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Chapter 10 — Condemned by the Gods
The Mercenary Guild was as noisy as ever. Shouts and arguments spilled up from the hall below without end.
Su Cheng followed the captain down the stairs. Halfway down, they met a group coming up—still arguing over how a certain reward should be split. Bloodstained iron boots struck the steps hard, each impact echoing sharply through the stairwell.
One of them opened his mouth to speak, then froze mid-turn when he caught sight of Kay. The words died instantly. The few mercenaries around him also fell silent.
They passed each other without incident.
Only after they’d walked some distance did Su Cheng hear the argument resume behind them—louder now, uglier, each side insisting they’d contributed more to the mission.
“…Do you know them?” she glanced at the captain beside her. “They looked scared of you.”
“We had a minor conflict the other day when we first arrived,” Kay replied casually. “Just a misunderstanding.”
Nothing more was said about it. Instead, they returned to discussing her assignment.
The curse had already become a private transaction between her and Camille. It was no longer tied to the Black Flame Mercenary Group.
So whatever they wanted her to do now would have to be negotiated separately.
“There’s a mage gathering next month,” Kay explained. “It’ll be held in the Imperial Capital.”
Golden Amber City lay in the southern region of the empire. The Imperial Capital was in the center. It wasn’t a journey you could make in two or three days—not even on a magical beast, let alone horseback.
Most mercenaries weren’t willing to travel that far. It was only natural they couldn’t find recruits in the short term.
Kay looked at her. “If you don’t want to—”
“I’ll do it,” Su Cheng cut in quickly. “I actually wanted to travel anyway. I just… don’t have much ability. I can only promise I’ll do my best.”
He nodded. “I’ll give you the full details later. For now, I’ll go withdraw the recruitment notice.”
They parted ways there.
Su Cheng went to the guild counter to register as a mercenary.
The Mercenary Log was a small, thick leather-bound book. Because it had magic inscribed within it, it cost two silver coins.
She handed over her identification documents—technically belonging to the cannon-fodder version of Su Cheng. There were no parents listed on it, only basic information like gender and age.
It was usable as-is.
The guild staff verified her identity, then asked whether she was a mage or a warrior.
She showed them the rank insignia pinned to her chest.
That immediately drew several gazes.
Most mercenaries here were Tier One. A few were Tier Two, but they were generally much older. Someone this young was rare.
The staff member nodded and asked her to demonstrate a Tier Two spell.
Su Cheng formed a Wind Blade.
A wave of low gasps followed.
“…Instant cast? That’s almost Tier Three, isn’t it?”
There were eleven tiers of magic in total:
Apprentice Mage, Initiate Mage, Junior Mage, Intermediate Mage, Advanced Mage, Great Mage, Archmage, Great Archmage, Mage Sage, Great Mage Sage, and Saint Mage Sage.
For Tier One apprentices and Tier Two initiates, advancement was determined by whether they could successfully cast a spell of the corresponding level.
“Casting” meant chanting the full incantation.
In other words, an ordinary initiate mage who wanted to cast a Tier Two spell like Wind Blade would need at least five to ten seconds of chanting—depending on speed.
With enough practice, one could cast silently, chanting only in the mind. That was called silent casting.
And beyond that—no chanting at all.
Instant cast.
“…Is she even eighteen?”
Someone muttered under their breath.
And then, things started moving.
“Hey, mage! Are you looking to join a mercenary group?”
Su Cheng had just received her registration book when she was nearly hit in the face with recruitment flyers. A mercenary was enthusiastically waving a stack of papers at her.
“We’re always recruiting elemental mages, and wind-element especially—”
Others quickly caught on. The surrounding mercenaries began crowding in.
Su Cheng was already thinking of escaping when commotion suddenly erupted at the guild entrance.
A group had arrived.
They were all young—well-dressed, refined, carrying an unmistakable air of privilege. Each wore similar academy insignias. The leader, a handsome young man dressed in white, stood out with an almost icy composure.
The crowd instinctively parted for them. Some even looked respectfully cautious.
Several mercenaries recognized them immediately. It was a well-known team—experienced, dangerous, and usually calm. Seeing them this tense was unusual.
“…A Nine-Star Battle Master!”
Someone suddenly cried out.
They had recognized the rank insignia on the white-clad youth.
A Fifth-Rank warrior.
One step away from Sixth Rank.
There were indeed comparable experts in Golden Amber City, but they were all famous figures—most over forty years old. Even if they didn’t look old due to battle aura, none looked like this.
This youth still had traces of immaturity on his face, and the emblem on his clothes clearly marked him as a student of the South River Academy.
Judging from enrollment age—
“He’s… maybe just twenty?” someone inhaled sharply. “And already approaching Sixth Rank!”
“Not necessarily. The gap between peak Fifth Rank and Sixth Rank can be a lifetime barrier for some people!”
“But ‘some people’ aren’t twenty and already this strong!”
“Ridiculous… he’s too young…”
Whispers filled the hall as the South River Academy group entered.
Murong Yue remained expressionless, indifferent to the attention.
Then—his gaze suddenly landed on a familiar figure in the crowd.
His expression stiffened slightly.
His classmates followed his line of sight, puzzled.
They hadn’t accompanied him to the Lin estate and didn’t recognize Su Cheng.
“…Only a Tier Two mage,” someone muttered. “Is there anything special about her?”
Another, more informed student suddenly sucked in a breath.
“I heard Murong-senpai’s former fiancée looks like that—”
“Former fiancée!” Murong Yue snapped instantly, cutting her off as if reacting reflexively. “Don’t say it wrong.”
The girl froze. “Oh—o-okay.”
Murong Yue was always distant and composed. None of them had ever seen him react like that before.
Just how much did he despise that engagement?
Rumor had it she was a useless noble girl—unable to gather battle aura even at sixteen or seventeen. If he disliked the engagement, that would make sense.
But… wasn’t that girl over there a mage?
Even if Tier Two wasn’t exceptional here, it definitely didn’t qualify as “useless.”
Unless Murong Yue simply hated mages?
Or thought anyone who didn’t train battle aura was trash?
The students were thoroughly confused.
While they were still speculating, the black-haired girl had already lost interest. She only glanced at them briefly before turning away.
She was now speaking to a tall swordsman beside her, holding up her mercenary log and even lifting it slightly as if showing off.
Murong Yue frowned faintly.
He recalled how actively Su Cheng had agreed to the annulment. It had looked like she was chasing benefits—but it also suggested she hadn’t been satisfied with the engagement either.
…Did she already have someone she favored?
“Hmph. A mere Tier Two elemental mage like you was never worthy of Senpai in the first place!”
A richly dressed young woman lifted her chin, eyes full of disdain.
She was Murong Yue’s junior and had always admired him deeply.
The moment her words fell, the black-haired girl in the distance turned back.
She smiled.
Like a fox that had spotted a chick.
Murong Yue: “…”
Before he could speak, Su Cheng had already walked over with a pleasant expression.
“Hello,” she said first, looking at the girl beside Murong Yue. “May I ask your name?”
The girl sneered. “You’re not worthy of knowing.”
Su Cheng studied her thoughtfully.
In the original story, Murong Yue had a junior male student—a noble-born talent who admired him and constantly looked down on Lin Yun. He had mocked Lin Yun relentlessly, calling him a lowborn waste, saying he was unworthy, a toad trying to eat swan meat, and worse.
He was later thoroughly humiliated.
And then… killed.
Now—
Murong Yue had become male, so had the “malicious junior” turned into a malicious junior girl?
Or maybe it wasn’t the same person.
After all, someone like Murong Yue would naturally attract sycophants. Those who stepped forward to insult others might not even truly like him.
Su Cheng didn’t remember the junior’s name anyway. Even if this girl introduced herself, she wouldn’t be able to match her.
“…Fine, don’t say it then. But I have no relationship with Murong-senpai anymore. Since the engagement has been annulled, we’re no different from strangers.”
She paused slightly.
“Two strangers talking about being worthy or unworthy—don’t you think that’s strange? Or are you implying the engagement still exists?”
“Shut up!” the girl snapped. “Look at yourself in the mirror! What are you worth? You just got lucky enough to be engaged to Murong-senpai—”
Su Cheng: “……”
Same script as the original malicious junior.
Completely deaf to reason. Just nonstop output.
“Enough!”
Murong Yue suddenly interrupted her.
“I have nothing to do with Miss Su anymore. Stop saying these things.”
The girl stared at him in shock.
“Let’s go,” Murong Yue said coldly. “Silverwing should already be here.”
At the mention of it, the mercenaries nearby all inhaled sharply.
Silverwing was one of the empire’s well-known S-rank mid-tier mercenary groups. They had elite fighters and even ties with the royal family.
Raising a mercenary group’s rank was no easy feat. The higher it went, the harsher the requirements.
Even across the continent, S-rank groups were rare.
Su Cheng already knew what was happening.
Within Silverwing, there was a young and highly talented member. South River Academy wanted to invite her into the Sword Combat Department.
It wasn’t poaching—being a mercenary and studying weren’t mutually exclusive.
Mercenaries didn’t work every day, and students didn’t need to stay in school full-time.
Especially prodigies like her—academies granted them a great deal of freedom.
She hadn’t rejected the invitation. Instead, she had specifically asked Murong Yue to come meet her—curious about the youngest genius of the Sword Combat Department.
Because she didn’t want to meet academy elders, Murong Yue had only brought his juniors.
Su Cheng glanced at him.
So you can follow rules like this?
But when it came to breaking off an engagement, you had to drag a whole entourage of students along?
The junior girl, noticing her gaze, sneered again.
“Lady Xiao Lan of Silverwing is only a few months younger than you, and she’s already Sixth Rank—”
Su Cheng said nothing.
In the original story, Xiao Lan was also a beauty. She later became Murong Yue’s close friend, and eventually got entangled in rivalry dynamics involving Lin Yun.
But in this meeting—Lin Yun was not here.
He was probably taking an entrance exam at another academy right now.
Su Cheng turned to Murong Yue.
“Did you tell her about the contract? If you didn’t, then you’ve broken it. If you did, then I’ll just go ask her for payment.”
The junior clearly didn’t know anything about the contract. The others were equally confused.
But two of them suddenly paled.
They had witnessed the incident at the Lin estate. They had seen Elder Li die with their own eyes. Because it involved a deity, they hadn’t dared speak of it.
So the others knew nothing.
“What nonsense are you talking about?!” the girl snapped. “What contract?”
Murong Yue was about to speak—
But Su Cheng had already taken out a stack of papers, casually shaking them.
“Yes. A contract. Black and white.”
“Wha—?!”
The girl lunged forward and snatched them away. In the next instant, she tore them apart and crushed them with battle aura, reducing them to fine powder.
She was a Fourth-Rank Battle General. Her speed was overwhelming—close-range mages wouldn’t have time to react.
She looked triumphant.
“Whatever contract that was, it doesn’t exist anymore—”
Her words stopped abruptly.
Because Su Cheng showed no panic at all.
She only sighed.
“Even if I don’t understand why you’d tear up a mercenary recruitment notice, this kind of behavior… will be condemned by the gods.”
Her palm began to burn.
Even without lifting her sleeve, she already knew it had appeared—the scale-shaped mark of the contract.
The realm of divine authority had been touched.
Just as expected.
Some of her earlier guesses were being confirmed.
The God of Contracts might tolerate people exploiting loopholes in written agreements—even delight in mutual deception.
But this kind of crude destruction…
was clearly unacceptable.
Or rather, it violated a taboo.
So even if what was destroyed wasn’t the real contract, the act itself was enough to trigger punishment.
And—
A divine envoy could activate that punishment.
Su Cheng stepped back slightly.
“The Contract Deity hates people without contract spirit… hmm, that’s not hard to understand, is it?”
The girl’s expression froze.
Her arms began to turn translucent. Fine lines spread across her skin, like jagged tears ripping through paper.
“No—!”
Flesh began to flake from her arms. Muscle fibers tore apart like shredded parchment, scattering in midair along with bursts of crimson.
“Help me—!”
She staggered backward. With each step, more fragments fell away. Her chest caved in as if crushed by an invisible force. Rib bones snapped one by one with sickening cracks.
