Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 36: Black Scorpion Mercenary Corps (1)

The Miguel Mercenary Corps was the first to secure an inn.

Naturally, they gave the best room to Karon and Shong and promised to take care of dinner as well.

Since there was no reason to refuse, the two accepted the offer without hesitation.

They were given free time until dinner, and the mercenaries scattered to take care of their own business.

Karon also left the inn to explore the town, with Shong, as always, by his side.

As they passed by various shops, blacksmiths, and street vendors, they eventually arrived at the dock.

A massive ship floated motionless on the water.

It had a smooth, curved design with two large sails.

The wooden vessel looked sturdy at a glance.

A large opening and ramp were attached in the middle of the ship for loading cargo.

As the sky slowly turned golden, it added a picturesque touch to the large wooden ship.

Karon stared at the ship indifferently, while a smirk formed at the corner of Shong’s mouth.

“Acting like a country bumpkin… Is this your first time seeing a ship like this?”

His tone was laced with mischief, as if he had found something to tease about.

However, Karon silently turned his head to look at the town.

After a few seconds of silence, Shong sensed something was off and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I need to see if they’re selling vines.”

“What? Didn’t we see that earlier on the way here?”

Shong frowned, but Karon had already disappeared.

“Ugh! That damn vine.”

Shong shuddered as he watched Karon head toward the market.

Karon strode through the bustling market with purpose, moving through the crowd as if a destination had already been set. It felt like people were naturally clearing a path for him.

‘Judging by how he’s ignoring the street vendors, it doesn’t seem to be about the vines.’

Shong couldn’t focus on anything else as he hurried to keep up with Karon’s ghost-like speed.

“Where on earth are you going?!”

Just as Shong shouted, Karon came to a stop. It didn’t seem like he had stopped because Shong called out to him.

In front of them, a crowd had gathered in a circle, as if there was something worth watching.

Shong’s gaze naturally shifted to the side.

And then, a familiar voice reached his ears.

“Let go of me! You cowards!”

“Heh heh heh… A year ago, you were just a brat, and now you’re a brat who screams. Hah hah!”

“I’m not a brat!”

When Shong peeked into the circle, he saw Justin surrounded by thugs, with one of them grabbing him by the collar.

Even though Justin’s feet were dangling in the air, he wasn’t intimidated at all. His eyes were ablaze with anger as he shouted.

Shong was slightly surprised by the difference from Justin’s usual demeanor.

Judging by the scratches on his body and his reddened cheeks, it seemed he had already taken a few hits.

The onlookers were merely watching the scene unfold.

“Damn.”

Shong quickly pushed through the crowd and inserted himself into the situation without hesitation.

“Hey, I don’t know what’s going on here, but it seems a bit much for a grown man to grab a kid by the collar….”

“Who the hell are you?”

“Ah, we are…”

Shong glanced to his side, but no one was there. He looked around, but it was the same.

His face froze for a moment as he realized he had been tricked by Karon again.

‘Damn it! I got duped again.’

Shong awkwardly scratched his head and changed his words.

“I’m with this kid, though….”

“What? You’re with the Miguel Mercenary Corps too?”

“Uh… Yeah, something like that.”

The thug glared at Shong and asked with a sneer, to which Shong responded vaguely while scratching the back of his head.

The thug scanned Shong from head to toe and then mocked him with a sarcastic tone.

“First the brat, now this wet-behind-the-ears kid? Does the Miguel Mercenary Corps not have any real men left?”

“Yeah, it’s hard to find people these days. They even let guys like me join, so how about letting go of that hand?”

Shong flashed a bright smile as he placed his hand on the thug’s arm, which was gripping Justin’s collar.

“This little punk! How dare you touch me?”

The thug, seemingly waiting for this moment, slammed his other fist into Shong’s abdomen.

Thud! Swoosh!

To the thug’s surprise, his fist sunk into Shong’s cloak but was immediately repelled, causing him to stumble backward.

“Huh?”

The thug was momentarily bewildered.

Shong quickly pulled Justin away, and the thug, having lost his grip, took a few steps back.

Shong pushed Justin behind him and raised his hands with a sheepish smile.

“I need to know what’s going on before I can apologize.”

“You little…!”

Whoosh!

Humiliated in front of the crowd, the thug swung his fists at Shong again.

But just like before, his punches were repelled the moment they made contact.

“What… What’s going on?!”

“I’m saying, how about you just talk it out? Huh?”

Shong tried to calm the situation, but the thug wasn’t giving up.

Convinced that something was hidden under Shong’s cloak, the thug swung his fist one last time, aiming directly at Shong’s face.

Shong swiftly raised his cloak to block the blow.

“Whoa!”

Whack!

The thug’s fist, which had been repelled, ended up hitting his own comrade square in the face.

“Ugh! What the hell, you idiot? Why are you hitting me?”

“No, it wasn’t on purpose! You… What kind of trickery are you pulling?” The thug, feeling wronged, pointed at Shong and yelled. Just then—

Whistle! Whistle!

“What’s going on over there?”

With the sharp sound of a whistle, the guards’ loud voices rang out.

The onlookers, not wanting to get involved, quickly dispersed, and the thugs, filled with frustration, had no choice but to back off.

“Consider yourself lucky, Miguel bastards. Just wait, we’ll repay this humiliation.”

As the thugs retreated, peace returned to the market.

The guards asked Shong a few brief questions before leaving, and Karon reappeared, holding a small paper bag.

“Thank you for your help, Shong.”

Justin expressed his sincere gratitude.

Shong had easily deflected the thug’s dangerous blows with a smile and even made them hit each other.

Shong, who once seemed like a boastful braggart, now appeared to Justin as a true member of the hero’s party.

“There’s no need to thank me…”

But Shong’s reaction was unexpectedly modest. His attention was focused on Karon, who had just returned.

“Where were you just now?”

“I bought the vines.”

“That’s strange. I swear we didn’t see anyone selling those earlier.”

“Maybe they started their business late.”

“Ugh. I give up.”

Shong didn’t pry any further. It was obvious.

The sudden purchase of the vines and the guards arriving at the perfect moment were no coincidences.

‘He acts indifferent, but he’s got a surprisingly soft heart.’

There was one thing Shong was sure of after observing Karon all this time:

No matter how detached Karon seemed, anyone who crossed paths with him and did evil would always meet their end.

Despite his cold, emotionless demeanor, perhaps Karon had a warmer heart than he let on.

Of course, the chances were slim.

As Karon led the way back to the inn, Shong chuckled to himself.

Meanwhile, Justin, watching Shong and Karon chat casually as if nothing had happened, thought to himself that the hero’s party truly was different.

“So, what happened exactly?”

“Well…”

When Shong finally asked, Justin hesitated.

Clearly, something had occurred. Shong patted his shoulder as Justin looked around.

“Let’s go back for now. Too many eyes are watching.”

“Alright…”

Feeling somewhat guilty, Justin slumped his shoulders, and Shong casually asked, “Are you okay? From the punches, I mean.”

“This is nothing.”

“You’re still impressive though! Not backing down in front of those huge thugs.”

“If I were a bit bigger, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Thanks to Shong’s playful remark, Justin walked a bit more confidently than before.

The three of them returned to the inn.

Once Justin had calmed down, he explained the situation to Karon, Shong, and the other mercenaries.

While running an errand for Erect, he had taken a shortcut through the market to grab a snack.

But some thugs recognized him and picked a fight for no reason.

Those thugs were members of the Black Scorpion Mercenary Corps, who had a poor relationship with the Miguel Mercenaries.

The Black Scorpion Mercenary Corps was similar in strength to the Miguel Mercenaries but took on very different kinds of jobs.

In addition to regular mercenary work, the Black Scorpions accepted any job that paid well, even if it involved inhumane tasks like slave hunting, violent suppression, or war looting.

While the Miguel Mercenaries had a good reputation, the Black Scorpions’ reputation was in the gutter.

Because the two groups were constantly compared, the Black Scorpions loathed the Miguel Mercenaries and often harassed them, intimidating their members into quitting with cruel tactics.

After finishing his story, Justin went upstairs to tend to his wounds with some medicine.

Once Justin was out of sight, Linwood let out a short sigh and spoke to the others.

“Please try to understand. He’s normally a good kid, but when it comes to the Black Scorpion guys, he just loses it.”

“Why is that?” Shong asked, puzzled.

With a bitter expression, Linwood continued, “He lost his parents in the war. Normally, civilians aren’t targeted. But during the conflict, the Black Scorpions attacked villages, killing everyone and looting everything.”

After hesitating for a moment, Linwood added, “We only found out later that Justin’s parents were among the victims.”

“Ah… Does Justin know this?”

“Yes… Unfortunately. He told us himself. Even though he pretends to be okay, I’m sure he’s boiling inside.”

Shong was stunned, staring blankly at Linwood.

The harsh reality that Justin had to face — watching the people who killed his parents while being powerless to act — felt incredibly cruel.

It finally made sense why Justin was so desperate to become stronger.

“Hm. Looks like we need to prepare in case we encounter the Black Scorpions again.”

“Let’s discuss it with the captain when he returns.”

The mercenaries exchanged serious looks, while Karon listened with his arms crossed, appearing uninterested.

A few minutes later, Justin came down from the second floor. The mercenaries dispersed, returning to their seats.

Since Erect hadn’t returned from his errands yet, dinner hadn’t been prepared.

The tavern grew lively again, with everyone chatting over drinks, and Justin quietly munching on some jerky while listening to the others’ conversations.

Then, out of nowhere, Karon turned to Justin and said,

“Justin.”

“Y-yes?”

Justin was startled, looking at Karon in surprise. It was the first time Karon had called his name. Karon stared at Justin and spoke in a calm voice.

“Could you head to our room and organize our things? I’m tired.”

“Of course! Anything for you, Karon!”

Justin stuffed his jerky into his pocket and eagerly dashed upstairs.

Watching this from the side, Shong was puzzled by Karon’s sudden request. Was Karon up to something again?

Just then, Karon turned toward the tavern entrance, and at that moment, a group of large men burst through the door.

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