Mob No.19: “Opportunistic. Coward.”
The next day’s morning after getting information from Gonzalez.
When I went to the mercenary guild, the hero guy’s sister was still passionately speaking.
The hero guy himself was there beside her too.
And they were separated into those listening with bored expressions, those glaring with cold eyes, and those chatting among friends with an it’s-got-nothing-to-do-with-me attitude.
While glancing at them from the side, I called out to uncle Roans.
“Huh, something happen? Well I can kinda imagine but…”
“Just as you imagine. There’s those deceived by the siblings, those who have a grudge against the brother, those who can’t stand the sister, and those who gathered info properly like you but are split.”
I knew it!
Those siblings probably unknowingly made enemies in all sorts of places.
“How’s the grouping on each side looking?”
“Still low numbers but 6 for the earl’s side, 4 for the baroness’s side. There’s guys from the earl’s territory and folks who fled the baroness’s territory too.”
“Those kinds probably won’t join the baroness’s side either…”
The earl’s side seems to have a slight advantage.
But it could go either way until the appointed date.
I decided to join the earl’s side but if there’s a huge difference in military strength it’ll be dangerous for us.
While thinking about what to do, uncle Roans called out to me.
“What’re you gonna do?”
“I’ll take it for living expenses, and for now I plan to join the earl’s side, but it depends on the number who join. If it looks bad for the earl I won’t take the request.”
Both uncle Roans and I conversed casually with the tone
“Opportunistic. Coward.”
“It’s to survive.”
and the conversation fizzled out like that.
Opportunistic and coward aren’t taken very positively.
But I don’t feel any contempt from uncle Roans in those words, and I’m not taking them with contempt either.
Beyond uncle Roans’s and my gazes were the Preliera siblings enthusiastically listing Earl Rosello’s faults.
To be honest I was somewhat impressed by their diligence.
After that I immediately headed to the guild’s docking area and began inspecting my ship returned from maintenance.
Of course it should be perfect since I left it to professionals.
But there are businesses who don’t do maintenance and just return it as is, only taking the money. So checking is a must.
I do it even with businesses I regularly request that I can trust.
Because there’s the off chance something might happen.
Personal checks and restocking of things I want loaded on the ship are necessary too.
So by evening I had finished all the checks, made a list of odds and ends, then headed towards the downtown area.
I’m not going to buy the stuff on the list.
It’s to scrutinize information.
Not that Gonzalez’s information is unbelievable but it can’t hurt to check thoroughly.
Especially after I previously took a job without fully scrutinizing information and nearly got in trouble.
What I headed to in a corner of the downtown area was a place called [Fortune Building].
That businesses like this continue firmly despite being declared unscientific with no basis must be because they appeal to some part of human nature.
But I didn’t come to get my fortune told.
I proceeded through the maze-like interior of the building and entered a shop simply labeled [Crystal Ball Fortunes].
It had long-haired carpet to muffle footsteps in dark green, and the walls and ceiling seemed to be the building’s original sepia-tinted white interior walls.
Against that wall was a table draped in dark purple cloth, and beyond it an old woman in a gray hooded robe.
“Oh my, welcome. You come here often to this hag huh. Troubles? Lost item?”
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With a somewhat hooked nose, she looked exactly like a witch.
“No, there’s something I want to ask about. I want to know about the Rosello family and Griente family.”
Saying that, I placed an envelope containing cash on the table.
“I see I see. Let me look into it a bit.”
This granny is an information broker like Gonzalez, and a fortune teller too.
Or rather, fortune telling seems to be her main job.
If so I do think this room should look more fortune teller-ish, but according to her
[Atmosphere is important of course. But it has no relation to fortune telling skill. And wallpaper and curtains are surprisingly expensive you know.]
Apparently.
Of course her career as an information broker is longer than Gonzalez’s, and the credibility of her information is higher.
After stowing away the envelope, granny held her hand over the crystal ball and began chanting something like an incantation.
Incidentally this crystal ball is apparently a monitor that can’t be seen from this side, with the information displayed there.
The incantation is probably an activation keyword or something.
Then after brooding silently for a while,
“Hmm… Looks like Earl Rosello’s territory has a good reputation.
At least it seems the Earl isn’t an idiot, so he properly understands how to develop the territory.
The only complaints seem to be the number of people moving there, and him being unsuccessful with women.
It seems conditions got very bad in Griente territory after the baron died.
Everything like taxes seems to have become expensive.
And the source of the war this time is the national treasure painting right?
I don’t know which is the rightful owner, but want to hear my personal opinion? “
Granny grinned and slipped her hand out, palm up.
In other words, pay more.
She says it’s her opinion but it’s surely factual.
It’s worth hearing.
“Yeah, please tell me.”
So I placed several paper bills on the table.
Granny stowed them away and stated decisively,
“The baroness stole the painting for money and to catch a new man.”
“Why am I so sure the baroness stole it? The reason is simple.
The previous baron in Griente was a model shitty noble. No way he’d be nice to a commoner painter.
The current baron just inherited the name and title from a relative.
Also, the baroness’s number of previous husbands who died is only nobility. Adding commoners there’s probably more.
She probably changed her name and appearance when aiming for nobility. Be careful if you join the baroness’s side. Unlike me that woman is pitch black.”
After stating the reasons, granny chuckled enjoyably.
“You seem plenty shady yourself though?”
I involuntarily said.
“Compared to her I’m as innocent as a babe… hee hee hee!”
She cackled exactly like a witch.
Considering Gonzalez and this granny are information brokers with highly credible information, if the baroness’s side was superior I should refrain from taking it.
After that until 2 days before the deadline, I went to the mercenary guild in the evening just to ask about the numbers and ratios who had joined.
I’d surely get yelled at as a “Despicable coward!” by the protagonist attribute guys (Hero guy Yuri Preliera and Major Lord Riole Burnnext etc).
But what’s wrong with doing this much to survive?
We’re not the chosen ones blessed by god, our chances of promptly kicking the bucket are high.
And when I asked about the numbers and ratios in the evening on the deadline day, around 600 had participated with a ratio of 8 earl side to 2 baroness side.
So with some lingering unease I decided to take the earl’s request.
Translator note : I recently started translating a WN called ‘Bastard Swordsman‘ that has a similar vibe to this novel. Give it a look!
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Thanks for the chapter
Just a suggestion for the translator: please put something like a “Translator Notes” as a headline or maybe just turn the text italics when putting your comment/notes, just so it’ll be distinct from the story text. Thx
It’s actually deliberate because it’s funny when content stealers copy it all unknowingly.