Savage Ascension: Starting with God-Tier Plunder Ability-Chapter 103: The Signs Only He Could Read

Espin's pondering was brief. He looked at Doren and opened his mouth.

"This is my opinion. I'm not asking you to agree. Just listen."

Doren nodded. He'd wanted to hear Espin's thoughts from the start. This was Espin who always had better thoughts and actions than himself. Being the same age was also good for confiding worries. Even though Doren was always timid like he was scared in front of the big Espin, he had quite a stubborn streak.

That stubbornness was also self-respect, and the reason Espin sometimes thought of Doren as a brother even while treating him like a subordinate. By back-alley logic, a small person like Doren should normally be trampled, but not in the fairly equal Tracking Mercenary Group.

A new place, new meetings, a new leader. That diluted Espin's blood-reeking cruelty, and because Doren stepped up when he needed to.

"Big gains like this time won't come again."

"Are you saying the captain's changing the profit structure?"

Espin shook his head. Whether outwardly or inwardly you couldn't tell, but at least Rowan was working hard to appear as a trustworthy leader. But changing what he'd said just for profit? That was a foolish choice, and Rowan would never do that.

"No. You know well the captain isn't that kind of person."

At Espin's words, Doren's head naturally nodded as if it were obvious. This was Rowan who hadn't collected a single coin when first preparing communal supplies like foodstuffs for the cart. Even doing that, he never showed off once.

The outward humanity was excellent in Rowan. And the cruel side he showed dealing with robbers and bandits was contradictory, but because it was contradictory, it was fatally attractive.

"Then why?"

"You heard it plenty at the Blood-Full Tavern too. Regular mercenaries only get about one silver coin per request. Even wandering around all month, they barely scrape together two silver coins."

For commoners without background, it was fairly significant income.

"So you're saying the money we'll receive this time is special."

"Right."

Espin took a bite of food and moved his mouth again.

"After receiving money this time, the mercenary group will get fairly big. Nothing's scarier than word of mouth. The news will spread throughout the mercenary world. Skilled mercenaries will try to come to Rowan too."

Saying that, Espin shrugged.

"When that happens, we'll naturally be pushed out. We won't be able to look like close aides like now. When there are many people, experience will vary too, and communal distribution will naturally disappear. Dozens might belong to the mercenary group—if you and I who just did one request get the same money as veteran mercenaries, what would happen?"

"The mercenary group wouldn't work properly..."

Doren judged rationally that way, but his insides couldn't help but sting.

"Eat a lot while you're eating. There won't be days like this again."

That was Espin's thinking. Doren could clearly see that Espin thought very realistically. And this time he learned one more thing.

'I need to think of myself first, and think about many things, not just look narrowly.'

If Doren had only thought about the Tracking Mercenary Group, Espin thought about many more things. Other mercenaries, the special nature of requests, what would happen to the mercenary group in the future, etc.

They didn't say much after that. Because Doren fell into very deep thought. That's how Doren brushed off his worries. He tried hard to think more realistically. He had a desire to receive recognition and love from Rowan.

But if the future went as Espin thought, he shouldn't say he'd return the money received from this request to Rowan and take less.

'Espin's right. I shouldn't throw away personal profit.'

***

Rowan and Four-Year Soldier Ulas had no personal chatter at all. Ulas couldn't object to the decision to have Espin and Doren go together. He couldn't make a peep at Rowan's subtle check that kept them separated from him.

Naturally, he couldn't help but feel bad inside. Because he thought they were playing like girls.

'Fox-like bastard.'

Conversely, Rowan also had nothing to say to Ulas. He was a spy. On the surface a support soldier, but reality was different.

Rowan was never a person with excellent character, and wasn't worth calling a saint either. He was an ordinary person who'd worry even at a saint's words telling him not to worry.

That's why he didn't want to exchange words with Ulas.

In a stiffly rigid atmosphere, they coldly performed only their mission like steel. They scouted valleys, hid their bodies on ridgelines, and passed mountain hills and forest hills.

Since both Rowan and Ulas had exceptional stamina, around 3 PM they'd circled two points and additionally circled one more point.

Sometimes they'd encounter robbers.

"Hey! There's a lot here too!"

The guys were moving around in groups, gathering mountain food and medicinal herbs. They carefully checked rock crevices too, and looked around trying to remember locations when seeing mushrooms growing on rotten trees, or even wrapped brightly colored cloth around trees, though dirty.

'That's strange.'

Rowan's observation scrutinized them in detail. While Ulas just waited for them to pass, Rowan carefully observed each and every one.

The number of robbers was eight, and all carried large baskets on their backs. They were full of all sorts of collected things.

"Huff! Huff!"

They also dug the ground laboriously to gather root vegetables. After breaking off thick ones and packing them away, they buried them again. They were seen gathering fallen leaves with their hands, patting them down while standing up.

"..."

The noisy chatter soon became incomprehensible. It changed to muttering as distance grew, then the sound cut off.

Rowan smiled.

'Found it.'

"Let's go back. The Back-Door Gang is here. Finding it on the third try—Commander Gesilian will be pleased too."

"What? We haven't found anything yet."

Rowan gestured quickly and soon Ulas followed behind with a stiff expression. Looking at Rowan's back, the stiff expression soon twisted.

'Crazy little bastard could at least say something before going.'

Rowan quickly escaped this place in case the robbers might hear.

"What exactly did you see to judge that way?"

"I'll say it all at once when everyone's gathered."

Saying something twice was absolutely detestable. Ulas couldn't ask after that. Because he was afraid of butting heads with Rowan, he backed off on his own. He had no choice.

After finishing all dinner preparations, after the sun set, Espin and Doren entered the cave.

"You've already prepared everything?"

"Yes. I have something to say, so eat first."

Rowan spoke gently. The meal was simple as always, just generous in quantity.

"I've confirmed where the Back-Door Gang is. Tomorrow we'll plan a route to head there stealthily."

"How did you find out?"

It was Ulas.

"I saw eight robbers gathering food from mountains and forests, and honestly speaking, they were gathering too much. It was excessive for eight people to eat. Mountain vegetables will last days even when picked, but they're bound to spoil."

"Hmm."

"Moving on a hot day like today means they move on other days too."

Ulas nodded. It was undeniable evidence.

"Next, even gathering like that wasn't enough, so they marked several trees where there were immature mushrooms. They'll come again when they grow. What does this mean?"

Rowan gestured with his chin at Doren. He was just like a teacher.

"Ah! Um. Because they eat a lot... isn't that it?"

"It means food consumption is high because there are many mouths. Hunting can't cover it. Didn't they laboriously dig the ground to gather root vegetables too? It means at least thirty or more people, and it might or might not be the Back-Door Gang, but the scale being large is the same either way."

After subjugating whichever robber gang and confirming once more the method of dealing with merchants coming for illegal trade would work. They'd interrogated all thirty-plus captured robbers, but Commander Gesilian, who felt it was insufficient, was a very cautious person.

Starting mountain travel from the south of the Kingdom Camp, they had to move while perfectly hiding soldiers through mountain hills and forest hills. Since they had to select places where small robber gangs' activity ranges were sparse, the path also moved here and there. It wasn't straight.

Since they had to go for three days like that, they had to move soldiers and military provisions ahead and plan long-term.

Rowan moved in two teams this time too, scouting for three days while gathering data.

A route requiring a total of five days from the Kingdom Camp at slowed travel speed through mountain travel was completed. Three days was a very short data collection period for Rowan, but for others it was considered such a long time that they just wanted to go back and report now.

Finally, for the third point's reconnaissance, all four were mobilized. Rowan initially thought there was no need to go, but as time passed, he went anyway just in case, second-guessing his own decision.

'It really is here!'

Behind the hill on the exact opposite side from the chokepoint to the Southern Golden Plains, they were cultivating slash-and-burn fields, and in the valley where deep water flowed between hills, there were several natural cave entrances. There were also cave entrances dug directly.

Since they didn't exploit vested interests and only robbed the weak, subjugation hadn't been carried out for decades, and since only robbers stupidly caught by patrols died, the Back-Door Gang had built quite a village here.

'Ah!'

When they shifted their gaze to where Rowan pointed, a public execution was taking place. Not knowing what they'd done wrong, but dozens of people had gathered at a fairly flat area of the valley where water flowed.

There were women, elderly people, and even children.

Those who'd climbed onto the platform all had gags in their mouths. There was someone shaking his head so violently you could tell even from far away—he even had cloth pulled over his head. Then water was dumped over him. Breathing would be extremely difficult.

They all had their necks hanged and died one by one, and meanwhile, a man standing beside them was gesturing grandly saying something.

"What the hell is he saying."

Everyone was curious. Watching that, Rowan could tell the Back-Door Gang, though emotional, also had a judicial system. The fact that those belonging to the robber gang were watching meant this was agreed-upon punishment.

The reconnaissance ended there. Staying here long wasn't a good choice.

'In the end, it's a battle of probability.'

"Let's return quickly."

"Yes."

The Tracking Mercenary Group and veteran soldier Ulas disappeared in an instant. Espin and Doren, who'd gotten used to rough terrain, didn't fall behind Rowan even though their breathing got rough. Of course, since Rowan had also given them consideration, Rowan's breath didn't falter once.