Chapter 120: Here to Do Some Business (1)


    The capital of the Ritania Kingdom, Cardenia, was vast, disying the grandeur befitting a powerful nation.


    The moat surrounding the walls was filled with water, making it look like a wide river.


    One could sense the imposing majesty that seemed capable of repelling any invading force.


    The mercenaries who had followed Ghiin were awestruck, unable to close their mouths at the overwhelming sight they were seeing for the first time.


    “Wow… it’s incredible. So this is the Cardenia I’ve only heard about…”


    “The castles in other estates werepletely like toys. What we had back in our estate wasn’t even a castle. It was just a burrow.”


    “It’s not just big, but doesn’t it look different somehow? Doesn’t it seem more impressive? They must’ve spent a fortune building it.”


    Cardenia had developed as the capital of the kingdom for hundreds of years.


    It was characterized by a unique atmosphere where ssical-style buildings mingled with newly constructed ones.


    Even though it was better off than Ferdium, the estate they had been living in was still just a poor, remote territory.


    They could not have imagined such a gigantic city existed.


    Even the usually talkative Belinda was left wide-eyed and silent, and even Gillian, who had long worked as a mercenary in foreignnds, could not help but express his admiration.


    “Wow… just looking at it is intimidating.”


    The mercenaries gazed up at the walls, sighing unconsciously.


    Just seeing it was enough to drain their fighting spirit.


    They wondered if they could even scale the walls if something were to happen within this fortress.


    No, they doubted they could even leave a scratch on the wall, let alone climb it.


    Deep down, they earnestly hoped that their lord would not cause any trouble here.


    “Wh- whoa… what’s that?”


    The mouths of the onlookers suddenly let out exmations of awe.


    The sky was painted a brilliant red by the sunset.


    The crimson light was reflected off the countless spires towering within the city, scattering it in all directions.


    It was as if the entire city itself was emitting the red light.


    While everyone was lost in awe, captivated by the magnificent sight, only Ghiin red coldly at the castle.


    “Cardenia…”


    The impregnable, undefeated fortress, the city blessed by the goddess.


    This ce, praised in countless ways… had once been utterly crushed by his hands.


    The King of Mercenaries’ army had swept over Cardenia the moment they dered war.


    Ghiin had broken through all the lords blocking the passage and upied Cardenia within just a week of the war’smencement.


    It was an unprecedented show of speed and destructive power.


    At that time, Ghiin had plotted with his strategists to find the quickest route to the royal pce and pierced straight through. That’s why Cardenia had been breached so helplessly.


    Of course, this was only possible because his sole target for revenge was the new king, the Duke of Delfine.


    ‘It didn’t take long to upy Cardenia… but in the end, I failed.’


    His goal wasn’t to upy Cardenia; it was to kill the Duke of Delfine.


    However, when Ghiin entered the royal pce, the Duke of Delfine was already gone.


    Even now, Ghiin didn’t know why the Duke, who had ascended to the throne, wasn’t at the royal pce.


    He only knew that he had failed.


    Enraged, Ghiin scoured the entire kingdom in search of the Duke of Delfine.


    ‘It was my mistake. I should have withdrawn and maintained the frontlines.’


    He burned the North, trampled the South. He massacred the West and piged the East.


    From that point on, he was no longer called the King of Mercenaries, but rather a vengeful demon driven mad by revenge.


    The Ritania Kingdom didn’t just stand by and take it, either.


    Hidden powers emerged to stand in his way.


    Grinding.


    Lost in thought, Ghiin ground his teeth without realizing it.


    The crimson hue of the sunset over Cardenia Castle was reminiscent of the color of the blood shed by Ghiin’s subordinates in those days.


    Even now, Ghiin could vividly recall the sensation of his head being severed, along with the emotions he felt at that moment.


    ‘In this life, I’ll make sure to….’


    — Hiiiiing!


    “Young Master!”


    “My Lord!”


    At the urgent calls, Ghiin snapped out of his thoughts and looked up.


    The horses, sensing the murderous intent he had unintentionally exuded, were panicking and struggling in fear.


    “Whoa, whoa.”


    Ghiin quickly reined in his killing intent and calmed the horses.


    Belinda couldn’t hide her worried expression as she asked, “What’s wrong all of a sudden?”


    Others, too, appeared slightly tense.


    They had been sightseeing at a tourist spot, so it was understandable they would be bewildered by this suddenmotion.


    Gathering his emotions, Ghiin scratched his head with an awkward smile.


    “Well, it’s just….”


    “It’s just?”


    “Well… I didn’t like the look of that castle.”


    “What reason do you have to dislike it?”


    “It’s bigger and more impressive than ours. I don’t like that. It’s like it’s showing off.”


    Ghiin shrugged and spoke slyly.


    The group stared at him with dumbfounded expressions.


    “So you’re saying… you exuded killing intent because you were jealous of that castle?”


    “You really have a peculiar personality. I can’t understand it.”


    Whispers and murmurs slipped out here and there.


    It was an absurd excuse, but perhaps because Ghiin had built such an entric image up to now, everyone seemed to ept it as usible.


    However, only Belinda and Gillian didn’t fully buy his excuse.


    At a nce, Ghiin might seem like he acted on a whim, but if you looked closer, he was a man with his own principles and ns guiding his actions.


    Ghiin had never revealed his killing intent for such a random reason before.


    Belinda and Gillian seemed like they wanted to say something out of concern, but Ghiin waved them off.


    “It’s fine, it’s fine. I just got too caught up in my thoughts. Let’s hurry and go inside.”


    Since the lord himself said that, there was no point in pressing the issue.


    The group couldn’t say anything further and quickly followed Ghiin, who had already moved ahead.


    Even though the sun had set, there were still many people gathered in front of the castle gate. They were waiting for their turn to be inspected.


    As it was the capital, security was tight, and inspections were conducted thoroughly.


    “Please show your identification.”


    A knight d in full armor blocked Ghiin and his group.


    He had a stoic expression, giving the impression that not a drop of blood woulde out even if he were pricked.


    The other knights around him were no different.


    They were on apletely different level from the guards at the checkpoint he had seen when heading to Brivant in the past.


    The knight took Ghiin’s identification que and examined it carefully before pulling out a map from his coat and spreading it wide.


    “Vassal of the Margrave of Ferdium, Baron Ghiin Fenris. Confirmed. What business do you have in the capital?”


    The knight spoke in an overbearing tone, lifting his chin.


    Seeing this, Belinda and Gillian scowled from behind.


    Normally, they would have berated him for being rude, but they hesitated, unsure if such behavior would be eptable here.


    They were somewhat intimidated by the imposing aura of the grand castle.


    However, unlike the two of them, Ghiin casually nodded his head and spoke with ease.


    “I’m here to do some business.”


    “Who is the head of your merchant guild?”


    The knight, assuming Ghiin was merely apanying a merchant group he owned, asked the question as a formality.


    “I am the head.”


    “…You’re saying that the baron himself is handling the business?”


    “What, is there a problem with that?”


    “No, no, not at all. Then, please provide the details of yourpanions and the list of goods.”


    Ghiin pointed at ude with a jerk of his chin and replied.


    “He knows the details of the group… and as for the goods, there’s not much to list. It’s cosmetics. I made them myself.”


    “What?”


    The knight furrowed his brow,pletely caught off guard by the unexpected answer.


    It was such a subtle change that one wouldn’t notice it unless they looked closely.


    However, since Ghiin’s group had been carefully observing the knight, they caught that brief shift and felt a strange sense of victory.


    ‘Yeah, you didn’t see thating, did you?’


    With a dubious expression, the knight began to inspect each of the wagons.


    Though he seemed suspicious, he called over soldiers to conduct a thorough search, which secretly impressed Ghiin.


    ‘They’re well-disciplined. Our estate’s soldiers should be more like this.’


    After checking several wagons, the knight cautiously asked, “Cosmetics, you said…?”


    “Yes, I made them myself.”


    “They’re not toxic, are they?”


    “It’s just cosmetics. If you don’t believe me, open one and check it yourself.”


    The knight picked up one of the containers and carefully opened the lid.


    He sniffed the fragrance, scooped a small amount with his finger, and rubbed it in, but his suspicious gaze didn’t waver.


    “Hmm, the scent is nice. It seems fine on the skin as well…”


    “Want one? Consider it a souvenir for visiting the capital.”


    The knight shook his head. Though the fragrance was pleasant, he didn’t want to ept something so dubious.


    Ghiin smirked and asked again, “It’s expensive, you know. Don’t regret not taking itter. It’s a luxury item you can’t afford on a knight’s sry.”


    The provocative remark made the knight frown.


    “I don’t need it.”


    “Fine, if you don’t want it, forget it. Just don’tinter, okay? No ming me.”


    “There will be no need.”


    The knight, caught up in Ghiin’s taunts, red at him with cold eyes.


    Kaor chuckled at the sight.


    “Well, now he looks a bit more human. I thought he was a wooden puppet with that unchanging expression.”


    The knight turned to Kaor, his gaze now carrying a hint of menace.


    The other mercenaries, not much different from Kaor, had amused smirks on their faces.


    The knight scribbled a few characters on the entry log, clearly irritated, and barked out, “You may pass!”


    Ghiin smirked and gestured to the group. “Alright, let’s go. We got through.”


    Belinda followed closely behind Ghiin, giving the knight a sympathetic look before speaking up.


    “Sir Knight, you’re going to regret not taking that.”


    “What?”


    But Belinda didn’t say anything more, slipping past him quickly.


    As ude entered next, he gave the knight a yful wink.


    “What’s with those weirdos?” the knight muttered, still baffled, but the group was already too busy marveling at the sight before them as they entered the castle.


    “Wow!”


    Inside the tripleyered walls, the castle grounds felt like a different world entirely.


    It was far more bustling than any estate they had visited before.


    Shops selling all sorts of goods lined the streets, and every alley was teeming with people.


    “I’ve never seen this many people in one ce,” one of the mercenaries said, and the others nodded in agreement.


    It was so crowded that just looking around could make you dizzy. The city felt like a living, breathing entity.


    Unlike Brivant, where Ghiin’s group drew curious stares, no one here paid them any mind.


    There were plenty of others around who looked just like them.


    Ghiin let the group wander and take in the sights, and before darknesspletely fell, he managed to secure tworge inns.


    The group was toorge to stay in one ce, and there wasn’t a suitable spot to store the wagons.


    As soon as they settled into the inn, Ghiin called ude to go over what they needed to do next.


    “First, we need to find a proper ce to stay.”


    With so many people and belongings, it wasn’t practical to keep lodging at inns, and it was costly and inconvenient.


    They needed to set up a proper base in the capital, like other merchant groups.


    ude nodded in agreement. “We’ll also need a shop to sell our goods anyway. We should look for a suitable building. After that…it might be time to start marketing. How about attending a banquet to build connections with the nobles?”


    Ghiin responded with a disinterested tone,


    “Do we have to?”