Calm has never belonged to the noisy city of Catrice, and the turmoil of the last few days has colored it a little uneasy.

Even the members of the garrison knew how troublesome the situation was, but the sorcerers who belonged to the opposing school of the academy did not let up their efforts against Curt. Perhaps they really saw him as an agent of François, so the hatred was transferred to him.

In this regard, apart from feeling a headache, Curt has little to do to deal with some small-bellied magicians, otherwise it will undoubtedly be a matter of truth. After all, he was just a mercenary, and even if he was employed by Cruise François, he would not be his agent in all kinds of affairs.

Not to mention the ill-intentioned guys around him, he didn't even want to get involved in all kinds of troubles related to Dean François, especially because of the conflict of interests.

Obviously, even if he did this, others might not think so—even rumors appeared in the Mercenary Administration that he would leave his status as a mercenary during this mission. Perhaps in their eyes, using the appreciation of Dean François is the best way to change the situation.

No matter what those people say, at least Curt himself has no intention of leaving the identity of a mercenary, let alone suddenly running to the academy to take on any position. And he also knows very well that no matter what the final outcome of this matter is, he may not be able to live peacefully for a while.

But this is ultimately premised on a ≥ settlement of the incident, and if Sain Democla is to be allowed, it is pointless to say anything. Not long ago, the security officers in charge received contact from the front, which is why they are now driving to the edge of the central square in a group of people huddled in the garrison's car.

It's just that the design capacity of this car obviously does not take into account the size of other species, so that after everyone gets into the car. Only then did anyone realize a trouble. Hermia alone - or rather a snake - took up a small half of the space in the back of the car, forcing the rest to be huddled together. I can even clearly feel the sweat and a little chill of the people sitting next to me.

It was really uncomfortable, Curt was used to all kinds of inexplicable situations, but he clearly felt that Hermia beside him had become restless. The body similar to that of reptiles has a slight chill. She looked nervously at the mages and guards around her, as if she was suppressing her overreaction.

"Hey, speaking of which, it's the first time I've seen a 'sword seller' who has taken on such a big task? Usually Dean François entrusts these tasks to his 'talents', but this time it is difficult for his subordinates to have something wrong and have to find a 'sword seller' to help. ”

But even in such a tense environment, there are still people who come to stir up unfriendly topics, such as the mage who said these things now. Curt didn't know that he was a member of that school, and could only see him wearing a celestial globe-like badge pinned to his chest to prove his identity.

He uttered these words in such a prickly manner that his already aggressive words became even more aggressive. He doesn't need to say too many slanderous words. The mere use of the word "sword seller" to refer to advanced mercenaries was enough to show his attitude towards them.

From a long time ago, when the chronicles may not have been clearly recorded, the mercenary profession has existed. At that time, however, most of them were hired by money to serve their lords in wartime, and in peacetime they would become ruffians and bandits.

The so-called "sword seller" is a term used to describe mercenaries in medieval chronicles, presumably from the phrase "If you pay enough money, my sword will swing for you in the direction you need". Since the term was coined, mercenaries who recognize money but not people have been widely known.

But this is really not a dirty blow to the reputation of the mercenaries, because their reputation is already too bad to be worse. Armed mercenaries certainly can't be good citizens when someone buys their swords. Naturally, they go to great lengths for their employers, but if they are left to control their own weapons, they often become thieves who loot civilians for their daily needs.

"It's too old-fashioned to say 'sword sellers', isn't it? Although there are people like me who use cold weapons, most of them have already begun to equip themselves with mechanics. ”

Curt pretended to smile lightly. Changing the subject perfunctorily: "I don't know why Dean François asked me to investigate the information of the True Eye, but he naturally has his reasons for deciding so. As for his men, I think they have more important work to accomplish than investigating the minions -- like assisting the rest of the garrison with the chaos that has been taking place in the city lately?"

But there is an absolute difference with those who are contemptuously called "sword sellers". Most mercenary groups are no longer violent gangs that collect money to do things. In addition to the mercenary management office, which is directly charged by the government, other independent collectives are also closely supervised.

It's not just governments that are on the lookout for these unstable elements. Ordinary citizens are not used to these people, and even in some remote areas, there are often legends that villagers lynch mercenaries who disturb the order. Whether these events are true or not. The unpopular status of mercenaries has not changed.

Since the formation of the modern state, these powerful people who are difficult to control are the ones who are feared by the upper classes. Even though the term "mercenary" is now mostly used to refer to vigilante groups or business-like groups, this perception has not changed in any way.

In addition to the opinions of "ordinary people", the mercenaries themselves seem to be dissatisfied with their status, and many of them are furious when they hear the word "sword seller".

"Is that really the case?" the wizard looked at Curt, his fox-like eyes full of suspicion, "I don't know why that old fox chose to ask you, but this is undoubtedly a good opportunity for you to get rid of your group." ”

Although a few well-known mercenaries are considered heroes, most people in this industry have little social status, and are probably better off than the peddlers and pawns of the lower markets. On the contrary, even the least important positions under François were those that could be reported with a puffed up.

A mercenary or a member of the Academy, if it were to be a comparison between the two, almost everyone would choose the latter - even if it was just an Academy Guard. This is not just a difference in name, the actual treatment and living conditions are undoubtedly the latter is better.

He seemed to want to continue, but was stopped by another magician beside him. Although Curt did not express any dissatisfaction, Hermia sitting beside him was already staring at them viciously, her fangs slightly bared, as if she was about to bite the necks of these mages in the next second.

The guards sitting on the other side closed their mouths quite self-consciously, Curt may be able to deal with it at will, but the poison of the Lamia snake race is not something that ordinary people can endure. Hermia just sat there and made them feel uncomfortable.

But thanks to Hermia, the annoying sorcerers were finally quiet, and Curt was finally able to look out the window of the car. The officers of the garrison had done a thorough job of evacuating the residents, and there were no civilians in the vicinity of several blocks, except for a few officers patrolling the area.

The car passed through the darkened street and turned towards the avenue that connected to the central square. The once bustling streets crowded with pedestrians have become deserted, and even the members of the guard team walking nearby have the appearance of facing a great enemy, and there is no longer a stable atmosphere.

Just as he was concentrating on both sides of the road, he suddenly noticed a strange dark figure on the road ahead, as if it was a tall man standing in the shadows. Behind him stood a metal block the size of a door panel, swirling with darkness.

Curt reacted almost instantly, and the figure standing by the road was the man with Sain Democra. He stood on the side of the road, hunched and gathering strength, and whenever their car drove past him, he would be attacked with his greatsword.

"Damn it, grab the handrail!" Curt tried to stand up to stop him, but the small space made it difficult to move.

Just as he wanted to shout to the people in the car to be careful, the black shadow standing on the side of the road suddenly moved. The man jerked out his greatsword and sprinted towards the center of the road at a speed faster than anyone else, pointing the blade of the sword wrapped in a spiral of darkness in the direction of the vehicle.

The police officer who was driving the car reduced his speed after Curt's warning, but when he saw that the other party was actually rushing towards him, he had to immediately change the angle of driving to avoid the oncoming slash. The darkness of the Mercedes was like a thunderstorm, cutting through the space on the side of the motor. Sharp spirals tore through the air, carving several marks into the spell-reinforced metal shell like the claws of monsters.

"What is that guy? I guess it's just a human!"

Looking at the protection that was almost torn apart just by passing by, the mages who had seen all kinds of monsters couldn't help but change their faces, not to mention those security officers. Although monsters have the potential to cause great damage, the other party seems to be just a human, and it is really terrifying to be able to cause such damage.

The car carrying the crowd got stuck on the barrier on the side of the road and came to a stop - it was impossible to drive the car away again at this angle. A carload of people, except for Curt, looked nervously at the slowly approaching man, and one by one clenched the weapons in their hands and waited. (To be continued......)