Chapter 21. Bloodstained.
“……Luke Ivers. That son of a bitch.”
“Pardon?”
At my sudden cursing towards Luke, Pol blinked in surprise.
Memories of Earth might not be particularly helpful for surviving in this world.
However, it wasn't something to be simply brushed aside.
Because memory is one of the elements that constitute 'me'.
My body belongs to Luke Ivers, and my memories aren't whole.
Can 'I' really be called 'Yoo Seung-Jae'?
If someone demanded proof from me, I wouldn't be able to find the words.
Am I not just a mentally ill person who believes himself to be a possessor?
‘Not even funny.’
One thing was clear.
Me being chased as the criminal who killed the Emperor, and my memories disappearing.
It was all Luke Ivers's fault.
In that case, one phrase was enough to describe my current self.
“I am Luke Ivers's enemy.”
“Enemy? Ah, because you took over Luke Brother's body……?”
Pol seemed to understand my words in a slightly different direction.
“I understand! A battle for dominance is ongoing within you against Luke Brother?!”
“That's not it. Calm down.”
What kind of delusion is this, like an adolescent middle schooler's.
Due to Pol's nonsense, the boiling anger towards Luke fizzled out like air escaping a balloon.
Trying to have a serious conversation with this kid. I'm the idiot.
I sighed and began explaining the situation to Pol.
He probably wouldn't understand it at once with his brain, but there was no need for him to understand perfectly either.
* * *
“Ah-”
Pol's eyes were hazy after hearing my full explanation.
Only after I snapped my fingers a couple of times in front of his eyes did his gaze liven up.
Anyone seeing this would think I had hypnotized him or something.
“Did you roughly get it?”
“Not really, but Luke Brother is living in another body, right? And he's a really bad guy.”
“……Yeah. You tried.”
Only two sentences remained from the explanation I gave for over 10 minutes.
This level is talent, I suppose.
“Hehe. Thank you for the compliment.”
“Does this sound like a compliment to you?”
“Wasn't it?”
“It was a compliment.”
No expectations lead to no disappointments, they say.
Anyway, seems like he grasped the core, so it's fine.
“I can't pick a fight with Luke right away, but someday I'll stab that bastard in the back.”
“Ah. We're not fighting right away?”
Pol spouted nonsense again.
Ah, he didn't hear that part properly.
“Contacting Luke right now would only be disadvantageous for me.”
Just because his body changed, would Luke be weak?
Well.
He might be a bit awkward adapting to the changed body, but his swordsmanship wouldn't disappear.
At least, I couldn't handle him head-on right now.
So, can I set a trap or launch a surprise attack?
My only companion is Pol, who isn't exactly reliable.
There's a limit to the tricks I can pull with this level of force.
My feeble resistance would likely be trampled underfoot.
‘Not acknowledging one's lacking ability is foolish.’
Reality is harsh.
Betting on low-probability events is a shortcut to ruin.
I might even unnecessarily attract the Empire's attention.
“You said that Luke fellow was planning something more, right?”
“Yes. Though I don't know the details.”
Pol bowed his head as if apologizing to me, but it wasn't a major issue for me.
Luke's plan can be figured out from now on.
Knowing that assassinating the Emperor wasn't the ultimate goal was enough.
“I'm going to ruin that bastard's plan.”
Even if I can't actively screw Luke over, subtly pushing things in a bad direction at crucial moments is entirely possible.
The more delicate and grand Luke's plan, the more fatal a minor variable will become.
If you harm others, you have to pay the price.
Luke's price will reach him at the worst moment, in the worst form.
Because I'll make it so.
“Exciting! I'll help with all my might!”
“Are you okay with that?”
“I don't quite understand what you mean?”
Pol tilted his head with an innocent face.
“You followed Luke calling him Brother, Brother. You came all the way here looking for Luke.”
Was your loyalty to Luke a lie?
“My Brother now is Ben Brother!”
“……”
No hesitation, no shame in switching sides.
Looking at it this way, Luke's decision not to tell Pol anything and just use him was correct.
Since it seems Luke never trusted Pol in the first place, is it even appropriate to call him a traitor?
‘Can't trust him completely.’
What's done once can be done twice.
To avoid ending up like Lu Bu's fathers later, I shouldn't completely let my guard down.
“……Alright. Let's work well together from now on.”
“Yep!”
He answers well.
The answers.
Anyway, since he's a valuable collaborator, let's make good use of him.
In that sense-
“You, can you walk?”
“Huh? Yes. Moving around shouldn't be a problem.”
Hearing Pol's answer, I checked his condition again.
The wound had already healed, and he had eaten.
He might be a bit weakened from lying down for several days, but that was all.
Guess I don't need to feel guilty even if I drag him around here and there.
“Then let's go.”
“Where to……?”
“The Mercenary Guild.”
* * *
“Oh. Look who it is. Pol. Finally conscious?”
As Pol entered the guild, the Guild Master greeted him cheerfully.
The reason was simple.
Thanks to me and Pol solving the case, the Mercenary Guild also received a handsome reward.
Having gained profit effortlessly without doing much practical work, Pol naturally looked endearing.
“I heard you even used a potion to save me. Thank you very much.”
“Haha. When someone's life is on the line, what's a potion?”
The person who demanded the potion cost as soon as he knew I received the reward, shamelessly…….
But isn't this what social life is like, dirty and petty?
For a smooth relationship with the Guild Master, I kept my mouth shut.
“Expensive potions really are good. Doesn't look like someone who just came back from the dead. Worth using it for you. Ah, right. There was something I meant to give you.”
The Guild Master, having taken the money and taken the credit, took something out from his clothes and offered it to Pol.
“Think of it as a gift celebrating your recovery.”
“Ah……! This is!”
What the Guild Master handed Pol was a sparkling mercenary tag.
What?
Mercenary tag?
“Didn't issuing a mercenary tag require an assessment……?”
“You didn't have a guarantor. Won't you vouch for Pol's identity? Minor details can just be overlooked.”
“I wasn't told about such a thing?”
Making me a guarantor without even getting consent? Is this okay?
I knew the administration around here was generally sloppy, but isn't this a bit much?
“Well, yeah. You were busy too……. Just exercised a little flexibility. Is there really a need to be strict about issuing a mere Rank 4 mercenary tag……”
The Guild Master avoided my eyes.
Apparently, even by local standards, this wasn't something that would normally pass.
“If you object to Pol's tag issuance even now, I don't mind taking it back.”
“……That's not what I meant.”
Separate from being flustered by the sudden story, it wasn't a bad thing.
It would probably be more convenient for Pol to have a mercenary tag too.
“Brother! I'm a proper mercenary now too!”
“Yeah, that's great for you.”
For reference, I received my mercenary tag just two days ago.
I went through assessments and whatnot, wasting time, just to barely get the tag, yet that kid got one handed to him while doing nothing.
There's a limit to unfairness…….
“Hehe. You two, aren't you forgetting one thing? You know what it means for a mercenary tag to be issued, right?”
The Guild Master wrapped an arm around Pol's shoulder with a meaningful smile.
A mercenary tag is only given to a 'proper mercenary'.
And the criterion distinguishing that here is…….
“Looks like you gave Pol a nickname too.”
“Yeah. A very cool nickname.”
Cool?
You jest. While being full of intention to tease.
The Guild Master must have decided it anyway.
Everyone knows Pol is stupid, so probably just gave him a nickname like 'Blockhead' or 'Dimwit'-
“'Bloodstained' Pol!”
The Guild Master shouted thunderously.
Just like when my nickname was decided, cheers erupted within the Mercenary Guild.
“Oooooh!”
Pol leaped onto a table.
He looked as excited as a child receiving a Christmas present.
“Bloodstained!”
“Bloodstained!!”
“Blood-soaked!”
“It's Bloodstained, you idiot!”
“What's the difference-!”
The people chanting 'Bloodstained' started bickering over trivial reasons.
People who seemed to have forgotten where they put their ages.
“Why ‘Bloodstained’?”
Suddenly coming up with a decent nickname.
Though the sensibility is a bit cringey, at least unlike 'Green' or 'Little Eye', it didn't feel derogatory.
“When you came here bleeding profusely, I just got the feeling.”
The Guild Master smiled, seemingly satisfied with the mercenaries' reaction.
Well, the process itself is the same as mine.
A nickname given based on the impression upon entering the guild building.
“What I was covered in was blood too? By that logic, shouldn't Pol be Red?”
“That's not cool.”
Then Green is cool?
I almost grabbed him by the collar for the nonsensical contradiction.
While I was exchanging pointless conversation with the Guild Master, Pol's excitement hadn't subsided.
“Bloodstained Pol!”
“Ooh!”
Pol, riding the mood, jumped up and down on the table, and the mercenaries yelled, getting hyped up.
There was no way the flimsy table could withstand that impact.
The table instantly shattered, and Pol rolled onto the floor.
“Kwahahaha!”
“Now that's a proper initiation ceremony!”
“Haha! Thank you!”
As the mercenaries burst into laughter, Pol laughed too.
I don't know what's so enjoyable.
It seemed I was the only one unable to fit into this atmosphere.
If I had my way, I'd leave the guild building right now, but unfortunately, I still had business here, so I couldn't.
‘When will they arrive.’
There's a guest I need to meet at the guild.
We didn't set an appointment time, so it's not certain.
Considering 'that person's' personality, even accounting for stopping by the inn, they should arrive soon.
“Excuse……. me.”
A boy peeked into the guild from the doorway.
He seemed quite large, but perhaps overwhelmed by the current guild atmosphere, he couldn't even speak properly.
His clothes were neat too, lacking the characteristic messiness of mercenaries.
No matter how you looked at it, he wasn't a mercenary applicant.
After the Guild Master calmed the mercenaries down, he approached the boy and asked kindly.
“Came to post a request?”
The boy bowed politely and then opened his mouth.
“Lord Tober sent me. Is perhaps Mr. 'Green' Ben here?”
The guest I was waiting for.