Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 353

# 354

Suddenly, Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2 [a popular strategy game].

Bacon was tasked with selecting mercenaries.

As a servant, he used to think he was involved in important matters.

But when you really thought about it, he was just a servant.

Dig a little deeper, and he was a servant who could handle a sword – the strongest of the twenty-five, no less.

So, thinking back to those days.

Those who married Orc female warriors didn’t need to become stronger to survive like the rest of us.

They were warriors now, but in a different sense.

Warriors of childcare.

The sight of them pushing strollers with their babies was surprisingly impressive.

In fact, we bachelors didn’t have much in common with them anymore.

Their conversations mostly revolved around…

“Where’s a good place to buy diapers?”

“Formula prices are up these days. Our living expenses are getting tight.”

“Is your wife not cheating on you? My wife’s been acting strange lately. The way she looks at the young man who just got married next door is weird.”

That’s mostly what they talked about.

It was completely different from the conversations of the exclusive servants [personal attendants to Legion].

Those guys had to take care of their babies, so they quit drinking too. When I asked them when they ever drank, they looked at me blankly, as if asking what alcohol was. They said they gave up on all that and just lived.

They’d think about it when the baby grew up.

Ah!

These poor guys.

Where did your lives go?

They were close friends.

I still think we’re close.

But because of the communication gap, we don’t drink and hang out all night like we used to.

We just meet briefly for lunch or a cup of tea.

That was it.

That’s their life.

I live my life.

I’m the master’s exclusive servant, but also the head of the mercenary band.

Bacon looked at Abdul Jabbar.

“How’s your body?”

“I’m fine. Is it the Master’s blessing? After eating one of those… surprisingly, I’m all better. It’s better than the priests’ healing.”

Abdul Jabbar grinned.

He was almost killed by Lilac, who was crushed by Daganda Z.

He was on the verge of death for almost two months. It was a miracle he didn’t die. If it wasn’t for the Master’s blessing, he would have most likely been paralyzed.

Abdul Jabbar, who barely survived after eating the blessing, had soaring loyalty to the Master.

He only talks about our boss.

“Are the recruits any good?”

“We’ve gathered all sorts of riffraff.”

“Well…”

Compared to other territories, we pay almost two to three times as much. The rumor spread quickly, and mercenaries flocked in, even in such a short period.

It wasn’t just that the pay was high.

We also give victory bonuses and death benefits.

The average mortality rate for mercenaries participating in battle was generally 20-30 percent.

There’s almost no such thing as total annihilation for mercenaries. They either surrender or drop their weapons and run away before that.

Nevertheless, the high mortality rate, as high as that of regular soldiers, meant that their skill level was that low.

High-level mercenary bands command a high price.

However, most of them lose their lives after being sold for a few coins, like now.

Since they are always exposed to dangerous situations, a significant number of them also use drugs.

As a result, there is only one thing they worship like a god.

Only money.

If it’s money, they’ll even sell out their colleagues.

So, it was only natural that they flocked here, where they were paid several times more than in other territories.

“Anyway, there are quite a few. How many have gathered?”

“I think there are about 13,000.”

“Whew~ that’s a lot.”

“Yes, it will take two days just to select the mercenaries.”

“What’s the selection test?”

“First, warriors will spar. Regular soldiers will be the opponents. The opponent just needs to last one minute. Archers must hit the target 7 out of 10 times from 150 meters away to pass. Mages automatically pass if they are 2-circle or higher [referring to a magic ranking system]. We also plan to accept those with special abilities.”

“You’re going through a lot.”

“Not really.”

“No troublemakers?”

“Why wouldn’t there be? You know how it is. There aren’t many sane guys. We need to replace them all after the war is over.”

“You were a mercenary too, weren’t you?”

“We’re different from them.”

“Well, your and Beef’s mercenary band were quite famous.”

“We also had pride. These guys don’t have much of that.”

“I see. Oh, it looks like there’s another fight over there.”

“Oh my, those bastards are at it again.”

It seems like another incident happened at the selection test. We can see them hitting each other even from here.

Abdul Jabbar frowned.

Reasoning with them was useless.

I don’t know if it’s because they’re full of energy or because their brains have melted from doing too many drugs.

* * *

Legion and Lauzel were heading to the selection test site to observe the mercenaries.

Dreyzer gathered the prisoners of Alcatraz and created a new unit.

It was a small unit of about 500 people, but even Legion could see that they were all extraordinary individuals.

The bastards have no manners.

When Legion appeared, they looked at him with blatant eyes that said, ‘Who are you?’

If Dreyzer hadn’t said, ‘He’s my master,’ they were about to start a fight.

But I couldn’t get angry there and say, ‘Hey, hey, you guys come out [to fight].’

I have my pride.

So, Dreyzer took them to the mountains. He said he would create the strongest unit.

I told him to do so.

I hope he comes back with some manners.

Thanks to that, Legion’s mood was slightly upset. A pointless unpleasantness lingered for a long time, like a lump in his throat.

Just let one of them get caught.

“The mercenary selection test is being held here,” Lauzel said, noticing Legion’s mood.

He’s not just smart.

He’s also quick-witted.

When he first came here (when he lost his memory and was picked up), he was a little clueless, but it was an ability that gradually developed later.

There are monsters everywhere.

Screams are often heard as ogres put those who have committed sins in their mouths and suck them dry.

Those who have been in the ogres’ mouths even once repent.

And what about the servants?

They fly around using magic and aura at the same time.

They casually use the highest-level lightness skill [a skill that enhances agility and speed], stepping on the air and flying. They casually cast the advanced lightness skill, stepping on leaves and running.

Lauzel lost his past.

Although he lost his past, he knows that these people are not as common as stones piled up on the street.

This territory is very strange.

If you get on their bad side, something really bad will happen.

It seemed like something terrible would happen even if he was kicked out of this territory.

Because it is such a territory, he could not shake the feeling that he was being protected.

That’s actually the case.

The informants who invaded the territory were all caught and sent to the mines.

Or they wandered around the Dusselph Mountains and became monster food.

That’s how Lauzel developed his acquired skill of reading people’s faces.

It was something that would have made the king grab the back of his neck and collapse if he had seen it.

“The recruits are a bit lackluster.”

“Well, they’re mercenaries who were gathered in a hurry.”

“Can we fight with these guys?”

“We have to make do with what we have. Are we going with the Orc Female Warrior Corps too?”

“No. Just us.”

“What about the Bone Dragon?”

“Not going.”

“What about the Ogre Knights?”

“I said not going.”

“Are only regular soldiers going?”

“The exclusive servants are going too.”

“It’s a unit made up of only humans.”

“Well, yeah. Think about it. Orcs, ogres, bone dragons. All good. Full of combat power. If you only look at their combat power, they won’t be inferior to almost 10,000 troops. But before that, how would we be treated?”

“We’d be treated as heretics.”

To humans, monsters were not beings to live with. They were beings to fight and win against.

The people of this territory are used to ogres and orcs, but that’s not the case at all in other places.

There was a risk of allies splitting up if things went wrong. No, it’s highly likely.

So, even though they had powerful combat power, they had to be kept as reserve forces.

It was a shame, but I decided to be satisfied with that much.

It’s solid in terms of defense.

Even if I’m not confident, I feel relieved.

No matter what enemies come, they will be terrified. As an example, there was Marquis Porse.

If you invade the territory without knowing anything…

You’ll be showered with the Bone Dragon’s breath first.

Yain Porse. The leader of the Orc Female Warrior Corps.

Originally, it was Amadeus, but he passed it on to his daughter, Jonas, and now her husband, Porse, commands them.

Porse became incredibly strong after marrying Jonas.

He became so strong that it was incomprehensible that he could launch rocket punches from his arm.

What should I say?

It felt like he had attained enlightenment.

When I fought him, it felt like I was looking at a sharp knife.

He was so fierce that I didn’t even want to make eye contact.

But not now.

It felt like he was there but not there.

What should I say?

It was like he had abandoned himself.

To be honest, his training is deeper than mine. I may be stronger than him in terms of external force, but he was definitely superior in terms of deep training.

Porse reached the 7-star master level [a high level of martial arts proficiency].

I guarantee that if he has another realization, becoming an 8-star knight is not a dream.

I even felt like he was churning out grandmasters like he was drawing them from a lottery.

Grandmaster no matter how you look at it.

Grandmaster no matter how you look at it.

The position of grandmaster doesn’t feel special at all.

“Then the mercenaries must be of a high level. Defeat is not allowed, right?”

“I don’t know since I haven’t been there, but the situation is definitely not good. If we lose, one side will be purged in blood.”

“The purge destroys three generations, right?”

“Destroys three generations [a severe punishment affecting the entire family].”

“That’s scary. Why did you get involved in this civil war instead of staying neutral?”

“Did I want to get involved? I wanted to be neutral too. But everyone calls me a royalist. So does Baserabab-nim [a respectful title]. So does Count Persimmon. Of course, they tell me I have to fight for the kingdom.”

“Do you have no backbone? Flapping like a leaf.”

“Hey. Can’t you just say it’s for the safety of the territory?”

“It feels like you’ve gotten too deeply involved to say that.”

“Well…”

Legion stopped walking for a moment and looked at the setting sun.

Winter is coming again.

The leaves were falling, and the weather was getting chilly.

Originally, you shouldn’t wage war in the winter. The side that starts the war and the side that defends it suffer enormous damage. The same goes for the rainy season.

Nevertheless, the reason why the Duke pushed for the civil war.

He must have been confident in his military power.

But the military funds to maintain that military power were running out.

Anyway, I knew that this was happening because of me.

His anger towards me must have been bone-deep.

He will try to change the dynasty before this winter is over.

Then there will be no more regrets about military funds.

If the dynasty changes.

My head will fly too.

Damn it.

If I want to live, I’m in a position where I have to blow the Duke’s head off first.

Ah, it’s hard enough to make a living, but even this.

People of the territory! Do you know?

The lord is suffering.

It’s hard.

Please introduce me to a pretty woman so I can rest in peace.

Thud!

Then someone bumped into Legion and passed by.

It was a man almost as big as Dreyzer. He collided with Legion and fell.

The man, who fell after colliding with an opponent half his size, looked at Legion with a dumbfounded face.

Black helmet.

Topless in this chilly weather.

He was a pervert.

The people of the territory all know the lord’s attire, but the mercenaries don’t.

He’s just a pervert.

“This fucking…”

The man who fell on his butt jumped up from his seat.