“Right, so what is it I'm doing here, if sire won't mind my asking?” Confused about the invitation he had received by his newest employee, the tall, burly mercenary, dressed in a well-worn gambeson, looked up towards the ceiling of the cavern.

Corco did the same, and looked up at the droplets of water which formed all over the rugged surface of the salt mines, carved out by man and reformed by nature. Ordered chaos like this had always been fascinating to the prince, a nice allegory for how he would love to rule his own empire in the future. For now though, he would have to be careful and stay on topic. The crown prince had a nasty habit of drifting off and didn't want to leave a bad first impression.

“You, as my new employee, are here to get a good picture of your work environment for the next few months, nothing more.”

“It's just a cave like any other, isn't it?” Derisive, brash words came back to answer Corco's simple reply. In any other case, the prince might have assumed that the poor etiquette was down to the man's lack of education, as many mercenaries were simple peasants who had fled famine or another horseman of the apocalypse to start a new life on the go. However, there were many indicators which made the mercenary before him different from his colleagues and belied his true status. Dedrick, captain of the wolf mercenaries, was far more than just a desperate farmer with a good sword arm.

“True. It's just a cave. All we do here is pay people to come in and mine some salt. However, there are a few things I would like you to see before you start your work here. After all, our agreement is anything but normal. We'll have to get along for a while, so I want to avoid complications wherever I can.”

“Whatever you say, boss. We won't complain so long as we get our pay.” Although he kept his indifferent attitude, the mercenary had silently sized up the cave since he had entered, his fingers running across the rough walls all around and tasting the residue left behind.

“In that case, please follow me,” Corco said before he marched deeper into the caves, towards the heart of their new mining operation. With a gruff harrumph, the mercenary followed along. Uneager to converse with his new master, he waited for the prince to pick up their talks again. “I find that anticipation is a good motivator. That's why I want to stress, once again, the chances I can offer you through our arrangement. How many men do you have under your command at the moment, if you don't mind my asking? It should be around one hundred or so?”

“One twenty six,” the mercenary corrected.

“Okay, one hundred twenty-six then. If you accept my offer, I'll have you to increase that number up to at least a thousand over the next two years. I will handle all of your pay and even help with recruitment wherever I can. I'll also get you new equipment and provide all other supplies like rations and tents. You should have heard about the battle between Borna and Etra. The muskets used in that altercation were mine. They will be the new weaponry for your one hundred twenty-six men. You should be aware just how much money I am spending on your people.”

“So in return for his generous gift, sire wants absolute loyalty, is that it?” Dedrick said as he turned his face away from his new employer. Corco was sure that it wasn't to marvel at another stone wall. Rather, he was convinced that the mercenary tried his best to hide the disdain on his face.

“No, of course not. I understand very well that you can't force loyalty by being only nice to your subservients. That only sets you up for betrayal. Instead, I guarantee you that after you've seen what I will show you today, you will be just as loyal as any other man under my leadership. Whatever you think you can gain from betrayal, it will be far less than what I can offer you in the long term.”

At last, the mercenary turned his head again. With raised brows, he observed his new boss. However, the prince paid no heed to the curious Dedrick. Corco was intent on surprising the man more than once today, so he continued his argument.

“First, I wonder what reason you would have to join my pirate ship, so to speak? I mean, you understand that you'll be up against Borna, right? That's a proper kingdom against a middling merchant. Even if there's no conflict today, it's hardly a secret that Duke Herak has been eyeing our mines since his defeat at Etra. The duke is still close by, and he's not a man to suppress a grudge for very long. With the bear's reputation, he will be out for revenge soon.”

What answered Corco was a bold smile, unafraid. “Of course. But as good Arcavists, we won't be afraid of the southern heathen. Those barbarians try to equate themselves to Arcavus himself, saying we're all born equal? Well, they will feel His anger right soon. There is nothing Lord Arcavus cannot do, so with His blessing, we will protect the south from His Renegade children.”

“Oh, seems like you are a religious man, huh? What a noble goal. However, why do I not believe that your true motives are this pure?” Corco smirked.

“You tryin' to say somethin'? I hate those Renegade bastards, you can ask anyone who knows me!” Enraged, the mercenary turned to step towards the prince, forcing him towards the wall. The pressure created form the large man's stance told Corco that he had hired a competent fighter, if nothing else.

“Sure you do,” Corco ripped through the tense atmosphere with his casual attitude, “but that's not your only motive. They might fool everyone else, but your shabby clothes and fake commoner accent can't fool me. That's your family's seal ring on your hand, isn't it?”

“...just some plunder.” Dedrick said as he hid his hand behind his back.

“Right, let's cut the bullshit. I checked up on you. I know of the former knight's clan of Harken. If I haven't misjudged you, your goal would be, among other things, to regain your old family status? I'm sure you'd like that, Dedrick of Harken. Well, you're in luck. I'm exactly the man who can give you what you desire the most: Status.”

“Is that so?” Once again, the dismissive attitude had returned. Of course Dedrick had no confidence in a merchant to handle matters of nobility.

“Yes, that is indeed the case. You might have heard of this before, as I'm sure you've done your own research, but I'm not actually from around here. In fact, I am an imperial prince, from the far-off Medala Empire.”

Against the tense atmosphere, roaring, uninhibited laughter erupted and echoed throughout the caverns.

“Ahahaha! What a riot! A merchant, great seer of Arcavus and prince of a heathen kingdom all at once. How very versatile of you, sire.” Through tears, Dedrick mocked Corco's very real life story. Although it was obvious that the mercenary wouldn't believe such an unlikely tale, any man could be convinced with enough evidence, or at least with a story that was convincing and convenient enough for them.

“You never wondered how I know all these things no one else does, like the sandbags of Etra? You wondered where our Fastgrade ships travel to return loaded to the brim with sugar? That sugar is, in fact, from my home country.” Of course it was a shameless bluff, but convincing the mercenary was more important than the absolute truth. Corco considered it a little white lie, which would be to the ultimate benefit of Dedrick.

“So why are you here then and not in your home country, oh great prince?” another biting comment came back.

“Well, the main problem is that I'm not the only prince. Since my greedy younger brother Amautu, together with his mother's enthusiastic family clan, have decided that I shouldn't be emperor in the future, our father chose to park me here for a while, until I can safely take over the throne.”

“Ahaha, sounds like we have a lot in common, oh great prince.” Although the mercenary never said the word exile, he still aimed straight for the prince's weakness. A few years ago, Corco would have exploded with rage, but now he was indifferent towards his temporary status. After all, he had taken his life into his own hands a long time ago.

“True, but the main difference between the two of us is this: I have money and you don't. I can afford to build my own private army, to regain the throne my good brother has been trying to steal, while you have to work for others in the hopes that you can somehow catch a break.”

“We're not a private army. Those are my men, no one else's,” the mercenary barked, the self-indulgent smile blown off his face by Corco's provocation.

“And I'm not trying to take them from you,” Corco nodded. “With our agreement in place, you'll still control your men. Rather than take over, I will bankroll your troops, and you will protect my property here on Arcavia in return. When the time comes for me to go home and claim my throne, you and your men will support me in my attempt. Once I have succeeded, all of your men will receive a reward far beyond anything you could take from this old, used-up mine, plus the noble status of warrior, roughly equivalent to an arcavian knight. Even if you decide to return, as former warriors under the great ruler of the mysterious, foreign sugar empire, your reputation in Arcavia would be far beyond that of a common bandit.”

“Mercenary,” Dedrick corrected.

“Now go and explain the difference,” Corco replied with a grin, since he understood just how mercenaries operated in Arcavia. There really wasn't much of a difference between the two professions, especially in times of peace. Even during wars, mercenaries would often be the last to the battle and the first to the plunder. However right Corco was, Dedrick himself seemed fed up with their talks and was intent on pushing back against Corco's snarky attitude.

“Y'know, I've collected my own information, and heard some stories about this place as well. Maybe your plan isn't as perfect as you think, sire.”

“Oh, is that so?” Corco ignored the bite in Dedrick's address and played along, as he resumed his march again to lead the mercenary deeper into the caverns, towards the goal of their journey.

“Yeah, that's so. Seems like you guys have been selling quality salt out of here, on the quiet. They say that you found a hidden mine of high-grade salt under all the cheap stuff. No idea how well an emperor pays, but an entire mine of good salt sounds like a decent haul for me and my one hundred twenty-six men.”

“Ah, you're right, that would be quite the haul for you,” Corco agreed as he tried to suppress the grin on his face. Even though he could feel that Dedrick was a very upfront man, he didn't want to insult the mercenary too much, since they would have to work together in the future. “It's even true that we're producing high-quality salt. Pure sodium chloride, but it's not for you to have. That's why we're here, to convince you that your desire is unfounded.”

Just as he had finished his introductory speech, Corco came to a sturdy, newly built door in the old cavern walls. With a light grin, he opened up and marched inside.

“We'll see about that,” Dedrick mumbled under his breath as he watched the prince disappear.

With a sigh, Corco turned around and waved towards the provocative mercenary captain. “Just come inside.”

As soon as they entered the large room, the mercenary's sneer turned slack-jawed as he tried to comprehend the sight before him. Corco wasn't all that surprised by the reaction. With pride, he looked over the contraptions they had set up all throughout the hall, the giant vats of bubbling liquids. Opposite the entrance, the walls had been opened up to the outside, creating large windows along the cliff face of the mine's back side in order to let out the steam from their separation process, while the hard-working apprentices ran to and fro, with Ronnie in the middle of the pack to coordinate their efforts.

“Here it is, our saline, the place where the magic happens.” Pride filled the prince's voice as he presented the mercenary with their greatest money-making scheme yet.

“What... is this?”

With a grin, Corco stepped over towards the table where they would package the finished product. Men in gloves filled large barrels with the cleaned, almost pure white table salt worth a fortune.

“It's our production facility. The salt you could get from this mine wasn't actually that bad, you know? Overall, it's a pretty middling quality. However, the sodium chloride is completely mixed together with potassium chloride and other impurities, which gives the mined salt its bitter taste. Together with my head alchemist over there, we managed to separate the two substances. Those different boiling points sure are helpful. Takes some work though without a proper thermometer. Anyways, after the separation, you just need a bit of cleaning up and you get the highest quality salt in all of Arcavia. You wanna take the tour?”

Enthusiastic about showing off his newest toy, Corco turned around, only to stare into the dull face of his guest. It seemed like he had once again overdone it in his explanation and lost Dedrick's attention in the process.

“In here, we turn icky, bad salt into yummy, good salt. Money much,” the prince repeated in a flat voice.

“So.. there's no secret deposit?” Awakened from his confusion, Dedrick asked the only question he cared about.

“Of course not. You can stay as long as you like and check anywhere to see if I'm hiding something from you. Since there's no secret salt deposit, your men have no more reason to be disloyal to me. Even if you take the mine, you have no idea how to operate anything. Even if you knew that, are you gonna become a merchant and start selling the salt yourselves? This operation requires a lot more effort than just scooping the white gold off the ground, it's actual hard work.” Corco grinned, happy that his guest had once again regained his focus.

“So... what about the rumors of a secret deposit? Should we squash them? That our first job?”

“It's nice that you're thinking ahead, but no. There really is no need. After all, I made those rumors up myself.” With a widening grin, Corco took up a bit of salt and let the small crystals seep through his opening fingers.

“Why...” Confused again, the mercenary failed to get beyond the first word of his question. If he wanted to ready his new troops for the political games at his family's court, it seemed like the prince would have quite the challenge at his hands.

“The rumor made you, capable mercenaries, ignore the opposition of Borna and come here, right? To see if you can just take our great salt mine for yourselves. Worked like a charm. Even after I've hired you, I expect the rumors to do more work for us in the future.”

“But it will provoke the knights in the area,” Dedrick said with a frown. “I know those petty people far more than you do, boss. There's no way they'll let a commoner, a foreigner no less, hold possession of something this valuable.”

Corco looked out through the cavern's opening, out into the sun-filled plains of Borna.

“I'm counting on it.”