CH 60

“Kuwughh…!”

“B-boss! Let’s run away!”

“You crazy bastards! Where can we even go in this weather!?”

Balmong shouted furiously after hearing the desperate pleas of his subordinates. The heavy downpour and the darkness of the night discriminated against no one. Furthermore, it was much more dangerous to climb down a mountain compared to climbing up. A single misstep would lead to a fall resulting in broken bones at the least. In addition, suffering such injuries in a rainy mountain could easily lead to death.

Kuuuugh! Kuagh!

Once again, roars and screams pierced through the darkness.

“Hiek!”

“D-dear God! I repent for all the sins I have committed thus far. I swear I will pray every day from now on and donate as much as I can. Please show us mercy!”

Some of the bandits even started repenting amidst the panic and chaos. The roars and screams coming from outside were truly terrifying.

“Uwah, fuck.”

“What is it? C-could it be an ogre?”

“You fucking crazy bastard. Don’t say such accursed things. There are no ogres on this mountain.”

The group of bandits, known as the Hounds, were in a state of panic and fear. Although they committed murders and robberies like nothing, they valued their own lives above everything else. Moreover, even though the bandits were experienced and skilled, the invader seemed to be an unidentified monster. It only served to intensify their fear.

“Get your shit together, you bastards! It’s just a monster!”

Balmong roared while holding two battleaxes in his hands. He had already killed two knights with his beloved weapons, so surely, he could overcome a monster. Moreover, Balmong was equipped with chainmail.

The bandits finally regained some sense after hearing the shouts of their leader. They were currently hiding inside the mine entrance, and most mines had narrow entrances to prepare for attacks by wild beasts and monsters. Thus, it would be hard for larger monsters to enter, and even if they were able to enter, their movements would be restricted by the narrow space.

“We don’t know what kind of a monster we are facing, but it won’t be able to rampage freely in this narrow terrain! Get into formation! Lot! Finnel! Get your shields and get to the front!”

“Y-yes!”

Immediately afterward, two bandits took their place at the front while holding two large wooden shields. The rest of the bandits flocked behind the two with their spears.

This was a basic formation used to confront wild beasts or intermediate-rank monsters. The bandits felt somewhat reassured. They regained their courage after taking their place.

As expected, humans were stronger and more stable when they were united.

Boom!

“…..!”

The tightly-locked, thick wooden door rattled explosively. The bandits held their breaths as they quietly stared at the entrance. Only the sound of water dripping from the ceiling could be heard amidst the darkness. The mine entrance was engulfed in an eerie silence.

“I-Is it gone?”

“What a…”

Booom!

The wooden door was shattered apart with an ear-shattering explosion.

Whooosh!

A figure entered through the broken door as the sound of heavy rain penetrated into the mine. It was a ‘person’ with red eyes.

“…..!”

The bandits were greatly shocked when they saw that their opponent looked like a proper knight in armor.

“So this is where all you rats have been hiding.”

The bandits didn’t manage to feel either relief or surprise before the knight started to slowly walk forward with a shortsword and a rondel dagger in hand.

“Kill him!” Balmong shouted immediately. As soon as he recognized that the intruder was a knight instead of a monster, he regained his confidence.

There was a stark difference between an unidentified enemy and an exposed one. Moreover, Balmong and the Hounds had assumed all this while that they were up against a large monster. But instead, they were greeted with a single man holding a sword. It was only natural for them to feel relieved and courageous, regardless of whether the enemy was a knight or not.

However, the bandits would have realized that something was very strange if they paid attention to details. No human could climb up this rugged mountain in such rough weather. The bandits all had this thought. Thus, they assumed that the intruder was a monster. 

But it was clear that the knight had done the impossible. As such, they committed a fatal mistake by judging their enemy based on his appearance. 

“Uwaaah!”

Some of the bandits broke formation and charged towards Eugene. These actions were a result of careless relief—relief that they were against a fellow human—and that the intruder was alone.

However, the price of such a foolish charge was disastrous.

“…..!”

The charging bandits suddenly stopped. The torches on the wall snuffed out one by one. Just like magic, the torches extinguished in sequence as the knight walked forward, and the accompanying darkness gradually pushed inward.

“W-what the fuck!?”

As soon as Balmong roared with confusion, the final torch was snuffed out.

“Someone get some light!”

“Fuck! I can’t see anything!”

None of the bandits had bothered to bring any torches, since they had no reason to believe that they would ever be plunged into darkness. Someone hurriedly attempted to kindle a light with flint, but not even sparks could be seen to accompany the increasingly desperate clamor. There was no way to light a flame when the instrument used was wet.

Krrr…

The bandits froze in place after hearing a growl. It wasn’t a sound that could be produced by humans.

At that moment, a pair of small, red balls of fire appeared in the suffocating darkness. The red orbs of fire rushed toward the bandits in the blink of an eye.

“Hiek!”

Thwack! Crack! Crraaack! 

“Kugh!”

“Krrrrr!”

Only the terrifying roars of a monster and harrowing screams could be heard in the darkness.

“Uaah! Uaaaaah!”

As the sounds grew louder and closer, the frightened bandits started swinging their weapons in a frenzy. However, they only managed to hit their allies in the darkness, and the other bandits screamed like wild boars before retaliating with their own weapons.

“Uaaagh!”

“Huagh!”

“Stop! It’s… Keugh!”

Chaos ensued as the bandits started cutting and stabbing each other. The screams of the bandits and the inhuman growls of the monster, filled the entrance to the mine, seemingly turning this narrow space into a hell down on earth.

“Huagh! Huack!”

Once he had finally become somewhat accustomed to the darkness, Balmong swung his battleaxe towards a shadowy figure approaching him from afar.

Thuck!

The shadowy figure fell with a grotesque sound.

“Heugh! Heugh!”

Balmong breathed heavily while slowly retreating. His eyes were fixated straight ahead. He couldn’t sense any movement, but he wasn’t sure if everyone was already dead. Perhaps both the intruder and his men had died.

“Heugh, fuck! Getting sworn in or whatnot, I don’t care anymore! I have to get out of here before the sun…”

“Getting sworn in?” A quiet voice whispered from behind his back.

“…..!”

As an experienced, skilled bandit, Balmong instinctively swirled his body and swung his weapon at an angle, even amidst terror and shock.

Boom!

Balmong collapsed to the floor after an intense impact was delivered to his neck, dropping his weapons as well.

“Are you not going to kill him?” Mirian asked as she returned and plopped down on Eugene’s shoulder after having completed her task of snuffing out all the lights.

“He said something interesting.”

‘Being sworn in? It seems that there’s something more than what meets the eye here.’

Indeed, it would be strange if things were this easy to handle, especially when Eugene was dealing with a silver mine whose owner had changed hands several times.

***

“…..”

“…..”

The two women maintained an awkward silence while sitting across from each other. Although they were aware of each other’s presence and were somewhat acquainted, it was the first time that they were sitting down like this. The awkward atmosphere was inevitable.

Priscilla was the first to break the silence. “So… Why have you come instead, master wizard?”

“I was told to do so by Sir Eugene.”

“I am curious as to the reason.”

“He said that he may soon come to possess a silver mine.”

“A-a silver mine?” Priscilla expressed her shock, and Romari nodded in response. The bags under the wizard’s eyes appeared darker than usual.

“Yes. The story is quite complicated and will take a long time to recount, but I am quite certain that Sir Eugene will soon own a silver mine. He asked me to go on ahead while he wrapped things up back there.”

“How is that possible…?”

Priscilla found it quite ridiculous that only the wizard had returned from the subjugation, but what was this talk about a silver mine? However, Priscilla was the vice executive of the Palin Association’s main office. She could immediately sense possible profits, so she asked carefully.

“I apologize, but can I ask you to tell me more about this in detail?”

“Oh, so…”

Romari recounted the events that transpired on the Carls Baggins Peninsula as concisely as possible. She wanted to rest as soon as possible after having just barely survived the seasickness. 

‘This is insane! Sir Eugene is truly insane!’

Priscilla could not hide her astonishment after hearing Romari’s story.

“S-so you are saying that Sir Eugene could become a lord on the Carls Baggins Peninsula?”

“I’m not saying that he could. It’s already a certainty. The baron of the Philia Ruins has already certified it, and the other nobles in the region will also be signing as well.”

“Ah…”

Priscilla’s shoulders quivered ever-so-slightly. She had expected Eugene to grow, but she never imagined that he would grow to such an extent in such a short period of time.

‘Wait! Doesn’t that mean that the next subjugation could be his last?’

A lord would not bother to personally participate in subjugations anymore. Moreover, a silver mine was enough to take care of anyone’s financial issues. Thus, why would Eugene further involve himself in such a complicated expedition like a subjugation?

‘This is a difficult situation.’

Although she benefited from Eugene, Priscilla had barely evened out the amount she initially invested in him. It was rather difficult for her to be satisfied with the turn of events. She was confused and worried.

But then Romari spoke in a weak voice. “Then, can you check the goods that I brought? I have some things to take care of.”

“Ah. O-of course. You must be quite busy.”

“Yes. Oh, and this as well.” Romari pulled out a large, heavy leather pouch from her robe. “These are the mana stones we collected.”

“There’s quite a lot.”

“It’s a little over 200. There are intermediate-ranked ones as well as a high-ranked one.”

“Yes. Intermediate and high… What!? High-ranked? D-does that mean…?”

“Yes. We killed the wyvern.”

“Heuk!”

Priscilla appeared to be even more shocked compared to when she heard the news of Eugene potentially becoming a lord. She jumped out of her seat with a gasp. 

Romari asked curiously. “Is this something to be that surprised about? His objective was to kill the wyvern in the first place.”

“What? Ah, y-yes, of course. Haha. Ahahaha…” Priscilla sat down while laughing awkwardly. However, her heart was pounding nonstop.

‘A wyvern! A wyvern!!!’

She was happy to obtain a high-ranked mana stone, but she was even more overjoyed at the prospect of obtaining materials from a wyvern. Materials obtained from other high-ranked monsters boasted tremendous worth, but materials gained from a wyvern were worth even more. The seller could literally name any price.

In the first place, the value of a wyvern’s materials was unknown because a wyvern had never been killed in an evil land. The value of being ‘first’ was tremendous. 

‘An auction! If I put it on auction, I will be able to sell it for an enormous sum!’

All sorts of prosperous figures and nobles would flock to them if they heard the rumors. In addition, the reputation of the Palin Association would obviously soar from then on.

‘Ensnaring Eugene has been the best decision I made in my life thus far!’

Priscilla indulged in her joy, but then she suddenly hesitated.

‘There’s only one subjugation left, and besides… What do I do with this? Should I let him know now?’

She wouldn’t have hesitated if Eugene had come here personally, but she was currently facing Romari instead. Although Romari was a rare wizard and could be considered Eugene’s left-hand woman, Priscilla was still hesitant to decide.

She had a hunch that Eugene would not return and would forever escape her grasp if she delivered the news.

‘There’s no helping it. If Sir Eugene establishes his own territory in the Carls Baggins Peninsula, he will still be trading in Moffern. The least I can do is support Moffern’s branch.’

“Can I go now? I really am quite busy.”

Romari stood up, forcibly enduring the queasiness. At this moment, Priscilla reacted. She decided not to approach the matter as a merchant contracted with Eugene, but as the successor to the Palin Association. She came to a decision with tears in her eyes.

“Master wizard, please wait a minute.”

“Yes?”

“This is for Sir Eugene.”

Priscilla unlocked her desk drawer with a key, then held out an object for Romari.

“Uh, and what could this be?”

Romari felt anxious upon seeing the high-quality envelope and the majestic, lion-shaped seal placed on the letter. Perhaps it was the intuition of a wizard, but she felt rather worried and anxious while staring at it.

“This is a letter from Count Winslon. The courier was rather disappointed about Sir Eugene’s absence. It would be better to deliver this to Sir Eugene as quickly as possible.”

“So… are you telling me to deliver this to Sir Eugene?”

“Yes.”

“Right now? I have to go on a boat again?”

“If possible, or rather, it would be best to deliver it as soon as possible. I can have a ship prepared for you right away.”

“I-I don’t think there’s a need to be in such a hurry. I think taking a few days off to rest might be…”

“I do not mind, since I’ve already given you the letter, but considering Sir Eugene’s personality…”

“It’s really nice to be on a boat so often. I can’t even differentiate the cabin from my own room anymore. I’ll go as soon as possible, so please don’t mention to him that I told you that I wanted to rest. Blargh!” Romari retched at the thought of having to ride the boat again.

“What? Ah, yes.”

“For real. A wizard’s resentment is very tough and lasts for a very long… Uuuggh!”

“I-I’ll make sure to keep it a secret!”

“I’ll take your word on that, Vice Executive. No, I’ll call you older sis. Heup! Uguup!”

“Yes, yes.”

Romari trudged out the door while covering her mouth, and Priscilla stared at her with a strange look. As soon as the door closed, Priscilla muttered with a slight frown. “I thought I was younger for sure. Did something happen to her when she was younger? Maybe she ate something that she wasn’t supposed to? She looks like a sick raccoon… Or maybe she’s actually sick?”

Priscilla never imagined that a wizard could suffer from seasickness.