Chapter 190

C190: Lantern for the Abandoned (2)

How long has it been since the rain started?

Alex raised his head and stared at Rudger. There was a determined light in the empty eyes.

-Did you decide?

-Yes.

Alex grabbed Rudger’s hand and Rudger lifted Alex up not caring that his clasped hands got dirty in the mud.

-Now then, since it’s a monumental day, let’s go and punish those who robbed my subordinates’ money first.

-Wait a minute. Why am I your subordinate?

-Isn’t that obvious? I made the offer, so I’m the captain.

-I didn’t agree to that!

-Call me leader.

-No, you, what are you doing now......!

Rudger and Alex walk into the bar where the gambling fraudsters were. Then, several people’s screams have resonated along with the sound of something breaking.

That was their first meeting.

“Mr. Alex also has a very unfortunate past.”

The other members couldn’t say anything for a while about Arpa’s pure appreciation since their pasts were also complicated.

In the end the first person to speak was Hans.

“I understand. I was treated like a monster because of this bloody constitution and ran away here and there.”

“Well, that’s the same for me.”

Seridan nodded her head with her arms folded.

“I was treated like a weirdo in the town of dwarfs and kicked out. Oh, my. I almost blew up half the town.”

“No, you deserve it!”

The people gathered here were all the same. They have been abandoned in the world or turned their backs on the world.

They were people who would never have met yet here they are gathered together in the same place and at the same time, thanks to one person.

“It’s all thanks to the leader.”

“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have come all the way here.”

“I benefited a lot from the boss.”

Rudger scratched his cheek awkwardly as everyone looked at him.

“I don’t deserve your praises.”

“It’s not too much. Leader is like a lantern.”

“Lantern?”

“Yes, a lantern for those who were abandoned, like us.”

Everyone nodded as if they agreed with Alex. Rudger, who had hoped to refute Alex’s words at least a little, felt his face heat up. No. It actually got hot.

“Owner. Are you embarrassed now?”

“Oh, it’s true. Leader’s face is a bit red”

“Huh. I can’t believe brother can react like that.”

The members were talking as if they’ve found a rare sight.

“Brother, are you not annoyed or anything?”

“Why? If I’m annoyed, will you stop?”

“Uh, um, maybe?”

“To be honest, I don’t feel too bad.”

Rudger smirked.

“At least what I’ve been doing was not in vain.”

Rudger muttered and a small light came out of his chest.

“This is...”

The relic fragment that he obtained from the Kunst auction house the other day was shining.

“Brother, it’s shining now.”

“I know.”

Everyone’s eyes were on the light but no one knew that it was Rudger’s most sought-after item at the Kunst auction house that day.

Soon the light disappeared and the fragment returned to its original form.

“Leader, what the hell was that?”

“What has the fragment reacted to?”

“Reacted? What the hell? More than that, all of a sudden?”

“That’s what a Relic is. Because it is an unknown thing that is difficult for us to understand, it wouldn’t be strange if it suddenly did this.”

Alex, who had been curious since before, asked while the opportunity arose.

“Leader is aiming to collect the fragments, right?”

“Yes. In the first place, the reason I traveled around the world was to find this.”

He wandered around the world looking for the relic fragments, that was the only thing the members knew but they didn’t know why he was looking for them.

“If it’s not rude, may I ask why you’re looking for them?”

Everyone waited for Rudger’s answer to Arpa’s question.

“It’s really nothing special, and it’s for a nonsensical reason.”

“.......”

No one could open their mouth.

The desperate emotion felt in Rudger’s muttering was what everyone here was feeling.

“No, it’s not nonsense.”

Alex denied Rudger’s words.

“If it weren’t for leader, we wouldn’t have come this far.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

It was then that Pantos, who had been listening, opened his mouth.

“That’s surprising. I thought someone as big as you would have a greater ambition.”

“Was this not enough?”

“There is nothing strange about collecting relics. It’s just that the trigger was simpler than I thought.”

“Simple?”

Rudger smirked at his words.

“Maybe it’s simpler.”

“What does that mean?”

“No. I just said it.”

Pantos had a hunch that in Rudger’s words, there was something more that he hadn’t said yet.

“It somehow became a place to talk candidly.”

Rudger’s trembling words made the members laugh.

At first, it was a place to comfort Alex but from some point on, it became an atmosphere where they confessed that they were the same.

“I have a question.”

Did she think he had no chance if it wasn’t now?

Belaruna raised her hand.

“What is it?”

“Boss knows our past......but we don’t know boss ‘ past.”

When she said that, they thought, “That’s right.”

“Come to think of it, it’s true.”

“We don’t know what you did in the past.”

“Don’t you know Mr. Hans?”

“What? Me?”

Hans broke out in a cold sweat as the arrow returned to him and looked at Rudger to ask for instructions. Since Rudger did not answer, Hans refused to answer.

“I don’t know everything. It’s funny that I’m talking freely even though it’s not my business.”

“Honestly, I’m curious. Sir, if you’ve come all the way here, can’t you tell us?”

Seridan also supported Belaruna’s opinion.

“I agree. Honestly, I do wonder what leader has done in the past.”

“Me too, me too!”

Alex and Arpa helped.

“Well.”

Pantos was convinced and nodded.

“Uh, no matter how hard it was, you helped us.......”

Although only Violetta hesitated to keep her loyalty to Rudger.

“Violetta, be honest. You’re curious like us and we won’t get a better chance.”

“Well, a little bit.......”

At Seridan’s point, Violetta had no choice but to raise the white flag.

Naturally, the atmosphere flowed in the direction that Rudger had to tell his story.

‘This happens when a lot of people gather.’

Rudger complained to himself.

Seeing their eyes he knew they wouldn’t let him escape. He has been swept by emotions and defeated.

“But, well, it’s not polite to hide it when I’ve come all the way here.”

“Bother, are you going to tell us?”

“Then should I lie? I’ll continue to be with you, so it’s time to let you know.”

At Rudger’s words, Violetta’s eyes, who pretended not to be curious, changed.

Pantos, who pretended not to be interested, also pricked up his ears.

“I was going to tell you one day, but I’ll tell you now since this has happened.”

The members who were waiting for those words felt like their hands were sweating.

‘Why am I so nervous?’

Rudger opened his mouth in the stillness that sank like dew at dawn.

“I was royalty.”

His words took everyone’s breath away.