[653] Air of life (2)
“Is it the end?”
Sirone asked, blinking, and Austin held out the note again.
“What is this?”
“It’s a map of the canal in the basement of Mr. Brooks’ mansion. Estera left me to lead, but I don’t think I can leave here.”
Most of the horses had already died and there was a bombing that completely disappeared one cliff, so the surviving horses were also running away.
Sirone checked the map.
It was not as detailed as the design drawing, but looking at the traffic lines, it was sure to get lost if you went in without knowing it.
“As you probably know, the letter to Mr. Brooks is being handled by our guild. I don’t have much advice for you, but keep this in mind. A request is completely subject to the conditions of the client. Don’t worry about anything except delivering the letter. This map will help. When you reach the end of the canal, Mr. Brooks’ men will guide you.”
Sirone raised her head and asked.
“What are you going to do, Mr. Austin?”
“I need to clear this place. I’ll collect your loot for you. Of course, 10 percent will be mine as a fee.”
I didn’t really intend to take loot, but it was foolish to give up on giving a reward.
“yes. Then I will ask you a favor.”
Since he knew that numerous organizations were targeting Armand, he had no intention of going to the designated mountain road, so Sirone readily accepted.
“It will take time to sort things out and catch up. This is a request, but if possible, finish the request and make sure to drop by the Silverling headquarters.”
The guild is sensitive to information, and especially in cases like this, rumors spread nationwide like wings.
By the time Sirone arrives in the capital, many guilds will try to recruit him.
The reason why Austin gave up the insole was the veteran’s judgment that if it was something he could not do on his own, it would be better to take at least some spoils.
“Do not worry. I know the importance of trust.”
Austin laughed bitterly.
‘That’s why I’m more anxious.’
Sirone knows how strong he is, but from Austin’s point of view, it’s a measure of pure skill, and he’s still a rookie who doesn’t know how far he can go with it.
‘Trust…’
On this floor, trust is actually just a concept like insurance for the weak.
In the world of guilds where skill is everything, Sirone is already a person who does not even need to mention trust.
“You’ll have to be diligent to get into the capital before the sun goes down. Stop leaving.”
“yes. Be careful, Mr. Austin.”
“Oh and.”
Austin called just before Sirone and Lian went into the mountain.
“When you arrive in the capital, you’d better do some research on Mr. Brooks before you complete the quest.”
It would be the end of it anyway as long as he delivered the letter, but it was the veteran’s old heart.
This world could turn into a mess any number of times even with the slightest variable that Sirone accepted a request that anyone could do.
After thinking for a moment, Sirone smiled and nodded as if she understood.
“yes. Do not worry.”
‘Well, who am I to worry about?’
As Sirone and Lian entered the mountain, Austin picked up a longsword and began cutting the heads of the bandits.
The 3rd reset great purifier.
The annihilation of the 5 bandits in Sirone is over.
* * *
With Armand’s abilities, Sirone’s speed was as nimble as that of a mountain beast, and he jumped over a mountain in 20 minutes.
When he saw the outer wall of the capital and the royal castle built close to the center in the distance, Lian suggested it.
“Let’s wash before entering Sirone.”
There was nothing good about walking around with the smell of blood in a place at the cutting edge of civilization.
“Is that so?”
After looking at the mountains with fly magic, Sirone arrived at a small lake with Lian.
Is this inevitable or the result of cause and effect?
La Enemy was there.
Sitting on a rock by the lakeside with one leg down, he was a handsome man with dark skin unique to the Middle East and clear features.
The eyes that seemed to contain everything or nothing and the lips closed in a straight line were subtle enough to be interpreted as either joy or sadness.
“It’s cold. Will you be okay?”
Sirone asked, passing the rock where Ra was sitting.
“This cold is nothing. Come to think of it, do you think you don’t have to wash? It’s not even bloody.”
“No, but I want to wash. After the battle, my head was complicated.”
Cold water friction was the best way to get rid of my thoughts.
When Sirone changed Armand into the form of a sword and threw it on the floor, Ra turned her gaze to that spot and tilted her head.
In the meantime, the two of them took off their clothes and jumped into the lake.
“Ughhh. It’s cold, it’s cold.”
While Sirone trembled with her arms wrapped around her, Lian dived deep and popped out.
“Puha! Cool.”
Sirone stared at Lian as she was washing her face.
He must have attained equanimity after many battles, but the Lian he knew was not a mindless murderer.
“Rian, how do you get over it?”
The hand that was washing her face stopped abruptly.
“I never got over it. I just… don’t think about anything.”
“Any idea?”
“It is a question without an answer. Whether they were evil or good, once they drew their swords, they decided not to hesitate. That’s how you decide.”
Ryan took a dip in the lake.
“There is no situation where you can kill Sirone. The opposite situation is also true. It’s the same as deciding whether or not to drink a glass of water. What matters is responsibility. I decided to shoulder it, so I don’t think about it.”
Ra, who had been listening, nodded.
“Responsibility for life.”
Lian looked down as she grabbed a glass of water.
“A person born with one life erases many other lives. It’s very unfair. Whoever they are, it cannot be denied that our actions have upset the balance.”
Rian looked back at Sirone.
“So let’s mourn Sirone. to life itself.”
That’s how you carry it endlessly.
“okay.”
While Sirone and Lian closed their eyes and prayed in silence, a strong winter wind blew.
The moment when Ra, who was immersed in contemplation while looking up at the sky, smiled.
‘what?’
Sirone’s eyes widened.
‘It seemed like someone was there.’
Even if he activated Elysion, nothing was caught.
The world that humans speak of is, at most, only the sum of the five senses.
But just a moment ago, it felt as if Sirone had been equipped with sensory organs to perceive the world in a completely new way, and then disappeared.
“What’s wrong, Sirone? You don’t look good.”
“No, nothing. Let’s stop.”
Shaking off her thoughts about not being there, Sirone came out to the shore and changed her clothes.
When Sirone, Ra, who was watching from a mere 1 meter away, approached, he slowly turned around and opened the way.
“I wish I had arrived before rumors spread.”
* * *
By the time we arrived at Baska, the sun was setting.
Before joining the not-so-long line, Sirone pulled out a letter from Estera.
“I need to know what it is about.”
I felt it when I first received the request, but it took Austin’s meaningful advice.
“But you said it was encrypted, right?”
“I’ll have to decipher it.”
The personally combined password is rather difficult to decipher because it is not professional, but I was able to taste the approximate contents through the Ultima system.
“Any information can be integrated and accepted?”
“huh. It’s like a language before a language. It’s quite convenient.”
It was thanks to the Ultima System that deciphered the true intentions of the birdsong flute that led to the understanding of Mari’s ulterior motive.
Lian asked as Sirone put the letter in an envelope and put it in her bosom.
“What is written on it? Is it dangerous?”
“No, not really. Just personal.”
Lian didn’t ask more because he wasn’t the type to be interested in other people’s private lives.
Even if it was just the two of them, since they were wizards and nobles, they could easily pass through the castle gates, and Sirone followed Austin’s advice and collected information about Brooks.
After going around several stores, I was able to hear it in a weapon shop.
“Mr. Brooks? why are you looking for him? Are you a mercenary?”
“No, he’s a wizard.”
“Aha, you belong to the Silverling Guild.”
The shop owner nodded as if he had some idea.
“Mr. Brooks is a mercenary broker.”
According to the owner, he was a resourceful businessman and only seven large organizations signed formal contracts with him.
“There is no mercenary in Tormia that has not passed through Mr. Brooks’ hands. But I don’t know if you’re at home today. You are such a busy person.”
‘A mercenary broker…’
It was here that Austin was worried.
It is only natural that the mansion is heavily guarded by a businessman who fights on the front lines of the battlefield.
Judging from the contents of the letter deciphered by the Ultima system, it was essential to have the ability to infiltrate without being noticed by anyone.
‘It’ll be fine if we go through the waterway.’
After leaving the store, the two arrived at Brooks’ mansion.
It occupied a large area like the houses of other nobles, but was different in that it was fortified.
Armed guards in plain clothes were guarding the entrance, and torchbearers were roaming the garden through the arch.
“They are all very talented.”
Even if you felt the overall energy, it was incomparable to the thieves.
“…Wouldn’t it be better to go to the waterway as well?”
The water pipe we arrived at along the map was 200 meters away from the mansion.
Taking advantage of the gap where no one was passing by, I opened the lid and went down to find a familiar smell in the stench that Lian gave off.
“It smells like rotting sirone’s corpse.”
It was terrifying to have a body left in the city’s sewers, but there was no need to doubt the consequences that had already taken place.
“huh. I can’t be careless.”
The closer they got to Brooks’s house, the stronger the smell, until finally a body was found that had been abandoned only a few days.
“What is this? Aren’t you human?”
I don’t know the exact name, but the corpse of a race with light pink skin was abandoned.
“There are signs of torture.”
“No, it’s not torture.”
The damage to the body was too serious to be said to cause pain.
“For now… let’s do our thing.”
I remembered Austin’s words not to worry about anything other than commissions.
After passing through such a complicated maze-like waterway, we came to a staircase that must have been artificially remodeled.
The top of the stairs was barricaded, and a man sat with his arms crossed on a chair by the sewer.
Ryan stopped walking without saying anything first.
‘What is this man…?’
There was no temperamental characteristic to be found in him, with his long, straight hair hanging down from side to side like a woman’s, covering his face.
It feels like a corpse is sitting on it.
“Sniff sniff. Sniff sniff.”
The dead-quiet man made a sniffing noise and slowly raised his head.
Lian grabbed the handle of the great sword and stood in front of him.
‘This kid is incredibly strong.’
That’s why it was even more strange.
If this level of skill is guarding it, isn’t it normal that the name should have come out of Austin’s mouth?
The man, who had been looking at the two of them alternately with cloudy eyes like a wild dog, fixed his gaze on Sirone.
“you… You met Ra.”
“what?”
The man who slowly rose from his chair had daggers that looked like kitchen knives clutched in both hands.
“Where is he?”
The man’s name is Chagall.
Even his employer, Brooks, did not know that he was a serial killer designated as one of the 100 most dangerous people in the world.
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