In the military stronghold of the Korola Highlands, inside the Mercenary Guild's tavern.
It was now approaching evening, and the tavern was packed with mercenaries, nearly every seat taken.
Many mercenaries, having finished their missions or returned from hunting Demon Beasts in the Wilderness, had made their way back to Korola Town.
The mercenaries drank and played drinking games, gathered in small, boisterous groups.
"Paul, how did your squad do today?"
At a neighboring table, two squads were drinking together, and one of their members spoke up first.
"I hate to admit it, but the haul has been terrible these past few days. Forget seeing a wolf; we're lucky if we even manage to catch a couple of Magic Wind Rabbits."
Paul sighed and looked at Ackman, the one who had asked. "Why? Did you guys have a good haul today?"
"Hah, don't even mention it. I think everyone's in the same boat lately."
"Basically, ever since the Smith family started building their branch estate in the Swamp Wilderness, the number of Demon Beasts around the Korola Highlands seems to be dwindling."
"So, I've been thinking about heading over to the Swamp Territory to check it out. I also heard the Mercenary Guild is planning to set up a small outpost there, but they're still waiting for approval from the higher-ups."
Ackman mumbled nonchalantly as he took a big gulp of his drink.
"The Swamp Territory? Aren't they still in the middle of large-scale land development over there? I heard it's mostly full of workers from the Chamber of Commerce. If we mercenaries go, are you sure there'll even be a place for us to stay?" Paul asked, a hint of hesitation in his expression.
"What's the big deal? We'll just bring some camping gear. What mercenary among us hasn't slept in the wild before!" Ackman laughed dismissively.
Paul remained noncommittal. He took a sip of his drink and pondered for a moment.
"That is a decent option… but I've heard things aren't going so well over there recently."
"Not so well? It's worse than 'not so well'! I heard Demon Beast attacks have become more and more frequent. The Guild has already sent nearly ten mercenary squads to take on garrison missions against the beasts over there."
"But that's to be expected. Building a new territory dozens of miles deep into the Wilderness… plenty of Nobility were waiting to see the second son of the Gale Territory make a fool of himself."
"And here we are. The joke may have been delayed, but the punchline has arrived."
Ackman roared with laughter, though his tone was still relaxed.
"Of course, what does any of this have to do with us common grunts?"
"We mercenaries are always risking our necks. If it weren't for dangerous, large-scale missions like this, how would we ever get stronger or make big money?"
"Besides, if we don't reach Entry Tier, we'll never even register with the Nobility, let alone escape this life as common grunts."
"If I could just reach Entry Tier, who would want to stay a mercenary? I'd go be a personal guard for a noble, become a Knight! Why live such a dangerous life?"
Listening to Ackman, all seven men from the two squads unconsciously nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, the boss is right. Who'd want to be a mercenary if they could reach Entry Tier!"
"Of course, you can't deny that we mercenaries are used to our freedom. Many risk their lives for Bloodline infusions, but even after reaching Entry Tier, they wouldn't want to become a noble's lackey. But people like that are a minority."
"Otherwise, the Mercenary Guild would have been a first-rate organization in the Human Alliance long ago, not the third-rate outfit it is now."
"..."
The mercenaries all chattered at once, but Paul remained silent.
Then, he suddenly spoke, his voice thoughtful. "Speaking of the Swamp Territory, have any of you heard the rumor from the Chamber of Commerce about half a year ago? The one about a Miracle appearing in the Swamp Territory?"
???
"A Miracle? How come I've never heard of it?"
"I think so… I feel like I've heard something about it. But from what I hear, most of the Nobility and Priests believe it's just a tall tale the second son of the Swamp Territory made up to boast."
"Basically, almost no one believes it. After all, a Miracle hasn't occurred in several hundred years. That's just the kind of nonsense the Church uses to fool Commoners and slaves."
The surrounding men chattered on, but Ackman, who was taking another big swig of his drink, just scoffed.
"I don't know anything about a Miracle, but I once took a mission from the Chamber of Commerce. During that time, I happened to overhear a major merchant talking about something truly incredible regarding the Swamp Territory."
Ackman's words immediately captured everyone's attention.
Seeing all eyes on him, Ackman savored the feeling. He slammed his wooden beer mug on the table and gestured for everyone to lean in.
Once everyone had gathered close, Ackman finally began to speak in a low voice:
"This is big, so don't go spreading it around, you hear? Otherwise, the Chamber of Commerce and the folks in the Swamp Territory will definitely come after me."
"Ah! Boss, I swear I won't say a word. You know me!"
"Yeah, we're all old friends here. Don't worry, Ackman, we'd never sell you out."
Everyone made their assurances, their interest clearly piqued.
Satisfied, Ackman finally began to speak.
"Gentlemen, do you know why I said I was planning to go to the Swamp Territory?"
"Heh, you really think it's just because my hunting income has been poor lately?"
Ackman's face was a mask of smug satisfaction as he continued:
"No, that's not it at all."
"It's because I heard a huge secret. When the director from the Chamber of Commerce was overseeing construction in the Swamp Territory, he used a Magic Detection Stone and discovered something. The Demon Beast that the second son of the territory formed a Blood Covenant with… it's most likely not Tier Two! It's Tier Three!"
"What? A Tier Three Demon Beast? There's a Tier Three Demon Beast in the Wilderness? You've got to be kidding!"
"Exactly, a Tier Three Demon Beast is impossible! That second son of Gale Territory is only Tier One, right? Forget about defeating a Tier Three beast; even if he tried to form a Blood Covenant with a heavily injured one, the strength of its soul would backlash and fry his brain! Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"Boss, you must be drunk. You probably misheard!"
The crowd erupted in shouts of disbelief. Seeing Ackman's drunken state, it would be strange not to doubt him.
This infuriated Ackman. He knew his usual drunken behavior didn't lend him much credibility, so he slammed the table in a fit of anger and embarrassment, shouting:
"Believe it or not! I've told you what I know, and I'm heading to the Swamp Territory to score big."
"The second a new mercenary mission for the Swamp Territory pops up, I'm taking it. As long as it's not a full-blown Beast Tide from the Demon Beast Mountain Range, I don't think all the Wilderness Demon Beasts around the Swamp Territory combined could take it down."
"..."
'A Miracle? A Tier Three Demon Beast?'
Paul didn't immediately question Ackman. Instead, he started connecting this to the other recent rumors about the Swamp Territory.
Then, Paul spoke.
"I believe Ackman. So, if a mercenary mission for the Swamp Territory comes up, our squad is taking it."
"Huh? Boss, you can't be serious! You're going crazy along with that drunkard Ackman?"
The two members of Paul's squad looked stunned.
But at that very moment, the Guild tavern suddenly burst into an uproar.
The Guild staff member who was usually in charge of posting missions had suddenly come down from the second floor.
And he was loudly announcing a piece of news.
The Swamp Territory had posted a new mercenary mission! This time, there were slots for ten squads, and the reward had been increased. Any mercenary squad that participated in the half-month garrison mission in the Swamp Territory would receive a reward of ten Gold Coins.
Ten! Not Copper Coins or Silver Coins, but Gold Coins!
That was enough to support a fairly well-off commoner family for nearly ten years!
Even a mercenary would be hard-pressed to earn ten Gold Coins in a year, even with incredible luck.
What's more, the mission posting also stated that if any mercenaries performed exceptionally well, the Swamp Territory was willing to recruit five of them as Knight's Squires!
The generous reward of Gold Coins was one thing, but the chance to become a Knight's Squire was even more enticing.
After all, becoming a Knight's Squire for a noble meant you had hitched your wagon to their rising star.
It might not bring huge changes for their own generation, but it was a life-changing opportunity for a mercenary's children and descendants.
Because in this world, in this era, the Nobility generally did not recruit Knight's Squires from the outside, let alone from the ranks of mercenaries.
The so-called Knight's Squires were actually all raised and trained by the noble houses themselves from a young age.
Noble families would periodically select the adult children from their branch families, or from the families of their most favored servants, to be trained as Knight's Squires, thereby ensuring loyalty within the noble house.
So, one can only imagine the uproar that erupted throughout the Mercenary Guild in that instant!