Karl seemed deep in thought upon hearing Rockefeller's words.
"War machines or an orc shaman?"
Karl judged that such a thing was unlikely.
This place was a relatively quiet frontier, even in the empire.
While orcs did appear occasionally, the monster weapons and shamans that Rockefeller mentioned were rare beings, almost never seen outside of wars instigated by orcs.
"Even if it's not about monster weapons, I wouldn't expect to see a shaman, especially since the orcs aren't starting a war."
Karl tried hard to shake off the unpleasant thought that had suddenly arisen, confidently assuming it was unlikely.
Sensing his unease, Rockefeller, with an almost supernatural intuition, asked him about the reason behind it.
"Why are you suddenly acting like this?"
"What do you mean?"
"I noticed your complexion has worsened. Is it a problem if the situation I was worried about becomes reality?"
"What are you talking about. It's merely a matter of subduing orcs. However, the things you mentioned are typically seen only when orcs start a war. It's rare to see them during peaceful times."
Then, Rockefeller feigned a surprised expression with false acting.
"A war? Does that mean if the monster weapons and shamans I mentioned appear, a war might break out here?"
"That's not what I mean. What I'm saying is that for the things you mentioned to appear, the orcs in this area would need to start a war. Monster weapons maybe, but orc shamans are not something you can find just anywhere. An orc shaman is a very special existence among orcs."
"What if there's an orc shaman within the group we're subduing, and there's no war?"
"Well, that would be..."
Rockefeller asked again as the other trailed off.
"Would that be a problem? It would be, right?"
Karl could not deny it.
Certainly, it was true.
"If it's an Orc Shaman... in human terms, that would be equivalent to a mage. So, naturally, there would be problems. We are just mercenaries skilled with the sword, how could we catch a mage without any preparation? It's not like we can perform targeted assassinations like the infamous Ismail."
"Then what happens?"
"There's no way that can be true. An Orc Shaman is such a special being that it's rare to see one. So, it's an unnecessary worry."
"What if, by chance, there is one?"
Rockefeller's persistent questioning caused Carter, who was working in the back of the shop, to become slightly tense.
'What is he trying to say? Shouldn't the existence of an Orc Shaman be kept a secret?'
While Carter, wary of the lord, was worrying about this and that.
Mercenary Captain Karl felt annoyed dealing with Rockefeller.
He thought of him as nothing more than a bothersome boy who kept asking irrelevant questions.
"It's not a big deal. It just becomes a lot more troublesome than I thought."
"It becomes troublesome? How so?"
"You sure are curious. Keep asking about useless things. We just need to bring a mage or a witch who can counter that shaman and go on a subjugation mission. The shaman's magic can be handled by the mage or witch anyway."
"Is there a wizard in the Hound Mercenary Group as well?"
"Do you think wizards are that common? We'll have to look elsewhere."
"You're not going to give up, are you?"
If they encountered a hidden threat like an orc shaman, it was very likely that a typical mercenary group would consider the danger of the task and opt to abandon the mission.
Why take on something that's impossible in the first place?
However, there were several reasons why the Hound Mercenary Group couldn’t easily give up on their tasks.
‘True, they wouldn't give up easily, especially because of the penalty for breach of contract.’
Apart from the issue of the penalty that must be paid immediately upon abandoning a mission, there was an even bigger reason they couldn’t afford to give up.
It was their reputation.
'Give up? It's just that things will become more troublesome and annoying than I thought.'
"We've never once given up on a mission we've taken on. Unless it's something absolutely nonsensical, if it's somewhat feasible, we see it through to the end, even at a loss. That's actually profitable for us in the long run. It raises our worth."
Karl continued the conversation.
"Do you not know why the reputation of the Hounds I lead is so renowned?"
"Is it because you solve any kind of problem?"
"That's right. Whoever entrusts us with a job, we can solve anything. It's just a matter of means."
"It's a matter of money, then."
Karl slightly narrowed his eyes.
His counterpart was a boy not yet in his twenties, but he didn't feel at all juvenile.
"Anyway, in any case, we never easily give up on a mission we've taken on. That's the reputation and pride of the Hounds we've built up with difficulty."
"So, if there really is an orc shaman, you'd call in a wizard and finish it off, right?"
Karl remained silent, but his eyes said it all.
Indeed.
"The conversation has become unnecessarily long. Come back later for the money you entrusted."
As Karl left with those words, Rockefeller showed a faint smile.
'A wizard is definitely needed, and that means, whether it's that man or the lord here, they will need money in some way. The payment for the wizard is always upfront, after all.'
And they wouldn't print money out of thin air.
Of course, there were methods like a lord or a mercenary leader writing a promissory note, but such means were insufficient to attract a magician.
Magicians preferred cash over promissory notes.
Therefore.
'It means they have to borrow money from here.'
