After giving fifteen sazets to Rogas and William, Taupin asked them to check the readiness of the thirty people who would go with them. Of course, it was Rogas who got orders from Taupin, but then he casually ordered William to do everything from checking the condition of the weapons in the warehouse to testing the skills of each prospective soldier.
William didn't mind, because he had no other work to do at the moment. After all, this was a new experience for him. He was actually quite happy because he could get to know these people more closely.
In the afternoon he gave a report to Rogas. "Some of them used to hold weapons. I guess that's enough for now. Meanwhile, the existing swords and spears need to be sharpened. If I had a grinder, I could fix it one by one, but let them do it."
"The most important thing is the morale of the soldiers," said Rogas knowingly. "Are they happy and really want to do this or not. If it turns out that they're just a bunch of cowards, no matter how good their weapons are, they'll run away at a critical moment."
"I believe that those who previously were not brave will become bold, and those who were lazy will become excited if the deputy leader of the squad can set an example," William retorted sarcastically. "If you can't give an example, maybe I should get the ten sazets. You should just get five."
Roger laughed. "So you really want to be Taupin's deputy and earn more money than me?"
"If I had to," said William.
"Be patient, your time will come later," Rogas smirked. "For now, I still need those ten sazets."
William looked at him suspiciously. "Looks like you just made another evil plan. What are you thinking now?"
"You see, you always have bad thoughts, William. I didn't plan anything!"
"It reminds me, you haven't answered my question yesterday. What terrible thing have you done to make Mornitz want your life?"
Rogas was silent for a while. He watched the people who were resting and eating together in Taupin's yard. William and Rogas were sitting in the corner of the courtyard, away from that people, so that they could not be heard. The man rubbed his chin while glancing at William.
"What do you want to know?" he seemed a little hesitant. "The story … is a bit long, I don't know where to start."
"Who's Mornitz?"
"Sort of a bouncer. Bounty hunter. He was paid to look for me, then he would take me to the person who paid for it." Rogas grinned, apparently proud of being the hunted. Maybe because it means he has value, even if it means bad.
"Then Bellion. I heard the name by the river," William continued. "Did he pay Mornitz? He wanted to kill you, so I guess you did something bad to him first. What did you do? Rob his stuff? Or maybe… killed his son?"
William's accusations were, of course, mere guesses.
But unexpectedly, Rogas' face turned pale. "I didn't mean to do it!" After a moment, his face turned sour. He shook his head. "Mornitz's allegations are not true. He knows nothing!"
William didn't care. He continued to chase, "So it's true that you killed his son? Well, if I were Bellion, I would do the same then. I would hunt you, and would not accept Mornitz's failure to kill you."
"I didn't kill him! I didn't kill anyone! I mean," said Rogas nervously, "in this case, I didn't kill at all! I only hurt him a little…"
"That Bellion's son, what's his name?"
"Darron." Rogas snorted in annoyance. "And he doesn't need sympathy. He's an asshole, believe me. So he really deserves a beating."
"I'm sure his father wouldn't be so angry if you just beat him up a little. You must have seriously injured him, or maybe taken something of his, which is very important. Why don't you just admit it? So that all the problems become clear. Maybe I can help you!"
Rogas stared at William for a moment, then shook his head. "Believe me, I didn't take anything. It happened last summer, near Nordton. My army met a band of robbers at the edge of the forest, and we fought. There was a lot of blood, and people died." He smirked. "But my army won. The robbers who survived then ran away. My troops returned to Alton, and after my contract was over me and a few comrades went to Milliton. Unexpectedly, there we were attacked again. Those bastards. We were able to defend, and the attackers fled. But many of my friends died."
After taking a breath Rogas continued with a sour face. "Before running away, the scarred face, the ugly-looking man you saw by the river, left a message that Bellion would not forget me. I was surprised because to my knowledge Bellion was quite a wealthy man in Nordton and I never had any dealings with him. But then I found out, his son named Darron turned out to be the leader of the robbers who had managed to escape from us. After that, I quickly went north, as far as Ortleg. I hope that in a faraway place those people won't be able to find me and then forget about me."
William tried to digest the story. "So Bellion, this rich man, is actually the chief criminal? In that case, why don't you just report to your commander? Let the kingdom crush them, and you don't have to worry anymore."
"I won't make it all the way to Alton! Those bastards must have been waiting for me. I'd better stay north."
"Evidently, Mornitz can still find you easily in Ortleg. With your bullshit and know-it-yourself style, I think you're easy to find."
"Hey, I can survive for months and still have fun. I think that's quite a feat."
"Because during the winter they are reluctant to chase you all the way to Ortleg! Once the snow melts, of course, they will come!"
Rogas nodded pensively, then laughed. "But you see, my luck hasn't run out yet, in fact, I guess there's still a lot. I believe, I will still be able to make it through this winter safely."
"After that? Are you going to keep hiding?"
"Don't forget, William, you're also wanted by them now." Rogas burst out laughing. "What about you, what do you want? Do you want to hide, or run away?"
"I haven't thought about it."
"I have a plan." Rogas' eyes flashed. "Do you want to hear?"
William looked at him intently. "What?"
"Listen, after working for months in the north, we're going to make a lot of money. With that money we will invite these northerners, those who are willing, to come with us to the south."
"To the south? What for?" William's brow furrowed.
"To form our own troops." Rogas smiled broadly. "With these troops, we will go to Bellion's base, then beat him, his son, and also Mornitz. We destroy them all, down to the roots! Exterminate them, until no one else can take revenge on us for decades to come."