City of Desire [Kingdom Building] - Chapter 846: Dunwall Mercenaries

Proofread by Thomas F

Orwin Dunwall

“Let me,” said Veyra as I was struggling with the straps of armor.

It is a new piece of light armor that the city has given me. It’s a little different than my old one.

“I still don’t understand why you are wearing this? You will not be facing any danger on the way to the baronies. It will be uncomfortable all the way,” she asked, tightening the strap, which made me grunt in pain.

She loosened it to a comfortable level a moment later.

“Appearance is a big part of being a mercenary,” I replied as I looked at myself in the mirror.

I learned it the hard way when I lost some good jobs to others. It is why I am always in armor when meeting clients and even let a little scruff of hair grow on my face.

Even after months, I can’t get used to it as I rub my hand across it.

“You look handsome, my big mercenary,” she said and kissed me. I kissed back, before letting go, a few seconds later.

As I did, my eyes landed on the silvery ring on her finger. It made me feel ashamed.

I proposed three months ago, with the cheap ring. I wanted to buy an expensive one, a mist-infused one, they sell in the legacy, but I was too poor for that.

All the money I had went into forming the mercenary group.

Which had turned out harder than I had realised. If not for the aid and the city’s loan to form it. I would have never been able to do it.

Even now, things are difficult.

Paying salaries, equipment, beasts, and a lot of other things costs a lot of money. At least, I didn’t have to pay for my equipment.

The city provides me with equipment, beasts, and even potions, including emotion essence potions.

It is an advantage of being a Lv. 30+ powerhouse and awakened. They are also providing aura training; I have made huge progress in my aura.

Though Veyra is much better.

She is talented, but she is also a police officer, which entitles her to extra lessons and many other enviable privileges.

She had even sparred with Lord Silver’s personal mage a couple of times.

I picked up my bag, which I already packed yesterday. This is the biggest job I have received, and the most dangerous. I will be out for at least a month.

“I love you,” I said, taking her hand into mine. “I love you too,” she replied, and we shared one more kiss before I walked toward the door.

My beast was there; I placed the saddle on it, hung my bag, and mounted on it.

“Promise, you will return safely.” She said, with her voice heavy. “I will,” I replied, before riding out of the house.

Soon, I reached the city gate before riding into the port. I followed the road and soon was galloping across the bridge; it was slightly crowded with carriages, beasts, and people walking on it.

The second bridge is nearly finished. Once it is completed, I will be able to reach my destination sooner.

Soon, I got off the bridge and rode out of the eastern side port on the river and rode forward.

When I came to the city nearly five months ago, there was nothing here; now there are thousands of buildings, and thousands more are under construction.

Once I was posted in a city that had a large part of it destroyed in war.

It was not reconstructed at the pace at which this city is building.

A lot of people are buying plots and building things. The places that used to be barren now have buildings everywhere.

Finally, I reached my destination, a small one-story brick building occupying a thousand square feet on a five-thousand-square-foot plot.

It is another thing, I got it from the city.

They have given it to me on a 99-year lease, which is dirt cheap, and an option to buy at a fixed rate, within three years.

There is also a condition that the city will gift it to me if my mercenary group performs notable service for the dominion.

It’s at the prime location, at the intersection right beside the large park they are going to build. The garrison is barely a kilometre away.

I have seen the rates of plots in the area, and they are expensive and getting even more costly by the day.

That is why I have to buy it as an investment: the price I will pay is barely one-fourth of today’s rate, and it keeps rising every day. Thankfully, I have two and a half years to buy it.

The city may have given me the plot, but I had built the building with my own money.

I dismounted, and I walked toward the building. There is no one guarding it, nor does it need to be. I pushed open the door and entered.

Immediately greeted with a familiar noise.

In front of me are the chairs and tables, and on them are people. Twenty-eight of them, twenty-four, I could name easily.

All of them worked under me at Gailhorn and decided to join me when I started the mercenary company. It is a considerable risk that they have taken on me.

All of them have been cleared and could have joined the army.

It offers a steady salary and many perks. Sometimes, I even wish I had joined the army as many of my friends and colleagues did.

“Captain,” greeted Lira as she appeared beside me.

“Everybody had arrived,” I said, looking at the people sitting on the chairs. “Yes, we are ready to leave on time,” she replied with a smile.

I observed that everyone is all geared up and ready to leave for our most dangerous job. I would have waited a little before taking such a risky job, but I am desperate.

It had been four months since we started doing the jobs.

It is mostly patrolling and escorting. We were ordered to patrol the western boundary of the dominion and to provide escorts for merchants.

They paid well, but our budding mercenary company has a lot of expenses.

I was barely able to pay the men’s salaries this month, and I need to take this job if I want to keep paying their wages and other expenses.

I walked inside and sat down with Lira; she began to inform me about the preparations.

They were immaculate as always.

I am glad I was able to recruit her. The Army tried for her, and so did the police. She is a good mage, but administration and logistics are where she shines.

“If we perform even average in this job, we will be able to pay all the expenses of this month,” she informed at last after adding up everything.

“Let’s hope we do better than that,” I replied. To that, she smiled.

There are a lot of things to do. Buy this plot, enlarge these buildings. So, it would have more than sitting space and bunks.

There is equipment, beasts, and other things.

Most importantly, the insurance fund. People die in this business or become injured enough that they can’t fight anymore.

In this case, I want to leave them enough for themselves and their family, so they don’t have to worry about money.

It is legally required in the Dominion, but I want to leave more for my men than the stated minimum amount. I want to be better than what Daphus had been to us.

Click!

We had finished our discussion when the door opened, and four people walked in.

“We have brought the beasts,” informed Tran.

“Good, then let’s go,” I ordered and got up. Everyone got up, and we walked outside the building. There, I saw the mounts.

The mercenary company only owns five beasts; the rest we are renting. They will get us to our destination faster, which we have to reach today.

Soon, we all mounted on the beasts and rode toward the gate.

There is no gate yet, but it will be placed soon; the wall is getting taller every week. In a few months, but within the year, it will be finished, with the gate attached.

The eastern outer ring will finally be secure, with the only way inside being through the river.

It took us a few minutes before we rode out of the city, but even now, there was traffic. There are a lot of carriages coming and going toward the fortress hold and baronies.

We have made the trip there a few times. Escorting a few merchants and nobles.

It is overkill to hire my team for it, but I am not going to turn down easy money I desperately need.

We got off the road, and the beasts began to pick up the speed. The beasts do not need roads as the carriages do.

The moment we got off, my people activated their skills, doubling our speed within seconds.

“We should be able to reach the baronies by late afternoon. It will take us the night to reach the Bram Fortress,” I informed my people.

“I know, we have traversed this path many times, but I want you all to be alert and cautious all the time.” I cautioned.

We didn’t face danger even once on the road, but that didn’t mean we could let our guard down. Things may seem stable between the Marquess Grimvale and Lord Silver, but the truth is far from it.

I heard Marquess is only waiting for the chance to attack. It is likely why they have opened the jobs for us mercenaries.

Our destination is Bram Fortress; we will fight monsters there and follow any orders from the Lord Commander.

The job is a month-long, but could be extended on demand.

I hate to be away from Veyra for so long, but it is a job I have chosen. Besides, I will not be away all the time; I could come back for a few days, or she could come to Baronies.

We did that a few times in the past month, and it works for us.

She is also busy with her work in the police; she is part of the quick-reaction team. They handle the powerful criminals whom regular police cannot subdue.

We were riding when we saw a mounted group coming from the opposite side.

“Violet masks,” Lira informed, and immediately the smiles disappeared from the faces of my people, and they became somber.

The internal intelligence violet masks are members of a sub-division of Greltheaven Intelligence.

It had been only three months since they had become visible, and they had already become notorious.

More than half of that group of people are wearing full grey cloaks and violet masks—those with uncovered faces are wearing the grey uniform of intelligence.

They came closer, and the person in the middle’s face was revealed.

I was not able to see her earlier because she was in the middle and because they were using skills that blurred the area around them.

She felt me looking as she turned to me from the person she was talking to.

She seemed to recognise me as she smiled, and it made me shudder, the same way I did in the café in Gailhorn.

“Captain,”

I heard Lira calling me. “Yes,” I replied hastily, and saw her looking at me worriedly.

“You look pale,” she said; she is worried, but she also has questions. “I am fine, just remembered something,” I replied, forcing a smile on my face.

She didn’t look convinced, but didn’t ask further, and I am grateful for that.

I wouldn’t answer, even if she asks. Anything related to that woman is dangerous, and he meant to keep his men—and himself—well beyond her reach.

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