**Chapter 49**
—
“That lunatic… why is he here?”
Everyone’s gaze turned at those words.
From among them, a woman in a tank top that boldly exposed her abs asked in a lively voice.
“Lunatic? Who is that guy, that you’re calling him a lunatic, Carpe?”
“……”
“What? Why aren’t you answering?”
The man called Carpe muttered with a sour expression.
“No… never mind. I must have been mistaken.”
“…? What’s with that weak reply? You sure it was a mistake?”
“It was a mistake. Don’t dig further, Azlan.”
Azlan’s eyes narrowed.
“That just makes me more curious. Hm…”
With that, Azlan shifted her gaze toward Laborde and asked,
“So, what’s the name of that man you brought? The one our Carpe here mistook for a lunatic.”
Laborde glanced at Arthur.
Arthur, who had been watching Carpe, gave a delayed nod.
“Donn. He’s a mercenary under Sir Willet.”
“Donn? Never heard of… huh? You mean the Donn who survived against the Black Cross?”
“Probably the same one.”
Azlan’s eyes widened.
And it wasn’t just her—the other mercenaries present reacted the same way.
The nameless rookie who survived against the Black Cross.
It was one of the hottest topics circulating in the underworld lately.
As the mercenaries’ gazes toward Arthur shifted, Azlan raised her lips in a grin.
“Well, well… I thought it was just some drunk’s nonsense. Turns out he’s real?”
At that, Arthur stepped forward and bowed his head slightly.
“Hello, everyone. As introduced, I’m Donn, a mercenary under Sir Willet.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Azlan, C-rank mercenary.”
Azlan extended her hand with her introduction.
When Arthur clasped it, the remaining three mercenaries each gave their names.
“Hyson. Also C-rank mercenary.”
“Can’t believe I get to see such a celebrity. D-rank mercenary Keras.”
Lastly, a man with a massive greatsword slung over his shoulder muttered in a cynical tone.
“Kassel. The man who will become the greatest swordsman of the future. Remember that, Donn.”
“…?”
Arthur blinked in surprise at the sudden declaration. Beside him, Azlan offered advice.
“He’s a nutcase. Just let it slide.”
“…A nutcase?”
“Yeah, he introduced himself to us the same way. Called himself the greatest swordsman.”
Arthur turned back toward Kassel.
The short-haired man was pretending not to look, yet his entire focus was directed here.
It was quite a peculiar sight—enough that Arthur’s lips curved up.
‘That guy looks interesting.’
At that moment, Azlan leaned in and asked slyly,
“But hey, Donn, what’s with your expression?”
“My expression?”
“It’s kind of blurry… is that just your face, or an artifact?”
Arthur shrugged.
“That’s a secret. If I tell you too easily, it won’t be fun, will it?”
“Oh? You play games of push and pull better than you look.”
Azlan laughed heartily and slapped Arthur’s shoulder.
Then, Carpe—who had been silent—raised his voice.
“Alright, everyone’s here. Enough chatter. Let’s talk business. Gather round.”
At his words, Arthur and Laborde, along with the other four mercenaries, approached Carpe.
After a brief pause to collect himself, Carpe turned to Laborde.
“Bringing in someone new is fine. But I can’t increase the shares. You understand?”
“I do. We’ll take care of that on our end. Don’t worry.”
“…Good. Then since everyone’s gathered as promised, we’ll move immediately. Target is Marshal Dust. We’ll storm his hideout and capture him.”
Azlan snapped her fingers and asked,
“Direct and to the point, nice. But shouldn’t you explain a little? Even if you’ve got a reputation, moving without info is pushing it.”
“I was going to explain now. Don’t rush me, Azlan.”
Carpe opened his palm.
At once, mana flared, forming a shape.
He manipulated the shape for a moment, then spread his hand again.
The rectangle began to shift into a more detailed form.
As Arthur and the other mercenaries watched with curious eyes, Carpe explained,
“Marshal Dust’s suspected hideout is the eastern landfill.”
Azlan tilted her head.
“The eastern landfill? That’s it?”
“The exact spot will be revealed after the job.”
“…?”
“You think I’d be crazy enough to tell you where he is right now?”
Injecting mana again, stars began to glitter within the rectangle.
“This is a mana transmission device hidden on one of Marshal Dust’s men.”
“…!”
“But getting close won’t be easy. At least two other teams know this info besides us.”
D-rank mercenary Keras asked,
“So you mean… once we take out those rival teams, you’ll share the info?”
“Exactly. That’s the only way I can justify sharing it.”
A heavy silence fell.
Azlan smirked and muttered,
“…Slippery snake. You never mentioned this when recruiting us.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Now, I’d like a decision.”
“……”
“Those who accept, we leave immediately. Those who don’t, walk away. But let me warn you…”
Carpe’s eyes narrowed.
“If you’re planning something foolish, do it now. If you stab me in the back later, I’ll make sure you’ll wish you hadn’t survived.”
At once, the four mercenaries besides Carpe released faint killing intent.
But facing it head-on, Carpe wore an even more relaxed smile.
“…Surviving doesn’t mean you’re truly alive. Impressive confidence, ‘Immortal Carpe.’”
Kassel’s mutter sank the air into silence.
Arthur, who had been watching Carpe, murmured inwardly.
‘Hm… Carpe. Where have I seen him before?’
He was curious about the job itself, but more than that, Carpe’s reaction earlier bothered him.
The instant Carpe saw his face, he had shown a nuance of recognition.
Just like with Yenika, very few people knew this face.
‘And most of them are dead. The only survivors are the Black Cross.’
So… could this man be part of the Black Cross, like Yenika?
Arthur blinked.
“Ah… Immortal Carpe.”
“…?”
“I see… now I get it.”
Laborde frowned in puzzlement.
“What do you mean, Donn?”
“Ah… nothing. Just talking to myself.”
“…Anyway. What do we do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do we trust that guy and follow, or back out?”
Arthur shifted his gaze back to Carpe.
After a pause, he smiled crookedly.
“Let’s follow, Laborde.”
“…You sure you can trust him?”
“No. I don’t trust him at all. That’s why I’m sure.”
“…You don’t trust him, but that makes you sure?”
“Basically… yes. It’ll be dangerous, but his claim about Marshal Dust’s location doesn’t feel like a lie.”
Laborde hesitated, then nodded.
“Well, if you’re in, I’ve no choice but to join too.”
“You can step out if you want.”
“No. I brought you here, so it’d be wrong to leave. And… I don’t want to miss this chance.”
Arthur didn’t push further.
Meanwhile, the others raised their hands as well.
“Guy talks like a jerk, but… guess we’ll trust him. This is the best option anyway.”
Azlan spoke, and the others seemed to agree.
Confirming that, Carpe rose to his feet.
“Then let’s move. Time is short. Nothing’s more frustrating than losing a catch you already had.”
—
—
Mercenaries rarely formed teams.
But it wasn’t unheard of—when goals aligned, cooperation was possible.
And those gathered here were one such case.
But whether that relationship would hold to the end… was another matter.
‘They could betray anytime… that’s why Laborde brought me along.’
The bounty was 1,000 gold, but that was for an individual capture.
Once numbers increased and profits were split, shares inevitably shrank.
‘So fewer members means more profit… at least two here, maybe all, are thinking of betrayal.’
Mercenaries honored promises only in official commissions.
And this alliance wasn’t a commission.
Not as bad as gangs, but mercenaries crazed by money could betray easily before 1,000 gold.
That’s why Arthur trusted none of them—not even Laborde.
“Laborde. Send your gang to the rear.”
“…Reason?”
“To draw attention. If all of us move together, others might pick up our trail. We’ll use your gang here.”
At Carpe’s commanding tone, Laborde frowned slightly.
But he didn’t argue—it was a fair point.
“Fine. But I’m giving them orders to flee if things get dangerous.”
“Do as you like. Their role is just diversion anyway.”
At that, Laborde activated a mana communicator.
The twenty gang members trailing behind dispersed like shadows.
Sensing it, Carpe gestured.
“Bait’s set. Let’s pick up the pace. Can’t afford delays.”
With that, Arthur and the other six picked up speed.
Running across an abandoned village, a stench of rot soon filled their noses.
District D-42, the eastern landfill.
The dirtiest place in Arcane.
Slowing down, Carpe summoned the same spell again.
After checking Marshal Dust’s location, he muttered,
“Another ten minutes’ run. Let’s go.”
Just as the march was about to resume, Kassel gripped his greatsword’s hilt.
“Ambush. Someone’s here.”
Instantly, Azlan and the others drew their weapons.
Carpe, leading, froze in surprise.
From the distance, a tanned blond man strolled out leisurely.
“Oh… sharp, kid. To notice so fast?”
Carpe’s eyes narrowed.
“Teniaci… what brings you here?”
“Same reason as you. There’s a thousand-gold bounty hiding here, isn’t there?”
The man called Teniaci grinned, showing pristine white teeth.
They were so spotless that Arthur, despite himself, felt a bit impressed.
Azlan clicked her tongue.
“No way… why’s that sleazebag here?”
Arthur tilted his head.
“You know him, Azlan?”
“Huh? Not exactly. But he’s famous. That pervert who hits on anyone he likes, man or woman. Still, he’s good enough to be rated B-rank.”
Arthur blinked.
He turned back toward Teniaci.
‘Skilled? Really…? Doesn’t look it at all.’
If anything, the man looked sloppy.
Arthur scrutinized him carefully, but nothing changed.
Teniaci looked sloppy. Far too sloppy for a B-rank mercenary.
As Arthur frowned, Teniaci suddenly proposed,
“What do you say, Carpe? An alliance?”
“…Alliance?”
“Yeah! Dump those nobodies and join me! We’ll split fifty-fifty! No need to divide among so many—just the two of us!”
Carpe flinched.
Azlan stiffened and shouted,
“Carpe! Don’t tell me you’re buying this! How can you trust that guy!?”
“Why not, pretty lady? It’s basic strategy to team up with the better side!”
“You damn sleazebag. Smooth talk won’t work.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, miss.”
Teniaci flashed his teeth again.
Azlan bit her lip, about to shout again—
When Arthur snapped his fingers.
“Ah, I get it.”
“…?”
“He’s not sloppy. He’s insane. Hm… unique condition.”
At the sudden remark, Azlan blinked.
Arthur, having sized things up, drew his pistol.
He aimed at Teniaci’s head and pulled the trigger.
Bang—!
With the gunshot, Teniaci’s head flew into the air.
Everyone froze at the unreal sight.
“…Huh?”
Someone muttered as Teniaci’s head rolled across the ground.
His gleaming teeth sparkled in the sunlight.
Laborde gasped.
“D-Donn!?”
But Arthur, pistol still raised, ignored him. He turned to Carpe.
“Almost fell for it. Didn’t you, Carpe?”
“……”
“Not a corpse… must be an illusion. Impressive skill. What do you think?”
Carpe, still dazed, stammered,
“I-I don’t know anything! But… an illusion, you say?”
Arthur smiled brightly and stepped forward.
At that moment, sounds rose from within the landfill.
Azlan and the others snapped their eyes wide.
“Block them…”
“No one enters here…”
“Enter, and all must die…”
A hundred mercenaries, repeating the same words like zombies, shuffled toward them.
Arthur reloaded his pistol and muttered,
“Looks like we walked into a trap. Not just us—everyone who came here.”
—
