6. Proof of Existence (22)
The traces left by the short battle were devastating.
The vacant lot, which had been blown out in places, was hideous, and piles of spilled dirt and gravel were scattered in a disorderly manner. It will cost quite a bit to restore it.
Of course, this was only an issue to be dealt with later. I decided to hold off the excited Lea for the time being and carry the fainting Reynolds on my back. It was because he had a sense of crisis that he might have to get rid of a corpse if left as it was.
A person who even received the title of ‘Great Wizard’ went so vain.
It was a national loss. As an aristocrat of the Empire, I had the responsibility to preserve Mr. Reynold’s life. After returning to the orphanage and renting a bed, we had time to talk to each other.
Lia, who heard the general circumstances from me, cleared her throat with a hmm-hmm. He seemed to know that he was sorry for not being able to meet my eyes properly. Well, it was a situation that Lia couldn’t help but misunderstand.
Let’s assume for example.
Suddenly, a loud noise hits my ears. It was on the way back to the orphanage from downtown. I went to the epicenter, wondering what the situation was, and found my beloved brother covered in dirt and panting. Moreover, the middle-aged man standing across from him is casting a spell that is terrifying at first glance.
There was no reason not to blow the back of the head.
Still, a misunderstanding was a misunderstanding. It was morally right to apologize, so I didn’t deliberately comfort Lia, who was downcast.
Saying thank you later was enough.
If the magic had been completed, I would have been the one lying on the bed.
Even if that were the case, there was also a desire to see the scene ‘beyond’.
It was a pointless story to look at now. I shook my head several times to clear up my complicated feelings. There were still questions I had to ask Leah right away.
“Lia, this man… … ?”
Leah came to her senses at the sound of my muffled voice.
Beside Lia sat a young man wearing glasses with an awkward smile. Judging by the unfamiliar face, it was clear that he was a customer, and it was considered disrespectful not to introduce him even though there was a customer.
Lia opened her mouth with an apologetic expression.
“Ah, this person is the person in charge of dispatch from Shylock’s. Her name is ‘Perry Coors’… … .”
“Nice to meet you, Sir Ian Percus.”
The man held out his hand with a friendly smile.
A bowed head showed his respect. It wasn’t excessive, but it was an attitude that showed how much he recognized me.
Indeed, it was like a merchant. The nature itself was a human who was accustomed to life.
So I didn’t like it any more.
The more flexible a man’s tongue, the lighter his conduct. Even merchants and politicians had nothing to say.
Eoyoung Booyoung seemed to already see a future in which he would cross his feet between several women and then go back later to appease his lover with a look of regret.
trash guy.
With my keen eye, I immediately eliminated the other person as a candidate for Leah’s boyfriend. It was impossible to hand over the precious Leah to the merchant Naburaengi.
The man, not knowing what I was thinking, was talking about his mouth.
“I have heard about Sir Lee An’s heroic story. He was a person I had admired from before, but it was a short relationship like this… … .”
“Are you alone with Leah?”
Holding the hand of the outstretched man, I asked with such force.
Perry looked at Leah with a puzzled look. However, it was the same that Lia had a face that she did not know why.
Of course, the silence didn’t last long.
A friendly smile appeared on Perry’s lips, as if he thought it was a thoughtless question.
“Yes, undeservedly so. We plan to stay at the orphanage for a while and discuss it.”
“No, are you staying at an orphanage?”
Resisting the feeling of wanting to jump right away, I tried my best to pretend to be calm.
Even so, it was impossible to hide the narrowing of the brow.
Whether I said it or not, Perry just burst out laughing.
“Yes, it’s because it’s where I’ve often taken care of.”
What is that?, before asking.
Leah gave me a sneak peek and said.
“Brother, Perry-sama is someone who was dispatched from Shylock’s. Of course, it has a relationship with the orphanage~”
It was a voice full of love. If others see it, it will look like a brother and sister conversation overflowing with friendship.
But I knew.
The fact that Leah was biting her teeth. In addition, even the eyes looking at me were unusual.
I meant to do it in moderation.
Only then did one piece of information cross my mind.
‘Shylock’s Company’ was a name I had heard somewhere. Didn’t you hear the information from the military camp of the Holy Kingdom where the monsters were massacred last time?
It was a caravan group that was said to be sweeping away monster corpses from all over the Holy Land.
Also, it was a place that didn’t even appear in the realm of the hell hole where the monsters appeared in large numbers.
I was speechless for a moment.
I was just about to do some research. However, the opponent came here without the need to go out on purpose. Of course, it was something we had to welcome with open arms.
Even so, why is my heart not willing?
A groan escaped from my mouth. Perry just blinked his eyes with a naive face.
The merchant’s pretending to be innocent was disgusting.
Our Ria was the only pure merchant in this world.
But in the end, I had no choice but to let out a heavy sigh. It was very clear which one to give priority to, the superintendent and public affairs.
“Then, please take care of me for a while.”
“Thank you, Sir Ian… I heard that the saintess was staying at this orphanage. It is a profound honor to meet two of the heroes of mankind.”
There are senior Elsie and Celine as well.
He muttered his dissatisfaction inwardly, but made no mistake of putting it in his mouth. As much as possible, he had to avoid making the other person wary.
Instead, I decided to ask Leah to trust me.
“Lia, you come to me every day before going to bed.”
“What nonsense is that… Not Lee, what are you talking about? Brother?”
The corner of the girl’s mouth trembled with a fake smile.
It was a clear expression of dissatisfaction, but I did not withdraw my remarks. Rather, he only sneered and turned his head slightly.
It was around the time when Lia, who was so moved by this, clenched her fists.
“Turn it off… … .”
A heavy moaning sounded from somewhere. As soon as Lia and I heard the sound, we jumped up in surprise.
On the bed, the middle-aged man’s eyelids trembled.
It was a sign that he was on the verge of regaining his sanity. I first winked at Leah and Perry to silence them, then asked cautiously.
“Mr. Reynolds, are you awake?”
“I, what… … .”
Afterwards, Leah apologized, and I sent Leah and Perry out to reveal the details.
Unbeknownst to Leah, Perry was a member of Shylock’s ranks. There was no reason to reveal our secrets to members of a suspicious organization.
Mr. Reynolds expression hardened moment by moment as I continued to explain.
In the past, it was to the point of giving out an unpleasant voice as if it were absurd.
“Who the hell made that inference? How dare you look at me… … .”
“The 5th princess is conveying.”
Then Mr. Reynolds’ mouth closed tightly. After that, a long sigh escaped from his mouth.
“… … I must have been a little suspicious.”
Only then did Mr. Reynolds silently begin to listen to my further explanation.
The fact that the point of view of joining the group with the masked assailant coincided.
It was hard to guess why he would come to Seongguk at this time.
Also, to the point that Reynolds was the only skilled lightning wizard around here.
As my explanation continued, the middle-aged wizard’s face became absurd. However, perhaps because he had so many reasons to be suspicious, he didn’t show any signs of trying to bruise me again.
It was just shaking my head.
“Yes, I was wrong… Ha, if you knew this was going to happen, you should have revealed it in advance.”
Arms crossed, Mr. Reynolds buried himself deep in the pillow. It didn’t take long for his hesitant mouth to open.
“Did I ever tell you how I ended up as a mercenary?”
I quickly shook my head and retraced my past. Soon, memories of the day began to come back.
“I broke up with the lover I love… … .”
“right. But in fact, there was one more reason.”
The face of a middle-aged man spewing out the past like that had become lonely before he knew it. Even the retina was blurred, as if reflecting on faded memories.
“You must have been stubborn. I wanted to marry her somehow, so I ran away from home and started a mercenary life with her.”
My expression became subtle at the truth finally revealed.
According to his words, the logic of persuading Elsie-senpai at the Percus Mansion was about to become ridiculous. Surely Elsie told seniors to choose family instead of love?
But in his youth, Mr. Reynolds chose love.
He might have regretted it later and returned to the family, but from the look on Mr. Reynolds’ expression, it didn’t seem that way.
“I was happy. It was a time when it was brighter than ever. However, the end… … .”
I remembered Mr. Reynold’s wound I had heard of not long ago.
Seeing the unidentified girl, he lost all of his comrades to the Witchbeast.
yes, all colleagues.
Realizing that fact, my silence grew heavier.
“It’s due in a few days.”
With a bitter smile, he took out a pitch-black stick from his bosom. It was something I used when fighting with me.
It seemed to have the effect of amplifying mana.
It would not have been easy to obtain such a treasure.
“This is the last gift I received from her. Until recently, every time I saw it, my heart ached and I couldn’t take it out… Then, suddenly, I realized.”
Whiririk, Tak.
The middle-aged wizard threw the pitch-black rod into the sky and repeatedly caught it. As if that were the only way to calm the mind.
Once upon a time Mr. Reynolds introduced me to an old wand. At the time, it was said that it was an item used during the mercenary days, but it seemed that there was a separate item that was truly precious.
No, rather, it’s so precious that I couldn’t even take it out.
“… … The fact that I still have a past to tie up.”
It was flat, but it was a word with a solid skeleton. It must be because there is so much determination in it.
“Keuk-kuk,” the Archmage burst into laughter as if he were laughing at himself.
“Maybe being with you wasn’t the trigger.”
My eyes were filled with questions at the sudden confession. Mr. Reynolds’ eyes were filled with empty space.
“You who risk your life in a battle that has no chance of winning, and Elsie, who doesn’t care if you die a dog… Reminds me of myself a long time ago There was a cowardly man who lived only by covering his wounds because it was painful and scary to expose him.”
I wondered if I should offer consolation.
I decided to keep my mouth shut. No word could heal his wounds.
There was only revenge.
He came here to put an end to the nightmare he had long ago.
“Please keep it a secret from Elsie.”
Because it’s selling out.
Mr. Reynolds’ expression when he said that was unusually embarrassing.
**
The next day, I repeated my agony with a tired face.
Then who is the masked monster?
It was just my intuition, but it seemed that Mr. Reynolds was not a masked man. In the first place, it is not known what kind of tactics the masked assailant uses.
There was no reason to unconditionally doubt the Lightning Wizard.
If there was one comforting fact, it was that senior Elsie’s face had noticeably brightened.
He seemed very happy that his uncle’s name had been cleared.
To be precise, it would be correct to say that I became less suspicious.
It was difficult to unconditionally trust Mr. Reynolds’ statement. It’s enough to put things together, and whenever he talked about ‘girl’, he showed some strange symptoms.
Shall we try to contact the princess again?
Then, in an instant, an incident occurred.
That night, I was curled up in a chair, struggling over and over again. After diligently sorting through the information, I couldn’t find an answer. Around the time I got up, thinking that maybe I should consult with the saintess.
A faint scream pierced my ears.
The volume was literally just a reverberation, but I immediately recognized the owner of the voice.
was my sister
Immediately, my body kicked off the ground and was shot. As a result of concentrating all my mana on leg strength, I was able to arrive at the scene where the screams were heard within seconds.
And saw.
A young man standing there, dripping with blood.
And the masked man standing silently across from him.
Leah trembled and sat down in her seat.
The moment I saw the scene, I was seized with a strange feeling.
Die.
That masked man was trying to kill a young merchant dispatched from Shylock’s. Although the reason was unknown, one thing was clear.
We need to stop that guy.
A roar erupted from my mouth at once.
“This bastard is real!”
The hatchet began to rip through the air, scattering light.