25-178

EP.178 [Mina, the Girl Who Survived Her Clan’s Annihilation.] 

“Miss Mina, is there something you want to tell me?” 

While Eugene was telling Mina about his mission, he noticed her expression subtly change from before. 

“Um... I think I should tell you, Eugene.” 

Mina began to speak cautiously. 

‘He’s trusted me this much and shared details about his quest. If there’s anything I can do to help, I should be proactive.’ 

Eugene knew Mina was a Barbarian. But he didn’t know she was from the Mohican tribe, which was all but wiped out. Mina had memories of her tribe’s annihilation, even though she was very young at the time. And those memories could never be good ones. Her family died, her neighbors died, her friends died before her eyes-there’s no way those could be happy memories. 

Still, if sharing those memories could help Eugene, she wanted to tell him. 

“Eugene, do you know about the Mohican tribe?” 

Mina brought up the Mohican tribe. 

“The Mohicans? You mean the small tribe among the Barbarians? The one that can’t be found anymore-I read about them in a book, Mina.” 

Eugene responded right away. He’d heard stories about western desert tribes while on the Pilgrim’s Road, but never about the Mohicans. He only vaguely remembered reading about them with Charlotte as a child. 

“Yes, they were a minority Barbarian tribe that disappeared about 20 years ago. Due to an incident that was never properly reported, they vanished from the continent.” 

Because Eugene had some awareness of the Mohicans, Mina was able to explain the more specific background of their annihilation. 

‘An incident that was never reported?’ 

Eugene Schneider fell silent, focusing on Mina’s words. Even at a glance, the introduction was ominous. 

“The Mohicans lived in a very remote part of the western desert. They weren’t a tribe that interacted much with others.” 

Even among Barbarians, the Mohicans were ostracized. While Barbarian tribes generally didn’t form huge groups, the Mohicans were especially isolated, keeping their lineage alive in a disconnected environment. 

“But one day, an outlier monster-a drake-appeared where the Mohicans lived. The Mohican tribe was wiped out by that drake.” 

Getting to the point, what Mina told Eugene was truly shocking. 

“So you’re saying a drake appeared in the western desert over 20 years ago???” 

Twenty years ago, monsters hadn’t started increasing like they are now. Yet Mina was saying a drake appeared in a remote western desert and wiped out the Mohicans, so Eugene couldn’t help but react in shock. 

“Yes, I’m sure. But as I said, it was never reported. The truth isn’t about what happened, but whether people believe it or not. Not only the Empire, but even other Barbarians didn’t believe the Mohicans were wiped out by a drake. They started saying it was disease, or that the Mohicans, who had made many enemies, were wiped out by another tribe.” 

Eugene expressed disbelief, but Mina’s eyes and tone were unwavering as she insisted it was the truth. 

But regardless of Mina’s feelings, in reality the Mohicans were forgotten, and the records that remained told a different story. Among Barbarians, the Mohicans were only remembered as a tribe with demon blood, disgraced and cast out. 

‘Hmm... Honestly, it sounds far-fetched... But it’s Mina. She wouldn’t lie to me about something like this. She probably brought it up because she wants to help me.’ 

Even someone as trusting of Mina as Eugene found this hard to believe. But he also couldn’t imagine Mina lying to him. As these contradictory thoughts clashed in his mind- 

‘Wait, could it be...?’ 

A thought suddenly struck Eugene. 

“Miss Mina...” 

He spoke up right away. 

“Are you... the last survivor of the Mohican tribe, who were wiped out by a drake?” 

If Mina’s story wasn’t a lie, how did she know all this? After all, if what she said was true, not even the Empire or other Barbarians accepted it. So where did she get her information, and how could she be so sure? Eugene’s intuition pointed to one answer: Mina was a survivor of the Mohicans. 

“That’s right. I am the only survivor of the Mohican tribe, who were wiped out by a drake. I was five years old at the time.” 

Eugene Schneider’s intuition was correct. 

“Hahahaha! Truly amazing, our captain!” 

Behind the Red Fox Mercenary Band’s headquarters, Ivan’s hearty laughter echoed in the open lot. The reason for his laughter was none other than Captain Eugene Schneider. 

“The mana conductivity is so good, every movement feels so natural! I wanted to show it off to you first, Advisor Ivan.” 

He was showing off his new armor. With new armor, Eugene wanted to show it off to his comrades, and Ivan happened to be there first, so he was swinging his greatsword and boasting behind the warehouse. 

“I don’t think there’s much left for me to advise you on anymore,” 

He’d asked Ivan, with all his experience, to point out anything odd before the quest, wanting to be as prepared as possible. 

“As far as I know, with high-purity Baramion armor, the more skilled you are, the more power you can draw out of it. Especially from Sword Expert level and up. So for a Sword Expert like you, Captain, this is just the beginning.” 

Ivan, a veteran blunt weapon user, knew a lot about heavy gear and gave Eugene advice, mentioning his Sword Expert status. 

After the quest target was confirmed as a drake, Eugene and Jeanne had decided to tell the Red Fox Mercenary Band about Eugene’s Sword Expert status. They believed they couldn’t get more than 200% synergy in an all-out fight against a drake if they kept their full power secret. 

That’s why Ivan was giving advice like this now. 

“Oh... I see! Mina also said the feel would change depending on my stats.” 

Fidget, fidget, fidget, 

Eugene fiddled with his Baramion greatsword armor, looking satisfied. 

“Captain! Advisor Ivan! The leader is here! Please come in!” 

At that moment, Thomas’s voice announced Jeanne’s arrival. 

Jeanne had called a meeting after stopping by the Mercenary Guild. 

“We’ve received the official collaboration request from the Imperial Knights.” 

With all the details settled, the collaboration for the Drake Special Quest with the Imperial Knights was finally starting. 

“Wow...! The quest payout ratio is 9 to 1!! And if we succeed, there’s even a special bonus from the Pangaea Mercenary Guild!!!!” 

Sofia, the secular priest, was shocked by the even better payout and bonus compared to the Alexandria collaboration. The first time they worked with the Imperial Knights, it was just a possibility, but now the official request had arrived. 

“I heard that in the past two and a half years, we’re the first mercenary band from Pangaea to collaborate directly with the Imperial Knights. That’s why they’re giving us such a big bonus-to keep us from going to another of the four big cities.” 

Thomas, ever the informant, shared what he’d heard. The Pangaea Mercenary Guild wanted to give the Red Fox Mercenary Band the full payout, but legal restrictions prevented it, so they made the bonus even bigger. They didn’t want to lose a rare, top-tier mercenary band. 

“There’s also extra support and rewards for security agreements from the Imperial Knights. It’s at the bottom.” 

“Oh, you’re right, Leader.” 

Because it was a large-scale special quest, the process was very complex. That’s why, even though it had been a while since Eugene returned from the Helios Imperial Knights Arena, the official contract was only now finalized. 

“Thanks to this, we can upgrade all our mercenaries’ gear at once. Working with Antonio’s Iron Cross Knights was impressive, but this time it’s on another level, Leader.” 

Ivan, too, was impressed as he looked over the contract. 

The Imperial Knights’ support wasn’t just what was written in the contract. To strengthen the Red Fox Mercenary Band’s strategy in time, they used the Imperial Knights’ exclusive large forge to upgrade all their regular soldiers’ equipment. 

They’d worked with the Imperial Knights before as the Black Hawk Mercenary Band, but a special quest for an outlier monster was something else entirely. 

“We’ll be heading to the western Enclema Desert in two days. This quest is definitely on a whole different level from anything we’ve cleared before.” 

After Jeanne finished explaining the situation, 

“But the mercenary village is being built, and we’re gaining a foothold in the Pangaea mercenary district. To keep that momentum, we can’t turn our backs on adventure. And I’ll be leading from the front.” 

She made a de facto declaration of departure. 

“Ajossi! Unnies! Please be careful and come back safely!!” 

Two days later, 

The Red Fox Mercenary Band’s departure for the western Enclema Desert took place at a mercenary village near Jebodang. 

Mina, her fellow blacksmiths, and the slum children who had moved in all saw the Red Fox Mercenary Band off as they finished their preparations. 

“Alright! When we get back, let’s have a barbecue party and play like crazy, kids!” 

Wearing his Baramion greatsword armor and with his greatsword on his back, Eugene mounted his horse and waved to the children. His bright smile showed he was even more motivated after seeing the kids. 

And so, Eugene Schneider and the Red Fox Mercenary Band set out for the western great desert. 

‘Please, let everyone come back safely...’ 

Mina, who had told Eugene about her tribe being wiped out by a drake, watched them go with a worried expression. 

“A mercenary from Pangaea.” 

The Imperial Knights’ Victoria had also finished her preparations for departure. Before leaving, she was meeting with someone. 

“You’ve made a very interesting choice, Saber Victoria.” 

It was none other than Kaiser Antoine de Sel Oblaing, the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Knights.