Dawn Traveler

The Stories of the Fathers

Rendall, who was from a small village called Lodox, learned to use the sword when he was young from a retired mercenary.

“You’ve learned what I’ve taught well.”
“Can I become a knight with my skills?”

The retired mercenary that was covered in scars twitched his lips.

“Pah. Absolutely not. If you go to the battlefield, all you will do is fill up the crows’ stomach.”

The mercenary admitted that his swordsmanship skills were not very good. Still, he could teach various ways to survive as he had been a mercenary for 20 years.

“Do you want to be a mercenary?”

“Yes. Every man wants to live a cool life.”

“Mercenary? There is nothing like that in this job. You would be lucky if you could make a lot of money and retire early.”

“And you, sir?”

“When I was young, I failed because of money and women. When I came to my senses, my physical strength wasn’t what it used to be…… and I had many people who had a grudge against me, so I live without being able to reveal my name.”

When Rendall became 17, he was told this by his father.

“There is no land to pass on to you. I’m sorry, but you will have to find your own way to go.”

There were eight children in his family.

It was time to become independent from his father, who was a peasant farmer who barely had enough to eat.

He had to leave home but he held no resentment against his father. It was hard enough just to keep eight children from starvation.

Rendall roamed around the Dukedom of Lefrea and undertook jobs as a village guard and monster extermination during the harvest season.

“Rookie. Don’t you know how to stand straight? Be able to stop the enemy for moment even if you die. Withstand at least three sword strikes! That’s why you were brought here.”

He worked under the abuse of his mercenary seniors even for 1-2 gold jobs that were just enough for a month.

After a year or so of fighting and getting experience, there was a noticeable reduction in the amount of abuse.

Because many of those who chose to work as a mercenary were driven into it, about a third of the rookies die in the first year.

They were also not properly recognized because they would often kill their client and run away.

After the first year, a mercenary can take a part in his share and can undertake proper jobs.

Rendall spent three years exterminating monsters in the Dukedom of Lefrea.

Spring, fall, and winter.

There was work available in all the regions except during the hot blazing summer.

Most of the territory was mountainous, so a lot of the monsters’ habitats were also extensively spread out.

In the summer, he usually took on jobs of escorting merchants, and sometimes he accompanied nobles who went to the seaside for pleasure and relaxation.

Rendall took on any jobs he could get his hands on, since if enough experience was accumulated then a mercenary received good compensation for the risk of their life.

After three years, he briefly went back home.

The circumstances of his father, mother, and siblings were not much different from when he had left.

“Here is 140 gold. Father, give it to my younger siblings.”

“……this is the price of your life. I understand.”

Then Rendall left the Dukedom of Lefrea.

There was always mercenary work, but he did not want to spend his life exterminating monsters.

Facing this new world he started by taking a job escorting a merchant heading towards the Gras Empire, the large continental loser. (Darknari: that last part doesn’t make sense to me, so take it with a grain of salt)

In the dukedom you had to fight against monsters, so mercenaries mostly fought using heavy weapons such as iron maces and axes.

Although monsters were common in the empire, it was mostly people that were dealt with so a lot of mercenaries handled swords and small shields.

The nightlife was very highly developed so it was common to find mercenaries who were drunk on alcohol and women.

“Four years as a mercenary. If you’re from the Dukedom of Lefrea your skills are sufficiently verified……. Is there any field you prefer? The pay is proportional to the risk.”

“I would like to travel around the world.”

“If you can close your eyes to it there is a job where you can earn more money…….”

“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t want it for the present.”

“If at any time you change your mind, please contact me.”

He took on several tasks via the mercenary guild.

He fulfilled various requests for things like petty disputes among aristocratic families, artifact expeditions, and the eradication of thieves.

Unexpectedly there was a genuine request to escort some merchants.

At that time Rendall earned 16 gold a month.

“You’d have to go a little farther, but the pay is three times that of the usual work.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“There is always danger somewhere for a mercenary. But they certainly want someone credible, since the Blue Sail Merchants are flooded with applicants.”

“I’ll do it.”

The Blue Sail Merchants were a giant mercantile group that traded all over the continent.

Thus Rendall spent two years roaming the continent along with the Blue Sail Merchants.

He led the caravan of camels across the desert, and traveled to the extremely frigid regions and successfully traded with the natives.

Although he was just a mercenary, as he traveled to the west and north of the continent, the very limits of human habitation, he saw many things and his dreams grew.

Many of his fellow mercenaries and the merchants’ warrior escorts also died.

It was different from when he fought with monsters at the city.

There were no ramparts and the distribution of the combat supplies was not smooth.

In the desert, it was the most dangerous to run into a pack of hungry wolves.

This was because it did not end with defeating a single wolf pack, as there were hundreds of them roaming around. As they moved to a safer region they had to defeat the wolves that were gathering due to the scent of blood.

The last trade that Rendall did with the Blue Sail Merchants was with the house of Earl Malat.

At that time, the Blue Sail Merchants over-expanded their business and lent huge sums of money to the nobles.

As a civil war broke out in the Ramah Empire, the money lent out was not returned and the operations of the merchants became difficult.

The wealthy Malat house took over the struggling Blue Sail Merchants and drove out the contracted mercenaries.

After finishing his contract, Rendall roamed the continent for a bit more then returned to Elden, an Imperial City of Gras.

Elden was a center of commerce and had a great deal of work for a mercenary.

“You were with the Blue Sail Merchants? You’re lucky.”

“Pardon?”

“It seems you haven’t heard the news about the house of Earl Malat. The Earl’s house had executed all the core members of the Blue Sail Merchants……and all the mercenaries that remained in the end were killed.”

“How can they do that? Isn’t the execution of mercenaries and nationally approved free merchants against the law?”

“The law is something that the nobles can use as they please and the Imperial family seems to have allowed it. It was because they meddled into the Ramah Empire’s business more than was needed.”

“But I think they had no choice but to lend money to the Ramah Empire in order to expand their trade…….”

“That’s why they were unlucky and you were on the lucky side.”

Since then Rendall accepted and worked on several requests.

There was fair and wrongful work in the mercenary world.

Since danger always followed like a shadow, requests had to be chosen carefully.

Seven years of mercenary life.

With him being able to do his mercenary work without any major injuries, such as the loss of limbs, he would be called a skilled veteran in this world.

There were several free companies that aimed at recruiting Rendall. (Darknari: a band of mercenaries)

“I’m sorry. I’m used to being on my own.”

“I don’t think you will regret joining our free company. If you aren’t in a group you won’t be able to accept really big requests.”

“I just want to go around freely so far.”

“It seems you haven’t become a real proper mercenary yet. Opportunities don’t come often, so you’ll regret it later.”

The might of free companies that boasted of 100 to 200 members could not be disregarded.

When bargaining with nobles they could receive an extra of 2 times that of common mercenaries, and if the situation was urgent their pay could increase up to four to five times the amount.

However like that the benefits and degree of risks for mercenaries were proportional.

When nobles have disputes, they fight moderately to settle them, but sometimes they attack with the purpose of wiping out the other side.

If they were unlucky the mercenaries on the losing side of the battle would lose their heads. The free company that had recommended Rendall to join them had been annihilated the following year.

The retired mercenary from his hometown, who once taught Rendall the sword, often spoke this.

“The sooner you can quit mercenary work the better. Be sure to back off when you think you’ve earned enough money. If you endure the loss of a limb you can end up losing your head. No, even that would be lucky for a mercenary. Having your body experimented on by a magician would be the worst outcome.”

1,600 gold.

He saved enough money to last a lifetime if he was frugal.

He followed merchants around and worked diligently, without burning through his money, he saved it all away.

Rendall was 24 years old. Though he was physically at his peak, he felt the limits of mercenary work.

After seeing blood and death, his peers and the clients were completely uncredible in this world.

“I think I need to choose a city to settle down in. I have to choose a good place if I wish to spend the rest of my life there.”

In order to choose which city to settle in he took on only escort jobs for merchant transportation within the Gras Empire.

As he had mercenary experience, he was able to earn a sufficient amount of income.

And just when he arrived at Barikade Castle, it was attacked by an extensive invasion of starving monsters.

It was a small castle that had switched its affiliation to the Gras Empire, and whose population in the whole region was just barely 5,000.

There, he met the dwarf Nedhand.

“You lot, have a taste of my axe!”