The dragon hunt that had taken place where countless princesses had gathered—rumors of the Kasim Mercenary Band, who had accomplished that feat, spread far and wide across Arcadia with astonishing speed. Since there had been so many witnesses, the pace at which the story traveled surpassed imagination.
“Is that really true?”
“I’m telling you it is…… The members of the Kasim Mercenary Band hunted a Wyrm-class white dragon right in front of countless princesses and their escort knights…… And you think that’s all? They had captured the dragon completely, and when it begged for its life and offered to pay an enormous ransom, they let it go without the slightest regret……”
Everyone who heard those words could only gape.
“That’s absurd. Then that means they didn’t catch the dragon by luck…… How could such a thing be possible?”
“It is possible. They say they possess four Death Knights comparable to the highest-grade Sword Masters, as well as a gigantic Bone Dragon. On top of that, a 9th Circle archmage is one of the mercenary band’s members. With that much force, wouldn’t even a dragon be possible to hunt? From how perfectly they worked together, it seems they’ve already hunted several dragons. You can tell just by looking at the Bone Dragon, can’t you?”
“A-amazing. To think such a mercenary band exists in this world……”
Those who heard the rumor had no choice but to be astonished. Never before in Arcadia’s history had such an overwhelmingly powerful mercenary band appeared. Even in Truvenia, with its long history, no such mercenary band had ever existed. With that level of strength, they could clash head-on with the royal guard knights of any kingdom. Because of that, the kings of every kingdom in Arcadia began to take a deep interest in the Kasim Mercenary Band. Simply put, if they could hire that mercenary band, there would be nothing left in the world to fear.
Among them, the king most anxious was, without question, the king of Terbia. If he had brought in the dark mage earlier, the attention of the entire continent would never have been focused like this. If he tried to win over the dark mage now, it was obvious that the neighboring countries would become intensely alert.
“What a waste. Truly a waste.”
Even so, the king of Terbia did not give up on the idea of winning over the dark mage. The only person capable of satisfying his ambitions was the dark mage.
“Any king interested in supremacy over the continent will be frantic by now to bring the dark mage to his side. We must act before they do. Mobilize the entire intelligence network dispatched across Arcadia. Above all else, we must discover the dark mage’s whereabouts.”
And thus, Damon and the Kasim Mercenary Band became the foremost subject of interest in Arcadia. Not only Duke Pershtein, but also the intelligence departments of formidable powers such as Terbia, Penslut, and Tezeros began tracking them in earnest.
However, Damon and the members of the Kasim Mercenary Band, who had become the eye of the storm, were currently lost in deep worry in the barren remote reaches of the north. Just as they had been about to shake off their troublesome employer, something unexpected had occurred.
“So, you are saying that you wish to remain under our protection until the crown prince’s bride selection ceremony is held one year from now?”
Yuliana stared piercingly at Kasim, who had asked back with an incredulous expression, and squared her shoulders. She looked as though she had already steeled herself.
“Exactly. What I am demanding is based entirely on the contents of the contract. Therefore, you must fulfill it.”
“This is maddening.”
Kasim’s face twisted at once. He had thought he had become somewhat trained against Yuliana’s stubbornness, but that had been a grave miscalculation. She was pressuring Kasim with utterly unreasonable insistence.
“It is not as if I am making an unreasonable demand, is it? The deadline written in the contract is clearly until I participate in the ceremony. Therefore, the contract only ends when the crown prince’s bride selection ceremony takes place one year from now. Do you understand?”
“That is plainly sophistry. No mercenary band would accept such a condition. It is not as though the crown prince’s bride selection ceremony was postponed because of us, is it?”
Kasim’s face was filled with bewilderment and absurdity. It was only natural, for Yuliana was attempting to extend the contract period by bringing up something completely unexpected. With their finances now ample, Kasim had intended to give Yuliana extra money and part ways with her. How much hardship had they suffered because of her stubbornness on the way here?
Although they had become part of the dark mage Damon’s company thanks to her, traveling with her again was not something Kasim wanted at all. Yuliana was that much of a headache. And now the contract period was about to be extended due to an unforeseen matter…… Yuliana was using the fact that the contract had no clearly specified term as a pretext to drag the contract period out until next year.
“In any case, it has nothing to do with me. As stated in the contract, I must receive protection until next year. Until the crown prince’s bride selection ceremony is held again, that is.”
“My head is going to split.”
Having nothing left to say, Kasim shook his head helplessly. Yuliana’s demand was absurd, but it was not entirely without basis. His greatest mistake had been failing to draw up the contract thoroughly. Since the contract contained no clear deadline and merely stated that it would last until she participated in the crown prince’s bride selection ceremony, Yuliana was persistently seizing on that point.
“If I had known this would happen, I should have learned a thing or two about making contracts while I was with the Thunderbird Mercenary Band.”
Regret, no matter how quickly it came, was always too late. Large mercenary bands had people who specialized in handling contracts, so Kasim, who had been a field mercenary unit commander, had never signed contracts himself, nor was there any way for him to know the proper methods. That was why he had made such an absurd mistake.
“What should I do?”
With a troubled expression, he turned his head. Beside him, Damon was watching the argument between the two with an amused look. His expression was as though he were watching an entertaining spectacle. Seeing that made Kasim’s feelings even more complicated.
“What a headache. Damon will definitely want to keep her with us……”
When he thought about it, there was no need to rack his brain over this matter at all. Since he had planned to give her a considerable sum anyway, he could simply terminate the contract cleanly. The contract had been made for 10 gold, so if he paid three times that amount, 30 gold, the contractual relationship between them would vanish just like that. After that, they could each go their own way.
However, the greatest dilemma Kasim faced was Damon. Whether there was any interest beyond that or not, Damon’s main concern was observing Yuliana’s face, and perhaps because she had grown accustomed to it, she paid no attention at all to his persistent gaze. In other words, Kasim was not in a position to coldly shake her off.
“It can’t be helped. I don’t know how much more we’ll suffer from now on, but……”
He let out a long sigh and nodded.
“Understood. Then we will continue to escort Your Highness until the crown prince’s bride selection ceremony is held next year.”
“Thank you.”
Yuliana smiled brightly, as though that was only natural. Beside her, Mitchell watched the situation unfold with an expressionless face. His expression seemed to say that he did not care either way. Glancing at him, Kasim still thought it was a blessing amid misfortune. After all, it was not as if there had been no gain at all.
“At least we can continue receiving swordsmanship lessons from Mitchell, so it is not entirely bad.”
Once the argument ended, Damon sauntered over.
“Is the discussion over?”
“Yes.”
“You decided to keep her for another year?”
“That is correct. Since this is our first commission, I thought it would be better to settle it cleanly……”
Watching Kasim nod, Damon clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, tsk. What a terribly losing bargain. To have to take on that troublemaker for more than a year for a mere 10 gold.”
“What did you say?”
Perhaps angered, Yuliana planted her hands on her hips and glared at Damon with her eyes blazing. However, Damon was not someone who would be easily frightened by her threats.
“Honestly, don’t you think 10 gold would not even cover the cost of your meals for a year? The fellow called the leader has a ridiculously kind heart, but he is far too soft for his own good……”
“Hmph. Do not worry. We will earn our own meals……”
Although she had pushed through her demand, perhaps she did not feel entirely proud of it, for Yuliana only shot him a glare before hurrying away. For some reason, Yuliana never acted recklessly toward Damon alone. Damon glanced at her retreating figure, then turned his head toward Kasim.
“I appreciate your consideration, but was there really a need for that? I can tell you extended the contract because of me, even though you did not want to.”
An embarrassed look appeared on Kasim’s face.
“Y-you knew?”
“You do not have to be so considerate from now on. I have no interest in that girl aside from her appearance. Understood?”
Damon spoke expressionlessly. Although he looked at Yuliana whenever he had the chance, his interest lay solely in her looks. Even if he never saw her again, he would not feel disappointed. Damon knew well that Daphne and Yuliana merely had the same appearance and were completely different beings. Flustered, Kasim stammered out an excuse.
“Well, besides that, if we delay the contract, there is also the fact that my men can continue receiving swordsmanship instruction from Mitchell, is there not? That was the very reason I……”
“I suppose that could be true.”
Damon nodded as if in agreement. Since Kasim’s thoughtfulness, down to the smallest details, touched him deeply, he decided not to press the matter any further. In truth, although he did have a slight tendency to be swayed by sentiment, Kasim truly ought to be considered an excellent leader.
Damon had already fully acknowledged his ability to always worry for the safety of his members and to make proper judgments under any circumstances.
“Indeed, that was why I took him as a companion……”
Shaking his head, Damon changed the subject.
“In any case, how does it feel to have come to a dragon’s lair for the first time in your life?”
“Th-that is true.”
Only then did Kasim become aware of where this place was. It was no wonder, since the moment they arrived here, they had begun arguing over the contract, leaving him no leisure to look around. With an excited expression, Kasim looked this way and that at his surroundings. An exclamation burst from him at once.
“T-this place is the dragon’s lair I have only heard about……”
The white dragon’s lair, located in the remote reaches of the north, was more than enough to steal Kasim’s soul away. As if to display the majesty of a dragon, the lair had been built on a vast scale, and it was made entirely of ice. It would not have been an exaggeration to call it an ice palace. The group had already scattered in all directions, absorbed in observing the dragon’s lair they were seeing for the first time in their lives. Since a dragon’s lair was a place strictly forbidden to humans, they could not help but be curious.
The group, who had departed Laytona while riding on the dragon’s back, had to fly for quite a long time. The barren northern frontier was that far away. Only after flying for a full day were they able to arrive in the north, a land of snow and ice. As if proving that dragons were a race faithful to their word, Katroi played no tricks and dutifully guided the group to his lair. He firmly believed that once he brought them to the lair and paid the ransom, the tiresome hunters would soon leave.
After arriving at the lair where he had lived for thousands of years, Katroi set the group down, then spread his wings wide once more.
—Wait here for a moment. I will go to the mine and bring the gold chest.
“You did not store the gold chest in your treasury?”
Katroi silently shook his head.
—Because it is heavy, I cannot store the gold chest here. The floor cannot support the weight of the gold chest.
“It cannot be helped. In the meantime, I shall admire your lair.”
—As you wish.
After speaking, Katroi spread his wings wide and flew up, leaving the group behind in the dragon’s lair. Since this was an opportunity they might not get even once in a lifetime, the mercenaries were busy admiring the dragon’s lair in a daze. Of course, excluding Kasim and Yuliana, who had begun arguing the moment they arrived……
“Haah. This really is magnificent. How could such a spectacle be created?”
“It is a sight that can only be seen in the north.”
Massive pillars of ice, so enormous that even ten adults holding hands seemed as though they could not encircle them, firmly supported the ceiling, and ice statues carved in the shapes of all sorts of monsters and demi-human races stood here and there. The sheer walls and the ceiling, which seemed to be a full fifty meters high, looked at a glance like something humans would never even dare attempt to build.