Chapter 284
Chapter 284
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 284
Chapter Title: The Man Who Once Saved the World (3)
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"You've worked hard. Time to take a break."
The man who appeared out of nowhere spouted some incomprehensible nonsense.
Naturally, everyone was left baffled and silent.
The poor beggars, the attacking thugs, and even the druid.
The man picked up on the awkward atmosphere and blurted out.
"Huh? You don't know it? It was kinda popular twenty years ago. The sorrow of time, I guess."
Some wondered if he was a madman.
The druid was one of them, but his finely honed instincts as a seasoned druid told him the man before him was no ordinary person.
The druid sniffed the air and said.
"...A black mage?"
"That's why I like druids. You get right to the point. How've you been? Nameless druid friend, just a passing black mage. Nice to meet you."
An attitude utterly out of place in the midst of a deadly fight where people were dying.
The druid felt a strange sense of dissonance and anger.
It felt like the man was mocking him.
"How the hell did you get here?"
"I followed where the finger pointed."
"You messing with me right now?"
"No joke. Take a look at this."
The man rummaged in his cloak and pulled out a severed hand. A withered hand, shriveled like jerky.
His already rugged appearance grew even more unsettling with the creepy talismans dangling from it.
"It's a signpost. It points me to the person I want to meet with its finger... The downside is it only works when it feels like it, but today it cooperated. So here I am."
"...Who are you here to meet?"
"The finger pointed to that guy. The one you're standing on. You wouldn't be Cant, would you?"
Cant, pinned under the druid's foot, replied.
"That's me... Do you know me?"
"Let's say I'm a friend of a friend... Hey, druid. You've taken an arm. Isn't that enough revenge? Why not call it quits?"
"Why should I?"
"Because the guy under your foot might be the man who once saved the world. Show some respect."
The man who once saved the world? It was such absurd bullshit that the druid just scoffed.
"They say the sewers are full of lunatics... Kill him."
The thugs hired by the druid turned their guns from the beggars to the cloaked man.
The cloaked man muttered sadly.
"Ah... I hate violence."
With that, he pulled a green bean from his pocket. The bean sprouted, growing explosively and wrapping around the thugs aiming at him, crushing them flat.
"Guh... Ack... Guuaaa—"
-Boom!
-Boom!
-Boom!
-Boom!
-Boom!
Five thugs burst like water balloons.
The sight drained the color from the remaining thugs' faces and shattered their morale.
It was such an inhuman, malevolent attack.
"See? I told you violence is bad."
"Bean thief?!!"
The druid seemed to recognize the cloaked man, pulling out his own bean to summon a massive beanstalk in counterattack.
Two beanstalks tangled like kudzu roots.
Naturally, the druid should have won. Infusing beans with the power of nature to produce superhuman strength was a druid specialty.
But for some reason, the black mage's beanstalk gradually overpowered the druid's, snapping it apart.
Rumble... Crack! Snap... Crunch!!
The druid panicked but quickly shook off the beanstalk with sharp judgment, closing the distance to attack the cloaked man directly.
"Raaagh—!!"
The druid roared, channeling nature's power into his fist and swinging.
The fist that had crushed thugs, mages, black mages, and even exoskeleton gloves.
It had shattered everything before, yet somehow it was effortlessly blocked by the black mage's hand.
And he didn't even look that strong.
"Don't be too impressed. It's not my power—it's the item."
Upon closer look, the cloaked man wore gloves. Creepy ones mixed with red and pink like human flesh.
The druid recoiled in instinctive revulsion, swinging his other fist, but the cloaked man simply twisted his wrist, subduing him.
A massive rat like a wild dog tried to aid the druid, but the cloaked man wouldn't allow it.
"The moment you move that rat, I'll snap this guy's neck. You okay with that?"
He grabbed the druid's throat with his other hand, and the other druid controlling the rat from hiding halted it.
This intruder had appeared out of nowhere and subdued two druids. He whispered into the ear of the one he held.
"I'm not here to fight you guys... So, how about it? End it here? Or take the easy way out?"
The choice was obvious.
The subdued druid left with the thugs, and the cloaked man approached Cant, whose face was pale from blood loss after losing an arm.
"You alright?"
"Huff... huff... First off, thanks for the help. But who are you?"
Cant was in a state where passing out wouldn't be surprising, yet he thanked the mysterious man and questioned his identity.
As a gang leader, he had to. He couldn't tell if the man was dangerous or not.
"Name's Ewan. Ewan Brenner, master craftsman of all things miraculous, genius trader who swaps beans for cows, great debtor, and great wanderer... Hold on a sec, excuse me."
The cloaked man pulled out a blood-replenishing potion and painkiller syringe with a needle, injecting Cant before disinfecting the wound and bandaging it. He was very skilled.
"Huff... huff... Why did you help me?"
The cloaked man finished wrapping the bandage deftly and replied.
"I told you earlier. He might be the man who once saved the world. So I saved him once."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Oliver visited the beggar village in the abandoned underground sewers, a place he had once come to with Jane.
This made it his third visit.
Back then, countless beggars had gathered to form a small village, but now it looked like it had been raided—everything smashed, corpses strewn about. Some beggars were still alive, but most bore wounds great and small.
"You got here quick, considering how busy you are."
As Oliver reached the center, Ewan greeted him.
It was meeting an unexpected person in an unexpected place.
"Hm... What's the thing you're most curious about?"
Ewan asked abruptly.
"Pardon?"
"What's the thing you're most curious about?"
"...Where is Mr. Cant?"
Oliver pondered briefly and asked what he thought was his top question.
Ewan nodded and pointed to a barely patched-together beggar tent.
"Over there."
Oliver politely thanked Ewan for calling him and guiding him, then slowly approached the tent.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Entering, he saw Cant sleeping with one arm severed.
"......."
"...How did you get here?"
Cant woke from the presence and spoke to Oliver, who stared silently.
Oliver paused at the question before answering mechanically.
"...Ewan contacted me. I heard you were hurt."
Cant's head was foggy from painkillers, forcing his sluggish mind to turn.
"Ah... A friend of a friend, huh... You know him?"
"Yes, sort of by chance... More importantly, how's your condition?"
Not the best question for someone missing an arm, but Cant just smiled.
"Dizzy from the painkillers aside, I'm fine... But how does he know me?"
"I happened to mention you once... Sorry."
"No need to apologize. Thanks to that, I'm alive. He's a bit erratic, but he saved me and my crew. Thanks to both of you."
Cant spoke with genuine sincerity.
Normally, this would make one feel a bit good, but this time, oddly, it didn't.
What should he call this feeling...?
"...Who attacked you?"
"Don't worry about it."
"Just curious. Who was it?"
"Just a little scuffle from work. Happens all the time in Randa. Nothing for you to fret over."
Cant tried to persuade Oliver, but it didn't work.
Instead, Oliver pieced it together from the keywords 'work', 'scuffle', and 'Randa'.
"...You're Cant. The one who took photos of Shaimus's secret hotel meeting."
"...Technically, one of my crew did. Working as hotel staff... But you've gotten sharp. You were so naive last time. Heh heh heh."
"...For money?"
"Ended up that way... Mind coming closer for a sec?"
Despite his hazy mind from injury and painkillers, Cant made a request.
Though puzzled, Oliver knelt on one knee as asked, leaning close. Cant gripped Oliver's hand tightly with his one remaining wrinkled hand.
"You're my friend, right?"
"...Yes."
"And you owe me one? For taking you to the contaminated zone."
"...Yes."
"So as a friend, I'm asking you to repay that debt now."
"If it's about Shaimus, I—"
"—No revenge."
"...Pardon?"
"No revenge. No anger either. That's my request as a friend."
Cant spoke to Oliver with pure sincerity. He truly hoped Oliver wouldn't seek revenge or rage. Mixed with worry for him.
Oliver felt suddenly confused. Truly confused.
"...Am I angry right now?"
"If not, good."
"...Why shouldn't I be angry?"
"I just don't want you to be. I like your unique personality."
"Is my personality unique?"
"Very."
Cant laughed. His wound throbbed with each laugh, but he did. For Oliver.
"How is it unique?"
"You seem naive but are smart, frail but stubborn, never angry, and see value in everything... I like that about you. So please, don't let revenge, anger, or hate from this taint you. Those emotions... they're addictive. I don't want that for you."
Oliver blinked.
"But—"
"—I'm no victim."
"......."
"Just a perpetrator turned victim now. I've committed countless sins. Drove homeless mother and daughter out, sold kids to brothels, exploited honest workers, crippled and killed plenty... For money."
"......."
"Just getting payback now. No reason for you to be angry."
Cant squeezed Oliver's hand. Even without black mage sight, his heart came through.
"Not preaching priest's words. I don't qualify. Just... don't get angry. Can you grant this friend's request?"
Cant dropped his feigned casualness, asking solemnly.
As if desperately protecting something precious.
Oliver was silent a long time before replying.
"...I promise."
"Thanks. Truly... I'm tired now."
Cant closed his eyes, as if his goal was done.
Oliver gazed at him awhile before leaving the tent.
Ewan stood waiting.
"Good talk?"
"Yes..."
"And you've got questions for me."
True. How he got here, why he came, etc. But first, something else.
"Thank you. Mr. Ewan."
Oliver bowed politely to Ewan.
Ewan looked surprised.
"Conversation got weird suddenly?"
"Ah, I didn't explain... Thank you for helping Mr. Cant. Mr. Ewan. I have questions, but gratitude first. Thank you again."
"Didn't expect such thanks."
"He's my friend... If it's alright, could you handle his treatment and protection for a bit?"
"Not impossible, but I charge high."
"Money—"
"—No, no. Solving this with money is thief mentality."
"Then...?"
"Hmm... How about granting me one favor later? Favors repay favors."
Oliver nodded, convinced. Sounded right.
"Yes, understood."
"Knew you had sense. Here's a bonus for the good deal."
Ewan pulled two tonfas from his cloak. The ones made from the meat hammer parts he'd commissioned before.
"These are the ones I requested last time."
"Yeah, finished ages ago, just lazy to deliver. Any issues?"
"No, perfect timing. Thank you."
Oliver took the tonfas with his reply.
"What now?"
"Back to work... Came from work."
After parting with Ewan, Oliver retraced his steps.
The abandoned sewers were dark, his quarterstaff tapping rhythmically against the floor with each step.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap...
After walking awhile, Oliver stopped as if entranced.
With that, dozens of large and small rats emerged from sewer cracks.
Ferocious rats that grew eating kin and corpses in the sewers.
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
Rhythmic cries.
But Oliver, truly bewitched, ignored the rat swarm, sitting on a protruding sewer ledge and pulling something from his pocket.
Five letters.
"Can't hold back after all... Sorry, elder."
Oliver tore one open, reading the contents.
A letter inside. Written in somewhat clumsy handwriting.
Meanwhile, the rats fully surrounded him. Once encircled, two beings with nature's power quietly revealed themselves.
Shaimus's underlings who attacked Cant.
"Who knew waiting would bring such luck. Can gift the boss. You're definitely—"
"Shhh. Please wait a moment."
Oliver put a finger to his lips and continued reading the letter.