"rcenary group. Ah I do rember us talking about it," Elaina said as she recalled. "Given with your reputation, destroying a nest of wyverns and clearing a goblin nest on your own. You can basically start your own rcenary group. Though I wonder why you would do that when by just working at the guild, you can earn a lot more money and a guaranteed job."
Marcus took another bite of the roasted lamb before answering.
"Because I don’t like limits," he said simply.
Elaina tilted her head slightly.
"Limits?"
Marcus nodded once.
"At the guild, I take what’s posted," he continued. "I follow the system. Rank, availability, approval. It works, but it’s controlled."
He paused for a mont, thinking as he spoke.
"With a rcenary group, I choose the jobs. I decide how to handle them. No waiting. No restrictions on scale."
Elaina listened quietly, her eyes focused on him.
"That sounds... risky," she said after a second.
"It is," Marcus admitted. "But it’s also more flexible."
He shifted his gaze toward the stalls around them, watching people move between vendors.
"And if I build it right," he added, "it won’t just be about anymore."
Elaina caught that.
"You’re planning to recruit people?"
"Yeah. The adventurer’s guild has a lot of registered adventurers right?"
"We do but they are not as strong as you," Elaina said.
"They don’t need to be as strong as . Even a E-rank or D-rank would do so long that they are physically fit and disciplined," Marcus finished.
Elaina looked at him for a mont, then frowned slightly.
"...Wouldn’t that slow you down?" she asked. "If they’re weaker than you, wouldn’t they just beco a liability?"
Marcus shook his head once.
"Not if they’re trained properly."
Elaina crossed her arms lightly, still thinking it through.
"Training can only go so far," she said. "Experience matters too. Most E-rank adventurers barely handle basic quests. So of them panic under pressure."
Marcus nodded.
"I know."
"Then why take them in?" she pressed. "Wouldn’t it be better to recruit higher ranks instead? At least they can keep up."
Marcus took a step forward, stopping at another stall, but his attention stayed on her.
"Higher ranks co with their own problems," he said. "They have their own priorities. Their own way of doing things. Harder to manage."
Elaina paused.
That made sense.
"And lower ranks don’t?" she asked.
"They’re easier to shape," Marcus replied. "Less habits to unlearn. If I train them from the start, they’ll follow a system that works. This won’t fail. After all, this is what I planned from the start. To start my own shop. And I have a proposition for you."
"What is it?" Elaina asked.
"Would you be willing to work as my secretary if I build one?"
Elaina blinked.
"...Your secretary?" she repeated.
Marcus nodded.
"Yes."
Elaina looked at him more carefully now, like she was trying to figure out if he was serious or just speaking on impulse.
"You’re asking to leave the guild," she said.
"I think you are capable in clerical works, given your position in the adventurer’s guild," Marcus said. "Of course, it won’t be now, but will you be willing when the ti cos? I’ll pay double the salary the guild is paying you."
"...Double?" she repeated quietly.
Marcus nodded.
"Yes."
Elaina looked down at the ground for a mont, her fingers lightly tightening against the edge of her skirt.
"It’s not just about the salary," she said after a second.
Marcus glanced at her.
"What is it then?"
Elaina hesitated.
Then she let out a small breath.
"rcenary groups don’t have steady inco," she said. "You depend on contracts. On clients. So weeks you earn a lot, other tis... nothing."
Marcus didn’t interrupt.
"I’ve seen it before," she continued. "Groups that started strong, then struggled because work wasn’t consistent. They couldn’t sustain their expenses."
She looked at him again.
"That kind of instability is dangerous."
Marcus nodded once.
"It is."
Elaina’s gaze softened slightly, but there was tension behind it now.
"I... already have financial commitnts," she said.
Marcus caught that imdiately.
"...Like what?"
Elaina hesitated again, then answered.
"A house," she said. "I financed it a year ago."
Marcus’s expression shifted slightly.
That explained it.
"I make monthly paynts," she continued. "If I miss them..." she paused for a brief second, then finished, "the bank can take it back."
"Like I said again, I will pay you double than what the guild is paying you, and it will be consistent, no matter if there is a client or not."
"But rcenary group is a business and not just you," Elaina continued, looking at him seriously. "You’ll have to pay your n too."
Marcus didn’t respond right away.
"It’s not just salary for ," she said. "If you build a group, you’ll have expenses. Regular ones. Food, equipnt, lodging, maintenance. And if you’re serious about structure like you said..."
She paused for a second.
"...then you’ll be paying them even when there’s no active contract."
Marcus nodded once.
"That’s the plan."
Elaina frowned slightly.
"That’s expensive."
"It is."
"And if there’s no steady inco?" she pressed. "Where does the money co from then?"
Marcus glanced at the stalls for a mont, then back at her.
"I cover it."
Elaina blinked.
"...You cover all of it?"
"Yes."
She stared at him for a second longer, trying to read if he was overestimating himself.
"That’s not a small amount," she said. "Even a small group will cost a lot to maintain. And if it grows..."
"It will grow," Marcus said.
Elaina exhaled quietly.
"That makes it even more risky."
Marcus gave a small shrug.
"That’s not the sa," Elaina replied. "This isn’t a one-ti risk. This is continuous. Month after month."
Marcus nodded.
"I know."
"Then why are you so sure you can sustain it?" she asked.
Marcus t her gaze directly.
"Because I’m not relying on the sa system everyone else uses."
Elaina narrowed her eyes slightly.
"And what is that?"
"I will tell you when the ti cos."
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