Warlock of War: My Ares System

I ended up eating five plates of food, and by the end, I was stuffed, sad, but also simultaneously happy since my stomach wasn't trying to eat itself.

"You're still as hungry as ever," Arthur muttered as he sat down at the opposite end of the table and watched all of us pat our bloated stomachs.

"*sigh*... Okay, can you give us advice on how to start being mercenaries? Also, who would we be mercenaries for? It's not like we can even leave the city. Every exit has been cut off," I asked, and Arthur just smiled at me.

What's up with him?

"You've never asked me for so much advice like this? I feel kind of proud, like a father," He smirked arrogantly, and his low cackle made me clench my jaw.

"Can you just answer my question? I have other things to do as well besides becoming a mercenary or whatever,"

"It's pretty simple. Just go online and put up a request,"

"That's it? Nothing else besides that?"

"Indeed. But, getting hired by the right people and not getting scammed or killed is pretty hard. Never let your guard down even if its the prettiest princess or most wholesomely kind princess in the world,"

"I see… Thank you for the advice. We'll be on our way now,"

"Woah, Woah, Woah, Woah, don't leave just yet. You don't even know who your clients will be… and I'm telling you now because you have to brace yourself… It's most likely going to be rich kids who want to be boosted,"

"So, they're going to be from the large families, right?"

"Yes, so never let your guard down! Ever! Got it!?" He shouted as we all got up from our seats and made our way towards the exit.

As soon as we left the large building, Aisa and Findir innocently looked at us with tons of questions.

"What?" Findir asked as Cy wiped non-existent tears from his face.

"Why couldn't we just stay the night there? That place was so nice. I feel like we would've had the best sleep in ages," Cy asked as he glanced back at the large building.

Findir looked at Cy as if he had asked the most outrageous question in the world.

"Dude… Did you not feel the pressure there? How could you sleep in that?" Findir asked as he wiped a few drops of sweat from his forehead.

Findir was right. The pressure in there was so fucking much that I could practically feel my bones creaking.

There had to be at least a few B-ranks in there… and the guild master. I wasn't even trying to sense him on the other side of the room, but that was definitely the power of an A-rank adventurer.

We continued walking for a bit as I set up my account on a mercenary app I had found… until I realized something.

"Wait, wouldn't that just-"

"Wait! Is that the school!" Aisa exclaimed, and as I glanced to the right of me, I saw only a shell of what used to be our former school.

The white, prestigious-looking school had been tainted with burn marks, and chunks of the exterior had been completely ripped away.

And what made it even worse to look at was how much of a ghost town it had become with not even a single sign of life sight.

Then… there were the corpses. Oh, the pile of corpses that had been stacked on the cleanly-cut front yard.

"Oomf… Hah… hahaha… This… Everyone,"

Aisa had thrown up all over the pavement after snapping her head away from the sight of some of our friends' burnt corpses.

We didn't know them that much, but I guess Aisa and Cy still had some attachment to them since they looked horrified.

"It's alright… let it all out," Findir said as he patted Aisa's back.

"*sigh*... I wonder where the headmaster went,"

…

It was currently the next day, and my back hurt so much as we had slept on the pavement. Plus, waking up at five in the morning didn't make it any better.

I have already informed the three that I was going to be leaving early the next morning so that they won't see me, so I don't have to worry much about them… besides Cy doing something stupid.

"Welcome. We will lead the way," One of the servants of the Bonebloom family had met me at the very front of the mansion and, just like last time, brought me to the main hall where I was met with a familiar man and boy.

"You can wear whatever clothing you want, so those dirty pants and shirt aren't going to cut it. I have a wide array of clothes for you to pick from, so select what you want," Orme said as his father began to talk with one of the servants.

The servant he was talking to wasn't nervous in the slightest, meaning they were probably close, and he might be the head butler or something.

I'll take note~

After selecting my all-black outfit, I was escorted to the bathroom, where I immediately changed… but only after grumbling to myself at how extra the bathroom was.

I selected a simple oversized black crewneck and some black cargo pants since they were the most comfortable for me and the easiest clothes to maneuver in.

I initially thought of selecting sweatpants, but in my opinion, it's easier to move in cargos than sweatpants, so I just selected the former.

"Oho, looking good. The rings match as well," Orme said as he had already changed into his black clothing as well.

He wore a black hoodie with some simple black trousers.

He handed me my mask, which I placed on my face, and then followed the head of the family right to the back of the long hall.

A spiraling stone staircase wafted gusts of air towards us, and soon, we walked down it.

The head of the family wore a luxurious and decorated suit but had no mask… so we were all ready for the Meeting of Roses.