Chapter 10: Compensation (2)

"Are you kidding me?"

I asked him, placing the newly filled glass on the table.

There was no room left for drunkenness to interfere.

This was a topic that required a serious discussion with a clear mind.

"You want us to go there and risk our lives fighting just to get a werewolf girl?"

"She is not just any werewolf girl, she is the girl from the Blackwood family. A noble."

"What difference does it make?"

"It changes everything."

“Hyung-“

"Berg, listen. I'm not completely thoughtless about this."

“…”

Adam Hyung's calm tone left me speechless.

Sometimes, he had this side to him.

His nonsensical talk seemed to imply that he had some sort of plan.

If I hastily objected, I would only end up feeling stupid.

I furrowed my brow and scratched my eyebrow, then looked at him with a sigh.

I waited for his explanation.

Hyung tapped his fingers on the glass, buying some time as if organizing his thoughts.

Then, in a composed voice, he said:

“…Berg. The war is coming to an end.”

“…”

He too slowly lowered his glass.

-Clank.

"Whether it's the heroes or the Demon King, one side will come to an end. And as the war ends, there will be significant changes in the country."

My heart fluttered weakly when I heard the words about the heroes' party.

"How do you know the war is ending?"

"I know. I see the signs. Trust me on this."

Apart from the unavoidable news, I turned my head away from the topic of heroes.

Among the information, there must have been something that convinced Adam Hyung so firmly.

"... Well, if we believe that the heroes will win, we should prepare for the future. There's no hope if the Demon King kills the heroes anyway."

I wanted to divert the conversation from the topic of heroes.

Especially when it comes to stories of them dying.

"What does that have to do with accepting the Blackwood's daughter as compensation?"

"Because we're surviving by clinging to this war. If the heroes win and the war ends, the number of monsters will drastically decrease. And when that happens, we'll be in danger."

"What kind of danger? We can just find other things to do then."

"It's not about running out of things to do. It's that people will start looking down on our existence, the mercenary corps itself. "

“…The mercenaries existed before the Demon King appeared.”

“There has never been a mercenary group as large as ours.”

“…”

“Especially us, who are only humans. Can we just sit still knowing there's a group that can take our place by force? A group with some noble-level power?”

"Aren't we going too far with this?"

"No, I'm sure. You know that there are already nobles who don't look favorably upon us. Even if not, it doesn't hurt to be prepared."

This time and once again, I was easily persuaded by him.

I stopped making meaningless objections.

“…So?”

“So, this is the moment when we reach out to Blackwood. We can get involved with other families too.  If you can’t win, why not be on the same side? We have to look at the future after the war, Berg. That's the only way to ensure the safety of the mercenary corps and the families of our members."

As I listened to his explanation, I gradually understood and accepted it.

In fact, the decision he made would have included not only the mercenary corps but also the families raised by the members of the mercenary corps.

If safety was the only concern, disbanding was not a bad choice.

If, in the distant future, our lives were in danger from the nobles, we could simply scatter as we did when we first gathered.

However, the reason he didn't talk about that possibility was probably because the situation had changed a lot from when we got together.

Adam Hyung was not someone who would abandon the members who had followed him, and trusted him.

As I considered the families of the members, it seemed inevitable to think about the future.

"...You've really grown up."

Adam Hyung laughed at my sarcasm and asked.

"So, what do you think?"

For some reason, I expressed my trust in him, which was rather embarrassing to admit.

"...I agree."

I released the tension and strength that had been on my shoulders and continued.

"If Hyung thinks that way, then sure."

Once again, I ended up yielding to his words.

My previous objections seemed feeble and simple.

“You were always going to do what your Hyung said in the end, but you were always arguing.”

"...Hyung only does foolish things once or twice."

As if the serious talk was over, Adam Hyung picked up the glass he had put down on the floor again.

I also picked up the glass I had put down and sat back in my chair.

Looking at the glass, I sighed and asked.

"By taking her as compensation, you mean you're considering a marriage, right? You're not going to bring a nobleman's daughter and use her as a servant."

Adam Hyung nodded his head.

"Of course. That's the only way to establish a strong relationship."

"I've heard that interspecies marriages are quite difficult..."

“…”

"Have you met the other person?"

"Ner Blackwood? Yeah, I have. It was from a distance. I've never seen such a beautiful woman before."

I burst out laughing.

"Hehe. That's great. Well, congratulations, Hyung."

At my words, there was a momentary silence.

“…..”

“…..”

Instead of answering, Adam Hyung looked at me for a long time.

I didn't notice his gaze as I was enjoying the alcohol again.

“…?”

But with the continued silence, I expressed my confusion.

As I looked at Adam Hyung again, he slightly shook his own glass.

"This is an expensive drink."

Whenever Adam Hyung had a favor to ask of me, he always treated me to expensive alcohol.

I blinked my eyes and looked at him.

Then slowly put down my glass.

“…”

Gradually, I began to grasp what his request might be.

And the more I realized it, the more I shook my head.

"...You're talking nonsense."

“Berg.”

"If it needs to be done, why don't you do it? You're the leader in the first place!"

"You should do it. It's an important marriage."

"So you're telling me to do it just because you said so! In the first place, the leader should do it!"

“Hey dude, I...clearly need some fresh air every time."

Adam Hyung boldly uttered absurd words.

A bewildered laughter burst out at the unexpected response.

Seeing me laugh, he seemed to gain more confidence and pushed further.

"There are so many women throwing themselves at me. How am I supposed to handle it? I can't refuse. But you're different, Berg. You haven't given a single glance to the countless women who have tried to seduce you, right?"

"It's enough."

"I know. You'll be good to your wife. You're considerate, take care of people, and you're gentle... You just don't talk much. Once you fall, there's no one who can let you go. You're perfect for a strong marriage. Besides, I've already mentioned to them that if you accept, you'll be the other party."

“…”

Adam Hyung raised his voice for a moment.

"Hey! I said I'll find you a good match, so why do you keep saying no?"

"Are you my parents, Hyung? I'll find someone myself."

"You've been saying that for three years."

"...Whether it's three years or ten years, I'll take care of it myself."

Adam Hyung scratched his head and asked.

"Ha, Berg. I didn't want to say this, but..."

“…?”

“Do you hate women?”

“…”

I looked at Adam Hyung coldly.

He also clicked his tongue at my reaction.

"...No, it's because you've driven away all the women who liked you. What a waste of a handsome face. Look at your expression, you're really stubborn, aren't you? Anyway, if it's not that, why are you so adamant in rejecting it?"

“…”

"It's probably that, because you're the only one who dislikes the idea of having a beautiful noble wife."

Instead of responding to his words, I kept trying to erase a certain person that kept flickering in my mind.

I sipped my drink, savoring the tingling sensation at the tip of my tongue and the feeling as it went down my throat.

I responded with indifference.

A long silence followed.

“… Ha.”

Adam Hyung also seemed to give up in the end.

Until he whispered quietly.

"...Is this related to the reason you were running wild in the slums?"

“Cough!”

The alcohol momentarily went down the wrong way.

A burning pain continued from my throat.

I continued to cough.

“Cough! Cough…! Cough!”

Adam Hyung patted my back.

I calmed my cough and avoided eye contact as I asked.

"Ha, wh...what are you talking about?"

"...After spending so much time together, do you really think I couldn't even guess that much? Even if you don't tell me what it is, it must have been a woman-related issue."

“…”

I abruptly stood up from my seat.

“…Phew. That was a good drink. You can continue.”

"I said it was an expensive drink, damn it."

“I’ll pay you back later.”

Setting the glass down on the table, I shook my head.

I knew that such a strong reaction could be seen as some sort of tacit agreement with his previous speculation, but I couldn't help it.

I began to leave Hyung's place.

"That's also a sickness of yours."

Adam Hyung said. When he spoke, the impact on my heart was different.

I didn't slow down my pace.

"Berg. You're the perfect match. You have to do it."

His voice continued to enter my ears.

"Think about the children... I ask you a favor. You take care of them just like I do. You can do anything for them, just like I can."

To my endlessly unresponsive reactions, Adam Hyung said his final words.

"...Are you still unable to forget that person?"

‘Don’t forget me, Bell.’

“……”

My steps came to a halt.

I felt a slightly choked-up feeling in my heart.

"Ha... If it really doesn't work out, I'll give up too."

Adam Hyung took a step back. However, for some reason, I couldn't utter the words to give up the request right away.

It might be because I understood the reason behind him pushing for this marriage.

Regardless, Adam Hyung's judgment was always right.

So even now, it was clear that I hesitated because of that.

Once again, I closed my eyes.

Lately, the days when I truly recalled Sien had become few and far between.

The warmth of her, I could barely remember what it felt like.

Nevertheless, she still caused a significant ripple within me.

I didn't want to admit this fact. I hated it.

Perhaps now, it was finally time for me to let go of the past.

I might need to sort out the feelings I had been avoiding.

Because now it didn't hurt as much as before.

It was clear that she, too, would have let me go by now.

It had been seven years.

Not one or two years, but seven years had passed.

“…Give me time to think.”

Unable to make a final decision, I left Adam Hyung's house, uttering those words.

Perhaps the moment had come when I had to break free from the curse.

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