Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Past and Present
“Uh, yeah… as you can see, I’m kind of in this state right now.”
I gave an awkward smile toward the mercenaries while glancing down at the casts wrapped around my arms and legs.
“And it’s already a bit late today, so… once I’ve fully recovered, I’ll come by properly and—”
“No, sir!! We’ll support you!!”
“Please, get on my back, Nasus-nim! The captain is staying at the inn just up ahead!!”
Before I could even finish refusing, the bastards latched onto both my sides with overly excited faces.
These guys—where did that earlier murderous aura go? Now they looked like they’d cling to my pant legs if needed.
‘…Are they thinking they’ll get chewed out by the captain if they don’t personally escort me, or that they might get praised for bringing me along?’
Either way, their eyes were screaming, “If we let you go here, we’re dead.”
In the end, I was practically lifted and dragged along by their brute strength against my will.
“Ah, wait! We can’t just go like this!”
When I shouted firmly, the mercenaries flinched and stopped.
I pointed at Camellia, who was fidgeting behind us.
“You guys can go see the captain, sure—but apologize properly first.”
“Ah…! S-sorry!!”
“We haven’t seen a woman in a while because of missions, so our heads went weird… Please forgive us just this once!!”
They bent at a perfect ninety-degree angle toward Camellia.
A complete attitude reversal from the same rough guys who had been picking a fight earlier.
Startled by the sudden barrage of loud apologies, Camellia flinched and waved her hands in a panic.
“N-no! I-it’s okay…!”
Seeing her finally let out a small sigh of relief, I smirked and tossed her the pouch of money from my chest.
“Alright then, Camellia! I’ll go and come back. If I’m late, eat something good with Erika and head home first!”
At my words, Camellia clutched the pouch tightly with both hands and looked up at me.
Her grip tightened, wrinkling the fabric, and after a moment of hesitation, her gaze settled on my face.
“N-Nasus…! You’re still injured…! Will you be okay on your own?”
“Ah… it’s nothing to worry about. I’m just going to meet someone I used to work with.”
As I reassured her with a wave of my hand, her expression softened slightly.
At that moment, Erika—who had been busily munching on skewered meat—raised her hand with puffed cheeks.
“Mmgh… want me to come with you?”
I shook my head firmly.
“No need. I told you, I’m just meeting an old colleague. You just eat well and make sure to look after Camellia on the way back. Got it?”
“Got it!”
Erika nodded without a second thought and immediately went back to focusing on her food.
Letting out a short breath, I followed the mercenaries’ “escort” toward the inn where Brisl was staying.
At the inn’s innermost room—a rather luxurious-looking suite—one of the mercenaries knocked politely.
“Captain. Are you resting?”
“Come in.”
From beyond the door came a familiar, heavy voice—one that lingered somewhere deep in my memories.
—Creak.
As the door opened, I saw a man sitting in a chair at the center of the room, pressing his forehead with one hand.
‘Brisl…’
A familiar face.
But compared to the past, his body was far larger, his muscles looked ready to burst, and the deep scars etched into his face—along with his hardened expression—gave off an overwhelming pressure that made my breath catch.
For a moment, a chill ran down my spine and I instinctively shrank back, but I quickly steadied myself.
‘Well… if it’s the Brisl I knew… he was a bit cold and blunt, but not a bad guy. I’ll just greet him and leave.’
I forced myself to act casual and stepped into the room.
Brisl slowly stood up from his chair, looked down at me with that intimidating face, and spoke in a low, authoritative voice.
“…It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it has. Brisl… Captain.”
I glanced at the mercenaries standing stiffly on both sides, then looked back at him.
“Um… since it’s been a while, how about we talk alone for a bit?”
At my words, Brisl silently nodded and gestured lightly to them.
The mercenaries who had dragged me here snapped into sharp salutes like disciplined recruits and hurried out without looking back.
As the door closed, a heavy silence settled over the room.
‘Damn… they say the position makes the man. Now that he’s captain, his presence is no joke. I finally get why those guys were so scared earlier.’
Wiping away cold sweat internally, I gave an awkward smile.
“So, what brings you to see me?”
Brisl asked bluntly, and I replied with a casual grin, recounting the situation.
“Ah, it’s nothing much. I happened to see some guys around here with the ‘Red Wolf’ emblem. It reminded me of the old days, so I talked with them a bit… and they said the captain was nearby. So I thought I’d come say hello.”
At my answer, Brisl let out a short “Hmm…” and seemed to fall into thought.
The sound of his thick fingers tapping lightly against the table echoed in the room. Soon, he spoke again.
“I heard you quit mercenary work completely back then. Do you still have lingering feelings for this line of work?”
“….”
I fell silent for a moment.
Then I shook my head firmly.
“No. I still have no intention of going back to that life. But… that doesn’t mean I can’t ever see old comrades again, right?”
At my somewhat polished answer, a subtle change flickered across Brisl’s expression.
“Comrades…”
He rolled the word in his mouth, then looked straight at me.
“That’s right… though I don’t recall us being close enough for you to come all this way just to exchange pleasantries.”
“Haha…”
“So—you came because of the rumors, didn’t you?”
“…Rumors? What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about the captain.”
At that moment, my heart sank.
The current captain of the Red Wolf was Brisl, standing before me.
Yet the way he said “captain”—
I didn’t need to ask who he meant.
“…!!”
Without realizing it, my emotions surged and my voice rose.
“Do you know something about the captain?!”
Despite my urgency, Brisl remained calm and continued speaking evenly.
“Recently, there have been scattered reports across the continent of someone who resembles the captain.”
“Really?!”
“A woman with red hair and that kind of build isn’t common.”
“Then…!”
“Nothing is certain yet. Just… as we’ve been taking on various jobs and tracking people down, we keep hearing rumors about a woman who resembles the former captain.”
The one who had gone missing—
my former benefactor,
the true leader of this mercenary band.
The Red Wolf captain…
“Perhaps,” Brisl murmured, gazing out the window with an uncharacteristically distant tone, “your appearance before me today isn’t just coincidence.”
“……”
“Sometimes… when coincidences pile up, they become fate.”
At his words, I swallowed dryly and spoke seriously.
“…If you get any concrete information about the captain, please let me know too.”
He nodded, then suddenly added as if remembering something:
“Come to think of it… the captain used to like you quite a bit.”
“Haha, well… I think she liked my stew and cooking more than me.”
As I scratched my head and brushed it off, Brisl replied flatly:
“No. The captain said she wanted to put you in her mouth and go ‘waaang!’”
?
What the hell does that mean…?
As I stared at him, completely confused, he calmly drove the point home.
“That’s what she said whenever she talked about you. That she wanted to put you in her mouth and go ‘waaang! Waaaang!!’”
“…What?”
Seriously, what does that even mean?!
While I was still processing that bizarre information, Brisl returned to the main topic.
“In a time when rumors about someone resembling the captain are spreading, you appear before me after several years. None of this feels like mere coincidence… repeated coincidences become fate.”
Then he made a heavy proposal.
“Nasus. Will you join us in searching for the captain?”
“……”
Honestly,
I was curious about her fate.
I wanted to see her.
There was a lot I wanted to say…
But.
There was no confirmation she was alive.
Just vague rumors of someone who looked like her.
I didn’t have the luxury to chase such uncertainty across a vast continent.
I couldn’t abandon the people who needed me now—
just to chase a connection from the past.
…
“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll decline.”
I tapped my casted leg and gave a bitter smile.
“I’m curious about her too, but as you can see, I’m not in great shape. And… I can barely afford my own meals right now. I’m not exactly good at finding people either.”
“…I see.”
Brisl stared at me for a moment, then nodded lightly.
“…Understood. I won’t force you. But if you hear anything about the captain… the guild branch is still in the same place as before. Come let us know.”
“Yes, I will.”
Thus, my reunion with an old comrade ended.
Was that Red Wolf—
the one who supposedly wanted to “waaang” me—
really alive?
And if she was… why hadn’t she returned?
…
With complicated thoughts weighing on me, I left Brisl’s room.
For now,
instead of worrying about someone whose whereabouts and fate were unknown,
it was time to return to the ones waiting for me.
‘It’s been a while… Did Camellia head home with Erika like I said? Or are they still waiting?’
Knowing that gluttonous dragon, she had probably already eaten everything and gone home complaining she was full.
Letting out a light sigh, I headed back to the restaurant where we had eaten earlier—just in case.
“……”
In a quiet corner of the restaurant, now mostly empty,
two women sat alone.
“Oh? N-Nasus… you’re back!”
“Mm…? N-Nasus is here…!”
Camellia stood up upon seeing me, while Erika rubbed her eyes awake.
In front of them sat a neatly arranged plate—
with my portion of meat skewers.
“…You guys. I told you to go ahead…”
“This is yours! You didn’t eat much earlier. I held back and didn’t eat it! So you should praise me!”
“Well… we were worried about leaving you alone while you’re still hurt…”
Erika puffed her chest proudly,
and Camellia greeted me with a relieved smile.
…
I let out a small chuckle and walked over to their table.