A Tour Across Europe
We had cleared the Tower of Chaos perfectly, after all.
“So what do we do now?”
This was only the second time I had come overseas after my hair started falling out. You never really get a feel for what to do on a trip abroad until you actually take one.
“Is that true, hyung?”
“Why are you so surprised, Mijeong?”
“These days everyone goes overseas at least two or three times, don’t they…?”
“I went once before I awakened, after working my butt off at part-time jobs.”
Sorry about that.
“After I awakened I spent five years stuck as an E-rank. I never had room to think about overseas travel.”
“Ah—ah!”
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“They say after hardship comes happiness—that’s exactly you, hyungnim.”
“We’ll work hard too.”
So the moral of the story was hard work after all.
“My lord truly is different. To devote himself so faithfully to honing his own self.”
“That’s our master for you. He’s nothing like ordinary people.”
【Ascetic. Same.】
【Occasionally go play some holdem for a change of air, Big Lord.】
“Gah! How dare you recommend entertainment to my lord!”
“You thief. You think Master is like you?”
Teachers.
It isn’t as if I know nothing about entertainment, you know?
There was a time—I once even skipped academy and went to a coin karaoke place.
Khhhuuuu.
A wicked deed that would make good children’s hearts pound, wouldn’t it?
Sigh.
It was a real shame I couldn’t just spill all these heroic tales.
President Baek patted my shoulder as if to reassure me.
“I’ve already put the entire sightseeing course together. Don’t worry about a thing.”
“A course?”
“Both the Hunter and the support team have worked hard. Wouldn’t it be a shame to leave after only seeing the Tower?”
Ah.
So that was why he told us to pack plenty of luggage.
“I thought we were going to clear another gate.”
“Eeeehk. Hyung, that sounds a little off.”
“Thank you, President.”
You all don’t have to look that disgusted.
“Rest well today. Starting tomorrow we begin the Ascension sightseeing tour.”
Khh.
Truly reliable.
Our President is the best!
“Thanks to Hunter Park the budget is more than enough. Let’s eat a lot of delicious food.”
“Ooooooh!”
“I believed in you!”
A light kindled in the eyes of the support team as well.
A complete clear of the Tower of Chaos, followed by a trip through Europe.
It felt like a reward for the week of hard labor I had put in, and that only made me feel better.
“Here is the itinerary.”
President Baek handed me a pamphlet.
A beautifully designed booklet packed with information on tourist spots, restaurants, and more.
“You’re not seriously thinking of opening a travel agency, are you?”
“If Hunter Park ever cancels the contract, I will give it serious consideration.”
Please don’t say things that make my blood run cold.
Having the President back me up was far too convenient.
The first stop was Rome.
“We’re not seeing anything more in Pisa?”
“Two weeks is short. Even just hitting the major sights and restaurants will keep the schedule tight.”
Famous landmarks, restaurants, gift shops, and free time—look at how packed that timetable was.
Thanks to that, I only had to follow the President around without needing to think.
“This is the Colosseum.”
A massive structure where the spirit of Rome still lived and breathed.
Its grandeur was overwhelming in a way photographs could never capture.
“Hoh. So this is where the gladiators fought for their lives.”
“It’s barbaric.”
“Do not insult a man’s life-or-death contest!”
“You’re not even a man.”
“Gaaah! Do not insult the burning blood of warriors!”
【Big Lord. It appears to hold tremendous archaeological value.】
【Thief. Greedy. Again.】
【Is that not only natural for an archaeologist?】
You aren’t even a real archaeologist.
“This is a pasta place only the locals know.”
“The noodles are boiled to such exquisite perfection. How can they draw out such flavor? Most mysterious!”
“Just eat quietly. You’re ruining the taste.”
“Do not speak so while stuffing your face without the least dignity.”
Amazingly enough, Sir Isra twirled her pasta with elegance that would put court etiquette to shame and brought it to her lips.
Ingrid, on the other hand, simply shoveled it in however she pleased.
“A knight must, above all, possess dignity.”
“Eating heartily is enough, right, Master?”
【I too can eat heartily. Please craft me a body soon!】
“Be silent, you thief.”
“Shut up, thief.”
In any case, it was a delightful trip.
Foreign scenery I was seeing for the first time.
Local restaurants.
Wandering around with President Baek, with whom I was now rather close, my subordinates, and the support team—it was genuinely enjoyable.
“If we had more time we could explore every corner. A pity.”
“Eek. I feel like we’ve already walked plenty?”
“To properly taste the charm of Rome, even a full week is not enough. Next time, please set aside more days.”
Kieeeeek.
What is this.
Scary.
This President wasn’t only serious about coffee?
“When one does something, one must do it thoroughly. Work and rest alike.”
“The Minister of the Interior always liked things done thoroughly.”
“A proper mindset.”
Excuse me.
I get exhausted easily, you know?
“Next destination is Barcelona.”
“Oh! I’m a Barcelona fan!”
Seongsu shouted loudly.
Barcelona was famous for its soccer team, right?
I had no idea.
I had zero interest in soccer.
“That’s fair. They say its popularity took a hit after the Great Cataclysm.”
“I never lived in the previous era, so I wouldn’t know.”
The support team chattered away.
A hunter’s physical ability was superhuman.
They could fly through the sky with magic and run faster than a cheetah even without mana.
As a result, traditional sports simply weren’t as popular as they once had been.
“Are we taking a plane?”
“We’ll handle lodging on a cruise.”
Oh, ohhhh!
Our President really did have everything planned!
From Rome we returned to Pisa, boarded a large cruise ship, and crossed over to Barcelona.
“Look here, my lord! Armor that still bears the touch of a master craftsman!”
“What’s so great about that scrap heap?”
“I told you to look so that my lord might draw inspiration, yet a mage’s loyalty is only of that degree?”
“Ah—ahaha. Looking again, it does seem decent?”
My subordinates bickering.
“Hyungnim! Try one of these.”
“Wow, it’s really pretty!”
The support team looking out for me.
“We’ll tour up to here today. After that, free time. Enjoy yourselves.”
And President Baek, who had prepared both the course and the expenses.
Spending time like this once in a while might not be so bad, I thought.
After actually traveling through Europe, I finally understood why President Baek had said two weeks was short.
Italy – Spain – France – and then Germany.
Even just visiting the famous tourist spots of each country, time flew by in a rush.
“Khhhuu! This beer is truly excellent.”
“I preferred the Spanish wine.”
“Do not sip your beer like that.”
“What are you on about.”
We spent one night in Frankfurt, Germany, then headed for our final destination—Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.
“Prague is a truly beautiful city. I have many memories here.”
“You’ve been quite often?”
“I visited frequently for work.”
“Ah. The Clock Tower, right.”
Prague was famous both as a capital and as a tourist city, but to hunters it held a different kind of fame.
The magic society of the Prague Clock Tower.
An organization commonly known as the “Clock Tower.”
Minyeong let out an admiring “Ah.”
“It’s the society founded by Alfons Hus, right?”
“Ah. One of the Twelve Heroes?”
When Seongsu asked, Minyeong answered excitedly.
“Yeah. The Clock Tower is like an ideal realm for mages.”
“Is there a special reason it’s that amazing?”
“You know this too, hyung—there are two ways to learn a skill: skill books and study.”
With a skill book, you could acquire the ability immediately as long as you met the conditions.
Study, on the other hand, required perfect understanding of the skill’s structure until you made it your own.
Both Mana Welding and Third Hand were skills I had learned through study.
“The Clock Tower is a place permitted only to mages with the talent to learn that way. I heard the number of skills you can acquire there runs into the hundreds!!”
I had never seen Mijeong this excited before.
I had heard the name, but I never imagined it held such weight for mages.
“There are other mages among the Twelve Heroes, though.”
“You mean Ezekiel Campbell? They say he was incredible too.”
“Hrm.”
Ingrid wore a strange expression and turned her gaze away.
That was fair enough.
Ezekiel Campbell, one of the Twelve Heroes.
The spirit that had dwelled in the weapon he used, the Chatty Sage’s Staff, was her.
They had been on fairly good terms, I had heard.
After the Siberian decisive battle, he had even promised to free Ingrid from the staff.
“Are you all right, Ingrid?”
“Mmm. Of course. It’s not like I’m depressed just because some stupid old man popped into my head.”
Yeah. Sure.
“President, I’ll buy the drinks.”
“Did I not say I would cover every expense of this trip?”
“It’s for the mood. The mood.”
Partly to lift Ingrid’s slightly dampened spirits, I stepped into the nearest café.
“Welcome.”
The moment I received the café owner’s greeting, a fact I had forgotten while focusing solely on cheering Ingrid up came back to me.
This place.
Was a foreign country, wasn’t it?
Don’t panic.
Hadn’t I prepared a translation app on my home screen precisely for times like this?
I hurriedly opened the translator and was about to order when—
“Young man. You seem Korean. I would like to help you order, if I may.”
An elderly gentleman in the café spoke to me.
And not in Czech or English—
In Korean.
The shadow of his fedora hid his face, but I could still tell he was East Asian.
A white man speaking our language that fluently…
“Ah. Yes. That’s righ…?”
I started to ask him to order for me, then my words caught in my throat.
This elder.
Who exactly was he?
At first glance I had taken him for nothing more than a neatly dressed old gentleman.
Looking closer, that wasn’t it.
If one were to personify a single blade, it would be this man, I thought.
The sharp presence made my breath hitch.
First the gambling den in Pisa, and now this.
Was Europe overflowing with hidden masters?
Thanks to the warning from Heavenly Martial Body, I could tell the other party was a powerful hunter.
“Heh heh. No need to be so wary, young man.”
“Ah. Forgive me.”
“I should be the one apologizing. I never expected to meet a promising hunter who could sense presence so keenly.”
While the elderly gentleman was smiling, Sir Isra, who had followed behind me, wore a startled expression.
Understandable.
I had been thoroughly startled at first as well.
“My lord.”
“Don’t worry. I’m fine.”
“That is not it.”
Sir Isra’s eyes darted left and right for a moment as if she were hesitating.
What’s wrong with her?
【I sense a familiar residual mana from the old man.】
Sir Isra spoke through thought rather than voice.
Familiar?
With the elder right in front of me I couldn’t answer aloud, so I only rolled my eyes.
【I speak of my beloved blade.】
Beloved blade…
She meant the Obsidian Greatsword of the Fallen Knight.
Its current owner was Gerard the Black Knight, one of the Twelve Heroes.
Wait a second.
Then, could it be…?