After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World novel Chapter 1997

Chapter 1997: Mercenary Escort Team Assembled

The hired mercenaries congregated outside of the villa, and Althea and Garan found out that the mission was closed shortly after another small group appeared after them.

The steward appeared and let them wait comfortably in the staff lounge area. They were told they’d be leaving in six hours, so it was best if they got the rest they needed, even providing a small dorm for them.

They hired mercenaries because they didn’t want to use their own forces, but had to make sure the bride arrived safely at their destination. Garan and Althea’s treatment was pretty decent, and the pay was slightly higher per individual due to their elementalist status. They probably thought of hiring them again when the time comes.

The couple took their time to look around the town before heading to the meetup point, so even the latest team arrived before they did.

When they went there, every member of the other mercenary teams looked at them with varying expressions on their faces.

Garan and Althea had already made their faces a bit plainer, using makeup to dull their sharp contours, though they were still good-looking.

Similarly, they were also watching them. These people would be their companions for a few days, so they naturally had to understand them to some degree.

There were three other mercenary teams other than them, and each one had a lot more members than they did. One team came from the North, while the other two were from different territories East of the territory (though still far West and Southwest of Alterra).

One team had a uniform, while the other two had some sort of emblem pinned on them as identifiers. Team 1 had about 9 members, Team 2 had 12, and the last one had 8. Including the servants coming with the bride, there would be just over 30 people in this party. Considering the travel distance, this was not a lot.

Further, they found a member of the last team a bit suspicious.

It was a young man who was wearing a mask over half his face. Despite being part of a team, he seemed to be a bit of a loner. He just said his name during the introductions and didn’t say anything else.

It wasn’t that he was unfamiliar with every one of his teammates. On the contrary, he seemed to be acquainted with one. But that was about it. The couple didn’t feel like that team was isolating him on purpose either; it was more like there was just not much of a relationship from the start.

But there was not much they could do about it. They’d just have to do their respective jobs and hope this guy wouldn’t do anything to cause them trouble.

Sadly, even if they kept quiet, it wasn’t like the world around them would do so.

"Just the two of you?" Someone from the first team asked, realizing that team 3 was comprised of just 2 people. They were a bit confused. Althea, specifically, was the weakest among them. The guy looked strong, but at the town level, that wasn’t much of a powerhouse.

"Are you vacationing?" another asked, curious, while a few others sneered as if looking at them as a joke.

The reason why the number of mercenaries per team mattered was that people had to watch each other’s backs. Even if they were doing the same missions, they would not necessarily help others. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

There were even plenty of cases of backstabbing. After all, if a mercenary team disappeared, they might get part of their rewards if those remaining finished the mission in their stead.

This was why going on joint missions with such a small number of people was seen as a stupid move.

Althea looked at them. "Does it matter? We get paid per person, don’t we?" It was also based on level, so what Althea received as a down payment and what would be deposited to her account after was less than Garan received.

"Who knows? Maybe you’ll ask for our help instead."

...

The group departed not long after the meetup, meeting with the client’s cart near the gates. Most of the entourage were in their mid-level-20s, and the variety of professions was quite good. There were swordsmen, spearmen, shieldsmen, archers, and so on.

The arrangement was that the Lady had her own guards, but only four, and they were walking parallel to her carriage, which was pulled by a mid-level beast.

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