"Has the noble Hekail family perished?... So, is there something wrong with that, Lion?
"... I don't know. The Hekail family itself is not such a big aristocrat. Besides, it is a aristocratic family located in the south, far from the Kingdom of Fontana. Therefore, I wonder if there will be any immediate impact..."
"Something's wrong with your teeth. Something bothering you?
"Yes, even so, nothing conclusive because it doesn't contain accurate information yet, but I personally have a bad feeling about something"
"You have a bad feeling. I don't know if you believe too much in hunches and stuff, but is that so much of a concern?
"Yeah. The doomed Hekail family didn't have a particularly big force, but it wasn't even a house that suddenly collapsed. That's what just collapsed this year."
"Um, if you're a nobleman in the south, what about the kingdom of Risorte, or just destroyed by the Rheinzatz family?
"No, you don't. Neither the Kingdom of Risorte nor the Rheinzatz family are involved in the demise of this Hekail family. More than that, it wasn't the noblemen who destroyed the Hekails."
"Not a nobleman? What's that? So, where did you bring down that Hekail family?
"It's a mercenary regiment, Master Ars. There's a report coming in that an organization called the Marshall Mercenaries has destroyed the Hekails."
"Mercenaries? Is that what knights can defeat the chief principals of nobility anyway?
"I don't know. Normally you can't, but you can't say it's never going to happen. Anyway, before Ars became the main class, he gave up the head of the main class. But before destroying the Hekail family, the Marshall Mercenaries took over a number of knights in Gizanian territory next to Hekail territory. This is a little unusual."
"Heh. You're strong enough. That makes me feel like they're going to be after my life from the Gizanians, but you're still safe that Lion's going to be worried, right? But do you mean the mercenaries are hired somewhere? You might be wondering where he's manipulating them."
"That's... Hi Marshall. The mercenary regiment doesn't seem to be affiliated with anywhere at the moment. You are likely to be acting completely independently, Master Ars."
"Huh? No, you won't be able to do that. If you don't have an employer, how do you do it as a mercenary? You're not getting any money or food."
"That's why it's weird. I will look into this matter in the future. I hope Master Ars keeps it in the corner of his head too"
The military exercises between the Fontana and Lubitsch armies came to an end, after which everyday life returned again.
I still work around river construction.
The city of Fontana is very vibrant with its castles and church architecture, but there were no major problems.
That's when Lion brought me some information.
That is a story of aristocratic territory far from the Kingdom of Fontana.
It is said that the Hekail family, which exists as one of the southern nobles, has suddenly perished.
Besides, I'm surprised to hear you say it wasn't some nobleman who made it up, it was a mercenary regiment.
Mercenaries.
There is not much measure around here but there is also a group of mercenaries.
Basically a rough bunch of people, but I've heard that some of them are mercenaries with specialized combat knowledge and some nobles use them.
Most of all, they don't have much credibility in a mercenary regiment hired for money to change their masters, and many noblemen only think of them as disposable pawns.
Well, that could be it.
Anyway, nobles and knights can use the special power of magic.
In your opponent, you can't beat a knight by forming a sidekick party.
but among them there were exceptions.
That's a former Seeker mercenary.
For example, if you are a native of the labyrinth district of the current Memento Territory, which was previously owned by the Percival family.
The Percival family, which ruled the Labyrinth Street, used a knight named the Tiers to manage the Labyrinth.
The magic of the Tiers family has something called [ability liberation].
By diving into the labyrinth and [unlocking abilities] for those with different experiences, you improve your abilities in a way that feels like a so-called level-up.
And some of those who dive deep enough into the labyrinth express a special power.
Lucica, the woman explorer I met in Labyrinth Street, had the skill of [farsighted].
A force that can be clearly seen even in quite a distance, but this seems to be closer to magic than magic.
Skills acquired by [Ability Liberation] cannot be inherited from a child, even if he or she has performed an inheritance ritual.
But still, in this way diving into the labyrinth in Labyrinth Street, the stronger Seeker can never be more powerful than the average man.
It seems there are occasional cases of such deep seekers leaving Labyrinth Street to become mercenaries.
Even so, there is some steady earning and freedom to dive into the labyrinth if enough to be made a disposable pawn.
but still some choose mercenary life over fighting demons.
Maybe that's the one leading the Marshall Mercenaries.
No, still, as Lyon says, I don't hear a bit about the mercenary regiment destroying the aristocracy.
As an individual as an ex-seeker, it would not mean that all of its mercenaries are strong.
And if you try to be a group, the mercenary corps absolutely needs an employer.
Without a presence to pay consideration for the very act of fighting, we would not be able to continue the mercenary industry or anything else.
Not to mention we won't be able to take over that territory where we destroyed the aristocracy.
There will be no decent dweller to deal with when a thug suddenly shows up and kills the grounder of the land, claiming that I am the ruler here from today on, and I don't think the mercenary regiment has the ability to rule the land.
When that happens, what will happen to the subsequent movement?
The next action to be taken by a desolate organization called a mercenary regiment that destroyed nobility and plundered it in its territory.
Wouldn't that mean moving somewhere else and attacking someone again?
At that time, if you're after them, the people with the money.
I mean, it would be nobles or knights.
No, or maybe we'll go for a better prey than that.
What does the kingdom of Fontana look like to its mercenary corps that it has recently created a new silver coin and given it a job to hang out against migrants?
Maybe they'll come north so the hungry beast can be caught by the smell.
Sure, be careful.
I had Lyon continue to gather information about the mercenary group.