Chapter 27

The struggle between the Rosello family and the Grient family ended with the victory of the Rosello family.

Normally, the reward would be paid on the same day, but this time, due to various complications, it was decided to pay two days later.

Two days after the struggle,

"Hey, I'm here to collect my reward."

I came to the mercenary guild to receive my reward.

Besides me, hundreds of other mercenaries were crowding the reception.

Of course, I went to Loanz's counter.

Because of the large number of people, it was rare to see a line, so I quietly joined it.

"Hey, you're back."

"Managed to get through."

When it was my turn, Loanz, looking a bit sleep-deprived, started the usual procedures.

"This time was really troublesome. Having to deal with infiltration and all that..."

It seemed that the handling of these matters was particularly cumbersome.

"Here, it's done."

Loanz handed over the reward, looking exhausted.

"Are you okay? Maybe you should take a break?"

"I'll get plenty of rest after today's work is done."

Saying that, he looked quite bad.

Fortunately, there were no more customers after me, so I made a suggestion.

"Hey, can you give me a detailed explanation about this job?"

"Sure, but why?"

"You'll get to rest more, and I do have a lot of questions."

"Alright, I'll explain."

Loanz suddenly looked serious and took out a coffee from the Plavox box.

This is how I received the explanation from Loanz.

First, the reason for the complicated procedures was the group that betrayed the Rosello family and joined the Baroness Grient's side.

"The guild does not interfere with the actions of mercenaries on the battlefield.

Since we accepted requests from both sides and sent mercenaries to both, there is no problem.

The betrayal of mercenaries is the responsibility of the client."

This is the selfish logic they presented, and they do not accept protests from clients.

Of course, protests do come in.

Furthermore,

"Infiltrating the enemy camp and leading the allies to victory is a legitimate tactic.

However, as a mercenary, betraying the first client results in a 50% reduction in points for promotion.

The reward is received from the side that was betrayed to."

The guild imposes no other penalties besides the point reduction.

However, mercenaries are often looked at with suspicion, and this can affect future job offers, so such betrayals are rare unless there is a compelling reason.

This situation was abnormal.

Therefore, the group that defected from the Rosello family and joined the Baroness Grient's side felt quite uneasy.

The group that was originally with the Baroness Grient had no issues, but when Elizaria Grient was captured by the resistance, they lost control and the rewards disappeared.

Normally, the guild would hold the rewards for those who accepted the initial request, but the Baroness had not done so.

However, the interception team argued,

"They only accepted the request, so it's unfair to leave them without a reward."

As a result, a standard reward of 500,000 credits was provided from the funds that were in disarray due to the Baroness's actions.

Considering the initial offer was 5 million credits, this was only one-tenth of the original amount.

On the other hand, the reward for those who sided with the Rosello family was 3 million credits, plus a 500,000 credit bonus for all participants, totaling 3.5 million credits.

Upon further inquiry, it was revealed that Rosweise would receive an additional 500,000 credits, totaling 4 million credits.

For those who died in battle, their rewards and possessions were transferred to the family, lover, or person designated in their will.

Alternatively, the will's instructions were followed.

The guild also provided a consolation payment (varying in amount).

This process was carried out regardless of which side they were on, and the funeral was handled by the family.

If there was no family and no will, the rewards and possessions were confiscated by the guild, and only the paperwork was done, with no funeral.

Therefore, most mercenaries write wills and submit them to the guild.

Regarding the Preliera siblings,

Yuri Preliera, the younger brother, was not punished for anything other than hitting me.

However, Fadilna Preliera, the older sister, was discovered to have seduced and bribed a guild official to become a bishop without taking the promotion exam.

She had also committed various other offenses, and when she returned to the guild, they tried to arrest her, but she destroyed part of the dock to create obstacles, stole a guild ship, and successfully escaped.

Incidentally, Yuri Preliera, who had his ship destroyed, was now looked at with suspicion by others.

It seems he was unaware of his sister's misconduct.

Incidentally, the Baroness is likely to be executed soon, but the central government has not commented.

It seems that because the Baroness had multiple husbands, she was suspected of marrying for money and then killing them, leading to her being treated as a criminal.

There were probably many victims...

She probably thought it would be better to have the Rosello family as an ally.

Incidentally, the criminals and pirates on the Baron's side were arrested and handed over to the police.

"That's about it."

Loanz finished his coffee and let out a loud burp.

I decided to ask about something that had been bothering me.

"By the way, do you know any pirate or mercenary group with a wasp emblem?"

"Wasp? No, I don't remember anything like that."

"Okay, I thought a group that strong would be well-known."

For some reason, I don't think they intended to defeat the Rosello family.

If they were that strong, they could have attacked with the interception team from the start and synchronized with the rebel forces, suppressing the main force before Rosweise arrived.

Well, there's no point in thinking about it further.

I'll process my reward as usual and go look for new releases at 'Animen'.

---

**Side Story: UNKNOWN**

Somewhere.

"I'm sorry!"

The voice echoed in the vast space, young and filled with regret.

"There's no need to apologize. You successfully delayed that light brown machine."

A gruff voice praised the young one's achievement.

"But I damaged the machine..."

"The machine is just expendable. What's important is that the pilot returned alive."

The gruff voice picked up a glass of alcohol nearby and swallowed the amber liquid.

"Still, that 'Feather Hood' and the light brown color... there are still many strong ones out there in the wild."

The gruff voice smiled like a predator, clearly enjoying the thought.

"Brother, the light brown machine is known as 'Dust' among the elite of the Grient Baron's territory."

Another voice joined the conversation.

"'Dust,' huh. So they used a smokescreen with the proton torpedoes!"

The young voice sounded regretful.

The gruff voice spoke in a consoling tone.

"You want to avenge this defeat, but our goal is the downfall of Elizaria Grient.

After that, we aim to form an alliance with the Rosello family and expand our influence.

Besides, your defeat was due to your inexperience and the skill of your opponent.

Instead of harboring resentment, consider them your teacher and strive to improve yourself."

"Yes, sir!"

The young voice straightened up at the gruff voice's words.

**Side Story: End**

I apologize for any inconvenience.

Please feel free to share your thoughts, comments, or report any typos.