The Bandit's Mercenary Visit
Inside the grand mansion of the Free City of Cologne.
Sybel was handling business in his most lavish room.
At that moment, someone kicked the door open with their foot.
Kwaaang!
“Only a million gold. Auction house goods.”
“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.”
I didn’t need to see who it was to know.
Only one person in this entire mansion could act this way.
“I want to tear out my own tongue for telling you not to go back in time.”
“Why are you going that extreme? You’re making me look bad.”
“Is that really how the person who’s making you look bad is acting right now?”
The moment I entered the room, I threw myself onto the sofa as if I owned it.
Grabbing a handful of fruit, I answered casually.
“If I don’t feel it, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Creeeeuugh! Why did I say I’d stay in the Middle World! It would’ve been better to fight the demons instead!”
“Did I say that? Then I could’ve raided the lair comfortably too. Maybe I’d even get the title of Dragon Slayer.”
“You, you!”
Neither my strength nor my words could touch him.
That damn human wouldn’t feel any damage no matter what I said.
Stop talking. Stop talking!
Whoosh, whooowuuu!
Sybel took a deep breath and desperately calmed his roaring dragon heart.
“Why do I need money again? I already took a million gold yesterday.”
“The auction house goods were pretty expensive.”
“What did you even buy that costs a million gold?”
“If you dig deep, you’ll get hurt.”
“I’m asking because I really don’t understand. I’ve made everything I could for you, right?”
I made communication and translation artifacts because you needed supplies at the stronghold.
That too, one for each subordinate.
I made spatial artifacts because you needed space to store everyday goods.
Two spatial bags full of orc parts and even magic books since the kids wanted to learn.
A gold dragon being robbed like this.
I still remembered the face of that mage called Gaeneom, who’d already gone back to the stronghold first, and it wouldn’t leave my mind.
Grit.
Sybel unconsciously ground his teeth, and Jin Chen gave a strange smile.
“Your teeth must be itching a lot, huh? What, wanna have one pulled? Since we’re at it, maybe one more claw?”
“Kyaaak!”
In the end, Sybel grabbed his back of the neck.
He looked like the first dragon to die screaming in rage if things went on.
Sybel hurriedly took out a bag from the drawer and threw it to Jin Chen.
“G-Give it to me!”
“I don’t even need to count it, right?”
“Leave quickly!”
“The guest treatment is terrible. I can’t stay long.”
“You’ve already been staying here for a week! You bastard!”
“Enjoy your stay. If you suddenly leave in the middle, you’ll regret it a lot, won’t you?”
Get out. Please! Get out!
Sybel’s face, where his inner thoughts were completely exposed, made Jin Chen smirk.
He took a bite of the fruit in his hand and stood up from the sofa.
“Kid, I can see you’re already sulking.”
Uaaaaaah!
Sybel screamed internally while banging his head on the desk.
Whether he did or not, Jin Chen walked out holding his money pouch.
“…My head feels like it’s going to crack.”
It would probably take some time for his battered mind to recover.
Sitting there with his head on the desk for a while, a faint vibration suddenly hit him.
Sybel hardened his cold expression and straightened his body.
He took a golden plate out of the drawer and held out his palm. A blue light flashed, and words appeared.
The words flashed quickly and then vanished.
Anyone else would’ve missed them in the blink of an eye.
But to Sybel, it was no problem at all.
“Those who absorb the blood of monsters… what on earth are they planning?”
Frustration overflowed in the voice of the Gold Dragon Lord, Sydortabel.
***
Meanwhile, Jin Chen emerged from the village and walked through the bustling streets humming a tune.
“You’re out today too?”
“Master Jin! Look at this!”
“The bread today is really fresh.”
“A very good wine has arrived!”
The merchants of the bustling street threw out comments one after another.
Jin Chen understood all those words.
Not only that.
He could also read the characters on the stall.
That was because Sybel had taught the continent’s common language through the knowledge transfer magic.
Looking at it from the side, most of them were things impossible with martial arts or formations.
There were plenty of strange things, and quite a few that would help at the stronghold.
Jin Chen clicked his tongue briefly.
If it was easy, I would’ve learned it in one go.
I even asked Sybel teasingly if learning magic from him was hard.
The reply was no.
With my realm, I could learn it easily, so he gave me a problem.
The moment I saw it, I gave up learning magic.
I’d rather relearn martial arts.
When I remembered the ridiculous problem Sybel had given me and let out a fart.
A voice came from behind.
“Uncle!”
I turned around and saw a little boy waving with a bright smile.
The same kid who’d saved me from almost falling off Sybel’s carriage the day we arrived in Cologne.
Dododododo!
The seven-year-old boy ran with his short legs, full of energy.
“Where are you going? Why haven’t you come to eat lunch lately?”
“It’s my heart.”
“Our mom’s cooking is really delicious, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s edible.”
When at the stronghold, I ate Kogirash meat three times a day.
The food was made by the kids themselves, whose cooking skills were anything but ordinary.
Of course, even if the food here was really good, it wouldn’t fully satisfy my taste.
Originally, the meat itself was different.
Well, it was still better than other places.
“No way! Our mom’s food is the best in the world!”
The boy’s parents ran an inn and restaurant nearby.
“Even I think my mom’s cooking is the best, little guy.”
“All the other uncles say it’s delicious too!”
“It’s not like it’s bad.”
“That means it’s not delicious!”
We walked while bickering.
“Hey! Look, something strange has appeared!”
“Go check out the shop over there, Mister Derek.”
Following the kid who kept pulling me this way and that, we ended up in front of a building that looked surprisingly familiar.
The Blue Wind Inn.
It was the kid’s home.
I smirked and looked down at the brat from high up.
I knew he was hanging around on purpose to drag me here.
It wasn’t the first time.
“Hehe.”
The boy laughed brightly and bowed deeply.
“Welcome, customer.”
That kid always succeeded at whatever he did.
“If you don’t want to run an inn later, wanna try being a bandit once?”
“Uek! I don’t wanna be a bandit!”
“Man, what’s wrong with being a bandit?”
“Bad people, and they’re weak. I heard the mercenary uncles always get beaten up by them.”
“That’s fake bandits. Real bandits are different?”
“Different? What’s different? Robbing is the same.”
The kid was definitely smart.
A seven-year-old didn’t usually get this sharp.
“It really is different.”
“What’s different?”
“Bandits are the worst kind who rob anytime, anywhere. Our bandits only rob people passing through the mountains, and they’re kind people.”
“Our? Uncle, you were a bandit?”
The boy’s face turned surprised, and I nodded big.
“Yeah. I’m the master of the Jinryong Chae.”
“Then if I’m a bandit, I can ride Kogirash anytime?”
“Not just ride. I can eat Kogirash meat three times a day.”
“Whoaaa! I wanna! I wanna be a bandit! I’ll tell Mom and Dad too!”
The boy ran excitedly into the inn.
Suddenly, the door of the inn opened, and about ten gray-robed figures emerged, their faces covered by the robes.
The moment the boy collided with the group, I snatched the boy’s arm and pulled him, then wrapped him in my arms. Before anyone could react, the group slammed into my shoulder.
Paeooeak!
A heavy sound echoed in front of the inn.
I narrowed my brows and spoke to the group.
“Hey, you over there. Don’t you know how to say you’re sorry?”
The group ignored my words without any reaction.
I grimaced and grabbed the shoulder of the person at the very back.
“These guys’ ears are blocked.”
The group stopped all at once, and one of the middle figures turned his body.
“I’m sorry. Something urgent came up and I didn’t have time to pay attention.”
The figure bowed his head with a sincere voice.
“Is apologizing enough? The kid almost got hurt!”
“Ah, I’m fine, Uncle.”
“Stay still. These kinds of people need to be taught a lesson!”
“R-Really, I’m fine!”
The boy, who was usually calm, was fidgety because Jin Chen was acting like a gangster.
The gray-hooded figure apologized again to the boy.
“I’m sorry, kid. I’ll be careful next time.”
“N-No. It’s my fault too.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
The kind-voiced man looked back at Jin Chen.
“I apologize once more. I’ll be careful from now on.”
“If that’s what you’re saying… Let’s be careful. Let’s go in, kid.”
“Yes, Uncle!”
With Jin Chen and the boy entering the inn, the group in gray robes started moving again.
A short while later, the group disappeared, and the inn door opened once more. Jin Chen walked out. Looking in the direction the group had gone, he muttered in a final voice.
“This… the situation is getting interesting?”
With a cold smile on his lips.