Episode 170: Division (1)
”…Dad collapsed?”
Athena’s face turned pale at the mercenary’s words.
“What do you mean? Why would he collapse?”
“I-I don’t know the details. I only know that the Mercenary King was found unconscious about a week ago.”
Athena staggered, and Damien quickly supported her, turning to the mercenary for more information.
“Where is the Mercenary King now?”
“H-he’s in his quarters. The other Sacred Bloods are taking care of him…”
Before the mercenary could finish, Athena was already sprinting towards her father’s tent, with Damien close behind.
The Mercenary King’s tent was easy to spot, more lavish than the others. At its entrance sat a woman with a bow—Cynthia, the king’s trusted aide.
“Cynthia!”
“Miss, you’re here.”
Cynthia replied calmly, opening the tent flap for Athena.
“The Mercenary King is inside. Please, go in.”
“Th-thank you.”
Athena entered the tent with Cynthia, and Damien followed.
Inside, the Mercenary King lay alone on a bed large enough for several people. He looked just as youthful as the last time Damien had seen him, except now his eyes were closed, and he lay utterly still.
“Dad!”
Athena grasped her father’s hand, but he didn’t respond to her call. He seemed lifeless.
Tears welled up in Athena’s eyes.
“How did this happen? Why would he collapse? He was always too healthy for his own good!”
“We haven’t identified the cause yet.”
“But we have to do something!”
“We’ve tried everything from potions to magical artifacts, but he hasn’t woken up,” Cynthia explained, and Athena bit her lip in frustration.
‘Did the Mercenary King really collapse at this time?’ Damien pondered as he observed the king.
What Damien knew about the Fafnir Mercenary Corps was that the Mercenary King had been deceived by a dark sorcerer, leading to the division of the corps.
‘But there’s no guarantee what I know is true. I didn’t witness it myself.’
His information was secondhand, and the truth could be entirely different.
‘There’s no way someone as powerful as the Mercenary King just collapsed.’
The Mercenary King was a master-class warrior, far beyond human limits in both body and soul.
For someone like that to be unconscious and unresponsive? It had to be the work of an outside force.
‘The only one capable of such a scheme… is Rubia.’
The mystery was how she managed to bring him down.
The Mercenary King was not only a transcendent being but also of dragon lineage, naturally resistant to poisons and curses.
‘But the dragon lineage is both a strength and a weakness.’
No creature had been studied as extensively as dragons. Their immense power and myriad abilities made them irresistible subjects for researchers.
Wizards and dark sorcerers alike had delved into dragon studies, uncovering many vulnerabilities.
Of course, knowing a dragon’s weaknesses didn’t mean one could easily defeat them.
‘But the Mercenary King isn’t a dragon, strictly speaking. And he has a notorious weakness for women.’
He wouldn’t have ignored someone as beautiful as Rubia, giving her plenty of opportunities to ensnare him.
‘Hmm?’
As Damien scrutinized the Mercenary King, he noticed something off.
It was a subtle anomaly, one that only Damien could detect.
‘Rubia, you’ve played quite the clever trick.’
Damien smirked slightly.
“Miss, I understand you’re upset, but you need to move,” Cynthia said to Athena.
“A crisis meeting is about to start. As a first-generation Sacred Blood, you must attend.”
Athena wiped her tears and stood up, heading out of the tent. Damien followed her.
“Damien Haxen.”
Cynthia stopped him briefly.
“Please take care of the young lady.”
Damien and Athena made their way to the meeting tent Cynthia had mentioned.
Inside, chairs were arranged in a circle, and many mercenaries were already seated, their expressions grave.
‘Impressive.’
As soon as Damien entered, he couldn’t help but be impressed.
Among those seated were several master-class warriors.
‘The Blade Storm, Blue Lightning, the Executioner… I didn’t expect to see them so soon.’
Some were masters Damien had personally fought, all of whom he respected for their skills.
But it wasn’t just masters present. There were high-class Sacred Bloods as well.
And there were middle-aged women, who neither trained their bodies nor accumulated magical power, appearing ordinary.
Yet the Sacred Bloods treated these women with utmost respect, even the master-class warriors.
‘They must be the faction leaders.’
The Fafnir Mercenary Corps was divided into several factions, with the core being the Mercenary King’s women, the mothers of the Sacred Bloods.
“It seems everyone is here,” one of the middle-aged women said, standing up. The room fell silent.
Damien recognized her immediately.
Clea Fowler.
The Mercenary King’s first woman and leader of the largest faction, to which Rubia also belonged.
“It’s been a week since the Mercenary King collapsed. We haven’t completed a single commission in that time. We need to appoint a deputy, which is why I’ve called this emergency meeting.”
The mercenaries nodded in agreement.
The Fafnir Mercenary Corps was the continent’s top mercenary group, with requests flooding in from all over.
Someone had to manage the corps in the Mercenary King’s stead.
“So, who do you propose as the deputy?” asked a woman sitting opposite Clea.
She looked slightly younger than Clea but still mature.
“Surely you don’t intend to choose someone from your faction, Clea?”
Susan asked sharply, and Clea smiled.
“Of course not. I plan to gather everyone’s opinions and appoint the most suitable candidate. Please, suggest your nominees.”
Susan eyed Clea suspiciously but spoke up.
“Then I’ll start. I believe my son, Lennox, is the right choice.”
No sooner had Susan spoken than another faction leader interjected.
“Lennox? Didn’t he fail a mission recently, causing significant damage to the corps?”
Susan’s face flushed with anger.
“T-that wasn’t Lennox’s fault! The Empire’s interference was the issue!”
“Joey is a much better fit for deputy. He’s recognized by the Mercenary King and runs his own mercenary group!”
“Joey? He’s not skilled enough! How can he be deputy with such mediocre abilities?”
The factions’ exchanges grew increasingly heated, the atmosphere tense and volatile.
“How can we trust Lennox’s judgment? He’ll only tarnish the Fafnir Mercenary Corps’ reputation!”
“Ha! And Thomas? You can’t seriously think that fool could be deputy!”
In this room, family ties meant nothing.
The position of the Mercenary King’s deputy was a coveted prize, and the room was full of wolves vying for it.
“These fools… Dad’s collapsed, and this is what they’re doing…” Athena sighed, muttering under her breath. Damien agreed with her sentiment.
‘So this is why the Fafnir Mercenary Corps split…’
It was all about power.
The power struggle between factions was fiercer than Damien had imagined.
Until now, the overwhelming presence of the Mercenary King had kept it in check.
But with his absence, the conflict had erupted.
‘This must have led to the internal strife and eventual civil war.’
Why it was later attributed to the Mercenary King’s fault, Damien couldn’t say.
But one thing was clear.
‘We can’t let the corps fall apart like this.’
The Fafnir Mercenary Corps was a formidable force, second only to the Empire and the Holy Church.
But the internal conflict had severely weakened them.
Had they maintained their full strength, humanity might not have fallen so easily to Dorgo during the War of Annihilation.
‘To prevent this, waking the Mercenary King is the priority.’
As Damien pondered, Clea Fowler’s voice cut through his thoughts.
“It seems there’s someone here who doesn’t belong.”
Her gaze landed on Athena.
“Athena, why are you sitting here?”
Athena opened her mouth to protest, but Susan chimed in.
“Indeed. Does she even have the right to be here?”
Other faction leaders quickly agreed, as if their earlier arguments had never happened.
“Athena, could you please leave now?”
Claire’s voice was gentle, but her gesture toward the door was unmistakable.
It was, in essence, a polite dismissal.
In the end, Athena had no choice but to leave the meeting room without uttering a single word.
“Idiots… absolute fools.”
Her frustration boiled over, and she muttered harshly under her breath. Turning to Demian, she vented her anger.
“What’s the big deal about me being on my own? Do they really have to stoop this low?”
Athena was favored by the Mercenary King, which meant she didn’t belong to any faction. Naturally, the other factions resented her for monopolizing his favor.
The moment the Mercenary King’s protection was gone, they pounced on her like vultures.
“I’m sorry… I wanted to send someone to the Kingdom of Grape to secure compensation as soon as possible, but it might take some time.”
“That’s not good.”
With the Mercenary King incapacitated, who knew when they could send someone? It was bound to be an indefinite wait.
“R-right… I’ll try to find a solution quickly…”
Athena, perhaps misunderstanding Demian’s words, looked dejected.
“That’s not what I meant. We can’t afford to wait, so we need to wake your father up as soon as possible.”
“What? Wake him up? Do you mean there’s a way?”
Demian nodded in response to Athena’s question.
“Then why didn’t you say so earlier? We need to go, now!”
As Athena prepared to dash off, Demian caught her arm.
“Not that way.”
“What do you mean? My father’s tent is over there.”
“That’s a decoy.”
Athena looked at him as if he were speaking nonsense. Demian, however, spoke with finality.
“The real one is somewhere else.”