Chapter 21

The next morning after receiving information from Gonzalez.

When I went to the mercenary guild, Miss Hero was still passionately speaking.

Beside her, Hero was also there.

The crowd was divided into those who were listening with lazy expressions, those who were glaring coldly, and those who were chatting among themselves as if it had nothing to do with them.

I glanced at them and called out to Uncle Loanz.

"Hey, something happened?"

"As you can imagine. Some were deceived by the siblings, some have a grudge against the brother, some don't like the sister, and some have gathered information properly but are still divided."

"Figures."

Those siblings seem to be buying trouble everywhere without even realizing it.

"How's the gathering going?"

"There are still few, but 6 on the count of the viscount and 4 on the count of the baron. There are those from the viscount's territory and those who fled from the baron's territory."

"Those kinds of people won't side with the baroness, I guess..."

It seems the viscount's side has a slight advantage.

However, it's unpredictable until the deadline.

Although I've decided to side with the viscount, if the power difference is too great, it could be dangerous for me.

While I was thinking about what to do, Uncle Loanz called out to me.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm taking the job for living expenses and planning to side with the viscount for now, but it might depend on the number of people. If the viscount looks bad, I won't take the job."

Both Uncle Loanz and I were having a casual conversation.

"You're playing it safe. Coward."

"It's for survival."

The conversation trailed off.

The words "playing it safe" and "coward" are not usually taken positively.

However, I didn't sense any contempt in Uncle Loanz's words, and I didn't take them as contempt either.

In front of us, the Priliera siblings were enthusiastically listing the viscount Rosero's faults.

I was honestly impressed by their effort.

After that, I went to the guild's boat parking area and started inspecting my boat, which had just returned from maintenance.

Of course, I had asked a professional to do the maintenance, so it should be perfect.

However, there are some companies that return the boat without maintenance and just take the money, so checking is essential.

Even if it's a trusted company I always use, I still do it.

You never know.

Additionally, I needed to check and replenish the items I personally keep on the boat.

By evening, I had finished all the checks, made a list of small items, and headed towards the bustling area.

I wasn't going to buy the items on the list.

I was going to verify the information.

I don't completely distrust Gonzalez's information, but it's better to be safe.

Especially since I once took a job without thoroughly verifying the information and almost got into trouble.

So, I headed to a place called the 'Fortune Telling Building' in a corner of the bustling area.

Despite being declared unscientific and baseless, this kind of business continues to thrive, perhaps because it appeals to human nature.

However, I didn't come here for a fortune telling.

I navigated the maze-like interior of the building and entered a shop that only had 'Crystal Ball Reading' written on it.

The floor was covered with a deep green carpet to muffle footsteps, and the walls and ceiling were a sepia-tinted white, likely the original interior of the building.

There was a table covered with a deep purple cloth against the wall, and behind it sat an old woman in a gray hooded robe.

"Oh, welcome. You come here often. Troubled? Lost something?"

She had a prominent nose and looked like a witch.

"No, I have something I want to ask. I want to know about the Rosero viscount family and the Griente baron family."

I placed an envelope with cash on the table.

"I see, I see. Let me check for you."

This old woman is an information broker like Gonzalez and also a fortune teller.

Actually, fortune telling is her main business.

I think the room should be more fortune teller-like, but according to her,

"Sure, the atmosphere is important, but it has nothing to do with the skill of fortune telling. Besides, wallpaper and curtains can be quite expensive."

Of course, she has more experience as an information broker than Gonzalez, and her information is highly reliable.

The old woman put the envelope in her pocket, placed her hand on the crystal ball, and started chanting something like a spell.

Incidentally, this crystal ball is a monitor that is not visible from my side, and information is supposed to flow there.

The spell is probably an activation keyword.

After a while, she said,

"Hmm... The Rosero viscount's territory seems to have a good reputation.

At least the viscount isn't stupid and understands how to develop his territory.

The only problems are the large number of people moving in and the fact that he isn't popular with women.

The Griente baron's territory has been in a bad state since the baron died.

Taxes and everything else have become very high.

And the spark of this war is a national treasure oil painting?

I can't tell who the rightful owner is, but if you want my personal opinion, do you want to hear it?"

The old woman smiled and extended her hand.

In other words, she wanted more money.

Her "personal opinion" is undoubtedly the truth.

It's worth hearing.

"Sure, I'd like to hear it."

So, I placed a few bills on the table.

The old woman put them in her pocket and said,

"The Griente baroness stole the painting for money and to attract a new man."

"Why do you think the Griente baroness stole it? The reason is simple.

The previous Griente baron was a prime example of a rotten noble. He wouldn't have been kind to a commoner artist.

The current baroness's husband only inherited the name and title from a relative.

Also, the number of her previous three husbands who died is only among nobles. Including commoners, there would be more.

She probably changed her name and appearance when she targeted nobles. If you side with the Griente baroness, be careful. That woman is completely black, unlike me."

The old woman laughed happily after explaining her reasoning.

"You don't seem much better yourself?"

I couldn't help but say.

"Compared to her, I'm as clean as a whistle... hehehe."

She laughed like a witch.

Given the high reliability of the information from both this old woman and Gonzalez, if the baroness's side had an advantage, it would be better not to take the job.

After that, for the two days until the deadline, I went to the mercenary guild in the evening to check the number of people who had signed up and the ratio.

I would naturally be called a "coward" and a "traitor" by the protagonist-like people (like Hero, Yuri Priliera, and Lieutenant Colonel Rior Bannext).

But what's wrong with doing this to survive?

I'm not one of those favored by the gods, so the probability of dying easily is high.

When I checked the number and ratio on the evening of the deadline, about 600 people had signed up, with a ratio of 8 to 2 in favor of the viscount.

So, despite some lingering doubts, I decided to take the viscount's job.

Once decided, still a cowardly mob playing it safe.

If it were the protagonist,

"I will ensure victory with my support!"

He would probably say something like that.

Thank you for your comments, opinions, and any corrections.