The Glaive

"Thrust!"

At the squad leader's command, Jinn and the other mercenaries lunged their spears forward, stabbing the non-existent enemy in front of them.

After completing the thrust, Jinn quickly retracted his spear and raised his shield in a defensive stance.

The squad leader nodded in satisfaction, glanced at the sky which had turned to midday, and then seemed to remember something. He dismissed the group and promptly vanished.

Jinn wiped the sweat from his brow, placed his spear behind the tent, and picked up a plate, heading towards the mess hall. Calling it a mess hall was a bit of a stretch; it was really just a tent with a few large cauldrons set up in front.

But already many mercenaries were lining up with wooden plates in hand, their eyes eagerly fixed on the aromatic cauldrons and the figure stirring the contents.

"Dinner's ready!" Norn shouted, brandishing a wooden spoon.

"Today we've got cheese stew with salted ham!"

Despite the name sounding a bit like a culinary gamble, the addition of celery, onions, carrots, and a bit of sage by Norn made for a dish that was refreshing from the vegetables, juicy from the ham, and richly fragrant from the cheese. It was enough to make the mercenaries' mouths water.

Norn ladled a generous portion of stew from the pot. With a few shakes, and under the envious gaze of the recipient, he transferred the remainder into the other's bowl.

The mercenary who received the food immediately squatted to the side and began eating heartily with some bread.

"Delicious!"

"Even the lord probably hasn't tasted anything this good!"

For a moment, the only sounds were the slurping of food and the praises of the mercenaries.

Norn, with a wooden toothpick in his mouth and his arms crossed, watched the mercenaries, feeling quite pleased with himself.

"Norn, are you doing okay here?" Jinn asked with concern as he came up to get his food.

"Doing great! They can't flatter me enough now," Norn said smugly, as he ladled a big portion for Jinn.

Jinn looked at his overflowing bowl, feeling a bit guilty, but seeing that everyone was focused on eating, he quietly found a corner to enjoy his meal.

"Norn!" Anna, now dressed in women's clothes, walked over holding a few pieces of clothing, "Here are your clothes. I washed them."

"Anna, you're not bad at this!" Norn looked at the dog-bite-like patches on his pants but decided to lie through his teeth.

"Anna, who taught you all this?"

"Gillna taught me. She knows so much."

Norn was taken aback. Although he hadn't been there long, he had heard of Gillna's reputation.

"It's not what you think," Anna's face turned red as she seemed to read Norn's mind, "Gillna doesn't just do business all day. She also sews and launders for the mercenaries during the day to earn some extra money."

Norn relaxed, then thought of something and asked nervously, "So where do you sleep at night?"

"Don't worry! I sleep with the other mercenaries' families."

"Alright. Just don't overwork yourself."

"Okay!" Anna smiled, and Norn was momentarily stunned by her beauty.

After the mercenaries finished eating and were sitting around on the open ground, Captain Wolf emerged from his tent and shouted, "Fall in!"

In an instant, mercenaries dressed in all sorts of mismatched gear emerged. There were those in Norman helmets and leather armor with studs, and others in pot helmets and brigandines, wielding everything from iron clubs and axes to spears and flails.

If there was one thing these weapons and armor had in common, it was their age—they were so old they could be museum pieces.

Captain Wolf scanned the group, confirmed no one was missing, and then bellowed in his robust voice,

"Everyone here in my Wolf's Mercenary Band, no matter the reason, one thing is for sure: we're all here to get rich."

"Although those dog-like nobles haven't paid us our wages for a month, today in the afternoon, make sure to take good care of your weapons. Love them more than your wives!"

"Tomorrow we march to fight the rebels! Win, and there will be spoils! Money! Women! And those nobles will finally pay us our wages."

"So, listen up! Follow me, don't retreat when I go forward, and don't run slower than me if I run!"

"Keep your lives intact and come back to feast, drink, and have fun with the ladies."

"Got it?" Wolf roared almost at the end.

"Understood!"

"Dismissed."

The men scattered upon the command, and after a quick word with Jinn, Norn hurried off to the city to shop.

After all, this time was different from the last. The enemy was a proper "regular army." Besides knights, there would likely be a fair number of mercenaries as well, which was quite dangerous for Norn, who currently had no guards or armor.

Norn rushed to the blacksmith's shop, where five blacksmiths were sweating profusely, forging weapons. Only a young apprentice approached to inquire.

"What can I get for you, sir?"

Norn scanned the blacksmith's shop. Due to the war, the inventory was sparse, but there were still various weapons stuck in the wooden barrels on the side.

"How much for that chainmail?" Norn pointed to a full set of heavy chainmail hanging on the wall.

The apprentice immediately beamed and introduced, "This was custom-made by a knight who ordered it here. The craftsmanship and materials are top-notch from our shop."

"Um, will there be any trouble if I buy it?" Norn asked curiously.

"Don't worry, there won't be any issues," the apprentice assured repeatedly, after all, the dead don't come to collect.

"What's the price?"

"Recently, this kind of armor has been in high demand, and we only have this one left. I'll give you a special price of 25 gold nomis."

Although this armor could greatly increase his safety, Norn looked at the 50 silver dinars in his pocket and had to regretfully shake his head.

Then Norn turned his head to the side, where there were some weapons and equipment left over from others' choices. At that moment, a peculiar-looking spear caught Norn's attention.

A slender spearhead, with two hooks of different sizes extending from each side, plus a wooden shaft about 2 meters long.

"Is the customer interested in this glaive?"

The apprentice fetched the glaive and handed it to Norn. Norn weighed it and found the weight acceptable.

"I'll take it!"

After paying 35 silver coins, Norn successfully acquired the glaive and a kite shield.

Exiting the blacksmith's shop, Norn glanced at the sky. In the distance, dark clouds faintly drifted over, like war clouds, quietly enveloping the horizon.