415 - 422

Chapter 415: Executive Council

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

At a mountain pass, Anfey quietly sat on a huge rock. Red air currents, like moving clouds, flew out from the magic crystal in his hand. The red air currents spread out dozens of yards around him. A Fire Sword floated in front of Anfey and slowly revolved on its own. Every time the Fire Sword revolved once around, it would absorb the surrounding fire elements. The sword radiance was stronger as the color of the Fire Sword turned from light red to dark red.

As the Fire Sword got brighter and became clear as crystal, the sword radiance suddenly became dark, and millions of small cracks appeared on the Fire Sword. It looked like a rock got corroded after years of weathering and then the red light completely disappeared. It was replaced by a warm orange light cloud.

Anfey gradually drew in his telepathy and looked at the Fire Sword in satisfaction. He put the Fire Sword back into the sheath and turned to look at the fire element magic crystal in his hand. Its volume had been reduced by a quarter. Anfey was happy with the result. It didn't take nearly as much telepathy or time to make a Fire Sword as it had previously. The job was much easier.

"The magic crystal is very rich in fire elements, and very pure," Anfey commented.

Suzanna did not know how to respond to Anfey's comment. Wasn't it obvious? If magic crystals were not rich in elements, or pure, then what value would they hold? Suzanna wondered.

"Anfey, do you know you defy common sense?" Blavi said bitterly. "No one would believe it even if they know about it. How could you trigger the elements in the magic crystals with just your telepathy, without any help of magic arrays. Is your telepathy stronger than our professor's?"

"If others do not believe it, then don't even bother telling them," Anfey said with a smile. He stood up and walked to Suzanna and Blavi.

"I think I understand what you mean. If there were no others better than you, we would be safer. Anfey, is that what you mean?" Blavi asked.

"That's right. Blavi, you're getting smarter," Anfey said.

"Anfey, are you complimenting me or making fun of me?" Blavi playfully gave Anfey a punch.

"I am definitely giving you compliments. You are a commander in charge of the most powerful mage group in our league," Anfey said.

When Anfey talked about the mage group, Blavi went quiet for a while, then said, "Anfey, I do not know if I am in the position to tell you this."

"We are brothers. Why don't you just tell me?" Anfey smiled.

"Anfey, Ozzic and his people are not trustworthy! Anfey, I am not trying to create problems among us. I am telling you what I feel," Blavi immediately explained. "Do you remember that day? They…for the magic crystals."

"I know," Anfey said quietly. "They are not like you. We have the same professor and have been through a lot together. We are not biological brothers, but even closer than brothers. No one could break us apart. They are different. That is the reason I did not want conflict with Fernando and Scarlet. In fact, I do not have to be worried, since most soldiers in Shield of Light legion are from Maho Empire. With their support, Fernando and Scarlet cannot push us too hard. That's why I don't worry about Christian's safety very much."

"What are you worrying about?" Blavi asked.

"I am worried about the mercenaries in the league." Anfey sighed. "Fernando and Scarlet are not stupid. They know well that the biggest problem with the league is internal instability. If they did something behind our backs and tried to sabotage our unity, it would be hard to prevent," Anfey said.

"If that is the case, why don't we…" Blavi looked like he was determined to kill someone.

"No, no! They are still our people now," Anfey said, shaking his head, "but there are different degrees of loyalty to 'our people'. Fighting against Fernando or Scarlet is different than fighting death spirits. No one had another option than to unite and fight shoulder to shoulder. There would be too many unexpected factors if we fight with Fernando and Scarlet. We are just keeping things moving forward. They should have no loyalty problems, and that is why I am trying to avoid Fernando and Scarlet. If we could easily win the battle, we would fight. If not, we just run away. The key is to keep mercenaries optimistic."

"Are we going to continue like this?" Blavi asked with a frown.

"We do not have enough people, so we can only keep going the way we are," Anfey said slowly. "When we meet up with Sante and Zubin, I have an idea."

"What's that?" Blavi asked.

"I would like to send our people to each mercenary group. Let's call them magic counselors." Anfey thought of the position in his previous world called an executive council. Of course, the magic counselor would have more power than the executive council. "Counselors cannot give commands, but on certain occasions could veto commanders."

"So it would be the supervisor of a commander?" Blavi asked.

"You can say that." Anfey smiled. "Blavi, I have already thought about having you be the magic counselor for Unit One. You have to be careful with your language and behavior. No matter what you think of Ozzic, you have to keep a good relationship with him. Don't fight with him. You have to pay special attention to Ye. If you accidentally show your dislike towards Ozzic, Ye would definitely sense it, even if Ozzic could not."

Blavi was quiet and slowly nodded.

"Let's put it this way. If we are in danger, I am not sure about others, but Shinbella and Ye would definitely work for us. Well, Ye is in an awkward position." Anfey had a smile on his face. "On one hand, Ozzic helped him a lot and trusted him, so he treats Ozzic like a brother and thinks for him all the time. On the other hand, he is willing to work for us and thinks for us as well. For example…"

"For example, if Ye spoke up for you, it would be hard for you to make the decision," Suzanna said.

"Yes." Anfey nodded. "Ozzic may not be that important, but we need have Ye on our side. He is very good. For the sake of Ye, could you let small things go if Ozzic offends you? Blavi, do you follow?"

"Yes, got it." Blavi smiled. "If you asked me some time ago to deal with a person I do not like, I might not be able to do it. I will try now though."

"Anfey, do you think those commanders object if you send supervisors, I mean, magic counselors, to each mercenary group?" Blavi asked.

"There would definitely be challenges, but I have my bottom line. They have to have magic counselors; otherwise I could just do what Blavi suggested: kill anyone who does not obey," Anfey said calmly. "The League of Mercenaries are not regular mercenary groups. The current policies and rules in the mercenary group are not what I want while those commanders have too much power. The commanders set too much constraints on their mercenaries. I cannot allow them keep their absolute power."

"If they really…" Blavi was interrupted by Anfey.

"Then kill them." Anfey looked cold. "If I could get support from Ye, it would mean I would get Ozzic's support as well. We also have Shinbella, the mage group, and us. If we have to fight, we have the advantage. Orsie and Thompson are smart. They know what they should do. The only trouble would be Joseph. That is fine. I could kill him to set an example for others."

"I am concerned that we could create problems if we suppress those commanders so hard," Blavi said.

"Every magic counselor will have a position in the mage group. When units are on different assignments, they could apply for mages to join the battle though magic counselors, or even ask the whole mage group to help them. With this condition, mercenaries would not be too opposed to magic counselors."

"Will it be enough if they are just not against it? What if they isolate magic counselors?" Blavi asked.

"They cannot." Anfey smiled. "Magic counselors mainly deal with regular mercenaries. Regular mercenaries would not refuse to make friends with an honorable mage. Of course, it would depend on each individual mage to develop his own reputation."

"To bond with regular mercenaries." Suzanna thought for a while. "Blavi, what do you think?"

Blavi nodded confidently. "I think it would work." Whenever he talked with mercenaries, they all looked honored and surprised. If he tried purposefully to bond with them, he felt he could get along with them quick.

"Suzanna, do you have any concerns?" Anfey asked.

"No, I think it is a good idea," Suzanna said.

Suzanna was not the same palace maid who was willing to risk her life to complete missions anymore. Blavi was not the same naïve mage anymore. They had experienced so much in the past year. Anfey was autocratic at the beginning because of the situation he was in, and he knew those kids would not have any valuable suggestions. After things had settled, he tried to ask more and gave guidance to Christian and a few others. Whether he was guiding them or pushing them to learn, Christian, Suzanna and few others indeed matured every day. They would not have had so many suggestions a year ago.

Switching the topic, Suzanna said, "Anfey, why did you stop triggering magic crystals? I think you still have telepathy left."

"We do not have time," Anfey said calmly. "The knights from Shansa Empire are only a few miles away."

"What? Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Blavi was shocked and immediately looked up to check.

"Not griffin riders," Anfey said. "They are cavalry. We killed a few griffin riders a few days ago. I think Scarlet feels bad about it and would not send more griffin riders out to get killed." Anfey was not bragging. The Fire Sword could instantly release all kinds of elements and large-scale series of lightning. If they did not have too many griffin riders, and would fly in close formation, he could kill a bunch of them with one attack.

"How many soldiers do they have?" Blavi asked.

"More than 20," Anfey said.

"Only about 20?" Blavi suddenly looked relaxed. "It is not fun. We could just stop them there and then go to meeting Riska."

"No, kill these soldiers. We have to catch up with Riska soon," Anfey said.

"Anfey, did you say we have to cover for the mercenaries?" Blavi asked.

"Not necessary anymore," Anfey said slowly. "The day before yesterday, the griffin riders flying northeast were missing. Today, the scout knight in the northeast is missing again, which will give Scarlet enough information to locate us."

Chapter 416: Illusion

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

A few days passed, but time did not ease Anfey and Suzanna's worry. Despite their worrying, however, nothing had happened. Scarlet was young, but she had already made a name for herself and was known for being proud. She wasn't the kind to lose two whole carts of magic crystals and do nothing in retaliation. She should be planning something or doing something.

The mercenaries arrived at a small village by sunset. The village was silent, without even the sound of farm animals. The villagers had either carefully fled or all had been killed already. However, the mercenaries became very excited by what they saw in the village. A broken plaque near the entrance of the village told them that they were close to Stormenburg, where Band of Brothers mercenary group had settled.

"We're at Shiza Village," Ozzic reported to Anfey with a wide smile. "We're very close to Stormenburg now. A day and a half march at most."

"Elizabeth, did the mages find anything?" Blavi turned and asked.

Elizabeth shook her head. The mages had been using Eye of the Sky to observe their surroundings nonstop. Anfey did not need Eye of the Sky to know what was happening around them, but he couldn't be alert all the time and he wanted to train the mages.

"Let's take a break," Anfey said. "We'll march through the night."

Ozzic nodded. Marching through the night would be difficult, but no one wanted to live in constant danger and fear. Marching during the night was a sacrifice they were willing to make in order to reach Stormenburg faster.

Ozzic stopped the mercenaries and told the commanders about Anfey's order. There was no need to set up tents or start fires, since they will not be staying for the night.

Anfey jumped off of his horse. He had been keeping an eye on his surroundings as well, but it was difficult work. Like the mercenaries, he needed some rest.

Blavi looked around and found Ye. He waved and asked, "How's the guy from Shansa?"

"The general?" Ye smiled and said, "He's living. I'm proud of him, to be honest. I didn't expect him to make it."

"Tell Warner to keep an eye on him," Anfey reminded him.

"You don't need to tell me twice," Ye said with a laugh. "Warner won't leave his side."

Ye walked off to talk with other mercenaries. Anfey smiled and patted Blavi on the shoulder. "You did well today. Keep talking. It's not something to be ashamed off."

Blavi smiled. Before he could say anything, he was distracted by some commotion amongst the mages. Elizabeth hurried over, worried.

Anfey didn't need anyone to report to him to know who they had discovered. What he had been worrying about was coming. He glanced at Suzanna and they began walking towards the mages.

Elizabeth joined them and said, "The mages found…"

"I know," Anfey said, nodding. He glanced around and saw the mercenaries had drawn their weapons, ready for battle. The mercenaries knew what they took and knew that retaliation would be coming. The mercenaries didn't need any order to know a fight was coming.

Anfey was satisfied with how the mercenaries reacted to this sudden situation. He hurried to the mages and saw that Black Eleven was already there, staring at an Eye of the Sky. He turned and saw Anfey and shook his head. "It's Scarlet's knights," Black Eleven said.

"You sure?" Blavi asked, his eyes wide.

"So what?" Anfey asked with a frown.

Black Eleven sighed and shook his head. He did not know how to answer Anfey's question concisely. Each of the three empires had its own specialty. Ellisen Empire had powerful mages, Maho Empire had strong swordsmen, and Shansa Empire had the griffins. Another thing Shansa Empire was especially good at was training knights and cavalry. Because of this, Shansa Empire did not have a lot of strong foot soldiers. This was a side effect of how powerful and important the griffin knights were within Shansa Empire.

"They have a lot of mages," Riska said quietly.

This news did not come as a surprise. If Scarlet did not have mages, she would not waste so much time and manpower transporting magic crystals. The news was no surprise, but it still made everyone, including Blavi, nervous. The mages all concentrated on trying to find the enemy mages.

The alliance's mages group had participated in several battles since its establishment, but in reality they were never a direct part of the battle because they had rarely fought against other mages. Mages from places like Ellisen Empire were very familiar with battle tactics. They knew when to use a spell, and they could change their battle strategy depending on the course of the battle. The alliance's mages did not have these experiences. Blavi did not know how well the mages would hold up against mages who had experience fighting against groups.

Anfey did not look at the Eye of the Sky. He utilized the Heart of Nature and searched for the enemy's movement.

The enemy was getting closer. Shansa knights suddenly increased their speed at the same time, hundreds of figures appeared behind the knights and rose into the air.

"God," one of the mages whispered. "They have so many people."

Everyone turned to Anfey, waiting for his order. The mercenary commanders had all arrived as well and were waiting.

"I'll go with Suzanna and hold them off for a bit," Anfey said. "Ozzic, you will follow us. Shinbella and Orsie, you two will follow Ozzic." Anfey was the leader of the alliance and he did not have to go first, but he wanted to show the mercenaries that he was trustworthy and they could risk their lives with him.

"What is it?" one of the mages suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the Eye of the Sky.

A dozen Shansa mages raised their wands and heavy fog appeared, concealing them. Soon, the Eye of the Sky could only see white fog.

Blavi cursed under his breath. "Quickly, cover us!"

The mages scrambled to release fog spells, but before the fog could conceal the mercenaries, a gust of wind blew it all away.

Riska frowned and began chanting. He did not having experience in battle either, but he wanted to copy the Shansa mages and blow their fog away. Riska used the wind spell twice, but the spells seemed to have no effect on the fog.

Anfey frowned. It seemed like the time to divide the crystals had come.

"They have griffins!" a mage called. About twenty griffin knights appeared in the Eye of the Sky. Anfey wasn't scared of the griffins, but he was confused. The knights had slowed down and stopped, then they turned and rode away. The mages landed among the knights and hurried away as well.

Finally, Riska's wind spell worked and the wind blew away all the fog. By the time the fog dispersed, however, nothing was left. Even though griffins were flying away, as if they could not see the mercenaries in the village.

Everyone stood in silence, shocked. If it hadn't been the griffins, they would have thought that what they had just witness was only an illusion.

Chapter 417: Old Memories

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The history of Stormenburg was not as long as Blackwater City and White Mountain City, but Stormenburg was comparatively an ancient city in the Country of Mercenaries.

The very first city master of Stormenburg, Jacques, was not very lucky. He tried very hard to gather all kinds of construction materials. As they were ready for construction, the weather suddenly changed. The storms lasted for two whole months. This kind of weather was rare. They finally toughed through the storms, but Jacques's biggest enemy, plus some gangsters, caused him trouble. Jacques led his mercenaries and fought them. They kicked the gangsters out of Stormenburg but paid a big price for it.

After that, Jacques changed the city name into Stormenburg, which meant the city would stay there after storms, and changed his Holy War mercenary group into Brothers Mercenary group to remember those mercenaries who died in the war. Jacques had a bad temper, but he set a good example for mercenaries and rewarded and punished them fairly. He never bullied anyone, so he enjoyed a good reputation among mercenaries. Knowing Jacques was building a city, some mercenary groups who were barely surviving came to Stormenburg to join Jacques. Jacques change the Brothers mercenary group into Band of Brother mercenary group to show their high tolerance towards other mercenaries.

After generations of hard work, Stormenburg had grown to a decent size. Its location was not great. It was far from business routes, which slowed down economic development. However, Stormenburg was still one of the best cities in the Country of Mercenaries.

Anfey and his people had met a few patrols just as they entered Stormenburg. After a short conversation, the mercenaries immediately went to report to their commander. Soon, a group of about 300 mercenaries came out to welcome them. The one in front was Entos, whom Anfey had not seen for a while.

Entos was shocked when they saw each other. He looked around and then burst into laughter.

Anfey was walking in the front. He felt strange, so he looked at himself first and then looked at Suzanna. He did not get what Entos was laughing about.

Entos did not stop laughing for a while. He sighed. "Anfey? What happened? You look like you were chased by a group of crazy dogs. None of you look good."

Shansa Empire's military had retreated for no apparent reason. Anfey still had to be extra careful. They travelled at night and had not taken a break. It was impossible to still look good. The mercenaries had been travelling about 17 hours nonstop and all looked greasy, sweaty, and covered with dust. Some of them had leaves in their hair and on their clothes. They had no time to clean up. They all looked tired and greasy. No wonder Entos laughed at them.

Anfey smiled bitterly. "You have no idea what we experienced."

"The professor said you are a genius. You could develop well in any area. It looks like a genius's ability is limited." Entos continued to put Anfey down. "What the hell happened to make you look like this?"

The few commanders in Anfey's league who did not know Entos looked irritated. Based on what Entos said, it was easy to misunderstand that he did not like Anfey. It was common sense that a friend should not take advantage of Anfey in difficult times to make fun of him.

"Bro Entos, stop your nonsense. You have no idea how tired we are. Can you ask your people to prepare rooms and food for us?" Anfey turned around to take a look. "We can be tough, but…"

Entos looked up to follow Anfey's eyes. He saw highly-secured wagons. Entos' face changed immediately. "Did Miss Niya come?"

Smart! No wonder he was the guy who could know everything with just a glance. Anfey could not help complimenting him in his mind. Anfey neither nodded nor shook his head to answer him. If Anfey lied to Entos, then he would deceive Entos. He would rather have Entos guess.

"How could Miss Niya be with you?" Entos asked in confusion.

Anfey still did not answer him. He only looked at Entos.

"I will have your rooms and food ready." Entos turned around and wanted to leave.

Anfey grabbed Entos' arm and asked with a confused voice, "Miss Niya? Where is Miss Niya?" His facial expression was controlled, but he was laughing hard inside.

He could tell there must have been something between Entos and Niya. Entos was never comfortable whenever Niya was there. Anfey tried to find out what had happened. He finally got the secret from Zubin.

Entos had a wild personal life. Others never understood why honest Saul, with his simple lifestyle, would take Entos as his student. In the Country of Mercenaries, the most developed and common job was a mercenary. Another job that developed from it was prostitution. Mercenaries returned to cities after dangerous assignments. Some of them would go home to their wives and children. The unmarried mercenaries would not mind spending money on hookers to loosen themselves up. Entos was a well-known playboy who went to see hookers very frequently. It would be an exaggeration to say Entos had seen all the hookers in the big cities, but many hookers had seen Entos. Even the ones who had not seen Entos must have known about him. Entos was over 40 years old. No one asked Entos directly why he had not married, since it was too personal.

Entos was cruel, so he did not have a very good reputation. He was not liked by many honest and upright people, but Entos never minded others' criticism. He took the responsibility as vice commander of a mercenary group in the Country of Mercenaries. When he returned to Maho Empire, he needed to be a humble and polite student and nice brother. Besides those pieces of information, everything else was his personal affair. No one had the right to tell him what to do. Saul had reminded a few times to control his personal life. Entos listened to Saul in front of him, but forgot all of the advice when Saul was not around. He continued with the same personal life. He even bragged once when he was drunk that his life would be too boring and he would rather die if he always had to find reasons to do things and consider others' feelings and opinions. Some people told Saul what Entos bragged about. Saul was quiet for a while, then laughed and had never bothered Entos again.

There was a saying that one day you would slip and get your feet soaked if you always walked along the river bank. Entos used to be a kind and nice brother to other students of Saul, but his true colors were starting to show. Entos went back to Saul's house from the Country of Mercenaries on purpose for Niya's seventeenth birthday. Niya had been out hunting with Granden when Entos returned. Entos was bored and found his girldfriend. Of course, that was how Entos referred to her. If he was just hanging out with her, it should be no big deal. The problem was, Entos did not like to just hang out. It was still not a big deal if he had sex with her, but he should not have brought her to Saul's house.

To make Niya happy, Saul sent a magic letter to Niya to let her know Entos was back for her birthday. Niya missed Entos. Entos was not her biological brother, but he was like family to her. When she returned from hunting, she excitedly kicked open Entos' room at night and saw Entos naked with his girlfriend, also naked. Niya ran away screaming, while Entos ran away in shame. Entos' girlfriend was the only calm one. She put her clothes on and said goodbye to Saul, who came in to check on the screaming. She behaved very politely. Anfey heard she bought herself out from the contract with her pimp, bought a small house in Sacred City, and lived there alone. Zubin told Anfey that was the reason Entos was rarely at home. Whether Entos was too ashamed to stay home or just simply liked his wild life and stayed with his girlfriend who was living alone, Zubin did not say. It was a question that could be interpreted in different ways by different people.

"Are you playing with me?" Entos asked. He blushed since this issue had bothered him for a long time. If Anfey did not use Niya as a bluff, how could he know the secrets Entos had. Entos felt he had fulfilled his responsibilities as a student, brother, and vice commander. He had done well except for that incident. If Anfey knew his embarrassment, he would not know what to tell Anfey. No one wanted to be the butt of other's jokes.

Seeing Entos' face change colors, Anfey immediately realized his mistake. His joke made Entos mad. Nothing could sabotage a friendship, not even at life-threatening moments. Some people were willing to do anything for their friendship. However, friendship could be fragile as well. An inappropriate saying or facial expression could create a crack in their friendship.

"Bro Entos, what are you doing?" Anfey smiled bitterly. "I did not say anything."

Entos' eyes were moving fast, which showed he was thinking. Obviously, he did not completely trust Anfey's explanation. After a while, Entos had a bitter smile on his face too. He thought to himself, Never mind. If he did it, he should not be afraid of others making fun of him. Entos changed his attitude and said quietly, "Anfey, did you see necromancers on the way?"

"It would have been better if we met necromancers. Don't forget, we have Warner." Anfey shook his head and smiled. "Scarlet sent knights to chase after us."

"Scarlet? How could she spare people to chase after you?" Entos asked in confusion.

"Huh? Why couldn't she spare people to chase after us?" Anfey asked, confused.

"Oh, you did not know General Baery has led his Roaring Dead legion into the Country of Mercenaries," Entos said slowly. "I left you guys to build a small-scale magic array for Marino in Stormenburg. We can't transport large items on the magic array, but at least we could pass messages to each other now."

"Really? General Baery came too?" Blavi asked in excitement.

"Of course, why would I lie to you?" Entos had really changed his attitude now. He smiled. "Let's go. I will take you guys to see Marino."

Chapter 418: Satisfied

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

As soon as he had set foot in Stormenburg, Anfey immediately felt different. The streets were clean and wide, and there were people on the streets. Although there were lots of people out on the street, they remained to the side of the road and left the road to carts and carriages. Like Maho Empire's Sacred City, there were small holes on the side of the road that acted as a drainage system. Stormenburg's drainage system was perhaps even better than Sacred City's. The drains ensured that the city would have cleans streets and made the city more sanitary.

Anfey had a very good first impression of the city. The buildings along the streets were very organized as well. Anfey heard that Stormenburg had expanded twice to accommodate the increasing population. This city was very flexible and could expand even more. After all, Jacob had been the one that designed the city. Unlike White Mountain City and Blackwater City, Stormenburg had been under the control of Band of Brothers mercenary group since its founding, which must be one of the reason why Stormenburg was much more organized than the other two.

Marino and two of his men were waiting outside the gate to the inner city. Anfey hurried off of his horse to greet him. "Lord Marino," he said, bowing. "It's good to see you again."

"Good to see you as well, Count Anfey," Marino said with a quick bow.

Suzanna walked over and smiled at Marino.

"Good to see you, Lady Suzanna," Marino said. "You're as beautiful as ever. Come, come. Let's go inside."

Anfey looked up and saw the mercenaries behind Marino looking at him weirdly. Seeing that he had noticed them, the mercenaries quickly looked away.

Marino led them into the inner city, where they were greeted by a wave of cheers. The windows of the buildings on the side of the road were all open, and young girls were standing by the windows, throwing flowers at the visitors. Anfey smiled as he picked up a flower. Who knows how these girls came by these flowers in the winter?

Suzanna glanced at Anfey and frowned. Anfey nodded at her. It did not take long for them to get to the inner city. They couldn't have planned all this in that short amount of time, could they? Did Marino know that they were coming beforehand?

Marino smiled at the flowers and kept walking. This was less of a city and more of a kingdom within a kingdom, and Marino was its king.

The mercenaries in the alliance had been in constant danger before arriving. Now that they were in Stormenburg and were safe, they began thinking about things other than survival. With so many beautiful women around, some mercenaries were getting very distracted. They waved and hooted, trying to get the girls' attention. The girls, however, dutifully ignored the mercenaries.

Marino led them to the conference room in the government building. Before anyone had the chance to sit, Entos appeared. "Hey," he said to Ozzic. "Come with me. I'll show you around." Ozzic hesitated, but quickly realized that Marino must want to talk to Anfey in private. Ozzic nodded and followed Entos out. The other mercenary commanders followed as well, leaving Anfey and Suzanna alone with Marino.

"Did you run into trouble on the way here?" Marino asked, motioning them to sit.

Anfey nodded as he sat down next to Suzanna. "We ran into some trouble with Shansa Empire's Scarlet," Anfey said.

"How did that happen?" Marino asked, his eyes wide.

"We took some crystals from her."

"How much?"

"Two carts."

Marino laughed. "I would be angry with you also, if I was her." He was surprised by the amount of crystals, but he did not discuss it further. Marino turned to the mercenaries behind him and said, "Let me introduce you. These are my men, Uri, Bernedo, and Shashibi. They've been with me for years."

The three mercenaries hurried over and bowed to Anfey.

Anfey stood and helped them up, then turned to Marino and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Go gather your men," Marino ordered quietly. The three mercenaries nodded and left the room.

"Lord Marino, this…" Anfey did not sit back down. He stood there, watching Marino with a frown.

"I know this must be strange," Marino said. He pushed a file on the table over to Anfey. "You'll understand when you read this."

Anfey opened the file and nodded. It was a direct order from Yolanthe that made Marino an inheritable duke. Stormenburg and five hundred miles around the city would be his land. It also gave Marino and his heirs pardon for any crimes. Next to Yolanthe's signature was a red fingerprint. As long as Maho Empire existed, this order would be effective.

Yolanthe's generosity surprised Anfey, but it still did not answer his question. "Congratulations, Duke!" he said with a genuine smile. Marino's rise in status would be a great asset.

"Thank you," Marino said quietly. "You see, I'm not a very ambitious person. Which is why I need to take care of everything after I received this."

"You mean…"

"I know myself, but that doesn't mean others know me. I need to prevent conflicts and make myself clear to anyone." Marino chuckled. "Rulers are like beasts. You never know what will anger them."

"You are given a pardon," Anfey said.

"By His Majesty," Marino said, "who can revoke it any time he wants. People with less power, on the other hand, are much safer. People like Marquis Djoser. He had done a lot of things, but His Majesty had never punished him, because Djoser did not have enough power to change the empire."

Anfey sat down in his seat. He was beginning to understand Marino's concerns. "But His Majesty isn't like that."

"I respect His Majesty, but what about his son? His son's son?" Marino shook his head. "The pardon only works when we stay in our lanes. Entos trusts you, which is why I am telling you this. You're too young, so you may not understand. I did not understand for a long time until recently. Do you know why His Majesty did this?"

"Because he trusts you."

"No," Marino said, shaking his head. "If you have a magic beast, and one day you give it a lot of food, what will you be thinking?"

"I hope that it never gets hungry and harasses me again," Anfey said.

"Exactly. From now on, I'm on my own. I cannot ask His Majesty for anything anymore. This is the most he can give me," Marino said. "After the war began, a lot of mercenaries took refuge here. I'm worried that I may not be able to support them, but I cannot turn them away, either. I'm a duke already: Why do I need so many mercenaries? I'm not ambitious, and I'm satisfied with everything as it is. I don't need these mercenaries here, do you understand?"

Chapter 419: Courtesy

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Because of the situation we are in now, it is not the time to retreat immediately," Anfey said with a slight shake of his head. Obviously, Marino was only interested in being a wealthy man, but he had to do what was needed since the situation had changed. From Anfey's point of view, he definitely would need Marino's help in the future. Even if Marino did not want to be involved, he had to wait until the situation got better or until Christian was in a much stronger position.

"Do you know why I am talking about these things even though we just met? I am really worried." Marino had a bitter smile on his face. "Since the War against the Dead broke out, more than 12,000 mercenaries have come to Stormenburg. Including their families, the population of Stormenburg has grown by more than 50,000. It is a huge burden for me. With over 10,000 mercenaries coming to me, plus the mercenaries in Band of Brother mercenary group, I have enough people for a decent-sized military. I do not know if Glory mercenary group took the opportunity to expand. If they are the same size, I have the confidence to start a fight against them and destroy them."

Anfey was shocked. "You have that many mercenaries?" This was the difference between Marino and Alice. Alice had claimed that she welcomed all the mercenaries to Moramatch. However, only a small number of mercenaries had come. Some mercenaries who came to Moramatch were friends with Ozzic. The number of mercenaries who went to Moramatch were just a trifle compared with the large number of mercenaries who went to Stormenburg. Of course, these movements were affected by the strategies necromancers used. The population of death spirits around Cross Valley was the largest. Stormenburg was a lot safer. The people who were able to cross the Cross Valley and reach Moramatch were almost all soldiers. If they had families with them, they usually did not want to take the risk and preferred the safer route.

Marino nodded. "It was hard to explain to others why there are more than tens of thousands of mercenaries. Some people might think I want to do something with so many mercenaries in Stormenburg. In fact, I have the ability to take some action if I want to. I do not want others to have that misconception about me. You know how many people would believe the gossip."

"Do you want to give those mercenaries to me?" Anfey smiled. "Do you think I am not concerned about the same issue?"

"You are different than me. No matter what you do, others will think you are working for Christian and doing something for your future," Marino said.

Entos walked into the room and frowned. "Marino, why are you talking about this with Anfey? We should not worry about this kind of thing."

"Entos, I cannot believe you cannot see it more clearly, since you are involved. Have you asked Christian's opinion? Do you know what Christian is really thinking?" Marino asked calmly.

Entos went quiet for a while before he slowly took a seat. The issue between Granden and Christian gave him a headache. Christian was like his little brother, while Granden showed a lot of respect and had a good relationship with him. Entos even helped Granden make Niya like him. If Entos took Granden's or Christian's side, it seemed not to be fair to the other one. Entos pretended he did not know when Niya ran away. Saul did not interfere either. It showed the attitudes of Entos and Saul toward the younger generation's problems. They felt helpless and wanted to leave room to let the younger ones deal with it by themselves. They tried not to interfere.

If Granden and Christian were not in conflict, then all the problems could be solved easily. The problem was Granden and Christian shared a lot good qualities in common. They were both smart, kind, understood regular people's struggles, dedicated to the country, had good relationships in their circles, and had good self-control. It made it really hard for Entos to take sides.

So many royal kids committed crimes, bullied others and raped women. The grandson of Philip was an example. As princes, Granden and Christian had the highest immunity from being punished, but they had never done anything like that. Instead, they hated these kinds of things. The only difference between them was that Granden was more direct. In war, Granden supervised the troops. He had always volunteered to be the vice sheriff and had punished many royal kids who committed crimes. He neither showed any prejudice toward anyone, nor was afraid of offending anyone for the right reasons. The oldest prince, Wester, was in charge of city administration for the time being. Many government officials and royalty in Sacred City had showed their favoritism towards Wester. There was a saying that three inches-thick ice could not freeze overnight. Many people must have had conflicts with Granden for a long time.

Christian held an aloof attitude towards government affairs, since he did not mean to take any position in Sacred City. He needed some experience managing the city and leading troops. If Christian were given opportunities, no one would say he was worse than Granden. Everyone knew the real reason Yolanthe asked Christian to supervise the troops this time.

In relationships with girls, Granden only hung out with Niya. There was never any gossip about him with other girls. Christian had dedicated himself to magic study. They were definitely unique among royal kids, in a good way. Saul and others thought Granden and Christian should appreciate each other more. Brothers could break a gold brick if they tried it together. If one of them became Yolanthe's successor while the other one became a prince, they could work together to reform the country and give Maho Empire new life. That would be undoubtedly the best result, but reality wasn't working out that way. Granden held a party on Christian's birthday, while Christian only said goodbye to the oldest prince Wester and ignored Granden. All these had showed the conflict between them.

Marino laid his eyes on Anfey. "And I need to think for my mercenaries. There are two kinds of people. One type is ambitious, while the other is content, like me. I would like to refer a few people to you. They are the former kind. It would not benefit them too much if they follow me. No matter how hard they work, they would be my officials. The problem is, they could not replace me. I have thought about it for them through. Instead of having them stay with me and endure a boring and lonely life, I would rather have them follow you and do something amazing. If they could accomplish something, they would definitely appreciate me recommending them to you."

What Marino said inspired Anfey. He needed to push Christian into the public more. Christian should not give others the impression that he was just a puppet of Anfey. It would not do any good for Christian, and also would put himself in danger.

"But I hope you will treat them well. Their loyalty is beyond doubt. I can promise you that." Marino smiled. "I have been talking with them about you after I had this idea. I bragged about your wisdom and capability. I can tell they admire you."

"You bragged about me to what degree?" Anfey asked. He remembered that a few mercenaries had checked him out, but also looked timid.

"I did not exaggerate too much. You were a student of a supreme power and will be the only supreme power in the future," Marino said. "I talked a lot about you. For example, you drove out rascals and protected people, scolded Master Swordsman Philip, went into your enemies' territories to fight and wiped the whole Griffin Aerial Unit, fought with necromancers and killed Annunciata and over a dozen other necromancers, founded League of Mercenaries in Moramatch, and killed hundreds of thousands of death spirits."

"Are you sure you just bragged about me a little bit?" Anfey said.

"Just a little bit. To a bard, this is a necessary and artistic exaggeration. In fact, those heroic biographies had exaggeration in them as well." Marino smiled. "I have been wanting to be a bard since I was little."

"Did you just say you have over 12,000 mercenaries? How many mages are there?" Anfey asked.

"Yes, but I am not sure of the number of mages. You'll have to find out yourself." Marino suddenly grinned. "Don't get too excited about the number. You know I have passed my burden to you. First of all, you should think about how you would feed them before the business route opens up again."

"I have plenty of food, but I need to send people to get it for me," Anfey said.

"You have food? Where is it?" Marino was shocked. Stormenburg was his city and had all kinds of supplies, but the city supplies were almost emptied by having an extra 50,000 people. He planned to have Entos to take over 10,000 mercenaries to meet Anfey. This way, he helped Anfey and made a huge contribution to the future success of Christian at the same time. He also could pass the burden to Anfey with a good reason. It was like killing two birds with one stone. He definitely wanted to use Anfey when he heard there were food.

"Scarlet has lead her troops into the Country of Mercenaries to start the battle. She had to feed more than a few hundred thousand people. It should be no problem to feed another 50,000 people," Anfey said.

Marino was shocked. "You are not thinking of robbing Scarlet's supplies, are you?"

"No, I am not just thinking about it. You know I have robbed her once. It should be fine to rob her a few more times," Anfey said.

"Scarlet lost so much last time. She must have prepared a lot better this time. If you want to rob her again, it will be very, very hard!" Marino said.

"I am not going to rob her in the Country of Mercenaries. Here is the border between the Country of Mercenaries and Shansa Empire." Anfey rubbed his finger across a deep cut in the table. "I have a captive from Shansa Empire. He said Scarlet was stopped by border patrols when she was ready to go out for battle. She took over the patrol by force to show her determination. The nobility in Shansa Empire was against Scarlet going out to fight at first, but they changed their minds when they knew they could not stop her."

"What does this have to do with food?" Marino asked.

"In war, those border patrols were very brave and fought her hard, so she ordered her men to destroy the two mage towers at the border. After the battle, she forced all the mages at the border to go with her. Without the protection of mages and mage towers, Suzanna and I can go in and out freely. We could go in at any time to open the gate." Anfey pointed on the table. "She stocked most her supplies here, on the other side of the border."

Marino suddenly realized something. "Did you already plan to attack there even before you came here?"

"I planned to take a break in Stormenburg. Since Scarlet is here, I cannot do anything to her. That would be too rude," Anfey said.

Chapter 420: Paladin's Advantage

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Please!" Anfey said, holding his hands out.

Suzanna smiled and bowed to Anfey. Anfey took a few steps back and, before Suzanna could react, jumped towards her and kicked at her chest.

Suzanna had always thought Anfey was fair, so she did not expect him to attack before she was ready. She was still a grand swordswoman, though, and easily avoided the attack.

"That's cheating," Suzanna complained.

Anfey grinned but did not say anything. He drew his sword and jumped at Suzanna again without warning.

Suzanna blocked his attack with her sword. Their swords clashed, and both jumped back a few paces. Anfey attacked again, and this time he did not back down. Instead, he kept moving closer to her and his sword was held level at her throat.

Suzanna frowned, summoned her combat power, and burst into light. She did not move, but Anfey's sword was thrown back. Then she flicked her wrist and sent an arc of sword radiance after Anfey.

Suzanna went on the offensive while Anfey changed to defense. He avoided exchanging blows with Suzanna head on and chose to attack her from the side or from the back. Anfey knew his own strength, and he knew that it would be unwise to try to fight with a grand swordswoman head on. There was too big of a difference between Suzanna's combat power and his power.

The first time Ernest had practiced with Anfey, Ernest felt very uncomfortable, but that did not show in his fighting. Ernest was a top level power, and he had enough experience to adapt to anything that was unfamiliar to him. Suzanna knew Anfey's style of fighting. His style might have been confusing to others, but not to her.

Suzanna spun around as Anfey snuck around her and tried to stab her in the back. She could tell that he was already moving to her left. She was holding her sword in her right hand and she would have to turn right in order to block his sword quickly. This was why he was moving to her left.

Suzanna knew his method of attack, and she had been pretending to fall for it in order to lower his defenses.

Suzanna blocked Anfey's sword, then quickly turned to her left and slashed her sword at Anfey's neck.

Anfey did not expect her to realize what he was doing and did not move out of the way in time. Suzanna's attack threw him back and sent him crashing to the ground.

"You lost," Suzanna said.

"Not yet!" Anfey said. Instead of jumping up and lunging at her again, he remained close to the ground. He kept trying to attack her legs and ankles, but did not stand up.

Suzanna frowned. She had a lot of ways to attack a person, but she did not know how to attack someone who was attacking her while staying close to the ground.

She couldn't attack him, but Anfey could attack her. His attacks restricted his movement, but no matter what she did, she felt strange having someone stabbing at her feet.

Suzanna sighed and jumped forward, landing a few paces away. Anfey watched her and grinned. "Come," he said, without getting off of the ground.

Suzanna snorted, and her sword burst into light. She waved her sword, sending sword radiance hurling towards Anfey.

Anfey flew up and moved out of the way of her attack. A moment later, he landed on the ground again.

"Come here!" Suzanna said angrily. She was not used to losing and was getting angry. She was trying hard to think of a way to defeat Anfey. She was like Ernest and was not used to his way of attack. Also like Ernest, she could quickly adapt and change her tactics.

Anfey grinned and dashed towards Suzanna, still staying low.

Suzanna grinned as well. Her sword glowed and she waved it, sending a large sword radiance flying towards Anfey. She needed to control the distance between her and Anfey.

Anfey jumped off of the ground, trying to duck. He knew that whatever he did, he could not touch the sword radiance. If he did, he would lose.

Before he could land on the ground again, Suzanna sent another sword radiance after him. Anfey retreated, staying away from Suzanna's sword.

Suzanna had speed, patience, and strong combat power. Nothing could touch her unless she wanted it to. Anfey jumped up and down outside the net of combat power, but he could not approach Suzanna.

Although Anfey had a strange way of fighting and some strange ideas, he was still not as powerful as Suzanna. He was fast, but Suzanna was equally fast.

He knew that Suzanna could not keep this up for long, but this was not a fight to the death, and he did not need it to be too serious. Anfey took a deep breath and backed away, then he waved his hand and summoned a large wall of earth.

Suzanna grinned. She dashed towards the wall, but before she could reach the wall, she felt a familiar surge of magic. She frowned, and before she could react, someone grabbed her from behind.

"You lost!" Anfey said with a wide grin.

Suzanna stomped her foot angrily. "That was unnecessary," she said, shaking her head.

Before Anfey could say anything, a voice distracted them. Ozzic was hurrying towards them, waving his arms. "Lord Anfey!" Ozzic called. "Something's wrong!"

Chapter 421: Death Sentence

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Anfey learned from Ozzic what had happened as they travelled on the road. It was indeed a big issue. As the saying goes, those who were well-fed and well-clad tended to be lustful, and some mercenaries got horny when they saw young girls waiving bouquets to welcome them to the city. More than a dozen drunk mercenaries had forced their way into a house after having some alcohol. Only an older woman and five young girls lived there. Ozzic did not know the relationship between the older woman and the young girls. Perhaps because the girls fought hard and did not act like girls in a brothel, the mercenaries got scared. Or perhaps because they thought Anfey would give them their fair share of magic crystals soon, they felt like they could spend money. For whatever reason, the mercenaries were willing to give money to them. If they had gone to a brothel, it would not have cost as much as the money they left in that house.

For the police, what had happened was not rare, especially in the Country of Mercenaries. For example, when Tiger of Tawau mercenary group attacked Glory mercenary group and took complete control of Blackwater City, the surviving captives were all women. Everyone knew the reasons Tiger Tawau mercenary group did not kill the families of Glory mercenary group. This was common in the aftermath of a conflict. For the side that lost the battle, soldiers would definitely die, while women would lose their freedom. No one would allow the people related to their enemies to leave freely and seek opportunities to come back for revenge. Hotchbini with her clout could only save some people or one group of people, but she could not stop this phenomenon. She could have offended many people if she had tried to stop it. Soldiers risked their lives in battle and contributed to the victory. Why could not they receive some female slaves for rewards?

The troublemakers from Anfey's league would definitely be punished, but the punishments could vary depending on the judges, since no one had died in this case. However, they did make a mistake by causing a disturbance in Centerburg. Most people who lived in Centerburg were key members in Band of Brothers mercenary group or their families. Therefore, over a dozen mercenaries from Band of Brothers mercenary group forced their way into Anfey's headquarters to try to catch the mercenaries who raped the young girls in Centerburg. The mercenaries of Anfey's league could not stand for that. They were proud of themselves because of the strong fighting abilities of Anfey and Suzanna. They would not allow anyone to take their people from their headquarters whenever they wanted. In the resulting fight, both sides had injuries and casualties. More than ten mercenaries in Band of Brothers mercenary group were either hurt or died. The injured Band of Brothers mercenaries were kept in the headquarters, which totally changed the situation. It became more than just a case of rape. Ozzic said Marino had not come yet when he left. Many mercenaries from both parties were on the verge of pulling their swords out and causing a large-scale bloody scene at any moment.

Anfey was so worried that he left Ozzic behind and ran immediately to Stormenburg with Suzanna. Anfey was somewhat relieved when he only heard loud noises in the distance, no screaming and yelling of a fight. What he heard signaled that there was still room to calm the situation.

When Anfey and Suzanna ran into the headquarters, Marino, Entos, and a few others were already there. The Band of Brothers mercenaries looked angry, but they had put their weapons away. The mercenaries in the League of Mercenaries still firmly held their weapons. They obviously felt tense, since their headquarters was surrounded.

Marino had a bitter smile on his face when he saw Anfey coming. He had the absolute authority and power in Stormenburg, but the current situation still was a huge headache. Everyone was angry and anxious. It seemed that there would be a riot soon. He could have forced his mercenaries to leave, but it would have left him a big problem. No matter what relationship he had with Anfey, he would not ruin his relationship with his mercenaries. He did not even know how to greet Anfey. If he sounded harsh, he was worried Anfey would misunderstand him. If he sounded too nice to Anfey, he would lose his reputation and authority among his people. In the end, he chose to smile bitterly.

Orsie and others felt a little better when they saw Anfey coming. Orsie immediately went over to Anfey.

"Master, Band of Brothers mercenaries forced their way into our headquarters and killed some of our mercenaries. Master, you have to…" Joseph cried out as he ran over to Anfey.

Surprisingly, Anfey slapped Joseph. He did it out of anger, so he put some force into it. Joseph was shocked that Anfey would slap him. His body turned as he was knocked over and fell hard to the floor with a loud thud.

"Where is Blavi?" Anfey asked coldly.

"Anfey!" Blavi squeezed himself through the crowd.

"What were you doing when this happened?" Anfey asked.

"I went to look for Entos when I saw people had died," Blavi said bitterly.

"Why did you do that? Don't forget you are the commander of the mage group!" Anfey yelled in anger. "Do you have to look for Entos when your enemy has put his sword to your neck?" Anfey had never expected the commanders to be able to solve any big issues. He did not give them that much power anyway. He felt more disappointed when Blavi did not do anything instead of making mistakes. A commander of a mage group, like Saul and Newyoheim, should have authority in any situation. Only Blavi could control the situation when Suzanna and Anfey were not there.

Blavi was shocked for a second, but he did not realize what he had done wrong. He thought Anfey just used him as an excuse to vent his anger and carry out his plan. He wanted to cover for Anfey, so he thought it would be smart to lower his head to look ashamed. He thought he was doing it for Anfey.

"You, come out!" Anfey pointed at a mercenary.

The mercenary was shocked and confused when Anfey picked him. He walked out with a bitter face. He was just a regular mercenary. He had no idea why Anfey picked him, since he had done nothing from the very beginning.

Anfey reached his hand out and grabbed Orsie's sword shaft. He pulled the sword out and tossed it on the ground, yelling, "Go and pick it up. Bring it to Master Entos!"

That mercenary picked up the sword and slowly walked towards Entos. It was not a good feeling to be put on the spot, at least not to him. Every step took a lot of courage. He started to sweat. He felt like he had walked a long way before he got to Entos. He held the sword out.

Entos took a long look at Anfey before he took the sword without saying anything. Marino, standing next to Entos, felt a little nervous. He wondered why Anfey passed the sword over and why Anfey had mentioned the enemy putting the sword to the throat. What worried him the most was Anfey was still young and did not have sufficient patience and vision. He worried that he would not be able to pacify the situation if Anfey refused to work with him because Anfey was too proud.

"Did you see?" Anfey yelled so everyone could hear him. "You could have sent a mercenary to be the messenger. Why did you, a commander of a mage group, need to run around as a messenger? Don't you know what your position and responsibilities are?" Anfey indeed did not control his anger, but for a good reason. He was disappointed. Anfey had been hoping Blavi, Riska and a few others could grow as individuals and leaders and take on responsibilities as leaders someday. However, wishes were never realities.

Blavi was not stupid. Anfey's questions woke him up. His lips and fists were both slightly shaking. When Anfey and Suzanna were not there, he had the highest authority. When things happened, he had left the whole league to be a messenger, which was totally wrong. He did not do the most important thing, instead doing the most trivial thing. Strictly speaking, it seemed that he could not control the situation anyway, even if he had been there. If a fight broke out on a large scale, he would have had the chance to get out of the encirclement when he organized his mage group to attack the other party. Anfey and Suzanna were not there. He left to send messages and lost the opportunity to give commands. The whole league could have been in a mess if they had a fight.

"Where is Ye?" Anfey yelled again.

Ye was shocked that he was called out. He immediately walked out of the crowd and bowed. "Master!"

"Who were the mercenaries who raped the women in the Centerburg?" Anfey asked.

"Master, there are 13 of them. I investigated after that horrible incident," Ye said.

Anfey slowly closed his eyes. Compared with Blavi's mistakes, Ye's responsive actions made him feel better. Unfortunately, he could not completely trust Ye.

"Bring all of them here!" Anfey said coldly.

"Yes, master!" Ye answered. In fact, he had prepared for this. He did not think Anfey would blindly protect anyone, including the mercenaries who raped women. He thought it did not make sense for Anfey to blindly protect them.

Eleven mercenaries were pushed out of the crowd. As Anfey laid his eyes on Ye, Ye immediately said, "Two of them were killed in the fight."

"Who started the fight?" Anfey asked.

"The mercenaries in Eighth Unit," Ye said.

"Take them out!" Anfey demanded.

Ye was shocked for a second. It had been so chaotic that he had not had time to do an investigation into how the fight started. He only found out which mercenaries had fought. After thinking for a moment, he decided that the mercenaries with blood on their clothes all must have fought. He only needed to check their clothes one by one. The mercenaries were lucky if they fought but had no blood on their clothes.

After checking all the mercenaries in the Eighth Unit, over 40 mercenaries were taken out. They formed a small square formation with the other 11 mercenaries. They all stood there looking worried.

Anfey looked at them one after another. After a while, he said coldly, "Kill all of them." All the mercenaries at the scene were shocked.

Even Ye looked up at Anfey in shock. Mercenaries were neither slaves nor soldiers. Usually, the leaders of mercenaries did not have any right to kill mercenaries. Confiscating their mercenary licenses and kicking them out of mercenary groups would be considered serious punishment. It was rare to sentence mercenaries to death even when mercenaries committed serious crimes. It would be cruel to kill a group of mercenaries. Besides, the crime they committed were not serious enough for death sentences. Theoretically, if all the men who forced women to have sex were all sentenced to death, there would be a significant population decrease. The military surely would significantly lose its fighting ability and the Country of Mercenaries would be just a shell.

"Master, what they did was wrong as well. How could they force themselves into our headquarters?" Orsie hurriedly argued. "You cannot just punish our mercenaries, otherwise they would think we are easily pushed and bullied. Master, it would hurt your reputation among our mercenaries." Orsie did not want to blindly protect mercenaries. Fights were common among mercenaries. The winners made the rules, while the losers were always in the wrong. The powerful parties always made the rules. In addition, Band of Brothers mercenaries forced their way into Anfey's headquarters, which signaled that they did not care about the League of Mercenaries. The disdain they showed in their actions triggered the fight. Orsie did not think Marino dared to do anything, since Anfey and Suzanna, two big powers, were here. If Anfey had to kill his mercenaries, Marino's side should do something as well. He thought that Anfey would look too soft and the whole league would feel ashamed if he only punished his own mercenaries. Besides their interests, men only cared about how they looked in front of others.

"Compared with right and wrong, does my reputation matter that much?" Anfey responded coldly.

Orsie looked weird. Mercenaries believed in the law of jungle. They did not have much sense of right and wrong. They felt it was okay to rob others if they believed they had the ability to do so. They thought they had the right to defend themselves by fighting back when others tried to rob them. This was the reason mercenaries had to have internships and learn to fight in real battles. Every mercenary tried hard to practice fighting, hoping someday they could be stronger and more powerful to protect themselves. The Band of Brother mercenaries who came for revenge probably were not that innocent themselves.

In fact, Orsie did not think Anfey had a sense of right and wrong. If Anfey had, Orsie did not think he would kill the people who did not want to join the League of Mercenaries? But Orsie simply did not understand why Anfey did what he did. He was just a commander.

"Master, please forgive me," a mercenary said.

"I did not fight. I did not fight against them," another mercenary said.

"Master, they started the fight first," another mercenary argued.

The mercenaries in the square started to yell, argue and complain. They knew they would be punished when they saw Anfey's look, but did not think it would be this serious.

"Kill them!" Anfey's yell was as loud as roaring thunder. For a second, his yelling surpassed all the other noise. The League of Mercenaries developed so fast that its management had serious loopholes, otherwise how could they have issues like this. At least they should have noticed the conflict and stopped it from getting worse when Band of Brothers mercenaries forced their way into their headquarters to get revenge. Very soon, over 120,000 mercenaries Marino gave to Anfey would merge into the League of Mercenaries. When the number of mercenaries got larger, it would be impossible to command and control so many mercenaries without strict rules. The reason Anfey decided to kill all those mercenaries who raped women and were involved in the fight was to get rid of the bad guys in the league as well as set the rules for the current and future mercenaries.

As time went by, Anfey had some ability to change things around. The old mercenary rules did not fit Anfey's needs. He had the right to show his attitude now. From now on, he could change the mercenaries into tigers and wolves if he wanted them to be. He also could change them into submissive sheep if he wanted them to be. Every mercenary needed to know what Anfey wanted and treat his demand as the highest order. If these mercenaries could not do that, what was the point of Anfey going so far on this political stage? He would have rather had a peaceful life with Suzanna in some quiet and remote place.

With all the mercenaries' jaws dropping and eyes wide, a cloud of bright golden light appeared. Suzanna jumped into the square formation of mercenaries with her sword. The bright golden light immediately turned into a hurricane of blood. Blood spattered as pieces of body parts flew about.

They all knew the reality. If elegant elves could become sex slaves, so could regular people. Reality was reality, but everyone could have different feelings seeing the same thing. Suzanna was a woman, so she hated to see rape. She killed those mercenaries in a cruel way.

"Master, why are you killing your own people? Why?" Joseph cried out. He relied on those mercenaries. When his mercenaries were killed by Anfey, his reputation was affected. It would be a problem for him because other mercenaries would see him differently. He could not even protect his own mercenaries as a commander.

Unfortunately, Joseph immediately found out he did not need to worry about this issue any longer.

"You are a commander but could not control your mercenaries and allowed them to commit crimes. You should receive even more serious punishment than them," Anfey said coldly. "Kill him!"

Anfey had said "kill" three times. The last "kill" stunned everyone, especially the mercenaries in the league. If Anfey could kill Joseph without any hesitation, it meant he could kill other commanders if they committed any serious crimes.

Joseph was shocked for a second before he realized what happened. "Anfey, you mother f*cker!" He stomped and cursed. "I am f*cking going to kill you."

Suzanna's sword radiance had already hit Joseph. The pathetic combat power Joseph released was crushed instantly. His body was cut in half and his organs fell on the ground. Some steam even came out of the organs.

It was absolutely quiet. The Band of Brothers mercenaries were not only scared by Anfey's assertiveness, but also by the strong fighting power and coldness from Suzanna. No wonder Suzanna was a master swordswoman. When Anfey and Suzanna had just come to the city, they had been talking about Suzanna behind her back. They could not believe such a feminine girl could be a master swordswoman. Seeing what Suzanna just did, they finally believed she was a master swordswoman. When Suzanna put her sword back into the sheath, she became so quiet and sweet again. She submissively walked back to Anfey, quietly standing next to him like nothing had happened, which made others feel scared.

Anfey slowly scanned the group. Whenever he laid his eyes on a mercenary, that mercenary would lower his head. No matter whether the mercenaries were in the League of Mercenaries or Band of Brothers, they believed they would be killed if they did something to make Anfey so angry. They had heard his yelling, and seen his assertive actions and his suffocating power. No one could counter Anfey's desires, at least there was no such a person around them.

Marino looked perplexed. After a while, he let out a long sigh. What Anfey had done was far beyond his expectations. As a leader of a super mercenary group, he had a much longer vision than regular mercenaries. Besides Anfey's assertiveness and aggressive manner, Marino also saw the ambition of a great leader on display, which he and other mercenary group commanders were lacking. If it were him, he would have tried to protect his own mercenaries. It would not be fun to test his mercenaries' submission. Instead, it could be very dangerous. What Anfey wanted to show in action was that he could kill anyone if that person was against him. If a group of people were against him, he would kill all of them. Marino did not know if Anfey would kill all the commanders if all of them were firmly against Anfey's decision. He could tell from the looks on the commanders in Anfey's league that they only wanted to obey Anfey's order. It was obvious that Anfey had won the battle about the rules. From now on, the League of Mercenaries would probably enter a new chapter.

Band of Brothers mercenary group was Marino's group. However, it could not be his mercenary group at the same time. Mercenaries in Marino's group followed his orders because he represented the interests of the group. The League of Mercenaries was not like Band of Brothers mercenary group. Anfey had the absolute authority in the League of Mercenaries. If there was any uncertainty or disturbance in the League of Mercenaries, Anfey could kill any of them or even a group of them. It would be hard to change the situation when a group of people agreed on the authority Anfey had. His situation could become influential. The mercenaries who joined the league later on would follow the customs and traditions of the mercenaries in the league and learn to strictly follow Anfey's orders and acknowledge that Anfey had the authority to sentence them to death.

An empire general could kill a soldier, while a senior official had to be kept in jail before the military department had a judgement, otherwise it could cause a problem in the future. Even when a king wanted to punish a noble, he had to get permission from the royal committee first. On Pan Continent, everyone's power was constrained at some level. However, Anfey had the absolute authority in the League of Mercenaries. His authority would not be challenged as long as things would get settled in the League of Mercenaries.

"Ye!" Anfey raised his voice.

"Yes, Master!" Ye walked out again.

"Where are the injured friends from Band of Brothers mercenary group?" Anfey asked.

"Master, I am bringing them here," Ye said.

Ye quickly brought five injured mercenaries over. Or maybe it should be described as Ye and his mercenaries carried those five injured mercenaries out and carefully put them in the center of the field.

"Master Marino, please accept my sincere apology for what happened today," Anfey said slowly. "The mercenaries who committed crimes have gotten their punishment. I hope things could be settled between us."

"No, I have to say there are still people who have not gotten their punishment," Marino said with a deep sigh. He remembered that someone said Anfey was really lucky because he robbed two wagons of magic crystals. It seemed that lucky was not enough to describe Anfey. Over 120,000 mercenaries he gave to Anfey would help Anfey become more powerful. Since he believed Anfey would make great achievements in the future, he felt he should do something more to make him look better. If in the past he had wanted to keep a good relationship with Anfey, now it was imperative that he do so.

Anfey was shocked and slowly turned to look at Marino.

Marino looked at the injured mercenaries. "No matter what happens, all you needed to do was to report to me and let me make a decision instead of forcing your way into our friends' headquarters and hurting our relationship." Marino paused before he yelled, "The mistakes you made were unforgivable. Kill them!'

Entos stepped forward. He swung his wrist and shot a row of wind blades out. The injured mercenaries had no ability to fight back. They could not even beg for forgiveness. They could do nothing but lie there. The fast moving wind blades cut apart their bodies. There was no way they could survive the wind blades.

Anfey nodded at Marino. He had to admit that Marino helped him a lot. He could even hear Orsie and a few others sighing. Obviously, Marino's order made them feel better. And the mercenaries in the League of Mercenaries felt better too.

Marino turned to Anfey with a smile. He waved his arm, "You guys can go back now. Continue with what you were doing. Don't let what happened today affect our friendship. If I find out anyone is disturbing our friends, I would not forgive that person."

"Yes, master!" Band of Brothers mercenaries responded together. The no longer continued to be angry. After seeing Anfey kill more than 50 mercenaries, there was nothing more for them to begrudge. All they wanted was fairness. Now they had seen justice carried out, and were also scared by Anfey. They felt it was reasonable when Marino ordered those injured mercenaries killed. If Anfey had killed all the mercenaries who committed crimes, the mercenaries on their side who had forced their way into their friends' headquarters deserved to pay the same price. If Anfey could be so cruel to his own mercenaries, he could be even more cruel to his enemies. Unless it was necessary, they felt they should stay away from Anfey.

Marino felt he should not stay too long. He took a look at Anfey and slowly walked out of the building. Entos was in an even more awkward position. He hesitated for a second before he followed Marino.

"Entos, what are you thinking?" Marino asked quietly. He could tell there were something on Entos's mind.

"I am thinking about the future of Granden," Entos said bitterly. What shocked him was not Anfey's assertiveness and cruel killing, but his aggressive anger. With some luck and more support, such an aggressive young man could go really far. Anfey had both luck and support. He knew Yolanthe liked Anfey a lot. It was very lucky that Christian and Anfey had become such good friends. Obviously, it was unlucky for Granden.

"You told me you and I should not worry about things like this," Marino said with a smile.

Entos shook his head. "Never mind. I shouldn't think about it."

Anfey was quiet for a while after Marino and Entos left. He said slowly, "Do you guys have anything to tell me?"

"These guys deserved it. They made such a mess!" Ozzic said, walking back. He was the first one to step out to support Anfey. He looked bitter. "Master, if you had not come back in time, I cannot imagine what would happen."

Everyone knew Ozzic was kissing Anfey's ass, but Orsie and others felt what Ozzic said made sense after giving it some thought. They came to Stormenburg for help, not to fight. No one wanted to see a large-scale fight. Anfey solved the conflict very quickly and saved most people, including the mercenaries in the League of Mercenaries and Band of Brothers mercenary group. No matter what, it was a good thing.

"Blavi," Anfey said.

"Huh?" Blavi looked up.

"Remember, you need to do what Suzanna and I cannot do when we are not here. Do you understand?" In fact, Anfey would rather have said this to Alice. He could completely trust Alice, of course, so Anfey would not have needed to remind Alice, since she was smart and capable.

"I understand, Anfey!" Blavi nodded vigorously.

"In my hometown, there was a saying that men think with their penises. Do you understand what it means?" Anfey said calmly. "But I hope you could think with your brain. I will not interfere with how you treat your enemies. If things like this incident happen again, and someone made the same mistake, I would kill that person. If a full unit makes the same mistake, that whole unit needs to be gone. Do you understand?"

"Yes, master!" Orsie and others answered immediately. Anfey had spoken casually, but they did not think these were empty words after seeing what he had done to those mercenaries.

Ozzic laughed in an exaggerated manner. "Master, the people in your hometown are so funny." In fact, he was most shocked when Anfey mercilessly killed Joseph. He was not sure if Anfey would forgive him whenever he made any mistakes. The only option for him would be to listen to Anfey better and having a better relationship with Anfey. Anfey might show him some mercy if Anfey saw that he was totally dedicated to the league.

"Master, if we catch Scarlet, would you stop us from doing anything to her?" Thompson giggled. He was a smart guy so he was trying to lighten up the tensed atmosphere.

"If you can catch her, I will leave her to you guys," Anfey said, "but, today…"

"Master, you do not have to remind us more. We are not stupid." Thompson smiled. "If we want women, there are plenty of them in the Outerburg. Why would we risk our lives to get women somewhere else. Even if we want different types of women…I heard there are thousands of people who came to Marino. Marino has been given them some food each day. Many of them are still hungry. If we could bring some food there and walked around, we might get something there." Thompson sounded so horny, but his eyes were clear. Obviously, what he had said was only meant to lighten the atmosphere.

Anfey was shocked. "I did not know about it." He had been worrying about how to have over 100,000 mercenaries willingly listen to him. This was a good opportunity.

"Master, do you want women too?" Thompson giggled. "Unfortunately, you are married. Master Suzanna is so sweet and considerate. You cannot fool around like us."

"F*ck off!" Anfey cursed in a joking way. The remaining commanders finally felt relieved after they heard Anfey curse. The tense and strange atmosphere disappeared. It was not that Thompson and the others were expecting Anfey to curse. But sometimes cursing meant things had returned to normal and they could get along as before.

Chapter 422: Laziness

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The flags of Griffins Aerial Unit lined the wall. Despite the number of flags present, there were not a lot of soldiers in the city.

Scarlet had taken all the mages and capable soldiers with her to the Country of Mercenaries, so the only people left were civilians and the older soldiers. They were displaying the flags because they wanted to create an illusion of a well-guarded city.

Scarlet was not worried about her opponents. She was very confident in herself and the abilities of the griffin knights. She would detect larger armies, and smaller armies would not be able to reach the city. The presence of the alliance was news to her, however, because Transverse Mountains was too far from away. She could detect movements of real armies, but not the movements of mercenaries.

She was surprised by the attack on her supplies and wanted to find the mercenaries, but she learned the news of Baery's arrival in Country of Mercenaries. She changed her plan, recalled her army, and spoke with Fernando. They discussed a new plan, and she did not care about the mercenaries anymore.

Scarlet was very torn. She wasn't sure if she should attack the Shield of Light legion before Baery arrived. After a few days, she decided against it. She wanted to disrupt Yolanthe's plan and prevent Maho Empire from taking over Country of Mercenaries. There was no need to force a conflict. If that happened, neither side would benefit.

Scarlet was a general, not a madwoman. She knew that the third prince of Maho Empire was with the legion. If she really attacked the legion, the attack would inevitably cause the prince harm. Whether she captured him, killed him, or allowed him to escape, she would anger Yolanthe and cause him to attack her with all his forces. There were no more necromancers in Maho Empire, but Shansa Empire was still struggling. She did not want to risk her armies on a useless mission. On the other hand, she still needed time. She had spoken with Fernando and knew that he had sent messages to the Church several times already, complaining of Maho Empire's behavior and requesting backup. Because the Church's relationship with Maho Empire was very turbulent, Fernando believed his requests would be granted.

This was why Scarlet chose to take things slowly. She did not want to fight Baery, because she knew she was still too inexperienced compared to him. If she lost, the situation would become too difficult for Shansa Empire.

Anfey watched the city and its flapping flags. Without mages in the city, he did not fear being discovered.

Just like Scarlet did not know much about him, he did not know anything about Scarlet. If he had, he would have known that Scarlet was in a difficult situation, and if he attacked right now, he would win.

A team of soldiers was patrolling the wall. They passed by Anfey several times but did not pay any attention to him. A few other soldiers were sitting around a bonfire, chatting. This city had never experienced war, because the mercenaries never dared to invade Shansa Empire. Edward VIII sent his soldiers here because he was worried about the necromancers and zombies. Now that the capable soldiers were gone, the remaining soldiers became too relaxed.

Small groups of mercenaries crept towards the city. However, because of their numbers, it was very hard for the mercenaries to be completely secretive. Soon, one of the soldiers spotted them. "Enemy attack!" the soldier called. "Enemy attack!"

Another soldier frowned and interrupted him. "No way," the man said.

"There's enemies!" the first soldier said hurriedly.

"Be quiet," the second soldier said. "I'm trying to sleep."

The patrol was alerted by the soldier's calls and spotted the mercenaries.

"Pull up the drawbridge!" the leader of the patrol called as he drew his sword.

"We didn't lower it, sir," another soldier whispered.

"Then close the door!" the leader ordered. "And fill the sandbags! Hurry!"

However, most of the soldiers had never participated in a real battle and did not know what the man was talking about. Many of the soldiers were not even properly trained, and the city wasn't as equipped as it should be. Because of this, the mercenaries had pushed closer to the city, but the soldiers still did not do anything that could stop them.

One of the chains that was holding the drawbridge suddenly broke. The leader of the soldiers cursed as more chains broke and the drawbridge crashed to the ground. "Archers!" he called, waving his arms. "Mages!"

Anfey sighed and shook his head. He returned his bow to his dimensional ring and levitated off of the wall and into the city. There were no swordsmen in the city, only normal soldiers. It was one of the poorest cities in Shansa Empire, and no one wanted to be stationed there unless they had no other choice.

The gate of the city shattered with a blast of light, and Suzanna appeared, Ozzic and Ye appeared behind her with their mercenaries.

"Suzanna, come with me," Anfey said, walking over to them.

"Just us?" Suzanna asked, confused.

"We are more than enough to take this city," Anfey said with a grin.

"We got it here, Lady Suzanna," Ozzic said, reassuring her. He turned, saw some soldiers fleeing, and waved his hand at his men. He could tell that the soldiers had no will to fight and would be easy to take care of.

"Come on," Anfey said to Suzanna.

The city was about ten miles away from a supply station. For Suzanna and Anfey, it was very close.

The soldiers at the supply station must have already seen the flame from the city. Because many had left with Scarlet's army, the supply station was severely understaffed. There were no more than two thousand soldiers stationed there.

Even though the soldiers wanted to fight back and help the city, they were no match for Suzanna and Anfey.

Anfey summoned his fire sword, gripping it tight as he lunged at the soldiers. He swept his sword around himself, setting everything around him on fire. Those that survived this initial attack were protected by combat power, but even those that survived knew that their combat power could not hold against such attacks for long.

The massacre ended in less than half an hour. The supply station became engulfed in flames from Anfey's sword. Suzanna was standing outside waiting as Anfey appeared through the flames.

Anfey looked at the supply station and frowned as he realized there were not as many warehouses as he had expected.

After a few minutes, Orsie and Thompson arrived with their men and carts.

"Where's Ozzic?" Anfey asked.

"Still in the city," Thompson said. "He seems angry. He's lost some people. Shinbella's over there helping."

"He lost men?" Anfey asked, surprised.

Thompson nodded. "Those people are stronger than we thought."

"How?"

"Not the soldiers," Thompson said. "There were some nobles in the city because this was a trade route before the war. They all had guards. We heard there is a senior swordsman."

Anfey nodded. "I trust them to take care of it," he said. "Open all the warehouses and search them."

Thompson nodded and hurried off, giving his men orders to search the place.

"Wait," Anfey said. "Remember to document everything you find. Take as much as possible and burn the rest."

After about half an hour, Shinbella appeared with about a dozen of her men. Anfey waved at her. "How are Ozzic and his men?" he asked.

"It's over," Shinbella said. "I'm not sure about the losses, but…" she saw Orsie walking over and waved at him. "Orsie!" she called. "Save me some carts!"

"Why?" Orsie asked, confused.

"Ozzic needs them," Shinbella said. "Said he needs to transport his injured. We also found a lot of things at those nobles' places that need to be transported."

"How many do you need?"

"About a hundred."

"You're joking," Orsie said. "We still need them for food."

"Let's her take the carts," Thompson said, walking over. "My men just checked all the warehouses. A lot of them are empty anyway. We'll have enough carts."

"Tell Ozzic," Anfey said. "Just finish off the nobles. We don't need them."

"Ozzic wanted to keep them prisoners," Shinbella said. "It's easier to get more out of them that way. They have so many treasures. I never thought nobles in a city like this would have that many magic crystals. They have dimensional rings as well. Whatever they're hiding in the rings must be worth even more than the crystals."

"Alright," Anfey said. "Tell Ozzic he needs to hurry." Anfey knew that a lot of the mercenaries did not have dimensional rings. Ozzic's plan would work, and he could give those nobles' rings to the mercenaries who did not have rings.

Shinbella nodded. She walked over to Orsie and Thompson, and the three of them hurried off to get the carts.