Episode 100 Northern Mountains (1)
Hubert's Trading Company, established in Tarak, Tulk Kingdom, was flourishing day by day.
This was largely due to the fact that they were able to minimize interference from other forces in the early stages of their business by utilizing Harley's growth as a prominent figure in Tarak's mercenary world and the authority of the Church behind him.
'But as we grew to a certain extent, that effect started to wear off.'
As the company grew, the obstacles coming from the shadows continued to increase.
There was still no one openly interfering, but the subtle threats were now reaching a level that couldn't be ignored.
'But we've prepared countermeasures, so it'll get better.'
Recently, as they formed a close relationship with the Brokoslack Clan in Talia, a large number of vampires infiltrated Tarak.
Of course, unlike Talia, which was occupied by the clan, they had to be careful and only move in the shadows here, but the strengthened vampires of the clan were able to blend in without any problems with the company's help.
'And the personnel dispatched to Tarak this time are individuals whose "Refined Blood Essence" has evolved to prioritize stealth.'
He had deliberately adjusted the direction of their evolution to specialize in concealing their presence, so they could be considered a unit specialized in infiltration and covert operations.
But a sudden change came to Tarak, where everything was going smoothly.
And on a considerable scale.
'…I knew chaos was coming, so I secured food, oil, weapons, and other supplies in advance. But this is more than I expected.'
Hubert frowned, examining the urgently delivered documents in his office.
Information was life to a merchant.
He had also put a lot of effort into establishing a system for quick information gathering, so he was able to obtain such important information immediately…
"At this level, everyone must know by now."
If even he, a mere merchant, knew, then others must have already started moving.
And as Hubert expected, it was something that was happening in real time.
"Hurry up!"
"Double-check that we didn't miss any supplies!"
Clank, clank!
Thump, thump—!
The army of Aonia County, where Tarak was located, began to march north in an unusually chaotic atmosphere.
And soldiers from other cities, as well as the lord's castle in the center, were also moving quickly towards the Iron Fortress, the northernmost point of the territory.
With such a large-scale movement, the news inevitably reached those staying in the city.
Stories related to it spread rapidly in places where people gathered, such as mercenary guilds and taverns.
"Hey, did you hear? They're recruiting mercenaries on a large scale at the Iron Fortress. The army is already on the move."
"Yeah, I heard. They say the monsters in the northern mountains are showing signs of moving south."
"It's already unsettling with the undead appearing and all, I don't know what's going to happen."
"Ah, it's just a coincidence. It's not like it's the first time those monsters in the northern mountains have acted up."
Since they hadn't released all the information to minimize chaos, most people who didn't know about the abyss just thought this commotion was temporary.
Of course, there were those who felt that this situation wasn't ordinary, having obtained various information.
"This… what I heard from the Bizarre Party is bothering me."
"What? Do you have some information?"
"I met them when they just came back from the mountains a while ago. I heard they encountered a mutant and many of their members were injured."
"A mutant? That's common when hunting monsters, isn't it?"
"It wasn't an ordinary mutant, they said it charged at them like a rabid dog…"
But even they didn't know the exact information.
And they also thought that nothing serious would happen now that even the army was mobilized.
Those who were tempted by the huge reward offered by the territory started heading towards the Iron Fortress in the north one by one.
"Hey, Harley! Did you hear the news? What are you going to do? We're thinking about going too."
It was the same for the three southern warriors who were with Harley.
As Hubert's Trading Company grew and hired many talented individuals, they also had more free time.
They had been taking on tedious guard duty out of loyalty to their friend, but they originally preferred active missions like monster hunting.
"Hmm, the northern mountains…"
Harley organized his thoughts, fiddling with the glass in front of him in the noisy tavern.
He hadn't seen a monster affected by 'madness' in person.
It was because the abyss opened right when he was about to return to Tarak from the Iron Fortress after a round of hunting.
And it was only after a considerable amount of time had passed that monsters affected by it started to appear, so it was only natural.
But judging by the information he obtained from Hubert and the facts Heinz the Second learned by mobilizing the clan…
This wasn't something he could easily ignore.
'That's why the Talia Kingdom is also gathering troops to the western monster forest.'
It was difficult for him to fully grasp it because Hans, Heinz the Second, and even Harley had all freely roamed the monster forest, but it was originally a dangerous area that not just anyone could enter.
If monsters infected with madness, with increased aggression and vitality, started pouring out of that place, it would cause considerable damage to the kingdom.
'So they sent the clan's elites, including Freesia and Obor, who are True Bloods.'
They would enter the forest and conduct guerrilla warfare to reduce the number of dangerous monsters, separate from the Talia Kingdom's soldiers.
'But the northern mountains are even worse than the monster forest.'
The vast northern mountain range that spanned the entire northern part of the continent.
The part connected to the Tulk Kingdom was just a small part of it, but it was a dangerous place where the monster population continued to increase even though countless mercenaries went hunting there.
'There's no way the country wouldn't know what's going to happen, considering they've already received various information.'
The army of Aonia County had already headed there, but reinforcements from the surrounding territories would soon start arriving.
This wouldn't end easily.
'It's past the stage where we can just inform the higher-ups and let them handle it. This incident will probably be the catalyst for the information spreading to the public.'
About the Immortal King's resurrection and the opening of the abyss.
There would be a lot of chaos.
Many places might be shaken because of it, but it was necessary.
And…
The spread of the Immortal King's notoriety was something he actually wanted.
'He was aiming for that from the beginning.'
But what Harley had to think about now was a separate issue.
How to deal with the situation that was about to unfold…
He thought for a moment and then opened his eyes wide and jumped up from his seat.
"Yes, let's go! I can't miss this! Hahaha!"
"Oh! That's our Harley!"
"It's been a while since I've been able to relieve some stress!"
Actually, there was no need to think about it.
Harley's style was to just charge in if he was unsure!
And if the Iron Fortress really fell, Hubert's foundation that he had painstakingly built in Talia would also be gone.
It would be better to go there himself and try to control the situation.
'If it gets really dangerous, I can just dismiss myself.'
He doubted if Harley, who now had a truly monstrous body, would ever be in danger.
And so, he confidently left the tavern and crossed the main street.
He had already become a celebrity in Tarak and was a familiar figure to the residents, but their reactions were no different from before.
They couldn't meet his gaze and subtly moved out of his way.
'Well, it can't be helped.'
Harley subtly looked down at his body.
His bare, muscular upper body, the monster head helmet, the teeth ornaments, everything was the same, but there was one part that was clearly different from before—.
The tattoos engraved all over his body.
A magnificent flame pattern starting from his heart and extending to his chest and chin.
A storm and lightning pattern starting from his forehead, crossing his right eye, and extending to his cheek.
A beast pattern on his right arm and crossed axes on his left arm.
Each tattoo, viewed individually, was a beautiful pattern that abstractly symbolized the concept of each element, even looking artistic.
But when combined with Harley's menacing body, they only seemed to emphasize his intimidating appearance.
And his past actions also contributed to his notoriety.
He didn't go around picking fights with the weak, but he mercilessly crushed those who challenged him.
'I had no choice but to do that because it would be too troublesome otherwise.'
It was a side effect of becoming famous.
In this barbaric mercenary world, fame was practically power.
So it was only natural for mercenaries from other regions who came to Tarak to test him.
Provocations, challenges, and even attacks that came his way despite seeing his physique.
And Harley's solution was this.
To thoroughly crush those who challenged him.
To make them so overwhelmed just by watching him from the side that they wouldn't even dare to bare their teeth at him.
Thus, Harley was able to establish himself as someone everyone knew but no one dared to touch, at least in Tarak.
Clank— Clank—
As he opened the door to the mercenary guild with the three southern warriors and entered, the usual scene greeted them.
The clean and sophisticated interior and the mercenaries gathered here and there, chattering amongst themselves.
The main topic of their conversations was all about the northern mountains.
Everyone's attention was focused on it because of the unprecedented scale of recruitment.
'It seems like some people are worried, but the overall atmosphere is positive. Well, it hasn't happened yet.'
Some of those who sensed the danger were even evacuating to the southern part of Tarak, but there were also many who expressed their intention to participate because the reward offered by the territory was so great.
"Hey, Harley. It's our turn."
After waiting for a while, their turn finally came.
As the group members were registering for the request one by one,
"Um… Harley?"
The young male employee sitting at the counter looked up at him and cautiously spoke.
"We have a designated request for you today. We were going to contact you personally soon, but since you're here…"
"Hmm? Designated?"
Harley had received many designated requests while working as a mercenary, and designated requests, where the client chose the mercenary to carry out the mission, had a higher price than ordinary requests.
The guild only acted as a mediator, and the details were discussed separately between the client and the mercenary.
So it was a method mainly used for tasks that required security or were particularly difficult.
"Hmm… I was planning to head to the Iron Fortress, so I'm not really interested. Decline the request!"
He had just decided on his destination, so what other mission could catch his eye now?
Unfortunately, the timing of the request wasn't good, so it couldn't be helped.
"Um, that's… I, I don't think you can decline it. The person who requested it…"
Harley frowned slightly at the unexpected reaction.
It wasn't usually the rule to force a mission like this.
"What do you mean? I don't have time, so tell me clearly, friend!"
"Y-yes! Th-the person who directly requested it is someone else, but the name registered as the client is…!"
The employee, who was speaking in a stiff voice, hesitated, subtly looked around, and then leaned towards Harley and whispered softly.
"Lord Tarmin Aonia…"
It was a name he hadn't expected.
"In other words, the lord of this territory."