Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 51

Red Wolf Mercenary Group

4. Red Wolf Mercenary Group

1

“Be careful. Slowly!”

“A little more this way… Yes! Put it down here!”

The Flying Dragon transport fleet, having just arrived at the port, began unloading its cargo.

Military supplies like provisions and clothing, along with military horses, artillery, spears, and swords, were constantly being unloaded by cranes.

Among this cargo, some items were being unloaded under the strictest security.

Disassembled into parts and wrapped in oil-soaked canvas, this cargo was moved into a warehouse, where blacksmiths and iron mages hired by the Flying Dragon reassembled it.

“It’s the Knight-class Gigant, Hector.”

‘Is this the new Gigant that the Baroque Empire’s Imperial Magic Tower created?’ Duke Perriad wondered, hearing Lazuli’s words. He had previously heard that Hector’s maximum output was said to reach 2300 Phyte [a unit of magical energy].

Moreover, the frame was said to use a new magical composite material, making it not only durable but also capable of more flexible movements. Furthermore, the armor was made of a new Gigantium alloy, making it much thinner and more robust than before.

“But it looks similar to the Centurion made by the Royal Magic Tower of Arthea 15 years ago.”

At Aslan’s remark, Lazuli nodded and explained, “We deliberately made the external armor of the ones sent to the Kingdom of Conrad similar to the Centurion. If it becomes known that we are openly receiving support from a specific country, it would be difficult for us, as well as His Majesty the King.”

“Indeed… !”

Duke Perriad had declared rebellion and independence under the pretext of opposing the corrupt Constantine faction. But what would happen if it was revealed that he was openly receiving support from the Baroque Empire?

The justification would crumble, and he would be branded not only as a traitor but also as a lackey of the Baroque Empire.

“It would be better to change the paint to the Conrad Kingdom’s style before deploying it. Of course, the crest as well. Ah! I think it would be better to have the Flying Dragon riders wear Conrad’s military uniforms, but what does Your Majesty think?”

“That is a good idea. I will promise them the same treatment and support as our knights.”

While Lazuli and Perriad were having a pleasant conversation, Shirley, who seemed bored, suddenly yawned widely, looked up at the ceiling, and immediately threw her halberd.

KWAANG!

With a sound like a mana bomb exploding, the roof was blown open. Pieces of wood and roof tiles rained down.

Startled by the sudden situation, Aslan quickly surrounded his father with the knights.

“What are you doing!”

At Aslan’s shout, Shirley shrugged and replied, “There was a rat in the ceiling.”

“A rat?”

Aslan, bewildered at first, soon understood her meaning and immediately ordered the knights with a serious face, “Search the entire port area immediately! Capture all those who are suspicious or whose identities are unclear!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The knights scattered in all directions instantly.

‘Seriously, to let spies into such an important place…’ Lazuli thought, inwardly making a pathetic expression. Sancho, or rather Count Ferrero, approached him and spoke.

“Where do you think the rat came from?”

“Well, it’s most likely from Bless… or maybe even further north.”

“So, we’ll only know after catching it?”

“Well, we’ll find out soon. Miss Shirley is quite good at hunting rats.”

At that, Ferrero’s gaze turned to where Shirley had been. But Shirley, who had been there just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen. It seemed she had disappeared with the knights when they scattered.

‘As expected, someone from the intelligence department is different.’ Shirley, known as the Empire’s new Master-class knight, was actually from the intelligence department.

Count Ferrero, inwardly clicking his tongue, prayed for the unfortunate rat’s soul. If it was from Bless, it might be okay, but if it was from the northern countries, Shirley wouldn’t let it go.

“Huh? What’s going on, sir?”

“Never mind, show me your identification tag.”

As soon as Aslan’s order was given, inspections began throughout the port. Behind them, a worker wearing a hood was watching the scene. His heart was pounding as he carried a sack of flour on his shoulder.

‘Damn it, I didn’t expect them to sense my presence, a high-ranking dark elf warrior…’ He was Hairun, an agent of the Volga Republic’s intelligence department.

Having infiltrated Elbera under orders from his superiors, Hairun was observing the movements of the rebels. This was because a report had been received that the Baroque Empire was involved in the civil war in the Holy Empire.

The Holy Arthea Empire was also hostile to the Volga Republic, but it was much better than the Baroque Empire, which openly treated them as bandits. Moreover, if the Holy Empire, which had been checking the Baroque Empire, weakened, it would have a significant negative impact on the Volga Republic.

That was why the Volga intelligence department had not engaged in any other operations besides spreading republican ideas among the people. However, having confirmed through this infiltration that the Baroque Empire was involved, they were in a position to do something to prevent the civil war from escalating further.

‘I need to get out of here first…’

Hairun, glancing around and moving his feet, soon had to stop. It was because of the small figure of a girl holding a halberd in front of him.

Hairun’s face hardened as the one who had sensed his presence in the warehouse a moment ago appeared.

“Hello, Mr. Mouse. Where are you going in such a hurry?”

‘Damn it, today is an unlucky day.’ The girl, or rather Shirley, glared at the bewildered Hairun and continued in a cold voice, “Your unique aura tells me you’re not human. Are you perhaps a dark elf? A spy from the Volga Republic?”

‘Now I understand. This girl is skilled, but she’s a hybrid of human and elf, so she could sense my presence.’ Not all elves sided with the Volga Republic. Some elves had become completely enslaved by humans, and some, like Shirley, had assimilated.

The girl in front of him was small in stature, but judging by her ability to wield a heavy halberd with ease, she seemed to be a hybrid with a dwarf.

“My brother was killed by Duke Dimitri of Volga. He was my half-brother and only looked down on me and my mother, but I still have to take revenge. That way, I can take over my brother’s title.”

“Rather than that, why don’t you eat this first?”

No sooner had she finished speaking than Hairun tore open the sack he was carrying with a dagger. Then, flour scattered, blurring the surrounding vision.

“Hmph, if you want revenge, go find Duke Dimitri yourself, kid!”

“Cough! Cough! Stop right there!”

In a situation where it was difficult to open her eyes, Shirley swung her halberd widely.

KWAANG!

A powerful strike imbued with aura fell, creating a long, deep furrow in the ground. Hairun, who had narrowly avoided the attack, ran and ran again without even having time to calm his surprised heart.

“Catch him!”

“A suspicious person has appeared!”

At the sudden commotion, knights and soldiers who had been scattered around rushed in like a swarm of bees. Hairun quickly dodged their attacks and jumped into the river.

SPLASH!

“Catch him! Don’t let him get away!”

The soldiers who had chased after him rained down arrows. But Hairun did not surface. Only dozens of arrows that had missed their mark floated on the surface of the water.

2

The initial advance of the subjugation army was smooth. The closer they got to the capital, the stronger the influence of the Marius faction was, and blocking a large army of 150,000 in the plains was nothing short of suicide.

‘But things will be different when we enter the Conrad region.’ There was a reason why Luke judged so. The Perriad ducal family had long been established in the Conrad region, and most of the residents were said to be believers of the ‘Maron faction,’ led by the duke, who was also the archbishop.

Moreover, the walls of Eisenberg, the gateway city to Elbera, were known to be very large and sturdy. It was said that the first subjugation army had also been defeated without being able to cross this place.

“Everyone, halt! We will camp here today!”

A messenger ran from the front and conveyed the commander-in-chief’s order to the entire army. The 4th Army set up camp on the spot and began preparing for the night. White smoke rose from various parts of the camp as they cooked dinner.

“This is, well, it seems too easy?” One of the subordinate knights said while eating dinner. They had been marching for over ten days and had not seen a single enemy.

“Could it be that they are cowering in fear at the sight of our army?” At those words, Luke shook his head.

“I don’t think so. Perhaps starting tomorrow, when we cross the border of the Conrad region, the enemies will constantly launch night attacks.”

“I, is that so?”

“So, don’t drink late into the night today and get plenty of rest.”

Just as the knights were smacking their lips with regret at Luke’s order, a group of mercenaries appeared and started picking a fight with them.

“Oh my, fallen nobles. You were having dinner. But can you even use your strength eating only thin gruel and bread?”

“That’s right. If it were me, I’d catch a horse and roast it.”

“Hehehe!”

They were members of the Garlic Mercenary Group, which was quite successful in the Holy Arthea Empire. Most of the members were from the nomadic tribes of the northern grasslands, and their numbers reached 500, with 30 expert-level mercenaries. It was a large mercenary group.

However, unlike other large mercenary groups, they did not receive much preferential treatment because they did not have Gigants. Then, they discovered a mercenary group with Gigants.

Moreover, the numbers were small, and most of them looked naive like country bumpkins, so they didn’t seem very skilled. According to rumors, they were a group of fallen nobles wandering around after losing their territories.

Naturally, the Garlic Mercenary Group could not help but covet the Gigants they possessed.

“Hey, don’t eat like beggars, sell us your Gigants.”

A mercenary with a large wart on his forehead, with a menacing impression, stepped forward and said. His name was Gebil, the leader of the Garlic Mercenary Group. Aldoph had told him that he was a very skilled expert-level fighter, as he had been bothering them for several days.

There was a reason why he remained a mercenary despite being a skilled fighter. He was from a nomadic tribe, so he had not learned anything other than riding a horse and wielding a sword, and he had betrayed his lord, to whom he had sworn allegiance for money, more than once or twice.

Anyway, he had gathered similar types of people and started leading them, and he had created a mercenary group by borrowing the name of his tribe.

“Hey, can’t you hear me? I’m telling you to hand them over when I’m being nice.”

“No.”

“Hey, I’m telling you nicely to hand them over.”

“You should be the one to get lost when I’m being nice.”

Luke, who had firmly retorted, glared at him with a cold gaze, and Gebil flinched and involuntarily stepped back. But that was only for a moment, and he started sneering again.

“Oh, looking at your eyes, it seems like you want to hit me? Go ahead and hit me! Hit me!”

Gebil had no intention of buying the Gigants with money. Gigants were not something that cost just a penny or two, and what good was keeping such power to oneself?

So, his plan was to provoke a fight with the Red Wolf Mercenary Group and create a conflict.

His idea was that if they drew their swords first, he would pretend to be defeated, then report them to the 4th Army Headquarters and demand the Gigants [powerful, large war machines] as compensation.

However, since he was a fallen noble, he could also politely request a duel.

In that case, he planned to thoroughly crush them and take the Gigants.

This was his entire scheme.

“Commander, please be patient. Those guys are…” Philip, having noticed Gebil’s sinister intentions, stepped in to stop Luke.

However, Luke had no intention of being patient. In fact, he thought it was a good opportunity. Many were subtly observing and testing them, though not as openly as Gebil’s mercenary group.

So, he intended to use this chance to display their skills.

‘Well, there are other reasons too.’ Luke threw down the glove he was wearing, challenging Gebil to a duel.

“Wow! A duel!” “The mercenaries are fighting!” They were already bored from the long march. As news of the duel spread, soldiers from the 4th Army gathered like a swarm. Even commanders, including Count Marquez, were present.

“What on earth is going on?” “It seems that Commander Gebil of the Garlic Mercenary Group and Commander Leif of the Red Wolf Mercenary Group are going to fight.”

Count Marquez frowned at his adjutant’s report. “What? A fight broke out? I explicitly forbade any infighting among our troops.”

“It’s not just a fight, it’s a duel.”

“A duel? Aren’t duels only for nobles and knights?” “I heard that Commander Leif is a fallen noble. Besides, disputes and conflicts among mercenaries are often resolved through duels. However, the loser has to pay a hefty compensation to the winner.”

“Is that so?” Intrigued by his adjutant’s story, Marquez decided to watch for a while.

3

In front of everyone, a stage for two was set up. In an open space about 50 meters wide and long, Luke and Gebil stood facing each other.

“Heh heh heh! You’re just a kid who doesn’t know how dangerous the world is. If you show off your clumsy skills, you’ll die early.” “Huh, is that what someone who knows that would say?”

“It’s not too late now. How about handing over the Gigants and backing down before you die or become a cripple? I’ll be generous and make you my subordinate.” “I don’t know about swordsmanship, but your mouth is definitely an expert-level skill.”

“Tch, you little…! Alright, don’t cry after you get a bone broken, kid.” In fact, Gebil thought Philip would step forward, not Luke. He had sensed a formidable aura from him.

But when a fresh-faced kid who looked barely twenty years old challenged him to a duel as the commander, he was secretly relieved. He vowed to crush the kid in front of the 4th Army’s leadership. He drew his sword and arrogantly gestured for him to attack.

“I’ll give you the first move. So, attack as much as you want.” Crack! The moment Gebil finished speaking, his body flew backward with the sound of stone breaking.

“Keok!” Gebil, who had tumbled more than 10 meters across the ground, staggered to his feet. He looked at Luke with an unbelievable expression.

But Luke was not there. “Commander, above you…!” He heard his subordinate’s shout from behind. Gebil was startled and looked up.

Luke, who had jumped up at some point, was coming down with his sword still in its scabbard. Thud! Gebil’s body flew another 10 meters.

The soldiers who were watching from the front row were knocked down by the wind of his flight. “Ugh, what is this…?” “You told me to attack as much as I wanted, right? I’ll grant your wish.”

Gebil was terrified at the sight of Luke standing in front of him like a ghost. He instinctively tried to say the word ‘surrender,’ but Luke’s kick to his chin was faster.

After that, a one-sided beating ensued. Whack! Thwack! Thwack! “D, damn it! Everyone, save the commander!” The vice-commander of the Garlic Mercenary Group, who was fidgeting while watching Gebil get covered in blood, shouted angrily.

If the duel ended like this, the future of the Garlic Mercenary Group was bleak. Who would hire a mercenary group that had been crushed and humiliated by a young mercenary commander they had ignored and looked down on? In the worst case, they might lose all their contracts.

Even if they were considered despicable, they had to crush that kid to keep their jobs. “Waaah! Let’s save the commander!” “Kill that brat!” Led by 30 experts, the members of the Garlic Mercenary Group rushed into the open space, shouting.

Seeing this, Philip and the knights of Rakan also rushed in. “These guys should have accepted their defeat!” “You bastards, you’re dead!” A group brawl broke out in an instant.

The 4th Army’s military police tried to intervene, but Count Marquez raised his hand to stop them. “Your Excellency, if we leave them like this…” “Let’s see what happens first.”

With the commander’s tacit approval, the brawl continued. The soldiers who were watching cheered and shouted excitedly. “Wow! Fight!” “Kill him! Stab him in the gut!”

Duels between mercenaries often escalated into group fights like this. So, instead of stopping them, everyone was egging them on. “Alright, place your bets! If you think the Red Wolf Mercenary Group will win, bet here, and if you think the Garlic Mercenary Group will win, bet here!” Someone even volunteered to be the dealer.

Many people thought the Garlic Mercenary Group would win. Although Gebil had been unilaterally beaten in the duel between the commanders, the Garlic Mercenary Group had 30 experts. And the number of members was much larger.

However, the result of the brawl was the opposite of what most people expected. The Red Wolf Mercenary Group, which seemed to be pushed back from the start, fought on par, and then later, they beat them unilaterally.

Everyone was dumbfounded to see Luke moving like lightning, hitting and kicking the Garlic Mercenary Group. “My goodness, is that really a human?” “It’s like real lightning.”

Not only Luke, but the headquarters leaders who were assisting Count Marquez were also shocked by the performance of the Red Wolf Mercenary Group. Fast as the wind and sharp, heavy blows. Everyone was so skilled that they couldn’t believe they were mercenaries.

“Could it be that the entire Red Wolf Mercenary Group are experts?” “Damn it, let’s run!” As the tide of the battle turned, the surviving members of the Garlic Mercenary Group tried to escape.

But the Red Wolf Mercenary Group was not going to let them go. Moreover, even the soldiers who had lost money in the bet joined in, grabbing the fleeing mercenaries, cursing at them, and throwing them back into the open space. “Where do you think you’re going!” “If you’re a man, show some guts!”

Thirty minutes later, the fierce battle was over. None of the 500 members of the Garlic Mercenary Group were standing. Some of the Red Wolf Mercenary Group were injured, but they only had nosebleeds or minor bruises.

Everyone was speechless at the one-sided result. Also, they never knew that the knights of Rakan had not used their full power under Luke’s orders.

4

The day after the group brawl with the Garlic Mercenary Group, Luke was summoned by Count Marquez and went to his tent. He had already heard that the commander had been watching after the fight, so he expected an interview soon.

He didn’t think he would be punished. If that were the case, the entire Red Wolf Mercenary Group would have already been arrested by the military police. ‘It’s amazing.’ Luke was amazed by the sight inside the commander’s tent.

The floor was covered with expensive northern carpets, and silk curtains imported from the southern continent decorated the interior. Moreover, the furniture inside the tent was extremely luxurious.

Song Empire porcelain and Yemaek lacquerware, all of which were luxury goods that nobles would drool over. ‘He’s said to be one of the richest men in the Holy Empire, and he’s living in luxury even on the battlefield.’ As Luke was thinking this, Count Marquez appeared.

“Welcome.” “You summoned me, Commander.” “Yes, let’s talk while sitting down.” Luke sat down in the seat that Marquez offered. Then, a female knight who seemed to be the count’s bodyguard brought refreshments.

Marquez stirred the hot tea with a silver spoon and opened his mouth. “Your name is Leif?” “Yes, it is.” Luke nodded, using the alias he had used when registering as a mercenary.

“You’re from the Kingdom of Castia, right? I heard you’re a fallen noble, is that true?” ‘Aldorf must have told him.’ Luke was not flustered and answered calmly, as he had expected it to some extent.

“That’s correct.” “But is it possible that you’re lying about being from Castia?” There was a reason why Count Marquez asked this. He had investigated Luke, or rather, the mercenary commander Leif, whom Luke had disguised himself as, during the night.

He had heard the basic information from Aldorf. Meanwhile, he had contacted the headquarters of the trading company he was running through magic communication and ordered a more detailed investigation.

He felt that someone who was leading a small mercenary group with Gigants, and that was entirely made up of experts, was unusual. “According to my subordinates’ investigation of the mercenary guild in Castia, your mercenary group was established less than a month ago. Moreover, they don’t even know that your mercenary group has Gigants.”

“…” “You should be honest. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to consider you a separate unit infiltrated by the rebels and execute you.” Count Marquez made a threat that didn’t suit him.

At that sight, Luke’s lips curled into a slight smile.

“If I were a rebel operative, your head would already be on the ground, Your Excellency.”

“What?”

Count Marquez’s expression soured. Luke pointed behind the tent and said,

“Surely you don’t believe those guards hidden back there will be of any use, do you?”

As a precaution, Count Marquez had indeed placed guards behind the tent. They were meant to rush out and subdue Luke the moment he made a threatening move, like throwing his teacup.

Moreover, anticipating Luke’s skill, these guards were all seasoned experts.

They were not careless individuals who could be detected so easily.

Yet, he had noticed their ambush instantly.

Marquez was once again reminded of Luke’s extraordinary abilities.

As Marquez involuntarily looked away from the chilling aura emanating from Luke, Luke smiled inwardly.

However, that was only for a moment, as he spoke with a serious expression.

“In the past, there was a knight named Bellic in the Volga Kingdom’s Royal Guard. He became a formal knight at the age of 18, and after countless achievements on the front lines, he became the vice-commander of the Royal Guard at the young age of 27.”

“Hmm, I think I’ve heard of him. Wasn’t his nickname ‘Firebolt’?”

Firebolt Bellic.

He was a promising talent of the Volga Kingdom, but he was an unfortunate knight who suffered a tragedy during the kingdom’s collapse.

“During the Republican Rebellion, he fought against the rebels led by Dimitri, and his whereabouts became unknown. Some say he was captured and executed, while others say he fled to the Southern Continent.”

Having said that, Luke took out a piece of paper and a broken piece of sword from his pocket, bringing the story to a close.

“Firebolt Bellic… is my father.”

“R-Really!”

“You can tell by this certificate. It’s a bloodline certificate officially recognized by the Volga royal family in the past.”

Marquez carefully examined the certificate Luke had presented.

The paper was crisp, as if it had been well-preserved, and the certificate was written in the authentic style of the Volga royal family at the time.

Even the seal was clearly from Volga.

The seals of great nobles or the royal family were specially treated with magic, making them impossible to forge.

‘Hehehe, he’ll have no choice but to acknowledge it. After all, Sir Pavel made it.’

Luke had anticipated this situation and thoroughly created a false identity before leaving.

In particular, the bloodline certificate he showed to Marquez was written by Pavel, who had worked as an official in Volga in the past, and used the royal seal that had been kept by the exiled royal family for a long time.

So, while the content was false, the certificate itself was genuine.

“If you still don’t believe it after seeing that, call the old mercenary in our group and ask him. He was a Royal Guard knight of Volga in the past.”

“T-Then, your mercenaries are….”

“They are descendants of the Volga Royal Guard. They dream of restoring the monarchy, but they can’t ignore reality, so they are working as mercenaries.”

“I see. No wonder they are so skilled.”

Even if they had high ideals, they needed money to live.

Understanding their situation, Marquez nodded as if he understood.

“Anyway, now that I know the situation, I can comfortably talk about the main point.”

“The main point?”

At Luke’s question, Marquez spoke with a subtle expression.

“Would you be willing to work under me? If you become my vassal, I promise to bestow upon you the title of Baron, along with immense wealth and beautiful women.”

Count Marquez was incredibly wealthy, but his vassals were rather weak.

Therefore, he wanted to recruit Leif, who he assessed to be an Expert Upper-level, and the Red Wolf Mercenary Group, which was composed of Expert Mid-Lower level mercenaries, into his service.

It was common for nobles to recruit skilled mercenaries, so there was no need to worry about losing face.

Moreover, weren’t they the descendants of a fallen kingdom?

‘He’s taken the bait!’

Luke inwardly smiled with satisfaction.

The reason he had bothered to duel with the Garlic Mercenary Group leader, which he could have easily ignored, was to demonstrate their strength to the commanders.

They needed to catch their eye to get more opportunities to make achievements on the battlefield.

“Hmm, please give me some time to think.”

Having succeeded in gaining Marquez’s favor, Luke employed a time-delay tactic.

Since Count Marquez would be of no use after this civil war, he intended to get the most out of his favor and support.

Marquez, who had not expected Luke to ask for time, smiled and encouraged him.

“What is there to think about? You can get a title, wealth, and beautiful women.”

“If we were ordinary mercenaries, we would have accepted Your Excellency’s offer. But we have a goal.”

“The restoration of the monarchy? That’s realistically impossible, isn’t it? The last king of Volga, Pyotr II, is already dead, and even the last of the bloodline, the princess, was eliminated by the republicans….”

“Well, I’ve heard different rumors.”

“Different rumors? Ah, there’s talk that Her Holiness the Pope resembles the princess of Volga, but they are definitely not the same person. I saw her descend with my own two eyes.”

“You witnessed her descent?”

“Yes, it was at the funeral of the former Pope, Benedict III, and at that time….”

Marquez told the story in detail.

Listening to the story, Luke could confirm that the time she appeared was around the time she went missing.

And he could understand why Reina hadn’t contacted him for two years.

‘She was practically an imbecile when she first appeared? Did something happen in the spirit realm that made her forget everything?’

Then, even if they met later, she might not recognize him or Victor.

Luke’s heart was heavy at that thought, but on the other hand, his desire to take Reina away became much stronger.

He couldn’t leave her, who was not in good health, as a puppet of the rulers.

“Anyway, it’s not something I can decide on my own. I need to persuade my subordinates, so please wait.”

“How long should I wait?”

“I will give you a definite answer after this subjugation is over.”

At those words, Marquez was disappointed, but he didn’t press any further.

Thanks to that, Luke was able to leave the Count’s tent without being bothered any further.

5

“Lord, what did Count Marquez say?”

As Luke returned to the mercenary group’s camp, Philip came to his tent and asked.

“He told me to come under his command.”

“As expected, just as you predicted, Lord.”

After the fight with the Garlic Mercenary Group, Philip had asked why he had applied for a duel that he could have avoided.

And he was able to hear Luke’s plan.

“So, did you accept?”

“Am I crazy? Even Emperor Rudolf couldn’t make me submit, do you think I would bow my head to a mere merchant?”

“Hahaha, I see. But if you refuse the Count’s offer, wouldn’t it negate the meaning of fighting the Garlic Mercenary Group?”

“So, I told him to give me time to think until this subjugation is over.”

“Well done. Then, we can now unleash our skills without worry. I have no ill will towards the rebels, but we’ll crush them….”

It was when Philip had said that much.

There was a commotion outside, and then Victor, who had been instructing the knights, entered the barracks.

“What’s going on?”

At Philip’s question, Victor answered with an annoyed expression.

“The Garlic Mercenary Group has come to our camp again.”

“What? Seriously, do these guys need to be turned into corpses to come to their senses?”

“It seems like we need to make an example of a few of them.”

Luke, who was thoroughly angered, immediately went outside the barracks.

There, he could see the knights confronting the Garlic Mercenary Group.

“What is it? Are you asking for another fight?”

As Luke slightly raised his eyes and asked, Gebil stammered and knelt on the spot.

Then, the others followed suit and prostrated themselves.

“Please accept us!”

“What?”

“We want to disband the Garlic Mercenary Group and join the Red Wolf Mercenary Group. So please, accept us!”

Gebil begged Luke, bowing his head countless times.

However, Luke’s eyes were cold. He could see another greed and sinister intention in Gebil’s groveling appearance.

‘These guys, they’re trying to cling to me because they lost. Well, they were thoroughly humiliated in front of so many people, so they couldn’t swagger around as a great mercenary group anymore.’

As Luke was sneering, Victor approached and whispered in his ear.

“Lord, accept these guys.”

“Why? Is there a particular reason?”

“After all, to make achievements on the battlefield, it’s advantageous to have even one more soldier.”

“But what if they betray us?”

“Hehehe, I don’t think our skills are so low that we need to worry about their betrayal.”

At Victor’s words, Luke nodded. As a result of fighting them directly, he could see that the Garlic Mercenary Group’s reputation was exaggerated.

Gebil, who was known as an Expert Upper-level, was actually Mid-Upper level, and the other mercenaries, who were known as Expert Lower-level, were barely at the Expert level.

Moreover, their swordsmanship was sloppy, as befitting mercenaries, so even half of the Rakan Knights would be enough to subdue those 500 men.

“And if you’re worried about betrayal, just work them so hard that they can’t even think about betraying us. We have an outstanding talent in that area, don’t we?”

Having said that, Victor glanced at Philip.

Philip also smiled meaningfully.

If Kaper or Alex were here, they would have shuddered, saying that the demon instructor had been resurrected!

‘Well, it’s true that we need guys to do the dirty work.’

Having made up his mind, Luke decided to accept the Garlic Mercenary Group members with one condition.

“If you mean a condition…?”

At Gebil’s question, Luke slammed the sword he had drawn into the ground and said,

“You guys will receive swordsmanship training under us.”

“Swordsmanship training, you say?”

“That’s right. If we’re going to use you guys properly, who are so sloppy, it seems like we have to do that.”

At Luke’s words, Gebil and the mercenaries’ faces brightened. They had a stronger desire than anyone to learn high-level swordsmanship.

“Why? You don’t like it? Then, give it up.”

“Ah, no. Rather, it’s what we wanted to ask for.”

Gebil quickly answered, afraid that Luke might change his mind.

The reason he had decided to cling to the Red Wolf Mercenary Group was because he had seen Luke being called to the commander’s tent.

He immediately realized why the commander had called him and gathered his subordinates to persuade them.

‘This guy seems to have made a good impression on the commander, so if we go under his command, we’ll get a lot of the leftovers.’

He would collect money and learn high-level swordsmanship under the young man, and then increase his skills.

Then, he would be able to return the humiliation he had experienced yesterday several times over.

‘My father said, a man’s revenge is never too late, even if it takes 10 years.’

Having made up his mind, Gebil slightly curled up the corners of his lips.

However, he could not even imagine.

That Philip and the Rakan Knights were smiling inwardly, more sinister and murderous than he was.

Emperor of Steel [EN]

Emperor of Steel [EN]

강철대제
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] In the realm of dark magic, Shaymon stood unrivaled, mastering the deepest and most formidable arts. Yet, his unparalleled prowess became his undoing when he was wrongfully accused of being a Demon King and met a premature death. Defiant in his final moments, Shaymon's indomitable will propels him 500 years into the future, granting him a second chance at life. However, fate plays a cruel jest: he is reborn as the descendant of his former nemesis, the revered Sword Emperor. In this new era, where the legacies of magic and swordsmanship intertwine, Shaymon must navigate the intricate dynamics of his inherited lineage while confronting remnants of his past. Armed with ancient knowledge and a renewed purpose, he embarks on a journey to reclaim his destiny, challenging the very fabric of time and power. Dive into a tale of reincarnation, redemption, and the relentless pursuit of truth in "Emperor of Steel."

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