The Gift of a Home
After all, there’s no place like home!
“So you ended up working there?”
“Yes.”
The Magic Guild. After Grandel had his body healed, he met his master, Hades, and explained everything that had happened. How he had found the site of a world-class spell. How he had encountered Albert there. And how he had signed a new contract and begun working at that place.
“I don’t like it……”
Hades furrowed his brow, making no effort to hide his displeasure. Before joining the Magic Guild, Grandel had been the disciple of an archmage. As Hades’s student, he possessed power that even most nobles could not hope to match. He should never have been treated this way by some mere baron’s household.
‘Even so, he is one of my disciples. Treating him like this is a direct challenge to my authority.’
“That place……”
Before Hades could say more, Grandel hurriedly continued.
“Everything is going according to plan.”
“Plan? Working in a place like that?”
“Yes!”
Grandel knew Hades well. Though a mage who should always remain rational, Hades occasionally acted on emotion.
‘If he finds out I tried to threaten his brother and ended up beaten half to death, saddled with debt, and bound by contract, he’ll definitely storm over there and cause chaos.’
Grandel could read him like a book. After twenty years at Hades’s side, he had a solid grasp of his master’s behavioral patterns.
It would be dangerous. If Albert and Hades fought, who would win? He could already picture the outcome.
‘Have you come to save me, Lord Hades!’
‘No…… I was captured too.’
Blood is thicker than water, so he wanted to side with Hades if possible. But the monstrous combat prowess Albert had displayed that day made it seem impossible for even Hades to win. He had not witnessed the fight directly, yet the lingering pain etched into his body gave him certainty.
The two of them must never clash.
‘If they do……’
He could already imagine it—Hades’s head driven into the ground by Albert’s hand, looking utterly ridiculous.
For the sake of the Magic Guild’s survival, Grandel was desperate.
“What do you mean by that?”
“In any case, I still need to investigate the world-class spell, don’t I? No matter how much of a disciple I am to you, Lord Hades, I’m still an outsider. They’ll probably hide things from me.”
“Hide things? Are you saying a mere baron’s house would dare defy the Magic Guild’s orders?”
His tone was highly authoritarian. Position changes a person. He had not been like this before, but after becoming Master of the Magic Guild, he had grown strangely authoritative. To him, barons and viscounts must have seemed no different from commoners.
Knowing this, Grandel laid the groundwork carefully and spoke smoothly.
“Wouldn’t it be better if they cooperated willingly? We’re investigating a world-class spell. Causing unnecessary friction will only give us headaches and waste time.”
“Hmm. So?”
“While working for the Legrian family, I plan to grow close to them and extract information. If I can build a proper relationship, we might learn even more details, don’t you think?”
Hades stroked his chin.
‘He’s considering it. It’s working so far, but it’s still a little lacking.’
He needed a finishing blow.
“Besides, I’ve already produced results by working there.”
“Results?”
“I’ve gained access to Iron Ant antennae.”
“Oh…… Iron Ant antennae?”
Hades reacted. Iron Ant antennae were valuable magical materials, difficult to obtain even when desired. He had placed requests with the Mercenary Guild, but securing a steady supply had proven troublesome.
“The Legrian territory borders Monster Land. Obtaining Iron Ant antennae isn’t particularly difficult there.”
“But they should still be hard to get, no? The knights of a fallen baron’s house are that strong? If they can hunt Iron Ants living in Monster Land, they must be quite capable.”
“That’s why……”
Grandel mixed in a small lie. He claimed he had helped secure the supply of Iron Ants and that earning their trust through this could lead to information about the world-class spell.
He persuaded Hades, and succeeded. He also spoke with the Magic Guild’s administration and arranged trade with the Flower Merchant Group.
The administrator had initially refused.
“The Flower Merchant Group? We cannot trade with an organization we’ve never heard of. The Magic Guild is an ancient and prestigious organization. We cannot do business with a newly formed, unknown merchant group.”
The administrator looked displeased and reluctant to proceed.
“Doing so would damage the Magic Guild’s reputation. We cannot trade with those beneath our station.”
It was a firm refusal. But Grandel had expected this. He held a trump card.
“Lord Hades personally designated them.”
That single sentence resolved everything. Within the Magic Guild, Hades was nothing less than a god and a king. His commands were absolute; refusal was unthinkable.
“L-Lord Hades did? W-well, of course we must trade with them! We’ve been needing Iron Ant antennae anyway. To think we can obtain them in such large quantities! This will greatly aid our research!”
The administrator’s change in attitude was remarkably swift.
‘He flipped his stance as easily as turning his hand. At this speed, I’m worried his wrist might tear.’
At first it was novel, but now it’s getting burdensome.
How can they move so vigorously like that?
Can Lord Albert do that too?
‘I can’t do that.’ He didn’t even want to say it.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Their minds.”
Aiden tapped his own head with a finger as he spoke.
“In anything, the mind is what matters most. With mental fortitude, the body will naturally follow, but they lack that. They don’t even have motivation.”
They would do what they were told, but there was no will of their own behind it.
They seem to have suffered a great shock.
Well, we don’t know what happened to them there.
They seem to have severe mental trauma.
(。•́︿•̀。)
Their hearts were dead. They were only alive because they had not died; they had no particular attachment to life.
“A person with a dead heart is a useless person. During my mercenary days, I saw many humans like that.”
Even among mercenaries, there were occasional cases. When someone healthy in body had their heart broken by some event, no matter how strong their physique, it meant nothing. Just as the mind is influenced by the body, the body is also influenced by the mind.
“Even among mercenaries, I’ve seen many whose spirits were broken and who died meaninglessly in battle. If even veterans with countless battles can end up that way……”
“Hmm.”
Isn’t there some way?
“A way, huh.”
Albert fell into thought for a moment. Then, as if a good idea had struck him, a smile appeared on his lips.
And when another week had passed, a major change came to the guard post.
“Run! Run! What you lack right now is stamina! Muscles can only be built with stamina! Run until you drop! Don’t stop!!”
At Aiden’s heavy yet sharp voice, the people ran diligently around the perimeter of the training ground. Their clothes were soaked with sweat and a sour smell wafted from their mouths, but no one stopped.
In their eyes burned a strong determination that had not been there before.
“Even when your body reaches its limit, endure with your mind!! One more step! Even if you hit your limit, take one more step! The sweat you shed now will reduce the blood you’ll shed tomorrow!!”
“Aaaagh!”
“Haaagh!”
Their transformation was undeniable.
To think that method would actually work……
Even the System looked dumbfounded. Albert smiled triumphantly.
“I told you it would work.”
Still, getting that motivated just because they got a house……
“Hey, don’t underestimate houses. Do you have any idea how important a home is?”
The decisive factor behind their sudden surge of motivation was the ‘house.’ That day, Albert had asked Hort to build each of them a house. The Legrian territory had plenty of land but few residents, leaving much unused land—because before Albert arrived, everyone had packed up and fled, believing there was no future.
On that land, new houses were built and given to them.
“A house is one of the most important things. Why do you think they had no motivation and had given up on everything?”
Because of the aftereffects……?
“That’s part of it, but more than anything, it’s because they had nothing. If you have nothing, there’s no reason to protect anything. If there’s nothing worth protecting, there’s no will to live.”
People who have something to hold onto and protect always think about living and find the strength to endure. But what about those who have nothing to hold and nothing to protect?
They lose all strength and motivation, living a listless life. That was exactly their state.
So you gave them houses? By giving them a home, they’re no longer empty-handed……
“Exactly.”
As expected of the System. Having been with Albert for so long, it understood his intentions well.
If they have nothing in their hands, just put something there.
Still, just one house and they change this much……
“Why? Houses are that good. Do you think real estate speculation exists for no reason? No matter what else, houses are easy to sell later. And unless something extraordinary happens, their value doesn’t drop.”
So when you were there, Lord Albert also bought land and a house in Gangnam……
“Ahem.”
But if you were going to come back anyway, why buy so much?
“Just in case? Preparation for retirement? Because you never know what might happen.”
While he scratched his cheek awkwardly, one of the running men collapsed.
“Kuh…… Urgh……”
The man had pushed himself to his limit and fallen, unable to run any further. Albert quickly rushed over.
“It seems his stamina has run out. Well, let’s call it a day here……”
“No, we can’t stop here. We’re already short on manpower. These guys need to get stronger quickly.”
“I want to as well, but this one has reached his limit.”
Aiden also wanted to push these weaklings as hard as possible to make them useful. His desire was burning, but—
“He’s having muscle cramps. Any more exercise would be harmful to his body.”
“That’s true. But there’s a way.”
Albert took out water he had stored in his extradimensional space.
“What’s that?”
“Our territory’s specialty—the 8-to-2 well water.”
“8-to-2?”
“I mixed something in.”
You mixed in Bakhass.
‘That’s right.’
It was water mixed with Bakhass. Albert made the man drink it, and the moment he did, something astonishing happened.
“……Huh?”
The muscles that had been trembling moments ago, screaming that they couldn’t go on even if beaten to death, suddenly felt fine. His lungs, which had been questioning their owner’s sanity for doing something so uncharacteristic, and his heart—though not perfect, were overflowing with energy.
“What exactly did you do?”
“Our territory’s well water has some good stuff mixed in.”
It’s doping.
It’s doping, isn’t it?
Bakhass doping—are you sure that’s okay? Even if there are no side effects……
‘It’s fine. Moderate doping is okay.’
This wasn’t the Olympics. The guard post wasn’t a place for fair competitions, so a little doping was acceptable. Besides—
‘Our territory residents are all drinking it anyway.’
The residents probably didn’t realize it. They thought their bodies felt better and they were full of energy from the morning because they were healthy, not because of the Bakhass mixed into the well water.
Albert’s morning routine began with adding Bakhass to the well.
Aren’t you bothered by the trouble?
‘To extract labor, this much effort is necessary.’
“The well water has that kind of effect? What about side effects?”
“None.”
“Amazing. The effects seem to include stamina enhancement, fatigue recovery……”
“It also heals wounds faster, improves concentration, increases basal metabolic rate, aids digestion, helps with constipation…… And the last one is the most important.”
“The last one? What is it?”
“It helps with muscle growth.”
At those words, Aiden’s eyes sparkled. He was someone who took muscles more seriously than anyone, and if it helped muscle growth, he would even chew on rocks. Now that he knew the well water had such an effect—
‘Well water, you’re dead meat today.’
“Now then, we can train more, right?”
“That is……”
“Hmm, it certainly seems sufficient. The cramps have stopped, his complexion looks better, and his breathing has calmed.”
“……”
“There’s plenty of well water, and it’s free.”
“In that case, we can move the plan forward a bit. With this water, we can push them even harder.”
Watching the two of them chuckle, the people could only tremble in fear. The only rest time they had was when they collapsed from exhaustion. Now even that would be taken away.
“……”
“……”
At the sight of their wicked smiles as they thought about how to exploit them most efficiently and what hellish training to devise, the people swallowed dryly in terror.
‘I want to go home.’
The longing for home was intense.