I don’t know where it comes from, but it’s not tied to the current weather. There must be another cause.”
“What cause?”
You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask!
Sean grumbled inwardly. He could only make that judgment because he could see the weather conditions. Tonight’s weather was clearly clear, yet the thick fog showed no sign of dissipating.
That meant the mist appeared independently, regardless of weather changes.
“Someone’s over there!”
A shout came from another mercenary team while he was still thinking.
Someone?
Everyone quickly grabbed their weapons and stood up. In the misty night, only the area around the campfire was lit, but in the direction the shouter pointed, a faint light seemed to be moving.
“There are people. They’re coming this way,” the mercenary standing there confirmed.
The light was obvious in the darkness, visible from afar as torches were raised.
“Must be mercenaries from another team...” Someone in the crowd stepped forward and yelled.
“Who’s coming over there? Speak up!”
The shout pierced the mist. Behind him, everyone—including Sean—had their weapons ready. The night was quiet, and even from a distance, a loud enough voice would carry to them.
But there was no response from the other side.
“Get ready. I think something’s off,” said the leader of another mercenary team, the same one who had discussed tonight’s camp setup with Jonathan earlier.
His hand tightened on the sword hanging at his back. The sound of blades being drawn had barely faded when a reply finally came from the mist.
“I’m Lukar. Who’s ahead?” a voice called out from the fog.
Lukar.
Sean remembered that name. Wasn’t he the big-shot mercenary they’d met at the inn three days ago? A Level 9 Order Keeper, he’d silenced the entire inn with a single sentence back then.
Sean vividly recalled the scene. Anyone who could command respect among unruly mercenaries had real skill.
“It’s Sir Lukar!”
“Oh, it’s them.”
Murmurs rippled through the surrounding mercenaries, with some showing signs of [Excitement!] and [Relief!]. Clearly, this renowned mercenary from Rietis City carried enough weight to bring a sense of security just by showing up.
The torches in the mist drew closer, and sure enough, it was the same golden-haired, short-haired man from before. His dark, weathered face bore a prominent scar, giving off an oppressive aura.
Besides him, five other team members followed. They must have formed a group too—and joining Lukar’s team was no small feat.
Uh...
Sean’s gaze instinctively locked onto a girl at the back of their group.
She wasn’t tall, and like the others, she wore a mask and coat, but her hair—a rare shade of pink—stood out. More importantly, her attributes showed:
[4100/4100, Indifferent]
It was her.
Sean was certain. This woman was the only one at the inn three days ago who had a negative disposition toward him. He’d been keeping an eye out for her ever since, trying to confirm her identity, and now she’d ended up in Lukar’s team...
He remembered her sitting alone at the inn back then, so she must have joined this team later.
But that wasn’t the main point. The key was her identity...
It wasn’t until now that Sean vaguely recalled something. Her hair color seemed familiar. The bounty hunter badge in his pouch had originally come from a female thief.
Back then, because of Freya’s presence, she hadn’t managed to take the badge from him... Now that he thought about it, aside from that female thief, it was hard to find anyone in the north with a negative disposition toward him.
Looking at the red disposition reading [Indifferent]...
With everyone masked, she probably didn’t expect to find him here. They’d only crossed paths briefly back then—who would’ve thought they’d meet in a place like this?
Sean stared at the girl, but she didn’t seem to notice him. Instead, like everyone else, she gathered around Lukar.
“Sir Lukar, didn’t you set out two days ago? Why are you only here now?” someone in the group asked.
“Don’t get me started. I don’t think this is as simple as it seems. Prince Philip offering 5 million gold coins for mercenaries to handle it? Impossible!”
“What do you mean?”
Many turned to look, including Sean, who listened closely.
“We did leave a few days early and made it to the nearest town around here... Guess what we saw?”
“What did you see...”
Though masked, everyone could see the wide-eyed expression on Lukar’s face. Sean, in particular, noticed his [Shaken!] state.
“Those villages were completely empty, overgrown with vines everywhere. If I hadn’t known mercenaries passed through the southeastern region a month ago, I’d have thought those villages had been abandoned for decades!” As he spoke, the other team members nodded repeatedly, their eyes showing no hint of deceit.
“I suspect the prince and the grand duke are hiding something they haven’t revealed!”