Chapter 22 …
Bruno (2)
The village was in a festive mood.
In the square, tables had been set up and the villagers were eating meat.
It looked like they had slaughtered a pig.
The real stars of the show were the mercenaries. More precisely, the true centerpiece was the jewelry they had taken from the goblins. They used it to pay the villagers.
One of the mercenaries greeted him familiarly.
“Haha! Isn’t this our great mage!”
“Uh…”
“Here, drink! I’ll pour you a cup!”
The mercenaries were laughing.
Rael couldn’t adjust to the atmosphere.
It felt unreal that they had been surrounded by goblins not long ago.
They were genuinely happy.
It was thanks to him—and thanks to them. They had overcome death together. That was why the mood was so good.
If there had once been an unavoidable distance between them, now it almost felt like a familial bond.
It was probably because they had fought a life-and-death battle together.
Each mercenary expressed their gratitude to Rael. Their words sounded sincere.
But he couldn’t simply feel happy.
The old man had died. Thinking that the old man died because of him made it worse.
His heart felt heavy.
Escape was also a problem. They would reach their destination soon—just a day away. He had to decide whether to run or not.
He left his seat. This was no time to relax.
He went to the lodging where the mercenaries were staying.
He entered the room. No one was there.
After taking a deep breath, he used magic.
He tried to create an ice spear.
It didn’t work.
What he had done before must have been a miracle.
He wondered how it had even been possible. It probably had something to do with the blue flower. He needed to learn more about it.
This time, he tried creating mist.
It was different from his usual mist.
It was the same color as the mist the old man in his dreams used—the kind of mist that could put people to sleep. The breakthrough came instantly.
It was because of the battle.
Rael had grown. By several stages.
It strongly felt like it was thanks to the life-and-death fight. Maybe it was because he had pushed his magic to the limit.
It felt like he had shattered a wall.
His mana had increased too. It had grown after eating the blue flower. It felt like more than double what it had been before. His mind was clearer. As a mage, he had advanced to a higher level.
Even so, if someone told him to fight that battle again, he would absolutely refuse.
It wouldn’t have been strange if he had died. If not for the guide old man, he would have died. If not for the ice spear, he would have died. It was a miracle.
He created mist.
It was practice. After repeating it several times, quite some time had passed. It was night.
The once boisterous noise had grown much quieter.
Just then—
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”
“I’m from the village.”
“What brings you here?”
“The mercenaries are looking for you. I came to pass along the message.”
It was a man’s voice.
He didn’t even ask to be let in. After telling him where the mercenaries were, the man left. As Rael listened to the footsteps fading away, he thought:
Why are the mercenaries looking for me?
It was night.
They should have drunk their fill and returned to the lodging by now.
He remembered how friendly the mercenaries had been. Maybe they wanted to thank him properly.
Battle was something you risked your life for. Having gone through that together made them comrades who had shared life and death. The fight against the goblins had been especially fierce. His contribution to their survival had been significant.
His guess seemed reasonable. It wouldn’t be strange if the mercenaries had prepared a gift for him. In any case, tomorrow it would all be over—if they were going to give him something, now was the time.
He left the lodging and headed to the place the villager had indicated.
In the distance, he saw the mercenaries.
They were gathered around a campfire, talking.
Just as he was about to approach and speak—
Someone grabbed his shoulder.
It was Bruno. Rael wondered how he had appeared behind him.
“Why are you here?”
“The mercenaries called for me.”
He tried to step forward. But Bruno didn’t release his shoulder.
“Don’t go.”
“Why?”
“They’re going to kill you.”
“…What?”
Rael shook his head. It sounded absurd.
They had won a battle they should have died in.
Thanks to him. The mercenaries were practically indebted to him. And yet instead of thanking him, they were going to kill him?
In the first place, the mercenaries had no reason to kill him.
Why would they?
But Bruno’s face was serious.
He even looked colder than usual—like when they first met. It was different from the face he had shown after the battle.
“Believe it or not, it’s your choice. You decide.”
Bruno crossed his arms.
It felt like he was being treated as an adult.
Adults had to decide and choose on their own. Unlike children.
After some deliberation, Rael chose.
He would follow Bruno’s words.
“I won’t go.”
“You made the right choice.”
Bruno hid in the bushes. Rael followed and hid nearby.
Though no words were exchanged, he stayed still.
There had to be a reason for Bruno’s actions.
He looked toward the mercenaries.
They were all chatting.
He couldn’t hear clearly. They were too far away for their voices to reach.
But he did catch some louder words.
When the hell is that bastard coming?
There was killing intent in the voice.
Looking closely, they were armed. Swords hung at their waists.
They were completely different from how they had looked in the square.
He hoped it was just needless suspicion. He thought maybe Bruno’s warning had made him overly sensitive.
But it wasn’t.
The mercenaries’ voices grew louder.
They were all talking about killing someone. Even if he couldn’t hear clearly, he understood.
The mercenaries were planning to kill him.
A chill ran down his spine.
Just a few hours ago, the mercenaries who had acted so friendly now intended to kill him.
He couldn’t understand why.
But one thing was certain.
If he had approached them without knowing anything, he would have died.
He was a mage. He couldn’t defeat four sword-wielding mercenaries at close range.
“Why…?”
His voice trembled—just like when the old man had thrown himself forward for him. He couldn’t understand. The mercenaries had no reason to try to kill him.
“Because you’re dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“You said you’d take my side. From their perspective, that means you and I are allies.”
“They’re trying to kill me because I’m on your side? Why?”
“Once this job is done, they’ll have enough money to live comfortably for life. They don’t want to share it. My share is rather large.”
“Then why me? From the mercenaries’ point of view, wouldn’t killing just you be enough?”
“Just in case. They figured if you sided with me, you’d be a threat. So they want to deal with you in advance.”
“That’s ridiculous…”
He was speechless.
They were planning to stab him in the back just because they didn’t want to share the reward.
They were mercenaries.
And they were on the verge of completing the request. Not just any request—a major one. It was understandable they wouldn’t want to share.
But this wasn’t something a human should do. Even beasts knew gratitude. Even Dorian had at least a minimum sense of loyalty.
“You thought trust had begun to grow?”
“…Yes.”
“You’re wrong. That’s what mercenaries are like.”
“I thought we’d survived death together.”
Everyone had rejoiced that they had all lived.
At that moment, they had become one. That was why this was even more shocking.
“It was good back then. Even I didn’t expect we’d win. The mercenaries are probably genuinely grateful to you. They would’ve died without you.”
“Th-then why…”
“That’s that, and this is this. Loyalty? Trust? In front of money, they’re nothing. At least to mercenaries.”
Rael bit his lip.
He didn’t want to hear any more.
The more he listened, the more his expectations of people shattered.
He felt like he was about to develop a distrust of humanity.
“I hope you make the right choice.”
Bruno left.
Rael stared at his back.
He thought about what Bruno meant.
It felt like he was being told not to make a choice he would regret—like the mercenaries had.
It felt like Bruno already knew what he would do.
It made sense. From the moment Rael had invoked Dorian’s name when making the oath, Bruno could have guessed.
Bruno knew Rael could run.
He could have stopped him if he wanted.
But instead, he gave him a choice.
It strongly felt like Bruno was watching to see what he would choose.
If Bruno had threatened him instead, Rael might have refused outright.
But this… this made the conflict much worse. Bruno was a comrade who had crossed life and death with him. An adult worth following.
Rael looked toward the mercenaries. They seemed like they would stay there for a while longer.
He had to decide.
He returned to the lodging.
“Rael?”
Lorina was there.
He still lacked a strong enough motive to save her.
“Why does your face look like that?”
“How does it look?”
“Terrifying.”
He thought about his expression.
It was probably pretty bad. The back of his head still throbbed. That alone was serious, and now he had to do something even more dangerous. Or maybe he wouldn’t.
“Lorina.”
“What?”
“We’ve reached the destination.”
“I know.”
“Today is the only chance.”
“….”
Lorina stared at him.
There was a faint light in her expression.
The girl had been resigned—at least until the battle. But now it was different. There was a trace of hope in her eyes.
It was probably because of the ice spear.
Or maybe because she had seen he was skilled enough. Whatever the reason, her reaction had changed. Because of the battle.
“You’re really going to risk danger because of me?”
“Yes.”
“Without any reward?”
He had no answer.
It was the same as before.
He was fond of the girl.
Maybe he even liked her.
But not enough to defy Bruno and save her.
He needed a justification.
He found one.
It was Lorina who was desperate, so he didn’t know why he was the one searching for excuses.
“I do have an ulterior motive.”
“Ulterior motive?”
“Lorina’s father is a mage, right?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m a mage too. If I rescue you, I think there’ll be a reward.”
“He might not give you anything.”
“Then it can’t be helped.”
This time, the girl fell silent.
For a moment, he thought he might abandon her.
In the end, saving the girl had to start with the girl herself.
If she couldn’t give a proper answer, there was nothing he could do.
“My father will give you something.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’m sure.”
“Why?”
“Alchemists value equivalent exchange. They have to uphold it. If you pay the price to my father, he’ll have no choice but to give something of equal value—even if he doesn’t want to.”
It was hard to understand.
“So I’ll definitely get something?”
“Yes.”
“Then I have a reason.”
Thinking about it, it wasn’t bad. He was said to be one of the few mages in the kingdom. In return for saving his daughter, he might receive something incredible.
Thinking that way, risking his life might be worth it.
“How much do you think Lorina is worth?”
“More than 10 gold.”
“Are you sure?”
“My father said that if he ever abandoned you, it would only be when it accomplished something worth more than a large gold coin.”
A large gold coin.
Not an ordinary gold coin, but a special one. Lorina said each was worth 10 gold.
If that was true, it meant he might earn the reward that Bruno and the mercenaries were risking their lives for.
1 gold was 100 silver. After living in the castle for nearly half a year, he had only earned about 50 silver.
Ten gold was beyond imagination.
“So what will you do?”
“We leave now.”
Rael steeled himself.
He untied Lorina’s rope.
He cracked the door open and checked the hallway.
No one was there.
The mercenaries still hadn’t returned.
He didn’t even need to use sleep magic.
It felt strangely anticlimactic.
He went to the next room—the one Bruno was staying in.
If he was going to run, there was something he needed to take.
But the door was closed. This was troublesome. He could break it with magic, but it would make a loud noise.
What should I do…
The problem was solved more easily than expected.
When he pushed the door, it opened.
It had been unlocked from the start.
Inside, there was a map on the table.
He unfolded it.
It was hard to determine their current location. There was a drawing. There was a castle to the west—probably the one in the barony. It seemed heading west would work.
In the drawer, there was also a pouch.
There was a little money inside.
3 silver and 32 copper.
He took only that and left the lodging.
On the way earlier, he had checked where the carriage was. He headed there.
There was only one horse.
It seemed one had died on the way to the village.
He untied the rope attached to the carriage.
He looked at Lorina.
“Can you ride?”
“I’ve done it a few times…”
Her tone lacked confidence.
“Get on first.”
Lorina hesitated, then stepped into the stirrup.
Surprisingly, she mounted well. Even the way she held the reins looked skilled. Rael tried to climb up too. Maybe because he was a bit short, he only managed after Lorina reached out her hand.
“Hold tight!”
Lorina snapped the reins.
The horse began to run.
There was a road at the village entrance. All they had to do was follow it. It was a day’s distance on foot, so on horseback they would arrive much faster.
After running a bit, a cliff came into view.
Between the cliffs was a suspension bridge.
They had to cross it to reach the other side.
Though uneasy, they moved forward.
Because he felt someone approaching from behind.
They crossed the bridge safely.
The moment they reached the other side, Rael jumped off the horse.
To chant a spell.
He fired a water ball.
The bridge shattered and collapsed.
Just then—
He sensed someone’s presence.
Someone was standing on the other side.
It was Bruno.
“I’m disappointed in you.”
His voice echoed loudly across the cliff.
“….”
“I thought you would be different from the mercenaries.”
“….”
“You too… intend to betray me?”
There was blood on Bruno’s sword.
Rael could guess whose it was.
“Betray you?”
“You betrayed me.”
“That’s strange.”
“What do you mean?”
“Isn’t accepting your proposal what would have meant abandoning honor? That would’ve made me the kind of traitor you hate.”
Bruno had said it himself.
That staying behind for the girl was admirable.
That it was an act that upheld honor.
By his own words, continuing to act for the girl was the right thing.
If anything, going with Bruno would have been the betrayal.
Bruno was silent for a long time.
In the darkness, his body seemed to tremble.
“…You’re right.”
“Then—”
“If you had accepted my proposal, I might have looked pleased on the outside, but I would have been disappointed deep down. But if you reject me like this… I’ll be even angrier. I’ve never begged anyone like this in my life.”
“….”
“I’ll ask one last time. Do you truly have no intention of joining me?”
“…Thank you for everything.”
“Rael!”
Bruno roared. It was the howl of a beast.
“Is that your answer?”
“Yes.”
“You will regret today’s choice. I will make you mine—no matter what.”
“How?”
“I’ll shackle your feet and beat you every day. I’ll force you to swear an oath every single day until you can never leave my side!”
It was a curse—he was spitting curses.
The same words sounded different depending on who said them.
A chill ran through Rael.
Bruno had the skill to make good on his threats.
The moment he was bound by an oath, he would become Bruno’s slave.
That could never happen.
The bridge was destroyed.
For the time being, Bruno wouldn’t be able to pursue.
They had to escape in the meantime.
The conversation was over.
Lorina held out her hand. He grabbed it and climbed onto the horse.
The horse kicked off the ground.
“—Heh heh heh… HAHAHA!”
Rael turned his head.
From far behind, Bruno’s laughter echoed.
There was madness in his voice.
Rael felt strongly that he must never be caught by him.
He was certain Bruno would do something worse than killing him.
