PMLYP 26

Chapter 26 —

“I’ll go for 290,000 Larks! That’s basically free!”

“Hey! I’ll do it for 280,000 Larks!”

“Mine is 270,000!”

“Well now, this is quite something,”

As the one-eyed man muttered in amazement—clearly not used to this kind of bidding war—Hawk looked toward the blue-haired, blue-eyed man.

But the man couldn’t speak. His mouth was firmly covered by a large man holding him down.

‘What’s this? Maybe he doesn’t want the job? But the marquis clearly said…’

Hawk was confused. If none of these people accepted the job, what was he supposed to do? Irenea never explained what to do in this case.

“Free of charge!”

“…What?”

A loud voice shouted from the table, stunning everyone into silence.

The voice belonged to a middle-aged woman with dull white hair, who now stood on the table. She looked at Hawk and shouted boldly:

“I’ll go to Count Elpheus’ territory for free!”

“Are you crazy?! Michelle! Are you out of your mind? What kind of mercenary works for free?!”

“Bin won’t just let this pass… I guess he has no choice.”

“Mmff! Mmmf!”

The blue-haired man, still struggling with all his might, was carried out by the big man.

“At least take a single silver coin!”

…was the last desperate cry he managed to leave behind.

“If you’re offering a free service, do it right! I don’t need a single coin, just give me the contract. We’re in a hurry.”

“Hurry? Why are you guys in such a rush?”

“Oh, well… I, uh, forgot to turn off the fire in the inn’s fireplace.”

“…Haven’t you guys been in the capital for almost a month?”

In that much time, the entire inn would have burned down and its ashes blown away by the wind.

Regardless, Michelle pushed the one-eyed man to write the contract.

“Here! You sign it too. You said you’re in a hurry, right?”

“Yeah. I am. Very much so.”

Hawk took the contract Michelle handed him and pretended to be curious.

“But, you’re from the Iron-Blood Mercenaries? Aren’t you supposed to go alone? I only need one guide.”

“Don’t worry about useless things, kid. We won’t drag you down—we’ve got the stamina.”

“I hope so. If you become a burden, I’ll leave you behind one by one until only the last person remains.”

Actually, Irenea had told him to give the Iron-Blood Mercenaries a generous payment.

But… since she herself offered to work for free, wasn’t it fine?

‘If I can save money, I should.’

Hawk believed Irenea would praise him for that. So, he wrote “Free” under the payment section and signed his name without hesitation.

He had no idea this decision would come back to bite him later.

---

‘Those people will probably ask you a lot of questions. It’s fine to answer, just don’t make it too obvious—answer carefully and little by little.’

‘Is there a specific reason I have to go with them?’

‘Not really. But it’s good for everyone to meet and get a first impression. They’re my fiancé’s companions—more like people he raised.’

To Hawk, Irenea’s words were law. Even if she had chosen a beggar from the slums instead of a debt-ridden noble, Hawk would’ve accepted him as her husband.

‘Well… maybe not a beggar.’

Either way, Hawk didn’t intend to oppose Irenea’s marriage. He had no right to.

But as a loyal servant, he felt he had a duty to find out what kind of man would become her husband.

Surely, Irenea wouldn’t choose a terrible person, but love could cloud judgment.

‘She said he raised them since they were young… If I learn about these people, I might learn about her fiancé too.’

Luckily, they had time.

Even though they had left the capital in a hurry after Irenea’s request, their schedule wasn’t so tight that they had to skip meals or sleep.

If they found a village on the way, they could even stay at an inn.

But the route their guides chose to reach Count Elpheus’ territory in just two days was one that crossed a mountain range.

So, that night, Hawk had to sleep on the ground with three other companions, brushing away rocks to make a flat spot.

“Well done, everyone.”

“Snort—”

They had agreed to sleep early and wake early, so dinner was just some dried food and jerky.

Hawk fed the horses some apples and sugar cubes, then laid down on a blanket.

He was picked as the third watch during night guard duty. Too bad he didn’t get the last shift.

As he closed his eyes, he heard a quiet cough nearby.

“Ahem. Ahem!”

He wasn’t surprised. He had already sensed someone approaching.

It was Michelle.

“Do you need something?”

“I just… can’t sleep.”

Without asking for permission, she sat down next to Hawk. Unsure what to do, he eventually sat up too.

‘She’s lying about not being able to sleep…’

Sure enough, she held out a bottle of alcohol.

“We’ve come this far together, so how about a drink?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll pass. I don’t want to throw up on my horse tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, come on! This is really rare stuff. Brewed by nomads from the desert…”

“Is it made from cactus flower?”

“You know it?! Then you know how rare it is!”

“Rare? This stuff?”

Hawk tilted his head, and Michelle’s mouth fell open.

“What was that?! That reaction?! You’ve had it before, haven’t you?!”

“Yes. Maybe three or four times?”

“How?! Are you secretly a nomad?!”

Hawk chuckled and waved his hand.

“Did you forget where I work? At my job, we have all kinds of drinks—even ones brewed from eternal snow in Ilum.”

It was Irenea’s achievement.

In just three years, she had opened new trade routes over mountains and seas, connecting distant countries.

She knew exactly what each country needed. She sold medicine made from imperial weeds to cure desert diseases, and sold coal to freezing nations that lacked firewood.

She could’ve overcharged, but instead, she earned trust from both kings and people.

With that trust, she began intermediary trade between previously unconnected countries.

And that wasn’t all. She built hotels at each harbor her ships stopped at and started a cruise business.

The cruise route went from Ilum, through Kon-Ail-Tem, Parodia, and Milos, to the southern empire’s Deborah coast, then back again—lasting about two months.

Worried tourists might get homesick, Irenea recreated their homelands on the Deborah coast’s seven islands—desert, jungle, snowy lands, and more.

Magic was gone, so she couldn’t copy the climate, but she recreated the buildings, flowers, trees, clothing, speech, and food as closely as possible.

That’s why the Blair Marquisate always had rare alcohol from all over.

Right now, her ships were sailing around, delivering goods.

“You mean Snowle Wine? That’s what you drank? That’s everywhere too?”

“Is that so surprising?”

“Of course it is! You drank it?! What did it taste like?!”

“Eh… kinda bland?”

“Bland?! No way! That’s my dream drink!”

Michelle wailed like a child, and Hawk scratched his head awkwardly.

“If I’d known it was so special to you, I’d have brought a bottle.”

“A bottle?! That stuff costs at least 200,000 Larks! How could you just bring one?!”

“My master is generous—when it comes to food, anyway. If you want to eat something, she’ll usually share it.”

“Oh really…? At least she’s not stingy with food, huh?”

Hawk could tell that Michelle was impressed by Irenea.

‘Ah, I get it now.’

Just like he was trying to figure out Irenea’s fiancé through her companions, they were trying to figure out Irenea through him.

He was now a mirror reflecting her. Realizing that, Hawk straightened his back.

Noticing that, Michelle asked casually:

“So, how old are you?”

“Why do you ask all of a sudden…? I’m 22.”

“Wow. I thought you looked young, but you’re a total baby. Listen, I might look young, but I’m 45 this year. Forty-five!”

“You look… about that age. I wouldn’t worry.”

“…Excuse me?”

Michelle flared up.

“You think I look my age?! Do you know I’m old enough to be your mom?! Just because you work for a noble doesn’t make you one, got it?!”

“Well… technically, I am a noble.”

“What?!”

Hawk pulled out a thin chain from under his shirt, showing a pendant.

It was proof that he was a baronet.

“My master knighted me and gave me a title.”

 

That’s why Hawk was allowed to escort Irenea.