Chapter 80 - Leona Rockfreed
"Are you trying to cover up a crime under Aspen's name?"
When Leona asked again,
"That's enough. Beyond this point, it's our jurisdiction."
Torres interrupted her.
"Is that so? In any case, the misunderstanding has been cleared up."
Leona smiled sweetly, her expression seeming to say, 'I'm pure, innocent, and clueless.'
Of course, she was none of those things.
She knew everything and was anything but naive.
Instead of answering, Torres grabbed the man by the shoulder and said, "Let's go."
Without even sparing Enkrid a glance, he shoved the man—his face already a mess—by the shoulder and glared daggers at him.
"Spare, spare, please spare me!"
"Shut it. A spy for the enemy shouldn't talk."
"I'll tell you everything I know. I'm not a spy! This is a misunderstanding!"
"Don't worry. Cutting out your tongue will be the last thing I do,"
Torres said.
The man's legs gave out beneath him, but he wasn't even allowed to collapse.
Two of Torres' subordinates grabbed him under the arms, lifting him like a sack of grain.
Torres' irritation was evident, likely because things weren't going as he'd expected.
'So there was some kind of mind game.'
Too preoccupied with his sword, Enkrid had failed to notice the dynamics until now.
Why didn't Leona pin the blame entirely on Polid?
What would happen if it were revealed that Polid was behind it?
'Would that responsibility lie solely with Polid, or would it extend to the Rockfreed trading company?'
If the trading company were held accountable, would Leona gain more by acknowledging it or denying it?
If she was confident the company was entirely hers, denial would be advantageous—especially if she didn't need to cut off a fool like Polid over this issue.
Enkrid had assumed Leona would sacrifice Polid to secure her position as successor.
That way, Border Guard could leverage the situation to demand compensation, using the company's dishonor as an excuse.
After all, the city's reputation was intertwined with the military's.
'Did she make this decision for the trading company's sake?'
Could it be that she valued her trading company that much?
"Why? Have you suddenly fallen for my beauty?"
Enkrid realized he'd been staring at her face.
What kind of woman was she?
Her face now looked far brighter than when she'd slapped Polid.
She exuded confidence, and yet there was no vulnerability in her posture despite her relaxed demeanor.
She wore the expression of someone whose calculations were complete—a true merchant.
Her attitude suggested there was no need to sacrifice any part of her company.
She must have a trump card.
It wasn't the Border Guard standing army, that much was clear.
What an intriguing woman.
"No," Enkrid replied matter-of-factly.
"That's disappointing."
Leona smiled again.
Had he thought her beauty didn't suit a spider?
He'd need to correct that opinion.
The smile she wore now, free from the mask of innocence, was that of a spider savoring its prey.
"Thank you for everything," Leona said, marking the end of the mission.
At the inn, she packed her belongings, with Polid grinning beside her.
Perhaps he thought he'd won either the argument over succession or the assassination attempt he'd orchestrated.
Still, his grin seemed to declare he was now the master of the trading company.
"You there, soldier. You'll be clinging to my coattails before long," he sneered.
'Didn't he start by picking a fight with Jaxen?'
At some point, he'd redirected his hostility toward Enkrid, consistently targeting him.
'Should I have ignored him?'
Perhaps it was a problem born of politeness.
The thought crossed Enkrid's mind briefly.
Polid's face was a study in smugness—grinning lips, eyes full of certainty, and even flaring nostrils betraying his inner excitement.
"I won't cling to your coattails, but I can cut off your ankles," Enkrid muttered under his breath.
Only Jaxen, the commander, and Leona, who were nearby, caught his words.
"In that case, go for the neck. It's quicker," Jaxen advised.
"Even men find you popular, soldier," the commander teased.
"My apologies," Leona added with a smile.
"What? What did you say?" Polid, having missed Enkrid's remark, demanded an explanation.
Enkrid ignored him entirely.
Perhaps he shouldn't have bothered being polite from the start.
Polid briefly lost his temper at being ignored but quickly calmed down when the plain-looking man behind him tugged at his sleeve.
After that, Polid continued glaring at Enkrid, his confidence unshaken.
'It's obvious he's planning something.'
Whatever it was, it didn't matter.
Any further disturbance within the Border Guard would no longer be tolerated.
'They'll probably try to attack me the moment we leave.'
Considering the faces in Leona's group outside the inn, Enkrid wondered if they'd truly be able to handle their opponents.
Lost in thought, he barely noticed Leona approaching him.
"It feels like I'm being escorted," she said.
It wasn't just a feeling.
Escorting her was part of the mission.
Polid may have revealed his hand foolishly, but Leona was the opposite.
What was she relying on?
This newfound curiosity started gnawing at him.
Leona's demeanor showed not a hint of worry.
"I will never forget the debt I owe you for saving my life. If the opportunity arises, I will surely repay it."
The nanny, who had narrowly escaped death from the retired soldier-assassin on the second floor, approached and spoke.
"Understood."
Enkrid didn't pay it much mind.
In such a vast continent, the chances of meeting again were slim.
However, the onlookers thought differently.
Two squads, which had been guarding the entire inn, still lingered.
They had even decided to take on additional escort duties, as a matter of accountability for the incident at Border Guard.
"Charming every woman in passing."
"Casting the venom of allure on every lady that brushes by."
"Thy name, the seductive squad leader."
Were they composing poems instead of doing their jobs?
"…What are they doing?"
The nanny blushed as she asked.
"They're practicing to become bards after retirement. Let them be,"
Enkrid said offhandedly.
Meanwhile, the captain leaned closer to Leona and whispered.
Enkrid's keen hearing caught her words.
"You'd better be careful. That soldier has a knack for seducing every woman in sight."
Seducing?
Enkrid hadn't even been near a woman in ages.
He'd been too busy dealing with endless chaos to entertain such thoughts.
"Are you leaving? It seems like it's about time."
Enkrid politely saw off the two squads.
As if truly aspiring to be bards after retirement, they quickly composed a song about the "seductive squad leader" and sang it aloud.
They were madmen.
The incident left the Torres faction, specifically the Border Guard, with a headache, while the soldiers here remained unfazed.
And understandably so.
They were simply following orders.
Thinking about the Border Guard reminded Enkrid of Leona's exceptional cunning.
"Does this mean we've indebted the Border Guard?"
With a few words, she had turned the situation around.
Whether the Border Guard acknowledged it was another matter.
She framed the attack as a city security issue.
If the assault stemmed from the succession dispute within the merchant guild, it would be Rockfreed's responsibility.
If it was a targeted attack for Krona, it became a matter of city security.
"Truly remarkable."
Everyone knew Polid had orchestrated this, but with the assassination target denying it, the matter was left ambiguous.
Perhaps this was the mark of a natural-born merchant.
Now that the outcome was clear, it was easy to see, but without hindsight, it could have gone unnoticed.
After the Torres faction left, Krais, who had remained at the inn, filled in some gaps.
"The Border Guard will deny it in the end. Still, the situation favors them. You said those were Aspen's spy units, right?"
When Enkrid asked why that was a disadvantage, Krais had explained smoothly.
"If you start assigning responsibility for problems caused by Aspen's spies, who benefits? Aspen's spies targeting the merchant guild versus trying to incite chaos within the city—where do you think the emphasis lies?"
Krais's explanation made sense.
The moment Aspen's name entered the picture, the situation tilted in favor of the merchant guild.
In the end, one could say they owed it all to the spy who had proclaimed national glory and died.
Listening to this, Enkrid realized Krais's mind worked nearly as sharply as Leona's.
He'd always known Krais was clever, but…
'He could easily rival the heir to a major guild,' he thought briefly.
Intelligence aside, what was the use?
Krais's dream was to run a salon for swindling noblewomen.
Lost in thought, Enkrid eventually reached the city gates.
The guard on duty turned as Enkrid and his companions approached.
"Enkrid, wasn't it?"
The voice came from the swordsman of Polid's faction who had approached unnoticed.
"I didn't catch your name," Enkrid replied.
"My apologies. I'm not in a position to reveal it."
"…"
The swordsman stared at Enkrid before directing his words to someone behind him.
"I just want to exchange a few words. You can drop the killing intent."
Standing close to Enkrid's right, Jaxen had approached unnoticed.
"You're perceptive. Killing intent, you say?" Jaxen responded.
The man who had previously dismissed Polid was now surprisingly talkative.
"Don't worry. I don't need killing intent to sever someone's head."
When had the commander arrived?
She stood behind the swordsman, silent and poised.
The swordsman glanced at them both before dismissing them and focusing on Enkrid.
"Put down the sword," he said abruptly.
"There are things passion alone cannot achieve."
It had been a long time since Enkrid had heard such words.
Give up.
You lack talent.
You're wasting your time.
You're walking a path that doesn't exist.
Must you feel pain to understand it?
Don't you already know that being cut by a blade hurts?
The more time you spend training, the more apparent your lack of talent becomes—why can't you see it?
Of course, he could see it.
He'd heard it countless times before.
Even if words didn't throw him into despair, Enkrid knew one thing.
He could never become a knight.
That much was true at one point.
And yet, he wielded his sword.
He refused to give up.
He had lived, clutching at the shattered fragments of his dream.
He hadn't even been able to see the wall blocking his way, surrounded as he was by darkness.
Even then, he had swung his sword until his palms bled.
Would these words change anything now?
Heart of the Beast, Sense of Evasion, Isolation Technique, and the basics of swordsmanship—
The Valen-style mercenary sword techniques, endlessly practiced.
Today's repetition, tomorrow's training, the steady improvement…
A turtle's slow progress might seem trivial to others, but to Enkrid, every small step was significant.
And so, without realizing it, he smiled.
"Are you smiling?"
The swordsman murmured, noticing his expression.
"An unnecessary concern," Jaxen interjected.
The commander silently observed Enkrid.
The swordsman awaited a response, and Enkrid gave the answer he had long held within.
"The next time we meet, I might win."
It is arrogant to presume to know someone's future.
That was Enkrid's reply.
"I see," the swordsman said, refraining from forcing his perspective on someone unwilling to listen.
It was a small commotion at the city gate.
"Thank you for your efforts," Leona said, turning to address the group as they approached the city walls.
Just as it seemed they might leave, Enkrid noticed the guards looking uneasy, glancing between the party and the outside.
What was the problem?
Beyond the city walls, an armed group had gathered.
The moment Enkrid saw them, he understood.
If the other side relied on force, what could they rely on?
This was Leona's ace.
Those outside the city walls were her trump card.
"Mathis of the Rockfreed Merchant Guard is here," said a lone figure who had entered the walls.
A man with a neatly trimmed mustache, his steps light and his coat dusty from travel.
No merchant guild could rise on this continent without military strength.
Without it, they'd be devoured by bandits, marauders, monsters, and beasts.
The man was the commander of the Rockfreed Merchant Guard.
His mere presence commanded attention.
Enkrid felt an odd sensation.
His vision seemed to focus entirely on Mathis, leaving no room for anything else.
The man's aura was overwhelming, drawing all eyes to him.
"Interesting companions you have," Mathis remarked, kneeling before Leona.
"The guard is here, Master," he said to her.
It was only then that Enkrid looked beyond him.
The Rockfreed Merchant Guard—a force of over thirty armed soldiers—stood stationed outside the city gates.