Chapter 52

A blunt training sword cut the wind sharply.

Whoo!

Even though it was a blunt wooden sword with no blade, the sound of cutting the wind was quite sharp.

How much did he put to swing it like that?

By the time he was out of breath, Ivan stopped swinging and dropped his wooden sword in the ground.

“How can you make such a move in this kind of weather.”

Lensley was tongue-tied when he saw Ivan training with his top off in the cold weather when he, himself, was freezing.

“Are there no enemies in cold places?”

“…that’s not what I meant…. Ha. I got a call from Zen.”

When Zen’s name came out, the eyes of the Grand Duke, who had been indifferent, turned sharp.

“I’ll hear that first.”

Ivan simply wiped off his sweat and put on his jacket and headed straight to the study.

The study was better than the office talking behind closed doors.

Lensley followed Ivan quietly.

Clicked.

As soon as he entered the study, Ivan brought up a question.

“So did he say he found the mercenary named Demalo?”

“No, he didn’t say he found him. However, he found the last town where he used his first-class mercenary plaque.”

“He hasn’t found his location yet….”

“I think that he found the place where he used to live….”

Ivan frowned.

Lensley explained quickly.

“According to Zen’s information, Demalo bought a cabin near the last place where he used his mercenary plaque. So, Zen immediately went after him, but the cabin was empty.”

“Where is that place?”

“It’s a small town near the Earl of Millike.”

Ivan squinted and remembered where the Millike estate was.

‘Is it the south of the empire? If so, it must be time for the hunt to begin.’

If you live in a cabin, you’ll have to stock up on food for the upcoming winter.

“Since he is a mercenary, He might have gone hunting.”

“Oh…! I see. I’ll contact Zen separately.”

“That’s enough. Zen would know. Wait for the next letter.”

“Yes!”

Lensley shouted, raising his fist above his right chest. Ivan let Lensley out and got up and walked to the window. Just in time, the back of Adelia, going out, came into his field of vision.

‘Looks like you’re going to Madame Lengster’s party.’

Since Emily entered the dormitory, Adelia has been working hard on her plan. Recently, he had heard words about Viscount Yurpheon, so she seemed to be able to fully establish herself in the Principality in a short time.

‘I can’t be left behind.’

It was about time for the spy he planted at the Valkyr family to report to him.

‘If he has the skills, he will send me some useful information.’

Ivan turned around with an expressionless face.

Adelia had already left the Grand Duchy. 

***

The child who took pride in running fast grew up to become an informant of a high person.

The problem was that this position is extremely boring and requires a high degree of patience.

“Oh, how many days has it been since I’ve been homeless?”

To track down Demalo, a first-class mercenary, Zen crossed the empire to neighboring countries.

Getting a good night’s sleep was a luxury.

His mission was to find information his master wanted as soon as possible.

In addition, he was also involved in this.

‘It’s about finding who their benefactor is….’

Zen remembered the day’s events as he cleaned up his surroundings. A terrible sight, a bad situation and the crumbling cave.

Zen’s expression twisted painfully.

He thought it would get a little better over time, but just thinking about it made him feel terrible.

He almost spent his whole life in agony. If it weren’t for the Grand Duke and the unidentified noblewoman. She was a bit cranky and very feisty, but a benefactor is a benefactor!

Yes, I couldn’t even say thank you properly at that time, so let’s say hello first if we find it.

Zen hurried on, recalling his life’s benefactor.

He found the last trace of retired first-class mercenary Demalo.

Even though he already retired, he was a first-class mercenary, so there is a possibility that he has heard that someone is looking for him.

So, he has to hurry as much as he can.

“Millike’s territory…. One day is enough.”

Zen’s face, which was full of annoyance, was no longer relaxed.

Zen got a mobile carriage using his cheekiness and quickly reached Millike.

The first place he found was the mercenary guild.

Clicked.

As Zen entered, the noisy interior became quiet in an instant.

‘The treatment for a stranger is too harsh.’

Zen walked to the bar table with an expressionless face.

“I’ve never seen you around here before.”

“I’m traveling from place to place. I heard there’s a great honey wine in Millike.”

“I’ll give you honey wine.”

A rugged-looking man gave Zen a glass of honey wine. Zen looked around pretending to drink naturally. They weren’t looking at Zen, but everyone was keeping a close eye on his behavior.

Tak. 

Zen put the glass down on the table, and the man who gave him the drink opened his mouth.

“So, what’s the real deal?”

Asking him straightforwardly, means he’s telling him not to waste any more time.  In this case, it was rather counterproductive to talk around.

“I’m looking for a mercenary.”

“Name.”

“Retired first-class mercenary Demalo.”

When the name Demalo came out of Zen’s mouth, the man’s eyes were dazzled.

“Why are you looking for him? I know he’s retired, so I don’t think he’s looking for a job.”

His voice was alert and curious.

Though it wasn’t a bad reaction, Zen said with a distinctive scruffy smile.

“I got some help from him when I was a kid. I want to repay him for that time.”

“Help? him?”

“Well…to be exact I’d say I was helped by him. indirectly.”

The man laughed out loud, saying, “I knew this would happen.”

“Right? He’s not someone who’s going to help someone for free.”

Zen smiled at the distinctly relaxed atmosphere.

“Hmm, I understand why you came all the way here, but unfortunately we don’t know where he is.”

The man took a platinum mercenary plaque from the drawer and held it out in front of Zen and said,

“He returned his mercenary plaque to me and went into hiding.”

Zen identified the mercenary plaque that the man presented.

The mercenary plaque was inscribed with the name of Demalo.

After confirming this, Zen took a heavy pocket out of his arms and threw it at the man.

The man nimbly grabbed the pocket and checked the contents of it.

Gold coins…! Looks like at least 50. 

An irresistible smile came to the man’s lips at the huge sum of money.

“You still don’t understand?”

“…I think he bought a cabin in a town near Millike.”

Zen took out a map and held it out to the man to find out more details.

“I’ll give you 10 more gold.”

The man laughed and marked the location of Demalo’s cabin on the map.

Zen stood up, throwing a pocket of 10 gold to the man.

“I hope it’s not wrong information.”

“Well, I don’t lie when I’m paid to sell. It’s just that he’s such a mysterious person that I don’t know if he’s still living there.”

Zen left the man’s words behind and left the guild to find Demalo’s cabin.

Clicked. 

When Zen disappeared, the guild became lively again.

“Master, can you blow him so easily?”

“Do you know how much he paid me?”

“How much is it?”

“60 gold.”

“I can’t stand this! If it was me, I would have guided him myself!”

The master chuckled at the words.

“With his skill, he won’t die in any event.”

“That’s true.”

The master hummed and remembered Demalo, who had disappeared.

Imagining Demalo’s face, who will be annoyed when someone caught him hiding, made him smile automatically.

***

Midnight hiking is very dangerous.

It was a time where the predators who had been hiding began to hunt, and it was also a time when they could not turn back if something went wrong.

‘Ha. Is this the right way?’

Jen, who was tired from the hard trip, felt like dying.

“Whoa. I can’t wait to wash up and sleep on a fluffy bed.”

But he couldn’t dream of it until he found Demalo.

Zen hurried to find the cabin.

It would be dangerous if the temperature dropped further here.

Zen, who has been walking around the forest full of tall trees, was finally able to find the cabin he had been looking for.

Zen looked around the cabin with a keen eye.

‘It’s well organized. It’s not an abandoned cabin.’

But strangely, he didn’t feel a sense of life.

‘I’m going to report it to the boss first.’

Zen watched as briefly as possible, wrote down the contents and whistled.

Soon a well-trained eagle flew over Zen’s arm.

Zen said, tying the letter tightly to the eagle’s ankle.

“You have to deliver it safely. If you want to get beef later.”

Perhaps he understood Zen’s words, the eagle cried briefly once and flapped its wings and flew far away.

‘Whoa. Now let’s take a look inside the cabin.’

Zen carefully opened the cabin.

The cabin was not locked.

Zen frowned and looked at the empty cabin.

“Ha… Is it a waste?”

Strangely enough, he couldn’t feel the sense of life….

Zen sighed and looked more closely around the cabin.

There wasn’t much dust piled up even though there was no sense of someone living there.

That means it hasn’t been long since the owner was away.

Zen decided to wait until the owner returned.

‘I need to rest first.’

Zen knew it could put him in danger, but he couldn’t overwork his tired body any more. At best, what more could happen to him than run into Demalo, who will be back?

A bright morning came, and Zen greeted the morning, tied to a chair.