Chapter 335
Chapter 335: What’s So Good About It? (1)
The Drake Mercenary Group is the largest mercenary group in the West.
With over 500 mercenaries, it includes dozens of subordinate mercenary bands.
When all are gathered, they amount to around 3,000 troops. Truly, it could be said to be the kingdom’s largest mercenary group.
The North has only a bunch of pathetic mercenaries, and while there are a few decent groups in the East, they’re nothing compared to those in the West.
In the West, numerous merchants and nobles abound, resulting in plentiful work and money circulating. Thus, there are many mercenaries as well.
And the one who commands this largest mercenary group in the West is none other than Marquis Roderick’s son, Martin.
The Drake Mercenary Group often handles ordinary mercenary jobs but also does many of the Marquis’s dirty deeds.
As a result, along with its high reputation, its notoriety has grown quite large.
“Hoo….”
Dominic, the leader of the Drake Mercenary Group, drank daily with an angry expression. The subtle glint of anger in his eyes made his already sharp features appear even more menacing.
Though he was skilled enough to have brought the Drake Mercenary Group this far, these days he only wanted to quit and run away.
“You bastard….”
The target of his ire was Martin.
Dominic had done countless dirty deeds at Martin’s command. While meddling in disputes over interests was one thing, he also had to engage in despicable acts like kidnapping or killing innocent civilians.
The reason he couldn’t defy Martin’s orders was that his family had been wrongfully accused and taken hostage.
“To follow the words of my enemy….”
Martin had already killed one member of Dominic’s family as an example. Even though they could not coexist under the same sky as foes, with the life of his remaining family at stake, he had no choice but to submit.
Not only that, Martin had also taken hostages of other executives’ families to prepare for Dominic’s potential ousting, making him a truly vile individual.
“There’s absolutely no way out….”
All the key figures in the mercenary group had weaknesses exploited by him, leaving no escape route.
There were times when he tried to make connections with other nobles or seek help. However, whenever he attempted anything suspicious, Martin would brutally kill hostages immediately.
Other executives also had experienced the deaths of their family members, making them unable to move against Martin. Thus, the Drake Mercenary Group had no choice but to comply with Martin’s every order.
“What a damn world it is, having such a devilish guy hold all the power and connections.”
His father was Marquis Roderick, the commander of the Western Army and the overlord of the West. No matter how strong the Drake Mercenary Group was, they couldn’t contend with Marquis Roderick.
So, all he could do was drink and drown his sorrows.
While Dominic was endlessly gulping down alcohol, one of his subordinates barged in.
“Chief, a new order has come in.”
“Who are we supposed to kill this time?”
“… Yes, we are to disguise ourselves as bandits and raid the Campbell Merchant Group.”
“You crazy bastard.”
The Campbell Merchant Group is a rival of Martin’s associated merchant group. They are financially substantial, and rumors say they have noble backing.
To casually raid and trample such a place? If caught, they wouldn’t come out unscathed.
But this was how Martin treated them.
“Does he think we can trust Marquis Roderick? Even so, to sweep away the merchant group of another noble… it seems he’s getting anxious.”
Martin was ambitious and wanted to usurp his brother to grasp the legacy. Therefore, if he could swell his forces and gain power, he would not hesitate to commit reckless acts.
Dominic set down his wine glass and exhaled deeply.
“If this goes on, we’ll be the ones dead first.”
Day by day, their demands grew more extreme. No matter how powerful their mercenary group seemed, there were limits to their strength.
A slight misstep could lead to an assault by nobles, causing them to die. If that happened, the hostages would die too.
Marquis Roderick and Martin would pretend not to notice if they died. No, they would ensure they didn’t die easily.
They would likely throw them into the fray against their rivals and let them kill each other. They were that cruel and vicious.
The Drake Mercenary Group was already barreling towards its own destruction.
“I should have gone north long ago.”
Dominic sighed.
North was reportedly very lively these days compared to the past. Thanks to Count Penris, many industries flourished, and there were abundant tasks for mercenaries.
If they had built their strength in the North, they wouldn’t have been trapped by Marquis Roderick.
“If I’d stayed in the North, I might have met the famous Count Penris.”
“Perhaps… if we meet, it’ll be during war.”
“That seems likely.”
Dominic let out a self-deprecating laugh.
Marquis Roderick was a great lord of the Duke Faction. Count Penris was a lord opposed to the Duke Faction. If war broke out, they would inevitably meet as enemies.
“Still, I’d like to meet him at least once before I die. They say he started with mercenaries and achieved such feats. Maybe it’s because I’m a mercenary too, but just hearing about him gets my heart racing.”
Inspired by Ghislaine’s rumors, Dominic thought that if he had to serve someone, he’d rather serve such a person.
Perhaps it was because his miserable situation, only taking orders from a dirty man, made him admire Ghislaine even more.
So he maintained a consistent interest in him, trying not to miss any news.
That was the only joy left in his life.
But his subordinate coldly reminded him of reality.
“If you meet him secretly, Marquis Roderick’s son won’t just sit back. He’ll start killing hostages one by one.”
“Right, I’ve become someone who can’t even meet a single person properly.”
Dominic once more let out a self-deprecating laugh.
His life was essentially over. He would live leashed to someone else like a dog, ending his days with nothing but a notorious reputation.
At that moment, a loud commotion erupted from outside.
“Waaaaaah! We’re under attack!”
“What the hell are these bastards! Why are they so fast?”
“Let’s head to the Chief’s location! Catch them! Hurry and stop them!”
With the noise escalating, Dominic frowned and glanced toward the door.
Kwanng!
The door was soon smashed open as a group charged in. They really had guts to cause a ruckus here.
Dozens of subordinates rushed in, surrounding the intruders. They filled the room so tightly that they had to stand outside as well.
Dominic looked at the young man leading the intruders and asked.
“And who are you?”
The man flashed a grin at Dominic.
“I heard some rumors on the way; they say you’re my fan? This is about to speed up.”
“What?”
“I am Count Penris, after all.”
The sudden intruder was Ghislaine. He pointed at himself with a thumb and wore a haughty expression.
Dominic frowned as he looked at Ghislaine.
The subordinates were caught in a bind, unable to react, as they believed this suddenly barging in person was a noble.
“Tsk, tsk, everyone’s lost their spirit after being so bullied by the Marquis. I guess I don’t have much to say either.”
Dominic clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Count Penris was someone he admired and longed to meet. Naturally, it was true that he wanted to meet him.
But he couldn’t believe the words coming from the person right in front of him.
What kind of great lord from the North could just barge in out of nowhere? Especially with just a handful of attendants?
There was no way this made sense unless he was insane. If a noble from the Duke Faction found out, they’d surely cause a ruckus trying to assassinate him.
No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t logically add up. And there was another reason why Dominic was sure the person across from him was lying.
“You are not Count Penris.”
“What do you mean? I am Count Penris.”
“I know Count Penris’s face.”
“What? My face?”
“Not yours, Count Penris’s face. So I know it well. It seems you heard a rumor about me and came here to pull a scam, but that desperate act won’t work.”
“……?”
Now Ghislaine looked baffled.
‘He says he knows my face, but he said I’m not Count Penris? Is someone impersonating me?’
“I did come here secretly, but I am Count Penris, you know?”
Ghislaine pulled out his identification card. It was a very lavish noble identification card engraved with elaborate designs.
Dominic scoffed at that even after seeing it.
“With enough money, it’s not hard to forge an identification card. We also do such things for people. If we put our minds to it, we could create as many as we want.”
“…….”
Ghislaine felt a tightness in his chest as if he’d swallowed a sweet potato. He had been treated with disdain countless times, but it was the first time someone denied his identity.
So he asked, almost in a pleading manner.
“Why do you say no when I say I am Count Penris? What kind of confidence prompts you to say that?”
“I have a portrait of Count Penris. A very detailed and accurate portrait, mind you.”
“……?”
Ghislaine’s eyes blinked in surprise. He couldn’t recall ever having had a portrait made of him other than as a child.
However, Dominic, with a smug grin, walked over to a corner of the office. He then carefully brought out a large box.
Soon, Dominic cautiously pulled something out of the box.
It was an elegant frame with a portrait inside.
“Look here, this is the portrait of Count Penris that I bought for a hefty sum.”
Having been drinking, Dominic was slightly tipsy. With a confident expression, he presented the portrait to Ghislaine.
Ta-da!
“……Wow.”
As Ghislaine looked at the proudly presented portrait, he was at a loss for words.
‘Why does my face look… like that?’
Sure, it was somewhat resembling. But did it seem overly edited?
His nose appeared too elevated, with nostrils so tiny it looked difficult to breathe. His chin was so sharp it felt like one could die from a jab.
The angles of his entire face seemed unnaturally sharp, resembling a carved statue.
“You… you really think that portrait is of the genuine Count Penris? Just looking at it without knowing the face?”
Dominic flashed a smug grin and replied.
“I bought it from someone trustworthy for a good price. I already received solid certification too.”
“……A trustworthy person?”
“I know about Count Penris very well. I’ve got tons of precious items he used to own.”
“……Precious items?”
When Ghislaine inquired with a bewildered expression, Dominic continued with a proudly flaunting demeanor.
“I know you look skeptical, but I’ll show you specially as a con artist. From now on, don’t impersonate Count Penris.”
His eagerness to boast was palpable as he pulled out a hefty book from the box, carefully handling it.
“This is the biography of Count Penris. It details everything from his wild days to the battles with Count Desmond. It’s a first edition, with more planned for release, and it’s quite costly.”
‘Who the hell wrote that?’
Absolutely not something Count Penris would fund. Ghislaine had neither commissioned nor planned such a thing.
Dominic, however, paid no mind to Ghislaine’s reaction. He was too busy showing off his items. He busily pulled various things from the box to flaunt to Ghislaine.
“This is the wine glass Count Penris used. I bought it for a neat price.”
“……?”
“This is the saddle of the horse Count Penris used. It was pretty pricy, and tough to find.”
“……??”
“This is the outfit Count Penris wore for outings. It was desperately obtained at an auction. And this is the underwear….”
“……???”
Ghislaine was at a complete loss of sanity as he observed Dominic pulling out the items. They truly seemed like things he had used before.
There were all sorts of items. It felt like a thief had broken into his house and left it ransacked.
As he was lingering in doubt, Dominic presented a conclusive item.
“Here, look at this. This is the sword Count Penris personally used on the battlefield. It competes for a top spot amongst my collections.”
‘That… that’s definitely my sword!’
While many of the other items were similar enough that he couldn’t be sure, he was certain about the sword.
Ghislaine didn’t horde or clutter his weapons. He’d grab whatever was available and discard it. Thus, many weapons ended up being left on the battlefield.
But he could never forget the sword he had used. After all, lord’s swords had special markings making it unusual not to recognize them.
That was undoubtedly the sword he used. How in the world did his belongings slip out like this? Even if he abandoned it on the battlefield, most soldiers would collect it again.
Ghislaine asked, his voice trembling slightly.
“Where… did you get all those items?”
“I told you, I got them from a trustworthy person.”
“Then who is this trustworthy person?”
Dominic, with a smug grin, replied.
“I got them from the Chief Officer of Penris. He even wrote the certification himself.”
“……Chief Officer?”
“Yes, my subordinate went to meet the Chief Officer of Penris and got them. It was quite expensive through an auction after all. I would’ve gone myself, but I couldn’t leave this area for reasons.”
“…….”
Upon hearing Dominic’s words, Ghislaine closed his eyes.
As he listened, he thought maybe, but it turned out to be Claude’s doing after all.
