Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 54

Approaching Hands of Darkness 2

“No way!”

Legion drew a firm line.

Saving thirty men? Absolutely impossible.

Even now, the village is already struggling with more women than men. There’s no way he could trick the few available men they have into coming here. And, now that it’s been brought up, there’s no way any men would want to marry Orcs, right?

Jonas wore an ‘I knew it’ expression.

He didn’t seem disappointed.

“Of course, I’m not asking you to do it for free. Here, this.”

Jonas placed something wrapped in cloth on the table next to him.

The ‘thud’ suggested it was quite heavy. It was about the size of a fist.

Jonas unwrapped the cloth.

Legion’s eyes widened.

It was a jewel shining with golden light. Not a dull, yellowish gold, but a bright, radiant gold. It was clearly Abrium, which was so difficult to obtain. [Abrium is a fictional, highly valuable mineral.]

Gulp.

Legion swallowed involuntarily.

Ah, he wanted to taste it. He had become a gem enthusiast. It was an unavoidable instinct due to his physical characteristics. His stats changed drastically depending on which gem he disassembled.

Abrium of this size would likely have a tremendous effect. It was a large, high-quality piece of Abrium that was priceless.

“You know what it is, right?”

“Abrium.”

“That’s right. Top-quality Abrium from a new mine. It’s known that only the best blacksmiths with the highest skills can process it. Its uses are endless. I heard it’s incredibly expensive in the human realm.”

Jonas had become quite shrewd since coming to the human world.

“I’ll give you this.”

“I’ll bring you a hundred men.”

“If you bring a hundred men, I’ll give you the exclusive rights to the Abrium contract.”

Gulp.

Exclusive rights to the Abrium contract. Jackpot! Father, Mother! I’m about to make a fortune.

Legion forcibly suppressed the urge to shout for joy.

But… where was he going to get a hundred bachelors? Forcibly bringing the village’s bachelors would cause an uproar. The thought made his head throb.

Joy and pain simultaneously dominated his emotions.

They say there’s always a way out, even when the sky falls. Alright, let’s do it.

* * *

Thirty potential saviors arrived in Legion’s territory.

No, thirty men under the orders of Count Persimmon had arrived in Legion’s territory.

With the exception of one, all were low-ranking mercenaries.

Men who were used as cannon fodder in wars. Their lives were worth only about 10 gold. They risked their lives to earn 10 gold a month.

They lived a very rough life, always with death as their pillow.

Since they never knew when they would die, laws and rules were hardly observed by them.

The one leading these rough men was a man named Bowl.

A 2-star knight who had just begun to generate Aura [Aura is a magical energy]. The reason he was leading thirty mercenaries was due to his background.

He, too, had been a mercenary before catching Count Persimmon’s eye and receiving the knight’s oath. Among the knights, no one knew the mercenary ecosystem as well as he did.

That’s why he was brought in for this mission.

True to his mercenary background, Bowl was very rough and fierce. The mercenaries feared him.

“The territory is very desolate.”

Nox, the leader of the mercenaries, said.

“Indeed.”

Bowl nodded.

Count Persimmon’s territory was quite cold as well. But this place was located much further north. It was also adjacent to the dangerous Dusselrup Mountains.

If Bowl were told to live here, he would rather give up his knighthood. That’s how cold and dangerous this place was.

“What’s the strength of this place?”

Bowl asked.

“There’s nothing that can be called strength. Just a self-governing defense force to prepare for monster attacks.”

“What’s the number of knights?”

“Just three 1-star or early 2-star knights: Baron Julian, Payne, and Shalom.”

“Pathetic.”

Only that level….

He, a 2-star master, could take them all down in one go.

It seemed like it used to be a pretty glorious family, but he didn’t know why it had fallen so much. Actually, he didn’t really care.

“Drag them all out. Find out where the Mithril mine is located.”

“What if they resist?”

“It doesn’t matter if you kill them.”

“Understood.”

Nox grinned. The thought of getting his hands dirty again made his whole body tingle. What is the joy of mercenaries? They don’t risk their lives so much just to get 10 gold.

Pillage and riot are the foundation of mercenaries.

As long as they won the battle, the nobles allowed them anything. That was the only way to appease those rough men.

Swish-

Nox drew his sword.

“Did everyone hear that? Drag them out as they come! Kill those who resist! Take what you want! We are now the masters of this territory.”

Waaaaah!

The mercenaries cheered, holding their swords and axes.

“Let’s go, it’s time for the ravage.”

The thirty mercenaries ran quickly towards the village. Desire gleamed in their eyes.

Bang!

The door of the tavern burst open, and the mercenaries shouted.

“You bastards! Come running out right now if you don’t want to die!”

The exclusive servants inside the tavern turned their heads to look at the mercenaries.

The exclusive servants were having a company dinner after a long time.

Sephia was paying. The exclusive servants’ gazes turned to the corner of the tavern. Sephia, who was huddled in the corner drinking, glared at the mercenaries with bloodshot eyes.

-Krrrrrr (What the hell, are those guys talking to us)?

“O, an Ogre?”

“N, no way. Why is an Ogre drinking with humans?”

“Besides, how did an Ogre even get in here?”

The mercenaries were flustered.

The tavern was structured in a way that an Ogre could never enter. No matter how high the ceiling of the tavern was, it wouldn’t exceed the height of an Ogre. The problem was that there was no door he could enter through.

It was natural that they couldn’t understand.

The most incomprehensible thing was why an Ogre was drinking with humans in a tavern.

The Ogre gestured. Come here, you guys.

The mercenaries looked at each other. Something seemed to have gone wrong.

* * *

What the hell is going on?

Bowl, Nox, and all the mercenaries were disarmed and forced to bow their heads to the ground.

It was killing them to have their heads bowed on the cold, frozen ground. It felt like their scalps were peeling off.

But they couldn’t possibly attack those scary Ogres and magicians.

They had their doubts.

They never imagined that all twenty of those men would be magicians. That was more than the total number of magicians in the Persimmon family.

Moreover, that Ogre.

Should they call it beyond imagination? Or beyond common sense?

The twenty magicians were listening to that Ogre. What the hell is going on? Do you know? I don’t know? Are we all dreaming together right now?

The Ogre spoke to the magicians.

-Krrr, krrr (Give those guys some discipline).

Although it was a simple command, the magicians’ eyes changed.

“Oh, we have guests after a long time.”

“Where are they from? We’re going to have some fun for once?”

The magicians put down their glasses and began to grip clubs. Some just clenched their fists. They stood up with a grin….

Their physiques… aren’t they better than ours?

They had clearly heard that magicians were weak in stamina and agility, but that was bullshit. They rushed in at once and began to beat the mercenaries with their hands, feet, and clubs.

“These bastards aren’t magicians! They were fighters!”

One of them shouted, unable to bear it any longer. Only then did one of the mercenaries come to his senses and run away. Five fireballs flew after him. The guy became a rag and collapsed on the floor.

Bowl and Nox were horrified.

“M… ma… magic warriors?”

They had heard of magic swordsmen before….

Anyway, if they left it like this, it seemed like it would end quickly, so Bowl, unable to watch any longer, stepped forward, drawing his sword. He injected Aura into his sword and raised it to the sky.

This is the power of a 2-star knight!

But-

Bowl was sent flying by a single swing of the mace wielded by Sephia. The sword broke in half, and the shield shattered in half.

The armor was also smashed.

He flew 15 meters and landed on a haystack, looking at Sephia with fearful eyes.

Sephia pointed to the ground with his finger.

Bow your head.

It was a simple situation where Bowl, Nox, and the mercenaries were bowing their heads.

-Krrr (Where are you from)?

“I would rather die than say that. Just kill me!”

Bowl, who was bowing his head, shouted.

This mission was top secret. It must not leak to other places. If the lords of other territories noticed that there was Mithril here, they would rush in. [Mithril is a fictional metal known for its strength and lightness.]

-Krrr (A model knight. Jackson).

“Yes, Sephia-nim.”

-Krrr (Beat him up).

“Understood.”

The magic warrior called Jackson began to strike Bowl with a club the thickness of his forearm.

Paak! Paaaak! Paaaak! Paaaaaak!

There was no mercy.

It felt like Bowl’s buttocks were falling off.

He couldn’t bear the pain. Knighthood, honor, and whatever… a scream burst out. Damn it, you’re calling me a model knight and hitting me like this! Ugh! It hurts! Please save me!

-Krrr (Stop).

Sephia raised his hand.

Jackson also stopped the beating. He had been hitting with all his might, and thick beads of sweat were flowing down his forehead.

-Krrr (Where are you from)?

Sephia asked.

Bowl wanted to say that he came from the Persimmon family from his throat.

He was watching.

The twenty-nine mercenaries were listening.

If he spoke with his own mouth, it would surely reach Count Persimmon’s ears. He hated traitors very much. The moment that story reached Count Persimmon’s ears, it would be no different from dying.

-Krrr (As expected of a knight. He keeps his mouth shut. So, I’m going to go back and have a drink. Jackson).

“Yes, Sephia-nim.”

-Kkkrrr (Beat him up a lot).

“How much?”

-Krrr (Just beat him up. Beat him up a lot. If he dies, beat up the next guy. If you do that, one of them will tell you).

“Understood.”

Jackson rolled up his sleeves and spat on his palms.

Paaaak! Paaaaaak! Paaaaaak!

The beating began.

“Save me! Aaaagh! It hurts! Please stop hitting me!”

Bowl threw away his knightly pride.

Honor and whatever, he had to live. But the man named Jackson showed no signs of stopping.

“Shut up. You should have told me sooner. You guys ruined our company dinner that we had after a long time. Die!”

The mercenaries wanted to cover their ears.

They knew that it was their turn when Bowl died.

They thought this mission was as easy as pie… where did it go wrong? They clearly heard that it was nothing special. An Ogre armed like a human and twenty magic warriors?

Paaaaaaak! Paaaaaaaak! Paaaaaaaak!

The beating continued.

Bowl didn’t seem to be dead yet. He grabbed Jackson’s leg and clung to him.

“Please save me. I’ll tell you everything.”

Bowl shed tears of sincere repentance. He felt like he could do anything if he could just live.

“What are these guys?”

At that moment, Legion’s voice was heard by everyone.