Northeast of Fillian, past a few small countries, lay the minor nation of Saha.

Not many people recognized the name Saha, but nearly everyone knew of Najin, the legendary mercenary city. It was a place where every man was expected to become a mercenary, drenched in blood, and where women gloried in their husbands and children dying on the battlefield.

Here, no mercenary was looked down upon, and women adored the rough, fierce nature of battle-hardened men. Foreigners who married Najin women were welcomed into the city as one of their own. Najin was a city for mercenaries, built by mercenaries, for the sole purpose of serving mercenaries.

Its reputation as the dreamland of mercenaries—and a place of fear for others—was immense. Unlike the Fillian mercenaries who had grown complacent, more like street thugs than warriors, Najin’s mercenaries were of an entirely different caliber.

Iola was the son of one of Najin’s noble houses, the Jin family.

His mother was the second daughter of the previous lord, making Iola the grandson of the former lord and the nephew of the current one, Caline. His father, meanwhile, was the captain of the formidable Dusk Mercenary Corps, one of Najin’s elite bands.

For Iola, born into the fierce lineage of the Jin family, legendary tales followed him. When a teacher told him to defeat him first if he wanted to read books, Iola knocked the sword instructor unconscious on the spot, much to everyone’s astonishment.

When his father, Monain, demanded he beat him in combat if he wanted to become a “scholar,” Iola drew his sword and promptly bested the battle-hardened Monain, leaving his father floored.

Standing over his father’s fallen form with a bright smile, Iola had remarked, “You set such an easy test for me, Father. You must truly support my aspirations!” And thus, he’d left his parents speechless, an unorthodox but fiery display of filial piety.

That was Iola.

“As I mentioned, I left Najin to become a scholar. For a pureblood Najin native like me to avoid becoming a mercenary, I had to overcome my strong family’s resistance.”

“S-Sorry! We’re not too bright and didn’t realize you were trying to warn us kindly. We were being fools!”

Eight bandits now knelt in a row before Iola, bowing their heads.

After an 8-to-1 fight where Iola emerged unscathed, none of them dared meet his gaze. He had not only defeated them but had done so without injury and allowed them to walk away alive. Realizing he could have easily taken their lives, they were now filled with a deep and endless humility.

“Really! To think we made kind and gentle Iola draw his sword! If there had been any bloodshed, it would’ve been an unforgivable crime, even if we were hanged ten times over. Repent!”

And Viretta, who had done absolutely nothing, was speaking with unbridled superiority.

The bandits glanced uncomfortably at Viretta, who was resting her right foot on an overturned bucket and looking down at them with a smug grin. The unspoken sentiment in their eyes was clear: You didn’t do anything!

“By the way, what were you doing here with your fiancé, selling goods like this…?”

“I thought I’d at least grant my father his wish for me to marry someone of his choosing since I disappointed him in other ways.”

“What an unfortunate situation.”

“Haha, you struggle with words. ‘Glory’ and ‘regret’ only share consonants. It’s a great honor to be engaged to someone like you, Ms. Viretta.”

The bandits exchanged curious glances as they observed the couple. They weren’t sure of the woman’s status, but from the short conversation they’d overheard, there were already plenty of red flags. Judging from how they were selling horned beast meat without a permit in a small village, their financial standing must have been meager.

Maybe she was exceptionally skilled, or perhaps they had met through an arranged marriage but found common ground along the way. The way they insulted each other without hesitation made them seem oddly well-matched.

The bandits watched Iola’s pleased expression as he looked at Viretta and nodded, thinking that appearances could indeed be deceiving and that relationships between men and women were hard to judge.

“I want to break off the engagement as soon as possible.”

Crazy, they thought in unison.

“For my part, I’m practically living to make Iola’s dreams come true! Just leave it all to me!”

Definitely crazy, they all thought again.

After three more seconds, the bandits accepted that this was, indeed, a perfect match.

“So you left Najin, overcoming your family’s objections, to study abroad?”

Viretta asked, leaning in as she listened to Iola’s story.

“I passed all the tests from my father, uncles, and even my grandfather. In the end, they all supported me.”

The reality was that he had beaten down every able-bodied male elder in the family. However, as he wasn’t conscious of this fact, the truth would remain hidden.

“You must love studying to have pursued it despite only being trained in the art of killing, Iola.”

“Yes. And killing people is just so… boring.”

As he said this, wiping his sword with a dry cloth, a chill ran through the villagers watching from a distance.

For the son of a Najin mercenary captain to say, “Killing people is boring,” was as chilling as a winter dawn.

“Some people are quite stubborn and slow to give up, but I’m glad I could save your lives.”

“Yes, truly grateful… sniff…”

“Mom, I almost died…”

“Ha, I see. Being a mercenary or a bandit just doesn’t suit you all. You should quit while you can. Had this been Najin, you’d have been rolled up in a mat and thoroughly beaten, but thankfully, we’re in Fillian.”

“S-Sorry! Please spare us!”

“Don’t apologize! It makes things awkward! And Iola, stop smiling like that! They think you’re toying with them!”

As the rough men began to cry out of sheer terror, Lanken worked hard to calm the situation. After his painstaking efforts, the atmosphere finally settled.

The bandits, now seated with cups of tea Viretta had pulled from her bag, began to explain their story.

“It may sound like an excuse, but we didn’t want things to come to this. We usually work labor jobs and sometimes charge tolls in the mountain passes.”

“Bandits, in other words.”

“How could you say that?! Admittedly, we may have collected a little extra now and then, but we were hired by the merchant guild to maintain security. Have you heard of region-specific, short-term security contracts?”

“It’s a system that started in Fillian, yes. Instead of hiring full-time mercenaries, they contract locals for security. In mountainous areas, locals are given the right to charge a fee for passage.”

“Exactly, well remembered. In the past, we made a living by escorting merchant caravans, but since that system spread, our income plummeted. It’s been tough.”

The bandits groaned in misery.

“Then they canceled even that. They said the ten-year guarantee was void due to ‘disasters and extraordinary events,’ and they fired us all.”

“Couldn’t you take it to court?”

“How could small-time mercenaries like us win against a huge merchant guild? The guild that hired us is notorious for being ruthless. They have educated people who know how to use the law to win every time.”

While legal, it was morally harsh. Hearing this, Viretta clenched her fist in anger.

“What kind of merchant guild would do such a thing?! Even if the law forgives them, I, Viretta, will not! Shout their vile name without hesitation!”

“Oh, we couldn’t… They could sue us for factual defamation.”

“To hell with the law! It can’t touch me, a true champion of justice! Go on, there’d be no witnesses anyway, and anyone who knows will just be quietly… handled.”

The latter part was the real focus. The bandits whispered among themselves before finally coming to a conclusion.

“You’ve probably heard of them. Medleridge.”

“….”

“….”

“….”

The daughter of Medleridge, Medleridge’s future son-in-law, and Medleridge’s mercenary all fell silent as if struck dumb.

“They say they’ve secured a marriage alliance with a famous Najin mercenary band and are planning to use their power.”

“….”

“….”

“….”

Any remaining mental escape routes vanished.

From saviors defeating trash bandits, they’d now fallen to being seen as cold-blooded lackeys of a ruthless merchant dynasty.