Chapter 387
Chapter 387
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.80 – The Knight Sets Out on the Journey Once More (4)
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- Try not to mess with that knight if you can help it, Amos. You might end up putting yourself in danger with needless provocation.
...After being exiled from Pendragon, the knight had become the subject of [Torn Wings]' plans to either recruit or eliminate him. And the one tasked with the mission was none other than Amos.
Amos, the grand sorcerer who toyed even with the laws of causality.
They were certain he would produce results no matter what.
However, the only one in [Torn Wings] who had tried to dissuade them was the sage of [Torn Wings], the military strategist known by countless titles—the [Prophet].
He had said:
The knight might end up putting them in danger instead...
But at the time, Amos...
- Unnecessary worry, Prophet. I'm no match for you, but I've got a decent head on my shoulders, and I'm not foolish enough to invite trouble.
He had rebelled against the Prophet, who treated him like a child left by the water's edge.
No matter what, he wasn't some weakling who needed to be fretted over.
'...It was all a misconception.'
Sizzle...!
The smell of burning flesh rose from his body as lightning struck, but Amos's main force held firm, unshaken by mere bolts.
His body was intact, but his mind was pushed to the brink.
'Blinded by power, I did something stupid. Underestimated the enemy and overestimated myself. What a foolish blunder...'
Foolish.
What good was living eighty years? What good was the title of grand sorcerer?
'I picked the stupidest option.'
He never should have climbed Vulcan in the first place.
He shouldn't have fought in an environment that favored them. Instead of provoking him, a polite conversation might have prevented this desperation.
"Amos, are you alright?"
"...No."
"I figured as much. ...So, what now?"
Crack, crunch!
Kudan's body began to warp grotesquely.
The eggs inside him were hatching, transforming him from human into something else entirely.
"Shall I kill him?"
"......"
"Just give the order, Amos. Vulcan's interference is annoying, but surely you can endure it."
Whoosh!
- Hell Demonic Energy.
A sinister aura, like that of netherworld demons, poured from Kudan's body.
Vulcan's lightning howled as if ready to strike him down at any moment, but Kudan paid it no mind.
He had absolute faith that Amos would shield him from Vulcan's wrath.
"......"
...Amos's mind was in turmoil.
Yes, if he resolved himself—and accepted the 'sacrifice of a comrade'—they could break through Vulcan's fury and fight the knight.
But.
"Stand down. That knight alone is dangerous enough; we can't handle the Mercenary King on top of him."
"Fair enough, heh heh."
"...Revert to your original form. That's an order."
"Heh heh!"
Just looking at Kudan, cackling grotesquely, told him everything.
The Hell Demonic Energy had eroded his mind; he was no longer sane.
'It's the spiritual energy.'
The sacred spiritual energy emanating from the sacred mountain had provoked the Hell Demonic Energy.
Amos tried to calm him...
-Boom!!!
"Where do you get off stinking up the place, you spellcasting bastard!"
Crunch!
"Guhhh..."
"......"
Before Amos could intervene, the knight had already moved, smashing down on Kudan's crown.
...But what shocked Amos wasn't his comrade rolling pathetically on the ground.
'I... missed his movement?'
The fresh shock came from realizing that he, of all people, had failed to track the motion.
'He definitely wasn't this fast before.'
The knight had left Pendragon three months ago.
Three months prior, he had clashed with the Bronze Knights, giving them a rough gauge of his power level.
That's why Amos thought subduing him wasn't impossible.
Even if it meant sacrifices...
But now, Amos was certain.
In just three short months...
'He's grown. Far beyond what we knew...!'
How could someone improve that much in mere months?!
Amos couldn't comprehend it.
...
"...Yes, that's how you use territory, young junior."
Caesar grinned, sneering at the sorcerer's stunned face.
"A man who lives every day sweating without rest won't stay in one place forever."
The sorcerer apparently didn't grasp even that basic truth.
Crunch!
Lee Han stomped viciously on the spellcaster's neck, as if intent on severing it, repulsed by the foul aura.
He especially hated the brazen killing intent.
At that moment.
"Stand down. Do you plan on starting a war?"
"You rejected my kindness first and threatened me."
"...My apologies."
"Then why do something you'd apologize for?"
"......"
Crack...!
"When someone shows goodwill, you should be grateful. Treating it like a right—what do you think that feels like? Hey, answer me, you old sorcerer."
Lee Han glared at the blind sorcerer.
His eyes screamed: 'Twist your neck the moment you roll those fingers—or eyes!' The sorcerer raised both hands and shook his head.
"...What do you want?"
The sorcerer was perceptive.
Instead of empty apologies, he pivoted to practical matters.
Lee Han liked that.
He had no desire to waste time on pointless talk either.
"If I asked for the Blood Crusaders' base, would you tell me?"
"......"
"Yeah, that'd be too much to ask."
"Naturally...-"
"Then which direction? East? West? North?"
"!!?"
"...Hmm, looks like you've all burrowed in everywhere."
"S-stop..."
The sorcerer's face paled again, and Lee Han shrugged.
Sure, he could pry it all out if he pushed, but cornering him endlessly wasn't ideal.
The old man might slip away otherwise.
So Lee Han decided to let this slide and tossed out another question.
"...You know about the hordes of monsters gathering around here lately?"
"......"
"Monsters banding together isn't that rare, but a few days ago, I saw an ogre pack. A massive one."
Over a thousand ogres had banded together, wandering as a group. Fortunately, Lee Han had snapped every last neck, but it was abnormal.
Ogres weren't pack monsters to begin with.
Why else called 'Mountain Lords'?
They ruled mountains alone like tigers, not in packs.
Without Lee Han, they would've razed villages and cities, devouring everything.
Livestock, crops,
'...and people, all of it.'
That's why Lee Han was curious.
About the sudden phenomenon—and whether this sorcerer knew the cause. If he was involved...
'I'll eliminate him, no matter what it takes!'
Whoosh-!
He exuded intent to kill not just the spellcaster, but the sorcerer before him. Facing the crushing pressure like deep-sea hydrostatic force, the sorcerer stiffened.
And then...
"...At the very least, we had no hand in the monsters."
"......"
".........That's the truth."
The sorcerer spoke defensively, his pitiful old face stirring pity—but not for Lee Han.
"Useless spellcaster."
"......"
He nagged the sorcerer like a harsh mother-in-law.
...The blind sorcerer and spellcaster left Vulcan.
No—fled in terror was more accurate.
- ...Further talk will only bring us harm.
In truth, they departed dejectedly without achieving their goal.
But he felt no pity.
On the contrary.
"Haha! That felt great!"
It was utterly satisfying.
Caesar applauded.
"Heh heh, the pen is mightier than the sword, eh? Spot on."
"My sword's strong too, that's why it worked."
"Well said!"
As Lee Han said, it wasn't just words.
If his power were weak, they never would've backed off so easily.
"Still, it's a bit odd. I figured you'd send them packing with talk alone, but I didn't expect you'd chase and kill them."
"What do you take me for..."
"Was I wrong?"
"...No, you hit the nail on the head."
Yes, just as Caesar said, Lee Han still wanted to pursue and slay them.
But he held back because...
'Can't cause more trouble for Vulcan.'
He was just a tenant, after all.
No matter how generous the landlord, treating that goodwill as a right would leave him speechless if evicted.
In that sense, Lee Han had no intention of abusing hospitality as entitlement.
Additionally.
"That grand sorcerer guy was strong, right?"
"Indeed, very strong. But a sorcerer's real danger isn't their visible power—it's the curses they hide."
Yes, he had no confidence in finishing them off cleanly. And it wasn't just the grand sorcerer...
'That spellcaster was no pushover either.'
Kudan, was it?
Easy to subdue, but to Lee Han, he seemed more dangerous than the blind sorcerer—the bug-hybrid abomination.
He reeked of peril.
Eliminating him was feasible, but...
'Not here, not now.'
It risked turning the sacred mountain to ruins.
"Tch, guess my farming life's over."
Lee Han grumbled.
With mosquitoes swarming, quiet days were done.
"You can farm when you're old. Young folks should roam. On that note, how about becoming a mercenary?"
"??"
"Join now, and I'll hand over command of the Wild Wolves—plus a freebie: Mercenary Union Chairman."
"...Not even buy-one-get-one."
"So, in?"
"Pass."
"...Shoot."
Mercenary King Lee Han...
'Doesn't sound right.'
It didn't suit him at all.
...Lee Han meant it sincerely.