Chapter 19 : “The Price of Greed”

She looked to be about Terty’s age—not by skin alone, but in the weight behind her eyes. Likely around thirty.

“You’re Ser Terty, correct?”

“That I am.”

“And the mage beside you… must be the one from the rumors.”

Curtis  raised a brow. “Not sure what would be worth gossiping about, aside from that beer incident.”

“Well, that is what spread,” the woman said with a faint smile. “Mercenaries are creatures of rumor, after all.”

She was prettier than most who bore steel for a living—especially without the luxury of cosmetics or ease—but Terty didn’t seem to notice. He didn’t even ask her name.

He simply cut straight to the point.

“No need for courtesies. What, exactly, have you all been doing out here?”

“As you can see, we stayed behind to guard the camp,” she replied smoothly.

“And the others?” Terty pressed. “They went hunting? Beyond the stream?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re aware the stream is considered an unspoken boundary.”

“Unspoken, yes,” she emphasized, meeting his gaze. “But not official. The Guild never explicitly forbade crossing it. Besides, isn’t it a little absurd that this side’s acceptable, and that side’s suddenly off-limits just because of a trickle of water?”

Terty’s tone sharpened. “The Guild’s coin is finite. They don’t send out purging squads just to bankroll unauthorized hunts.”

“And it’s because that coin is limited that we’re doing this,” she countered, voice still polite, but unwavering. “You’ve been sweeping up everything. There’s nothing left for the rest of us.”

“…What?”

Terty’s brow twitched, eyes narrowing. The woman didn’t flinch. She bowed her head slightly, speaking clearly:

“You may be here as a volunteer, but you’re still taking bounties, aren’t you? And now you’ve brought a mage into the mix. That cuts the pie even thinner for everyone else. So we do what we must, even if it means pushing the line.”

“So I’m to blame?” Terty let out a quiet, breathless laugh. “Whether you mean it or not, that’s rich.”

His eyes turned cold, and three of the nearby mercs stiffened. But he didn’t act.

“Fine. Do as you please. I won’t stop you. But remember why the Guild issued that warning in the first place. Don’t forget it.”

“Thanks for the advice,” she said with a nod, voice devoid of gratitude.

She stepped back, still watching them with guarded eyes.

Terty glanced briefly over the camp—tents, gear, supplies—then resumed walking. Still keeping the stream in sight.

Curtis  followed in silence.

It wasn’t until the camp had faded from view that Terty muttered under his breath.

“They won’t last long.”

“…Pardon?”

“Those kinds of mercs. Ones who start cutting corners.” Terty clicked his tongue. “Mercenary work is built on trust. You lose that, and you stop climbing.”

He shook his head.

“This whole operation was low-risk, low-reward. The Guild purges the region regularly. No one expects strong monsters or high pay.”

“True.”

“And just because I went into the hills doesn’t mean the beasts came looking for me. There’s only so many to go around. Yet they act like I swept up their fortune. All they want is an excuse to chase the bigger bounties, nothing more.”

“You think the Guild’s unaware?”

“To an extent, they turn a blind eye. If they were serious about enforcement, they’d have posted official borders and tighter deadlines.”

Terty exhaled.

“But this case’s different. From the start, it looks like they ignored the monsters within bounds and aimed straight for the outskirts. Knowing full well Bronze ranks would struggle there.”

“I remember hearing that too,” Curtis  added. “The lands beyond the stream—too dangerous for lower ranks.”

“They’re banking on numbers,” Terty muttered. “Formations, squad tactics, and luck. With enough coordination, they think they’ll be safe.”

“…Will they?”

“If fortune favors them.”

And then it happened.

“Aaaaaagh!”

A scream rang out—raw, desperate, and close. It echoed through the trees.

The sound came from behind—from the direction of the camp.

“…Seems fortune didn’t,” Terty said coldly. “Greed blinds the foolish. If they’d struck just a few minutes earlier, we might’ve been caught in the mess.”

He glanced back—and suddenly, his expression twisted.

“Damn it all.”

“What is it?”

“They’re dragging the trouble our way. Prepare for battle.”

Curtis  snapped upright.

Terty had spotted it first—his eyes keener than Curtis ’s—but soon the mage saw it too.

“Uwaaaah!”

A tide of mercenaries came rushing down the slope, tripping over themselves in blind panic.

They were heading straight for Curtis  and Terty—whether because the terrain was easier or because they remembered the two had descended this way.

And behind them…

Monsters.
Malspawn.

Fierce and fast and terrifying.

With a tired sigh, Terty finally did what he hadn’t done once until now—he dropped his pack.

“This’ll be fun,” he muttered.

“Trolls.”