3 bar menu

Chapter 36: No Money, So That’s the End

With the enemy general Bartlett defeated, the outcome was decided.

The enemy lost all reason to fight.

We even faced Count Yarna, who had been supporting Bartlett, on the battlefield, but a bit of intimidation had him so scared he fell on his butt and dashed back to his own territory.

Literally dashed.

Ahh, thank goodness he was useless!

If he’d been competent, he might’ve defeated young Rion and stolen Viscount Norman’s lands.

It turned out most of the soldiers surrounding the castle had been Count Yarna’s men.

Once Yarna withdrew, those soldiers returned to his domain as well.

Now then, time to collect payment!

*
*
*

「Wait, what!? You don’t have any money!?」

Morning came, and Uncle Athos and I entered Norman Castle, accompanied by the Barbar tribe chieftains.

We had a meeting with Rion and the other members of House Norman.

And then… a shocking revelation was dropped during that meeting: 「There’s no money.」

Since the conversation was in Ring Kingdom language, I was the only one among the Barbar Mercenary Force who understood what was going on.

So… am I supposed to interpret this?

Tell them there’s no money, and that they won’t be getting paid for their mercenary work?

(They’re absolutely going to riot! They’ll start looting the whole damn Viscountcy!)

Despite it being winter, I was sweating buckets just imagining the chaos to come.

The meeting took place in the grand hall of Norman Castle.

Though it was called a castle, Norman Castle was a small fortress on flat land, so the Barbar Mercenary soldiers were camped outside.

Having just returned from the night mission, everyone was sleeping like logs.

As for us in charge, we rubbed our sleepy eyes and made our way up to the castle, but the chieftains were in terrible moods from lack of sleep and exhaustion.

(No way I’m translating this…)

I decided to tough it out and handle the negotiations myself.

The one I had to negotiate with wasn’t young Rion.

He was only eight years old.

When he heard we’d won, he beamed with innocent joy and squealed, 「Thank you!」

It was heartwarming, really.

Adorable even.

But still, Give us the money!

Moneyyyyy~~~~~!!

Cashhhhhhh~~~~~~~~~!!!

My actual negotiation partner was Rion’s mother, Lady Margaret.

Lady Margaret gave off the impression of a 「young mother,「 her ample figure wrapped tightly in a formal dress.

With an outfit like that, she absolutely couldn’t be flat broke.

Thus began the financial battle with Lady Margaret!

「Lady Margaret. We of the Barbar Mercenary Force have only received our down payment. Please pay us the proper fee. Kindly provide our compensation.」

When I spoke in Ring Kingdom language and made a rather direct request, Lady Margaret’s eyes darted about in confusion.

「Eh!? Aren’t you a loyal army!? Are you seriously charging money!?」

「Loyal army!?」

I was completely thrown off by that term, which couldn’t be further from what we Barbar Mercenaries are.

I asked her to clarify.

「Um… what exactly do you mean by ‘loyal army’?」

「I heard that your Barbar Mercenary Force protected the incompetent Crown Prince of the Vaffancrow Empire and broke through enemy lines to deliver him safely to the capital. That makes you a loyal army, no?」

「…」

Apparently, stories of our past missions had spread to other countries.

I see. Just looking at the actions alone, it might indeed seem like we’re a loyal force.

But that’s a misunderstanding!

A loyal army, that’s a huge misconception!

Misconceptions must be corrected.

I let out a deep sigh and carefully explained to Lady Margaret.

「You’re correct about the first part, but wrong about the second. We didn’t help the Crown Prince out of loyalty.」

「Then why did you help him?」

「We were just doing our job. What we were paid for.」

「…」

When I plainly stated we did it 「as a paid job,「 Lady Margaret fell silent in contemplation.

She seemed to realize what kind of organization the Barbar Mercenary Force really was, and what the Crown Prince’s rescue had actually entailed.

I pressed on with another fact.

「Also, it was much more work than originally agreed, so we charged the Empire an additional fee.」

「How much… exactly?」

「We requested tax exemptions from the Empire. From each noble house, we received pouches filled with gold coins.」

「That much!?」

「Well, we were dealing with the lives of the Crown Prince and his elite retainers. Honestly, they got a bargain.」

Lady Margaret fell completely silent.

I went in for the final blow.

「We’re professional mercenaries. For risking our lives in battle, we demand fair compensation.」

The silence lingered for a while.

Young Rion glanced about in concern, and beads of sweat appeared on Lady Margaret’s forehead.

「Sir Gaia… I now understand well that your force is indeed a professional one… So it pains me greatly to say this, but… we truly do not have the money…」

「What!?」

「I’m ashamed to admit this… but my husband, the Viscount Norman, has required extensive medical treatment, and it has plunged our family into heavy debt…」

「Hah!?」

Wait… seriously…!?

They really don’t have the money!?

What do we do, no way to collect our fee!?

I felt the blood drain from my face.

「Gaia, what’s the matter?」

Uncle Athos, noticing my condition, called out in Barbar tongue.

I whispered the situation to him, keeping it out of earshot from the other chieftains.

That there’s no money.

「I see… So the money went to the Viscount’s treatment. It sounds like they really are broke.」

「Yes. What should we do? Ask for installments?」

「No, forget installments. Chasing payments is a hassle. Especially from far away, you never know if they’ll keep their word.」

「Hmm…」

Lady Margaret watched our hushed conversation nervously.

Fortunately, the other chieftains were half-asleep, so they probably didn’t hear a thing.

Especially Rosso of the Giant Lizard tribe, he was snoring while standing with his eyes open.

If they heard this, the chieftains would erupt.

Stay asleep, Rosso!

「Uncle Athos, got any good ideas?」

「Well… I suppose the only option is payment in goods.」

「Payment in goods?」

Uncle Athos explained that situations like this occasionally happen.

When employers can’t pay their mercenaries in money, they offer valuable items instead.

「Valuable items, like… gold? Gems?」

「Exactly. Precious metals and jewels can fetch a high price.」

Alright… let’s go with that plan!

I switched back to Ring Kingdom language and informed Lady Margaret that we would accept payment in valuable goods instead of cash.

She brightened up instantly and said she would have her butler, Sebastian, guide us through the castle. Then she quickly disappeared with Rion.

Probably used 「tending to the Viscount「 as a convenient excuse.

Left behind was the elderly butler Sebastian, bowing with a forced smile.

「Sebastian. Is there a treasury or vault? We’d like to collect any gold or jewels you have in place of payment.」

「I deeply apologize… All such liquid assets were already sold off and used to fund the Lord’s medical care.」

「What!? Then… there’s nothing of value left in this castle?」

「Oui, monsieur.」

Are we… even gonna be able to collect our pay at this rate?

A familiar line from my previous life in Japan echoed in my mind.

「No money, so that’s the end…」