Ship Kerudan
The interior of the Mercenary Guild – a type of Explorer Guild – was similar to a luxurious tavern but grander than one. Even though it was just a branch of the guild located in the Redan City of the Southeast Duchy of Alexander, it possessed its own wide dining hall for the onlookers, common people, and tired Explorers, as well as Mercenaries, offering various services to fill one's energy after a tiring, busy day.
In addition, one could enjoy a set of dishes cooked by several skilled chefs that could match the nobility's palette. Of course, this was partnered with alcoholic beverages that always provided life to the guild's premises every night and day.
Moreover, the Mercenary Guild also had its own set of lodgings and privileges, though it was something that only nobles in visitation could afford. After all, this place could be considered as a waypoint before continuing on one's journey.
But sometimes, there was always unavoidable trouble in the midst of all this lavishly peaceful place and delightful crowd.
"Hey, Liana. Why are you suddenly ignoring me?" An Explorer named Deran, who seemed to have been under the influence of alcohol on this cold evening, grabbed one of the receptionists' arms, causing Liana to subconsciously shift his gaze to the man.
Witnessing this assault, a thought struck Zero, 'I see. It seems this man is quite feared.' His brown eyes swept past the dining hall and waiting areas, seeing the crowd that seemed to avoid creating a conflict with this man by minding their own business.
Out of curiosity, he then selectively heightened his auricular sense as he listened to several murmurs, finding a thing or two about the Explorer, Deran.
— "That bastard again... assaulting women whenever he wants."
— "Well, what can we do? As far as I know, he has a Mana Attunement of at least around 180, we're going to get fucked by messing with him."
— "Sigh. That maniac head. Why is the Mercenary Guild not doing anything about this?"
— "I don't know. But you see, I bet the Branch Leader isn't even in this place. He's probably sucking a noble's feet somewhere."
— "Fuck! I can't even eat in peace!"
— "Hoho, did he shag another one last night? I think it was the maid in the Idiren Tavern."
— "Lucky bastard! Getting women here and there. Well, it will be my turn later. Hehe."
As Zero listened to the murmurs that mostly contained negativity against the man, his thoughts were put to an abrupt stop as he heard a defiant shout:
"Let go of me, you fucking maniac!" Liana couldn't contain her thoughts as she slapped the hand that held her arm.
"W–what? T–this bit–!"
Deran's words were cut off by a serene, patient voice:
"Excuse me, Sir. I am waiting for my mercenary license because I need to go somewhere.
"Also, it seems you are out of the queue. Kindly proceed to the back, Sir."
Zero cast his gaze on Liana; the latter, however, was hesitant to move. It was not just her, but almost everyone's gaze focused on the seemingly clueless young man. Inaudible murmurs followed, but they were clear as day in Zero's ears as he proceeded to neglect a well-fitted, brown-haired man.
At that moment, a rough hand tapped his right shoulder, "Hey, young man. Are you new here? It seems you don't know your place." His words were followed by a conceited grin.
"Respectfully Sir, I don't know you can create your own queue in the Mercenary Guild."
Unintentionally, Zero's words caused some others to let out a chuckle, sending the Explorer named Deran into a bit of humiliation. The latter's gaze swiftly went past somewhere for a moment, silencing some witnesses of the scene.
After that, Deran raised his right fist with his expression seething for interrupting his moment and unintentionally humiliating him, aiming to teach such a newcomer a lesson to know who was superior.
"This fucking brat–"
Woosh—!
"Miss Liana, you can proceed now with my mercenary license." With a genuine smile, Zero addressed the bewildered receptionist as if time had been momentarily frozen. After all, a fountain of crimson pool painted a portion of the Mercenary Guild's premises.
Dumbstruck as she witnessed Deran's head rolled on the floor, Liana, with her incredulous voice, muttered:
"Yes?"
***
It happened in an instant, something that could hardly be seen. One moment, the young man politely chided the known Explorer, Deran, for creating the latter's own queue. But in the next moment, something rolled through the floor, which was followed by the fountain of blood that painted the wall, the desk, and some others nearby crimson.
The reactions of everyone within the Mercenary Guild's confines varied; some were frozen; some were repulsed; some were in horror, whilst several others were in rage.
"D–Deran!" Said a woman in her early thirties, who seemed to be having an affair with the now-deceased Explorer. This woman, like someone teetering on the brink of normality and insanity, reached for the man's decapitated head and tried to attach it to the severed body as she retrieved several Mid-Grade Vitality Potions. But such a desperate action was futile.
"T–This fucker!" Shouted by a man in his mid-twenties, raising his refined, [Rare] bow as he aimed at the young man. But Zero did not turn around; he only focused on waiting for his mercenary license as Liana began to process it.
Without looking back, Zero's auricular sense registered the echo of agony and carnival of blood as several maniacal laughter spread.
— "Hahaha! This arrogant fucker is nothing without that maniac!"
— "Fucking pests! From tonight onwards, I am going to have my meals always in peace!"
— "Detestable woman! How dare you neglect your child just to be with that prideful piece of crap?!
— "I think your husband died in an exploration recently, right?! I bet that Deran was the one who killed him. Maybe, maybe you're even his accomplice!
— "DIE!"
— "DIE!"
Countless punches, kicks, and stabs against Deran's two companions brought them to the unrelenting, hellish afterlife. Their bodies turned unrecognizable, abstractly painting a larger portion of the Mercenary Guild with their warmth and crimson blood. Such a scene was the depiction of the one side of a person's nature; unexpressed madness against the truly and only acting powerful.
Every personnel of the Mercenary Guild only watched in silence, diligently catering to the queue of unfazed customers with one's thoughts concealed in one's heart and mind. But their neutrality in this theater of brutality was a testament to their hidden desire – to get rid of the ones that continuously disrupted the peace within the confines of the guild.
After what felt like an eternity, at the door exclusive only for personnel, Liana emerged holding an ashen, rectangular, and slightly smaller than an average hand, mercenary license. However, unlike before, an alluring wide smile spread across her lips; her emerald eyes gleamed through her gold-rimmed eyeglasses as though they were just polished to their maximum extent.
With both hands, Liana handed the mercenary license to the young, newly registered mercenary. She then explained the basic rules of being a part of the Mercenary Guild:
[1] A Mercenary's Rank was divided into One to Seven Stars, with the latter as the highest. Also, it corresponds to a commission's difficulty.
[2] Every Mercenary's Rank solely depends on the Explorer's Mana Attunement (MA):
1 to 50 MA = One Star Mercenary
51 to 100 MA = Two Stars Mercenary
101 to 200 MA = Three Stars Mercenary
201 to 300 MA = Four Stars Mercenary
301 to 600 MA = Five Stars Mercenary
601 to 999 MA = Six Stars Mercenary
1,000+ MA = Seven Stars Mercenary
[3] A success commission does not raise the Mercenary Rank but rather the mercenary will be rewarded with a "Favor Coin" — the Mercenary Guild's exclusive currency that can be exchanged for labyrinthian products or "favor" itself.
[4] The Mercenary Guild will not be held accountable for fights between mercenaries, be it just a square or to the death.
[5] The Mercenary Guild will not be held accountable for the loss of a mercenary's life during one's own choice of commission.
"That will be all, Sir Zero Fragmenta." Liana's smile didn't fade as she slightly lowered her head in an act of gratitude and respect towards the enigmatic young man.
Seeing that Zero nodded his head, she continued, "Sir, if there's anything I can help you with, I will do anything I can within the scope of my ability."
Hearing her, Zero leaned his head near the receptionist as he muttered amidst the seemingly unending, unquenched hatred against the already dead three mercenaries on the crimson floor:
"Tell me everything about Ship Kerudan."
The receptionist seemed to be taken aback. But remembering the sight of this young man killing in cold blood the maniac Explorer, she said, "Sir, that information requires another costly payment. But since you've gotten rid of–"
Before Liana finished her words, Deran's decapitated head streaked with still-warm blood found itself in front of her desk. She then heard Zero's unhesitant voice:
"It seems this is enough to cover the information payment. Am I right?"
With a wide smile, Liana nodded, "Yes, I believe it's more than sufficient."
After some time, Zero's business in the Mercenary Guild ended. Seeing the fading figure of the mysterious young man, Liana reached for Deran's head as she was approached by the two other women receptionists.
"Here, an eyeball for you. Then this is another eyeball for you."
After that bizarrely chilling short interaction, Liana, with her seemingly innocent countenance, passionately licked the decapitated head's splattered blood.
"Ah– it's been ages since I've tasted fresh blood."
***
"Ha–! That's quite a nap, Young Master. The dishes in the tavern are also to my taste. What was the place's name again? Ah! Idiren Tavern!" Olivia stretched her arms as she mumbled.
In this late evening, with the bluish moon at its peak, they sat within the ordinary horse carriage bound for Port Acana, several hours away from Redan City.
Disregarding Olivia's moment of delight after receiving adequate rest, Azel's cerulean eyes focused on him as she asked with reluctance, "By the way, Young Master. Please forgive my rudeness, but why do you look... disappointed?"
Hearing Azel's query, Zero was reminded of the information he had gotten from the Vampire receptionist in regard to Ship Kerudan, the first step toward his initial goal.
'I was hoping that there's something I don't know, but it's futile.'
The reason for his seemingly frustrated expression was that he wasn't able to gather fresh information, something that was new to him.
"It's nothing." Snapping out of his little reverie, Zero briefly answered Azel's curiosity.
Several hours passed, and at past midnight, Zero and the two maids found themselves in the wide, well-lit port, where several enormous ships of different classes were hovering on the serene sea as the cacophony of beckoning reverberated.
— "Oi, oi! Bound for Edenia City, here!"
— "Anyone bound for the Western Sylvaraen Queendom, here!"
— "Those who are bound for... Here!"
After Zero bid his farewell and gratitude toward the horse carriage driver as the latter already received an enormous amount of payment before leaving the Villa of Ariad, Zero unhesitatingly approached a particular passenger caller generally known as "Ship Crows". This man donned a casual dark blue shirt and black pants as his short black hair hid under a black and white hat.
"Anyone bound for Azure Harbor—?"
"Sir," In a low voice, Zero continued, "three seats for Ship Keduran."
The Ship Crow's carefree expression turned serious. He responded in a low voice, disregarding several passengers being handled by others similar to him, "You must be aware of the underlying dangers. If you know and still want to go, that will be a thousand Labyrin Coin for each seat."
Without refuting or asking anything, Zero retrieved three thousand Labyrin Coins and handed them to the Ship Crow.
"Payment verified and received."
As he muttered, the Ship Crow handed something to Zero and the two maids – a receipt and proof of payment for Ship Kerudan.
"Gather in the lower deck. The other crew will know so just tell them."
Zero listened, beckoning the two maids as they stepped within the ginormous ship waiting to sail.