Chapter 60

Chapter 60. Dunmore (2)

The Dunmore branch building of the Rogue Guild Crescent Moon Blade looked shabby and old from the outside, but once he entered, the impression changed completely.

Far from an abandoned house, it gave off the atmosphere of a spacious office that had been neatly organized.

“It is different from the outside.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean the inside of the house.”

When Balun spoke while looking around the branch building’s interior, the guild member of Crescent Moon Blade nodded and answered.

“Ah, yes. Of course. We repaired it cleanly. How could anyone live in a house that looks like it is about to collapse?”

“That is true.”

Balun nodded. For an old building like this, remodeling certainly was essential.

“It is better for business too. If the inside is clean, customers trust us that much more. That is why most of our guild branches repair and use the interiors. Ah, please come down this way.”

The guild member guided Balun underground. The basement was fairly bright, with torches set closely together. As Balun looked around the hallway and the rooms branching off here and there, he asked,

“The basement is large.”

“Yes. It is connected to the houses in this alley, you see. Even if the first floors are separate buildings, the underground areas are connected.”

“Is there a need to set up a branch in the slums? If you are doing this much, it seems better to move to a nicer building.”

“Ah, I would like that too, but what can we do? It is guild policy.”

“Guild policy? Setting up branches in slum districts?”

“Yes.”

“That is strange.”

“Rogues, Pathfinders, whatever we call ourselves, our roots are still thieves, are they not? Since we are a gathering of thieves, it is right that we do not stand out. That is what our Master thinks.”

“I understand what you mean.”

He did not know who the Guild Master was, but the man seemed to have very strange tastes.

Why go out of their way to suffer like this? They could simply set up an office in a good building from the beginning.

‘Come to think of it, this might actually be fine. Remodeling and using an old building should be cheaper, after all.’

While Balun was thinking that, they had already reached a deep part of the basement.

The place the guild member guided Balun to looked exactly like an interrogation room. It was an enclosed space furnished with a wide table and chairs.

“It looks like a prison.”

“Haha. Other customers often say that too. Ah, please sit down. I will bring the Branch Chief.”

After he sat in the chair and waited for about five minutes, a dusky-skinned woman entered, giving off a gloomy atmosphere. She had wrapped a handkerchief around her face like a mask, covering her nose and mouth.

She sat facing Balun and spoke to him.

“You must be Balun the Barbarian.”

“You know me?”

“Of course. You are the skilled man who slaughtered more than a hundred Second-Class Assassins of Black Moon alone, are you not?”

“It seems the rumor spread.”

“Of course. The hero of the Expedition Team, Balun the Barbarian. Among the first-rate thieves who roll around the back alleys, there is no one who does not know you. At least around these parts.”

The Dunmore Branch Chief stared at Balun as she spoke. Balun shrugged.

“What an honor.”

“Of course, that is not why I know you. I know because our guild member was part of the Expedition Team in the first place.”

“A guild member? Do you mean Patem?”

“Yes. He is a boy I cherish. A very clever one. He has skill too.”

“He certainly did have skill.”

Looking back, Patem’s contribution to the Expedition Team had been great. In terms of combat power, he had not been especially outstanding, but he was skilled at many useful tricks, including Stealth, and had been very helpful. His ability as a guide had certainly been excellent.

“I heard you saved him.”

“I did.”

“Thank you.”

The Dunmore Branch Chief suddenly thanked him and bowed her head.

“It costs an enormous amount of money to raise one skilled Rogue. Thanks to you, the guild’s losses decreased.”

“Is that how it works?”

“Of course. Patem is a talent even Headquarters has its eye on. He is still a little young, but if he gains just a bit more experience, he will become a Special-Class Rogue in no time. Perhaps he may even occupy an important post.”

“I see.”

He had not expected that much.

To think that guide was such an impressive talent.

“To put it simply, you are a benefactor of our guild. That is why I came out to receive you personally. If you were an ordinary customer, I would not have come out.”

Balun nodded. It sounded extremely arrogant, but strangely, he could understand.

That was because the atmosphere this woman gave off made him feel that she was absolutely not some nobody.

“That is enough courtesy. Let us get to the main point.”

“Good.”

“Why did you come to find us? Naturally, you must have come because you have a request. And is that request perhaps related to the bandit subjugation?”

Balun’s eyes widened.

How did she know when he had not even brought it up? Was she a mind reader?

“That is right. How did you know?”

“Because our people heard you talking with the gate guard.”

“Your intelligence network is excellent.”

Unfortunately, it seemed she was not a mind reader.

“If we cannot even do that, we are no good. That is how we make a living.”

“Well, that is true too.”

He had heard that a portion of Rogue Guilds’ income came from selling information, and he now understood a little how that was possible.

If they knew about something that had happened today, did that not mean they were well versed in what happened within this city?

“A mercenary who had been staying in Rotenfeld Great Castle suddenly came to solve Dunmore’s headache. That means you clearly received some kind of commission. Ah-ha. I understand. House Rotenfeld bought you. Am I right?”

“You are spouting nonsense.”

“That is strange. The strict Rotenfeld would never entrust a commission to a commoner mercenary. Then perhaps it is a test?”

“…….”

“This is big news. Rotenfeld is trying to make a mere Barbarian into its sword. This will become very noisy.”

‘Is this bastard really a mind reader?’

For some reason, he felt as though he had to stop thinking.

“Ah, do not worry. I will not report this to Headquarters. Unlike other branch chiefs, I do not hang myself over performance results. Is that not why I am stuck in a branch in a remote place like this?”

“You talk too much. So, will you accept Balun’s request or not?”

When Balun threatened her, she soon faced him with a serious gaze.

“I should accept it. All right. What do you want to request? Since your purpose is bandit subjugation, it must be related to that.”

“Balun wants two things.”

Balun raised two fingers.

“One is information about the bandits. The other is hiring a guide.”

“Two requests? Then the price will be fairly high. Will that be all right?”

“Are you going to take money?”

Balun stared straight into her eyes.

She met that gaze without avoiding it, then shook her head.

“I will be generous. Originally, I should charge you, but this time, I will do it for free specially.”

“Good!”

“But know this. Originally, I should charge you. And information about the bandits of the Bled Mountain Range is very expensive. It costs at least over one hundred gold, no matter how low I set it.”

Balun’s eyes widened. What kind of information was this expensive?

“Why is it expensive?”

“Because those people are not ordinary bandits.”

“Balun knows that too. I heard high-grade mercenaries and former knights are mixed in.”

“It seems you heard the rumor. That is wrong information.”

“What?”

“I will explain now, so listen carefully. I do not explain twice.”

The explanation soon began.

“No one knows their scale. But we believe there are at least over one hundred of them. I mean combat personnel alone.”

“That is many.”

“All of them are armed with bows and swords, and all of them are skilled at moving through the mountains. They appear and disappear so unpredictably that it is said even chasing them down when they flee is difficult. That is the testimony of survivors.”

After laying out more basic information, she took out a map and continued explaining while pointing things out.

“Throughout this Bled Mountain Range, there are many traces of collapsed old castles and ruin sites. They use those sites as intermediate bases and constantly change their bases, so they are not easy to subjugate.”

‘So they are using guerrilla tactics.’

Wiping out a guerrilla unit was certainly difficult. Even more so if that guerrilla unit included people with excellent martial power.

‘To summarize, there are more than one hundred people armed with bows and swords who are skilled at moving through the mountains, and they even use guerrilla tactics.’

Balun stroked his chin. Looking at it that way, he could certainly understand why civilian subjugation forces had been annihilated. How were they supposed to catch such meticulous people?

On top of that, the terrain of the Bled Mountain Range was said to be rugged. Even for mercenaries, moving through the mountains must have been difficult.

‘But if they are at that level, are they even bandits?’

Why were they bandits? They were a special forces unit.

Putting aside the question that suddenly emerged, he asked what he was curious about.

“Other than intermediate bases, do they not have a main base?”

“They do. Somewhere in the Bled Mountain Range.”

“You do not know, then.”

“We have a guess about where it might be. We just have not gone there because we do not want to become arrow fodder.”

“Oh! That is good!”

Balun’s face brightened.

If she knew the location, she should have said that earlier!

“I will hire a guide. Guide me to the location of their main base.”

“What?”

The Dunmore Branch Chief looked bewildered at Balun’s request.

“Why? Is that impossible?”

“It is not impossible, but what are you going to do there?”

“I will attack the main base. I will catch the leader. The subjugation will end. It is a very easy problem.”

He said it simply, but Balun was sincere.

No matter how he thought about it, he could only conclude that this method was the best.

It was also a strategy familiar to Balun.

How many times had he infiltrated hostile tribes alone and carried out special operations?

“You, alone?”

“No, with the guide. The two of us.”

At Balun’s clear answer, the Branch Chief’s eyes grew even more bewildered.

Had this Barbarian gone mad?

“Ah, do not worry. Once the guide finds the main base, I will send the guide back. Balun will handle the combat alone.”

“You are insane. You are determined to die.”

“No. The calculation is already finished. If I were going to die, I would not have come.”

“Would it not be better to gather more people?”

“You do not know what you are talking about. Alone has the highest chance of victory.”

‘If I gather people, will you take responsibility for the labor costs?’

If she would not take responsibility, she should not even bring it up.

“Well, fine. I will attach a guide to you.”

“Good!”

“Instead, they will not fight. They will only guide you and withdraw.”

“That is exactly what I want.”

“Also, it is only a guess, not certainty. It may not be the main base.”

“If that were the case, you would not have said it to me in the first place. Does an information broker sell information she is not certain of?”

Balun stared straight into the Branch Chief’s eyes.

Seeing that gaze, she chuckled. She realized this ignorant-looking Barbarian had read many things from her.

‘Just as I heard, he is no ordinary man.’

“Good. When will you do it?”

“Tomorrow, right away.”

“Is that not too fast?”

“It is better to strike while the iron is hot.”

In truth, Balun had already finished his preparations.

He had merely needed the information and guide to put things into action.

***

The next day, Balun was waiting near the east gate for the Pathfinder whom Crescent Moon Blade was supposed to assign to him, but soon his eyes narrowed.

Because it was not a Pathfinder who came, but the Branch Chief herself.

With her face covered as usual.

“Where did the guide go, and why did you come?”

“I am the guide.”

“What?”

“It seems you did not know.”

Of course he had not known.

How could he have expected the Branch Chief to step forward personally?

“Are you confident?”

“I am the one who trained Patem as a Pathfinder. That should be enough without me saying more, right?”

“Is that true?”

“Of course. I do not lie. Besides, I am a Special-Class Rogue.”

She winked with one eye. Balun nodded.

He did not know what this guild’s grading standards were, but if she was Special-Class, she certainly seemed trustworthy.

“Then shall we go?”

“Yes.”

Thus, Balun passed through the east gate and headed for the Bled Mountain Range.

After climbing the ridge and entering a densely wooded area, Balun’s eyes soon narrowed.

For some reason, he felt a prickling sensation on the back of his head.

‘This feels very ominous.’

Balun had now come to understand very well what this chilling sensation meant.

Mana Sense.

His body was sensitively reading the danger signal that mana was sending.