Chapter 30
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Born-to-be Scrub Mage
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Born-to-be Scrub Mage
The wagoner, Rebi, considered himself a man who had lived a rather honest life.
The son of tenant farmers, Rebi sold everything in his house the moment his parents died, using the money to buy a shabby cart and an old horse. Then he headed for the eastern part of the empire, which was said to be relatively peaceful.
Rebi worked tirelessly. He never stayed in one place for more than a day after a deal was done, and if he smelled money, he would travel to the very ends of the east.
True to the saying that hard work pays off, his cart gradually grew larger, and the old horse that looked like it would drop dead at any moment was replaced by a vigorous young one.
He even picked up a particularly bright orphan and took him on as an apprentice. In short, his life had caught a fair wind and was sailing smoothly.
‘It should have been, anyway.’
Rebi wiped the sweat drenching his hands on his thighs, but the tension didn't ease, and his palms were soon slick again.
"...Are we really going to be okay?"
Beside him, Rebi's apprentice, the freckled Flees, muttered under his breath. Rebi glanced back.
Where there should have been a pile of goods, three grim-faced men sat idly. The chilling sound of metal scraping against metal grated on his nerves.
The problem had started in the city of Karzan. While he was gathering goods as usual, the men had suddenly brandished a hatchet at him. They demanded he take them to Casedic Castle.
‘I should have gone to the guild, even if the fee was a waste.’
Rebi bitterly regretted not going to the guild to save a few coins. And to think they were members of the notoriously vicious ‘Lone Wolves’…
And so, at the end of a bizarre journey where he, the employer, ended up waiting on them hand and foot, they had finally arrived at their destination, Casedic Castle, and were waiting for inspection.
"Do we really have to come all the way to this countryside to find a little brat? I heard he's a useless trash mage who can't do anything."
Rebi pricked up his ears at the conversation coming from behind him.
"Not trash, a scrub mage. And it's the boss's order."
A deep voice silenced him. Rebi guessed this was their leader.
"Stupid bastards. Can't even stay put. We should've just lopped off his head back then. The boss has gotten soft these days, not like him at all... Tsk. But isn't it possible the kid died with them?"
"They said there was no kid among the death row inmates."
"It's a chronic disease of his, never letting go of anyone who comes under his wing. Tsk-tsk. Sending us to catch a brat like that. It's a loss, a total loss."
"Everyone shut up and watch your expressions. Jacob, you especially watch your words and actions. This isn't Karzan. If you swing your axe just because you don't like someone's look, you can't get away with it like you did in Karzan."
"Jake, stop talking. I know. You're telling me to hold back."
"You worry too much. Who's gonna pick a fight with us?"
"I know. Just be careful."
After the last word, only the chilling sound of scraping metal could be heard. Rebi swallowed hard, trying to force himself to relax.
"Aren't we in danger too?"
"We'll be fine. Casedic Castle's inspections are just for show, and they'll let you pass if you slip them a silver coin."
Rebi replied to Flees's question, managing his expression to appear unfazed. If there was one thing he didn't want, it was to show his apprentice that he was flustered. That was the last shred of the wagoner Rebi's pride.
"Really? But if we get caught with them..."
"I said it's fine. In Casedic Castle, you only need to watch out for one person."
"One person? Who?"
At Flees's question, Rebi recalled someone from memory and shuddered.
"There is one. A notorious mad dog."
"A mad dog?"
"Just act natural. We might take a small loss, but we can make it back."
He patted the head of Flees, who nodded with a stiff face, and turned his gaze forward. The inspection of the cart ahead of them was finished.
Rebi wiped the sweat from his palms and pulled the reins, moving slowly forward.
‘Why are there so many of them?’
There were usually two, but this time five were conducting the inspection. Among them were even soldiers in iron armor.
"Good day! Pul!"
Fortunately, the face of the man approaching was familiar. Rebi smiled brightly and greeted him.
‘Is that his brother next to him?’
There was a man next to Pul he hadn't seen before, but they looked similar enough to be related.
"It's been a while, Rebi. Six months?"
"Haha... I was down with a fever recently, so I took some time off work."
Rebi felt a pang of guilt that Pul remembered when he had last visited, but he managed his expression and took out the pouch he had prepared.
‘It was 1 silver.’
It was his hard-earned money, but considering his last haul, it was an appropriate amount.
"Hmm."
Pul seemed to think so too, nodding as he took the silver coin. Just then, the man beside Pul raised his hand.
"Wait! Pul, my man. Aren't there twice as many people this time?"
"Well... that's true, but considering Rebi's last haul, this is about right. Dylan."
"C'mon, we've gotta share some with the other guys..."
As the conversation dragged on, Rebi, who wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, grew anxious.
"Here you go!"
Money wasn't the issue, so Rebi pulled another silver coin from his tunic and handed it to the man named Dylan.
"Rebi, there's no need for this..."
"Hehe. Pul, my man, we've got to share with those guys over there, don't we?"
A fire raged inside Rebi as he watched the man named Dylan grin slyly and stuff the silver coin into his pocket.
‘Be patient. Just focus on getting through this safely.’
Rebi put on a smile again and gripped the reins, but then the man raised his hand again.
"...What is it now?!"
"Ah, there's just one more procedure. You friends back there, get down and stand over here."
As the man gestured to the men in the back, Rebi fought to suppress a scream.
"Aren't you getting down? Hey, fellas! These guys are refusing inspection!"
The man signaled to the rear, and the soldiers in iron armor approached. Rebi swallowed, his eyes darting between the men in his cart and the soldiers' sharp spears.
"Let's get down."
"Ah, what a pain."
At their leader's words, the men disembarked from the cart.
"Alright, line up."
The man gestured with a smug smile. One of the men, the one with a scar on his eye, ground his teeth with a grating sound. Another man patted his back, and he spat on the ground before turning around.
‘This doesn't feel right.’
Rebi got a bad feeling from the sly grin on Dylan's face.
Just then, Dylan suddenly swung the wooden stick in his hand at the leader's head. *Thwack!* With a sharp crack, the man crumpled forward.
"Jake!! You son of a bitch, how dare you touch my brother..."
"Jacob! Stop! Dammit!"
The man with the eye scar's eyes widened, and he drew the hatchet from his belt.
"Devils!! They're devils! They're damn devils!!"
Dylan feigned shock, hiding behind the soldiers and shouting, and the soldiers thrust their spears without hesitation.
In an instant, the situation escalated to an extreme. The men seemed to be tough customers, but they were no match for the long spears of trained soldiers in iron armor.
‘What in the world happened to Casedic Castle in the last six months...’
Rebi pulled Flees behind him and squeezed his eyes shut.
***
"Jojang-nim, three guys were caught at the inspection today."
"Three of them?"
"Yes. Dylan found them. Two of them resisted and were killed on the spot, and the one who was knocked out has been locked in the barrel."
I scratched my cheek at Berman's report.
‘How the hell is clubbing suspicious people with a wooden stick an inspection...? Bunch of savages.’
I clicked my tongue. Since the last incident, the magistrate had ordered the inspection method to be changed to this idiotic one.
"So damn primitive."
"...Ahem."
Berman let out a long, dry cough and stared at me with an annoying look. When I scowled, he turned his head away.
"Still... thanks to the new inspection method, we are filtering out problematic individuals. The ones caught today were wanted men... and the number of incidents within the castle walls has dropped sharply lately..."
"Whatever, just grab this for me."
"Why don't you just buy a new pair, sir?"
"They're still perfectly good. Grab it."
With a reluctant look on his face, Berman grabbed my boot, and I pulled my foot out with force. *Pop!* With a satisfying sound, my foot was free.
"That bastard of a Daejang. I asked him for new supplies."
"Jojang-nim, you've extorted... I mean, earned so much money, why do you keep asking for supplies? You could just buy them."
"There's nothing more infuriating than buying work boots with my own money. Now, the other one."
"...Yes, sir."
Berman grabbed the other boot, and with another *pop!*, both my feet were completely free. I tossed the rotten boots into a corner and put on the ones I had worn here.
"Anyway, because of the new inspection method, quite a few people have been caught... The barrel is full."
"Of course it's not just one or two. Who wouldn't react to being clubbed in the head with a wooden stick? Only an idiot would stand still. Ugh, those simpletons don't know when to stop."
"That... Never mind."
Berman's lips twitched, and he swallowed hard. I ignored him and stood up.
"Good work."
Leaving Berman behind, I walked out of the headquarters.
‘...A function upgrade.’
Magic books were not easy for ordinary people to obtain. It was next to impossible to find one in a remote place like this, but that didn't mean there was no way.
‘If I mix in a wind element, would it become an air conditioner?’
The summers in the eastern part of the empire were so terribly humid and hot that they were known to cause an unusual number of incidents.
Considering that the high-end taverns and restaurants in the city were cool even in summer, it was clear that an air conditioner function could be added.
‘But should I have asked first?’
It occurred to me that I hadn't asked for the mini-fridge's opinion, but I shook my head. Mages were like addicts; they would do anything for books. The mini-fridge would surely welcome an upgrade.
I headed to the most secluded part of District 6. There, unlike the other shabby houses of the district, stood a fine house that wouldn't look out of place in District 1.
There was even a middle-aged man in light armor standing guard in front of it.
Out of habit, I sized up the man. He was a swordsman who used two blades, each about the length of his forearm.
"What is your business?"
As I approached, the man raised a hand to stop me and asked. I noted the calluses on his hand. He seemed to prefer slashing over thrusting.
"What do you mean, what's my business? I'm here to see Jackson. Hey, Jackson!"
"Do you have an appointment?"
He asked with his neck held stiffly, as if he thought he was a knight serving some lord.
‘Retired thugs just can't shake their old habits...’
A wave of irritation washed over me, and I scratched my cheek.
"Let him in."
Just as I was contemplating punching him, a gruff voice came from inside. The middle-aged man reluctantly stepped aside and opened the door.
As the door opened, a room filled with hazy smoke came into view.
"Ugh, I told you to get some ventilation in here."
"You would do well to watch your tongue."
"Bullshit, watch my tongue my ass."
"Watch your..."
"Buuullshit."
"Enough."
As the man scowled and gestured with his hand, the deep voice from inside spoke again. The man took a step back, and I clicked my tongue and went inside.
"It's been a while."
In front of a fireplace filled only with ash sat a massive, hairy man who resembled a giant bear, lounging in a sleek leather chair that didn't belong in District 6.
It was Ska's father, Jackson.
"Ugh... the smoke..."
I gauged the distance to Jackson and casually rested a hand on the hilt of my sword while pretending to cross my arms.
"Isn't it fragrant? Some noble claimed he grew younger smoking this. What brings the mad dog of Casedic Castle all the way here?"
"Mad dog is *your* nickname. The Mad Giant."
*Kuhh...* Jackson let out a rough breath and shifted slightly. It was a minuscule movement, but the presence he exuded was extraordinary.
"Hoo... right. You're not the mad dog, you're..."
A playful glint appeared in his large, round eyes—a spitting image of Ska's—that peeked through the fluffy fur.
"That's far enough."
"Care for a puff?"
Jackson asked, offering the pipe he held in his mouth. When I waved my hand, he brought it back to his lips.
"So, what's this about?"
"I have a favor to ask."
"A favor... with that stiff posture?"
"Ah, let's call it a deal."
"Hmm... Looking at you, I feel like I'm seeing my younger self. A greenhorn who doesn't know how scary the world is just because he has a strong body."
Jackson's muttering annoyed me. I had heard rumors of what he had done in his youth and what a scoundrel he had been, so I couldn't agree.
"We don't look anything alike, so don't lump us together. You're ugly, and I'm handsome. Anyway, get me a magic book."
"Puhahaha! Handsome?! Now that's the best laugh I've had in a long time!"
When Jackson laughed, it felt like the ground was shaking. His booming laughter was so grating that I had to consciously relax the fist I had clenched.
‘...If only he wasn't Ska's father.’
I flexed my hand and then relaxed it.
"Haha, right. A magic book... Is it for that child you recently took in?"
"You have ears planted somewhere? I heard you retired, but it seems you still have lingering attachments."
"It's an occupational hazard. You know how it is. Once you get an occupational disease, no medicine can cure it."
Perhaps because Ska wasn't around to entertain him, Jackson was needlessly beating around the bush.
"So, can you get it or not?"
"I can get it. With money, I can get anything."
Jackson made a circle with his right hand, the size of a human head. It was unclear whether the circle was large because of his massive hands or if it was meant to indicate the price.
"Hmm... Weren't you retired? Nova thinks you just sit around in a corner of your room, puffing on your pipe. I'm sure Nova would be delighted to hear about this."
"It's just a small hobby, not enough to be taxed."
Jackson answered nonchalantly, but because he was so large, even his slightest flinch looked significant.
‘To make even Jackson flinch...’
The prickly orange, Nova, suddenly seemed quite formidable.
"Nova has been worried lately. The damages caused by the devil were much larger than expected."
"...Aren't most of those damages caused by you, Aron? I was wondering why Nova wasn't billing you."
This time, it was my turn to cough loudly.
"Ahem... It happened in the line of duty. Nova is very strict about things like that."
"Anyway, what kind of magic book do you want?"
"Can you get a specific one if I tell you?"
"That would be difficult. A magic book isn't a piece of scrap metal, you know."
Was he mocking me? I scratched my cheek and looked into his round eyes. They were round like Ska's, but their depth was different.
"But do you know how expensive magic books are?"
Jackson exhaled another puff of smoke. Curiously, the smoke that came out in a ring dispersed midway, only to form a circle again.
"I do not."
"Ahem! Well, do you have enough money?"
"See this? I'm an Honorary Monk. I can pray for you if you want. A very deep prayer."
I casually tapped my golden cape. Jackson narrowed his eyes and then, *whoosh*, blew away the surrounding smoke.
"Forget it. All who believe in gods meet a miserable end. Right. It's Aron, so of course he has money. The prices of magic books vary, so let's talk after I get one."
Jackson waved his hand as if to dismiss me.
‘So does that mean I get a discount?’
I tapped the golden cape again, but Jackson closed his eyes, feigning disinterest.
It seemed Jackson was not a follower of the Sun God.
‘He'll probably fall into hell clutching a pile of money.’
I clicked my tongue.
***
"Hey, come sit over here."
I gestured to the mini-fridge, who was peeking at me with half her face hidden. She hesitantly approached.
Perching on the edge of the chair, she glanced at me. To help her relax, I offered a kind smile, which made her eyes widen.
"So... was it Kanu?"
"It's Kanna... sir."
"Ah, right. Kanna. Why did you give up on the book?"
"Who said I gave up! ...I didn't, sir."
"So you're reading it?"
"No... sir."
"So you gave up."
"I told you I didn't! ...sir."
As I gently prodded her, her usual defiant reaction emerged. After glaring at me with sharp eyes, she lowered her head again.
"So what magic can you use right now?"
First, I decided to check her currently installed functions.
"You want me to list my magic?! ...sir?"
"You don't want to?"
"No! ...sir."
She shouted, then shot me a furtive glance before continuing.
"Magic dice... making things cold... and simple clairvoyance..."
She enunciated each word clearly, as if trying to impress an interviewer. Of course, her skills weren't something that could be dressed up.
"Dice and clairvoyance? Did you learn magic from a gambling addict or something?"
"He wasn't a gambling addict, he was a man who understood romance... sir."
She answered in a trailing voice, avoiding my gaze.
‘Should I just be content with beer?’
I began to doubt whether this born-to-be scrub mage, who had learned from a gambling addict instead of a book, could learn anything even if I gave her one.
"S-Still! He said I learn incredibly fast... sir."
Perhaps sensing my mood, she quickly added on.
At that moment, a voice I had buried in my memory surfaced.
[How did I learn magic? Why do you ask? It's not like you have the brains for it, Aron.]
"I... I'm good at everything... Hana said I'm good at washing dishes, too!"
[Pfft! Aron, a man of intellect? Anyway, I was just desperate. And I was smarter than others... no, I was a genius.]
"Please... don't abandon me... sir."
She was a woman whose eyes sparkled with an intelligence that made any comparison to this born-to-be scrub of a mini-fridge feel apologetic, yet for a strange reason, the two of them overlapped in my mind.
"Abandon you? What are you talking about... Don't say things that could give people the wrong idea."
Seeing tears well up and fall from her eyes, I quickly waved my hands.
"Really?"
‘Was that an act? She's a clever one.’
I clicked my tongue softly as I watched her eyes dart around, even as tears streamed down her face.
"Anyway, you're saying you lacked the opportunity, not the will, right?"
This wasn't some children's workbook; it was a magic book that cost a fortune. It would be a huge problem if she said she didn't want to study after I brought it. A problem for her, and for me.
"Yes! Just give me the order, sir!"
As if she had never been on the verge of tears, she immediately straightened her posture and her eyes widened with determination.
‘What’s with the way she talks?’
Her tone had a strange hint of Jokjebi in it, making me frown instinctively.
"...And there's something I haven't told you."
Returning to her downcast demeanor, she twisted her fingers and trailed off. It was a masterful performance.
"What is it?"
As I asked, her lips parted to speak.
*SLAM!!*
The door burst open violently, and a drenched Jokjebi ran in.
"Boss! Boss!! It's a disaster! The guys in the barrel all escaped!!"
Jokjebi collapsed in front of me, shouting. He kept glancing nervously at the door, his eyes wide with fear as if a murderer was chasing him.
*Drip, drop.*
Through the open door, thick raindrops fell, soaking the entrance of the hall.
I had a feeling it was going to be a long day. I scratched my beard in annoyance.
"Tsk, we'll continue this career counseling later."
I downed the rest of my beer and got up from my seat.