Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 210

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(11/12)

Chapter 210 – Front and Back

(It’s similar to Lagreath.)

The hunting grounds near Grille Morg are arranged in a staircase formation. One F-rank hunting ground is followed by a D-rank hunting ground, much like Lipsum.

The size of the town depends on the hunting conditions in the surrounding area, making it clear that monsters are a direct source of food for the people.

Even in D-rank hunting grounds, there’s a new monster species, the first in a while, though there’s only one type.

Skill collection and money-making.

Both require effort, so, as usual, I approach the auntie—or whoever she is—out of curiosity.

“Hmm. The D-rank ‘Isla Wilderness’ is about an hour southeast, and the E-rank ‘Waro Hills’ is about an hour and a half north. The highest-ranked hunting ground in Waltz is the B-rank ‘Entonia Fire Rock Cave’ in the northeast, right?”

“That’s right. But don’t push yourself too hard. It’s better to start with ‘Nikolog Forest.’ ‘Waro Hills’ is very popular and crowded, and ‘Isla Wilderness’ is full of poisonous monsters.”

“Haha… Don’t let my appearance fool you. I’m actually B-rank, even though I look weak.”

“Hmm, you’re quite talented. I misunderstood because you’re not wearing armor. Are you from the Kingdom of Lagreath?”

“That’s right. I just arrived today, so I thought I’d earn some travel money.”

The female tanuki speaks in a slightly unusual manner. She’s very polite, but I wonder how old she is. [T/N: Tanuki is a raccoon dog.]

It’s hard to tell the age of beastmen, and their voices don’t give much away, so it’s tricky.

Maybe I’ll get used to it. I wish I could figure them out faster so I can gather information from their appearance.

Hmm…

“D-Don’t stare at me like that! You’re making me blush! You’re embarrassing this auntie!”

“Oh, I’m sorry!”

No, no. I couldn’t help but stare, wondering if there were any aging points.

I apologized and decided to head to the E-rank hunting ground, Waro Hills, where I had some time, to try hunting the undefeated Fotol Sheep monster.

I knew from the illustrations in the reference book that the target was clearly a fluffy “sheep” at first glance.

The tanuki auntie said it as if it were obvious, but there is a demand for its fur, meat, and skin.

No wonder it’s such a popular monster in this world.

On top of that, depending on the location, the hills are probably a place where you can spot monsters from a distance.

(Should I go all out or be careful of my surroundings? The method I use will greatly affect my efficiency…)

“Excuse me, may I ask you something?”

As I was lost in thought, a man approached me as I left the guild.

It sounded like something I’d heard before.

――Could it be… the Audit Bureau or something?

Thinking this, I looked at him warily, but he said something unexpected.

“Are you interested in being a mercenary?”

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

A man named Beloia was currently leading me to a place called the “Mercenary Guild.”

He was a sort of “recruiter” who approached newcomers who seemed to meet the Hunter Guild’s standards and offered them a position as mercenaries.

If they were setting a net for hunters coming from Lagreath in the west, keeping an eye on this town—the entrance—should be enough.

This man, Beloia, quickly made the following statement:

“If you’re really a B-rank hunter, you can earn 200,000 beeke just by registering as a mercenary right now.”

It was a suspiciously enticing offer.

Seriously, what a stupid thing to say.

It might have worked on a naive shut-in NEET, but a man with some sales experience wouldn’t fall for such a lame trick.

There’s no way I’d be fooled by something so trivial, yet here I am, following him. I must be even more foolish than he is.

It’s not that I’m blinded by money, though.

I’d be happy to earn extra money for food, but ultimately, I’m just curious about the “mercenary guild” system and name.

Orlando-san, the guild master in Malta, told me that a B-rank hunter who had graduated from the big hole of Devour was heading east to be hired as a mercenary.

However, trade has already resumed, and the war route has been abandoned. There’s no reason to rush to gather soldiers.

What’s the point of throwing money around and asking people to register? What kind of work do they do, and how is the guild run?

All sorts of questions came to mind.

After walking for about five minutes, we arrived at the mercenary guild.

“This is the mercenary guild,”

I was told. Looking up, I saw that the building itself was about half the size of the Hunter Guild.

At the entrance was a symbol I had never seen before: two crossed swords.

“I’ve never seen that in Lagreath.”

“Of course not. Until recently, it was a country of only humans.”

“?”

Some people might have understood what he meant, but his answer made even less sense to me.

Could mercenaries only be for beastmen?

But then, why did he call out to me?

With that question in mind, I entered the building and was immediately captivated by something that excited me.

The first thing that caught my eye was a thick, square pillar in the middle of the first-floor lobby.

Attached to each side of the pillar, which was about two meters wide, was a large request board with “Bodyguard Requests” and “Capture and Execution of Criminals” written at the top.

I could only see two sides, but requests were written on wooden boards and hung on the boards in this manner.

What caught my attention the most was a large wooden board displayed in the office space behind the reception desk.

It had numbers from 1 to 40 in order, with interchangeable wooden boards next to them. Each board bore what appeared to be a personal name.

The lower the number, the larger the board with the name on it.

“First place: ‘Geol Menekis,’ second place: ‘Barry Aug,’ third place: ‘Funny Funny’… Is this a ranking board?”

The words slipped out before I could stop them. The suspicious man, Beloia, seemed to have achieved his purpose. He exchanged a few words with the receptionist and left the guild.

I suppose it was his job to bring people who met the conditions here.

“Welcome to the Mercenary Guild. I’m Milfy, and I’ll be introducing you to the guild. Nice to meet you.”

“Um, I’m Loki. I’m not sure if I want to join yet… Please take care of me.”

“Of course. You can listen to the explanation first. This way, please.”

She walks with a strangely swaying gait.

The Hunter Guild didn’t seem to be pushing hard, but judging from the receptionist, the Mercenary Guild places a lot of importance on appearance and age.

Following Milfy, I was led to the back of the building.

She showed me into a small room with chairs and tables similar to those in the Hunter Guild and a wooden box about the size of a bucket in the corner.

After proving my rank with my guild card, the explanation began and lasted about an hour.

I gained a general understanding of the Mercenary Guild system, which didn’t seem too difficult. I asked questions to confirm my understanding.

“The difference between the Hunter Guild and the Mercenary Guild is that one is an independent organization and the other is state-run. One deals with monsters, and the other deals with people, right?”

“Technically, we are an independent organization that spans the same country as the Hunter and Commercial Guilds, but our operations and request management are basically handled on a national basis. Also, although this is not always the case, you can think of the Mercenary Guild as mediating requests that the Hunter Guild does not actively accept.”

“So that includes guarding important people and shops, as well as capturing and exterminating criminals?”

“The requests vary widely, though. As a B-rank hunter, you probably haven’t heard of any requests involving people other than escorting carriages.”

“That’s true…”

“The Hunter Guild’s philosophy is to serve the people. We don’t accept requests that could be exploited for political gain by the privileged few. That’s why the Mercenary Guild handles those kinds of private requests for money.”

“…Is that legal?”

“Mercenaries don’t get caught doing their jobs. The head of the Mercenary Guild is Duke Ozward.”

That’s not an answer.

That’s because I’m from Earth. For people in this country, though, that’s a perfectly valid answer.

Did Milfy-san notice my discomfort?

As hunters grow older and their physical strength declines, they look for work where they can demonstrate their experience and short-term abilities.

Alternatively, retired hunters may work at contracted establishments and eat meals there while preparing for emergencies.

Could you please give me a few specific examples of such cases?

It makes sense for escorts or bodyguards—it benefits both parties, and there’s a certain demand for it.

However, if the Hunter Guild is at the front, then the Mercenary Guild is at the back.

Given my knowledge of Earth, that impression is hard to shake.

It’s also strange that the state-run organization is the underworld, and the private sector is the surface.

I’d like to know if I can do such work in my own way and at my own pace.

“Is it okay to work as a hunter at the same time?”

“Of course. In fact, you won’t be able to make a living at first. No one will request an unknown newcomer.”

“So, at first, I’ll take the requests posted on that pillar and build up my experience bit by bit?”

“There are exceptions, but that’s the basic idea. As a mercenary, your strength, achievements, and completion rate of requests matter. As you gain credibility, bigger jobs will come your way.”

“So, that big ranking board clearly shows that, right?”

“Hehe, it’s easy to understand, isn’t it? Just being on that ranking board can change your life as a mercenary and, of course, your finances as well.”

“Well, I guess so.”

“I missed one answer to your first question, so let’s review.”

“?”

“The biggest difference between hunters and mercenaries is that only the chosen few can become mercenaries.”

“…”

“The strong do jobs that only they can do and earn high rewards. If you’re recognized and in demand, you can earn as much as you want. Isn’t that wonderful?”

What a scary smile.

Seeing that expression, which would make many people stare in awe, I couldn’t help but think that.

The minimum requirement to become a mercenary is a “D rank” as a hunter.

Of course, you can become a mercenary even if you don’t have any experience as a hunter—in other words, if you lose your hunter license, it doesn’t matter. However, there is no “classification” for mercenaries.

She explained that to me.

The ranking board is merely a public display of domestic registered mercenary rankings.

From the moment you become a mercenary, everyone is on the same level, and there are no restrictions on publicly posted requests.

Clients may individually reject mercenaries in rare cases, but generally, it’s first come, first served. You take on requests that match your skills and the reward.

This system fuels competition.

“Isn’t the death rate among mercenaries pretty high?”

I couldn’t help but ask.

Even after the issues between the two countries were resolved, the practice of distributing 200,000 beeke to register as a mercenary continued.

This is the only reason I can think of.

In response, Milfy-san-san said,

“It’s higher than hunters. But you can earn more efficiently.”

Of course, right?

She answered so casually as if continuing her sentence.

Yes, this is also a common value in this world.

I’m the weird one for feeling a little uneasy about it.

After that, I reviewed the details of the current situation.

By this point, I had a pretty good idea of what I was thinking.

I knew the approximate total number of mercenaries in the country.

I considered the popularity and unpopularity of different types of requests and their completion rates.

I considered the flow of events and predicted inconveniences when changing the base town.

I also reviewed the process from accepting a request to completion and how to simplify it.

I knew why there were no mercenary guilds in Lagreath and how mercenary guilds worked in other countries.

The disadvantages of registering with a mercenary guild and more.

Milfy-san had seemed relaxed throughout but began to look tense halfway through. I didn’t care, though.

This person seemed to be treating me as a business partner—a kind of mark.

Then I have no reason to hold back either.

I’ll use this person to extract as much information as possible.

Unfortunately, her proud appearance doesn’t faze me. I know six people who are more attractive.

In the end, I registered as a mercenary that day.

For being a B-rank hunter, I received a registration bonus of 200,000 beeke and a bangle with a hole in the center.

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