"Sir Marcus Spencer paid you three times your usual rate? He must be a wealthy guy."

Not that Kael had ever heard that name before.

He had been a reclusive person in his past life, and most of his mental capacity that was not spent on magic research was reserved for remembering important things that could affect him.

It was clear that this ’Sir Marcus’ guy had not made his list.

His easy-going attitude made the mercenary pale in shock.

"Y-You don’t know who Sir Marcus is? Have you been living under a rock this whole time?"

Was this guy truly such a big deal for someone to make such a fuss about? Maybe it was something worth looking into.

"Well, I can’t say I know who that person is. Tell me more about him."

Kael demanded, and the mercenary leader sighed before he began to enlighten Kael about the person he had made an enemy of.

__________

The mercenary leader felt sorry for Kael.

It seemed to him that a young and talented magician had tried to buy something from Sir Marcus’s fake store and discovered the truth. This young man must have a strong sense of justice and had likely threatened to report Sir Marcus’s fraud.

That was when Sir Marcus decided to hire the mercenary troop to kill this kid.

It was to ensure his enemies did not catch wind of what was going on.

’This poor kid got caught in the middle of Sir Marcus’s schemes, and he seems to have no idea about it. I feel sorry for him. I might have failed, but Sir Marcus will just get someone else to get rid of him.’

Since the mercenary leader felt sorry for Kael and saw how talented he was, he made a decision—he would take this kid under his wing. He could placate Sir Marcus and assure him that he would keep this kid’s mouth shut.

That way, he would gain a new and talented member, and this kid would get to live.

"You don’t seem to understand what kind of situation you are currently in, kid. You might have defeated us, but Sir Marcus has more than enough money to get someone else to kill you."

The mercenary leader tried to scare Kael, and then he immediately tried to give him a way out.

"If you want to live, then come work for me. I can persuade Sir Marcus—"

"Phehehe. That was a funny joke. I think I will let you go for now since you made me laugh. Well, I think we should head back now, Lyra."

The kid did not take him seriously.

Not only that, but he also dared to laugh at the mercenary leader.

It made the leader angry, but he forced himself to relax by reminding himself that this kid was clueless. He did not even know who Sir Marcus was.

"Hey! This is no laughing matter. Don’t take this situation lightly, or you will die."

He tried once more, but the kid laughed even harder. Even the puppy he was holding seemed to be laughing.

"Oh! So you think Sir Marcus would become that big of a problem for me? Hmm, then should we go and deal with him right now? What do you think, Lyra?"

Now the mercenary leader was starting to think that this kid was insane. Also, taking a closer look at the ’puppy’ made him realize something.

’That...isn’t a puppy! That’s a beast! What is this kid doing with a beast? Is he insane? Oh god! Did we pick a fight with an insane magician?’

The mercenary leader’s opinion of Kael was changing by the second, and so was his temper.

He was frustrated by the fact that this kid was not taking him seriously.

Finally, the kid finished talking to the beast and turned back toward him.

"I have made a decision. I want to talk with Sir Marcus myself and resolve this situation. Frankly, I don’t want to keep dealing with people he might hire in the future. So, can you show me the way? In return, I will spare your lives."

Kael was not asking for a favor; he was demanding it.

The mercenary leader felt a shiver run down his spine at the thought of defying this kid. Every sense in his body was telling him that he should do as he was asked.

It was a kind of fear he had not even felt when he faced Sir Marcus or the Mercenary King.

How could a kid evoke such feelings in him when even his superiors could not? Unless...

’No way! Didn’t they say that the new Grand Master is really young? He should be around this person’s age... And now that I pay attention, I cannot focus on this kid’s face either. N-No way! Is it really...?’

The leader did not finish his thoughts. He was afraid that the kid—no, the Grand Master—would somehow be able to hear his thoughts and decide that he needed to be gotten rid of.

"What’s wrong? Have you not made up your mind yet? Do you want me to make it for you?"

The Grand Master asked, and the mercenary leader suddenly felt his legs weaken. He could not believe how badly mistaken he had been.

Sir Marcus was a big deal, but he was nothing compared to a Grand Master.

"Of course we have made up our minds. Is that something you even need to ask us, Sir? It would be my honor to show you to Sir Marcus’s mansion."

The other mercenaries watched in horror as he bowed to the kid and even addressed him with as much respect as he could.

To most, it must have felt like he was betraying the dignity of the mercenaries by doing this, but he had been their leader long enough for them to follow him without question.

"Lyra, looks like we will be paying Sir Marcus a visit soon. Also, you don’t have to worry about being good. I think you can go a little wild this time."

The mercenary leader took a look at the ’puppy’ and immediately looked away. The puppy had a destructive smile on its face, which also sent shivers down his spine.

Suddenly, he felt pity for Sir Marcus.

That man had no idea what kind of storm was heading toward him.