“I saved him. “Your mother, Joanna Albert.”
Ren Argen’s words stopped in his mind for a moment, confusing him.
The conflict between his realization that he was not a person worthy of mocking himself for something like this and his conviction that his mother could not recover broke his brain.
thud. thud. thud. thud.
My heart started beating like crazy. His anticipation put him to the test once again.
After being disappointed so many times, I decided not to believe it anymore… … .
‘Why do you keep giving me false hopes… … .’
“You may not believe me, but go and see for yourself.”
Ren’s tone was dry and harsh. Then he opened the cage door and removed the handcuffs.
Despite the feeling of freedom he hadn’t felt in a long time, Jeffman’s mind was filled with thoughts of his mother.
When Ren sneaked out of the way, that became the trigger. My body moved on its own. Before I knew it, he was running with his exhausted body.
‘really… , finally… … .’
He ran out of the dungeon looking like no other person. No one stopped him. Some people looked at it strangely, but Jeffman didn’t care.
I was out of breath. My mouth was dry and my body was itchy, and I felt like I had contracted an illness while in prison.
“ha… , ha… .”
Breathing heavily, I looked at the house where my mother was staying. Small but neatly organized exterior. The fire is on inside and the aroma of delicious soup and meat is coming out from inside.
‘This smell… … .’
It was definitely the smell of food that my mother often cooked when I was young.
“really… as… … .”
Standing in front of the door of the house, he slowly grabbed the doorknob and turned it. I could see a glimpse of the kitchen beyond the living room.
The maid was busy carrying food. And then I made eye contact with him.
“uh… … . “Mr. Jeffman?”
She was startled for a moment and almost lost the plate she was holding.
“Jeffman?”
Joanna’s voice came from inside. It was not the rough, half-submerged voice Jeffman had heard before.
A beautiful voice like an oriole, a voice he had only heard as a child, made his heart stop.
“You’re here. Come on in. “It’s been a while since my mom tried cooking.”
Her hair and skin, which had been dull, were full of vitality as if they were shining, and her eyes, which were always full of fatigue, were infinitely clear.
‘It was really… … . He really survived. mother.’
She smiled brightly. At that moment, Jeffman ran over to her and hugged her tightly.
“mother… … .”
“Uhm, yeah. Your face has become very thin. “You’ve had a hard time because of me, right?”
“Mother… … .”
In front of the knights, the strong Jeffman collapsed in an instant.
From Noble mtl dot com
He shed tears and couldn’t move as he hugged her for a while.
* * *
The time has come to leave for the Holy Kingdom. Full Gather Sangsang, who came to Brilliant in person, Acro, the general manager of this trip to Seongguk, approached me while rubbing his shiny head.
“I have prepared everything you told me to prepare. Mr. Ren.”
“thank you.”
“But is it really necessary to do this? Rather, I think it would be good for Ren’s reputation to just reveal his identity.”
“Because I don’t like trouble.”
I took the fox mask that Acro gave me and put it on.
It was a very useful magic tool that fit well on the face.
“It is an item that completely covers the face without blocking the view. “It is said that due to the intangible magical power, distortion occurs when the wearer is viewed from the outside, making it difficult to recognize them properly.”
“I think it’s pretty expensive.”
“hahahahaha, considering what Ren has done for us, we can do even more than this!”
I just asked for a mask to hide my identity, but Acro brought me a much better product than I expected.
This is why I think you should always do good things.
“Thank you so much for playing. It may have been an unreasonable request, but after all, you are deliberately making time for our top, right? “Thanks to you, I overcame a big hurdle.”
“It’s not like that.”
“You don’t need to be humble. After this incident is over, Pool Gather will become a bigger leader in the future, and we will help Ren in both material and spiritual ways.”
“thank you.”
It is only a matter of time before Full Gather becomes a major merchant. I now have a reliable source of funds.
“But instead of a recorder, you’re using a different instrument this time?”
“yes. “I think this would suit me better.”
“That’s amazing. “I look forward to it.”
Acro left first because he had work to do. I headed to Decane. And Basil was there.
“Help me.”
As soon as he saw me he got down on his knees. The fact that he took such a hard-line attitude seemed to confirm that Joanna had been cured.
“You know because you are the mercenary king. What price will you pay?”
Mercenaries are those who are more thorough in their calculations than anyone else. He must know very well that what I am doing now requires a price so great that it is priceless.
“Is there anything you want?”
“It depends on what Basil has.”
“I will give you everything I have.”
“When it comes to money, I have a lot.”
Now that you have a full gather top, you won’t have to worry about money anymore.
“It’s not just money. The relics, magic tools, my connections, and… I’ve collected so far. … .”
“and?”
“I’ll give it to you. “If my body recovers, I will join you.”
This was a slightly unexpected answer. He has the reputation of being the king of mercenaries. If you put your mind to it, creating a huge guild like the Grealish Mercenary Guild is nothing. Maybe it would be possible to unite all mercenaries from all over the continent.
To that extent, the value of the name “Mercenary King” among mercenaries is enormous. If he, who has risen to that position through his own efforts without being under any power, comes under my wing, the reputation he has built so far will be destroyed in an instant.
In the end, it means accepting that there are limits to one’s own strength and that one has hit a wall.
“I know what you’re thinking. That’s right. I reached my limit and was close to dying. “I realized that this is my personal limit.”
“Then there is no need to come under me. “If you’re Basil, there will be plenty of people who want it.”
“I guess so. “But the reason I didn’t join the existing giant powers wasn’t simply because I wanted to grow on my own.”
“Then what is it?”
“The superiors of the existing powers have already firmly held their positions. “It means that there are more than one person who can keep me in check, even though the only thing I have is military power.”
I understand what he’s worried about. It’s obvious even if you don’t listen to the story behind it.
Simply put, it means that we want to grow a small force and have greater influence than the existing large force.
“I don’t think I have the personality to be under someone.”
“It’s a mistake. Basically, mercenaries are people who live by following orders. “It’s because my public image is strong and rough, but I feel more comfortable having someone above me.”
Unlike his rogue and rough appearance, the Mercenary King is a very calculating and cold person on the inside.
They must have already gathered all the information about me and made a judgment before coming here.
That probably means that he saw potential in me.
“More than anything, I’m tired of too many guys over the past three years. “I’ve faced the risk of death as many times as before.”
There was deep regret in his eyes. It was the face of someone truly exhausted.
“To be honest, even aside from healing my body, working under you is quite beneficial. I think that, excluding the force called Black Star, which has recently risen rapidly, the force that is currently growing the strongest is Brilliant, who is uniting around you.”
“… … “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it could easily be misunderstood.”
“It’s just us. What are you worried about?”
A smile spreads across his lips. It’s as if he can clearly see what’s inside of me.
“hmm… … , It looks like you don’t really want to talk about it, so I’ll stop talking about this. And one more thing, if I were to work under you, wouldn’t I be the second-in-command?”
“… … yes?”
He smiled, showing his teeth.
“Aren’t you and I the only ones who have reached Master status? Then, of course, I am the second-in-command.”
In a way, this is true. Except for me, the only person who reached the master level was Basil.
But why? Several people’s faces flash through my mind. It is doubtful whether they will actually acknowledge Basil’s words.
‘Anyway, I don’t think this is a lie.’
Basil coming under my wing is something I should welcome.
He is a prosecutor who has reached the level of master. If someone like that, who may become stronger after recovery, comes into my power, it would be the same as gaining a thousand armies and ten thousand demons.
‘her… … . How much stronger have you become when you reach Basil? What about Brilliant?’
Me, Basil, Morgan, Cleta Arzen, Cohen, Layton, Carly, Louise, Jeffman, Sika… … .
There are already three masters and seven senior knights. Moreover, there are several more people who have the potential to become high-level knights in the future… … .
‘If the outside world finds out about Brilliant’s condition, checks may come in.’
I can’t believe that this is the Brilliant power I knew.
“Well, shall we write a contract first?”
“Good! “It’s important to be sure.”
Fortunately, Basil doesn’t seem to be in a particularly bad mood.
After neatly filling out the imperial contract we had already prepared, we smiled and shook hands.
“We will treat you. “Please lie down.”
Let’s fix Basil’s body first. Maybe there will be one more sharp dagger in killing the Pope.
* * *
After finishing Basil’s treatment, which took several hours, the full gathering team departed for the Holy Kingdom.
How many days did I get bored looking at the same scenery every day? Arriving in Bastian, the capital of the Holy Kingdom, we quickly unpacked our bags and met the person responsible for this matter.
“You’re late. “I am Archbishop Harman.”
A middle-aged priest with a strict look greeted me. Before introducing himself, he lets out an irritated sentiment.
It is said that the production of the statue was delayed due to full gather, but I heard that the money received so far was quite a lot.
Nevertheless, showing off openly like this means that he is trying to suppress the momentum, or that he has something he wants.
“It’s Paul.”
“I am Accro, the general manager of Full Gather Sangdan. “This is my first time meeting you in person like this.”
Acro bows and gives him a friendly smile. Just by looking at him like that and not hiding his greedy eyes, I can feel how rotten the Holy Kingdom is now.
“I was in quite a bit of trouble this time. “The statue’s production date keeps getting pushed back.”
“oh my! sure. I know you must be having a hard time. Would you like to have dinner later at night? “I will treat you right.”
“hehehe, there’s no need for that. “That’s what you want, so just have a quick meal and leave.”
“hahahahaha, good.”
The Archbishop of Bastian, the capital of the Holy Kingdom, is quite a powerful person. Still, I felt annoyed as I watched Acro bow down to him, but I held back because I couldn’t let things go wrong.
‘Harman… … . ‘Remember that.’
“Anyway, this guy is so good at sculpting, right?”
“oh my! sure! “You will be amazed when you see it!”
Acro spat heavily and continued to pour out praise.
I wore a fox mask and used the pseudonym Paul, so there was no one here who would recognize my identity.
If he heard my name, would Haarman have that arrogant attitude? Even Cardinal Aston can’t treat me carelessly.
“I’m in doubt, so please show me.”
As Harman said that, he handed me a small cylindrical tree from his arms.
“Zu, you mean on the spot?”
Acro asked with a slightly embarrassed expression. Because it was too sudden.
“why? Surely they wouldn’t have brought in someone who doesn’t have that level of ability? hahahaha.”
Oily greed shines at the corners of his mouth. Was he threatening me to pay more if I didn’t like it?
‘Tsk.’
Acro fidgeted and put his hand into his arms. At the same time, I took out a carving knife from my pocket and cut down the tree.
Creep- Creep- Creep- Creep-
Not only Acro but also Harman stared at the piece of wood in surprise at the unstoppable movement of his hands.
square! square!
A small face that is completed in an instant. The piece of wood had suddenly transformed into Harman’s frowning face.
“Could it be me?”
“yes.”
“Huh… … . “It’s amazing.”
He accepted the piece of wood with admiration. He continued to let out exclamations of exclamation as he looked at him and tilted his head.
“But I think it looks a little worse than my real size.”
“I think it lacked sophistication because it was made on the spot.”
He looked a little disappointed, but that was it. Even excluding that, the quality was too high for it to have been carved on the spot.
‘Should I have made it a little more ugly?’
When I actually saw the finished version, I felt a little disappointed.
“I like it very much.”
He took the sculpture into his arms, unable to hide his satisfaction.
“If you need anything, let me know. “I will tell people well.”
“thank you.”
“If you have this level of skill, even the Pope will be very satisfied.”
“oh my! It’s okay. “The main character of this festival will be the statue.”
The two people laughed out loud as they wished for a festival after the statue was completed.
But unfortunately, that won’t happen. The Pope will die to me upon completion of the statue.