Chapter 31
A Strong-Willed Child Seeks His Father
“B-Basto… how could you…!”
Kal staggered in his seat.
The slap across his cheek still stung.
From the incident in Ban-Anla Village to now, his misfortune with Basto had stretched long and bitter.
“…I wondered when and where I’d run into you.”
As Basto stepped closer, a dark shadow fell over Kal’s head.
“Y-You… how are you here? You surely—”
“Shut up. Before I kill you outright.”
At that moment, Kal felt a cold sensation at the base of his neck.
Startled, he looked down to see a neatly dressed woman pressing a dagger to his throat.
“Do you know how much trouble your actions caused for us in the administration? We had to deal with everything you messed up, even looting all the gold and valuables our leader had,” she hissed, grinding her teeth as if the thought alone made her angry.
Meanwhile, an elderly man standing behind the woman approached Regent Marianne.
“I present to you the Marquis of Wavreil.”
The gathered people gasped.
Even if they didn’t know the name “Marianne,” they were well aware of the Wavreil family.
After all, the Wavreil marquisate was one of the five wealthiest families in the empire.
“How can someone so distinguished be standing in the rain?”
Marianne took a short, sharp breath at the old man’s words.
The innkeeper, Rudy, hurried forward.
“Oh! I apologize for the inconvenience! Please, come inside first.”
After glancing at Kal, Marianne entered the inn.
Basto, Tie, and Nordix followed behind.
Only after the four had disappeared did Veil withdraw the dagger from Kal’s neck.
“You. Don’t think of running. Stay right here. When our leader comes out, you’re done for.”
With that, Veil followed the other Agabert members into the inn.
Kal narrowed his eyes as he stared at the door Veil had vanished through.
“Leader?”
Could it be that Basto actually established his own mercenary group?
“Is that the War King?”
Voices of chatter reached his ears.
“Yeah. Apparently, it’s all disguises.”
“Disguises? Is it magic then?”
“They say he’s an Archmage. A necromancer who wields dark magic—what can’t he do?”
“Then what about the incident where skeletons were summoned at the gate? Was that real too?”
“Of course. According to what I heard from Jester, it wasn’t just at the gate—they also besieged the medium and small magic stones in the Tenebraum Cave all at once.”
“Unbelievable… No wonder! I saw in the inn yesterday that even within the mercenary group, his position seems incredibly strong! Basto seemed completely overwhelmed!”
Kal’s expression hardened.
But the mercenaries around him didn’t notice his mood souring.
“Then what about this? Someone said they saw the War King crying as he walked through the streets yesterday?”
“That’s a trap! He’s an extreme eccentric and sometimes pretends to be a child. If someone tries to help, he messes with their mind using nasty magic.”
“Messes with their mind…?”
“H- Hallucination magic?”
“His taste is terrible! Teseitan too… why are all the strong ones crazy?”
“Anyway, I envy Basto. When did he find such an amazing leader?”
“They say Agabert will soon rank in the top ten.”
“Wow, then I hope they besiege the magic stones in the sea. Might as well watch.”
“Come to think of it, Agabert should be able to besiege that magic stone too, right?”
One mercenary pointed at something black and tall.
Hidden in mist and rain, it was undoubtedly a magic stone.
“I don’t think so. It’s medium-sized at least. And we don’t even know what monsters might come out of it.”
“That makes sense. A new mercenary group doesn’t need to take such risks.”
“Quiet, all of you!”
At that moment, Kal shouted sharply.
The mercenaries looked at him, puzzled.
“War King? Agabert? That’s a joke.”
Kal’s body trembled.
“Some old man, a young woman, and a freak pretending to be a kid besieging that magic stone? Give me a break!”
Kal’s eyes burned with jealousy and hatred.
“Watch closely. I, Kal, will prove all these rumors wrong. I will besiege that magic stone myself!”
The Death Hound members flinched at his words.
“B-But leader… that magic stone has no precedent. We don’t even know the danger level…”
“Shut up! If you’re going to act like a scared child, leave now! I won’t touch you.”
The members fell silent.
Kal narrowed his eyes and stared at the magic stone rising from the sea.
“…Good. I’ll use this chance to raise my rank.”
Ever since his days with Basto in Death Hound, Kal had always been the one deserving of leadership.
Yet Basto always gained far more fame than him.
‘Arrogant fool. Who do you think you are, getting more attention than me?’
Until Ban-Anla Village became a sea of flames, that stupid fool always smiled at Kal like nothing was wrong.
Unaware of the thoughts Kal harbored inside.
‘I even hoped the family situation would make him quit mercenary work… or just die somewhere.’
It had gradually become difficult to subtly take credit for his achievements.
So he made a decision.
Even if it cost a fortune, he would completely bury Basto in the industry.
But now…
‘Holy knights… Wasn’t the bribe I gave enough!’
If they had accepted the bribe, they shouldn’t have let him enter the gate!
Grinding his teeth, Kal glared at the inn where Basto had disappeared.
Meanwhile, inside the inn.
“Regent, are you alright?”
Marianne raised her head.
The handkerchief in her hand was completely crumpled from how tightly she had gripped it.
“…I’m sorry. Where was I?”
Nordix responded with a gentle smile.
“I asked if there were any further messages from the royal family.”
Marianne shook her head, troubled.
“My aide must have sent an urgent report. It will take some time for a reply to come. As you can see…”
Her gaze drifted to the window, where lightning and thunder struck outside.
The wind had grown stronger, whipping the rain violently.
‘Raoul and Enzo… the ship they were on hasn’t capsized, has it?’
Marianne prayed silently.
She hoped the ship carrying Raoul and Enzo had already reached the dock.
That the twins had safely disembarked and returned to the administration building.
“G-Gentlewoman…”
At that moment, a youthful voice scattered Marianne’s thoughts.
Turning to see who it was, she noticed a child sitting opposite her.
Platinum curls damp from the rain.
Green eyes shining with a hint of worry.
“Gentlewoman, your face looks… worried.”
“Worried about what…?”
“Is someone in the sea? Your eyes keep going there.”
Marianne closed her mouth.
Her heart pounded, her breath quickened.
“I… I…”
In truth, her vision went dark.
Her hands and feet trembled. Each breath made her head spin.
Yet Marianne kept repeating to herself:
‘It will be fine. My sons will be fine. So I just need to do my job… my job well.’
She could not bear to face the situation otherwise.
‘Raoul and Enzo are not in danger, not in danger.’
They really weren’t in danger.
Her thoughts drifted to her husband.
Back then too, when she feared he might truly die, she finally realized the severity of the situation.
And then the death notice arrived.
Marianne’s hands trembled.
Her once upright posture began to crumble.
“I…”
Her mind became consumed with a single thought.
Raoul and Enzo would return as corpses.
The moment she rose to search for them…
