Oro City Mercenary Guild.
No matter the time of day, it was always one of the busiest places in the city. The moment you stepped inside, the clamor was enough to drown you in a sea of people.
Tucked away in a corner near the quest board, a mercenary squad sat idly, bored out of their minds.
"Say something," a man said, setting down his cup and slouching as he gazed at his teammates.
"What is there to say? We haven't taken a job in three days. If we don't accept one soon, we'll starve!"
The four of them stared at the plate on the table, which held only a few dry breadcrumbs.
"Aren't there still some left?"
"But that won't last us through the month."
"Why not wait a few more days? I've been feeling too tired lately, just wanting to sleep all day, and the recent missions have been really dangerous." Hearing the lazy voice of the girl across from him, the man lifted his head slightly.
The squad had formed three months ago, originally with five members, but now only four remained. They had been active in northern cities, but with few jobs accepted and meager pay, they barely scraped by. However, after the Tacoma City incident, a flood of mercenaries from the southeastern region drove down quest rewards and even inflated local living costs.
This pushed the already struggling five to their breaking point—they couldn't even afford rent anymore.
Fortunately, they heard that Oro City, still in its early stages, had a low cost of living, and with the city expanding, the population was sparse, making rent dirt cheap. So they decided to relocate their operations here.
The first month wasn't too bad.
But then...
After taking on a few big bounty quests, the squad's lazy habits kicked in again. It had already been several days.
The original mechanic had already left, leaving only the three girls in front of him.
Barnier looked at the three of them slumped over the table, their backs to the sunlight, and let out a sigh.
*Sigh.*
He turned his head to glance at the other squads in the mercenary guild—almost all of them were busy ranking up or choosing their next missions.
He remembered the old folks saying girls were more diligent, which was why he'd specifically chosen a squad with three girls when forming the team. Now, look at them—they weren't even as good as the barmaid at the guild tavern.
"Were you just staring at the serving girl?" A sudden voice cut through Barnier's thoughts.
"Huh? No, I wasn't."
"I saw you!" The girl across from him glared with wide eyes.
To be honest, his three teammates weren't bad-looking. Maybe it was just that they'd been together too long, and he no longer found them attractive. The squad had a witch, a warrior, and an alchemist, while he was a ranger. With the mechanic who left, it had been a well-balanced setup.
Too bad it had come to this.
"You were staring at her chest. I saw it."
"Barnier's always been a pervert. Isn't that normal?" another girl chimed in.
"Hey, we're still a team. Do you have to reject me like this?"
He watched as the three girls shot him looks of disdain.
"Fine, let's deal with the food issue first—that's the real problem. Otherwise, why don't you find a rich merchant to marry? Get a big dowry, and on the wedding night, we'll team up to rescue you and make a run for it. Then we'll have enough money to work in another city." Barnier suddenly turned to the girl with raven-black hair.
"No way."
"I think it's a good idea. It solves our food problem and lets you experience what it's like to get married. Haven't you been nagging about wanting to get married?" Barnier said.
"I can't just marry anyone! I won't do it unless all the property is signed over to me first!" the girl shot back.
The other three looked at her with disdain.
"Speaking of which, Ratina, you're of marriageable age too. Why don't you find someone to marry? With your looks, you might even get a nice chunk of property." The girl turned to the woman sitting beside her.
She was a typical southern girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, though Ratina had a better figure.
"Why me! Aren't you the one looking for a rich merchant to hand over his property?"
"We could team up! Maybe we could swindle the whole street of merchants!" the blue-haired girl said excitedly.
"Wouldn't we get hunted by the city guard?"
"Tch... probably. But if the merchants give it willingly, it shouldn't..."
Barnier watched as the two started spinning wild fantasies again. When there was nothing to eat, the four of them usually distracted themselves this way. He felt the few coins left in his pocket—barely enough for a week's living expenses.
He glanced at the pretty barmaid carrying trays across the room.
Who knew when he'd ever settle down and marry in Oro City? Among all the southern cities, Oro probably had the cheapest housing right now. Otherwise, they'd have to move to a rural town, where mercenary guild jobs were scarce.
Just as the four were wallowing in their thoughts, the guild's receptionist suddenly burst in through the door.
"Big news! Big news!"
Everyone in the guild turned to look.
"The Earl's mansion just dropped a bombshell! I heard an assassin tried to attack the Earl last night and got caught. They're hanging him in the central square right now!" the man shouted as he rushed in.
The Earl?
Count Sean Weigel.
The lord of Oro City?!
The luckiest noble?
In an instant, that name surfaced in everyone's mind.
"Count Weigel..."
Barnier watched as new quests began appearing on the board.
"It's Count Sean. Ah, I have to go see!" The blonde girl suddenly stood up and dashed excitedly toward the quest board.
"What's up with her?"
"Lately, Ratina's set her sights on Count Sean. He's the only unmarried noble in the south with the highest status and still young," the blue-haired girl said.
"Huh?" Barnier was speechless.
"Wasn't her target Prince Philip before?"
"That's too far-fetched. Ratina thinks this Count is a better catch, and he's got a lot of interesting stories."
Seeing the crowd gather around the quest board, the three of them couldn't resist taking a look.
Latest Quest:
The enemy who attacked the Earl's mansion has been executed on the spot, but accomplices may still be hiding in Oro City. Report them to the city guard headquarters for a reward. Killing them will also earn a bounty. Reward: Gold coins.
Below was a description of the enemies, with the bottom line labeling them as the Rebel Revolutionary Army.
"Revolutionary Army members? They're that bold?"
"Aren't they usually active in the north? Why would they show up here?"
Murmurs of speculation filled the guild.
Barnier caught wind of the bounty quest and slammed his cup on the table.
"Watch it! You splashed water on me!"
"Sorry, sorry—I'm just too excited. This is our chance!"