“Kahahahahaha!”
Toonka was laughing so hard his shoulders were moving up and down. He briskly walked over and grabbed the iron bars of the cell as if he couldn’t hide his joy.
Bang!
There was a loud noise as Toonka looked at Alberu on the other side of the bars with a glimmer in his eyes.
“Who?! Who else is looking for Cale?”
Crack!
The iron bars bent in Toonka’s hands. Alberu stopped frowning and smiled after looking at what Toonka had done.
‘…He’s terribly strong.’
Toonka was able to destroy the thick iron bars of the prison at the Palace with just his physical strength without aura or mana.
‘What a terrifying bastard.’
However, he seemed simple-minded enough that Alberu thought he might be able to get information out of Toonka if he said the right things. Alberu Crossman finished thinking about how to treat Toonka before slowly starting to speak.
“Who is looking-”
However, he could not finish his statement.
Although it was an illusion, the excited Toonka was unable to hold his emotions in and started shouting. Alberu’s voice was naturally drowned out by Toonka’s loud voice.
“That bastard has already started moving! Hahahaha! He truly is someone who will change the world!”
‘What?’
Alberu questioned ears for a moment.
“…Change?”
“Yeah! That bastard is someone who walks down paths that nobody else has been on and makes everybody else marvel at him! That bastard is my close friend! Hahahaha!”
Alberu’s face stiffened completely.
He looked toward the dark corner of the prison. Dark Elf Tasha was stealthily hiding there waiting for Alberu to speak.
“…I guess we need to have a conversation.”
It seemed as if he needed to chat with his aunt Tasha.
Once their conversation ended…
Alberu started thinking once he returned to his office. His aunt’s voice echoed in his mind.
‘Actually, that child Mary is a necromancer. She ended up a necromancer while finding a way to survive after being poisoned by dead mana. She is a smart and good girl who is more amazing than anybody else…. That is why both the Mayor-nim and I cherish that child.’
But that necromancer named Mary created a flying skeleton monster and ran away to the Roan Kingdom.
The only reason they knew that she was headed for the Roan Kingdom was because she had left them a letter.
The letter said that she was headed toward the Roan Kingdom and would meet Tasha there. She said that she was headed to the Roan Kingdom to meet someone named Cale Henituse, who was her savior. She also told them that she would contact them via video communication device or other means as soon as she got settled.
“Not there.”
Alberu shook his head.
“There is nobody named Cale in the Henituse County.”
However, both Toonka, someone who had surpassed the limits of human physical strength, and necromancer Mary came to the Roan Kingdom to find this Cale.
Toonka’s voice echoed in Alberu’s ears. No, it was stabbed into Alberu’s mind like a dagger that he could not forget.
‘He truly is someone who will change the world!’
‘Change the world? Someone like that is in the Roan Kingdom?’
“…I can’t sit back and watch it happen.”
Alberu’s true face only appeared when he was alone. He walked toward the desk in his office with the smile gone from his face. There were multiple bookshelves filling up one side of the wall. Alberu touched one of them that made the bookshelf move and reveal the wall behind it.
There were many things written all over the wall in code that only he could decipher.
How to firmly hold onto the crown prince position. How to protect and hide himself.
How to protect and develop the Roan Kingdom as the Western continent slowly becomes chaotic.
Alberu Crossman chose the upcoming King’s birthday as the time to reveal himself and start spreading his will.
He planned on gathering the children of the nobles the day before the birthday, along with many other things to firm his influence and power.
But there was suddenly a variable.
“Cale.”
He recalled the other things Toonka said before he left the prison area not too long ago.
Cale Henituse. The things Toonka said about that man was things that Alberu could not believe and did not want to believe.
‘He’s a hero! He is the person that I, Toonka, has accepted as the greatest warrior, a never to be seen in the world again type of warrior!’
If this Cale was someone that the greatest warrior of the Whipper Kingdom has accepted as a warrior, then he was likely to have immense physical strength or sword art.
‘His conviction cannot be swayed by anything in the world! I’ve never seen anybody with such firm conviction! That is why I have accepted him as my close friend! Hahahaha!’
Toonka truly believed that this Cale person had a firm conviction.
‘He’s a punk who only sacrifices himself! I can’t help but help him out!’
In addition, that Cale person always stood in the front and sacrificed himself to the point that it made someone like Toonka want to stand in front of him to help?
“Ha!”
Alberu scoffed. One corner of Alberu’s lips twisted up.
“It’s not even funny.”
Someone with a firm conviction, is a great warrior, and does not hesitate to sacrifice himself.
Also someone who can change the world and has strong individuals who follow him.
Someone like that was in the Roan Kingdom.
Alberu’s eyes clouded over.
“Either that bastard Toonka is crazy, or…”
Or…
“There’s something there.”
No matter what the answer was…
“It’s dangerous.”
It was quite dangerous.
He couldn’t help but feel that way.
The overwhelming praise that Toonka had for this Cale person…
Toonka was known to be outspoken and cruel. Of course, Alberu decided that the information he had about Toonka must have been lies after meeting him in person.
He was very outspoken, but he was not cruel.
Toonka was doing his best to follow his own code to cause the least amount of damage as possible. That was something Alberu knew as well. It was the reason they had put Toonka in the cell without tying him down.
Toonka was easier to talk to than he had expected, and even though he was rough in the way he did things, he had charisma as a leader.
“He wasn’t illogical.”
That was why Alberu couldn’t help but be so concerned.
“What should I do-”
Knock knock knock.
He heard someone urgently knocking on the door.
“Your highness!”
He heard an anxious voice outside the door. Alberu had a bad feeling about this.
“Come in!”
He subconsciously raised his voice. However, his expression almost instantly changed to that of the gentle crown prince. He stood up and headed for the door.
Click.
The door opened and the admin walked in.
“Your highness, your highness!”
“Yes, calm down. What is it?”
Alberu was completely giving off the look of a relaxed and warm superior. The admin shouted without even being able to catch his breath.
“T, the prison has been destroyed!”
“…W, what?”
His gentle expression cracked a bit.
“…Toonka?”
He said the name that subconsciously popped into his mind, and the admin nodded his head with a teary expression.
“H, he destroyed the cell and escaped.”
“Ha!”
Alberu clutched his head with his hands.
While that was going on…
“Kahahahahaha!”
Toonka was running toward the northeast region with the Roan Kingdom’s capital behind him. He had a happy smile on his face as he felt the cool breeze.
“It’s great, it’s great!”
He was truly happy.
‘Nobody got hurt! I just destroyed a few things and a little bit of the building! No blood was shed during my conversation with Alberu Crossman!’
“I would say this was resolved quite well!”
Toonka smiled with satisfaction at himself as he headed toward the Henituse territory in a lighthearted manner.
In Cale’s point of view, Toonka was a bomb headed toward him.
* * *
Cale was moving around as his body was stiff from sitting on an old chair for too long as he started speaking.
“Anyway, we can’t just sit here and wait for the White Star to come to Harris Village in three days.”
Kim Rok Soo inside the cintamani nodded his head and delivered the message to the others.
“Pffft.”
Cale sighed at him before getting up. His steps did not make any noise.
“We will prepare for his attack on Harris Village while chasing after him as well. It may be difficult to do both at the same time, but…”
He was now standing behind the others. He was looking at the back of his allies who were not looking at him and continued speaking.
“The people we have are more than enough for it. Isn’t that right, Miss Rosalyn?”
Rosalyn chuckled after hearing the message through Kim Rok Soo and nodded her head.
Cale immediately continued speaking.
The sun was setting. They would only have two days left once the day came to a close.
“The defense of Harris Village will be the foundation, and I will personally go to the Henituse territory to look at the Man Eating Tree. We will also go to Puzzle City.”
Cale planned on following the route he had followed in the past.
“The thing pretending to be the White Star will have to do that if it tries to take away the things I got in the past.”
That was probably why for the Forest of Darkness right by the Henituse territory… The ancient power, the Scary Giant Cobblestone, was still there.
He then turned toward Choi Han.
“Choi Han, was it you who went to the Super Rock Villa?”
Choi Han looked toward the cintamani and responded.
“Yes, Cale-nim.”
It had been Choi Han who entered the Super Rock Villa, as Cale had expected.
There was no reason for Choi Han to not visit the villa while going into the Forest of Darkness.
“If we can’t capture the White Star in Puzzle City, we will go visit the Blue Wolf tribe and then head for the capital.”
The Blue Wolf tribe Village was somewhere that Cale had not gone in the past, but he needed to save the Wolves.
“The capital will be our final destination. We must capture the White Star before that.”
It was obvious that they would battle the White Star, so they couldn’t let others be harmed by the aftershock. That was the reason it would be best to capture the White Star in Puzzle City and finish him off before he got the other ancient powers.
Clopeh started speaking after hearing Cale’s words through Kim Rok Soo’s mouth.
“Are we capturing him and fucking him up?”
Cale gave a short response.
“Yes.”
Kim Rok Soo stoically delivered the message.
He said yes.
Choi Han, who had been quietly listening, started to speak.
“Then what about Commander Toonka?”
“…You’re right. Even I can’t fathom what he is going to do.”
This was one issue he did not have an immediate response for. Cale motioned to Kim Rok Soo with his eyes.
“We will deal with that based on the situation.”
– He says, ‘let’s deal with that based on the situation.’
Cale nodded his head and Kim Rok Soo continued.
It looks like we are finished organizing the basic plan.
They knew what they had to do.
They just had to do it now. Cale formulated a plan to protect Harris Village and find an escape route for the villagers late into the night.
Early the next morning… Cale stepped onto the teleportation magic circle.
Cale, Clopeh, and Rosalyn. The three of them let the teleportation magic circle take control of their bodies while Choi Han remained for the measures to protect Harris Village.
“…Young master Cale really is here.”
Rosalyn felt the mana warp and saw that the teleportation magic circle recognized three people were on it as she activated the spell.
Paaaat.
There was a bright light and their bodies appeared elsewhere.
It was the back alley close to the inn where Mary, On, and Hong were staying. It was so early that only the three of them should have been there, as it was a place that only a few people went through on a normal basis.
That was how it should have been.
However, reality was different.
“M, Miss Mary?”
Rosalyn’s eyes opened wide.
At the end of this dead end alley…
Mary was standing alone without the kids with her back against the wall.
There were individuals in black robes surrounding her.
All of them, including Mary, turned to look at Rosalyn.
“Mary.”
Rosalyn heard a familiar voice coming from one of the people whose face could not be seen because of their robe.
“Is one of them that Cale person?”
“Ah.”
Mary let out a short sigh.
The robed individual somehow understood that as they turned toward Rosalyn and started speaking.
“Who is the one called Cale Henituse? Who is the one impersonating a person from the Henituse County? It is a grave sin to impersonate a noble.”
Step step.
The robed individual moved forward with light steps.
Cale couldn’t see the individual’s face but he immediately figured out who it was.
“…They really did come to find me.”
The Dark Elf, Tasha. He was sure this was her.
“Excuse me; are one of you the one called Cale? Or is he not here?”
Tasha’s voice was soft but her vibe was quickly getting cold. A dry and stoic voice flowed out of her mouth.
“I think I need to take that Cale person to the palace.”
Mm.
Rosalyn groaned. Tasha must have interpreted that groan negatively as she continued in a more casual voice.
“You will need to cooperate with me if you do not wish to be on the run forever.”
Cale scratched his cheek with his finger.
“Mm.”
‘I can go to the palace, but… I…’m a ghost right now. Well, I can physically go I guess.’
Cale looked at Rosalyn who had an awkward smile on her face as he debated what to do. He could not step forward as he was a ghost right now, and he could not show them the cintamani.
The person standing behind Cale took a step forward.
“That sir…”
“Ah.”
Cale got chills on the back of his neck after hearing Clopeh’s voice.
Clopeh did not hide his white hair and green eyes as he moved forward with a relaxed expression on his face.
“That sir cannot be seen right now.”
Hmm?
Tasha tilted her head to one side as she responded.
“When you say that sir, are you taking about that Cale person?”
Clopeh continued to say what he wanted to say without answering Tasha’s question.
“However, that sir is always watching us.”
‘Wait-! That’s not wrong, but!’
Cale reached his hand toward Clopeh. However, his hand went through Clopeh’s body.
“That sir is here right now, but people at our level are unable to see him.”
‘Wait, that’s not wrong, but!’
Cale could hear Rosalyn quietly mumbling.
“That… the way he is saying it… isn’t it a bit problematic?”
‘I agree….It… it sounds like he is talking about a god.’
Cale felt the back of his neck feel so cold that it felt frozen.