I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 320: The Crown Prince’s Teacher (5)
Mercenaries, except for those who led groups with names like Swiss mercenaries and Lanzknecht, can be considered to have moonlighted as thieves.
Even the term "thief knight" emerged for those who, after being knighted, ended up with no job and became bandit leaders.
The mercenaries who are 1,000,000 times less legitimate than knights don’t even warrant further explanation.
"Hey, buddy. Do you know who we are and why you're looking for us?"
"When I asked for a decent mercenary at that tavern, they recommended you guys."
The unqualified mercenary grinned at me.
"Our Black Pig brothers are pretty famous. While other random scumbags are busy robbing rich folks, we make sure we work hard for the money we get."
Sorry, but if you were truly famous, you wouldn’t have been introduced through a tavern owner. You’d have heard that the '00 Mercenary Group' was in town as soon as you entered the city.
What exactly gives you the nerve to pretend you're so well-known?
Seems like you're just trying to raise your asking price by bragging about yourself.
Do you think I’m stupid enough ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) to fall for such petty tricks?
"Seems like you’ve come to the right place, then. Go get the boss."
"Our boss is too busy to meet just anyone."
There’s no one more idle than a mercenary who rents out a few inns and waits around.
That’s because these guys earn for two or three months and then spend the rest of the year doing nothing.
The guy calling himself the boss is probably either sleeping in bed or having fun with a woman, it’s obvious as daylight.
"Will this do?"
I gently shook the purse of gold coins in my hand.
The soft clink of gold coins made the other lowlifes around us perk up and look at me.
No matter what others say, money is the best.
It’s always exhilarating and pleasing to spend money.
I’m rich now, but I’ll keep working hard to become even richer.
"I’ll bring the boss. How about a drink while you wait?"
"Bring me a beer."
"Yes, sir."
Watching the shift from "hey" to "sir" in an instant shows that money really is everything.
Our ancestors from the Joseon era didn’t say, "If you have money, you can even command ghosts," for nothing.
About twenty minutes later, the boss appeared, dressed neatly in armor.
"I’m Luke Bauzen, leader of the Black Pig Brothers. May I ask who you are affiliated with?"
Me? Of course, I’m from the Toscana Empire.
But if I told him that, both Protestant and Deusist factions would join forces to come after me.
To avoid such an unpleasant scenario, I’ll naturally tell a little white lie.
It’s a white lie from my perspective, though...
"I serve His Majesty, the Emperor of the Holy Empire. I cannot teach you anything beyond that."
Boss Luke nodded as if he understood my words.
Seeing him smile slightly, it seemed he was quite impressed that someone working for the Emperor of the Holy Empire came to them directly for a request.
Think about it logically, you fool.
Why would the Emperor of the Holy Empire hire you?
You’d only be hired when wars are getting worse and if they conscript more serfs, causing a population crisis and a catastrophe where no one can even farm.
You fools, what makes you think you're so important, running around pretending to be famous?
"Hmm, understood."
"I’m grateful you didn’t ask further. Things might have gotten complicated otherwise."
"As long as the payment is good, we’ll do whatever is asked. But if the payment is not right, well, who knows what will happen."
Mercenaries are truly unpredictable if they don’t get paid.
Back in the 30-year war, when they thought they wouldn't get paid for a battle, those hussars would backstab their own allies to steal supplies.
Even villages that belonged to the ally faction would lie, calling them "enemy villages" to justify looting, committing atrocities, and even attempting rape.
If the contract period ended and no extra pay was offered, they’d pack up and leave even in the middle of a fight.
Ugh, these trashy bastards.
I am the complete opposite of people like that—good and kind-hearted.
"The Emperor doesn’t like paying after a contract ends. He prefers to pay before the job starts. And if the work is done well, he gives performance bonuses."
"Is that true?"
"Other nobles, when hiring mercenaries, only pay about 20% of the promised fee as an advance, and then they give the remaining 80% once the job is done. And they’ll make every excuse to try and cut that 80%."
"For poor mercenaries like us, every little bit counts. Our finances are already tight, and if the pay is cut, we’d really be in trouble."
"We don’t do such bad things."
Promising to pay and then not delivering is something a person should never do.
When you pull such a stunt, a man in a red, blood-soaked robe with a white beard will come for you, saying, "You won’t work, you won’t eat," and bring a spear.
Ah, but legally, using worthless pieces of trash for a good purpose with money is fine.
"That bastard probably committed countless crimes, including rape, right?"
"What kind of work do you want us to do?"
"I want you to do a little banditry. Specifically, near Bitenburg."
Upon hearing my words, Luke slammed his fist on the table and stood up.
"Are you telling us to commit the same heinous crimes as bandits? Even though we’re just lowly mercenaries, how can you ask us to do such a thing? We have our own honor as mercenaries!"
Mercenaries and honor don’t go together.
Think about it, if honor was so important, would anyone become a mercenary?
98% of the mercenaries dream of earning money to retire and become local nobles in the countryside.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
And third-rate mercenary groups are the ones who will rob villages and live as bandits if they don’t have work.
"First-rate and second-rate mercenaries don’t commit pillaging or banditry."
But these guys are third-rate.
"Our Black Pig Brothers can never accept such a request."
This is exactly the same as when a small-chested blonde girl says, "I’m not interested in you at all," and what she really means is, "If you offer me more money, maybe I’ll change my mind."
Such words are more fitting coming from a girl like Erika than some bearded man.
"200 gold coins."
"...What?"
"How about 200 gold coins? You don’t need to give us the looted items. You can keep them all."
"Do you think we would change our minds for just 200 gold coins?"
Although they said that, their bodies were very honest.
Look at how they’re leaning in, eager for more.
Fools, haven’t you heard that elders teach not to become slaves to money?
Instead of chasing money, you should make money chase you.
"250 gold coins."
Luke flinched at that.
He’s not cute, but at least he’s honest when it comes to money.
"270 gold coins, and a four-month contract."
"You can’t lure us with money like that!"
"300 gold coins, and four months. If that doesn’t work..."
I stood up and deliberately shook my hands.
This was the final offer, an unspoken ultimatum to either take it or leave it.
Luke grabbed my sleeve forcefully.
"300 gold coins for four months! Alright, we’ll do it for 300 coins!"
"Isn’t it so much easier when you’re honest?"
"Alright, 300 gold coins. Let’s do it."
With that, I handed him the 300 gold coins.
"You’ll be doing banditry near Bitenburg. You can also loot some rural areas and rob merchants on the way."
The Toscana Empire’s merchants trade goods in port cities far below Bitenburg anyway.
So, it doesn’t concern us at all if bandits swarm around Bitenburg, in the Saxon Electorate.
"Work hard and earn a lot."
With that, I left the inn where they were staying.
The Crown Prince, whom I had brought along, looked at me with a shocked expression.
"You’re turning the mercenary group into bandits and pinning the blame on the Emperor? Is that really something a person should do?"
Of course, such things should not be done.
But as long as they don’t find out I’m behind it, there’s no problem.
"Your Highness, listen closely."
This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.
Then I leaned in to whisper carefully in the Crown Prince’s ear.
"In politics, conscience is unnecessary. What matters is whether you win or lose. That’s all that matters."
Look at King Gwanggaeto—he was a quite capable king, but after losing to Kim Chun-chu, he took on the infamous insult of having never seen the 3,000 concubines.
If you don’t want to carry such slander, you must first win.
Once you win, you can erase everything.
