Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 81

Legion called a server and ordered food.

He ordered everything they had. Judging by their appearances, it was clear they hadn’t had a proper meal since they were beaten to a pulp and ran away from the territory.

Having left without a penny, they must have been sleeping rough every night.

And what were they trying to avenge? It was their fault in the first place.

But no matter how much you want revenge, humans need to eat to live. Just try being hungry for half a day. You’ll forget about revenge and just desperately want to tear into a chicken leg.

However, these guys were dignified mercenaries.

Didn’t they always brag about being a small, elite force?

They couldn’t just walk into any tavern and say, ‘I’m hungry, so I’ll take it on credit.’ They probably stood awkwardly in front of restaurants, never managing to say a word.

Otherwise, those burly men wouldn’t have ended up looking like that.

Seriously.

Poor fellows.

All they knew how to do was fight.

Just a little better at fighting than others. Using blades, casting some magic. No matter what fancy words you use, it’s just one of the techniques of fighting.

If left like this, a tragedy might occur where those with a combined combat power of over a thousand starve to death on the streets.

Legion had no animosity towards them.

It was Paring who targeted him, not the mercenaries. Was it a bit too much to hang them upside down and beat them at the end?

It was pathetic to watch.

So, he found a restaurant to feed them something, even if they were going to fight later.

Haimo and the mercenaries stood there awkwardly.

They scanned Legion with eyes that seemed to ask what he was up to. But they were too hungry. They hadn’t eaten anything for a week.

They couldn’t even find a rabbit to hunt.

Steel tried to take out a loan, but was rejected because his credit wasn’t good enough. It was a big blow.

He never knew his credit rating was only level 8.

“You had a loan from a third-tier financial institution before… because of that…”

He trailed off. Steel stood there blankly, even more heartbroken as he recalled that time. Legion sighed deeply, watching him.

“If you don’t want to eat with me, go over there and eat by yourselves. I’ll just have a bowl of noodles here.”

“There’s no need for that.”

Haimo sat across from Legion.

The other mercenaries sat in the remaining seats, surrounding Legion as if to encircle him. They took out their swords and placed them elsewhere. It meant they had no intention of attacking him here, at least.

Soon, food piled up like a mountain.

Smoked duck, boiled pork, fried chicken, and so on.

Gulp.

Haimo and the mercenaries swallowed involuntarily.

Grumble-

At the same time, their stomachs signaled. They tried to hold it in, embarrassed, but it was not something they could control. It sounded like a cathedral choir performing an orchestra: grumble, grumble, grumble!

Their faces turned pale.

They didn’t say a word. They seemed really ashamed.

“Eat.”

It looked like saliva was about to drip from the customers’ mouths any second. You could see their mouths were full of saliva. But they just stood there, making him feel like he was watching well-trained hounds. It seemed like they would just keep drooling forever unless he picked up his spoon first.

So, he picked up a piece of duck and brought it to his mouth.

As if on cue, the mercenaries pounced on the food.

Wow, amazing. How long have they been starving? Surely they haven’t just been drinking water and not eating since then. No way.

No matter how much profound mana you’ve accumulated, you’ll die if you don’t eat like that. People basically need energy to move.

The food disappeared in an instant.

Legion called the server and ordered as much food as he had before. The server’s face brightened and he bowed.

Soon, a considerable amount of food was laid out on the table again.

The mercenaries devoured the food without stopping. Some of them got stomachaches as the grease suddenly entered their stomachs. They rushed to the bathroom, emptied their stomachs, and sat back down to eat.

They had lost their reason because they were so hungry.

The food was laid out on the table three times. Only after eating all the food without leaving a single scrap did the mercenaries come to their senses. They seemed very embarrassed when they came to.

They scratched the back of their heads with their tattered fingers.

“Are you full now?”

“…I won’t say thank you. We became penniless thanks to you.”

“Let’s get the facts straight. It’s not because of me.”

“Nonsense! Who are you? You ordered the mana warriors to steal all our wallets.”

“…”

Legion didn’t answer. Ah, right. He swept away everything that was worth money.

“Okay, I’m sorry. Relax.”

“Hmph.”

Haimo gave a look, and the mercenaries got up from their seats.

“Why? Aren’t you eating more?”

“We’ve been indebted… we won’t draw blood today. But be fully prepared. We won’t let you off easy next time we meet.”

“I know. You guys aren’t ones to make empty threats.”

“Then.”

Haimo and the mercenaries turned their backs.

“But, you know.”

Legion called out to them.

Haimo stopped abruptly. His energy turned chillingly cold. His eyes were also completely different from before.

He said.

“If you’re pitying us, I’ll cut you down right here. The same goes if you’re trying to recruit us.”

“What are you talking about? Why would I pity you? You’re the ones who were after my head.”

“Then?”

“Let’s make a deal.”

“A deal?”

“Yeah, I don’t know much about this place.”

“So?”

“I’d like you to find out some information about this place. I’ll pay well for valuable information.”

“Ha.”

Haimo was dumbfounded.

*Does he know who we are!*

“Of course, it’s not free. I’ll even provide you with a place to live. I’ll give you a salary. And I’ll give you generous incentives depending on the information you provide.”

*What is this…*

Haimo looked at Legion in disbelief. It was an absurd offer.

“The base salary is 20 gold. It’s the best treatment in the industry.”

“…”

Haimo swallowed dryly without realizing it. 20 gold, he said. That’s similar to a knight’s salary.

“And I’ll definitely give you incentives depending on what kind of information you bring. Especially information about treasure.”

“Treasure, you say?”

“Yeah, I guess the guild here is heavily influenced by Count Persimmon? I can’t trust them. So, I need personal informants. If you bring me information… I’ll pay you handsomely. Ah, here.”

Legion placed a leather pouch containing 20 gold in Haimo’s hand. Haimo pretended to pull his hand away but just held it. He had no money to maintain his pride and go outside.

“That’s enough money for you to stay here for a few days. If you accept my offer, I’m willing to give you an advance.”

“…”

Haimo and the mercenaries couldn’t answer. ‘Confused’ would be the right word.

“Is it not enough? Then 25 gold.”

*We’re not mercenaries who are swayed by money. You’ve got the wrong person.*

“Okay. Let’s go big with 35 gold.”

*35 gold… If you save for a year, that’s 420 gold. That’s a considerable sum.*

“Okay. 40 gold.”

*F, forty gold.*

Haimo and the mercenaries swallowed hard.

40 gold a month was the salary of at least a captain-level mercenary. They would be receiving at least three times more than other mercenaries. They couldn’t build a mansion, but they could buy a four-room house.

“Wow. You guys are really steadfast. This is my last offer. If you still don’t want it, I’ll admit it. I’ll have to commission the information guild. Well, with that much money, I could hire dozens of guild members. Here, 50 gold.”

“Deal!”

The five mercenaries shouted simultaneously, without exception. They looked at each other with awkward expressions, not knowing that the others would shout too.

“Good. Everyone, sit down. We need to draw up a contract.”

Legion waved his hand. The subspace opened, and a hand with only bones popped out.

Haimo and the mercenaries were genuinely surprised. An enormous amount of magic flowed out as the subspace opened.

That alone meant they were definitely not his equals.

It seemed that Baron Legion was raising some kind of monster they didn’t know about.

And…

What is that?

It was a life form that they couldn’t understand with their common sense.

It was a bob-haired skeleton that was handing the contract to Baron Legion.

The bob-haired skeleton hummed something.

“That lich with the neatly combed bob like grass leaves. Sparkling eyes revive in my heart. I hate the lich who took my heart. Woah, woah, woah.”

What is that? What is it? Is that a spell? Trying to seduce us.

The bob-haired skeleton disappeared into the subspace only after being hit directly in the face by the staff that Baron Legion wielded.

“W-what is that?”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just an ordinary bob-haired skeleton. Come on, come on. We need to draw up a contract.”

*Does an ‘ordinary’ bob-haired skeleton even exist?*

Legion smiled at Haimo and the mercenaries.

What is it?

Haimo and the mercenaries felt like they were being possessed by a ghost.

* * *

There is only one guild in Alexander Territory.

The Assassin Guild in name only. Even including all the territory residents, there are only a little over 500 people. They’ve lived in the same neighborhood for decades, so they’re all neighbors. They occasionally drink and argue, but they’re generally very close.

No one knows why there is an Assassin Guild in such a rural town.

The guild members are just some local layabouts. Their parents are happy that they’re making a living since becoming guild members.

But there couldn’t be frequent assassination requests in such a rural town.

Most of them just hang out. If they don’t work, they don’t get paid. So, the guild leader makes them do farming, which they wouldn’t do even if their parents told them to do it until they died.

But the guilds in the Count’s territory are different.

There are at least dozens of guilds. It’s not just that there are guilds.

There are definitely guilds that operate in the shadows.

They weren’t like those guys in Alexander Territory who made you feel sorry for the guild members and want to give them the money in your pocket.

They were people you could manipulate to your heart’s content without any repercussions!

Dreyzer looked at the three-story mansion.

It was quite a large entertainment establishment even in the city. From the entrance, there was a faint smell of drugs.

Drugs are illegal.

It was an illegal activity, but it was being carried out here as if it were legal and natural.

One could guess how many officials were taking money from those who ran this place.

Dreyzer stepped in front of the main entrance. As soon as he entered the main entrance, two well-dressed men quickly bowed.

“Welcome. This is Sunshine, offering a fantastic night. Are you alone?”

The man asked Dreyzer with a beaming smile.

Dreyzer nodded. This was his first time here too. They weren’t surprised at all even after seeing his face. Most people are taken aback by his huge physique and then think about what to say.

But this employee’s eyes showed no such signs. He wasn’t surprised at all. He was full of kindness and a willingness to serve.

He probably saw him as ‘money’.

Then it made sense. Even if he had no arms or legs or had a grotesque appearance, he wouldn’t be kicked out.

Because money doesn’t discriminate.

“Would you like to wait a moment? Please come this way. We’ll treat you to a glass of top-quality whiskey in the waiting room. If you wait for about an hour, you can have a fantastic night. If you need any drugs, please feel free to ask. We even have a drug that keeps your thing fully operational for 5 hours. Our customers are very satisfied.”

Dreyzer chuckled. *Keeps your thing fully operational for 5 hours?* Sorry, but I can keep it fully operational for 24 hours.

“Boss.”

“Yes?”

“Bring the boss here.”

Dreyzer said with a bright smile, as if he was in a good mood.