Chapter 47
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: King of Endowment Shailock
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“Grrrr...! You bastard! You tiger-nosed freak!”
Jun snapped out of his momentary distraction at the old man's shout.
“...Pardon?”
“You tiger spawn! You just gonna stand there gawking while this old man's sprawled on the ground? How long you gonna keep staring?!”
“Ah.”
Only then did he realize he'd been blankly staring at the old man collapsed on the ground.
Jun extended a hand toward the elder.
Anyone would feel annoyed getting stared at like that in such a predicament.
“I don't need it!”
“...”
Or maybe he was just a crazy old coot.
But Jun couldn't easily look away from the old man.
It was because of the bracelet on his wrist.
“What're you staring at? Don't need some prick with a dick leering at me!”
“...My apologies.”
Still, he couldn't just blurt out questions about the bracelet right away.
Anyone connected to his master was someone to approach with extreme caution.
Even in death, that man's name still wielded influence, so Jun stayed ever vigilant.
The old man had already gotten back up on his own and was brushing the dirt off his clothes.
“Looks like you know you're sorry. Then grant this old man one favor.”
“Pardon?”
“No 'pardon'! You punk, if you've done wrong, you owe me a favor!”
“...Understood. I'll do what I can.”
Of course, with all the eyes around, he couldn't start investigating right here and now.
For the moment, humoring the old man's request and building a casual rapport might be the way to go.
As long as it wasn't anything outrageous.
“Bring your face closer. Got something to try.”
Was he really just a lunatic?
“Y-You...!”
“What's wrong all of a sudden?”
“You said sorry, then changed your face in one second flat!”
“How exactly did my face change?”
“You had that 'crazy bastard' look!”
“...”
He knew it well, apparently.
But the old man thumped his chest in frustration and spoke again.
“That earring! Let me see that treasure!”
“...You recognized it?”
[Tear of Taeya] looked like the most ordinary earring at a glance.
Of course, since Jun was dressed like a mage, his accessories might seem special.
But to point straight at the earring?
“Yeah! If I couldn't spot a treasure like that, my eyes would be knot holes or I'd be better off dead.”
“...”
“Oh ho. Impressive, very impressive! Don't know which artisan made it, but it sure wasn't from the outside world... Not something those lunatics in the Mage Tower could craft either.”
How could this mana-less old man say such things? What was he even seeing?
Jun's curiosity only grew.
But the old man seemed just as intrigued.
He kept the conversation going.
“You've been wandering these streets the past few days, haven't you?”
“You knew?”
“How could I forget seeing you slink out of workshops like a drowned rat every time?”
“...”
Jun had deep-seated distrust of people, but as an Earthling and a man of common sense, he held some respect for elders.
But such sentiments often shattered over trivial things.
Like right now.
Punk-ass geezer.
He considered giving him a piece of his mind but held back. There were still eyes everywhere, and you don't wrestle shit just because it's filthy.
“There it is again, that irreverent glint in your eyes, you punk! You're thinking of sinning over and over!”
“So, what do you want to say?”
He nearly unleashed his mercenary captain arrogance but desperately held it in and asked.
If this was more nonsense, he'd walk away.
Lingering around remnants of his master could drag him into trouble, he realized belatedly.
“Sheesh. Tsk tsk. They say meeting like this is fate. Or destiny. You and I crossing paths here is no coincidence—it's inevitable.”
It reminded him of his old 'Lee Jung-jun' days, when he barely talked to women his age.
Like that time on the commute when some girls grabbed him, making him think 'maybe...?' only for them to ask if he knew the way. The absurdity replayed now.
“Not interested in religion...”
“You with that necklace and me with this bracelet—our meeting ain't no accident.”
“...!”
He recognized it too.
In that instant, Jun thought of a simple, effortless way to end this.
“Y-You...?!”
“...Sharp old man.”
The elder read the killing intent and recoiled in shock.
“You're committing grave sins one after another! Disrespectful tiger whelp!”
“Who are you?”
“Tch! At least your eyes look good now. Until just now, it was like a tiger in a fox mask—freakish. Yeah, curious about my identity?”
“...”
“I'm curious about you too. So let's exchange. But this place is too noisy.”
Jun nodded lightly.
Truth be told, he wasn't thrilled with the situation.
Even now, their antics were likely being reported to Cloi's enemies.
“So let's get outta here first.”
With that, the old man flashed a ring on his finger.
Up close, it was an artifact shaped like a clockwork mechanism.
He fiddled with it lightly.
“Huh?”
“What the...?”
“They were right there a second ago...”
Onlookers tilted their heads as the two vanished from the street's center.
Some watched curiously at the spectacle; others shrugged and moved on.
“This is...”
Stealth magic?
People right in front hadn't noticed them vanish or even heard their voices—it wasn't ordinary.
“Artifact I made. Now you respect me a bit?”
“Whatever. Where to?”
“Bah. Follow me!”
The old man strode ahead, and Jun followed silently.
The chattiness from before was gone; he reached the destination without a word.
“This is my hideout.”
“Not much to look at.”
“Means fewer people come.”
They'd arrived at the fortress's underground sewer system.
A genuine sewer.
Following him inside, they hit a dead-end wall thick with filthy moss—untouchable.
But the old man passed right through.
“What're you doing? Hurry up!”
“No Harry Potter romance here...”
Recalling his Earth days, Jun followed through the wall into a surprisingly livable space.
“How'd you make this?”
“Didn't make it. It was here. Probably abandoned by someone else. Empty when I found it.”
Likely an illusion from a magical device, like the wall.
“Alright, time for introductions?”
“Bit late for that, don't you think?”
“You're one cautious tiger. Fine, I'll go first. I'm the Tower Master of Jenkar Mage Tower—or was. Name's Shailock.”
“Wha... What?”
Jenkar Mage Tower's Tower Master Shailock.
He didn't know the face, but the name drew an instant reaction.
Impossible to forget.
It was the NPC 'Lee Jung-jun' had hunted traces of endlessly.
But in the game, he'd never met Shailock.
Because in the lore, Shailock was already dead.
“Sheesh~ Tsk tsk. So irreverent! How many times you gonna sin?!”
Getting no reply after revealing his name, Shailock barked again.
Jun finally gave his.
“Jun. I run the White Whale Mercenary Corps.”
“Jun? Right! You're the one who exposed that fallen fairy queen to the world!”
“Yes.”
“Heh heh. Yeah... That's it. Felt off somehow. Real tangled mess.”
“...”
Jun hadn't felt comfortable talking with Shailock from the start.
His speech was secondary; the old man seemed to dominate from above, unnerving him.
Maybe that's why Jun kept showing discomfort.
Regardless, Shailock continued.
“The stars' dance is warped. An impossible history unfolds through the tiniest rift...”
“Stars' dance? You mean fate?”
Jun knew some sorcery.
Thanks to his past life's memories.
Tangling with that curse sorcerer's trap had cleared some foggy recollections.
Sorcery often used fate or stellar movements in rituals.
“Fate, world's flow—call it what you will. Child, know why I approached you?”
“Because of this necklace?”
“Close, but no. That's just the trigger. Plenty of passersby saw me there. Why pick you specifically?”
“...Fate?”
“Yes. My thread was meant to snap soon. But the stars twisted in the night sky. I followed to here, met you—you who bears the same curse on your neck yet resists.”
His cheeky gaze now held the sage's light, reading ages ahead.
Jun spoke more respectfully.
“You know about my master?”
“Master... Yes. Child, you're the one who detonated this curse's star.”
“...”
“To answer: yes. More precisely, some tiger bastard tailing my thread asked your master to slap this bracelet on me.”
“Because of your power?”
“You know about me too, huh.”
Bound to.
This man was one reason 'Lee Jung-jun' fell for the mage class.
Jun spoke quietly.
“King of Endowment Shailock. One of few Tower Masters granted the title of king by the emperor himself. How could I not know?”
“Heh. My name hasn't faded yet.”
“After the mysterious explosion wrecked your tower and you vanished for 15 years, why here?”
“Long story. And not time yet.”
“...”
“You'll seek me again when the moment comes. Not now. The starlight says so.”
No stars in broad daylight, let alone this dim underground sewer with moldy ceilings.
Yet Shailock's eyes gleamed with mystic vigor.
“But this meeting can't end so lightly. One piece of advice—precious for you.”
“What is it?”
“That artifact won't yield to brute-forcing mana into it. It's greater than you think. Like human bonds. Push one-sidedly, and the clueless other backs away.”
“...”
“Heed that. We'll talk more next time. Come here when it's time.”
The chance encounter (though Shailock called it inevitable) ended as abruptly as it began.
Jun had mountains of questions, but Shailock just yelled to scram, refusing more talk.
He'd return when the time came, as said.
Not like he gained nothing.
He'd grasped a clue to the artifact's growth, unknown even in 'Lee Jung-jun' days.
And more.
Per game lore, Shailock bore the emperor's 'king' title.
Building ties with him wasn't bad.
Wait, getting tangled with a fallen Tower Master could complicate things for me too?
But he didn't dwell further.
With enemies aplenty already, plus...
“Got leads on the enemies.”
The merchant guild and Mage Tower Cloi mentioned tied directly to Shailock.