[Vol. 9] Chapter 64: Small Fries, Just a Bunch of Small Fries
The ice demon girl shot him a cold glance. Normally, people say you shouldn’t hit someone who greets you with a smile, but she didn’t give him even a single friendly look.
“I’ve never treated dogs as equals,” she said calmly. “Tell me, why did your dog nose suddenly become so sharp? Ah, I see—you’ve found a new master. So loyal now, running errands like a good little pet. Silas, what did they promise you for your obedience?”
“Y-you, you you you...!”
Silas, the man with the headscarf, nearly fainted from anger. Veranica’s tone was so serious that there wasn’t even a hint of mockery, so serious that he almost believed she was just stating facts.
In terms of pure strength, the leader of the [Scavenger Gang] might not be the strongest person on Icefang Island. But when it came to the ability to speak calmly and still make others so angry they could die, no one could beat Veranica. You couldn’t win in a fight against her, and you couldn’t win an argument either. That was exactly why Silas usually avoided her whenever possible, choosing instead to scheme behind her back.
If not for the fact that he had joined forces with the [Blood Claws], and had the promise and backing of some outside help this time, he would have never dared to go against this woman.
His face flushed red with anger, but he didn’t have the courage to challenge the Scavenger Queen head-on. After stammering for a while and finally finding some words to argue back, he realized that the ice demon girl had already ignored him completely, her eyes were now fixed on the people standing behind Silas.
Veranica was far from being as simple-minded as she looked. The only reason she bothered arguing with the old dog Silas at all was to buy herself time, to observe the enemy’s formation.
The hundreds of ambushers who had suddenly appeared in the rocky valley clearly didn’t belong to a single faction. That much was obvious from appearance alone.
For example, Silas and his [Black Dogs] had relatively good weapons and neat uniforms. That was because they controlled the Farwatch Corridor, through which all supplies from the outside world flowed. The [Black Dogs] always took the best share first, while the leftovers were left for smaller gangs to fight over. Over time, this advantage grew, and so did the gap between them and others.
The other group, the [Blood Claws], was different. Though their numbers were the smallest among the island’s four major factions, their overall strength was the greatest. Every single [Blood Claws] member was a convicted murderer, their hands stained with blood. They didn’t scavenge, didn’t trade, and didn’t beg for scraps. They took what they wanted by force.
From the self-proclaimed rulers of Icefang Island, like the [Black Dogs], down to lone wanderers with no gang, anyone who crossed paths with the [Blood Claws] risked their life. If you refused their demands, they attacked without hesitation. They were true killers who lived with their blades at their throats. A pack of lunatics so violent that even other criminals feared them.
That thick, blood-soaked killing aura was something Veranica could recognize at a glance. But this time, she didn’t see the [Blood Claws] leader, the man known as Icefang Island’s strongest fighter. So the ice demon girl merely gave the group of a hundred or so [Blood Claws] thugs a brief look, then lost interest.
The [Blood Claws] might be vicious, but without a top-tier leader, they weren’t worth worrying about. What really caught Veranica’s attention was the smallest of the three groups. A disciplined, well-trained unit whose aura and bearing were completely different from the rest of the rabble.
Even though they weren’t the same people who had attacked the [Bone Gang] before, the dangerous feeling they gave off was almost identical. From that alone, she could tell, they were probably from the same organization.
What surprised her even more was that the one standing at the front of this group, the commander, and seemingly the highest-ranking person among all the attackers, was actually a young woman.
Unlike the rough, savage bandits surrounding her, this woman wore a finely crafted light armor that clearly showed she wasn’t from Icefang Island. She held a longsword in one hand, and her icy-blue hair, tied in a high ponytail, fluttered in the wind.
Rather than a criminal, she looked every bit like a proud and powerful female general.
When Veranica turned her sharp, searching gaze toward her, the woman immediately glared back without backing down. Though she didn’t attack right away, her attitude was clearly unfriendly.
“Stop talking nonsense. You’ve already found that place, haven’t you? Hand over everything you got from inside right now, and I can decide to spare your lives. Otherwise, the anger of that great lord is something you cannot bear!”
“...?”
Hearing such confident, self-assured words, the three women who actually knew the truth exchanged confused glances. Then Violet was the first to break into a rather unkind laugh.
“Pfft~”
The sound was so sharp and out of place in the tense, deadly atmosphere that the “female general” froze for a second, then her face turned visibly sour with embarrassment and anger.
“Y-you! What are you laughing at!? Did I say something wrong!?”
Covering her mouth with one hand, the priestess looked as if she was trying hard to hold back her laughter, but her words were merciless.
“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh. You really did try your best, I can tell. It’s just… how should I put it? It’s kind of refreshing to hear such a perfect, textbook, small-fry-style threat. Usually even second-rate villains can’t bring themselves to say something that cheesy. Don’t tell me, you crossed over from another world too?”
“What? You… You dare call me a small fry?! Say that again if you dare!”
“What’s the point? You’ll just get upset again if I do…”
Of course, Violet didn’t really plan to stand around chatting. The girl might not seem very smart, but she was still an enemy, not a friend. Violet could clearly feel the killing intent coming from her body. The girl’s words might have sounded funny, but she probably wasn’t joking.
Violet truly didn’t know where this group had come from, but as someone who had traveled far and wide, she could notice things that the native ice demon girl couldn’t.
Even though these people were of different races, most of them had pale, delicate skin. Very different from the [Black Dogs] and [Blood Claws] standing nearby. That difference couldn’t be explained by simple lifestyle or environment. Most likely, they weren’t native to the snowy lands at all, but came from the southern regions of the Extreme Cold Zone.
In addition, Violet noticed that among their weapons were a few magic guns made in the Austre Empire, though the styles were mismatched and the way they carried them looked sloppy. Clearly, they hadn’t received any formal military training. That meant they probably weren’t from the Empire’s official army.
They were likely from within or near the Austre Empire, people who had some contact with soldiers and access to restricted weapons, but weren’t part of the military.
There weren’t many groups that fit such a description, so Violet quickly guessed the answer.
Just as the Human United Kingdom built its nation on adventurers, the Austre Empire had its own kind of strong civilian organization…
The mercenary corps.