87 – Darville (3)
The circumstances leading Wade to Darville were quite lengthy.
Parting ways with Bella and leaving Agilram, Wade didn’t actually have a concrete plan.
Leaving Agilram was mainly to avoid potential dangers and not cause trouble for Bella.
Though there was a plan in place, most of it was quite vague, so after leaving Agilram, Wade needed to reassess his plans.
Among them, the most urgent was informing his acquaintances of his survival.
The world believed he was temporarily deceased, and it was highly likely that his acquaintances shared that belief.
Even if they didn’t believe the rumors, they would likely be concerned, so Wade thought it necessary to contact them as soon as possible.
However, he couldn’t contact them hastily.
The Empire was highly likely to be monitoring his surroundings.
If the Empire or the ‘organization’ sensed anything suspicious, it would lead to extensive investigations and tracking, possibly implicating the contacted acquaintances in unjust accusations.
Knowing that, Wade hesitated.
The most certain thing would be to go find them in person, but that wasn’t a great option either.
Although it had the highest chance of breaking through surveillance, it was also the riskiest method.
If the Empire, the ‘Organization’, caught wind of his presence through some trickery, there would probably not be a second chance.
No matter how urgent his mind was, he couldn’t risk his life.
In the end, Wade had no choice but to give up contacting them immediately.
However, he couldn’t help but worry about the situation of his acquaintances, so he checked their current status through an information network.
And fortunately, he found out that they were fine.
Demanding such information could in itself become the reverse of information, so it was just a side glance, but he could at least confirm that there was nothing unusual about those around him.
Most importantly, it was a relief to know that there was nothing wrong with the Blunoa family of writers in Raekenwood.
While it was expected that those at the Academy, with their backgrounds and the protection the Academy provided, would be safe, the people of the Blunoa family of writers couldn’t help but worry.
The Blunoa family of writers may be a distinguished noble family, but their adversaries were the Empire.
Those who could erase Raekenwood in an instant if they so desired.
However, to Wade’s dismay, the people of the Blunoa family of writers were unharmed.
Both the family members, the employees including Del, and even his father, Lawrence.
Upon learning this fact, Wade let out a sigh of relief.
He wanted to confirm with his own eyes, but he knew that it wouldn’t be beneficial to either side, so he suppressed the impulse.
It was regrettable, but at least one major worry had been alleviated.
With the confirmation that the people around him were safe, Wade felt much lighter.
And his thoughts moved on to the next step.
What to do next.
Although he had somehow managed to evade the Empire’s pursuit, he had no intention of hiding forever.
Regardless of whether he preferred such a life or not, he couldn’t do it.
If he didn’t take action himself, it would be difficult to thwart the plans of the ‘Organization’.
Especially with the continent engulfed in chaos.
So he had to act.
Act to prevent a war and thwart the plans of the ‘Organization’.
But.
How?
He had no idea how much power the ‘Organization’ actually possessed.
They could even use the Empire’s prince as a disposable pawn, move the Black Pawns, and perhaps even manipulate Agilrem, the ruler and Ten Swords.
Indeed, the ‘Organization’ was the force that could move nations, the continent.
Although Wade himself possessed the power of a Ten Sword, even a Ten Sword couldn’t confront such a group with that kind of power alone.
No, even if he had the resolve, there was a problem.
The fact that he couldn’t even grasp a clue about the ‘Organization’.
A group with that much power, yet completely unknown to the public.
Not even the next Emperor of Reinberg, Estel, knew of their existence.
With only power and no leads, Wade, who had nothing but strength, found it difficult to track down the ‘Organization’ on his own.
If he could only reveal the existence of the ‘Organization’ to the world, he might be able to solve the problem, but realistically, it was a difficult method.
Because, well, there was no evidence.
Even if he were to reveal his powerlessness and publicly announce the existence of the ‘organization,’ the likelihood of people nodding in agreement was not very high.
On the contrary, it was fortunate if he wasn’t treated as a conspiracy theorist or a delusional believer.
In many ways, the road ahead seemed daunting.
Despite contemplating for several days, no answers came, and Wade found himself wandering around in the midst of his dilemma.
“Hey, young man passing by.”
When he stopped by a certain city, someone called out to Wade.
It was an old man sitting on a mat on the street.
“It seems like you’re in a difficult situation.”
The old man, with only a crystal ball placed on the mat, stared through Wade’s face and spoke.
“Tsk. It seems things have turned out as predicted back then.”
Initially, Wade thought the old man’s words were just the usual tricks fortune tellers on the streets played.
They put on a show to sell their fortunes, spinning plausible tales.
However, that was not the case.
Wade knew the old man.
They had met before.
In Ferdion.
After the incident with Ayla, when Jack and Wade went out, they encountered the fortune-telling old man.
He had offered a fortune that seemed like a curse, warning of the rough path ahead.
That old man was now looking at Wade.
The moment Wade recalled the old man’s face, he was greatly surprised.
Surprised that the old man recognized him.
Wade was wearing a hooded robe, and his face looked different from usual.
Not just a change in hair color or eye color, but a complete alteration of his appearance.
Using the magical artifact Bella had given him as a farewell gift.
Yet, the old man immediately recognized Wade.
If the other party had been an exceptional being or a wizard, Wade might have understood.
However, to Wade, the old man appeared to be just an ordinary old man.
“…How did you recognize me?”
In the end, Wade had to approach the old man and ask.
“How? I just did.”
Looking at the old man as if he didn’t care, Wade pondered.
He didn’t believe in fortunes to begin with.
However, he was certain.
This old man was definitely different.
Not just a fortune teller spouting nonsense.
“Yeah, so what should I do then?”
Once again faced with a question that pierced his heart, Wade hesitated for a moment before swallowing his breath.
“…What should I do?”
He asked meekly.
“Hmm….”
The old man, after hearing Wade’s question, slowly raised his head to look at the map.
How much time has passed like this?
“Head west.”
The old man muttered briefly.
“…Excuse me?”
“It would be best to head west.”
“…Could you be more specific?”
Just saying west leaves too many possibilities.
That’s why Wade had to ask again.
“To the forest. Head west to the forest. There, you will soon find what you need to do.”
“The forest to the west….”
The forest to the west.
It was still a vague expression, but Wade didn’t inquire further.
He had a hunch about what the phrase “forest to the west” meant.
If one spoke of a forest from the west, there was one prominent area.
Right, the city of Darville and the forest next to it.
“…Thank you. How much… for the cost?”
“Forget it. Keep it. Your pockets might be tight.”
“Even so, that’s…”
Wade tried to pay the fee, but the old man ultimately refused to take Wade’s money.
“Now, go.”
With a firm tone, Wade reluctantly nodded to the old man and left.
After parting ways with the old man, Wade truly headed to Darville.
There was no certainty.
Though it was clear that the old man was extraordinary, leaving on a long journey based solely on that might not have been the wisest decision.
But there was no other choice.
There were no other clues.
In the end, Wade headed west as the old man advised and arrived at Darville.
And there, he became a rookie mercenary named Andel.
***
It had been just over a month since Wade arrived in Darville.
During this time, Wade had been pretending to be a rookie mercenary, leading a relatively peaceful life.
It wasn’t a bad life.
There was work to be done, but it wasn’t too difficult to handle, and there was no need to be overly cautious or hide.
Darville had no ruling nation; it was a land with animosity towards external nations or groups, making the imperial forces relatively weak.
Thanks to this, Wade could rest without much scrutiny.
However.
Such a life wasn’t entirely to his liking.
“When will things start moving?” The old man had said.
If you go to the forest in the west, you’ll find out what needs to be done.
However, even after a month had passed, Wade wasn’t considering that task to appear before his eyes.
By this point, Wade too began to feel anxious.
Just letting time pass without doing anything meant that the ‘organization’s’ plan was quietly progressing.
Yet, no matter how anxious Wade felt, there was nothing he could do.
He could only suppress that anxiety and continue his daily life as usual.
Then one day.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Oh? You are…?”
It was a reunion with the woman who had saved him one day.