Bab 143: Chapter 143
Until now, the Jubal mercenary group's job was mining amber.
Amber serves as both a material for magic circles and a luxury item when processed into jewelry.
"But we haven't received a single penny for our work, have we?"
The mercenaries whined.
Their complaints were understandable.
If the demon wizard Walter needed workers, he could have paid for labor. But he likely took control of the mercenary group to get free manpower.
So there was no way the Jubal mercenaries had been paid.
The mercenaries were disgruntled about this fact.
Now that Walter, who should have paid them, was dead, they decided to take the amber as compensation.
"Hmm."
It was only natural to want payment for their work up to this point.
Whether medieval or modern, overdue wages must be collected.
"Mr. Wizard, how about... coming along with us? Hehe."
The mercenaries tried to rope Ian in, hoping to spread out the risk of collecting the amber.
Ian is a wizard.
Bringing in high-level talent like a wizard greatly increases the chances of successful collection.
'They didn't consider that I might just take it all for myself.'
Ian thought this, then shook his head.
They likely judged that Ian wouldn't resort to robbery.
After all, hadn't Ian just restored their souls(?) without asking for anything in return?
The mercenaries' judgment was accurate.
Ian had no intention of running off with all the amber they had worked hard to mine.
He planned to do a fair share and receive his portion.
Ian discussed with his companions.
"The more money, the better."
Belenka readily agreed.
"As long as it doesn't interfere with our schedule."
Kira agreed on the condition that it wouldn't take too long.
Ian agreed with that point.
Currently, Ian was on his way to Baron Vincent's domain to help Inglan. It would be putting the cart before the horse if something happened to Inglan while they wasted time looking for amber.
"Let's take a look around, and if we can't find anything, we'll just continue on our way."
"Sounds good."
After concluding the meeting, Ian rejoined the mercenaries.
Ian headed into the forest where the demon wizard was said to frequent, accompanied by the mercenaries.
The Jubal mercenary group would mine amber by the river and then hand it over to the demon wizard's subordinates in the forest.
"Those subordinates of the demon wizard..."
One mercenary spoke up dramatically.
"They're monsters! Monsters!"
"What kind of monsters?"
The mercenary seemed slightly disappointed when Ian maintained a nonchalant expression.
He had hoped to see the great wizard's surprised reaction!
But Ian had traveled too much to be startled by a mere mention of "monsters."
He had encountered all sorts of monsters, conversed with them, and even befriended some.
The demon wizard's minions?
To Ian, they just seemed like Monster #1 passing by.
"Well... they're called kobolds. Have you heard of them?"
"I have."
It was a familiar monster.
Kobolds.
While they frequently appear in fantasy worlds, they don't have a standardized appearance like orcs or elves.
In this medieval fantasy world, kobolds were man-eating monsters with dog heads and child-sized bodies.
In other words, walking puppies.
Due to their cute appearance(?), even the medieval locals weren't particularly afraid of them.
However, they certainly had the jaw strength to tear into people, child-level intelligence, and a pack mentality that could lead to human casualties.
"Kobolds, huh..."
They were suitable minions for a wizard.
With some intelligence and large numbers, once controlled, they could be put to various uses.
Even Ian had accomplished many tasks using his flock of birds.
A wizard commanding kobolds could likely achieve far more.
"We gathered amber and handed it over to those kobold bastards."
The mercenary chattered on.
"The demon wizard must have set up a storehouse nearby!"
It was a reasonable assumption.
While kobolds can understand human speech, they're not smart enough to understand complex orders.
They might manage to guard the amber somehow, but they couldn't dispose of it.
The mercenaries were convinced there must be a storehouse somewhere in the forest guarded by kobolds.
"Let's try this."
Ian had the mercenaries shoulder baskets filled with stones.
He then piled broken amber fragments only on top of the baskets.
"Wow, these really look like baskets full of amber!"
"Don't they?"
It was a tactic Ian had often seen merchants use in his past life as a modern person.
Filling the top with decent products while packing garbage at the bottom...
Ian was about to brag(?) about this method he'd learned back home.
But the mercenaries beat him to it.
"Hey, this is exactly how the merchants in our town do business!"
"Really? I saw the mill owner pulling this trick!"
"I've seen it at the fish market!"
Hahaha!
As the mercenaries laughed, the atmosphere became extremely jovial.
Ian joined in the laughter.
Haha. Humans. How is it that their scamming methods are all the same!
It was so absurd that laughter burst out involuntarily.
Anyway.
Ian had them carry the fake amber baskets to meet the kobolds.
The kobolds likely didn't know that the demon wizard Walter was dead yet.
Unless some mechanism was used to control the minions, if they were simply working under threat of force, they'd have no way of knowing about Walter's death.
'We'll see.'
If they had noticed Walter's death, the plan would fail.
But kobolds appeared in a forest clearing.
"Keek! Humans!"
"Oh."
Ian was momentarily surprised.
He'd heard their intelligence was on par with children's.
But these bastards were speaking the Imperial language.
"Shiny! Give it!"
The kobolds tried to take the amber from the mercenaries as usual.
They showed no interest in why the mercenaries had appeared now.
They just wanted to receive the amber baskets.
'They're certainly not that smart.'
It seemed they could be given tasks, but only at the level of following specific orders.
"Grab them."
"Aye!"
As soon as Ian's order fell, the mercenaries pounced and captured the kobolds.
The kobolds shouted in confusion.
"Let go! Let go! Humans!"
"Don't do this! Humans!"
The kobolds clearly never dreamed they'd be ambushed by the mercenaries.
Until now, Walter had thoroughly protected them...
But that demon wizard had been eliminated by Ian.
"Ian. Are you going to interrogate them?"
"I have to."
Belenka watched Ian's interrogation with an amused smile.
Ian's strange actions were an entertaining spectacle for Belenka.
Like an 'oh my little Ian'.
"Hello, kobold friends."
"Keeng..."
The kobolds whimpered fearfully as soon as they saw Ian.
A good sign.
Frightened opponents are easy to handle.
"You guys. You took amber from these fellows and stashed it away, right?"
"...?"
A kobold tilted its head in confusion.
Ah, these frustrating creatures.
"The shiny stuff. The shiny stuff."
"Ah! Shiny!"
"Yeah, that. Where did you put it?"
"..."
The kobolds clamped their mouths shut at Ian's question.
They didn't know what amber was, but they knew it was important.
Even simple-minded dogs know what their masters like.
"Ca-can't say..."
"Master! We'll tell when Master comes!"
The kobolds howled and whined.
Their excitement spiked at the mere thought of their master.
They clearly believed their master would appear heroically to save them!
"Tch."
Ian clicked his tongue.
Too bad for them.
I eliminated your master.
"Your master's not coming anymore."
"Wh-why?"
"Because I got rid of him."
The kobold looked shocked for a moment, but soon barked back angrily.
"Kang! Liar! You'll die when Master returns! Human!"
"I'm telling you, I really eliminated your master."
"Lies! Lies!"
The kobolds absolutely refused to believe Ian's words.
Should this be called loyalty? Or ignorance?
Perhaps both.
"I guess there's no choice. I didn't want to resort to this method..."
As Ian stood up and stretched his hands, everyone's attention focused on him.
The wizard has stood up!
He must be about to use magic to find the storehouse location!
"Jubal."
"Yes!"
"Hang those bastards from a tree."
At Ian's command, Jubal grabbed the kobolds without a moment's hesitation.
The kobolds were already small, but in the hands of the 2-meter-tall Jubal, they looked like stuffed animals caught in a claw machine.
"Keeng! Keeng!"
"Kaang!"
The kobolds whined pitifully, but Jubal tied them up without batting an eye.
Ian broke off a tree branch and approached the kobolds.
And then.
"Where's my amber! Koboldski!"
"Kaaang!"
He viciously struck the kobold with the branch!
The kobold howled in pain as Ian wielded the branch like a switch.
The mercenaries stared blankly at Ian.
Um... well.
The wizard is... finding out the storehouse location, but...
Somehow, the method is a bit...
It wasn't quite the kind of "magic" the mercenaries had expected.
But making information flow freely from the opponent's mouth...
In a way, isn't that also magic?
The kobold, severely punished by Ian's mysterious magic (physical), tearfully spilled the information.
"Deep forest! Inside mossy cave! Beyond pile of bat droppings!"
"F*ck, explain so I can understand!"
"Kaaang!"
As a result of the beating, Ian learned the location of the kobolds' hidden lair.
Kira awkwardly scratched her cheek and said:
"I thought Ian would use a more magical method..."
"A magical method?"
"You know, like communicating in the Maronius language..."
Ian shrugged.
"Why bother with talking when beating works?"
"..."
It was an irritatingly valid point.
"Besides, these are monsters raised by a demon wizard. No need to mince words with them."
In the past, Ian had learned a valuable lesson while hunting manticores.
Communication only works with those who can understand it!
Rather than wasting time trying to persuade kobolds, it was better to choose a quick and effective method.
As a result, Ian successfully obtained the information.
There really was a secret storehouse where the kobold had said.
"Keek? Humans?"
"Don't come closer! You'll die!"
The kobolds guarding the storehouse bared their teeth at Ian's group.
"Jubal. Belenka. Time to work."
Ian leisurely crossed his arms and sent out the warriors.
"Yes... I do work."
"It's been a while since I've stretched my muscles."
The giant figure and the black knight in dark armor took the lead.
Sensing the ominous atmosphere, the kobolds trembled.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone