What appeared before them wasn’t a death knight, but a group of people.
Yuri immediately recognized who they were.
“Mercenaries.”
“Huh?”
It was strange.
Ordinary civilians were wandering around Adelbine, a place known to be off-limits, digging up mandragora. Then, mysterious mercenaries showed up, yet Gert himself was nowhere to be seen.
“Those are mercenaries? They look way too well-armed…”
“Mercenaries make good money. See those three knots on the flag over there?”
“Yes.”
“That’s their rank. Triple-knot mercenaries are as strong as most knights, so their pay is pretty high.”
“How do you know so much about mercenary work?”
“Well, it’s a long story.”
Having grown up as a prince, Yuri’s detailed knowledge of mercenary affairs made Jared look at him with suspicion.
“Be honest.”
“About what?”
“You’re on your second life, aren’t you?”
“What? N-no, I’m not!”
“Just saying. Don’t pretend to be surprised. You’re teasing me again.”
Yuri stammered in genuine embarrassment, but Jared thought he was joking and pouted.
“I’m ashamed as your guard, always just learning from you.”
“Don’t be so formal. I don’t expect anything from you.”
“Ha…”
“As long as you’re a good guard, that’s enough.”
“That’s not really the point…”
Meanwhile, the two groups gradually closed the distance between them.
There was no hostility from the mercenaries. They seemed just as surprised to see Yuri’s group, tilting their heads in curiosity.
Jared stepped forward to speak.
“Greetings. Are you mercenaries?”
“Yes, that’s right. And you must be knights.”
“Yes. How did you end up here?”
“Well, you’re the one who—”
“Hmm…”
Jared and the mercenary leader exchanged glances, trailing off mid-sentence.
It was as if both were curious about each other’s business but wary—hoping the other would reveal their identity first, unsure if they were dealing with a suspicious group.
As silence stretched, Yuri suddenly spoke up.
“We’re here to kill Gert.”
“Uh…”
Jared shot Yuri a look of disbelief, but Yuri just shook his head.
“What other reason would knights have? If there was another motive, that’d be even more suspicious.”
“But it sounds too easy.”
“In a situation like this, if you don’t act quickly, there’ll be bloodshed.”
The mercenaries exchanged glances among themselves.
Then a man stepped forward from the back. He had a thick beard and unkempt hair, and his gear looked worn and battered.
An experienced mercenary, no doubt.
“Knights—or rather, heroes—I’m Ivan, leader of the Ivan Mercenary Company. We were hired to enter Adelbine.”
“I’m curious—what kind of job is that?”
“Well…”
He stroked his beard before answering.
“There’s no need to hide it. We’re escorting a scholar who’s here to study Adelbine.”
“A scholar?”
“Yes.”
He gestured behind him.
From behind a large tree, a man with glasses hesitated before stepping out.
With a poorly strapped backpack, he looked nothing like a mercenary.
“That’s our employer. A distinguished scholar researching the history of Adelbine.”
An odd combination.
Yuri expanded his senses to check for Gert again. He didn’t seem nearby. There was time for a proper conversation.
Yuri said, “Since that’s the case, why don’t we sit down and talk for a bit?”
Pierre, the scholar studying Adelbine’s history, had unexpectedly obtained some information in Sordelbine.
There was supposedly a way to enter Adelbine without running into Gert.
If true, it might be possible to access the Great Library located there.
Based on the materials he could gather, he could publish a paper and win the prestigious Top Scholar Award held annually.
That was why he had hired the mercenaries.
This was Pierre’s explanation.
“Top Scholar Award?”
“Yes. It’s my dream.”
“Alright, so what’s this method to avoid Gert?”
“You don’t know?”
Pierre’s eyes widened. Adjusting his crooked glasses, he said,
“Oh, you said you came to catch Gert, right? That’s understandable. But even now, you should each take a bite of the mandragora over there.”
“Mandragora?”
“You really didn’t know? If you eat a little mandragora, Gert won’t come after you. Not only that, if you crush the leaves and soak a cloth in the juice to plug your ears, you can easily withstand the screams of the mandragora.”
“So that’s why the villagers aren’t startled by the mandragora’s screams.”
“And also…”
Pierre chattered on in front of Yuri’s group.
Meanwhile, the Ivan Mercenary Company stepped back and sat down on the ground to rest.
They glanced occasionally at Pierre’s rambling but didn’t join the conversation.
They only carried out the assigned job and stayed out of everything else.
Very mercenary-like.
Having worked in the same profession in his past life, Yuri felt a strange sense of camaraderie, as if seeing a fellow professional.
Watching Ivan’s behavior closely, Yuri asked Pierre,
“But if that’s true, why hasn’t Gert appeared even though we haven’t eaten any mandragora?”
“Hmm…”
Pierre scratched his head.
“From what I’ve heard in the village, Gert’s activity has been quite low lately. No one knows why. They say he used to show up the moment you stepped into Adelbine. Maybe the death knight’s getting old.”
“Is that so?”
“Anyway, eat the mandragora quickly. It’s dangerous.”
“We came here to fight Gert.”
“You should think about us too.”
“Hmm…”
“If I die here, will you take responsibility? I don’t want to die. I want to investigate Adelbine’s history and share it with the world.”
“Alright, alright.”
Pierre talked a lot.
“Can we eat it now? How long does the effect last?”
“If you eat a little, about a day.”
Yuri signaled to his group.
“Let’s try it.”
“This thing?”
“Yes.”
“Gross…”
“Give it here.”
Yuri brushed off the dirt from the mandragora’s surface. He cut away the heavily soiled parts with a knife. From the cut, a deep red juice oozed out.
It looked like blood.
“Ugh…”
Everyone recoiled at the sight of the dark red liquid dripping down.
Pierre laughed.
“Here, take a bite each. Be careful not to stain your clothes. It looks scary, but it’s actually sweeter and tastier than you’d expect.”
Just in case, Yuri decided to have one person try it first and observe the effects.
“Simon, Guinness.”
“Huh?”
“Decide who goes first.”
They looked at each other and finally played rock-paper-scissors.
Guinness lost with scissors against rock and stepped forward, though his face showed fear and hesitation.
“Are you hesitating?”
“No, no.”
“You chose to explore Adelbine. Now eat up.”
“But…”
“Just grit your teeth and do it.”
“Ugh…”
He grimaced, squeezed his eyes shut, and bit into it.
Guinness’s expression changed in real time as he chewed.
Jared tilted his head.
“Looks like he’s enjoying it.”
“Yes, he is.”
“Really?”
“It’s sweet.”
No symptoms appeared on Guinness. Then Simon and Cory each took a bite of the mandragora.
“It’s okay. I feel a slight buzz, but nothing bad…”
“It tastes a bit strange, but it’s not unbearable.”
Pierre smiled.
“Mandragora has a mild awakening effect. If you don’t eat too much, you’ll be fine. Look at me—I’m a weakling, but I’m fine.”
Finally, it was Yuri’s turn.
The mandragora had already been picked apart, like a human with all limbs severed.
The blood had drained out, leaving the deep red flesh exposed.
It was hardly appetizing, but Yuri closed his eyes tightly and took a bite.
Surprisingly, it was crisp. The juice that soaked through was sweet, just as Pierre had said.
Suddenly, Yuri sensed a faint aura of energy from the mandragora.
He looked at Pierre.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Hmm…”
Depending on how this energy moved, Pierre’s fate might change.
Yuri observed the changes inside himself.
The aura spread throughout his energy channels.
It didn’t interfere with his mana flow. Like oil and water, it remained separate from his existing mana but circulated in the same direction. Over time, it gradually faded.
It was as if the color of the mandragora had been overlaid onto his mana.
“Interesting…”
If Pierre was right, Gert probably wouldn’t attack someone who carried the same kind of aura.
“This should be enough. When you need more mandragora, don’t forget to pick the leaves and plug your ears.”
Yuri’s group even gave their horses a bite of mandragora.
“Thanks. Anything else?”
“Yes, a few other tips.”
Pierre shared some minor tricks he’d heard in the village.
After gathering all the useful information, Yuri stood up.
“By the way…”
“Yes?”
Yuri nodded toward the mercenaries.
“You must have spent quite a bit.”
“Ah, yes. Ha ha ha…”
Pierre nodded.
“They’re skilled mercenaries. I spent my entire fortune hiring them.”
“Looks like it. Can you find people like this at the Mercenary Guild?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. Do you need mercenaries?”
“Maybe someday. I guess I had the wrong idea about mercenaries if this is the kind of talent out there.”
“Ha ha ha, yes.”
“How about their personalities?”
“They’re blunt but decent people. Skilled too. There aren’t many mercenaries like them.”
Yuri nodded in understanding.
As they chatted back and forth, time slipped away without them noticing. Eventually, there was nothing more to say. Yuri stood up from her seat.
“Well, I suppose this is where we part. It seems we both have places to be.”
“Where are you headed?”
“I’m thinking of going to Sordelvine. I figure I’ll run into Gert there.”
“Sir Knight, please be careful. I’m sure you came confident, but that Death Knight is a monster who’s killed countless people. I sincerely hope you succeed in your mission and return safely.”
“Thank you. And I hope you win that top scholar award.”
“Oh, I wish that were true.”
They shook hands and went their separate ways. Pierre returned to the mercenary group.
But then, just as he was about to leave, Pierre turned back and called out to Yuri.
“Ah, one more thing, Sir Knight. I say this out of concern…”
Yuri looked at him.
“If you find yourself in danger fighting Gert, try talking to him.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been researching old records around Adelvine, the former kingdom.”
Adjusting his glasses, Pierre met her gaze.
“People call him a devilish Death Knight, but some say he was once a true knight.”
“A true knight?”
“Yes. If that’s the case, maybe if you speak to him, even briefly, he might remember who he once was.”
Pierre gave a meaningful smile, waved goodbye, and walked away.
Watching Pierre and the mercenaries disappear into the distance, Hose spoke up.
“That’s suspicious.”
“Is it?”
He rubbed his chin with his large hand and said,
“In this world, there’s something called probability.”
“Probability?”
“Strange things can happen once in a while. But when two strange things happen together, it usually means something’s going on.”
His reasoning oddly made sense.
“So what’s strange?”
“There are two groups wandering around Adelvine.”
“One of them is us.”
“Exactly. We can trust ourselves—we came here to kill the real Gert. But those others? We don’t know if they’re lying or not. We can’t tell. So they’re definitely hiding something.”
“Aren’t you being too suspicious?”
“Hahaha, maybe.”
“But you’re right.”
Yuri nodded.
“They are suspicious.”
“What?”
When Yuri mentioned the mercenaries, Pierre said he barely managed to hire Ivan by selling off his assets.
When asked if mercenaries like that could be found at the guild, he just said ‘maybe’ and didn’t elaborate.
To hire a ‘Samgyeol’ mercenary, you need a history of transactions with the guild.
But Pierre didn’t seem very familiar with mercenary customs.
That meant either Pierre didn’t hire the mercenaries himself, or Ivan’s ‘Samgyeol’ mark was fake.
“Gert hasn’t shown up, and that scholar guy is suspicious…”
Yuri nodded again.
“I have an idea.”
“What is it?”
“Make Gert and that scholar meet.”
“Huh?”
“Maybe something will come of it.”
“And what if we’re wrong?”
“So what?”
Yuri smirked.
“Do you think a few scholars and mercenaries dying in Adelvine will cause a problem?”
“Ohhh…”
Hose finally understood and nodded vigorously.
“I was wrong. The suspicious group isn’t over there—it’s us! Hahaha!”
“That’s right.”
He wandered for a long time.
To fulfill the mission given to him.
His worn body gradually stopped obeying him. At this rate, he wouldn’t last much longer.
He didn’t feel sadness or fear about that fact. It was simply so—no emotions attached.
Suddenly, he sensed a sign of life far off in the distance.
With a creak, he rose and began walking again.
The old knight once more set off across the ruins of the fallen kingdom.