Chapter 193 Bifron (3)

Chapter 193 Bifron (3)

Bifron (3)

Bifron (3)

On the 3rd floor of the bar where Team Apple Nark usually gathered, Raven let out an unexpected sigh.

It was due to the absence of one member who was unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances.

“We’re all gathered as promised, but we can’t properly settle accounts like this.”

It had already been three days since they returned to the city.

Raven had gone to Commelby alone on behalf of the absent leader and sold all the loot.

The total amounted to a staggering 152,400,000 stones.

“Wh, what?! I’ve never even heard of a number that big!!”

“Wow, you’re saying we earned that much even without the equipment we took?”

“It’s basically like we sold the entire equipment of seven mid-level explorers. And the Numbered Item, ‘Foxfire Knot’, hasn’t even been sold yet, it’s just listed on the exchange.”

“...I expected it to some extent, but this is unbelievable.”

Gasps of astonishment escaped everyone’s lips as soon as they heard the amount.

It was the reaction she expected.

But why did it feel somewhat lacking?

Raven involuntarily glanced at the empty seat.

‘I didn’t realize it when he was here, but it’s a bit boring without him.’

Bjorn, son of Yandel.

The barbarian warrior who played the role of guardian and leader of Team Apple Nark. If he were here, they would probably be having a battle of nerves over the distribution ratio.

[You’re asking for 40% of the Manticore essence price because it’s special loot? That’s a strange calculation. It would be different if you had won the dice roll, but we obtained it from the dwarf, so it’s only right to split it equally.]

[Then what about the 20 million stones I received as a service fee?]

[I’ll give you the cost of the test tube you used, of course. But you’re asking for 40% of the service fee? There was nothing about service fees in our contract about the distribution of special loot.]

A conversation like that would have taken place, and she would have then offered a new compromise with a chuckle, as always.

She thought she did it for profit back then...

But maybe it wasn’t entirely for that reason...

“Aruru, what are you thinking about?”

“It’s nothing.”

Raven shook off her thoughts and concluded the meeting.

“If no one needs the money urgently, I’ll keep it until Yandel comes back.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s fine. I can lend Ainar some money.”

“Again!! I have to borrow more?!”

“You don’t have much to pay back anyway. It’ll just make the calculations complicated for Aruru if you take it now. So just endure until then. Okay?”

“Okay!”

“Hmm, he said it was 20 days, right? A little over a fortnight left.”

Raven felt a strange sensation.

Although she was the one who suggested it...

...was it normal for them to agree so readily when she said she would keep over 100 million stones?

If you asked her, the answer would be no.

Raven, as a mage, couldn’t hold back her curiosity and voiced it.

“Aren’t you guys worried? That I’m keeping it?”

“Huh?”

“Worried? Why would we be?”

They reacted as if she was asking something strange.

It made her feel even stranger.

It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it was hard to define.

‘Is that why he used the Awakening spell back then...?’

She thought he was really naive when she heard about it from Bjorn before.

Because it’s something a mage from the Magic Tower would never do.

But now she could understand his actions a little.

Not much, but maybe 1%.

“Anyway, I guess that’s all for today’s agenda.”

After the purpose of the meeting was fulfilled, we had a meal together and chatted about various things.

Naturally, most of the conversation was about the absent leader.

“Aruru, what kind of place is Bifron?”

“...It’s a bad place. Even a noble person can’t help but become corrupted there.”

“That’s what poverty and hunger do to you.”

“Did you also experience that, Mr. Urikfrit?”

“...I lost all my equipment when I was in my third year. I spent a whole year eating stone bread and saving money to barely recover. I think I barely paid my taxes that year.”

The atmosphere became a bit heavy.

Misha cautiously expressed her concern.

“Bjorn... he’s doing okay, right?”

“Miss Kaltstein, why are you so worried? He has money, he’s strong, what could possibly be difficult for him there? He’s probably relaxing like he’s on vacation.”

“Hmm, I hope so...”

Raven chuckled and shook her head.

What could she say to a woman in love that would actually reach her ears? But she found Misha’s appearance lovely.

‘She’s a year older than me...’

For some reason, she felt envious.

Would the day come when she could also make that kind of expression?

She couldn’t imagine it for now.

Misha, as if embarrassed by her staring, turned her head away and pinched Ainar’s waist.

“Ainar, stop eating meat and say something. Aren’t you worried about Bjorn?”

“...Huh? Bjorn? Why would I worry about Bjorn? He’s a great warrior! He can live better without laws!”

It was a truly barbarian-like answer.

Normally, they would shake their heads and scold her...

...but unexpectedly, everyone kept their mouths shut as if they had made a promise.

The reason was simple.

“.......”

After finishing my meal, I swallow the antidote I received from the knight with water. Although I’m uneasy because I don’t know the ingredients, Raven guaranteed its safety, so it should be fine.

‘In the first place, it’s more unsettling not to take it.’

Bifron is a district where the ‘Protective Magic Circle’ is broken.

The ‘Witch’s Poison’ that brought the world to an end is still seeping in, and the residents here are all exposed to it.

For reference, the Witch’s Poison is like radiation.

But there’s one unique aspect, as expected of a fantasy world.

‘It doesn’t manifest until you’re 15 years old, and then the probability of manifestation increases depending on your exposure time.’

To explain it in a more game-like way, Bifron is a place covered in instant death zones that activate based on probability.

The life expectancy of an adult after being exiled is 8 to 9 years.

It’s only because the ‘Protective Magic Circle’ is still partially functioning. If you go outside the walls, you’ll die within a day.

‘Well, no one has ever gone outside.’

The world outside the city is also an unknown to me.

Even in the game, it was blocked by the system.

So, in that sense...

“I’m full, let’s go for a walk.”

“...I’ll accompany you.”

I take Jingjing with me and go for a walk.

And I ask him about the things I’m curious about as we walk in one direction.

Since he was the leader of a group, he knows more than the child who guided me on the first day, and he answers all my questions sincerely, even the ones that might seem strange.

He’s playing along with my boss act with his soul on the line.

“If you have any more questions, ask me anything, I, Jingkasar Peljain, will answer everything.”

Well, his intentions for being so subservient are obvious.

He probably thinks he just has to endure until I leave in 20 days. If he tries to backstab me and fails, he’ll definitely die.

‘Should I thank that kid?’

I didn’t have any plans to take over the Western Union when I was exiled to Bifron, but it wasn’t a completely thoughtless act.

It’s a place where I have to stay for 20 days, whether I like it or not.

I judged that it would be less troublesome to have some sort of position.

And I also have something I want to investigate personally.

Well, it’s not like I wasn’t bored.

“Boss, where are we going? We’ve already entered the eastern district.”

“Just follow me.”

Jingjing expresses his doubt as our morning walk continues for over two hours.

“But there’s nothing but the wall beyond this point...”

“That’s our destination.”

Why the wall where there’s nothing?

That question flashes in his eyes, but Jingjing doesn’t ask.

He’s learned how to converse with me in just one day.

Thud.

We arrive at the street near the wall.

I climb onto the roof of a building that seems relatively tall and look at the wall.

‘This is the same here too.’

Just like in the other districts, I see soldiers standing guard on top of the wall.

Come to think of it, I’ve always been curious about this.

Why are the soldiers facing inwards, not outwards?

“Well... maybe it’s to prevent anyone from going outside?”

I asked Jingjing, but that’s the only answer I got.

Actually, I also thought that was the reason.

After all, that’s what everyone thinks.

But...

‘Is there a need to do this even in Bifron?’

These are people the royal family wants to get rid of. No, if they die from the ‘Witch’s Poison’ while trying to climb the wall, it actually helps solidify the royal family’s legitimacy.

‘It’s strange.’

It’s a contradiction I felt as soon as I arrived here.

The ‘Protective Magic Circle’ is broken in Bifron.

So they even have to give the soldiers guarding the wall antidotes.

But to waste resources on guarding the wall?

‘There’s something here.’

I have a hunch.

The same intuition that led me to discover countless hidden pieces.

But no matter how much I organize my thoughts while looking up at the wall, I can’t find an answer.

A plausible hypothesis comes to mind...

...but I don’t have enough evidence to support it yet.

“Let’s go back. I’m hungry.”

“Yes.”

I turn away from the wall.

But that’s when I see a group of dozens of people approaching from the street below.

“It’s the eastern bastards. It seems like they came after hearing that we’re here. What are your orders?”

Although he’s asking for my orders, Jingjing’s eyes are filled with the expectation that I’ll beat them up too.

Geez, he’s so transparent.

“Forget it. Guide me back to our territory. And avoid encountering them if possib—”

Just as I’m about to start walking...

...I freeze.

It’s because of one face among the eastern bastards.

‘...Amelia Rainwales?’

What the hell is she doing here?

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