Chapter 458
Episode 131: Those with Good Instincts, Those Without (Part 2)
Amella, the mercenary of the Gaipa Archipelago, was known as one of the top three mercenaries, yet surprisingly little concrete information about her circulated.
Everyone praised this mysterious figure, and every year, special feature articles about Amella would occasionally appear.
She took on at least one war-related contract annually and always delivered ‘remarkable’ results, so it was only natural.
But those reports were hollow. Few journalists had ever met her in person, and she rarely appeared at official events, so most articles were little more than speculation.
In his previous life, Jin had only encountered Amella through such vague reports.
There was only one exception: his mentor, Valeria Hister, had once spoken about Amella.
“Amella wears the skins of those she’s killed? I often notice there are some really strange rumors about her.”
“Isn’t it because the reporters aren’t held accountable for publishing false stories?”
“That’s true. But I doubt she even knows these articles exist, or how the public perceives her because of them.”
“She doesn’t know at all?”
“No, she’s the type who’s almost completely indifferent to worldly affairs, from what I’ve seen. And incredibly pure.”
“…Pure? Wearing human skins sounds like nonsense to me, but her war skills are undeniably exceptional. How can she be pure?”
“Purity doesn’t always mean something good. Anyway, if you’ve finished your tea, it’s time to start training.”
It was a conversation they had one morning over breakfast and some newsletters.
At the time, Jin hadn’t thought much of Amella, so he didn’t dwell on it.
“Purity doesn’t always mean something good…”
Looking back now, the meaning was clear.
Amella was someone with a faint sense of right and wrong.
“Why do you think that?” Valkas asked, wanting to know why they needed to recruit or keep an eye on Amella.
“Because the Black King’s faction and the Ghost Corps have formed an alliance with me.”
“That’s not an alliance, but a lord-vassal relationship. No need to be so careful with your words, considering how Rata and I feel.”
“That fact is now public knowledge. We wanted to keep it under wraps until our power was more solid, but it’s out. Now, only two major neutral forces remain: the great mercenary Amella, and Bigung.”
“Indeed.”
“Bigung’s alliance with me isn’t public yet, but the major powers probably suspect it.”
“Well… the public likely sees them not just as allies, but almost like family. The marriage rumors between my lord and Bigung’s lady have been around for ages.”
“That leaves only Amella. Anyone would find it awkward if I were the one to recruit her. I’ve been busy lately and only just started moving, but other factions have probably already tried contacting her. If luck’s against us, she might have already pledged herself somewhere.”
Thanks to Jin’s recent actions, the world’s balance had shifted.
Seeing long-neutral forces join the ranks of the Runkandel Twelve, the tension among the great powers had tightened.
Those in the gray zone were all making choices—deciding which side to take. Neutrality was disappearing by the hour.
“It’s unlikely she’s already pledged herself somewhere, my lord. She’s too unpredictable.”
“You know her well?”
“By Amella’s standards, I’m relatively close. By normal standards, we’ve just crossed paths a few times on the battlefield and shared a meal or two.”
Both Amella and Valkas were famous mercenaries, so they had been on the same battlefield under different contracts.
Valkas furrowed his brow, recalling those moments.
“You know this, my lord? Amella doesn’t have her own mercenary group.”
“Yes, she operates alone.”
“Yet, every time I faced her in battle, I never once defeated her.”
“Are you saying the gap between you and Amella is that wide?”
“Not between me and Amella, but between the Black King’s faction and Amella.”
Jin’s eyes widened.
“What do you mean…?”
“Reluctantly, I admit that in terms of warfighting ability, Amella surpasses the entire Black King’s faction, myself included. If it were a one-on-one duel, that might be different, but we’ve never had that chance.”
Valkas met Jin’s gaze and continued.
“In other words, Amella must become your ally. Fighting temporarily because of different clients is one thing; becoming a clear enemy is another. If she’s likely to become an enemy, I believe killing her should be considered.”
Jin nodded at the firm tone.
“I understand. Our top priority is to figure out what Amella truly wants. Do you know anything specific?”
“Exploration.”
“Exploration?”
“Amella has spent her life wandering and exploring the world. After battles, when we ate together, she hinted at a strong desire to find something… though she never said exactly what.”
If they could discover what that was, recruiting her would be easy.
That intuition flashed through Jin’s mind.
“She’s seriously indifferent to worldly affairs. Maybe, as my mentor said, Amella is someone consumed by her own goal.”
He needed to ask the current Valeria about Amella too. It wouldn’t hurt to go together.
“Anyway, we should meet and talk with her.”
“Agreed, my lord. Bringing the Prochi siblings might help.”
“Rata and Fei?”
“Yes. When the three of us met on the battlefield before, Amella seemed oddly fond of them. Though Rata clearly disliked it.”
It was hard to imagine Amella finding Rata cute, but bringing them along couldn’t hurt.
“Understood.”
“I’ll get back to supervising the construction. If Amella cooperates, please send her my regards.”
As Valkas left, someone who had been waiting approached Jin.
Gilly.
“My lord.”
“Yes, Gilly.”
Jin had sensed for some time—actually, recently—that Gilly wanted to talk.
She had been waiting for the right moment to speak.
“She’s been unsettled because of Dox.”
Since becoming a knight, even when McLoran didn’t greet him, or when Dox, whom Jin had saved, left silently (which Jin took as a warning to be more cautious), Gilly acted as if she had done something wrong.
“I’m worried about my brother… no, the Black Knight. What if he doesn’t follow your orders?”
“Why are you worried about that, Gilly?”
“Because… he’s family.”
Gilly hesitated, then spoke in a small voice.
“He’s family to my house.”
“The Black Knight doesn’t care about family. And as I said before…”
Jin stopped himself from letting his anger rise.
That anger wasn’t directed at Gilly, but at McLoran, who made Gilly feel so small.
“I don’t hold any special grudge against McLoran, as long as they don’t openly harm you. So don’t worry.”
Jin struggled to control his feelings about Gilly.
Though he told her not to worry, his eyes burned with a murderous intent that could have wiped out McLoran on the spot.
Gilly couldn’t meet his gaze, pained by the intensity, and Jin realized it a moment too late.
‘Ah.’
He always knew that Gilly’s feelings had to come first, but it was hard to put into practice.
But Jin remembered clearly.
When he was exiled in his previous life, and Gilly faced the same fate…
McLoran never reached out to help her. Given their influence in Huepester, they could have easily helped.
They couldn’t restore her to a warrior, but they could have prevented her lonely, miserable death.
That was why Jin hated McLoran.
“Also, whether the Black Knight obeys or not, he’ll provide me with valuable information. If he disobeys, it means all active Black Knights are involved with Ricalton. If he obeys, he’ll be uncovering Joshua’s secrets for me.”
Jin calmed his anger once more.
“Besides, Joshua won’t trust that Black Knight anymore, so he’s likely to become mine eventually. Unless Joshua kills him before I become head of the house.”
“Ah…”
“I’ll protect him.”
“Huh?”
“If Dox ever seems in danger of being killed by Joshua, I’ll save him. As I said, he’s not McLoran’s warrior, but a Black Knight. He’s the family’s most valuable asset, and I won’t let him die in vain. That’s why I saved him this time too.”
Gilly bowed deeply, and Jin shrugged.
“You see? There’s nothing for you to worry about anymore. I’m leaving for the Gaipa Archipelago soon, so get ready. It’s been a while since you’ve taken care of me like this.”
“Understood, my lord. I’ll prepare right away.”