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[Look at this? ]
A few days later. The steel carriage had left the forest and was running along the main road.
It was late at night, but there were no problems for the steel carriage equipped with ultra-powerful LED headlights.
“Hey!”
Leaving the role of coachman to Hawkin, Daein was leisurely admiring the scenery outside the window.
Numerous stars and a blue moon seemed to pour into the sky, which was much clearer and cleaner than the Earth.
In particular, a crescent moon so sharp that it felt like it would cut his hand if he touched it caught his eye.
Like the magic sword Shalit on his lap.
The great man looked at the magic sword with an embarrassed expression.
‘What should I do with this….’
Shalit, the magic sword.
Although its name is unknown now, it was a cursed magic sword that became famous a few years later during the tribal war that took place on the continent.
During the war, dozens of owners changed hands, and during that time, the blood of this guy drank more than thousands of people.
‘The performance is top-notch among magic swords, but…’
I felt uncomfortable using it myself. Because in exchange for lending his master his strength, he drinks his blood and paralyzes his reason.
‘But it’s also like selling it.’
It was an item that would bring enormous blood if released on the market. It would be better if I didn’t know. It was obvious that my dream would be disturbed later.
Moreover, it was an ordinary long sword, so it was difficult to sell it at the right price.
Isn’t it possible to sacrifice blood just to show off performance?
In one way or another, it was a sword that looked like a joke.
The great man looked down at Shalit and muttered to himself.
“Can’t I exchange it for something like a holy sword later?”
I don’t know if it was an illusion, but at that moment, the magic sword seemed to vibrate lightly.
At that time, Leonard, who was sitting opposite Daein, spoke.
“…Is it still far to the border?”
The old knight had a pale face.
The wounds inflicted by Monchi a few days ago had already been treated with a potion, but his old age and weakened stamina were not problems that could be solved with potions.
Daein said as he unfolded the map he brought from Roun Village.
“We will arrive at Landol by this evening. “If we resupply there and depart immediately… I think we’ll reach the border in three days at best.”
Then Leonard’s expression darkened.
“I don’t know if I can last until then.”
“Leonard! “Don’t say that!”
The old knight lowered his head with a bitter expression towards Princess Alina, who was looking at her with a straight face.
“I apologize. However, it would be better if I became a burden to Mama Soshin…”
The princess cut off Leonard’s sentence in a dignified voice.
“Just having you next to me gives me great strength. “Don’t ever say such a weak thing again.”
“…yes. mama.”
The great man looked at that and turned his head to the side.
The two children, who had gone to bed early after dinner, were curled up like newborn babies, facing each other.
“Cool…”
The blanket I was given to cover myself while I slept was scattered haphazardly on the floor.
The great man sighed softly.
“Now that we have two little ones, it takes twice as much effort.”
Daein covered the bodies of the two children with blankets and took out 『Geomwangbirok』 from the cabinet and began to read.
Princess Alina, who was quietly watching the scene, said.
“What are you reading?”
The great man answered without even raising his head.
“just because I got bored.”
“…….”
And then there was an awkward silence.
The situation has been like this for a few days now. More precisely, it was after Daein killed Count Monchi.
From then on, the princess and her party began to notice the great man. And I looked at Daein with some expectation and hope.
The great man knew that look, but ignored it.
“You…”
It was Leonard who broke the awkward silence.
“Can I ask you a favor?”
The great man spoke clearly.
“don’t do it.”
“Why haven’t I even heard of it…”
The great man closed the book with a “thud” and sighed as he looked at the two people.
“Okay, I’ll listen. Please help us regain our kingdom. “Well, as long as it’s not bullshit like that.”
““…….””
The two people became dumb for a moment.
Daein chuckled at the reaction he had expected, opened the Geomhwangbirok again, and spoke.
“The contract extends to the elf forest. There, we each do our business and then separate neatly.”
“…….”
The princess was silent.
But Leonard did not give up easily.
“What if I promise you a title?”
“I do not need.”
“If you need money, somehow…”
The great man snorted.
“You guys don’t have a penny anymore, do you?”
And even if they gave me hundreds of millions of dollars, I had no intention of doing it.
“Please listen to me a little longer!”
Daein spat coldly at Leonard, who was trying to convince him somehow.
“Old man. “Don’t try to pass on to me what you have to do.”
Beside her, Princess Alina also shook her head.
“Leonard. stop.”
At that moment, the old knight lowered his head. And I muttered softly as if to myself.
“If only I could overcome the wall like you…”
Decades ago, Leonard was a knight who was evaluated as having a higher chance of becoming a sword master than anyone else.
In his 20s, he already had no rivals among knights of his age, and he went on to fight several wars and made great contributions, earning the title ‘Hero’.
But is it because he gained fame too early?
For decades he was stagnant.
The final wall of becoming a sword master did not allow him, and he grew old in a miserable way, repeating despair and frustration.
That’s why Leonard was endlessly jealous of the confident young man in front of him.
‘If I had become a sword master, I would have been able to protect His Majesty from traitors…’
Now, instead of being able to protect him, he has become old and sick and has become a burden to the group.
“…Okay.”
The old knight bowed his head. The princess looked at him sadly, and the great man turned his head and looked away from him.
At that time, Hawkin shouted from outside the carriage.
“I can see the castle walls!”
When I looked out the window, I saw a high castle wall in the distance.
Because it was late at night, the castle gates were tightly closed and torches lit on the walls were occasionally visible.
Landol was the last town on the way to the border.
The great man stopped the carriage.
“Stop here.”
As I was being chased, I couldn’t confidently enter through the front door. I was planning on sneaking in and just doing some errands before coming out.
The great man shook Lily awake.
“kid. “Wake up.”
“Ugh… I want to sleep more…”
Lily pulled the blanket up to her head and turned around.
At that time, the great man whispered into Lily’s ear.
“I’m going to go get a late night snack.”
Upright.
Lily’s ears twitched and her closed eyes slowly opened.
Lily blinked her big eyes and turned her head to look up at Daein.
“…What are you going to eat?”
The great man said with a grin.
“Whatever you want to eat.”
After a while, the three flew into the sky and crossed the castle wall.
*
*
*
Tuk.
The great man landed on the roof and placed the girls at his side on the floor.
Lily landed on the floor naturally, as if she was used to it, but Alina, who was experiencing flying for the first time, lost strength in her legs and sat down on the floor.
dump.
“Ugh…”
Alina covered her shoulders with both hands and trembled like someone who is afraid of heights.
This was because it had flown at incredible speed from a dizzyingly high height just moments ago.
The great man said, pulling Lily’s cheek.
“Why are you driving so recklessly today?”
Lily turned her head with a pouting expression.
“Tch.”
Lily, who was the happiest person in the world when she was told to go out for a late-night snack earlier, started to have swollen cheeks from the moment Daein hugged Alina’s waist with his right hand.
Lily muttered, glancing at Alina.
“The seat on the right is mine.”
The reckless driving just now was the girl’s timid revenge for having her seat taken away.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
The great man shook his head as if he did not understand. He held out his hand to Alina, who was sitting down.
“princess. are you okay?”
Alina, who barely got up, took a deep breath and nodded.
“…Okay.”
The reason Daein brought Alina here was simple.
Because I don’t believe it.
Jang Young-shin had to stay there because of the carriage and the iron golem, and then only Jang Young-shin and the princess and the others would remain.
If the princess and her party had other thoughts, Jang Yeong-shin could have been in danger.
That’s why Alina was brought here as a hostage.
“Let’s go down first.”
The three people, wearing hoods pulled down, came down from the building and mingled with the crowd.
Because he looked around the city while flying, Daein was able to get his bearings without difficulty.
“Over there.”
They headed to the darkest and dirtiest part of the city.
As I got closer, various smells irritated my nose, and occasionally shouts and screams could be heard.
It was a slum in the city.
Alina said, covering her nose with her hand.
“What… is this smell?”
The great man told the truth.
“Smell of alcohol. Smells like medicine. The smell of sewage. The smell of blood. The smell of burned corpses, etc. “It’s the smell of everything mixed together.”
“…….”
If she hadn’t come wearing a mask full of freckles, the princess would have noticed her face turning pale.
There was a brothel at the beginning of the slum. The scantily clad women glanced at the three people.
“brother. Let’s go after playing. “I will treat you well.”
“Can’t you see there’s a woman next to him?”
“Surely with him? “She looks like she’s about the same age as your daughter?”
The women laughed and told dirty jokes.
Alina stood close next to Daein, and Lily tilted her head and asked Daein.
“Why are you taking everything off? “Is it cold?”
“…you do not have to know.”
The great man, who had not thought of this before, covered Lily’s eyes and walked faster.
As we left the brothel, a full-fledged slum was revealed.
Dilapidated shacks, drunken vagabonds, sick people and children lying around haphazardly.
And I saw men hiding in between, their eyes shining sinisterly.
“…….”
“…….”
When Daein’s group entered, everyone paid attention to them.
Some people were grinning while showing off their blades, while others were wandering behind them.
Alina looked like she was greatly shocked.
“How can you live in a place like this…”
Daein said with a chuckle.
“Are people living there? “You may not know it because you only lived in the palace, but this is also the kingdom where the princess lives.”
“…….”
After a while, the three arrived in front of an old bar. The man opened the door to the bar and entered.
‘There must be at least one guy here.’
I didn’t really know anything about it. It was just a feeling that came from experience.
The great man did not order a drink but placed a gold coin on the table.
Tuk.
“I came to visit the thieves guild. “I have a request and would like to buy some information.”
“Golden coin…”
At that moment, the eyes of everyone in the bar were focused on the gold coin.
Eyes turning greedily towards the sparkling gold coins. The gaze quickly moved to the owner of the gold coin.
Slurp.
The great man heard several sounds of swords being drawn and also felt a secret presence moving behind him.
The great man grinned.
“Looks like I came to the right place.”
And then he winked at Lily. It was a signal given before I came here.
Grumble!
The flames that bloomed behind the group’s backs spread all the way to the ceiling.
“It’s a magic wizard!”
Those approaching Daein suddenly retreated.
The atmosphere in the bar, which had been excited about the gold coins, suddenly became cold.
It was then. The bar owner, looking gloomy like a drug addict, approached Daein.
“What did you come to request?”
Even if you know that he is a wizard, his tone of voice is no different. There was no way an ordinary bar owner would have this kind of guts.
The great man lowered his voice and said.
“Pass. And information.”
“…Wait a moment.”
About 10 minutes have passed. The bar owner is back again.
“Follow me.”
Daein and his party entered the passageway connected to the basement of the bar. After walking along the winding passage for a while, I soon saw a thick iron door.
Inside, a bald, tattooed man was sitting at a table.
“Please sit there.”
The bald man grinned and rubbed his palms. It’s been a while since I smelled a great customer.
“You came to get a pass? “Where are you going?”
“Teru Kingdom. “If I make it as quickly as possible, how long will it take?”
The pass the two people were talking about was a forged document made by accurately copying the lord’s seal.
Of course it was a very expensive item.
The bald man said while looking at the other person’s liver.
“You have to give it at least a week…”
The great man took out a bag containing gold coins from his pocket and placed it on the table.
Sigh.
The bald man swallowed his saliva at that heavy sound.
“It can be done in two days, right?”
The bald man opened his pocket, counted the gold coins, and nodded vigorously.
“Of course I will. We will do our best to make it happen. “How can I identify you?”
The great man thought for a moment and then said.
“A wizard and five servants.”
There were glares from both sides for a moment, but Daein maintained a calm expression.
“And I’d like you to find someone. “Just information is good.”
The great man took out another bag of gold coins from his pocket.
There was so much money that he received it from the princess and her party, and he even emptied the pockets of the chase team.
The bald head’s eyes completely rolled back at the sudden windfall.
“Just tell me who it is! “We will find you with the trust of our Thieves Guild, which has branches all over the continent!”
A thief’s credit.
It sounded funny, but the great man nodded.
Actually, the Thieves Guild was quite trustworthy. So I used it often in the past.
“I’m looking for a man in a goblin mask.”
“…mister?”
Lily, startled by those words, grabbed the man’s sleeve. The man stroked the girl’s head to show that it was okay.
The bald man said, his expression hardening.
“…hmm. People wearing masks are so common on this floor. Don’t know your name? Oh, I guess I can hide my name. Then, even if it’s a feature…”
“I don’t know the name. He’s one-armed and probably a wizard. You can go around with other masked guys. Orc or something… right?”
Next to me, Lily nodded slightly.
The girl had a dark expression, as if she was remembering old times.
The bald head diligently wrote down the personal information he had heard from Daein on a piece of paper.
“Goblin mask. man. wingy. Possibly a wizard… I understand. “I will find out as much information as I can.”
At that moment, Daein saw the other person’s hand moving quickly in and out from under the table.
‘Look at this?’
If you just look at it, it’s a very natural behavior.
But if you know the meaning of the action, the story is different.
Under that table was an emergency bell that was pressed when an enemy attacked or an emergency situation occurred.
The great man narrowed his eyes and looked at the bald man.
‘Do these guys know anything?’
[Look at this? ]End
ⓒ Ganjjajang
