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Chapter 182: Bad Blood (4)
***
The return of the Mercenary King sent shockwaves through the Fafnir Mercenary Company.
“How dare they mistake this lump of flesh for me!”
The first thing the returned Mercenary King did was burn the fake body to ashes.
“You’re all like blind men with eyes open! You’d be better off plucking out your own eyes! At least then you’d have an excuse for your stupidity!”
His fury knew no bounds as he learned that all of his mercenaries had been fooled by a mere doll created by a dark mage.
Among those deceived were the purebloods, whom the Mercenary King held in such high esteem.
There was no greater humiliation in the Mercenary King’s life.
“Bring me your mothers! Every single one of them!”
Next, the Mercenary King gathered all the women who were the backbone of the factions in one place.
“As soon as I fell, you scrambled for power? How dare you engage in such insolent behavior! I suppose I’ve been too lenient with you all this time!”
The Mercenary King ordered that all the support they had been receiving be cut off.
Not only were their luxuries taken away, but their maidservants were also taken back. He forced them to live solely on their own strength.
“You should all be ashamed of yourselves! How could you be swayed by your mothers’ words? You’re all a bunch of weaklings!”
The purebloods could not escape the Mercenary King’s wrath either. They were all assigned harsh tasks under the guise of punishment.
Only after he had vented his anger to his heart’s content did the Mercenary King summon Damien.
***
“Thank you so much.”
The Mercenary King said and his voice filled with sincerity.
And it wasn’t just empty words. He even held Damien’s hand tightly and bowed his head.
“If it hadn’t been for you… I don’t know what would have happened to me in Sla’s clutches.”
Would he have been rendered powerless and turned into an experiment for the dark mages?
The thought sent a shiver down the Mercenary King’s spine, given their notorious reputation.
“Thanks to you saving me, thanks to you I was also able to prevent the mercenary company from splitting apart.”
If Damien hadn’t rescued the Mercenary King in time, the Fafnir Mercenary Company would have been torn apart by power struggles, leading to civil war.
“And that’s not all… I was also able to prevent Athena from falling.”
The Mercenary King squeezed Damien’s hand tightly, conveying the depth of his gratitude.
“I only did what I had to do.”
“No, you… you did something extraordinary. From your perspective, it was ultimately someone else’s business… and yet you put your life on the line for it.”
But that wasn’t true.
Damien’s reason for helping the Fafnir Mercenary Company was to fulfill his goals.
Kill Dorugo and prevent the War of Destruction.
Gather forces in case he failed to prevent the War of Destruction.
It was for these two reasons alone that he had saved the Mercenary King and Athena.
And so, Damien didn’t believe he deserved the Mercenary King’s gratitude.
“What do you plan to do with those who were involved in this?”
Damien asked the Mercenary King to change the subject.
“I’d like to kick them all out, but… what can I do? They’re my family, like it or not.”
The Mercenary King said with a complicated expression.
“Instead, I’ll keep a close eye on them to make sure something like this never happens again.”
From what Damien had heard in his previous life, the Fafnir Mercenary Company’s split was due to the Mercenary King’s perverted nature.
However, what Damien had actually witnessed was a bit different. The direct cause of the mercenary company’s split was the conflict between the factions.
Perhaps in his previous life, the Mercenary King had chosen to take the blame himself.
Perhaps he had taken upon himself the blame that should have been directed at his family.
Of course, that future no longer existed, so it was all just speculation.
“Surely you’re not planning to let them off with just a slap on the wrist?”
Damien said in a playful tone. While Damien meant it as a joke, the Mercenary King’s expression turned serious.
“Of course not. I’ve been thinking about how to repay you.”
The Mercenary King held out something in front of Damien. It was an badge made of red metal.
“This is a badge that symbolizes the Fafnir Mercenary Company. If you take this to the Mercenary Office, you can hire any mercenary for free.”
For Damien, it was a somewhat disappointing gift.
Damien was a powerhouse about to enter the Master Class. He had no need to hire mercenaries.
“By the way, that ‘any’ includes me and the Fafnir Mercenary Company.”
With those words, Damien realized he had underestimated the gift.
The Fafnir Mercenaries were the best and strongest mercenary force on the continent. Not only were they difficult to hire, they were astronomically expensive.
To be able to hire a mercenary king, let alone a Fafnir mercenary?
“There’s no limit to the number of times. Use it whenever you feel like. Of course, if you use them too often, I’ll get angry.”
The Mercenary King added playfully.
Damien thanked him and took the mercenary king’s token.
“Are you ready to leave now?”
“Yes, I am. It’s been too long since I’ve seen the faces of my family.”
The thought of family brought back memories of what Sla had done to his sister.
Louise wasn’t the only one. Other family members’ souls had been subjected to unspeakable horrors by the dark mages.
Just thinking about it made his blood boil. Damien gritted his teeth and somehow managed to suppress his emotions.
“See Athena before you go. She’s been dying to see you.”
“Yes, sir.”
Damien replied briefly, then left the tent.
When Damien was gone, the Mercenary King gave him a wistful look.
“He’s too good to let go just like this…….”
He wanted to keep him in the mercenary camp, but he didn’t have a good reason.
“Just in case, I sent him on a mission alone with Athena, but didn’t seem to make much progress…… and…….”
The Mercenary King scratched his head and threw himself onto his bed.
He rolled around on the wide bed and lamented.
“Such a waste~ such a waste~.”
***
Damien sought out Athena, finding her in the infirmary within the mercenary company.
She was recovering from a broken ankle ligament and the general weakness that had befallen her.
“Athena, how is your body?”
Damien inquired upon entering the room. Athena who was lying on the bed was startled and sat up abruptly.
“Damien! You came to see me.”
“I came to see if you’re feeling alright.”
“Really?”
Athena blushed and giggled, seemingly overjoyed by his visit. Observing her, Damien couldn’t help but feel a sense of unfamiliarity.
The Athena of the past was not like this. She was like a venomous viper, filled with bitterness and hostility.
Her words and actions were always harsh and sharp.
Thinking about what Athena had endured in his previous life, Damien could understand to some extent.
Her father had disappeared and she had been expelled from the mercenary company. It was only natural that her personality would become hardened.
“……Thank you.”
Athena suddenly spoke a simple phrase that nonetheless caused Damien’s eyes to widen as if struck by a revelation.
In his previous life, Athena had become the second Mercenary King in order to avenge her father and fought against Damien.
Ultimately, Athena failed to achieve her revenge. After her defeat at Damien’s hands, she fell victim to the dark mages and lost her life.
That incident had left a heavy burden of guilt on Damien’s heart.
It wasn’t just Athena. Damien felt the same way about everyone he had inadvertently brought misfortune upon.
“Thanks to you, I was able to save my father too. If it weren’t for you, something terrible would have happened.”
Could it be because he had saved Athena in this life? Her gratitude seemed to ease the guilt he had been carrying.
“I’m leaving the mercenary company now.”
“Huh?”
Athena looked at Damien with a bewildered expression.
“C, can’t you stay a little longer?”
“I’ve been away from my family for too long. It’s time for me to return.”
Damien spoke in a firm tone.
Athena’s face reflected a multitude of conflicting emotions. Then, she opened her mouth.
“C, can I visit you later?”
“Of course.”
Damien was not cold-hearted enough to turn away a guest.
Studying Damien’s expression, Athena asked again.
“C, can I greet your parents?”
“Of course.”
After all, it was proper etiquette to greet the head of the household when visiting their home.
Damien’s words were taken in a different light by Athena.
“Really? Really?”
Athena gripped Damien’s forearm tightly, her strength far exceeding what one would expect.
“….Yes, really.”
Damien replied with a slightly flustered expression. Athena then let out a cheer.
“You must never forget those words!”
***
“Ugh, so you’re leaving after all.”
The Mercenary King lamented, watching Damien’s receding figure. Athena stood by his side, also watching Damien depart.
“Still, I’m glad you decided to stay here. I thought for sure you’d follow that guy.”
“I wanted to follow him too.”
The Mercenary King looked at Athena with a puzzled expression.
“But then I realized that I’d just be a burden to Damien right now.”
Without Damien, Athena would have been expelled from the mercenary company and faced a life of hardship.
On the other hand, Damien had overcome all adversity on his own and even saved the Mercenary King.
“I want to become someone that Damien needs.”
Athena silently looked at Damien. A moment of silence passed between the father and daughter.
“Speaking of which, I sent you on a mission with that guy to get close with him, but what did you even do?”
“You sent me for that purpose? How could you do that as my father!”
“You like that guy, don’t you!”
The father and daughter bickered for a while.
“Don’t worry, Father. I did as you wished.”
“What do you mean?”
“I asked Damien for permission. I’ll greet your parents when I go to Count Haksen’s territory next time.”
At those words, the Mercenary King’s eyes widened.
What did it mean to greet his parents?
Didn’t it mean that they had become that close?
“T, this girl! I knew you’d do it!”
The Mercenary King hugged Athena with joy. Athena was beaming with pride.
***
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