"H..He...He won" One of the mercenary cried out aloud.
Only then did they realise, what just happened, as the entire group began cry out of joy.
Soon they ran toward's there saviour, this mere Fifteen year old kid, who achieved a feat, that most of the people in this Continent could only dream of, defeating a Martial Grandmaster.
Every single one of them here thought this was gonna be the last day of their life, and as for women in here, they were prepared for fate worse than death, but this individual, whom they branded as a traitor, happened to save every single one of them from this impending doom.
Martin looked at this young man, who's still kneeling on the ground from exhaustion. he could still feel his heart beating rapidly, as he didn't blink for even a second, witnessing that insane battle that just took place.
"Karn was it" Martin still felt a bit awkward, calling someone he knew for months with an entirely different name.
"Do you need my help to carry you around?"
"I'm fine, I'll get up myself, just give me a minute or two." Karn said.
After, what seem like a whole minute , Karn made a grumbling noise, as got up using his sword as a walking cane, to support himself.
He still felt a huge surge exhaustion while muscle ached, leaving insurmountable amount of pain.
"Mr Martin Look over here " One of the Mercenary cried out, pointing towards one of the rooms hidden deep within the hideout.
~Gasp~
"Mr Martin this..."
Even the leader of the Mercenary troop lost his composure, as he saw heaps of gold coins and bank notes scattered around the entire room.
"Gather them around and count them all out." Martin ordered, as the rest of the troops started rummaging and counting through everything they could find in that room.
"77,430 Gold Coins" One of the mercenary with the expertise in accounting gave out a figure, that this group of bandits seemed to have looted from other people.
"T..That's more than ten times my entire fortune."Baron Cecil said as he still felt dizzy, just from hearing that amount.
Even a nobleman like Cecil had such major reaction's, one can imagine, the complete choas going through those Mercenaries minds, who happen to have an annual income of merely 7 to 8 Gold Coins.
"Snap out of it everyone, it doesn't belong to us, according to the Adventurers law, it belongs to person who subjugated this place." Martin reminded rest of compatriots, while the others immediately nodded their head in approval, as they seemed to have no intention of hassling on the one who saved their lives.
Everyone threw a gave towards Karn, wanting to know what his next course of going to be.
Karn merely walked in and gave a lazy glance around his surroundings before saying something the mercenaries wouldn't even dream of.
"I don't need it, you guy's can take it if you want."
"What !" Everyone around Exclaimed in unison.
"Karn!, you know you can build a small mansion in the Capital with this much money." One of the mercenaries cried out, as he had no intention of taking advantage of Karn's kindness.
Martin gave a deep sigh before finally asking the question, that has been in mind all this while.
"Karn, can you tell me your real identity ? and where you're from ?"
"Yes,Yes you must be the heir of some famous Noble family, it has to be." One of the mercenary member exclaimed with an assured expression, as he seemed quite confident of his hypothesis.
Karn immediately shook his head and said.
"I'm a commoner, or should I say, I just became a Commoner, I used to be a serf before."
This answer left the mercenary troop in a complete loss, this individual doesn't seem to care much about monetary benefits, but still seem to hold unfathomable level of treasures that brought the envy of even a Martial Grandmaster.
The mysterious viel surrounding their saviour, seem to grow thicker and thicker.
"I'm just a Knight from the city of Cassian."
"Cassian!!, isn't that place rumored to be filled with dwarves and elves." Baron Cecil immediately barged into the Conversation.
As a nobleman, he seemed privileged to more information than rest of the ordinary folks.
Karn immediately nodded his head, giving his affirmation, he has been in this kingdom for three months now, and noticed the difference in the demeanor between the nobles of this place and the Crune Empire is as avidant as a difference between day and night.
Karn noticed the nobles in this place, although a few act lofty and privileged, but by no means they appear to be cruel, who look at common people's life as a mere plaything.
This reminded karn of one of the phrase Ian always tells him 'There are no evil classes in this world but evil people.'
"Even if that is the case, this amount is too much for us to take." Martin refuted.
As he knew this amount is almost equivalent to a small noble family's entire net worth.
Honestly as an Elite member and the Commander of the Black Knight's, Karn had a complete authority, to use the city fund's in the treasury along with Ian, so money was not something he was currently lacking, and he had no intentions carrying this burden along with him, while carrying such important mission.
Although he could understand, why these mercenaries seem so surprised by his refusal, but it's just that after going through all the insane stuffs for the past four years of his life, from meeting a talking cat, to witnessing a flying templar, then meeting a group of ancient species , to witnessing an armory filled with legendary weapons, he seemed to have formed some kind of resistance towards, these things which seem kind of ordinary compared to what he went through in this small fifteen years of his lifetime.
"If you guys are really that adamant about it, how about this, I have small task, I need to accomplish, if you guy's help me with that you, can keep everything in here."
"What kind task is it ? that you're willing to pay such an exhorbaint amount of money."
"The undeads, I want to find any information regarding any sightings of undeads, in any of the surrounding kingdoms."
"Huh !" Martin exclaimed.
"Why ? is something wrong ?" Karn questioned.
"No, but that's it, you're willing to pay us this much, just for that much."
"Well, I'll prefer as much fresh information as I could get, You have years of experience, and know people all over the place, I think you could do this much."
Martin made an assured expression while he said "Leave it to me, Just give me two weeks, and I'll dig out all my contacts and connections I made, during my past 20 years as an Adventurer."
"Ahh! right, Baron Cecil is there any way for me to get in the Capital city of Helos." Karn requested.
"R..Right Capital, Wait you want to enter the Capital." Baran Cecil questioned.
"I'm investigating, about the undeads that appeared a few months ago in the Capital,but it seems I'm not allowed to enter inside."
"Ofcourse, you see Helos Kingdom shares it's border with the Kronos Kingdom and the Crune Empire, as well as the ever hostile, the great Xia Empire,So to prevent any threats from assassination, Royal Family usually prevents any outsiders from entering inside the Capital."
Karn immediately nodded his head as the things he experienced exactly matches Baron Cecil's description. He was send off from the gates of Capital,not once but twice.
The capital is the only place left, for him to investigate in this kingdom, and also the origin of this whole undead incident.
"I see, so there's no way around, I'm sorry to trouble you." Karn said with a dispirited tone.
Even Baron Cecil felt hopeless,for not being capable of helping someone who saved his entire families lives. He never felt this incompetent in his entire life.
"There is one way." Baroness Cecil exclaimed before explaining. "A week from now the Royal Family is holding a Hunting festival to celebrate the marriage between imperial princess and the eldest son of Ideeal Family."
"Yes Dear but how will that help..."
"We are also invited, along with all the other noble families in the Kingdom." Baroness immediately interrupted her husband as she gave a glance towards Karn.
"So you want me to come along with you guy's acting as your escort Knight." Karn added, as he seemed to have completely grasped through the Baroness Cecil's mind.
"Indeed" Baroness Cecil said while clasping her hands in excitement.
Karn went into a deep thought, before nodding inwardly, indeed it was a great plan, or should he say the best plan, Since this is the only way for him to safely enter in the Capital.
Karn bowed a little before saying.
"I'm sorry to trouble you."
"Jeez !, now your making us embarrassed, for all the things that you did, this much is nothing."
With that the group concluded their discussion inside the place that used to be a Bandit stronghold.