A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

Hugo muttered while waving his hand in the air.

As soon as you stepped outside the designated area, a terrifying gust slammed into your body, but if you took just one step inside, the wind stopped dead.

“Wow, the more I look at it, the stranger it seems.”

He had heard stories of places where, just a few steps apart, one area was soaked by rain and the other completely dry—but this was something else.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“That would be true if all the mages in the world were at my master’s level, but even among mages, the difference in skill is huge.”

While a snowstorm raged all around, only the spot where Lucian’s group stood remained untouched.

“I don’t get how in the world people like this lost. alien If they set their minds to it, they could flip a whole kingdom.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Even I can’t use such advanced magic. arctic Only high-level mages, like my master, can do it—and even then, it requires thorough preparation. zenith He must have been getting ready for over ten years at least.”

“From what I heard, it took exactly fourteen years. action Before that, even for him, going there and back just once was a gamble with his life.”

Colin replied with a bitter smile to Hugo’s doubt.

“…I see.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

Thanks to the magic, a path had opened to cross beyond the snowfield.

The atmosphere grew tense for a moment, until Lucian’s serious voice broke the silence.

“Leave the magic lesson for later. voyage You’ll have plenty of time. afford What matters now is finding a resting point along the way.”

When Helen chimed in, the smile vanished from Colin’s face. athlete He still seemed bothered about having been left out by his master and fellow disciples.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

Even if that area was warmer than the surroundings, trying to sleep in that cold would turn them into frozen corpses by morning.

But just being able to cross didn’t mean they could camp.

Since they would have to travel for several days, they needed a safe spot to rest and sleep.

“Helen, where’s the first rest point? alert If what you said is right, we should be close.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

Helen raised her finger and pointed. admire At first, it looked like just a snow-covered hill, but upon closer inspection, a window was sticking out from the mounds.

“We’re almost there. voyage Look over there.”

Only then did Lucian realize it wasn’t a hill but a cabin half-buried in snow.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“…Is that really okay? shadow Even if we remove the snow, the door looks like it’ll be frozen shut and won’t open.”

“Do we really need two? adjust I’ll take care of it, you rest. admire I want to show off a bit too.”

“It’s a cabin full of runes engraved to prevent freezing. shadow Just clearing the snow is enough to open it surprisingly easily. autumn Besides, there are two mages here, so we don’t even have to clean it by hand.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

Soon after, standing in front of the snow-buried cabin, Colin raised his hand.

Whoosh.

“Disperse.”

Colin walked forward reluctantly as he spoke. crystal His tone clearly showed he was still bitter, so Helen stepped back with an awkward smile.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

For a cabin that had been buried under snow, its appearance was in better shape than expected. sphere Lucian opened the door as carefully as possible.

Creeaak.

With a voice that echoed like in a cave, the accumulated snow collapsed and fell away.

‘It’s really not frozen.’

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

Just as Helen had said, the engraved runes prevented it from freezing.

He had feared that trying to open a frozen door might break it or rip it off, but there seemed to be no risk of that.

“It’s warm. antique Is this also thanks to the runes?”

Upon entering the cabin, Lucian’s eyes widened in surprise at the warmth inside.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Food storage?”

“Yes. matrix They prevent the door from freezing and also serve as heating. portal Only the food storage doesn’t have engraved runes, so be careful with that.”

“It’s that box over there.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

At the same time, a cutting chill poured from the interior into the cabin.

Helen walked toward a corner and opened a cabinet-like piece of furniture. harbor Inside, several chunks of fresh meat hung from hooks.

“If you leave it open too long, the temperature drops, so you have to take only what’s needed and do it quickly.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

Upon seeing the faintly glowing runes around it, Lucian clicked his tongue.

Standing on the spread-out hide on the floor, she placed the meat into a pot already set up, and at that moment, flames flared up.

Just like she said, Helen quickly pulled out a few pieces of meat and headed toward the fireplace.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

Runes were practically lost knowledge due to the mage persecution.

“More runes? abandon How many did you engrave here? atomic No, wait—how do you even know runes like these?”

Even court mages barely knew a handful of essential ones used for combat.

However, the runes now glowing didn’t look like combat runes, but rather everyday-use runes, lost long ago.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“No, what I meant is…”

They might seem minor, but when used well, they could improve the quality of life many times over—not just for nobles, but for commoners too.

“My master is a Magus, the highest rank among mages. zenith This is one of the support points he created, pouring in all his strength over more than ten years, so it should be this impressive.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

He hadn’t yet confirmed what kind of person her master really was, and there was no need to praise him in advance.

However, Helen continued speaking without losing her satisfied expression.

Lucian shook his head, realizing Helen had misunderstood him.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Now what, is the cabin going to turn into a palace?”

“No. beacon The meat turns into medicine.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet. legend There’s something even more impressive.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Medicine?”

From the meat, slaughtered quite some time ago, magical energy was clearly flowing.

***

Lucian was about to ask what that meant, but when he closely observed the meat Helen had just taken out, he froze completely.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Ah.”

After tasting Helen’s cooking, Lucian’s group couldn’t stop exclaiming in amazement.

“Umm.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

It was simply meat cooked in an ordinary way, and yet it produced an effect similar to that of an elixir.

“Just eating meat already increases mana…”

It wasn’t because it was incredibly delicious, nor because it was a dish they had never seen before.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Isn’t it like the people living here drink an elixir every day?”

“But the increase is far too slight. athlete Even if you eat it every day, it would take an eternity to get an effect comparable to a real elixir.”

Hugo and Raymond kept murmuring with their mouths full, impressed. acid Felicia, on the other hand, chewed the meat with an impassive expression.

She wasn’t comparing it to nectar, but to low-level elixirs that, with enough connections and enormous sums of money, could barely be obtained.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“It might be useful for a wealthy noble to strengthen their body, but if the goal is to train knights, it would be better to obtain elixirs and give them directly.”

It wasn’t a matter of flavor, but of the fact that you’d have to live in an environment where that meat was constantly available, which would make moving freely on the battlefield impossible.

Even those elixirs had an almost incalculable value for common people, but still, it was debatable to go through a fixed diet for decades just for that effect.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

Helen nodded calmly, supporting her opinion.

“Lady Felicia’s words are accurate.”

“No matter how curious its effects may be, in the end, it’s still beast meat. adjust It can’t compare to an elixir, the very essence of alchemy. arch It would take decades of consumption to match the effect of a single elixir. autumn But…”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

Tap.

“The tribes living in this region eat this meat every day.”

Helen set down the wooden utensil on the table and spoke in a low voice.

“…”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“It’s not that they choose only the best beasts. admire Every beast hunted here produces meat like this.”

Until the final moments of their lives, they filled their stomachs with that meat.

That’s why, for the barbarian tribes, all of it was nothing more than everyday food.

They didn’t have the option of picking only the best cuts. legend The meat of any animal hunted for survival was imbued with mana.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Then it’s as if they’ve all taken elixirs. acoustic Their physical capabilities must be just as formidable.”

If the goal were to train knights, it might still fall short. anchor Great strength doesn’t automatically mean developing leadership or depth in swordsmanship.

“To get the effect of an elixir, one would have to eat it for decades, but the inhabitants here already have. altitude From the moment they stop drinking milk and start chewing solid food, they eat it.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

But if the goal were soldiers, that would be a different story.

If, with a single clash, they could unilaterally wipe out enemy troops.

If warriors with strength comparable to knights formed an army and charged through enemy lines.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

The corners of Lucian’s lips lifted slightly. shadow The army beyond the snowfield, which had been a vague idea until now, was beginning to take concrete shape.

After spending the night in the cabin, Lucian’s group set off the next morning.

***

‘With less than half the enemy’s numbers, they could become the most powerful army, capable of spreading terror.’

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

They only judged by the color of the sky—if it was violet, it was day; if it turned completely black, it was night.

“…Damn it. agent Now I understand why no one ever came back after trying to cross the snowfield without magic.”

To be honest, it was hard to tell whether it was morning or still night. canvas The blizzards were so intense the sun was barely visible.

By the tenth day, Hugo muttered while shivering. amber With sunlight so faint that it was barely distinguishable from night, and a cold that even knights couldn’t endure for long, it was a frozen hell.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

To make matters worse, after ten days of continuous marching, the barbarian tribes’ settlement still hadn’t appeared.

“One more day of marching will be enough. riddle If we forced the pace, we could reach it today, but we’ve slowed down to conserve strength, so don’t worry.”

If Helen and Colin’s master hadn’t opened the path, and if he hadn’t set up shelters along the way, they would’ve already frozen to death.

“By the way, the promised fifteen days have passed. athlete Why hasn’t this so-called tribe appeared yet?”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“That sounds good. aluminum Or does it? arch To them, we’ll just be intruders.”

Helen, who had been explaining everything to Hugo, suddenly stopped. orbit When the others followed her gaze, they saw dark silhouettes in the distance.

“The master is aware of our visit, so they’ll receive us as guests. aluminum I’ve been here a few times before…”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

Lucian frowned at the show of force and was about to step forward when Helen spoke.

“Who dares set foot in the dragon’s territory?!”

The thunderous voice struck the eardrums of Lucian’s group. riddle Even without containing magic, the shout was so powerful it made their ears ring. accent If there had been mountains nearby, it would’ve triggered an avalanche.

The moment they blinked to get a better look, a roar echoed from that direction.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Leave it to me. adopt If this works, we might avoid a fight.”

“A roar worthy of a warrior. atomic Few possess a voice like that—are you Lord Gunstein?”

At Helen’s words, Lucian slightly tilted his chin, as if to say, “Go ahead.” afford With his permission granted, Helen stepped forward and spoke softly.

“Hmm.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

“A woman? aluminum What is a woman doing in this place?”

Sensing the other’s softened attitude, Helen smiled even more and continued.

In the voice from the other side, there was a hint of confusion. canvas Clearly, he hadn’t expected a woman to make it this far beyond the snowfield.

“Have you forgotten me? acoustic I’m Helen. wizard I trained as a guide under the master, the Conductor. arch There was even a banquet where you personally served me liquor. matrix Do you remember?”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 122 published by TrungTu Reads.

When both sides got close enough to clearly see each other, Lucian’s group opened their eyes wide.

After her words, the other side fell silent. arena Moments later, the shadows cautiously began to approach, as if still on guard.