154
Back end
‘···He’s coming anyway.’
I smiled bitterly as I touched the blood-soaked letter. I knew you were stubborn, but you still went all the way to the continent.
‘Why on earth are you looking for me?’
I thought we had a clean deal, but it didn’t seem to be a cool deal.
When he said it was a red-level request, I thought he was the only one, but I couldn’t understand why he still maintained the red-level request and why he traveled across the continent to meet me.
‘I said I called you Karzan.’
Google reported that he called the guy Karzan, as I said before. I was thinking of taking Google with me because I couldn’t believe it at all.
‘What are you thinking, Ethan?’
I wrinkled my forehead in the fatigue that was setting in.
“Captain, your face looks strange.”
My thoughts were interrupted by Kel’s nagging.
I shook my head and exhaled deeply.
“You’re the one with the weird face.”
Kel’s expression became subtle at my words.
“No matter what, it’s a bit much to hear something like that from the leader…”
Kel said something nonsensical.
“Ugly Kel.”
“Just because you call me that doesn’t mean I have a nickname. Chief.”
“You’re so ugly, Kel.”
Kel opened his mouth and then quickly turned his head.
I felt like I won.
Kel, who had been mumbling with a subtle expression for a moment, suddenly changed the subject.
“But the heresy is really rampant. Our congregation members have become like that leader···.”
“what?”
Kel wrinkled his nose and laughed at my question. It seemed like it was the ugly guy’s lowly jealousy.
“Anyway, the other castle is just a place where people explode and it’s just hell. Hell. Isn’t that what’s wrong with the world?”
“You’ve become more talkative?”
Kel was already a talkative person, but he has become unusually talkative lately. It was painful to the ears when he was around.
“Ah, I heard that talking to the baby in my stomach is good for me, so I’ve been talking all day, and now I’m starting to stammer. Hehe.”
Kel laughed seriously, unlike his usual frivolous laugh. The laugh was very awkward.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m training you on how to make a woman feel good, just in case you’re a man. As for the part where you might be a woman, Rosa···.”
I burst out laughing at that subtle parenting. Kel narrowed his eyes at my laughter.
“Can you do something about that scar? I can’t tell if the person is smiling or crying. The church will treat it, but you don’t have the money? Ugh… If the kids get together….”
Kel took out his pocket and checked. There was only Cooper inside. Feeling embarrassed, he closed his pocket and muttered, ‘Rosa didn’t do her job…’
As I looked at that gloomy appearance, I suddenly remembered the story I had heard from Nova.
“Oh, I heard they’re giving me a new house because it collapsed recently. Do I need it?”
“Do you give something like that to a mere foreign security guard?”
Kel looked at me with a strange expression and asked. I quickly grabbed the flimsy helmet and slapped it on.
“Ouch! Why are you hitting me!”
“He’s just a little kid. But I’m still the leader.”
“No, it’s not crumpled! Someone hit the helmet with their fist and…”
Kel grumbled and pushed his helmet in as if it was unfair. Then he quickly gave up.
It didn’t look good, so I grabbed the other side and balanced it out.
Now that both sides are evenly distributed, it’s a well-balanced pitch that looks good.
“Aaah!!”
Kel screamed and ran away backwards, but even then, a broad smile was on his face.
‘Is it time to buy my own home?’
Kel was the type of guy who would grumble for a long time after getting hit once, but today he just smiled broadly and quickly stuck his head back in.
I clicked my tongue and pushed him away.
The house was one of the rewards the lord gave me. However, I didn’t really need the house.
Why would you leave a place where food is served on time, there is a hot bath, a washing machine, and an air conditioner?
I wasn’t even paying for my accommodation, but rather was being paid. I had no intention of leaving a place that offered full options.
However, he could not sell the house he had received from the lord, and it would be a waste to use it as a warehouse, so he gave it to someone suitable.
Of course, Nova said that I had to use it…
‘It doesn’t matter.’
Kel, wearing an ugly helmet, was jumping around excitedly.
‘Ethan···.’
As I became more relaxed, my thoughts drifted back to Ethan.
Ethan was so talented that he could beat those great stars and rise to the top. His talent was the best I’ve ever seen.
However, the guy had no aura. I heard that there were no knights among his subordinates.
‘A marquis without a knight···.’
Although he had a somewhat childish disposition, he was honest and open-minded.
He never boasted about being a descendant of the first star, and he was not afraid to go to the front lines.
As time went by, we naturally became quite close, but now that guy is crossing the continent to kill me.
‘It’s touching.’
I fiddled with the hilt of my knife, muttering a dull joke.
First of all, I had to get some armor. Even if I had gotten quite strong, I would still be defeated if a sword was stuck in my neck.
The deserters who roamed the battlefield were difficult for knights in a different way.
But since they don’t have any auras, if we just get some solid armor, things will be easier than we think.
‘The problem is how to boil that Digda.’
I checked the side where the dwarf was.
Around them, cannas and park heads were taking a nap in the shade, with barley guarding their side.
Bori, whose eyes met mine, nodded slightly. Her face looked much nicer than usual.
‘You need many brothers after all.’
After having a brother, Bori’s face brightened.
The dwarf was trembling with his lips chapped. It seemed as if he had been shaken by something again.
‘You have more than I thought.’
I’ve been working on it for several days now, and it’s amazing how there’s still more to come.
“What’s wrong, Captain?”
“Don’t suddenly call me ‘nim’.”
“Chief Aaron has always been in my heart. Ask Rosa! How much I look for Chief Aaron. Even at night···.”
I narrowed my eyes at Kel’s creepy words. Then Kel quickly shouted, “Just kidding!” Of course, my fists were stingy when it came to jokes.
Kel’s helmet, which was even more crumpled, bulged out. Kel, who had been trying to somehow get the helmet in, gave up and just placed it on top.
“Oh, is it because of that dwarf?”
Kel turned his head to follow my gaze and asked.
“I’m a regular at Dwarf Luna. From what I’ve heard, Dwarfs are very······.”
I squinted my eyes at Kel’s words.
“Luna?”
“Isn’t that right? The prostitute who sent the letter to the chief.”
“ah.”
I could remember her from Kel’s additional explanation. She was a prostitute who had helped me a few times before and then flirted with me.
A dwarf who hangs around with prostitutes…
‘Hmm···.’
I wondered how to combine the dwarf’s chronic stubbornness and the prostitutes he frequents to create a sophisticated armor.
At that moment, a carriage driver approached.
‘Now that I think about it, there are noticeably fewer carriage drivers.’
I squinted my eyes at the thought that he was the first carriage driver I had seen today.
The number of charioteers had been decreasing as the gates were closed due to heresy, but in recent times their number has decreased exponentially.
“Ah···Aaron!”
The carriage driver who spotted me waved his hand and greeted me. It was a familiar face. And the cheeky little kid sitting next to him was there too.
‘At that time, he was a swindler who was with the troubleshooters who came to catch Kanna.’
I remembered the annoying thing about the group escape on that day when it was raining heavily.
In the meantime, the carriage driver approached. The two of them looked unwell. They were in disarray, as if they had just come from a battlefield.
“It’s Aaron! It’s Aaron! He’s alive! No, he’s dead?!”
The guy who came right up to me jumped up laughing. The brat next to him jumped up too.
The two of them were out of sync, so it felt uncomfortable to watch them.
“Did something happen?”
“Ugh…! That’s it! Those bastards called the Garrott Group are arresting all the carriage drivers heading to Cassadic! They were already so vicious that they must have gone mad! They’re being reckless! While I was coming here, the other carriage drivers were either caught or gave up and went back!”
The guy vented his anger at my question.
‘···It was the work of a high-ranking official.’
I’ve been feeling like there haven’t been many carriage drivers lately, but it looks like the Garrote upper class has taken special measures.
It seemed like the losers in the fair fight between the top guys were resorting to dirty tricks. There were many guys like Ethan who were at the back.
They were annoying guys anyway.
“But I, Levy! I couldn’t let my savior be in danger! I couldn’t give up! That’s why I broke through their encirclement! I endured the rain of arrows flying towards me and arrived here!”
The bastard shouted at my carriage. Then the little boy next to me pointed with both arms at the carriage full of arrows.
The carriage was scorched and pierced with arrows.
“There’s no need to do that.”
The necessary supplies had already been procured through the ship. In addition, Cassidy had saved up separately after the Bolt achievement.
‘Oh, you said it out loud.’
I opened my mouth as I realized him by the look on his face that had suddenly turned sour.
“No, but he’s a hero. He’s a very heroic carriage driver.”
At what I said, the guy seemed to be overcome with emotion and ran towards me, shouting, “Ugh!” I quickly swung my fist.
The man who was hit opened his eyes wide, nodded, and headed back to the carriage. It was a quick nod, typical of a businessman.
“But that wall···”
The man on the carriage narrowed his eyes as he looked at the castle wall. He looked back and forth between me and the castle wall.
“That makes sense.”
The guy who gave a strangely unpleasant nod naturally pulled the carriage. I stopped him and held out my palm.
The guy looked at me as if he were looking at a robber, then held out a silver coin with a trembling hand. The brat next to him gave me a thumbs up.
He was worth a small price to pay for his labor. Normally I wouldn’t have let him in, but I took the time to look him and the brat very closely.
After tearing down the carriage and repacking it with materials for the journey, I let the guy in. He grinned.
I flicked the silver coin I received from the bastard to Kel.
“I don’t have any change, sir.”
“It’s the price of powdered milk.”
“What is powdered milk?”
I shook my head at the ignorant question. Kel quickly took the silver without asking a second time.
At that moment, a carriage was approaching from afar. It was surrounded by troops, as if it was a nobleman coming.
Unlike the carriage just now, it looked neat. The simple pattern on the carriage made it immediately recognizable.
‘White Tower? Oh, I heard that Kuabarou requested supplies for Park Head Research from the Tower.’
I sent Kel back and stepped forward.
The man in front slowly stopped. He had a certain angularity and a neat appearance, and he looked far from a mercenary.
I habitually checked the spear the man had slung over his shoulder. I raised my hand, noting its length by the worn part of the handle.
The tower was not of the commoner level. It was not of the noble or religious level. It was not a level that could be inspected.
“It came from the White Tower. It’s a support item for a wizard called Swallows.”
The man frowned for a moment, perhaps because the pronunciation was difficult. I nodded and gestured.
A man dismounted lightly from his horse, approached the carriage, and opened its door.
“···.”
There was a woman with a fat expression sitting in the carriage. She looked exactly like a carrot, but her face was puffy as if she had been dragged from some wasteland.
‘Wizard Army.’
The identity of the opponent could be inferred from the robe and the short staff hanging from his waist. It was a popular wizard’s outfit.
Next to it, there were piles of expensive-looking items. It seemed like Kua Bao Rou’s position was higher than I thought.
“Who is this?”
I pointed to the carrot with my chin and asked.
“···Hey? This punk with no brains.”
“Lord Keirnhardt, this is not the capital.”
As the carrot made a crunching sound, the man next to him stopped it with a frown on his face.
“Huh! I am Elder Keirnhard of the White Tower.”
The man who introduced himself as Gye-reuk glared at me with sharp eyes. It seemed as if he was expecting my surprised reaction.
“···elder?”
“Yes. It seems you know the structure of the magic tower.”
To be honest, I was surprised. He was the elder of the white tower.
The guy chuckled and laughed strangely, as if he was satisfied with my reaction.
“Seeing the elder running around himself, it seems like things are not going well at the White Tower.”
“······What?”
“Ahem, Elder. The influence of the Magic Tower is weak here…”
The man stopped Gye-reuk, who had her eyes wide open. The man looked at Gye-reuk, not at me, and talked about this and that at length.
Most of it was just words telling him to be patient, and his face turned even redder. He looked just like a carrot in curry.
I expected him to get a little angrier, but he held it together surprisingly well.
‘What a pity.’
I looked at him for a moment and then held out my hand.
The man immediately took out a silver coin and placed it on my palm. However, I shook my head and the man’s face hardened a little.
A moment later, I had three silver coins in my palm. Only then did I move them aside.
It seemed as if Gye-Ruk was swearing in an old voice, but I couldn’t hear it after I closed the carriage door. It seemed to have a soundproofing function.
“This is the basic price.”
Kel smiled brightly as he received the three silver coins flying in one after another in a strange manner.
“When Rosa returns, the first guest will definitely be the captain···.”
My face crumpled at the guy’s strange words that followed.
***
bang!
“Swallows!”
Kuabarou… no, Swallows turned his head to the roughly opened door.
There was an unpleasant face there.
“Keirnhardt? Why are you here?”
Keirnhardt was a colleague of Swallows. The two entered the White Tower at the same time, but they did not get along well. No, they were very bad.
Unlike Swallows, who were devoted to magic, Gyernhardt was only interested in his connections.
Keirnhardt chose to do such dirty things that it was hard to tell whether he had entered the Tower or the social circle.
However, Gyernhardt, who had not even been seen in the Magic Tower Lab, was promoted faster than Swallows, who even lived in the lab.
What’s more, he didn’t stop there, he spread all sorts of strange rumors about the Swallows.
Swallows couldn’t understand at all. What did he do wrong to the guy that he had to do something like that.
Swallows, who had been quite prominent, ended up only being a professor, and the two became enemies.
‘···Why is he here?’
Swallows glared at the bastard, his irritation growing.
“I heard you’re conducting research on those who are loved by Mana?”
From what he said, Swallows guessed the situation.
“You didn’t bring the tool yourself, did you?”
He was a man who picked promising young magicians and put them under his wing, and he was rising through the ranks regardless of his poor magical skills.
A guy like that came all the way to this remote place to deliver tools?
“Of course. You know how important it is to be loved by Mana, right? That’s why I, as an elder, came here.”
Swallows didn’t take his word for it. Ninety percent of what he said was lies.
Plus···.
“Aren’t you a magic piece of shit?”
Swallows frowned, realizing belatedly that he had spoken out loud.
“······what?”
He seemed flustered, so he answered shorter than usual.
Although he felt a strange sense of pleasure and relief, Swallows frowned as he realized that his actions were just like that ignorant guy.
“How ridiculous. A guy who was just a professor is talking shit to me, a senior executive? Has his mouth become vulgar because he’s in the outskirts? Swallows who killed his parents?”
It was a provocation, but Swallows simply ignored him and looked behind him.
‘There are more items than I thought.’
It was more than he had asked for. How could Matap, who had been stingy with his research funds, give this much?
And there was even a guy who was yelling. After all, he was an elder. Even a guy like that was sent along…
‘What happened to the white tower?’
Swallows, who had finished thinking, stared at the screaming Keerukhart. The bastard was startled and stepped back.
“So what’s going on?”
Keureukhart chewed his lips and then opened his mouth.
“The next Lord of the Gray Tower has taken the position of Imperial Education Teacher.”
The words that came out of his mouth were quite shocking.
Unlike other magic towers, the White Magic Tower has a strong academic character and has been in charge of the magical education of the imperial family for generations.
Of course, magic wasn’t something you could learn to use just because you were taught it, and there was no way that a wizard could be born in a wealthy royal family.
The education was largely formal, stemming from the tradition that an emperor must know everything.
However, he contributed greatly to the position of the White Tower···.
‘You took it away from me? How?’
Suddenly, I thought I knew why they were sending me such overwhelming support.
If the next leader of the Gray Tower was to be Hans, he would be the man who published a study on those who were loved by Mana.
‘That man published a study on those who are loved by Mana.’
Perhaps the white tower seemed to guess that there was something to the research.
‘Things are getting weird.’
Swallows’ brow furrowed.
“You’re a professor, and you live in a shitty house like this? You can’t even store your belongings in this.”
Gyernhardt grumbled and took out a thick pouch from his bosom. His face looked like it was anxious to show off something.
He’s been like that from the beginning. He’s always been the one to keep the Swallows in check, and he’s always been the one to bring out his strengths.
‘A lot of money, not enough space, the elders of the tower.’
The Swallows’ eyebrows furrowed.
Surely the house was too small for that stupid, stupid young lady to study.
Due to the recent chaos, there is now an empty lot, and there are still many days left to stay here. Moreover, even if it is only in name, the elder has come-
“I guess I should set up a branch.”
Swallows nodded, looking at Keilhard’s full pockets.
“···what?”
Kearnhard’s questions dispersed into the air.
***
“He’s coming.”
Choco, sitting across from me, lifted his glass and asked lightly.
“okay.”
I put down my glass and nodded.
“What are you going to do?”
Choco’s eyes sparkled violently.
‘It looks like he has something piled up.’
Well, I couldn’t have any good feelings about being pushed to this remote place just because I nagged at him.
Or maybe you’re an addict who’s excited by the smell of blood after a long time.
“Situation report.”
“hmm.”
Choco nodded vigorously. His Adam’s apple rippled beneath his thick beard.
“He’s not the same Ethan he was back then.”
Choco stared at me with sunken eyes.
It was a story I had heard several times before. How much has it changed that you have to emphasize it here?
‘Did you have a sex change?’
I muttered a joke and chuckled to myself. Choco’s expression became subtle.
“There’s no way you could lose to him now. But it won’t end as easily as in the desert.”
I nodded to Choco’s words. He was the one who had moved all the way to the other side of the continent to find me. It couldn’t end that easily.
That’s why my head is complicated.
“This is going to be annoying.”
Choco nodded at my muttering.
“Because it’s the best star.”
“He is also a Marquis.”
He was no different from a rolling bomb. A bomb that would cause a torrent of trouble the moment it hit your neck.
Because the ring was so heavy, it had to be handled with great care.
“Why did you keep him alive?”
Choco’s questions continued.
Although there was no subject, I could tell it was a question about Ethan.
“I made a deal with Britsha.”
I spoke briefly.
“British? The mate of the first star?”
I nodded. The memories that came to mind after a long time weren’t very tasty.
“There was a complicated story.”
Even if it was a kingdom of savages built on sand, a kingdom was still a kingdom.
It was no easy task to bring down such a kingdom. If I ever had to write an introduction, it was an achievement that I could proudly add to my resume.
“···I see.”
Choco looked like he wanted to ask something, but he nodded as if swallowing it.
I didn’t really intend to gossip about it.
After a moment of silence, Choco continued to drink as if he had become a bitter enemy of alcohol.
“Hey, Choco.”
“But why, master.”
The guy answered my call with a frown. He seemed to be smiling as if he was joking, but his face was so fierce that it was not pleasant to see.
“Want to be the best?”
“I don’t like it.”
Choco answered my question without a moment’s hesitation. I laughed out loud at that decisive answer.
How could such a loyal man say such things? It seemed that it wasn’t just Ethan who had changed.
“Weren’t you anxious to become one before?”
“Because I was young back then.”
He answered something that happened only a few years ago as if it happened a long time ago. It was funny, but it felt like a long time ago to me too.
“This is good, because we were short on workers at the time.”
Choco said with a smile on his face. He was a top tier bartender on the side.
I nodded to him.
Of the people who followed him to the other side of the continent, how many would come over? It was clear that the yield would not be very high.
“It’s been a while, so I’m going to remember the old days.”
Choco frowned as he held out his glass. This time, he smiled brightly, leaving no room for disagreement.
“It will take a few days.”
I smiled bitterly at him and clinked my glasses. Those desert guys were really tough, so it was going to be quite a hassle.
“Huh? Arong, how many days?!”
At that moment, Hanna suddenly intervened from the side.
“Oh, I have something to do.”
I nodded and grabbed the glass. Hannah’s hand rested on the glass.
His hands were as scarred and calloused as those of a prosecutor. The palms of a self-made man were visible.
“Ah, it’s time to go to work.”
Choco muttered a bit awkwardly, then picked up his glass and disappeared somewhere. The sight of him behind me was quite annoying.
“What is your business?”
Hannah asked in a voice that seemed to be trying to suppress her emotions. I shook my head at that. It wasn’t something worth explaining.
“Then I’ll go with you! I was supposed to go to Karzan because of the top! That’s great!”
I shook my head at Hannah’s words, whose expression quickly changed.
“It’s dangerous.”
Hannah’s expression became subtle at my answer. He looked like someone who had just given candy to a crying child.
“···me too!”
Kanna, who had her face slightly peeking out from the table, raised her hand. Her eyes sparkled as if she was talking about a picnic.
“no.”
I flatly refused. No matter how good it was, it was rated at least 15 years old.
Kanna suddenly stood up, took out a club from the product, and swung it quickly.
A feast of wit that started out of nowhere. However, its power was extraordinary.
‘···The amount of mana has increased?’
I touched the lightning coming out of Kanna’s mouth and it definitely felt hotter than before.
Although I had been watching his posture, he seemed to have put in a lot of effort on his own, and his momentum was extraordinary.
For a young age, she has a pretty good posture and her mana seems to have grown a little.
‘A natural born swordsman.’
After finishing her tricks, Kanna looked up at me with confident eyes.
He looked like a kid taking a promotion test in Taekwondo, but his face was so serious that he tried hard not to laugh.
“no.”
At my firm answer, Kanna wrinkled her nose, looked at me, and then ran off somewhere.
Then he paused for a moment, came back, bowed politely, and ran again.
I looked at his back for a moment and then shook my head.
At that moment, a weasel appeared on one side of the table, carefully folding a meat bun and bringing it to his mouth.
The weasel carefully brought the meat bread to his mouth and chewed it in huge handfuls.
And then, pretending to wipe away her tears, she ate the meat bread in a hurry. It was almost as if she was eating heavenly food, but Hannah’s meat bread wasn’t like that.
It was so obvious that it was a show to Hannah, so it was absurd.
‘There must be a groom.’
I nodded my head at the sight of such a weasel.
“You go together.”
“···to?”
The weasel bit back, spitting out a mixture of meat and bread from his mouth.
As my expression crumpled, the weasel hurriedly picked up what had fallen on the table, put it in its mouth, and swallowed it.
The weasel, whose face was red as if it had choked, tapped my neck with the edge of its hand. After a moment, the weasel swallowed again and stared at me.
“I just heard it was dangerous······.”
The weasel pretended to be sick, even coughing. His acting was so realistic that I wanted to hit him on the forehead and cure his cold.
“no?”
The weasel shut its mouth tightly at my question. Its eyes wandered and its body flinched. When I squinted, it jumped up.
“No! No! That’s not it. It’s just because it’s dangerous! Of course my big brother is going, so even if it’s hell, isn’t it my duty to follow him! However, my groin area has been itching lately and······.”
The weasel kept making excuses. I listened to him and nodded my head and fist.
“Where does it itch?”
“···I’ll be with you even in hell! Big brother!!”
The weasel, who had been crying for a moment, declared while thumping his chest.
I nodded to him and got up from my seat.
There were many things to take care of, aside from the groom.
“Why are you picking on me? I’m so weak…”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the faint grumbling of the weasel.
***
‘Whew···, the top of the Gyarrot.’
Dante’s brow furrowed.
The strength of the upper ranks of the Garrot was greater than expected.
‘If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have sent them.’
Dante belatedly regretted what had happened. However, he could not dare to ask him for additional troops.
And then, if by any chance he comes down to Karzan······.
‘That must be stopped.’
Dante shook his head vigorously, pushing away the heavy fatigue and trying to come up with another method.
