Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Great City Lutran
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In a world where gods truly exist, humans cannot have kingdoms or become kings.
That’s why this world has cities instead of kingdoms or empires. Of course, not all cities are created equal. A city’s rank is determined by its size, population, economic power, military strength, and more.
Lutran here is a great city acknowledged by all. Its land area and population alone are several times that of Oldor, and the families ruling the city are prestigious houses with centuries of unshakable authority.
And Lutran has three major powers.
The Derusia Magic Tower, led by Tower Lord Heavenly Thunder Orca.
The Namgung Clan, one of the Five Great Eastern Families with significant influence in the Righteous Heavenly Alliance.
And the Ascard Family, which can practically be called the true masters of present-day Lutran. As a key voice in the Cartel, the Western family alliance, the Ascard Family has long sustained Lutran’s economy.
Lutran’s fertile granary plains are the result of the Ascard Family summoning high priests of the Earth God and Goddess of Bounty from the religious federation city of Union to bestow blessings. And about half of all goods circulating in Lutran pass through the trading companies owned by the Ascard Family.
‘Ah, memories.’
Though thirty years had passed and I’d been inwardly worried, the state of Lutran as pieced together from Yuri’s memories and Elena’s added explanations wasn’t much different from the game.
The real power in this great city was still the Ascard Family. There were other families too, but even united, they couldn’t surpass the prestige of the Ascard Family, affiliated with the Cartel’s pride.
The same went for the Namgung Clan. They’d settled in Lutran fifty years ago, leaving the East behind, but to the city’s longtime owners, they were still unseemly outsiders.
The Derusia Magic Tower hadn’t changed either. These lightning mages could unleash massacres at will if they chose, yet they remained an ivory tower distant from the city’s power struggles.
That position earned the Derusia Magic Tower great respect in the city. Simply being a mage of the Derusia Magic Tower meant no inconveniences in city life.
The house Elena received upon reaching the 4th Tier wasn’t because Heavenly Thunder Orca was rich enough to buy one on a whim. Such gifts themselves were tokens of goodwill and perks from the Ascard Family to the Derusia Magic Tower.
In fact, the Ascard Family sent massive donations to the Derusia Magic Tower each year, far exceeding its annual budget.
Tamed by prosperity, the mages would never antagonize the Ascard Family for ages to come. And so, the Ascard Family had reigned as Lutran’s masters for a long time.
The Namgung Clan, who’d arrived in the city just fifty years ago, could never touch the wealth accumulated over centuries. Sure, they had great sway in the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, but their boasted ‘swords’ posed no threat to the Ascard Family.
In the game, it was hard to truly feel how amazing the Ascard Family was or how massive the city.
The so-called great city scenery looked pathetic compared to modern game graphics, and the Ascard Family—the Cartel’s pride—were just XP and game money farms once you hit high levels.
[Tip for hunting Derusia Magic Tower mages while making money: Attack the Ascard Family. Their NPCs drop millions of cells even if they’re not named, and attacking guarantees Derusia mages show up. Kill the family head, and Heavenly Thunder Orca appears immediately.]
[Hiring Killing Guard Sect assassins and waiting in front of the magic tower triggers a forced battle with Heavenly Thunder Orca, but using limited honor points that way is too inefficient. For the Hall of Fame, farm the Ascards while securing resources.]
It was emphasized like that in the highest-viewed guide by THOR123, father of the lightning mage community—no exaggeration.
Yuri had run it through a translator, tried it himself, and yeah, it was solid advice.
‘Though it wasn’t just Derusia mages that showed up.’
The Ascard Family treated like golden goblins in the game couldn’t be handled that way in reality.
Elena’s house, courtesy of the filthy rich Ascard Family, wasn’t some enormous mansion.
But it was far superior to the rundown apartment Yuri had lived in. A two-story detached house with a small garden attached. As Yuri stood there in a daze, Elena, who’d followed him out of the carriage, patted his shoulder.
“Why are you just standing there?”
“Nice house.”
He shared his honest impression, and Elena’s lips twitched. She pulled her travel bag from the carriage with magic, shrugging.
“Well... it’s pretty average, right? Though it won’t be mine forever. Gotta return it when I hit 6th Tier.”
“You’ll get a new one instead.”
“How’d you know?”
“If they take back the house they gave, they’ve gotta give you a new one.”
It was a house she could live in for life even if she never reached 6th Tier. Lee Soo-hyuk at 27 lived in a cheap studio on monthly rent, Yuri at 20 in a room without even a bathroom or kitchen. Yet Elena, their same age, lived in a two-story house with a garden...
‘Homeownership’s tough in this world too.’
As Yuri sighed deeply, Ha-ryeong approached.
“Should I just leave the carriage here?”
“Yeah, someone’ll come take it if we ditch it.”
“You don’t live here too, do you, Ha-ryeong?”
“No. I stay at a nearby inn.”
“You’re so dedicated to your bodyguard duties. Is that okay?”
“I’d love to stay by Miss Elena’s side too, but she hates anyone invading her personal space.”
So why’d you bring me home? Yuri stared at Elena in disbelief.
“Yet she insists on keeping you here, Mr. Yuri. Truly inscrutable.”
Ha-ryeong nodded as if she knew exactly what bizarre thing Yuri was.
“There are exceptions.”
Elena quickly added her excuse.
“This bodyguard gig started back when we took that Rank 4 adventurer guild quest outside the city. It was for dangers beyond the walls.”
“That’s true. Though I do follow you around the city too, beyond what you mentioned.”
“Who’d mess with a Derusia Magic Tower mage in Lutran? Only a lunatic.”
“There are plenty of lunatics in the world.”
“Maaaybe... but it’s fine. I can protect myself just fine.”
Elena glanced at Ha-ryeong as she said it.
“And the inn Ha-ryeong stays at isn’t far. It’s linked to the security magic, so if anyone attacks, we can respond immediately. And...”
“Got it, got it.”
No need to hear more rambling excuses. When Yuri cut her off, Elena sighed in relief instead.
“You’re not hating the idea of living together in my house, are you?”
“You said you hate personal space invasions.”
“We slept together as kids, so it’s fine with you.”
“That was at ten.”
“What’s that got to do? We’re not sharing a room. I told you, tons of rooms.”
Elena stopped talking and reached for the mansion door. Yuri could see the mana she stirred flowing into the door.
‘As expected.’
With mana flow perceptible, he could naturally see the magic embedded in the door too. Complex intertwined spells. Yuri, lacking basics, couldn’t grasp the spells yet, but he understood Elena’s mana acting as a key to unlock them.
That was enough. Seeing through spells meant he could try magic if he replicated them.
Of course, knowing the formula doesn’t mean perfectly solving the problem. Deeper understanding and practice were needed.
It was plenty. Moments like this made Yuri truly feel the monstrous potential of a possessor’s mana affinity and comprehension.
Which meant he had to be even more careful.
“Then, I’ll draft a new contract and visit. Any plans to go out today?”
“Gotta stop by the tower and report.”
“Understood. I’ll visit tomorrow then. Same time as always?”
“Yeah.”
“Unexpected. I figured you’d hole up here for a week.”
“What’s unexpected? I brought Yuri, but I’m still a Derusia Magic Tower mage. Obviously I go every day.”
Her tone said it was natural, but Ha-ryeong didn’t see it that way. She sensed Elena subtly wanting to. But it couldn’t be helped. 4th Tier mages affiliated with the tower had to report achievements quarterly.
“Yes, understood. See you tomorrow morning.”
Ha-ryeong bowed slightly and turned.
Elena glanced at Yuri while seeing Ha-ryeong off.
His outfit screamed country bumpkin. No bad smell, but overall worn and frayed—eyesore.
Naturally, Elena’s house had no men’s clothes.
“Gotta buy Yuri some necessities too.”
“Me? I brought what I need.”
Clothes, underwear...
“Throw ’em out.”
Elena answered instantly.
“How many years you worn those? Looks poorly maintained. They’re not some sentimental gift or anything, right?”
“Nah.”
These were clothes orphan Yuri bought himself. He hadn’t maintained them well, true. No washing machines in this world.
Maybe soap or softener equivalents existed, but orphan Yuri didn’t use them. He was a real man who handled all laundry with cheap laundry soap from Gordon’s store.
Current Yuri was no different. He knew they were worn, had half a bar of soap left, and good stuff meant selling effort when savings were precious.
So he fetched cold well water and hand-washed.
“Throwing means buying new. I’m broke.”
Plenty in savings, but new clothes or underwear felt wasteful.
“Who said you’re buying? I’ll get ’em, don’t worry.”
Wasn’t worried anyway. Assumed Elena would buy. Some might call him trash, but Yuri was shameless. Elena was the one telling him to toss wearable clothes, and orphan Yuri’s hard-saved coin from pickpocketing days might be less than Elena’s monthly living expenses.
“Still... I’m just taking too much.”
Thought that, but couldn’t act blatantly shameless. In Oldor, he could be rude to cut ties with Elena, but now in Lutran. Acting up here might mean lonely, pathetic outsider life.
“I’m doing it ’cause I want to.”
Elena’s cheek twitched as she replied. From a week’s observation, she oddly tried suppressing smiles in these situations. Yet when showing off, she grinned with infuriating confidence—that was Elena.
“Anyway, stop standing and come in.”
She held back the budding smile but couldn’t hide the joy in her steps. Indeed, Elena was in a good mood.
When she first got Gordon’s letter and set out—besides worry for Yuri, honestly, she’d felt disillusioned with him.
Ten years was a long time. Elena knew she’d changed hugely since the orphanage, so she assumed Yuri had too.
She’d guessed he wasn’t up to anything brag-worthy. She hadn’t dug deeper because—looking back now—she hadn’t wanted disillusionment or disappointment with Yuri.
Yuri’s situation was worse than Elena imagined. A state that couldn’t help but disillusion. She thought he’d done trashy things, become trash.
But meeting him... he wasn’t as trashed as she’d thought. That delighted her.
“Bathrooms on both floors.”
They passed the small garden into the mansion. In the center of the neat living room, Elena put hands on hips and turned to Yuri.
“Fully equipped with basic life magic tools, so way comfier than where you lived.”
Looked it. No need to stoke a wood-fired stove. Yuri couldn’t help marveling at the surprisingly modern kitchen.
“Don’t magic tools need you to handle mana?”
“No way. This house has embedded magic stones. Turn that valve, fire’s on—no worries.”
Seeing the bathroom and bath nearly brought tears of emotion. As said in Oldor, no outhouse. The pristine white bathroom with faint fragrance had a gleaming toilet, and the bath had sink, tub, showerhead.
‘Magic forever.’
A moment to thank the civilization of a great city steeped in magic.
“Feel free to use the 1st-floor study. The magic books there are public anyway, safe to read.”
The more she showed the house, the more excited Elena’s voice got. A twisted desire to boast: from nothing orphan to this success in the city.
“You really made it.”
Spotting that obvious desire was easy. So Yuri admired as she wanted. The admiration was genuine too. Elena puffed up immediately.
‘Does she know her chin’s lifting higher...’
Oldor Orphanage’s top output, Derusia Magic Tower 4th Tier mage Elena, headed upstairs.
“Use that room.”
It was empty, no furniture.
“I’ll buy what you need later—bed, desk, chair...”
Elena muttered, counting fingers for purchases.
“Where’s your room?”
“Right next door. Corner one’s storage, fine to enter. But not mine!”
“Not going in, don’t worry.”
Couldn’t even if wanted. Quick glance showed mana flowing in the door.
‘Security magic, probably.’
Only Elena’s room in the mansion had security magic.
“You said you’re heading out? I don’t have to come?”
“Uh... yeah, it’s fine. Gotta hit the tower first.”
She looked apologetic.
“Can I use the kitchen?”
“Huh... ? Why?”
“Haven’t eaten yet.”
Her eyes went wide.
“You’re gonna... cook yourself?”
“I lived alone three years after the orphanage. I can cook.”
A bit of a lie mixed in.
Yuri could cook, but wasn’t great.
So he learned.
Browsing Oldor libraries and bookstores for magic or martial arts books, he found cookbooks and studied hard. In this miserable state, if meals weren’t tasty, he’d want to die for real.
[I tried cooking myself, honestly it was awful. No talent for cooking, even if magic’s beyond me.]
Words from Elena’s last letter. No idea how awful without tasting, but Yuri thought his cooking was edible—had ‘flavor.’
Yuri had cooking talent even all-around Elena lacked.
“You said you couldn’t cook.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Since I’m freeloading, I’ll handle chores.”
Elena’s pupils quivered.
The house, satisfying yet somehow empty, now truly felt like Yuri was here.
“Fine.”
She worked her lips, then hastily schooled her expression.
“What if guests come while you’re gone?”
“No one’s coming, don’t worry.”
“You never know.”
“Then don’t open, say owner’s out.”
At the door, Elena hesitated instead of leaving.
“I’ll... be back before sunset at latest, okay? If, uh, um, I’m too late and you’re hungry... eat first.”
“I’ll wait.”
She didn’t reply right away, whipped around.
“Yeah.”
Late reply as she grabbed her twitching lips.
“See you.”
He saw Elena off and shut the door.
‘Finally alone.’
No time to relax or get sentimental.
First, figure out if he could meditate here.